Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Firefighters are working to stop a rekindled chimney fire this afternoon at 14001 Ridge Rd. in Gaines.

Firefighters were dispatched to the historic home from 1825 at about 2:30 a.m. They were called back at about noon today after there was smoke and heat in the insulation and the trusses of the attic.

Albion, Medina and Carlton firefighters are at the scene of the home owned by the Mack family. The site is at the intersection with Route 279 (Gaines-Waterport Road).

There will be a 10 percent increase in Chinook salmon stocking in lake Ontario this year, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced along with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

The DEC said it will stock 985,180 Chinook salmon this year, up about 90,000 from the 2022 number.

The DEC said is adapts the stocking levels based on alewife biomass and Chinook salmon growth and condition. The alewife biomass increased in 2022 and the weight of age-3 salmon increased to 20.7 pounds in 2022, staying above the lower threshold of 18.4 pounds, the DEC said..

The stocking levels for the Chinook salmon in 2023 include:

• Oak Orchard Creek – 126,330
• Niagara River – 89,930
• Eighteenmile Creek (Olcott) – 126,330
• Genesee River – 126,330
• Oswego River – 126,330
• Salmon River – 300,000
• Sackets Harbor (Black River) – 89,930

The DEC said it will continue to adaptively manage the salmon and trout stocking levels to ensure a predator-prey balance in Lake Ontario while continuing “to provide world-class fishing opportunities for years to come.”

Fishing is Orleans County’s top tourism industry with a $28 million annual impact, according to a DEC study and survey from 2017.

Out-of-state anglers account for 70 percent of the fishing economic output in Orleans County, $19,620,488 of the $27,989,393. County residents who fish accounted for $1,767,334 in economic activity while other New York state residents outside Orleans represented another $6,601,571, according to that report.

Provided photos

ALBION – Orleans County Deputy Sheriff Matt Prawel, Albion’s school resource officer, lets sixth grader Anthony Napoli try on a vest during a visit last week to Tim Archer’ s citizenship class in the middle school.

Deputy Prawel was joined by Deputy George Barton and Sgt. Adam Hazel in discussing training, tactics, jurisdiction and cooperation with other agencies. Barton and Hazel are both members of the county’s SWAT team.

The law enforcement officers also discussed the 911 dispatch center, road and marine patrols, weapons and equipment, and Otto, the county’s K9.

Tim Archer, teacher of the citizenship class, is at left. He is joined by Deputy Prawel, Deputy Barton and Sgt. Hazel.

“It was a great couple days for the students to learn from and appreciate our local law enforcement,” Archer said.

Covid-19 wasn’t in the news as much in 2022 as the previous two years with many of the restrictions lifted and the return of community festivals, in-person and indoor graduations and other large events. Life was pretty much back to normal locally.

But there were actually more confirmed Covid cases in both Genesee and Orleans counties in 2022 than in either 2021 or 2020. The number of deaths from Covid was down in 2022 from the previous year in the two counties. However, the two counties reported 71 confirmed Covid-related deaths.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments  continue to urge people to keep up with their Covid vaccinations and take precautions to avoid getting Covid and other respiratory illnesses.

The Orleans Hub asked the local health departments for the data on Covid cases and deaths each year since the Covid pandemic started in March 2020.

These charts provide the confirmed cases in each county, and the deaths attributed to Covid.

In the nearly three years of Covid, there have been 18,775 cases in Genesee (population 58,388) and 206 deaths.

In Orleans (population 40,343), there have been 12,055 confirmed Covid cases and 126 deaths. Those numbers in both counties don’t include January of 2023.

The two counties had their biggest Covid surge of the pandemic to start 2022. Orleans County had 855 confirmed cases in the week of Jan. 5-11, followed by 645 the following week and then 521 from Jan. 19-25, 2022.

The numbers are far less a year later. The county reported 41 cases from Jan. 11 to 17, 2023, and then 72 from Jan. 18-24.

