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Hometown Hero banners on Medina streets highlight military service
Dan Fuller’s family has generations of service as soldiers
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Dan Fuller of Medina stands under his Hometown Heroes banner currently up on Main Street near the Presbyterian Church. He served with the U.S. Air Force and Air Ground during the Cold War and Persian Gulf era. (Right) Three members of Dan Fuller’s family have Hometown Heroes banners up this year. Here, Dan stands under the banner for his uncle Gary Wolter. Wolter served with the Army in Vietnam.
MEDINA – The banners for Hometown Heroes in Medina was started by Mary Woodruff after she saw a banner for her father-in-law while visiting his hometown in Alfred, south of Buffalo, in 2018.
She came home, presented the idea to the Village Board, and in 2019 Medina had its first Hometown Heroes’ banners. There were 38 in that first year. Banners are up for three years from around Memorial Day to just after Veterans’ Day, then they are returned to the family, Woodruff said. This year, the 2024 banners will be returned to the families.
The banners do more than showcase local heroes. For many of them, there is a story behind the banner.
Such is the case of Dan Fuller of Medina and his grandfather and uncle.
Fuller, commander of the Gasport American Legion, is one of 151 Hometown Heroes whose banners hang on the streets of Medina. Fuller served four years in Homestead Air Force Base as a radar repairman –and nine years at Niagara Falls with the Air National Guard.
Dan is a son of Paul Fuller, who was a corporal in the Air National Guard, serving from 1957 to 1963. What makes Fuller the proudest is his family’s history of serving their country. Not only does Fuller have a banner, but his uncle Gary Wolter and grandfather Harold Wolter also have banners hanging on Main Street, all sponsored by a family member who wished to remain anonymous.
Harold served in World War II as a nurse/field medic. He is a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient, having been a prisoner of war in Germany. He was called home after one year to run the family farm.
Dan’s Uncle Gary served from 1967-68 in Vietnam, and Gary’s son Chad was in the Marines.
Their ancestor Erastus Fuller served during the Civil War.
Dan has a long list of relatives who served their country, besides his uncle and grandfather – Bud Fuller, Bill Menz and Merle Draper, all of whom Dan says are heroes in his life.
In addition to his relatives, Dan says he looks up to Cliff Grant of Gasport.
“He is here because another guy took a bullet in front of him,” Dan said. “There are so many other stories that could be told.”
Dan Fuller’s story is just one of patriotism displayed in Medina’s banners. There are heroes, patriots and veterans from all branches of the military and the space program honored on Medina’s streets. Some served statewide, many went to battle and others were prisoners of war or Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipients. And others were killed in action.
There are numerous banners of families who had several members who served, such as Joseph Balcerzak and his son Paul. Joseph served in World War II and Paul in Vietnam.
Thomas Fisher served with the U.S. Air Force and his son Patrick was an Army veteran in the Persian Gulf War.
Robert Kerr and his son William were both World War II veterans – Robert with the U.S. Army and William with the U.S. Navy.
Terry Boyle served 10 years in the Army, six months of it in active duty on the front lines during the Gulf War. His son Zachary had three years in the Marine Corps.
There are several Civil War veterans honored with banners – two of whom are Patty Blackburn’s great-grandfather Henry Waters Jr. and Ziba Roberts Jr., great-great-grandfather of Virginia Kropf and Norma Fisher, and great-great-uncle of several members of the Roberts family.
Woodruff was thrilled last year to hang banners for two Revolutionary War veterans – Benjamin Darling, who lived on East Shelby Road and is buried in the Maple Ridge Road Cemetery, ironically on land owned by Ziba Roberts’ grandfather Daniel Roberts. Darling and Daniel both served in Connecticut, under the same leader.
Another veteran was Ed Grabowski’s father Leo, who survived the Bataan Death March – a story which will be featured in an upcoming story.
Families wishing to purchase banners may contact Woodruff at mbwoodruff16@gmail.com. The deadline for 2027 banners was Oct. 16, but Woodruff will take orders for 2028 banners. Cost is $200 per new banner.
Shelby town supervisor sees benefits for appointing town clerk, highway superintendent
Editor:
I ran for the office of the Town of Shelby Supervisor, not for power, not for ego, certainly not for money. I ran because it appeared that our municipal government was a mess and just maybe I could use my years of experience in the private sector to help.
Upon taking, office I found that things are much worse than I imagined. Failed accounting practices, wasteful spending that had depleted our reserve funds, outdated or no policies and procedures, contracts with vendors and other municipalities that hadn’t been renegotiated for years (one dating back 15 years).
