MEDINA – Fans of old-time horror films will be delighted to learn they have returned to the Medina Theatre at 603 Main St.

Continuing every Friday night in October, the Orleans Renaissance Group is sponsoring Legends of Fright, a horror classic from the past. The first on Oct. 2 was “Frankenstein.”

“This is something we has wanted to do for several years,” said Cindy Robinson, a member of ORG. “This is the first I’ve had time to do it. These are the movies I grew up with. My dad used to watch them. We have this nice theater here and I always thought we should use it for what it was intended to be. Doing these movies seemed like a good way to start.”

Robinson said theater owner Joe Cardone was on board with the idea, and the first movie shown on Friday night was “Frankenstein” starring Boris Karloff. Future movies will be “Dracula” this Friday, starring Bela Lugosi; followed by “The Mummy” on Oct. 16, starring Boris Karloff; “The Invisible Man” on Oct. 23, starring Claude Rains; and “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” on Oct. 30.

Tickets are $7. All movies start at 7 p.m.

Robinson said people who attended the first showing were thrilled to be in the theater again.

Cardone opened the concession stand for the evening, and people were happy not to pay the high prices charged in other theaters.

ORG is looking at another series in February – Film Noir series.

ORG is thankful for five local sponsors, Medina Veterinary Clinic, English Rose Tea Shoppe, WSM Elder Law, Bent’s Opera House and Cooper Funeral Home.

Press Release, Orleans County Job Development Agency

MEDINA – The Orleans County Job Development Agency will be holding a job fair on Thursday, October 15 at the YMCA in Medina for those seeking employment. More than a dozen employers with open positions have signed up to take part.

“Sometimes the right opportunity is closer than you think. Come meet local employers, explore available jobs, and take the next step toward your future,” said Kelly Kiebala, Director of OCDJA.  “Bring your résumé, bring your questions and come prepared to interview.”

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Orleans County YMCA located at 306 Pearl Street in Medina. No appointments or pre-registration are necessary.

Kiebala said companies will be looking to fill a variety of positions across several different sectors.

“Employers are looking for reliable and dependable candidates and often are  willing to provide significant training to those who may lack experience,” said Kiebala.   “And staff from our office will be on hand to provide additional assistance to job seekers.”

To learn more about other OCJDA resources, visit www.orleanscountyny.gov/jda.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Some of the leaves are starting to change color along the Erie Canal in Albion. This photo was taken on Tuesday on the towpath near the Brown Street canal bridge.

The leaves are changing colors but there is still a lot of green on the tree canopies in Orleans County.

Some areas of the state are starting to get peak fall foliage colors – parts of the Capital-Saratoga, Catskills, Central New York, Finger Lakes, and Chautauqua-Allegheny regions.

That’s according to the weekly fall foliage update on Wednesdays from the Empire State Development Division of Tourism’s I LOVE NY program.

Orleans and Genesee counties are seeing some color change, according to volunteer field observers in the state report.

“In Orleans County, there is 40% change at the Cobblestone Museum in Albion with bright and colorful crimsons and cinnamons,” the report states.

Here is the weekly map show fall foliage map from I Love NY.

ALBION – Orleans Community Health will host a free Children’s Wellness Fair on Sunday at the Albion Healthcare Center, 14789 Route 31 at Butts Road in Albion. The family-friendly event is open to everyone, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with no registration required.

Families will have an opportunity to learn more about children’s health, meet local team members and receive practical tips for supporting healthy children. Local organizations will also be on hand to connect families with community programs, services and other helpful resources.

The fair isn’t just about education, according to Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communications and Outreach at Orleans Community Health. Children will be able to take part in fun activities, including a Teddy Bear Clinic, activities, drawstring backpacks, free goodies and other resources.

“Supporting healthy children starts with making sure families have the resources they need to achieve the goal,” Robinson said. “This event gives families an opportunity to have fun together while also connecting with healthcare information and local resources that can make a difference throughout the year.”

The Children’s Wellness Fair is part of Orleans Community Health’s continued effort to make health education, preventative care information and community resources more accessible to local families.

For more information, call (585) 589-2273.

Press Release, New York State Office of Mental Health

The New York State Office of Mental Health today announced a four-year $1.6 million initiative aimed at strengthening community-led prevention and resiliency efforts to address the higher suicide rates experienced in rural areas of Broome, Genesee, Orleans, Wayne, and Yates counties.