Genesee’s omicron surge about a year ago included 1,848 cases from Jan. 5-11, 2022, followed by 1,014 from Jan. 12-18 and then 847 the following week.

Genesee has significantly fewer cases now. The county reported 73 cases from Jan. 11-17, and then 60 cases from Jan. 18-24.

After the huge increase in cases about a year ago from the omicron variant, the two counties had another increase in cases in April and May, and then a slight uptick in September and around Thanksgiving, said Kaitlin Pettine, director of health promotion and public information officer for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

“Currently, Covid-19 cases continue to fluctuate and we are at medium level of risk per the CDC,” Pettine said. “Seasonal flu and other respiratory illness continue to circulate.”

She said the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments continues to recommend the following precautions to help avoid spreading Covid and other respiratory illnesses:

• Stay home when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you are coughing and sneezing.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
• Wash and sanitize frequently shared/touched items.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Jack Welch, Orleans County chief administrative officer, assisted at a rapid test clinic in early January 2021 at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. He is shown in a driver’s side mirror of a car in line. The volunteers wore personal protective equipment when they ran the rapid test clinics during the winter.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The truss on the west side of the Main Street lift bridge is hoisted this afternoon at about 2:30. The first one was removed with a crane at about 11:45 a.m.

Both trusses have been set on a cradle on the north side of the canal where they will be either rehabilitated or the corroding steel will be taken off and replaced with new high-pressured beams and other steel.

The state Department of Transportation is having a major overhaul of the bridge from 1914. It last received extensive work in the 1980s and has had frequent repairs since then, said Jon Long, engineer in charge for the state DOT.

Editor’s Note: Matt Ballard, a former Orleans County historian, thinks the removal of the bridge today is more likely the first time there hasn’t been a Main Street bridge over the canal since 1859. When the 1914 bridge was built, there also was a temporary bridge in place to allow for some traffic.

Ballard suspects Albion last didn’t have a bridge across Main Street after the bridge collapse on Sept. 28, 1859. That day there were 250 people crowded on the bridge, and five horses. The crowd assembled to watch a tight-rope walker west of the bridge. He took a few steps on the tight rope and then the bridge collapsed, killing 15 people.

Here is how the bridge looked this morning before the trusses were removed. This is looking west from the Ingersoll Street bridge.

Clark Rigging & Rental used a big crane with a 400-ton capacity to lift the trusses, which each weighed an estimated 53,000 pounds.

Here is the scene soon after the second truss was removed this afternoon.

The rebuilt trusses are expected to be put back across the canal in August or September, with additional work on the bridge to follow. The bridge closed to traffic in November for the 18-month rehabilitation project. A similar effort will start in April in Brockport.

The state DOT is paying $28.3 million to contractors for the two projects.

Crane-Hogan Structural Systems of Spencerport is general contractor for the project, with BVR Construction Company in Churchville hired as a subcontractor for the structural steel work on the bridge rehabilitation.

Here are some other photos this afternoon during the removal and lifting of the second truss.

The trusses had to be cut free from the lifting frame at each end of the bridge.

The 115-foot-long truss is lifted over the control tower and wires stretched across the canal.

The lifting of the trusses drew many onlookers throughout the morning and afternoon.

Ken Pettine and Junior LaMartina of Albion missed the first truss in the morning but they camped out in the village parking lot by the canal for about an hour to watch the second truss be removed.

“It’s amazing to see what they do,” Pettine said. “These guys were unbelievable. They know exactly what they are doing.”

Press Release, WNY chapter of Alzheimer’s Association

BUFFALO – Yesterday’s tragedy involving a woman with Alzheimer’s disease who died after leaving her home in Middleport has prompted the Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association to offer information to help prevent wandering by people with Alzheimer’s or other dementia.

“We want to offer our sincere and deepest sympathies to the family of Diane Harvey, and as people who work every day with those living with dementia and their caregivers, we share in their heartache,” says Andrea Koch, director of education for the WNY Chapter.