Like every other municipality in New York State, we are struggling. The costs of providing the level of service you deserve keeps increasing, while our sources of revenue stay flat. For example, the day after we received a contract to increase the Town’s reimbursement for plowing and mowing the county roads by 30%, we received notification of a 25% increase in the cost of salt and we all know what’s happening to the price of fuel.
Then there are the increasing costs for energy, gas and electricity, equipment and labor. Unlike a business, we cannot increase our sales to make up the difference. Instead all these increases fall squarely on the backs of us taxpayers.
The world and the workplace has gotten ever more complex. The office of Town Clerk and Highway Superintendent are not immune to the increased complexity of everyday operations. Beyond the usual job functions, they must have the ability to operate in the age of computers, internet, online reporting requirements to the county and state, email, databases, spreadsheets, document control, and more.
However, for these elected positions, any one – regardless of qualifications, other than being a Shelby resident – can run for office. No experience or resume or interview required. Once elected, they are set for 4 years. No boss, no limit on vacation or time off. In fact I was informed by the Orleans County Office Personnel that by municipal law they only need to work an hour to collect full time pay.
So your representatives on the Shelby Town Board are proposing an idea that the positions of Town Clerk and Highway Superintendent be changed from elected to hired. We are not looking to take away your right to vote. In fact this idea is on the ballot come next Tuesday. If you have already voted or not interested in understanding our reasoning, then ignore the rest of this letter. But if you truly want to cast an educated vote then click here to read the analysis done by another town in New York State.
I don’t expect that reading this will convince everyone, but rather than listening to the uniformed opinions on social media or letters from outside interest groups, you will have employed your best efforts to make that educated vote.
At the end of the day our right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy. Next Tuesday make sure you get to the polls, make your voice heard.
Jim Heminway
Town of Shelby Supervisor
Albion school district to send $39.9 capital project to voters on Dec. 17 for referendum
Photos by Tom Rivers: This slide was presented during the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 5 and shows the concept of turning the art foyer at the high school int a fitness center.
ALBION – The Board of Education voted this evening to send a $39.9 million project to the community for a public referendum on Dec. 17.
The board considered three different options for the capital project, with the options at33.4 million, $39.9 million and $47.3 million.
The district’s Finance Committee recommended the second option at $39.9 million, said John Kast, the board’s vice president and chairman of the Finance Committee.
The project will address many needs in the district, and Albion already has the local share set aside so no new local taxes will be needed.
Kast said the project will be 90.6 percent reimbursable in state aid.
Voting on the project will be from noon to 8 p.m. on Dec. 17. If voters back the project, it will go to a design phase that will need the State Department of Education’s approval before the project goes to bid. Construction could take place over three years.
The proposed project also includes work at all three school buildings as well as the bus garage. The price in the three options varied depending on the scope of work in the elementary school.
The new project includes some elements that were considered for the previous project, but were removed, Hunsinger said.
The project could include the following:
High School
- Renovate Ag, IT and wood shop – $6.1 million
- Greenhouse addition – $1 million
- Renovate LGI – $3 million
- Renovate counseling suite – $1.2 million
- Renovate art foyer into fitness center – $1.6 million
- Digital athletics/arts wall of fame – $200,000
- Replace areas of damaged roofing – $100,000
- Remediate sewer odor in athletics vestibule – $100,000
Middle School
The auditorium in the middle school would be renovated while preserving its Art Deco character.
- Renovate auditorium, including seating, lighting, rigging and sound – $7.5 million
- Replace areas of damaged roofing – $600,000
- Replace exterior window sills – $300,000
- Provide security film on at-grade windows – $200,000
Elementary School
The scope of work for new ventilation systems, cabinets and windows ranged from $6.2 million to $20.1 million depending on the three options. The Board wants to address A, B, J and I for full replacement at a cost of $12.1 million with the other sections to be considered in future capital projects.
- Replace east playground at $2 million
- Replace west playground surfacing at $800,000
- Renovate main entrance courtyard at $300,000, with $200,000 to add snow melt
- Provide security film on at-grade windows at $200,000
- Replace classroom ventilation system, adjacent cabinets and windows; replace classroom flooring, ceilings, caseworks, lighting and upgrade classroom toilet rooms wings A, B, J and I at a cost of $12.1 million. Doing all sections would have added about $8 million to the total.
Transportation building
- Replace trench drain in storage and service bays at $200,000
- Replace areas of damaged roofing, $30,000
The district worked with the Campus Construction firm to identify the scope of the project.
The cost estimates represent about a 21 percent increase from the current construction prices. Campus Construction is estimating a 7 percent price increase in construction each year. If the work is done in two to three years, the company is estimating a 21 percent escalation in construction costs
If the project is approved by the voters on Dec. 17, the district will shift $15 million into a capital reserve fund to pay the local share of the project. The district would take that as part of $30 million in undesignated funds, said Rick Recckio, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance.
