Medina fire on Pleasant Street causes $30K in damage
MEDINA – A fire on Sunday in Medina on Pleasant Street caused about $30,000 in damages, said Medina Fire Chief Steve Cooley said.
Firefighters were dispatched at 7:57 p.m. to Pleasant Street with reports of the upstairs area charged with smoke. Engine 1 from Medina with a crew of four arrived on scene at 8:02 p.m. with smoke coming from the eves and windows on the second floor, Cooley said.
Engine 1 was quickly supplemented by Engine 10, Ambulances 60 and 62 with off-duty staff and crews from Shelby and Ridgeway fire departments.
Firefighters found the interior staircase of the second floor to have smoke from stairs to ceiling. Once they reached the top of the staircase, due to zero visibility conditions, a thermal imaging camera was utilized to locate the fire in the corner of the westernmost bedroom, the fire chief said.
Simultaneously a backup hose line was stretched and brought to the base of the stairs to protect the crews working upstairs. The fire was brought under control with approximately 200 gallons of water or less and crews began checking for fire extension and performed ventilation at 8:15 p.m. with the fire completely extinguished at 8:18 p.m.
Fire investigators have ruled this fire as accidental. Damage to the structure is approximately $20,000 with damage to contents estimated at $10,000, Cooley said.
The residents are being assisted by family members at the present time. No injuries to civilians or firefighters occurred at this scene.
“We will be entering a busy time for residential fires,” Cooley said. “Make sure to check your smoke detectors and have an exit plan.”
He thanked the Orleans County Public Safety Dispatchers and mutual aid partners for helping with the quick response and fire extinguishment.
Mutual aid partners on scene: Shelby, one ladder truck; Ridgeway, one fire engine; Albion, FAST crew; Office of Emergency Management, director and investigator; Village of Medina Police Department and Code Enforcement.
4 contractors bid on Phipps Road bridge replacement in Albion
Keeler Construction apparent low bidder at $997,851
This photo from Sept. 12, 2022 shows Albion town highway employees blocking off traffic on the Phipps Road bridge, which was closed that day. Construction should start on a new bridge this spring. This bridge is on the west end of Phipps Road near Eagle Harbor Road.
ALBION – Four contractors bid on the Phipps Road bridge replacement over Otter Creek, and Keeler Construction is the apparent low bidder by more than $200,000.
Contractors were asked to submit proposals for a replacing the existing 19.5-foot-long bridge and replacing it with one that is 25 feet long.
The project includes the removal of the existing concrete culvert, and replacement with a 3-sided single span precast concrete span unit. The structure will be supported by micro-piles on spread footings, and associated highway approach work and stream work, according to a description seeking bids.
Keeler, a local company based in Barre, proposed to do the project for $992,851.75. That is less than the bids submitted by C.P. Ward of Scottsville at $1,221,503.75; Nardozzi Paving and Construction of Geneva at $1,207,593; and Mark Cerrone Inc. of Niagara Falls at $1,279,443.75. (The bids were opened today at 1 p.m. at the Town Hall.)
The town has been awarded a $1.038 million state grant for the project from the Bridge NY program.
Albion has been working with Ravi Engineering and Land Surveying in Rochester for design and bid specifications, as well as securing easements.
Rick Papaj, an engineer with Ravi, said the bid from Keeler is a “good price” for the town. The Town Board will review the bids and is expected to accept the low bid during its meeting at 5 p.m. on Dec. 8.
Papaj said construction should start in the spring.
The project also gave contractors the option for alternative cast-in-place system for the bridge onsite, rather than a precast structure. The alternates for that, however, were much more than the precast concrete bridge.
Keeler’s bid, for example, would have been nearly $300,000 higher with the cast-in-place unit.
Medina gets downtown decorated for holidays, Olde Tyme Christmas
Photo courtesy of Jada Burgess
MEDINA – Downtown Medina is getting decked out for the holidays. This morning the Department of Public Works was out putting decorations on Main Street.
This photo shows Foreman Ben Lacy, in bucket truck, and Foreman Brad Freeman getting garland hung across Main Street near the Park Avenue intersection.
