There are 60 new Covid cases in Orleans County and 33 more in Genesee County since Monday, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported this afternoon.

The number of active cases in the two counties is at 166 today, up from 141 on Monday, 149 on Aug. 26 and 102 on Aug. 23. Since Monday, the active cases in Orleans are up from 64 to 96, while in Genesee they are down from 77 to 70.

The 60 new cases in Orleans include people in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

There are currently four from Orleans who are hospitalized due to Covid, up from two on Monday.

Orleans also has 28 more of the previously positive individuals complete their 10-day isolation and they have been removed from mandatory isolation.

Genesee’s 33 new positive cases of Covid include people in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Genesee currently has 13 residents hospitalized due to Covid, down from 15 on Monday, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Genesee is reporting 38 of the previous positive individuals have completed their 10-day isolation and been removed from mandatory isolation.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Department of Public Works today removed many of the large concrete sections of sidewalk leading to the County Courthouse on East State Street. There are more to be taken out.

The county DPW will be putting in new sidewalks, with the main walkway reduced to be a much slimmer 12 feet wide.

It’s part of several improvements at the site, where the building was constructed in 1858 and is the focal point of Courthouse Square, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The county also replaced the roof hatch and sealed the cupola. The sealed cupola should stop water from leaking inside. The hatch, which is used for workers to access the cupola and top of the dome, had deteriorated.

The sidewalks and concrete steps near the street also were in disrepair.

The County Legislature set aside $50,000 to replace sidewalks, upgrade landscaping, and relocate existing light fixtures at the Courthouse Square.

State has $1.2 billion available in Emergency Rental Assistance Program

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul 

Early this morning, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a new moratorium on Covid-related residential and commercial evictions for New York State which is in effect until January 15, 2022.

Gov. Kathy Hochul

Under the new law, all protections of the Tenant Safe Harbor Act for residential tenants who are suffering financial hardship as a result of the pandemic will remain in place, along with new protections on commercial evictions.

“The pandemic has created unimaginable anxiety for families and business owners who have lost income and are struggling to pay the rent every month,” Governor Hochul said. “To help remedy the Supreme Court’s heartless decisions striking down the New York and the Biden administration’s moratoriums on evictions, we are enacting a new moratorium on residential and commercial evictions and extending the protections of New York’s Safe Harbor Act to January 15. These steps will alleviate the crisis facing vulnerable New Yorkers who are suffering through no fault of their own.”

Governor Hochul urges New Yorkers who are struggling to pay their rent to apply for assistance through the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or ERAP. Applicants to this program are automatically protected from eviction while their application is pending and will receive a year of eviction protections if they qualify for assistance. The application is available by clicking here.

As of August 31, more than $1.2 billion in funding has either been obligated or distributed through ERAP, including more than $300 million in direct payments to more than 23,000 landlords.

The new law will permit anyone who resides in a locality that opted out of the state’s program to administer their own rental assistance program, to apply to the state program when local funds are exhausted. People applying directly to their local programs will now also automatically benefit from the state’s more expansive eviction protections.

The law also creates a $25 million fund to provide legal services to tenants facing eviction proceedings and to help them maintain housing stability in areas of the state where access to free legal assistance for such services is not available.

The law establishes a new $250 million Supplemental Emergency Rental Assistance program to serve additional households and to better support landlords. Through this program, $125 million will be made available to provide assistance to households with income that exceeds 80% of Area Median Income (AMI), and up to 120% of AMI. Additionally, $125 million will be made available for assistance to landlords whose tenants refuse to participate or have vacated the residence with arrears.

Under New York’s enacted moratorium, tenants must submit a hardship declaration, or a document explaining the source of the hardship, to prevent an eviction proceeding from moving forward. Landlords who believe that their tenant has not suffered a financial hardship will now be permitted to request a hearing in court.

Landlords can also evict tenants that are creating safety or health hazards for other tenants, intentionally damaging property, and where a tenant did not submit a hardship declaration.

The legislation places a moratorium on residential foreclosure proceedings so that homeowners and small landlords who own 10 or fewer residential dwellings can file hardship declarations with their mortgage lender, other foreclosing party, or a court that would prevent a foreclosure.

