By Rikki Cason<br><a href="mailto:rikki.cason@journal-register.com">E-mail Rikki</a>
It may have changed its name, but the Albion Main Street Alliance, formerly the Albion Business Association, will continue to work hard for the community, its leaders say.
During a special meeting on Wednesday, ABA members gathered together to discuss combining the ABA with the Downtown Albion Revitalization Team, better known as DART.
ABA President Michael Bonafede said DART was a separate committee that was formed to apply for a very in-depth grant. As part of a national Main Street Program, Albion was chosen one of three communities in New York to receive $70,000 in professional development consulting from the National Trust for Historical Preservation. The money will help revitalize downtown Main Street. Lockport and Lyons were the other two communities. New York was one of the only states not to already have a Main Street Program.
“When we were awarded it, to actually administer or facilitate it, you had to set up an organization or a board,” Bonafede said. “And when they looked at everything in the area, they thought that the Albion Business Association was the perfect place for it to be administered out of.”
Bonafede said that making the change just required the ABA to do a few things, because most of what was needed was already set up.
With a vote of 17 to 0, the resolution passed to allow the ABA to administer the Western Erie Canal Main Street Program. Immediately following, a vote was taken to change the name from ABA to the Albion Main Street Alliance. The ABA will now be known as “the Albion Main Street Alliance, the first New York Main Street Community.” All the members at the meeting liked the name, but many had concerns with the tag line to accompany it.
Although they saw the importance to claim the first New York Main Street Community, they worried about losing the name they had always known. One member said the reason everyone was there was the little ABA they began many years ago.
“I understand clearly when you talk about name recognition nationwide,” Bonafede said. “I also understand about in Orleans County. In 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, that’s got a lot of name recognition. If we put it on and drop it off eventually, I am OK with that.”
The members came to a consensus that the ABA name should still be a part of the organization, for now, so people around the community can know that they are the same ABA, just with a different name. They decided to keep “An ABA Community Partnership” as part of the “footer” on any documents.