Medina will celebrate Olde Tyme Christmas this Saturday, an event that includes the Parade of Lights at 6 p.m.
Lyndonville has three Scholar Athlete teams
All three of Lyndonville’s fall varsity sports teams including boys soccer, girls volleyball and the combined Barker/Lyndonville girls soccer squad have earned New York State Public High School Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Awards by compiling a composite average of at leas 90.
Boys Soccer (90.83 combined GPA) – Michael Alexander, Brayden Aydelotte, Austin Fonda, Ethan Franks, Brody Hazel, Iziah Rodriguez, Colton Smith, Maddox Smith and Shannon Withey.
Girls Soccer (95.48 combined GPA) – Brooke Robinson, Natalie Rath, Alexa Robinson, Rylan Townsend, Leah Costello, Braelynn Dillenbeck, Abigail Alexander, Arnie Sturtevant, Isabella Groves, Annalee Clark, Cheyanne Rouse, Melodi Murphy, Alina Riches, Lillyanna Reyes, Delaney Lefever and Aine Davis.
Girls Volleyball (92.66 combined GPA) – Elena Barry, Isabella Bresett, Sarah Corser, Emily Dill, Destinee Holmes, Leah Kenyon.
Albion girls prepping for early N-O opener
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Leading Albion this season will be this veteran quintet of Aubrey Gannon, Melia Prince, Aaliyah Jones, Madison Muckle and Leah Pawlak.
Five veterans anchor the lineup for Albion which will get the Niagara-Orleans League girls basketball season off to an early start as the Purple Eagles are scheduled to host Akron on December 8 at 6:30 p.m.
The Purple Eagles veteran quintet includes seniors Leah Pawlak, Madison Muckle and Aubrey Gannon along with junior Melia Prince and freshman Aaliyah Jones.
“We did lose four starters but we’ve got good experience back,” said Coach Wil Prince.
The Purple Eagles graduation losses included the starting quartet of Cami London, Julia Knight, Paige Newton and Kenzi Snook.
Albion, which went 4-8 in N-O action and 6-14 overall last season, will tune up for the N-O campaign by visiting Wheatland-Chili on December 2.
Veteran trio set to lead Barker cagers
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Leading Barker into the upcoming season is this veteran trio of Anthony Taliaferro, Donovan Hefferon and Jackson Prynn.
Looking to improve upon last year’s 3-9 league record, Barker has four non league contests scheduled before the Niagara-Orleans home opener against Medina on December 11.
Seniors Donovan Hefferon and Jackson Prynn along with junior Anthony Taliaferro head Barker’s returning group which also includes seniors Carson Schwab, Carson Marvin, Austin Puchlerz and Maico Vazquez. The Bulldogs are also looking to juniors Ashton Ark, Carter DerSarkissian and Peyton Wagner.
“We’ve got good size and pretty good experience back,” said Coach Jake Haight.
Barker is slated to host Lyndonville in the season opener on December 1 at 6:30 p.m. The Bulldogs also have non league games scheduled at Attica on Dec. 3 and home against Notre Dame on Dec. 5 and Alden on Dec. 8.
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7 music students from Orleans perform at Area All-State
Photos and information courtesy of Zach Busch, Holley band teacher: (Left) Aurora Avery, left, and Sara Corser performed at Area All-State, representing Lyndonville. (Right) Two Albion students, Gideon Pask and Phoebe Allen, were part of the festival.
CHURCHVILLE – This weekend 7 students from Orleans County participated in the NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) Zone 2 Sr. High Area All-State festival at Churchville-Chili High School.
NYSSMA Zone 2 encompasses schools from Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, and Wayne counties. To be selected for Area All-State, students must first prepare a solo on their instrument or voice for adjudication at Solo Festival.
Then, based on their score and a teacher recommendation, an application is sent to a committee of music teachers from the NYSSMA Zone 2 area who select that year’s student participants in the Area All-State ensembles. Students performing at Area All-State are among the best of the best in the Zone 2 region.