He expects Albion would only need about $8 million of that $15 million to pay towards the local share of the capital project with Albion paying on the project over 10 years.
The project addresses top priorities identified through a building conditions survey that included input from building leaders in the district, said Mickey Edwards, the district superintendent.
The survey established a list of priorities ranked from 1 to 4. The final list includes the “priority 1’s,” he said.
“You never exhaust the list,” he said.
Albion is on a cycle of doing a capital project about every five years. Other issues identified in the building conditions survey but not in the final project could be considered again in about five years if the new project is approved by voters, Edwards said.
Board of Education member Chris Kinter has a possible project for the future. He wants to see a better way for parents to pick up and drop off their kids at the elementary school. He said cars often get stacked in a line on Clarendon Road that stretches out to East Avenue. He thinks more room for cars on the school campus would keep the line from going out on Clarendon Road and onto Route 31.
Medina, Roy-Hart spikers bow in sectionals
No. 4 seed Chautauqua Lake defeated visiting No. 13 Medina 25-8, 25-10, 25-10 and No. 9 Allegany-Limestone bested host No. 8 Roy-Hart 25-18, 25-17, 25-18 in opening round Section VI Class C volleyball matches this evening.
Lauren Snyder had 8 kills and 2 aces, Tessa Degenhardt 6 kills and Zoe Healey 3 kills for Roy-Hart.
Sam Heschke and Raelynn Baker both had a kill and Caliyah St. Louis an ace for Medina.
In other reported sectional matches involving Niagara-Orleans League teams Alden defeated Akron, Newfane downed Tapestry and Falconer topped Wilson all in 3 sets and East Aurora bested Albion in 4 sets(25-23, 17-25, 25-14, 26-24). For Albion, Jillian LeBaron had 14 digs and 6 kills, Anna Grillo with 7 digs and 7 kills and Charlotte Pike had 23 assists, 6 digs and 2 aces.
Barker outlasts Medina in a shootout to open the Class C sectional field hockey playoffs
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Barker’s Milayna May gets the ball just past the reach of a diving Medina goalie Madison Zeiner to score the winning goal in a shootout win over the Mustangs in a sectional game at Barker this evening.
Breaking away from a scoreless deadlock, No. 3 seed Barker outscored No. 6 Medina 4-3 in a shootout to win a Section VI Class C quarterfinal round field hockey playoff game this evening at Barker.
Addisyn Weller, Elise Monaco, Sophia Pavlock and Milayna May took turns scoring the goals in the shootout for Barker.
Jenelle Stalker, Isabelle Perez and Adelynn Lacy each scored a goal for Medina in the shootut.
Barker will next visit No. 2 seed Akron in the semifinals Friday.
Akron downed No. 7 Roy-Hart 9-3 as Abigail Schlabach and Mackenzie Tomporowski both scored 3 goals, Madigan Regan 2 and Brooke Milhollen 1.
Adella Dukes scored 2 goals and Jillian Schimek 1 for Roy-Hart.
Other quarterfinal results saw No. 1 seed Iroquois blank No. 8 Newfane 8-0 and No. 4 Wilson down No. 5 Eden 4-1 as Brynn Lepsch scored 3 goals and Taylor Ernest 1.
Wilson will visit Iroquois in the other semifinal Friday.
In the shootout, Barker goalie Adeline Atwater here blocks the initial shot attempt by Medina’s Isabelle Perez who ended up scoring on a penalty shot.
Gas prices down 3 cents in past week in NYS, up $1.29 from year ago
Photo by Tom Rivers: The gas prices at the Sunoco station in Angola along the State Thruway were at $4.39 for regular unleaded and $6.53 for diesel on Sunday.
AAA is reporting today that the average price for regular unleaded dropped 6 cents in the past week to $4.29 a gallon, which is up from the $3.03 price a year ago.
In New Yor State, the average price is at $4.42 today, down three cents in the past week and up from $3.13 a year ago.
“Gas prices aren’t budging much as crude oil prices remain high at $99 to $107 per barrel this morning,” AAA said in a news release. “The national average has stayed above $4 per gallon since late July and is currently more than a dollar higher than it was this time last year. Fall months typically bring lower gas prices, but volatility in the oil market has led to seasonal record highs this year.”