The legislation’s moratorium on commercial evictions and commercial foreclosure proceedings apply to small businesses with 100 or fewer employees that demonstrate a financial hardship. Tenants must submit a hardship declaration, or a document explaining the source of the hardship, to prevent evictions.

Department will purchase thermal imaging cameras and combination spreader/cutter rescue tool

ALBION – The Albion Fire Department has been approved for a $37,150 grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The department plans to use the money to purchase three thermal imaging cameras and one combination spreader/cutter rescue tool.

The funding was announced by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and was among $11,499,044 in federal funding for fire departments across New York State.

The funding will be used to provide protective gear, training, and supplies to emergency personnel across more than 90 fire departments. This federal funding was administered through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG).

“From the peak of the pandemic to now, our brave firefighters have always been on the front lines, risking their lives to protect their communities,” Schumer said in a news release. “These courageous first responders deserve all the federal support possible to help them do their jobs. I will always fight to bring more federal resources to support our heroic firefighters, and I’m proud to deliver this funding so New York’s fire departments have essential support they need as they keep New Yorkers safe in emergencies.”

“New York’s firefighters have worked tirelessly throughout the Covid pandemic to protect our communities,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This funding will provide them with the equipment, training, and resources they need to stay safe as they respond to emergency situations. I will continue fighting to ensure that New York’s fire departments have what they need when they enter the line of duty.”

Press Release, Hoag Library

ALBION – New school year, new library hours! Hoag Library is extending hours to accommodate the needs of Albion Central School and GCC students.

Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7, the Library will offer the following hours:

• Monday to Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Students can reserve meeting rooms for study space during and outside of building hours. Visit www.hoaglibrary.org for reservation forms.

Computers and laptops with internet access are available for up to 90 minutes per day, and free Wi-Fi is available to use with your own device.

The library requests the use of masks by staff and visitors regardless of vaccination status. Children under two years old are exempt from this requirement.

Hoag Library looks forward to welcoming back students!

With Orleans County seeing an increase in Covid cases, and the community considered a red zone by the CDC for highest Covid community transmission, Orleans Community Health will be limiting visitors to Medina Memorial Hospital.

The updated guidelines include visiting hours on the Medical-Surgical floor/Transitional Care will be from 1 to 2 p.m. daily and 7 to 8 p.m. Those hours were from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There also won’t be visitors allowed into the Emergency Department. (Exceptions may be made in end-of-life situations.)

Visitors must abide by the following guidelines:

• All visitors will be required to undergo the Covid-19 screening upon entering the hospital.
• Visitors must wear face coverings at all times (covering mouth and nose), regardless of the visitor or patient vaccination status for influenza or Covid-19.
• Visitors who fail to wear a face covering and other PPE as requested by the facility will be asked to leave the facility.
• Visitors must be 16 years of age or older.
• Once in the facility, visitors must remain in the patient’s room throughout the visit, except when directed to leave by hospital staff during aerosol-generating procedures or other procedures or circumstances for which visitors are usually asked to leave or to use the restroom, and must be appropriately distanced from any other patients or staff.

Department Visitation Guidelines:

• General Visiting on the Medical-Surgical floor/Transitional Care: One visitor may be permitted between the hours of 1 to 2 p.m. or 7 to 8 p.m., except in certain circumstances. On a case-by-case basis, limitations may need to be made due to the clinical condition of the patient or at a patient’s request. In addition, caregiving by family members is encouraged, at the discretion of the family and patient.
• Emergency Department: No Visitors may be permitted, except when necessary to carry out the patient’s treatment. Emergency Department staff will keep visitors informed of the patient’s condition.
• Surgery: One visitor may be permitted and will be provided with a waiting area on the third floor.
• Lab/Radiology: No visitors are permitted at this time. Exceptions include: if the patient is a minor, disabled, or other requirement is needed that hospital associates are unable to provide.
• Ultrasounds: One visitor may be permitted.
• North Wing/Nursing Home Residence: Please review the current policy (click here) or call Randi Rushing for additional details (585) 798-8120.

The following will not be permitted:

• Anyone who reports or exhibits shortness of breath, fever, cough, or other potential Covid-19 symptoms
• Individuals who have an active diagnosis of Covid-19 or who are persons under investigation for Covid-19.
• Individuals wanting to visit a hospital patient who has an active diagnosis of Covid-19 or who is a person under investigation with Covid-19 or had contact with a person who is actively under investigation for Covid-19 within 10 days.
• Individuals under quarantine for any other reason including out-of-state travel as defined by the most current New York State travel advisory.