It is estimated that 60% of people with dementia will wander and become lost at some point, due to losing their ability to recognize familiar places and faces. If not found within 24 hours, up to half of wandering individuals will suffer serious injury or death. The WNY Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association offers several safety measures to help curb wandering.

“We have allocated funds from our New York State Department of Health grants to offer free enrollment in Medic Alert + Wandering Support, which provides medical ID bracelets for people living with dementia,” Koch said.

To enroll through the Alzheimer’s Association, a family submits medical information, emergency contact info, and a recent photo to Medic Alert, so that in the event a person wanders, a) they have ID on them even if they’re not carrying a wallet or purse and b) Medic Alert can act as an information hub, sending out all pertinent information to all local first responders.

“The hope is that this will speed up the process of locating the person and ensure that first responders have all pertinent medical info in case there is a medical emergency when the person is found,” Koch said. “We also offer a companion bracelet for caregivers, so, for example, if a caregiver is injured while running a quick errand, first responders will know there is someone living with dementia they need to go check on.”

The WNY Chapter also can offer free door alarms for families so they will know if someone opens a door unexpectedly.

“Unfortunately, these aren’t foolproof systems, but these tools do offer added layers of protection,” Koch said. “The heartbreaking truth is that wandering can happen unexpectedly and with little warning. In our unforgiving WNY winters, families and first responders may need every tool at their disposal to avoid a tragedy like the one we saw yesterday. Our chapter has taken these added steps to provide resources locally in the hope we can prevent this whenever possible.”

The Alzheimer’s Association also offers the following tips to help families prevent their loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia from wandering:

• Identify the time of day the person is most likely to wander. Plan things to do during this time including exercise as it may help reduce anxiety, agitation and restlessness.
• Create a daily plan. Involve the person in daily activities, such as folding laundry or preparing dinner.
• Reassure the person if he or she feels lost, abandoned or disoriented.
• Consider using a GPS device. If the person is still safely driving, this can help if they get lost.
• Remove access to car keys. If the person is no longer driving, they may forget that they no longer drive.
• Avoid busy places. Shopping malls and other busy areas can be confusing and cause disorientation.
• Assess the person’s response to new surroundings. Do not leave someone with dementia unsupervised if new surroundings may cause confusion, disorientation or agitation.

If a family member does wander and get lost, begin your search immediately. Start by searching the immediate vicinity, including “less-traveled” areas in your home. Outside the home, search the yard and nearby surroundings. Most people who wander are found within a half mile of their homes or starting location.

If, after 15 minutes, the person is not located, call 911 to file a missing person’s report. New York State law enforcement can issue a Missing Vulnerable Adult Alert, to alert the public that an individual who is at least 18 years old and has a cognitive disorder, mental disability or brain disorder has gone goes missing. This program allows for the rapid dissemination of information that can result in an individual’s safe return.

“It breaks our hearts when we hear families say, ‘We wish we knew about the Alzheimer’s Association sooner,’” Koch said. “If there is anyone in Western New York struggling with caring for a loved one living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, please know that around-the-clock support and abundant free resources are just a phone call away.”

The WNY Chapter can provide families with a free Safety Services brochure with more information. To receive one, call 716.626.0600 ext. 313 or email ctorgalski@alz.org.

To learn more about ways to prevent wandering or how to take action when wandering occurs, visit alz.org or call 800-272-3900.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A 53,000-pound truss from the Main Street lift bridge in Albion was moved to land just north of the canal today.

The much-anticipated project had been delayed by windy conditions in recent days. Today there is barely any wind and Clark Rigging & Rental was able to use a big crane with a 400-ton capacity.

The 115-foot-long truss on the east side rises in the air above the truss on the west side.

Before the truss was picked up by the crane, an employee with BVR Construction Company in Churchville cut the end free on the north side. BVR is doing the structural steel work on the bridge rehabilitation.

The truss is slowly lifted above wires and the tower, to be set on land on the north side of the canal.