The announcement followed a two-day conference on rural suicide prevention that was hosted in Ithaca last week by the Suicide Prevention Center of New York, which is located within OMH.

“Each of the 1,700 New Yorkers who die by suicide annually represents an incalculable loss,” OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “They were our family members, colleagues, our friends, and our family members – our loved ones. At OMH, we have an unwavering commitment to reducing the tragedy of suicide by reducing isolation and removing barriers to care, especially in our high-risk rural communities.”

The Rural Outreach, Organizing, Training and Suicide Prevention initiative – also known as “ROOTS-NY” – will build sustainable suicide prevention capacity by strengthening community infrastructure, expanding workforce skills, and fostering coordinated partnerships between healthcare systems, community organizations, and local leaders. The program will rely on existing community resources to create a sustainable, localized prevention system to support counties that are predominantly rural.

Rural communities are often exposed to a host of risk factors for suicide, including economic hardship, unemployment, unstable housing, social isolation, higher prevalence of firearm access, less access to mental healthcare, and more. Between 2022 and 2024, the counties participating in ROOTS-NY had a combined suicide rate of 12.23 per 100,000 population – significantly higher than the statewide rate of 8.77.

Among those over age 20, the rate was 15.35 per 100,000, which is also sharply higher than the statewide rate of 10.85 per 100,000 for that age group. About half of suicide deaths in these counties were by firearm, compared to 29 percent statewide, highlighting the opportunity available to promote lethal means safety as part of the initiative.

“Rural communities have unique strengths, but they also face unique challenges when it comes to suicide prevention. Geographic isolation, limited access to behavioral health services, and other barriers can make it harder for people to get the support they need,” Suicide Prevention Center Director Dr. Jay Carruthers said. “ROOTS-NY is about meeting communities where they are, building on the people, organizations, and resources already working to support their neighbors. By strengthening existing local partnerships and forming new ones, expanding prevention skills, and increasing access to lifesaving support, we can help rural communities build enduring pathways to hope, connection and help.”

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is also available to connect New Yorkers to trained crisis counselors 24/7, who can help anyone thinking about suicide, struggling with substance use, experiencing a mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. New Yorkers can call, text or chat 988 if they are worried about someone who may need crisis support.

Photo from shopgarage.com: Medina’s ladder truck is shown on an online site that sells fire trucks, emergency vehicles and equipment. The site lists the truck as being sold. It was listed on the site on May 19.

MEDINA – The Village of Medina has sold its ladder truck for $2.1 million to the Village of Wilmette, an Illinois community of about 28,000 people near Chicago. Wilmette has a median household income of $190,662.

Medina has a population of 5,855, according to the 2025 population estimates from the Census Bureau. Medina’s median household income is $59,231, just a fraction’s of Wilmette’s.

“They are a wealthy community,” said Medina Mayor Debbie Padoleski. “It’s a beautiful truck. I would have loved to keep it, but it’s more truck than we need and it’s more truck than we can afford.”

Wilmette officials on Monday were in Medina and hand-delivered a check for $2.1 million. They also gave the truck a final inspection. The ladder truck is expected to leave Medina next week and be transported to Wilmette. The ladder truck is currently being kept in the former compost facility on North Gravel Road near Boxwood Cemetery.

With new ladder trucks having a 3- to 5-year wait due to a backlog of orders, Wilmette wanted Medina’s because it was available right away, Padoleski said.

The price for the ladder trucks also has soared since Medina locked in its contract in March 2023. The Albion Joint Fire District on Aug. 14, 2025 voted to buy a new ladder truck at a cost of $2,480,698 from Pierce Manufacturing.

Padoleski is happy the Medina ladder truck is sold and at a nice profit for the village.

“It’s been tough to move forward,” she said about the ladder truck, an issue that the village officials have been wrestling with for several years now.

The village budget for 2026-27 included a $300,000 profit with the sale of the ladder truck.

The sale is about $400,000 more than Medina’s contract with Pierce Manufacturing back in March 2023 when the Medina Village Board voted to pay $1,698,995 for the ladder truck. But with the first interest payment, Medina’s cost is closer to $1.8 million.

