This 1913 map of Lyndonville shows a concentration of food processing plants adjacent to railway line and open area advertised by H.A. & A.A. Housel. (New Century Atlas of Orleans County, 1913)
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County History
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 6, No. 3
An ad from Lyndonville Enterprise on January 27, 1910
“LYNDONVILLE – HER PROGRESSIVE HEALTHY GROWTH,
“AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE FUTURE –
“REAL ESTATE MARKET IS ACTIVE”
“Put me off at Lyndonville” (station)
“Why?”
“Oh! Lyndonville is such an enterprising little town that it has become a desirable place in which to settle and invest money. It is wonderful how prices are soaring and if you want to be “in it” you must “get there” right quick.
Why, within this past year, 15 new dwelling houses, at a cost of from $2,500 to $3,000 have been erected and more are to be built by spring and these mostly by retired farmers in our town who have so prospered by big crops and good prices that they have been able to pay off their mortgages and still have money enough to buy a village lot at a cost of $300 to $400 and erect an elegant house with all modern improvements from a furnace to electric lights.
Small wonder then that Lyndonville was the subject of postcards such as this 1910 era card from the Balls-McComb collection.
In addition, this past year, the Lyndonville Ice and Cold Storage plant was built at a cost of $125.000; Barnum’s brick hotel at a cost of $4,500; the Lyndonville cement Automobile Garage; N.J. Barry’s cola building with an electric elevator. F.D. Langdon’s new drive barn is in progress, as are plans for a new general store and opera house.”
This article was originally published as a centerpiece on page one of the Lyndonville Enterprise of January 27, 1910. The Housel ad. appeared in the same issue.
Lyndonville’s prosperity referred to can be attributed to the transportation service provided by the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad. The first train passed through on June 12, 1876. For the next 70 years, freight and refrigerated trains transported the area’s fine produce to market while passenger trains carried passengers to Rochester and Buffalo.
While Yates Center was the site of the first settlement in the Town of Yates, it was soon eclipsed by the growth of Lyndonville just a short distance south. The Johnson Creek waterfall provided a source of power, essential at that time for operating mills. A grist mill was built in 1836. Other businesses soon followed.
The village was incorporated in 1903. In 1908, the village contracted with the Swett Electric Light and Power Company to provide electric lamp posts on Main St. Electric power was also available for the newly built “elegant houses.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2026 at 12:58 pm
Sarah Wolcott
BATAVIA – A Batavia woman who organized protests against Donald Trump last year, which attracted several hundred people, announced today she will be running against Steve Hawley for the 139th Assembly District, which includes all of Orleans, Genesee and small portions of Monroe and Erie counties.
“I’m running to serve my community by protecting what’s good and fixing what’s broken,” said Sarah Wolcott, in her campaign announcement today. “It’s time for leadership that’s earned, not inherited, and I’m here to fight for everyday people like myself.”
Hawley runs an insurance company in Batavia. He has been the assemblyman for nearly 20 years, seldom with any opposition. He was first elected to the position in a special election on February 28, 2006. His father, the late R. Stephen Hawley, also served as assembly from 1973 to 1993.
Wolcott will be seeking Democratic Party support in the election. She is lifelong Batavian and blue-collar community advocate. She said her focus will be on uplifting working families, strengthening rural communities, and bringing authentic, earned leadership back to Albany.
Wolcott said she represents “the grit, compassion, and determination that define Western New York.” The Genesee Community College graduate credits both her education and her lived experience for shaping her commitment to public service.
She has organized food drives, led local protests, and donates plasma weekly to help neighbors. Through these efforts, she said she has seen firsthand the challenges facing working families and the limits of what can be changed without a seat at the table.
“It’s time for workers, not career politicians to lead,” Wolcott stated in a news release. “We need leaders who have struggled and sweat to represent us. I want to bridge divides and build a future where neighbors work together, not against each other.”
Her campaign priorities include:
Accessible healthcare that every New Yorker can afford
Ensuring Western NY remains affordable for local residents
Protecting rural communities from development like at STAMP
Building unity, not division, across Genesee County and beyond
The Orleans County Democratic Party Committee hasn’t endorsed a candidate yet for this year’s Assembly election. Wolcott met with the Orleans committee last month.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2026 at 9:53 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: Holli Nenni announced she is retiring in May after 38 years with the Orleans County DSS.