Press Release, Plug Power Inc.

TOWN OF ALABAMA – Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, welcomed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday to its green hydrogen production facility and electric substation under development in the New York Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP), a 1,250-acre mega-site located at the center of upstate New York’s largest population, research, and workforce training hubs.

Schumer, a proponent of hydrogen energy, announced his plans to push for new jobs and tenants at STAMP and make it a domestic hub for the clean energy industries and semiconductor industries.

“The support of Sen. Schumer and Congress plays a key role in helping to bring affordable hydrogen to the market,” Marsh said. “We appreciate their leadership on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will help to promote the production and deployment of green hydrogen.”

Schumer, who has long sought clean energy solutions, spoke today about the government’s role in promoting the adoption of hydrogen energy and driving down its costs through research and development to decarbonize the economy. He said, with the help of Plug Power, the country can jump start the 21st century hydrogen economy.

Schumer’s visit to STAMP comes as Plug Power builds new production plants across the U.S. with plans to produce 500 tons per day of liquid green hydrogen by 2025 and 1,000 tons per day globally by 2028. Green hydrogen is produced through the electrolysis of water with electricity generated from zero-carbon sources and only harmless oxygen is emitted during the process.

As North America’s largest green hydrogen production facility, the STAMP plant will produce 45 metric tons of green liquid hydrogen daily servicing the Northeast region. The plant will use 120 megawatts from Plug’s state-of-the-art PEM electrolyzers, which split water into hydrogen and oxygen through an electrochemical process, generated using clean New York hydropower.

The Plug plant is supported by a comprehensive state and local incentive package from the New York Power Authority, Empire State Development and Genesee County. Marsh and Schumer were joined by local officials including Genesee County Manager Matt Landers, Genesee County Legislature Chair Shelley Stein, Genesee County Legislators Chad Klotzbach and Gordon Dibble, Alabama Town Supervisor Robert Crossen, and GCEDC President & CEO Steve Hyde.

“The STAMP site was designed and is being built to enable the acceleration of new technologies and advances in manufacturing with our outstanding renewable energy and talent availability,” said GCEDC President & CEO Steve Hyde. “The commitment by Plug Power to bring green hydrogen to the market with Project Gateway at STAMP, and of Senate Majority Leader Schumer to expand the benefits created by Plug Power and green hydrogen manufacturing, are true examples of STAMP’s vision being implemented to the benefit of Genesee County, our region and state, and for the future of our economy and environment.”

Plug Power expected to break ground this fall as first tenant in 1,250-acre site in Alabama, just south of Orleans County off Route 63

Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer was in Genesee County today at the STAMP site in Alabama. He welcomed Plug Power as the soon-to-be first business at the 1,250-acre site and also announced he is making a big push to bring Samsung to the location. Pictured at right is Plug Power President/CEO Andrew Marsh and Steve Hyde (far right), who is president and CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

TOWN OF ALABAMA – Years of laying the groundwork at the 1,250-acre STAMP site in Alabama will soon be paying off. The first tenant in the park, Plug Power, expects to break ground this fall on building North America’s largest green hydrogen fuel plant.

It will take about 16 months to construct that project. The company said it will have 65-70 workers at the site when it opens.

Plug Power President/CEO Andrew Marsh joins Sen. Schumer at a news conference at STAMP. Plug Power expects a fall ground-breaking at STAMP for North America’s largest green hydrogen fuel plant. It anticipates 65-70 workers at the site.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer visited the site today along with Plug Power executives to tout that project, which will use low-cost renewable energy from the Niagara hydropower plant. The production of the hydrogen will use green energy to make more green energy, company officials said.

Schumer also announced he is making a hard push for Samsung to build a $17 billion semiconductor chip fabrication plant at STAMP, which is one of the sites being considered by the company. Samsung officials visited the site last month, Schumer said.

“The WNY STAMP Campus is the perfect place to establish the next global hub for the semiconductor and clean energy industries,” he said. “Now with STAMP in contention to land Samsung’s $17 billion chip fab and its first tenant Plug Power is building North America’s largest green hydrogen fuel plant here, there’s no site better suited to lead the next tech revolution, and that’s because STAMP, with its shovel-ready facilities, low-cost and reliable utility grid, and top-notch workforce spanning from Buffalo to Rochester and beyond, is tailor-made to suit large-scale tech development.”