The sale at $2.1 million also includes a $100,000 fee to the broker. Padoleski said the village won’t have to make the year one principal payment at $130,000.

The new truck was too big for the existing fire hall and the board at that time expected an addition would be built on the existing fire hall. The truck is about 13 feet high where the fire station bays only have a clearance of 10 feet, 6 inches. But the initial construction estimates put an addition and overhaul of the current station at about $6 million. Just doing a one-bay addition would be about $1.3 million.

A new majority on the Village Board deemed those costs too much for the village taxpayers. They declared the ladder truck as surplus on Feb. 9, about two months after Pierce delivered it. The truck was never put into service.

The fire truck was listed for sale at $2.4 million on May 19 on an online site that sells fire trucks and other emergency vehicles and equipment. The website, shopgarage.com, touted the 2025 quint fire truck with a 100-foot ladder. The truck was promoted as “brand new, never used” with only 1,095 miles.

Padoleski said there was a strong interest in the ladder truck from a community in Texas, from a private business and from nearby Brockport.

Wilmette made the best offer, and followed up with a check.

Padoleski commended Deputy Mayor Scott Bieliski for working with the broker and potential buyers to get a good price for Medina.

The mayor said the Village Board will shift to looking at the future of the fire department and its ambulance service. Bieliski is on the hunt for a smaller used ladder truck that would fit in the existing fire hall.

She said the village needs more buy-in from neighboring towns that receive the ambulance service. Medina is seeking an increase from $35,000 to $135,000 from the towns of Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates. But even at that level, the village taxpayers are paying more than $1 million a year towards its paid fire department.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous to expect the Village of Medina to pay for a service that goes outside the Village of Medina,” she said.

An Orleans County Shared Services Committee is looking at how to best fund and provide EMS and the fire service throughout the county. Padoleski wants to see a plan from that committee that shares the burden around the county.

“With EMS, it needs to be everybody’s problem,” she said. “It can’t just be Medina’s problem.”

County DPW transformed space adjacent to Subway, giving historian more accessible space for local artifacts

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Catherine Cooper, the Orleans County historian, has a new office at 162 South Main St., a spot adjacent to Subway and next to the County Treasurer’s Office.

The county Department of Public Works transformed 2,000 square feet of space, putting in new drywall, a ceiling, electric and a floor.

“They did a huge amount of work,” Cooper said, commending the DPW staff for its work in the office and also relocating local artifacts and files from the top floor of Central Hall.

The County Legislature on Dec. 3 agreed to a lease with Nomax Albion, LLC, which is owned by Noah Michaels. He reached out to the county about using the 2,000 square feet for free if the county agreed to plow the lot for the plaza.

The county already was plowing part of it for the treasurer’s office. The county had to renovate the space and will be responsible for utilities.

Central Hall at 34 East Park St., which used to house the historian’s office and treasurer’s office, now is up for sale and listed for $229,000.

Catherine Cooper said her new space is more ground level and all on one floor. It is more accessible to the public. The previous site had stairs to climb and people often parked in a lot behind the building.

Cooper said the new space is more open, and isn’t in several smaller rooms. The 16 shelving units were purchased from Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, which sold the shelves as part of a renovation and addition project. Cooper worked at Lee-Whedon in Medina for 33 years, including 10 years as director before becoming county historian six years ago.

Cooper has office hours on Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. People are welcome to stop by and see her or by making an appointment. The office number is 585-589-4174.

Catherine Cooper is shown after the entrance to her new setup. The World War II uniform is from Dr. John Roche, who was an Army medic. The uniform is on loan from the Medina Historical Society. The poster celebrates the 100^th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in 1986.

It has been an extra busy two years for Cooper with the bicentennial celebration of Orleans County in 2025, and the 250^thanniversary of the United States this year. She has helped plan many of the events the past two years, in addition to her regular duties as historian.

Those big milestone years are part of a very eventful tenure so far as historian. Her office already has moved twice in that time with the first move from the basement of Central Hall to the top floor.

Cooper looks forward to things being a little less hectic for the historian and Department of History.

“It’s been a lot of extra excitement that has brought a lot of focus to the department,” Cooper said about the big anniversary celebrations the past two years. “It has made it more challenging and interesting. But what I find the most interesting is going through the collection and sorting, trying to organize it in a fashion that is coherent and can be used by people going forward.”