ALBION – A long-time employee in the Orleans County Department of Social Services will be retiring on May 26.
Holli Nenni of Albion has worked 28 years with DSS, including the past five years as DSS commissioner. Prior to that she was the deputy DSS commissioner the past 11 years.
Nenni first worked as a caseworker for 12 years before being promoted child support coordinator and then director of temporary assistance.
She has been leading a department with 70 employees. The DSS divisions include temporary assistance, child & family services, domestic violence services, and the child support and enforcement unit.
DSS partners with many local agencies and county departments – UConnectCare, Mental Health, Job Development and others – to help people overcome barriers and become self sufficient, Nenni has said.
Photos courtesy of Patti Singer: Paul Hess, a wildlife biologist with the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, points out the leaves still on a beech tree. Beeches and some oaks hold their leaves all winter, until new growth pushes them off in the spring.
Courtesy of Patti Singer, contributor to Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
BASOM – The sun was out and the temperature on this early January day was in the 40s. Along the Kanyoo Trail at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, a light breeze stirred branches of trees that were waiting for a few more months to pass.
James Ianni examines a black cherry tree.
“They’re just trying to survive and protect themselves,” says James Ianni, a biological science technician. “They already have their buds ready for spring. Their job right now is to stay alive so those buds are usable as rapidly as possible in the spring.”
Trees spend the end of one summer preparing for the next, and they need to protect that work.
“They do a lot of things in the fall to get ready for winter,” says Paul Hess, wildlife biologist. “They’ve got a lot of mechanics to prepare themselves for a New York winter.”
Deciduous trees drop their leaves so they don’t lose water and dehydrate. Hess said the trees also increase their sugar content, which acts like antifreeze for their cells. Beeches and some oaks keep their leaves through winter, a protective mechanism for those species.
“All the active growth in a tree is around the outside, near the bark,” he said. “What they try to do is keep those cells alive.”
Paul Hess shows a swollen area on an ash tree where emerald ash borers may have gotten into the trunk.
Trees enter a dormant phase the way some animals hibernate, is how Dave Shepherd, a volunteer at the refuge and a member of Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, explains the process on his Walks in the Woods programs. He give talks on identifying trees and the forest ecosystem. When he leads a walk in the fall, he talks about what trees do so they don’t freeze over the next few months.
“I ask people to think about a bear hibernating and what you know about how that works,” says Shepherd, who is certified as a New York State master naturalist through a program administered by Cornell University. “They bulk up in the summertime so they live off their fat reserves. The heart rate goes down.”
Trees break down chlorophyll and also store their energy, so “in a very broad sense, they are analogous,” Shepherd said.
Once temperatures get consistently warmer in March, the tree’s energy comes back through the trunk to the branches and into the buds.
Even though this January day seemed to catch the trees in a slumber, they offered plenty to Hess and Ianni as the two walked the Kanyoo Trail.
“There’s a bunch of stories to trees,” said Ianni, whose interest in photographing birds led him to appreciate trees.
“I thought they were cool because they’re weird and they don’t talk, and how do you understand things that don’t make sounds or talk. … They don’t move, so they’re easy to look for. You can walk right up to a tree … and stare at it and study it for a long time.”
He can tell by looking whether a tree is stressed, such as a cherry tree with tattered and broken limbs. Trees with wide, umbrella-shaped canopies grew when there was little competition for sunlight, unlike a tall, narrow tree.
(Right) James Ianni, biological services tech, describes the curled cups on the bark of a black cherry as looking like black potato chips. (Left) James Ianni points out larvae tracks near sapsucker holes on a dead tree.
Bark, besides being used to identify the species, can tell about the health of the tree.
Hess pointed out an ash tree that looked swollen in one spot where the bark was split and said that the invasive emerald ash borer might be killing the tree. He pointed out another tree with a gaping hole, which he said could be housing wildlife either in the cavity or elsewhere in the trunk.