The Senate has approved $52 billion in federal incentives for domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research and development through the Schumer-led U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). Schumer said it is a matter of national security to be making those high-tech chips in the country.

Many industries also rely on them, including the auto manufacturers which have had to curtail production due to a chip shortage.

Schumer also said the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), under negotiation, would include $9.5 billion for new hydrogen fuel investments.

Those federal incentives would “give STAMP the green light it needs to attract and lead established and emerging tech industries,” he said.

Plug Power has seen a boom in business as many companies – Walmart, Amazon and others – use fuel-cell-powered forklifts, instead of battery-powered. The company sees expansion with hydrogen-powered Class A trucks and airport tugs. Plug Power can not only promote hydrogen power, but can say it was produced using renewable hydro-electricity available at STAMP.

Schumer said the STAMP site with Plug Power and the future tenants will “benefit all of the GLOW Region, including Rochester and Buffalo.”

Steve Hyde, GCEDC president and CEO, praised Schumer for championing the STAMP site, helping to secure funding for infrastructure and critical tax incentives to make the site attractive for businesses. “He’s been a stalwart leader driving projects to the region,” Hyde said about Schumer.

A new Hydrogen Fuel Production Tax Credit is included in the Budget Reconciliation Bill and would help enable Plug Power to grow and expand its green hydrogen fuel production levels at its sites, including the new STAMP site, Schumer said.

Currently the STAMP facility is expected to make 45 tons per day of green hydrogen fuel, but Plug Power estimates the Production Tax Credit will drive higher demand for green hydrogen powered equipment that in turn will enable Plug Power to produce and sell more green hydrogen fuel.

Plug Power estimates that 20 to 25 additional permanent jobs will be created for every additional 15 tons per day of fuel produced. Ultimately, Plug Power’s goal is to produce as much as 500 tons of green hydrogen fuel across its planned U.S. production facilities including the STAMP plant.

Plug Power said it looks forward to the fall ground-breaking of the hydrogen fuel production facility at STAMP and opening a new gigafactory in Monroe County to manufacture hydrogen electrolyzers and hydrogen fuel cell components.

Plug Power President/CEO Andrew Marsh said hydrogen will make up more of the country’s energy needs and the STAMP project, as well as a Plug Power manufacturing site in Rochester, puts the region at the forefront of bringing “affordable hydrogen to the market.” Plug Power has 1,700 employees with 1,000 in the U.S., and the company is growing with the projects in Genesee County and Rochester.

Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

ALBANY – New York State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay, and members of the Republican Conferences today blasted One-Party Rule in Albany for planning to extend the unconstitutional eviction moratorium while ignoring a disastrous rent relief rollout that has plagued New York tenants and property owners alike for months.

“For months, my Republican colleagues and I have pushed for our Democratic colleagues to deliver much-needed relief to struggling New York tenants and landlords,” Ortt said. “For months, they have ignored our calls, as well as everyone else who isn’t a radical ‘cancel rent’ activist. Their unlawful eviction moratorium, being continued today, defies all common-sense if the true goal is to protect renters, small business owners, and stabilize the housing market. Their failure to deliver these critical funds – combined with the devastating policies they craft behind closed doors – is an implicit acknowledgment of their own incompetence. Deliver the relief NOW.”

“Since January, $2.6 billion in federal emergency rental assistance funding has been available to landlords and tenants, and yet OTDA (Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance) has repeatedly failed to deliver to those struggling to make ends meet,” Barclay said. “The state’s eviction moratorium expired yesterday, but here we – the Legislature – are today, back in Albany for an emergency special session to address a matter that should have been resolved long before now. Had the rent-relief program been administered by the state properly, and in the manner in which the federal government intended in the first place, tenants who have fallen on difficult times due to Covid and small-property owners who have received no income for the past 18 months, would have been in a far better financial position. Once and for all, OTDA must get its act together and ease the fiscal insecurity for landlords and tenants alike.”

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) also issued a statement opposing extending the moratorium on evictions in the state into 2022.

Hawley has expressed frustration that this moratorium has been extended multiple times, even as the state government sits on the vast majority of $2.6 billion in federal funding meant to address the issue, having distributed only 10 percent of those funds to tenants and landlords.