She is eager to go through and organize more of the files and artifacts.

“I’m looking forward to having time to work on the collection more,” Cooper said. “The filing cabinets I’d like to get revamped. That takes time.”

ALBION – Two inmates in local state prisons will be spending more time in prison after they pleaded guilty in the Orleans County Court today to crimes against corrections officers.

Raequan Tarver, 25, was an inmate at Orleans Correctional Facility on Nov. 25, 2025 when he attempted to injure a correction officer. He admitted in court today to an altercation with an officer where Tarver said he tried to hurt that officer.

He pleaded guilty in court today to attempted assault in the second degree and faces an addition 2 to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Dec. 16.

Tarver is currently serving a 1 ½ to 3 year sentence for attempted robbery in the second degree and attempted promoting prison contraband in the first degree. He is eligible for parole on Oct. 8, 2027. He is currently incarcerated at Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus, Seneca County.

Marisa Lockridge, 43, was at Albion Correctional Facility on Deb. 15, 2026 when she threw urine in an area near a corrections officer, causing the urine to come into contact with the officer.

She pleaded guilty in court today to aggravated harassment of an employee by an incarcerated person. She faces an additional 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison when she is sentenced on Dec. 16.

Lockridge has been moved to the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County. She is currently serving a 1 to 3 year sentence for grand larceny in the third degree. She is due to be released on Oct. 12. County Court Judge Sanford Church ordered here to be held without bail due to her release date on Monday.

In another case in court this morning, Tony Thompson, 59, of Albion was offered a plea deal where he would face up to 3 years in state prison if he pleads guilty to criminal sale of a controlled substance.

He is facing eight counts of drug charges for allegedly selling crack cocaine in the Village of Albion. Thompson was arrested on May 12.

He can consider the offer and file motions in the case, which are due Nov. 2 and to be argued in court on Nov. 18.

Shortage of ambulances, EMTs result in slower responses, dropped calls; Countywide model could be in the future

Photos by Tom Rivers: Justin Niederhofer, the Orleans County emergency management director, speaks during an Orleans County Shared Services meeting last Thursday at Hoag Library in Albion. Next to him is Audra Fisher, a secretary in the Emergency Management Office.

ALBION – Municipal leaders in Orleans County are trying to stabilize the EMS system in the county and develop a long-term plan for a rising demand for EMS and ambulance responses.

EMS/ambulance calls went up 11.2 percent or by 556 calls from 4,965 in 2024 to 5,521 in 2025. The response calls for 11 fire departments in the county increased 12.4 percent or by 464 calls from 2024 to 2025 – from 3,755 calls to 4,219.

The total call volume is up 11.5 percent or by 1,046 from 9,105 in 2024 to 10,151 in 2025.

A report looking at the EMS and fire resources and response in the county finds a shortage of firefighters, EMTs and other first responders despite the rising calls.

Local leaders are taking a staggered approach to address issues outlined in the study, with EMS the first priority due to shortages in EMS personnel, rising response times and increasing costs.

There is also a shortage of firefighters in the county, putting more demand on mutual aid, especially during weekday peak call hours, the typical workday when many volunteers are at their regular jobs.

“We’re getting close to the stage of system failure,” Justin Niederhofer, the county’s emergency management director, said about the demand on the volunteer fire departments. “Mutual aid is at an all-time high.”

About 30 officials from local municipalities, fire departments and districts, and the county met last Thursday at shared services meeting at Hoag Library to establish working groups on the issues. Niederhofer will lead the EMS group, which needs to have a report to the state by Dec. 19.

The report needs to assess EMS coverage in each area of the county, identify gaps and how they will be filled, designate the provider and organizational structure for each area, estimate costs and how those costs are assigned, and identify any intermunicipal agreements or special districts needed.

The state is requiring all counties to submit a County EMS System Plan by Dec. 19. The Orleans County plan will be submitted to the state Department of Health, Big Lakes Regional EMS Council, and the State EMS Council.

Much of the local data already available from the EMS and fire service study completed in June .

The study shows call volume, response times, dropped calls, GIS coverage mapping, provider costs. the remaining work centers on the service model, provider designations, cost estimates and cost assignment.

Much of the local data already available from the EMS and fire service study by the Municipal Resources Inc. Its final report included 59 recommendations, with eight identified as highest priority.