Ianni walked up to a trunk stripped of its bark and studied insect holes. “You’ve got some sapsucker holes, probably from when it was alive.” Sapsuckers pop holes into a living tree to allow the sap to flow, which attracts insects, and come back to eat the insects and sap.
The direction of downed trees can indicate prevailing winds or a storm.
“If you’re out in the woods and wondering where the really strong winds come from, just look at the direction that the trees are lying down,” Ianni said. “And the growth habit of the branches. If you’re up hiking in the Adirondacks and you look at the trees and the right side of the tree doesn’t look as happy as the left side of the tree, then the right side of the tree probably gets more wind.”
The clues from individual trees tell the bigger story of the forest.
“They make the forest what it is and provide habitat and food for all kinds of other creatures that wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them,” says Hess, a birder who had his ear out for nuthatches and his eye on old nests. “You can look at individual trees as you’re walking around and see what you need about that individual tree. … But then also it’s kind of forest-for-the-tree sort of thing. You step back and you look at it as part of a whole system. There’s a whole lot more going on when you look at it that way.”
Patti Singer is a freelance writer and a retired reporter from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Provided photos: The varsity winter guard for Medina is shown in action during a competition on Saturday in Victor.
Information courtesy of Medina Mustang Band Boosters
VICTOR – The Medina Mustang winter guards are still practicing and performing despite the weather.
On Jan. 24 the guards competed in Orchard Park and Medina’s JV guard came in 3rd out of 4 in the cadet class with a score of 45.27. The varsity guard came in 2nd out of two with a score of 50.57.
This Saturday the guards traveled to Victor for competition. A total of 22 guards performed in various classifications. Medina’s JV guard tied for 1st place with Correy Indoor in the Cadet class but not scored.
Medina’s varsity guard performed in the A1 class and came in 4th with a score of 54.16..
The guards are under instruction from Melissa Jaeger along with assistance from Director Matt Jaeger, Assistant Director Kyla Leno, Andrea Busch, Katie Crooks and Kara Brown.
The guards will next compete on Feb. 7 in Batavia, Feb. 28 in Lancaster, March 7 in Greece and Medina’s home show on March 14. It’s always amazing to see these students perform at a fast pace utilizing their dance skills along with various pieces of equipment.
Medina’s junior varsity team also performed at Victor.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 1 February 2026 at 2:48 pm
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Narby’s Superette and Tackle will open in the spring under new owners. Jonathan Ross, center, and his partner Tara Webb have purchased the business. They stand here in front of the store at The Bridges with Ross’ son Ryland.
THE BRIDGES – One of the oldest businesses in Orleans County is about to enter its next phase with new owners.
Narby’s Superette & Tackle, located on Route 98 at The Bridges, has been purchased by Jonathan Ross and his partner Tara Webb. They also own Route 18 Tackle near Hamlin and Ross has owned a fishing charter boat at Point Breeze for nearly 20 years.
Ross said he had been eyeing the Superette for several years, and finally made the decision to purchase it following death of Sharon Narburgh last June. Sharon and her husband Bill purchased the store in the mid 1960s. After Bill died in 1992, Sharon continued to run the store and the tackle shop until shortly before her passing.
Ross said with owning a tackle shop a few miles away, he was concerned who his competition might be.
“When the price was right, we made our move to buy it,” Ross said.
Ross has a 15-year-old son Ryland, who he hopes some day will take an interest in the business.
“I plan to teach him the ropes as he grows,” Ross said.
Jonathan Ross, his son Ryland and partner Tara Webb stand outside the tackle shop at Narby’s Superette, which Ross and Webb have recently purchased. Ross and Webb are also partners in Route 18 Tackle near Hamlin.
Ross and Webb have big plans for grocery store and tackle shop. Ross is known for his development of the highly acclaimed Hawk’s custom salmon tackle.
“Last September one of our customers won the LOC Derby with it,” Ross said.
Ross also purchased the Narby’s name, but he is not yet sure how he will incorporate it into naming the new business.
“We plan to get the grocery store stocked back up, along with fuel, and build the tackle shop bigger than it ever was,” Ross said.
The upstairs apartment, where the Narburghs lived, will become an Airbnb for fishermen, Ross said.