“If we do not do something to help our small landlords in this crucial moment, they may well go extinct within the housing market if forced to sell their property to large conglomerates to escape crushing debts which they cannot collect rent to pay,” Hawley said.

“More often than not small landlords are retired people with families to feed, tax and mortgage bills to pay, and properties that take time, money, and hard work to maintain,” he said. “To think we would ask them to continue to absorb the brunt of this housing crisis after holding on for roughly a year and a half now is absurd, especially when incompetency in our executive branch has kept money out of the pockets of the tenants and landlords that truly need it. Had we acted with any reasonable speed or efficacy in distributing the federal assistance that’s been sat on since January, we would not need to be debating this matter now.”

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 1, No. 20

There are many stories “buried” along with their protagonists in our local cemeteries. The key to one forgotten tale of passion, murder, daring escapes and an eventual karmic tragedy may be found in the following entry in the Knowlesville Cemetery listing:

Asa, aged 47, Amos, aged 3 and Sarah, aged 24, all with the same death date. What could have happened? The Medina Tribune of 28 June, 1888, provides the answer:

A Sad Drowning Accident

Asa Broughton and His Wife and Baby Drown Together

The article records that Mr. Broughton had just completed building a “handsome but rather cranky little row boat.” On that Monday evening, he took his wife and little boy, and his wife’s sister, Rosa Train, aged nine years, out on the canal for a pleasure ride.

After rowing about for some time, a canal steamboat towing another boat came along, and Broughton rowed between the two, with the evident intention of grasping the tow line and being towed a short distance up the canal. The captain of the steamer warned Broughton that he should not attempt to catch the line so near the steamer’s wheel, but he paid no attention.

As Broughton stood up in his boat to seize the line, it suddenly capsized, throwing the entire party into the water. Rosa Train, who was able to swim a little, managed to reach the overturned rowboat, clung to the side and was rescued by James Stork. Broughton desperately tried to save his wife and son, but, sadly, all three perished.

The last paragraph of the article references a more intriguing tale:

“The sad affair caused great excitement. Broughton will be remembered as the man who, on May 14, 1879, shot and killed Levant Bancroft and fled to Canada, crossing the cables of the old suspension bridge at Lewiston, in the night, hand over hand. His capture in Canada by Captain Beecher, and subsequent daring escape from the Albion jail, his trial and imprisonment, are too well known by our readers to need rehearsal here. Since his release from prison, Broughton has been a quiet, industrious man, and was a prominent worker of the Salvation Army during its stay in this place.”

And indeed, the headline of the article in the Medina Tribune May 15, 1879, reads:

MURDER! Asa Broughton shoots and kills Levant Bancroft

Apparently, jealousy was what prompted the deed. Following a quarrel over the attentions Levant Bancroft was paying to his wife, Mrs. Broughton left the house. Since she did not return in the evening, Asa Broughton sent their son to learn her whereabouts. The son returned with the information that she was at Bancroft’s, whereupon Broughton went to Bancroft’s house, and requested him to step outside. Angry words ensued, and then shots were fired. Bancroft exclaimed:

“I’m shot! Asa Broughton did it!”

He expired fifteen minutes later, “of two frightful wounds.”

A reward of $300 was offered for the apprehension of Broughton. However, he proved rather elusive. He made his way west to the home of a cousin in Hartland, where he worked for a day. But his cousin read of the crime he had committed from the Lockport paper and refused to shelter him.

Broughton then proceeded to the Niagara River, and amazingly:

“He performed the perilous feat of crossing on wires suspended upwards of a hundred feet above the river at Lewiston. (The wires referred to are those left of the old Suspension Bridge at that place, and it is said no one ever dared to cross them before).” – Medina Tribune

The Buffalo Weekly Courier of June 4, 1879, provides additional details:

“Hand over hand, suspended in the air 100 ft. above the river, he made his way to the opposite shore. The wire swayed to and fro with his weight. Several times he had to pull himself up and clasp his legs and arms round the wire to rest his hands, which were badly blistered and cut.”

Broughton then walked sixty-five miles to his sister’s home in Hagersville, Ont. where he was apprehended on May 22nd by Deputy Sheriffs Beecher and Rice who received the $300 reward. He was placed in the Albion jail but escaped from there on August 4th by cutting a hole through the wooden door above the water closet and then through the wall. A $200 reward was offered.