County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson, in black next to Niederhofer, speaks at the beginning of last week’s shared services meeting with a focus on EMS services. “Our challenge is taking a hard look at the information in front of us, hearing different perspectives, and identifying solutions that are effective,” she said.

Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman, said the leaders of the county, towns, villages and emergency service providers all face their own challenges every day, and have their own perspectives.

“But despite these potential differences, we share the same fundamental goal: keeping our residents safe and making sure they have access to high-quality emergency services when they need it,” she said. “there are no easy fixes but we can have an open discussion, listen to each other, and start to develop a path forward to best serve Orleans County residents.”

Right now the Medina Fire Department is the primary ambulance provider for western Orleans for the towns of Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates. Mercy EMS serves the seven other towns in central and eastern Orleans – Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall and Murray.

Medina village officials say the ambulance service costs the village about $1.3 million a year. It wants the three towns to increase its contribution for the service from $35,000 annually to $135,000.

Yates Town Supervisor Jim Simon said that is a big increase for the town. He has reached out to Mercy EMS about serving Yates.

“We’re concerned about the town of Yates being treated fairly,” Simon said about the contract with Medina.

The seven towns in 2027 will pay Mercy $300,000, with each town paying based on its share of call volume. The towns have asked for an more ambulances which would increase the total amount to $500,000 in a new contract for eight towns with Yates included. Yates would only have to pay $11,000 because of its low call volume.

That agreement is yet to be settled, and it impacts how the other towns will pay and receive coverage. The towns are all working on their budgets for 2027 with the budgets typically voted on in November.

An ambulance at the Medina Fire Department is parked outside the fire station. Medina handles the majority of EMS calls on the western end of the county but village officials say too much of the cost of the service is paid by village taxpayers.

Simon, during last week’s meeting, said there is no uniformity on how the towns pay, with Medina charging a set amount regardless of call volume while the Mercy EMS contract has varying amounts for the towns based on the number of calls.

Mercy EMS keeps ambulances in Albion at the former COVA headquarters and also is partially based out of the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray fire hall in Murray. With the expanded $500,000 contract, Mercy would add an ambulance in Carlton.

Mercy EMS’s contract currently calls for two 24/7 basic life support ambulances and one 24/7 advanced life support fly car. Steve Coville, the Barre town supervisor, said the towns would like more coverage, including an advanced life support ambulance for 12 hours.

“We want to save people’s lives but we don’t want the townspeople to go broke either,” he said during the meeting last week.

In the study by Municipal Resources Inc., three options were identified to stabilize EMS service in the short-term and long-term.

Option 1. County-operated EMS – A county-run EMS system for the entire county, which would require a staff of about 60, Niederhofer. It would take major capital and workforce requirements, and a long-term step toward fire services augmentation.

Option 2. Enhanced contract with Mercy EMS – Mercy EMS is the primary ambulance provider for seven towns in the county. The contract could be renegotiated for enhanced, performance-based service with additional units, strategic posting of ambulances, response and quality of care standards, and corrective-action triggers.

Option 3. County Peak-Hour Unit – A county-staffed Advanced Life Support ambulance as a backup and gap-filler to Mercy EMS and Medina Fire Department during weekday peak hours. It could be a step toward an eventual county ambulance and volunteer fire service augmentation.

Local officials discuss the EMS service in Orleans County during a meeting last Thursday at Hoag Library.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Jennifer Slack of Medina makes a scarecrow with her children, Emma and Bradley, during last year’s Scarecrow Fest on Oct. 11, 2025. The event is organized by the Medina Lions Club.

KNOWLESVILLE – The annual Scarecrow Fest sponsored by Medina Lions is truly an event for the entire family.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds will busy with boys and girls, moms and dads and even grandparents building scarecrows, romping in the straw or just enjoying a hot dog cooked by the Lions Club.

Event chairman Jim Hancock said the event has become so popular, families are coming from all over the county, and even Middleport.

He said the Fairgrounds on Route 31 is a perfect place for the event, which in early years was held in various locations around Medina, including the YMCA, the canal basin and Roberts Farm Market.

“Here, the event goes on, rain or shine,” Hancock said.