Information online from the Orleans County Historian states the first business to open on Narby’s site was a post office in 1877. It became G.D. Fowler’s General Merchandise in 1888. It was also a post office until 1915, with the exception of four years in 1894-97. Several other owners followed prior to the Narburgh’s purchase.
And now the store is about to embark on another new chapter.
“We are planning a grand opening in the spring,” Ross said. “We know we’re going to have longer hours during the busy season. This whole year is going to be a learning year,” Ross said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 February 2026 at 10:01 am
Village also may pursue new street sweeper for DPW
ALBION – A member of the Village of Albion Planning Board said it’s long overdue for the village to update a comprehensive plan for zoning, land use, development and other long-term priorities.
Jeff Holler, a member of the Planning Board, said that board and a Comprehensive Plan committee have been working on a revised plan, but the village needs a planning professional to move the project forward.
Holler said there are grant opportunities through the state Department of State that would pay for a planning firm to assist the village with the updated plan.
He has been pressing the Village Board at recent board meetings about applying for state grants for the comprehensive plan. That updated document would help guide development in the village with businesses, housing and other projects, Holler said.
Village trustees Tim McMurray and Joyce Riley said the board will out to its grant writer, G&G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing, about pursuing a grant for the comprehensive plan.
During the board meeting on Wednesday, DPW Superintendent Jay Pahura said the village should be looking to replace a 30-year-old street sweeper, which is expected to cost $350,000 to $400,000.
Pahura was able to save $149,000 from last year’s CHIPS allotment from the state and expects to set aside a similar amount this year. That would give the village about $300,000 towards the new street sweeper, which he said can also be used for leaf pickup especially in high-traffic areas such as Route 31 and Main Street.
Village Clerk Tracy Van Skiver said there also are state grants to that could go towards the purchase. She will check those programs that have funded street sweepers for other communities.
The board also agreed to a policy update where employees in the village office will be paid if the office is closed due to weather or another emergency. This applies to employees scheduled to work on the affected day, and not people who may be on vacation or off.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 February 2026 at 9:25 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Joyce Riley was the Democratic Party line for mayor of Albion in the March 18 election. She also plans to run under an independent line, “Vote for Albion.” She is shown speaking at the Albion Republican Party caucus on Jan. 24.
ALBION – Registered Democrats in the Village of Albion have backed Joyce Riley for mayor in the upcoming March 18 election.
She will face off against Tim McMurray, who has the Republican line. There is still time for candidates to run under an independent line. They have until Feb. 10 to submit petitions signed by at least 100 registered voters in Albion.
Riley also intends to run as an independent under the “Vote for Albion” line.
Riley and McMurray both have been trustees on the Village Board for nearly four years. Riley ran for mayor in 2018 and lost a close race to Eileen Banker, 250 votes to 211. Kevin Doherty also received 153 in that election for mayor.
Riley was elected trustee in March 2022. She said Albion is on better financial footing, after working to establish reserves and build back its unfunded balances. That should help the village pay for equipment purchases in the future and guard against big tax increases.
“We’re on the cusp of turning things around,” Riley said.
Riley worked as a registered nurse and later supervised an ambulatory surgical unit in Washington, D.C., overseeing 200 employees. When she retired, she moved back to Albion in 2015.
Riley, 77, said she brings a lot of energy to the Village Board, and a willingness to do the research and planning to make decisions that are best for the community.
She is also hopeful for the village because so many people are engaged as volunteers.
“There are more people getting involved,” she said. “We have more collaborations.”
Riley is the lone candidate who will appear under the Democratic line. Republicans, in addition to backing McMurray for mayor, also supported Jami Allport and Kevin Sheehan for village trustee.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 January 2026 at 11:25 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: The Village of Medina is accepting bids for a new pedestrian bridge over Oak Orchard Creek on Maple Ridge Road. The project also includes sidewalks in that area.
MEDINA – The Village of Medina is accepting construction bids for a pedestrian bridge over Oak Orchard Creek on Maple Ridge Road, a long-awaited project that also includes about a half mile of sidewalks.
The village in 2021 was awarded a $1,094,196 grant to construct the bridge and sidewalks as part of a multi-use path for pedestrians and bicycles. The funding was awarded by the state through a federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant.