This time, Broughton made his way to Genesee County, and while in a drug store in Corfu, a constable came in with a copy of the printed reward which included his photo. Fearful of being recognized, Broughton set out for Oakfield, where he worked two days in a harvest field. He left there for Medina and spent three hours at the residence of his wife. He set off for Middleport and thence to Lewiston, where he again crossed to Canada on the wires of the old bridge. He wandered about, visiting relatives, but was captured by Deputy Fuller on August 17.

The murder trial commenced on October 13, 1879. The defense pleaded self-defense with partial insanity at the time of the murder. After a trial of nearly a week, the jury rendered a verdict of manslaughter in the third degree. Giving the highest penalty he could, the judge sentenced Broughton to four years hard labor in Auburn prison. Many people felt that a stronger verdict and sentence were deserved.

It is intriguing to note that the tragic drowning accident nine years later which claimed Broughton, his young wife and son, occurred two days before George Wilson was hung in Albion for the murder of his wife.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Christian Drisdom, 18, does an ollie today at the Luke Nelson Skate Park at Butts Park in Medina. The site opened this week after being built the past three months by Spohn Ranch Skateparks.

Drisdom just started on a skateboard a few days ago when the park opened. He started by riding around the park on a skateboard and is trying some tricks with the board.

“When you learn something new, there is nothing like it in the world,” he said today.

The $550,000 park is named in memory of the late Luke Nelson of Middleport. He often came to Medina as a kid and young adult to use the former skate park, which was on a former tennis court. He was 23 when he passed away on April 22, 2017. His family has donated to the park and helped organize fundraisers to upgrade the site.

Ian Oppel, 10, of Medina zooms on a scooter in a  bowl of the new skate park.

There will be grand opening celebration of the skate park this Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting, music and food trucks.

The Medina Skate Society lined up nearly $550,000 to build the new site at Butts Park. That includes $250,570.53 raised through local fundraisers and donations. That allowed the Skate Society to maximize a $250,000 matching grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

Alex Feig, president of the Medina Skate Society, rallied the community to support the project.

The Skate Society also has been awarded $42,000 for an Environmental Impact Award grant by The Skatepark Project, formerly the Tony hawk Foundation. The $42,000 will be used for storm water management and bioswales.

David Rhim, 18, does a drop-in at the skate park. He started skating today and picked up the sport pretty quickly.

Kaleb Hungerford, 11, of Medina takes off in the bowl.

The park includes areas and features for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.

Some of the features include:

• 2.5-foot to 4-foot quarter pipes lining the southern edge of the park.
• A 2.5-foot mini-ramp/beginner bowl section that waterfalls down to a 4-foot section along the north eastern edge.
• A fun box with a hip and an inventive street sized curb (for doing slappys).
• There are hubbas (grind ledges) and grind rails for beginner, intermediate and advanced skaters and riders.
• The intermediate kidney shaped bowl begins at 5 feet and waterfalls down to 7 feet.
• The most prominent feature facing South Main Street is a functional art installation (steep slant) standing approximately 9 feet tall and 24 feet wide.
• When entering the park from the walkway stretching from the main parking lot past the pavilion/seating area, there is 9-inch manual pad with a 20-inch ledge that bares the name of The Luke Nelson Skate Park.

Jeff Anderson, 39, of Tonawanda brought his skateboard out after taking a break for several years. He is in Medina today with his fiancé. He is shown on a steep slant that is about 9 feet high.

Anderson said the skate park will be an asset for the area.

“They did a great job,” he said about the park. “I’d rate it a 10 out of 10.”

Wedding and events site seen as draw to community

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – State Sen. Rob Ortt on Tuesday presented a “Senate District 62 Small Business of the Month” award to Natasha Wasuck and her husband John Hernandez. They are shown inside the Lockstone at North Main Street, next to the Erie Canal. Natasha and John’s daughter Ephy joined them.

Wasuck and Hernandez bought the site three years ago. It was a former auto repair business. They have transformed the site into a wedding and events center. They also use the front part of the building for Tinsel, an ice cream business that opened in June 2019. The site also includes “The Kitchen,” a private event room used for celebrations and community meetings.