The truss is set on a cradle where BVR can more easily work on replacing the bottom steel beam. Most of the diagonal steel beams also will be replaced. The top beam doesn’t need to be replaced and is in good shape because it doesn’t have much exposure to road salt.

Click here for a short YouTube video of the truss being hoisted in the air.

Jon Long, engineer in charge for the state Department of Transportation, said the trusses will be worked on over several months and expected to be reset over the canal in late August or September. At that point they will have new steel on the bottom and most of the diagonal pieces.

BVR will also put in new stringers, a new deck (flooring system) and cross beams and the bridge will be repainted.

Crane-Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport is the general contractor for the project and will be doing the concrete work on each side of the bridge, as well as ordering the materials for the project.

BVR is a subcontractor doing the structural steel work. O’Connell & Electric will be doing the electrical work, which is primarily with the lifting system.

The 18-month rehabilitation project started in November. The Brockport lift bridge on main Street will be getting a similar overhaul with that bridge expected to close in April. It also will be taken apart and moved offsite on land for most of the repair and replacement work.

DOT staff and many of the workers took videos of the truss being removed at about 11:45 a.m. The other truss is expected to be lifted this afternoon.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – One of the big beams on the Main Street lift bridge is moved to a spot on land, north of the canal in Albion this morning.

The much-anticipated removal of trusses and beams is happening today. Clark Rigging & Rental has a crane in Albion with a 400-ton capacity.  Windy conditions in recent days delayed the truss removal, but today there isn’t much wind so the work is proceeding.

The beams and trusses are expected to be removed by late this afternoon.

The trusses, the long horizontal steel going across the canal, each weigh an estimated 53,000 pounds. This isn’t one of the trusses, but one of the cross beams.

The crane has a 257,000-pound counterweight.

Construction workers cut through the steel to take apart the bridge today.

There is a live stream of the bridge available by clicking here.

ALBION – It will cost $10 more to rent the pavilion at Bullard Park for parties and events. The Village Board voted on Wednesday evening to increase the cost for village residents to $35 while non-village residents will have to pay $60 to reserve the space.

This is for Bullard Park only, where the new pavilion is next to bathrooms and has electricity.

The Village Board may also add a cleaning/damage deposit in the future, said Trustee Tim McMurray. He said the village Department of Publics Works employees often come in on weekends on overtime to clean up after parties and events.

He said the fees are in line with what many other communities charge to reserve pavilions.

The village may include a charge to rent pavilions at other parks once those facilities are upgraded, board members said.

Tracy VanSkiver, the village clerk and treasurer, said the village office has been getting several requests to rent out the pavilion at Bullard Park in 2023.

In other action at the meeting:

• The board approved taking $20,013.94  from the police equipment reserves to purchase a 2022 Durango patrol vehicle for the K-9 unit.

• Appointed Susan Oschmann to the Historic Preservation Committee, with a term expiring in April 2026.

• Voted 4-0 to post employee contracts and salaries on the village website. Trustees said that information is already on the SeeThroughNY website. Putting them on the village website will make it easier for the Albion community to see the information, trustees said.

• Voted to advertise for two part-time clerk positions.

• Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley said she has spoken with the state Department of Transportation about the closed off Brown Street canal bridge. That bridge has become unsightly, she said. It has been closed to traffic for about a decade.

Riley and the board would like it to be fixed and reopened, but that isn’t in the short-term plan for the DOT, Riley said.

She said the village will continue to advocate that the bridge be reopened to traffic. If the DOT doesn’t have plans to fix it, the state should consider removing the bridge while looking at an option for pedestrian access, Riley said.

County Legislator John Fitzak said if the bridge was removed, the DOT should regrade the approaches, and could create more parking spaces for the former Crooked Door Tavern which is on the south side of the bridge. The Crooked Door is being turned into a café.

“Don’t just leave it this way,” Riley said about the bridge. “It is an eyesore just sitting there.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Genesee Community College’s main campus in Batavia is shown in this file photo from March 2021. GCC also operates campus centers in Orleans, Wyoming and Livingston counties.