That is covering 80 percent of the project. The remaining 20 percent will be paid locally from the village, Town of Shelby, Orleans County and Orleans Economic Development Agency.
The section of Maple Ridge Road by the creek has become busier with a housing development, several new businesses and also the GCC campus center. There are also about 200 available acres in the area being promoted for development by the EDA.
Mayor Marguerite Sherman said the project will make it much safer for residents and cyclists along that stretch of Maple Ridge. The spot by the creek, in particular, has a very narrow space for pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge will be north of the busy road.
Contractors need to turn in their bids by 3 p.m. on Feb. 18 at the Village Office. At that time the bids will be opened and read aloud.
The sidewalks will go 200 feet east of the Intersection of Maple Ridge Road (NY 31A) and South Main Street (NY 63), and then to 1,900 feet east of the intersection of Maple Ridge Road (NY 31A) and South Main Street (NY 63).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 January 2026 at 10:31 am
Board could include election change as referendum on March 18 ballot
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jess Marciano, a Medina village trustee and the deputy mayor, speaks during Thursday’s board meeting about moving the village election from the third Tuesday in March to the third Tuesday in June.
MEDINA – The village could move back its election by three months to June. Holley, Brockport and other villages have their elections the third Tuesday in June, rather than the third Tuesday in March.
If that happens in Medina, the terms for trustees and mayor would start on July 1, rather than April 1. Moving the start back would give trustees and the mayor some time to adjust to the their roles on the Village Board rather than face the big task of putting together the village budget at the immediate start of their terms, said Jess Marciano, a village trustee who is suggesting the change.
The board has several extra meetings in April as it works with department heads to put together a budget that must be adopted by April 30.
“This is incredibly unfair,” Marciano said at Thursday’s board meeting.
The town and county elected officials begin their terms on Jan. 1, after the budgets have been adopted by the prior administrations. Board of Education members start their terms on July 1, after the budgets have been adopted.
If the Village Board terms started on July 1, instead of April 1, the Village Board members would have months to gain a deeper understanding of the village government by the time it’s budget season.
“It would give people more of an opportunity to get their feet underneath them before setting the village tax rate which affects everyone in the village,” Marciano said.
A later village election also would give candidates better weather to be collecting petitions to get on the ballot. Right now that needs to be done in early February. The candidates then go door-to-door campaigning in some rough weather.
A June election would give the process better weather conditions when more residents are also around to vote in person.
The board will need to decide next month if it wants to put the issue on the ballot for a referendum during the March 18 election. (This year’s election is the third Wednesday in March. It was moved back a day due to St. Patrick’s Day.)
Board members on Thursday said they were willing to discuss the issue more on Feb. 9 and Feb. 23. The board needs to decide by Feb. 23 if the issue will be on the ballot for March 18.
“I’m not sold on it, but I’m open to talking about it,” said Trustee Deb Padoleski.
Photos courtesy of Jennifer Stearns/Principal of Clifford Wise Intermediate School – Lee Teitsworth, senior vice president at Liberty Balloons in Groveland, brought a hot air balloon to Clifford Wise Intermediate School on Friday and let students go inside it. This group includes fifth- and sixth-graders. Teitsworth also spoke with third- and fourth-graders.
Information courtesy of Medina Central School
MEDINA – Students in grades 3–6 at Clifford Wise Intermediate School celebrated their academic efforts and success for Marking Period 2 on Friday with an unforgettable, sky-high experience.
As part of the celebration, Liberty Balloons visited the school with a presentation – “The Sky Is the Limit” – encouraging students to keep reaching for their goals while learning the science behind hot air ballooning. The interactive program combined motivation with hands-on learning, giving students a closer look at how hot air balloons work and the physics that allow them to soar.
Lee Teitsworth discusses the science behind hot air balloons taking flight.
Students first viewed an informational presentation explaining the principles of hot air balloon flight, including how heated air creates lift and how propane burners are used to control altitude. The excitement continued in the Wise gymnasium, where a real hot air balloon was fully inflated, on its side, indoors. Students were given the rare opportunity to sit inside the balloon, experiencing its size and structure up close.
To complete the experience, students briefly stepped outside—just under five minutes—to safely observe the lighting of the propane flames, a dramatic highlight that brought the science lesson to life.