Many individuals are involved in making this event a success. It starts with Barden Homes, who donate the wood and cut the pieces for the bodies. Then the Lions get together and screw them together into a T. The cloth for the scarecrows’ faces is cut by Lions’ members, who then take them to Medina High School, where the art class paints the faces on them.

“They are really beautiful,” Hancock’s wife Barb said. “No two are alike.”

Clothing and accessories for the scarecrows are donated by the MAAC Thrift Shop. This includes shirts, blouses, hats, belts and pants.

Straw is donated by Ed Neal and Brian Dunham. Last year the Master Gardners offered pumpkin carving during the event, and plan to do it again this year. Cost is $12 per scarecrow. Parents and grandparents may charge their creation this year, with the availability to offer credit.

The Lions will also be selling hotdogs, chips, pop and water.

Hancock said many of the club members volunteer for the event.

“It’s one of the most fun things we do,” he said.

The Lions are also contemplating a contest, where someone well-known in the community will be selected and a prize offered for the person who makes a scarecrow looking most like that person.

RIDGEWAY – Kimberly Stawicki sent in this photo of this evening’s sunset. She took the photo from the Marshall Road canal bridge.

The high temperatures in the coming days include 68 on Wednesday, 64 on Thursday, 63 on Friday, and 70 on Saturday.

Lyndonville grad Ben Frasier owns company and wants phase 2 with a bigger playground for older elementary kids

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Ben Frasier, a 1988 Lyndonville graduate and owner of Parkitects, checks out a new sensory dome in the playground by the elementary school. The sensory dome is an intended spot for children on the autism spectrum to get away from the activity and noise from the other parts of the playground.

Frasier and a team of 18 Parkitects employees spent most of the day installing a new playground at Lyndonville.

Frasier and Parkitects donated about $250,000 in equipment and in-kind services to the playground. The school district also was able to use $160,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for playground equipment.

Parkitects employees get wheelbarrow loads of concrete for footers to hold down the new playground equipment.

Orleans Ready Mix donated concrete for the project. Those donations were lined up by Steve Grabowski, the district’s director of facilities.

Other donations included:

Watson Construction Group with removal/demolition of all of the old playground equipment and 14 inches of mulch; Barre Stone Company with 100 tons of crusher run stone; Shelby Crushed Stone with 100 tons of crusher run stone; Town of Yates with hauling the stone to the school; and Medina Lumber & Hardware with pressure treated 2×12’s covering 228 linear feet around the perimeter.

The new playground includes a We-Go-Round, Sway Fun Glider, We-Saw and other equipment that will be accessible to kids of all abilities and mobilities. The previous playground was over 20 years old and wasn’t handicapped accessible.

A 3 1/2-inch thick rubber material will be added next week. It takes 48 hours for that rubber to cure after being poured. Ben Frasier said he expects the new playground will be open for children in about two weeks.

The playground equipment is stainless steel and manufactured by Landscape Structures. Frasier has been part of Parkitects for 29 years. The company is celebrating its 30^th anniversary.

Frasier said the new playground is phase 1 of an initiative to give Lyndonville the best his company has to offer.

Frasier, during an August Board of Education meeting, said he has profound memories of growing up in Lyndonville and playing on the former wooden playground at the school. The community came together nearly 50 years ago to build that playground.

“This playground taught me about the power of community,” he said showing a photo of the former site.

Frasier wants phase 2 to a be a larger playground for older kids in the elementary school. He believes the project can happen through fund-raising, grants and donations.

Phase 2 would include some larger equipment including Super Netplex Towers, ZipKrooz, Oodles Swing, Sensory Tunnel, Rollerslide with Exit Bench, and a 7-Post Hex Net. Frasier would like to see the next phase installed in about a year.

Phase 3 could include a shelter for parents and grandparents to stay in the shade while children are on the playground.

Ben Frasier tries out the We-Go-Round. It has space for children in wheelchairs to get inside and enjoy the ride.

Press Release, ESL Federal Credit Union

ROCHESTER – ESL Federal Credit Union is pleased to announce its place on the Best Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance list on Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine’s list of large companies.

This year marks the first time ESL appeared in the large-company category after growing to more than 1,000 employees. The locally owned financial institution ranked number 29 out of 50 companies. Editor’s Note: ESL has a site in Orleans County at 11182 Maple Ridge Rd., Medina.