The Lockstone has hosted eight weddings so far this year and has 16 more scheduled for 2021, and 30 next year. The 30 weddings next year are expected to draw at least 3,000 people to Albion.

Ortt first toured the site on July 16 to see some of the locations receiving funds in Main Street grant from the state. Ortt said he was impressed by the couple’s vision for the property and their work in giving the building from 1875 a new purpose.

“It’s really cool what you’ve done with this spot,” Ortt told Wasuck and Hernandez.

Ortt previously served as mayor of North Tonawanda where he said small business owners were the key to driving innovation to the downtown. He praised Wasuck and Hernandez, who are from Brockport, for seeing the potential in the Lockstone location. He said “fresh eyes” coming into a community sometimes see what long-time residents miss.

Photos courtesy of the Lockstone: A bride gets ready in the bridal suite at the Lockstone, which features an eyebrow window looking out on Main Street and the lift bridge over the Erie Canal.

Wasuck has been involved in the Albion Merchants Association, helping to plan community events. She sees Albion’s connection to the original Santa Claus School, led by the late Charles Howard from 1937 to 1966, as a way to distinguish the community from other canal towns.

She tapped into that Santa history by naming the ice cream business “Tinsel.” She also led the effort to have a Santa mural painted next to the Lockstone at the Pennysaver building at 170 North Main St. She also raised money for a soon-to-be planed Christmas tree on the Courthouse lawn.

Ortt sees the historic canal downtown like Albion as irreplaceable treasures.

‘I’ve always felt people want to be in these downtowns,” he said. “You can’t replicate this.”

But he acknowledged it can be tough to make money these days for small businesses. That’s why he started his monthly award in February, wanting to highlight a business in his district, which includes Niagara, Orleans and part of western Monroe.

“My whole district is along the Erie Canal, from North Tonawanda to Spencerport,” Ortt said. “The canal is your ticket to development.”

He said Covid-19 restrictions made it even more challenging for business owners. Many had to close to in-person sales or face reduced capacity. There have been supply-chain disruptions and a shortage of workers.

“Covid has really emphasized the challenge of running a small business,” Ortt said. “These businesses never had a playbook for how to operate in a pandemic and then to have to deal with the restrictions.”

The Lockstone owners also created a grove for outdoor weddings on Orchard Street, a short walk from the Lockstone.

Wasuck and Hernandez said they feel more convinced the weddings and events site in Albion was a good choice. Most of the weddings have been couples from either Rochester or Buffalo, who like the location between those two cities.

The couples like being by the Erie Canal for their wedding, and Wasuck and Hernandez give the couples free rein of the facility, allowing them to decorate however they want and to bring in bartenders, caterers, DJ’s and other vendors.

The couples also like the industrial vibe at the Lockstone.

“It’s a unique location,” Wasuck said. “It’s not a golf course or a rustic barn. The people like it here. They are having a good time.”

Wasuck has been successful marketing the site to couples and her husband has done much of the construction work himself.

“We see this as an opportunity to ‘create the community you want to be a part of’ here in Albion,” Wasuck said. “We recognize the importance of the Erie Canal for tourism and appreciate the unique history this village has to offer.”

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a beach hazards statement for today through Thursday afternoon along Lake Ontario in Orleans, Niagara, Monroe and Wayne counties.

Strong currents are expected. The Weather Service urges people to stay out of the water due to the dangerous swimming conditions.

Event highlights job opportunities in building trades, agriculture, advanced manufacturing

Provided photo: Jay Lazarony, executive director, GLOW Workforce Development Board; Angela Grouse, director of Education to Employment programs at the Livingston County Chamber & Livingston County Education Alliance; Alexis Merle, Congressman Chris Jacobs, MaryEllyn Merle, Genesee Construction project manager in Dansville; Chris Suozzi, GLOW With Your Hands co-chair; Assemblyman Steven Hawley; Karyn Winters, director of the Genesee County Business Education Alliance; and Molly Huangs, LandPro Equipment marketing manager. The Merles are holding an image of a new handicapped accessible ramp that will be built by Genesee Construction. The ramp leads to the entrance of the Laing Kennedy 4-H building at the fairgrounds in Batavia.

BATAVIA – The local school districts in Orleans County will be among 30 districts and 700 students at the GLOW With Your Hands event that highlights careers in the building trades.