Remax Reality and the Clifford Wise Student Council sponsored the event. For more information on Liberty Balloons, click here.
These third- and fourth-graders see a brief outdoor presentation.
‘The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified to ensure citizenship for newly freed slaves and their children, not to create a permanent incentive for illegal immigration,’ – Rep. Claudia Tenney
Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney
OSWEGO – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today led an amicus curiae brief filed with the United States Supreme Court in Trump v. Barbara, a major constitutional case addressing the scope of birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.
The brief was joined by Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Cory Mills (R-FL), John Rose (R-TN), and Barry Moore (R-AL).
The brief was submitted in support of President Trump’s Executive Order 14160, which clarifies that birthright citizenship does not automatically extend to children born in the United States to individuals who are unlawfully present or visiting temporarily.
The case centers on the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, specifically whether the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” applies to individuals who have violated U.S. immigration law or who lack permanent legal status.
The amicus brief argues that historical precedent, English common law, and Supreme Court jurisprudence make clear that citizenship at birth was never intended to apply universally without regard to allegiance, obedience, or lawful presence.
Congresswoman Tenney is also the sponsor of the Constitutional Citizenship Clarification Act, legislation that reinforces Congress’s constitutional authority to define the terms of U.S. citizenship consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment.
The Supreme Court granted certiorari in Trump v. Barbara on Dec. 5, and oral arguments are expected later this year.
“The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified to ensure citizenship for newly freed slaves and their children, not to create a permanent incentive for illegal immigration,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “The Constitution requires allegiance and lawful subjection to U.S. jurisdiction. Granting automatic citizenship to the children of those who have broken our laws stretches the amendment far beyond its original meaning and undermines Congress’s authority over naturalization.”
Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments
Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health), with funding from the New York State Department of Health, will offer free rabies vaccination clinics for dogs, cats and ferrets in 2026.
Important Information:
• To receive a 3-year certificate for a dog or cat, please bring proof of prior rabies vaccination (metal tags or licenses will not be accepted as proof).
• Ferrets must receive vaccinations annually, regardless of previous immunization.
• All animals must be leashed or crated and kept under control during the clinics.
Why should your pets be vaccinated?
• Protects Your Pet: Rabies is a deadly disease that can affect both animals and humans. Vaccination is the best way to keep your pet safe.
• Protects You, Your Family, and the Community: Rabies can be passed to humans through bites or scratches from infected animals. Vaccinating pets helps prevent outbreaks.
• Required by Law: According to New York State Law, all dogs, cats, and domesticated ferrets must be vaccinated against rabies.
“Rabies continues to be a public health problem in Genesee and Orleans Counties,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for GO Health. “We remind all residents to keep their animals’ rabies vaccinations up to date.”
Genesee County Rabies Walk-in Clinic at the Batavia Town Highway Garage (3833 West Main Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020)
Thursday, February 5, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Genesee County Rabies Drive-Thru Clinics at the Genesee County Fairgrounds (5056 East Main Street, Batavia, NY 14020)
Thursday, May 14, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, August 13, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, October 8, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Orleans County Rabies Drive-Thru Clinics at the Orleans County Fairgrounds (12690 State Route 31, Albion, NY 14411)
Saturday, April 25, from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, June 17, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, August 19, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, October 7, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
For more information on GO Health’s programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org or contact your local health department at:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 January 2026 at 10:06 am
Majority of board believes used fire truck with no fire hall addition makes most sense
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Medina Village Board moved its meeting on Thursday evening to the high school auditorium due to a larger crowd expected as the board tries to determine whether it will put a new ladder truck into service and put an addition on the fire hall for the new truck. From left include Village Trustee Debbie Padoleski, Trustee Jess Marciano, Clerk/Treasurer Jada Burgess, Mayor Marguerite Sherman, Trustee Mark Prawel, Trustee Scott Bieliski and Village Attorney Matt Brooks.
MEDINA – In a meeting that stretched more than four hours, Village Board members and the pubic debated on Thursday night whether to keep a $1.7 million ladder truck for the fire department and put an addition on the fire hall.