ALBION – Orleans County, which spent over $2 million in community college chargebacks in 2020, was well below its budgeted amount in 2022 of $2,050,000.

The county paid $1,657,803 to community colleges last year. That was down from $1,839,535 in 2021 and $2,214,515 in 2020.

The $2.2 million total in 2020 prompted county legislators to set a $2,050,000 cap for the county expense, with anything cost over that to be paid by towns in the county.

But since the $2,050,000 cap was put in place for 2021, the county hasn’t exceeded that amount, meaning the towns haven’t had to pay.

By state law, counties contribute to the community college costs for residents, even if they take classes at community colleges in other counties. The formula was supposed to be the counties, the state and student each paying about a third of the costs, but the state percentage has dropped, pushing a higher percentage of the cost on students and the counties.

Among students in Orleans County, Genesee Community College is the most popular option – by far. GCC accounted for $1,284,261 or 77.5 percent of the county’s total chargebacks of $1,657,803, according to data from the county treasurer’s office.

GCC operates a campus center in Medina, as well as the main campus in Batavia, and other campus centers in Wyoming and Livingston counties. GCC also offers online classes.

Here is a breakdown of what the county was billed for chargebacks from community colleges in the state:

• Genesee Community College ­– $1,284,261
• Niagara County Community College – $139,237
• Monroe Community College – $122,694
• Fashion Institute of Technology – $50,049
• Erie Community College – $22,687
• Finger Lakes Community College – $21,517
• Mohawk Valley Community College –$4,997
• Jefferson Community College – $2,893
• Onondaga Community College – $2,613
• Jamestown Community College – $2,475
• Jefferson Community College – $1,666
• Cayuga County Community College – $1,664
• North Country Community College – $531
• Hudson Valley Community College – $528

The operating chargeback rate for GCC for full-time students is $5,890, plus a $300 capital charge rate per full-time student. That compares to the operating chargeback rates of $4,330 in Erie, $4,560 in Monroe and $6,360 for NCCC.

The Fashion Institute of Technology has the highest operating chargeback in the state at $16,800 per full-time student while Onondaga Community College is the lowest at $2,960.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A large crane is in place north of the Main Street lift bridge in Albion. The contractor for the project, Crane-Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport, and the state Department of Transportation are planning for Friday to lift the bridge from its current spot over the canal to land north of the site.

The lift has been delayed due to weather. It was planned for earlier this week.

Crane-Hogan is doing a major rehabilitation of the bridge that was originally built in 1914. The span has been closed since Nov. 14 for a major rehabilitation project expected to last 18 months.

Diane Harvey

MIDDLEPORT – A Middleport woman with dementia who was missing since Wednesday morning was located today and found deceased, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office reported at about noon.

Diane Harvey, 82, was last seen at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday. There was an intensive search for her Wednesday afternoon and evening. It resumed this morning in the area where Harvey was last seen in Middleport.

Search teams did grid searches on foot, and other resources used included all-terrain vehicles, K-9s and drones.

“After a thorough search she was located deceased in the search area by first responders,” a press release stated from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office. “This was not the outcome anyone was hoping for. We would like to thank everyone that assisted in the search. We extend our condolences to her family.”

File photo by Tom Rivers: A boater heads east in Albion after passing under the Ingersoll Street lift bridge in this photo from Oct. 2, 2019.

The navigational season for the Erie Canal will run from May 19 to Oct. 11, the New York State Canal Corporation announced today.

This will be the 199th consecutive season of navigation, and for the seventh year in a row the tolls for recreational boaters will be waived. Those tolls were normally $25 to $100 for a season pass, depending on the size of the vessel.

The season will open at 7 a.m. on May 19 and close to navigation at 5 p.m. on Oct. 11.

The canal is now a year away from the 200th navigation season of the waterway that goes 363 miles, linking the Hudson River in Albany to Lake Erie in Buffalo.

It cuts through about 25 miles of Orleans County and includes seven lift bridges. That is more than any other county in the canal system, which has 16 lift bridges total.