Prior to this year, ESL garnered recognition on the list of small and medium-sized companies for a decade. The financial institution is named alongside other respected New York-based organizations, including The Bonadio Group in the large category and First American Equipment Finance in the small and medium category.

“We are honored to be named a Best Workplace in Financial Services and Insurance for the 11th consecutive year,” said Maureen Wolfe, executive vice president, chief administrative officer. “This year is especially meaningful to us, as we join the list of large companies for the first time. As we continue to grow and expand our geographic footprint, our commitment to providing a superior employee experience remains a key focus for us. At ESL, we recognize that supporting and investing in our employees strengthens our ability to serve our members and communities.”

To determine the Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance list, Great Place to Work measures and benchmarks approximately 200,000 employee survey responses from Great Place to Work-Certified companies in the financial services and insurance industry.

The complete list can be viewed by clicking here.

Bruce Pritchett, a middle school social studies teacher, holds a sign demanding a fair contract for Albion teachers. About 30 teachers attended Monday’s board meeting, with several holding signs and most wearing T-shirts in support of the teachers’ union.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Two members of the negotiating team for the Albion Teachers Association, Josh Green at left at podium and Chris Keller, address the Board of Education during Monday’s board meeting.

The teachers have been without a contract since June 30, 2025. An impasse has been declared and a mediator will have his first session on Oct. 20 with the negotiating team of the ATA and district officials.

Green and Keller were limited to a 3-minute comment period during the board meeting. They said the district has been underspending its budget by about 25 percent the last three years or by about $10 million a year.

They said the teachers’ request for higher pay could easily be accommodated by the district if it spent the budgeted amounts for teachers.

Keller is a middle school English teacher and Green works in the high school as a social studies teacher. Green noted a 2022 report from the state comptroller that said the district had amassed reserves that were too high. AT that time the district’s reserves were about $17 million. Green and Keller said the reserves now top $50 million.

The two sides are $1.4 million apart in a five-year contract or about $300,000 a year.

Albion teachers are seeking raises that the ATA said reflects the cost-of-living increases and also the extra workload as the district demands more time each day for teachers to be in the classroom. (The first year of the contract would be an extra 10 minutes, and then 20 minutes from years 2 to 5.)

Mickey Edwards, the district superintendent, told the Orleans Hub in a  recent interview that the needs to allow the district to stay within the state-imposed tax cap of about 2 percent annually. The new contract will set the floor for future contracts and the commitment from local taxpayers, Edwards said.

“My hope is we reach a conclusion that is fair and fiscally responsible for both parties and the community,” he said. “It’s about sustainability and being fair to the community.”

Bruce Pritchett, a middle school social studies teacher, holds a sign demanding a fair contract for Albion teachers. About 30 teachers attended Monday’s board meeting, with several holding signs and most wearing T-shirts in support of the teachers’ union.

Albion hasn’t increased what it collects in property taxes in 18 of the last 20 years. The district has benefitted from steady increases in state aid, but Edwards said there is no guarantee that will continue in the future with the state.

The teachers have been without a contract for over a year. They still get their regular step increases and all other benefits while there isn’t a contract except teachers on the highest step of 24 because there isn’t a step increase for them. The district said the steps are an average of 3.8 percent (ranging from 2.6 to 10.6 percent).

The district is proposing in the new contract the regular pay hikes with step increases, plus additional raises of 6.9 percent in the first year, 3.3 percent in the second year, 3.5 percent the third year, 3.3 percent the fourth year and 3.4 percent in the fifth year. The total increase over the 5 years would be 22.1 percent or $2,742,032.

The ATA is seeking a contract that would be about $1.4 million over what the district is offering. The ATA is seeking the usual salary steps plus a 4.8 percent increase the first year, and then 10 percent the second year, 5.7 percent the third year, 4.7 percent the fourth year and 4.7 percent the fifth year.

The district wants teachers to work more instructional time because the district currently is close to the 990-hour minimum for the elementary school and 900-hour minimum for secondary levels, Edwards said. If there is a snow day or other emergency, Albion is cutting it very close to meet the minimum standard, Edwards said.

That added time represents 4.7 percent more time in the classroom for teachers. The ATA said the contract should reflect that additional workload, as well as the cost-of-living increases that the ATA is putting at 3.5 percent annually.