Three of the board members – Debbie Padoleski, Mark Prawel and Scott Bieliski – voted to have the board pursue options to sell the new truck and see if a used ladder truck is available that would fit in the existing fire hall.
That trio of trustees said the new truck and an addition is too costly for the community where many residents are already overwhelmed by taxes.
Padoleski said the truck and addition would raise the village tax rate by at least $1 per $1,000 of assessed property, and it would be a 20-year commitment to pay off the truck and addition.
Bieliski noted that Medina in March 2023 agreed to pay $1,698,995 to Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisc. for a new fire truck with a 100-foot-long ladder. It took nearly three years for the truck to be manufactured. It hasn’t been put into service yet.
Since Medina’s contract nearly three years ago, the costs for ladder trucks have continued to escalate. The Albion Joint Fire District on Aug. 14 voted to buy a new ladder truck at a cost of $2,480,698 from Pierce Manufacturing.
Bieliski said he will reach out to a broker to see if there is interest in Medina’s new truck and at what price. He expects the truck could command $2 million, which would allow Medina to pay off its loan for the truck and have extra money to pursue a used ladder truck.
If Medina would take a loss on selling the truck, Bieliski said it shouldn’t be sold.
Village resident Brian Wiesinger speaks during Thursday’s board meeting. About 150 people attended the meeting that stretched more than four hours, starting at 6 p.m. and ending at 10:20. Wiesinger said the village should look at a more affordable option with a ladder truck.
Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman and Trustee Jess Marciano said they remain committed to keeping the new ladder truck and putting on a one-bay addition.
Marciano noted the fire hall addition and upgrades were cut from about $6 million to just over $1 million.
Sherman said she continues to seek grants and assistance with the addition. She met last week with representatives from U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. The village needs more detailed drawings and cost estimates for the addition to move forward with seeking grants, Sherman said.
She hasn’t been able to get the majority of the board’s support to hire a firm for those cost estimates.
Village resident Robin Wehling said she supports giving the Medina firefighters the equipment they need to best serve the community. She said the new ladder truck would account for a 48-cent in the tax rate.
Trustees and Padoleski and Bieliski said the cost of the addition puts the total expense for the new truck closer to about $4 million when financing is included over 20 years. They said that amounts to about $1 more in the tax rate.
(Left) Jason Cogovan said he supports the Medina Fire Department but it needs to be at an affordable level for the community. “It’s about delivering services in a responsible way,” he said. He suggested going to a volunteer fire department and looking at contracting for EMS services.
(Right) Village resident Linda Limina, who is also a Shelby town councilwoman, said the Medina board needs to reach out to neighboring towns about helping to pay more for services provided by the village.
“Village residents shouldn’t be the only ones funding the service,” she said.
She worries the added debt from the ladder truck and addition will push village taxes even higher.
Medina firefighter Steve Miller said the Village Board has known for many years the fire hall needed upgrades and that a new ladder truck wouldn’t fit in the current building.
He said the board hasn’t been properly planning for the fire department for more than a decade.
Trustee Bieliski told Miller and the firefighters in attendance they were using “fear-mongering” to pressure the board into keeping the truck and putting on an addition.
Miller said not getting the new ladder truck could result in higher insurance costs for residents and businesses if Medina’s ISO rating is negatively impacted.
He also said there could be delays in response times if the community needs to wait for a ladder truck from elsewhere.
“This is not a scare tactic,” Miller said. “This is simply the truth.”
Trustee Debbie Padoleski, left, says Medina is bearing too much of the expense for fire protection and EMS services in the community.
Padoleski said data from 2024 shows Medina’s ladder truck only was used for 33 calls, with 12 inside the village and 21 outside.
“The Village of Medina taxpayers cannot and should not subsidize mutal aid in the county,” Padoleski said.
Medina’s Ladder 40 is 30 years old and has been out of service since June due to mechanical issues.
The village put it up for sale and sold it for $8,700 at Thursday’s meeting. It was listed online for sale through an auction company. Trustee Mark Prawel wanted to oppose the sale but the title had already been signed over and the deal done without a final village vote. Prawel thought the old truck was worth more than $8,700.
In the future, the board said none of the sales from items declared surplus will be finalized until a board vote to approve the sale.