Organizers have reduced attendance per school and are providing masks for all attendees in an effort to ensure the safety of all participants. In fact, BMP America in Medina is donating masks produced by the company.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center and the job development agencies in the GLOW counties have organized the 3rd Annual Glow With Your Hands Expo which will take place at the Genesee County Fairgrounds on Sept. 28. Local business and education leaders also helped plan the upcoming event and were joined by Congressman Chris Jacobs on Monday to unveil details for Sept. 28.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Joe Lang, line supervisor for National Grid, shows Pavilion students how to set a switch with a pole during the first GLOW With Your Hands event on Sept. 24, 2019. National Grid representatives said the company offers many career opportunities as a line man, or jobs in administrative, metering and the service department.

The expo will include over 40 local companies providing hands-on experiences for potential career opportunities in the skilled trades and advanced manufacturing.

“In just a few weeks, over 700 students will here at the Genesee County Fairgrounds where they will experience first-hand activities associated with careers in agriculture, manufacturing, food and beverage production, electro-mechanical technicians, heavy equipment operation, building trades and many others,” said Chris Suozzi, GLOW With Your Hands co-chair. “It’s going to be a great experience for our kids as they will get to see and experience the great careers opportunities with companies that are based right in their own backyard.”

Ashton Sommerton of Pavilion tries operating an excavator under guidance from Jared Swift, an operator with LG Evans Construction in Avon, during GLOW With Your Hands in 2019.

The event is sponsored by organizations across the GLOW Region, including manufacturing, agriculture and construction employers, economic and workforce development organizations.

“In our conversations with some of the leading employers in the GLOW region, they are expressing the same level of excitement we have in bringing so many students,” said Karyn Winters, Director of the Genesee County Business Education Alliance. “Not only can they provide live demonstrations of the type of work required for these jobs, but they can start the recruitment process for their next generation of workers.”

The participating businesses are recognizing the future demands of their respective workforces need to be addressed now, especially as the current generation of workers are retiring or planning retirement in the next few years.

“Whether our technicians are working on a residential mower for a homeowner, a skid steer for a builder or a combine or baler for one of our farmers the career path they’ve chosen allows them to feel fulfillment at the end of every day,” said Molly Haungs, LandPro Equipment Marketing Manager. “That is the message that we, as the GLOW With Your Hands Career fair committee we are working to get to our youth and their families.  A career in trades offers opportunity for our youth to work hard, learn, continue education and provide a lasting and lucrative career that can combine passion with success.”

GLOW With Your Hands committee members emphasized how the Expo is aligned with the needs of employers and the GLOW region’s students.

“I know I can speak for my county and I am sure other Chambers in the GLOW regarding that we hear almost everyday from our members about the importance of workforce development,” said Angela Grouse, Director of Education to Employment programs at the Livingston County Chamber & Livingston County Education Alliance. “We know some of them are thinking – where am I going to find my next generation of workers? On September 28th, the answer will be right here in front their own eyes.”

The kick-off event also unveiled that Double Platinum sponsor Genesee Construction will lead 700 participating students in building an accessible ramp at the entrance to the Kennedy Building at the Genesee County Fairgrounds.

“I cannot stress enough how critically important it is for our business to be able to identify the next generation of the workforce who possess these skills.  The future of our company depends on it,” said Mary Ellyn Merle, Genesee Construction Project Manager.

Over 1,000 students, educators, volunteers and vendors participated in the inaugural GLOW With Your Hands event in 2019. The September 28th event will once again highlight the successful and in-demand careers available in the GLOW Region.

“It’s important to note that a significant number of these jobs do not require a four-year college degree. Training provided by these companies and our region’s workforce and education organizations can result in someone starting a great career soon after graduation,” said Jay Lazarony, executive director, GLOW Workforce Development Board. “Employers are concerned about the future of their respective workforces and rightly so. However, through GLOW With Your Hands they are witnessing, and more importantly participating, how as a region we are collaborating to provide a solution about these concerns.”

Jay Helker, vice president of operations for Swan Equipment & Trucking in Avon, discusses some of the tools used to fix big trucks and other equipment during the first GLOW With Your Hands event on Sept. 24, 2019. Helker told students he enjoys his job. “There is a lot of hands-on work,” he said. “The days go by fast.”