Here are the average prices at counties around Western New York:
- Orleans, $4.410
- Genesee, $4.349
- Monroe, $4.371
- Niagara, $4.349
- Erie, $4.358
- Wyoming, $4.420
- Livingston, $4.394
- Chautauqua, $4.390
- Cattaraugus, $4.299
- Allegany, $4.404
Hamilton County in the Adirondacks is the highest in the state at $4.737 a gallon, while Seneca County has the lowest average at $4.160.
The national diesel price is at $6.31, up 5 cents from last week and up from $3.63 a year ago. In New York, the average diesel price is $6.50 per gallon, down a penny from last week. A year ago, the average price was $3.87 per gallon in NYS.
Nearly 700 cast ballots in first 2 days of early voting in Orleans County
ALBION – Orleans County had nearly 700 people cast ballots on the first two days of early. There were 663 voters total with 381 on Saturday and 282 on Sunday, according to the Orleans County Board of Elections.
There are seven more days of early voting in Orleans County with many positions on the ballot, including a race for governor, Congress and many other offices at the state, county and town levels.
There is one polling location open in the county for early voting. It is at the Orleans County Board of Elections Office, 14016 Route 31 in Albion.
During the general election on Nov. 3, there will be polling locations at each of the 10 towns in Orleans County.
The remaining early voting schedule includes:
- Monday, October 26 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 27 – 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 28 – 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Thursday, October 29 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Friday, October 30 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Saturday, October 31 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday, November 1 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The nearly 700 voters in the first two days of early voting is far more than 9 days of a primary back in June when only 78 people did early voting in the county.
Lady Hawks and Lady Eagles face sectional semifinal contests on Tuesday
Holley and Kendall will both be competing in the semifinal round of the Section V girls soccer playoffs on Tuesday.
In Class C1, No. 3 seed Holley will visit No. 2 Red Creek at 6 p.m.
Holley, which nipped Geneseo 1-0 in the quarterfinals, is now 12-5-1 while Red Creek, which trimmed Williamson 1-0, is 10-3-3.
The victor will face the winner of the No. 4 Byron-Bergen vs. No. 1 Avon semifinal in the C1 title contest on Friday.
The Lady Hawks offense has been led by Carsyn Mogle (11 goals, 7 assists), Jayna Burris (7 goals, 8 assists) and Emma Burne (4 goals, 5 assists)
In Class C2, top seeded Kendall will face No. 5 Genesee Valley Belfast at 6 p.m. at LeRoy.
Kendall, which blanked No. 8 Naples 3-0 in the quarterfinals, is now 16-1 while Genesee Valley Belfast, which edged No. 4 Campbell-Savona 4-3 in overtime, is 15-3.
The victor will advance to Friday’s C2 championship game against the winner of Tuesday’s No. 6 Fillmore vs. No. 2 Keshequa semifinal.
The Lady Eagles offense has been sparked by Ryleigh Denning (25 goals, 5 assists), Sophia Picardo (13 goals, 12 assists) and Jersie Drake (11 goals, 12 assists).
Section V Boys Soccer
No. 3 seed Holley will visit Genesee Region League foe No. 2 Byron-Bergen/Elba in the Class C1 semifinals on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
In two regular season meetings the teams tied 2-2 and Byron-Bergen/Elba won 3-0.
Sheriff’s Office identifies man, David Greene, who died in Knowlesville fire
Dennis Hurd, a neighbor, was injured trying to save Greene
Firefighters on the Shelby ladder truck try to put out the flames at a fire on Thursday night at 12625 Presbyterian St.
Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office
KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the identities of the individuals involved in the fatal house fire that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd, at approximately 8:28 p.m., at 12625 Presbyterian Street in the Town of Ridgeway.
The individual who was found deceased inside the residence has been identified as David L. Greene, age 68, of 12625 Presbyterian St.
A second resident of the home that was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for treatment of injuries has been identified as Terrance T. Greene, age 25, of 12625 Presbyterian Street.
The neighbor who entered the burning residence in an attempt to rescue those inside has been identified as Dennis J. Hurd, age 67, of 12628 Presbyterian St.
During the rescue attempt, the neighbor sustained injuries after being overcome by heavy fire and smoke and was transported by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital for treatment.
As previously reported, the neighbor became aware of the fire and, without hesitation, entered the burning residence in an effort to assist those trapped inside. Despite the dangerous conditions, the individual attempted to reach those inside before being forced to exit the residence.
The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Orleans County fire investigators, and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and recognizes the courageous actions of the neighbor who risked personal safety in an attempt to save another person’s life.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available and is appropriate for public disclosure.
Editor’s Note: A GoFundMe has been set up to assist Terrance Greene and his family. Click here for more information.
There is also a GoFundMe for Dennis Hurd, who was badly burned and faces a long hospital stay, according to his family. Click here for more information.