These students include Aidan Kelley of Holley, River Jones of Medina and Elise Olsen of Medina.
Participating students from Orleans County include:
Albion: Gideon Pask, 12th grade – Mixed Choir; and Phoebe Allen, 11th grade – Mixed Choir.
Holley: Aidan Kelley, 11th grade – Symphonic Band.
Lyndonville: Sara Corser, 11th grade – Mixed Choir; and Aurora Avery, 10th grade – Treble Choir.
Medina: River Jones, 11th grade – Symphonic Band; and Elise Olsen, 10th grade – Symphonic Band.
Conducting the Symphonic Band was Dr. Jared Chase of Nazareth University, where he directs the Wind Ensemble. Dr. Chase also conducts the Penfield Symphony. The band performed “Galop” by Dmitri Shostakovich, “Rising Light” by Kevin Charoensrir, and movements from Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana”.
Conducting the Treble Choir was Dr. Crystal Sellers Battle of Eastman School of Music where she is the Inaugural Dean of Equity and Inclusion as well as the Director of the George Walker Center for Equity and Inclusion in Music. The treble choir performed works including “Colorful” by Philip E. Silvey, “Keep Your Lamps!” a spiritual arranged by Andre Thomas, and “Shine the Light” by Raymond Wise.
Conducting the Mixed Choir was Mr. Holden Maiorana who serves as the Director of Choirs at Spackenkill High School in Poughkeepsie, NY. Mr. Maiorana and his choirs have performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, as well as in Europe. The mixed choir performed works including “Does the World Say?” by Pederson, “Wisdom of the Moon” by LaBarr – which featured Lyndonville soloist Sarah Corser, and a world premier of “Songs for the People” by Lloyd.
Hawks, Eagles, Tigers have All Tourney picks
Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville have all placed players on the All Tournament teams following the recent Section V soccer playoffs.
The Holley girls team, which won the Class C1 title, is represented by the quartet of Hanna Ostrom, Mia Thom, Brynn Thomas and Jayna Burris
The Hawks boys squad has placed Tarek Garret.
In Class C2, the Kendall girls team has placed the trio of Addison Kludt, Sophia Picardo and Brooke Rodas.
The Eagles boys squad is represented by the threesome of Brandon Barrett, Jonny Conte and Pablo Rosario-Reyes.
Both of the Eagles teams lost in the C2 finals.
In Class D2, the Lyndonville Tigers have placed Jesus Reyes and Colton Smith.
Lady Rams face a busy opening week
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart’s veteran group includes, in front, Adella Dukes, Millie Owens and Peyton May. In back are Brooke Corser, Courtney Aquilina, Abby Fox and Kylie McOmber.
Anchored by a good group of seven returnees, Roy-Hart will be tuning up for the Niagara-Orleans League girls basketball season with a busy slate of three of non league road games the first week of December.
The Lady Rams, which went 6-6 in N-O action and 11-9 overall last year, will visit Kenmore East on December 1, Lyndonville on December 3 (6:30 p.m.) and Niagara-Wheatfield on Dec 5.
Junior Courtney Aquilina, who earned first team N-O All-League honors last year, and junior Adella Dukes, who was a second team honoree, head the Lady Rams veteran contingent. Aquilina had 192 points and 122 rebounds and Dukes 236 points and 158 rebounds.
That veteran group also includes seniors Millie Owens, Kylie McOmber, Abby Fox and Peyton May along with junior Brooke Corser.
“We have a good group back, The key is figuring out everyone’s role,” said Coach Grace Swick.
The Lady Rams also have two more non league games scheduled Dec. 11 home vs. Byron-Bergen and Dec. 16 at Starppint before opening the N-O season at home against Medina on Dec. 19 at 6:30 p.m.
Tigers to open season with North Country trip
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Lyndonville’s veteran group includes in front, Sebastian Clark, Colton Smith and Raul Morales. In back are Atticus Mank, Lyric Raduns and Lane Woodworth. Missing is Quincy McClinsey.
The high school basketball season will tip off the day after Thanksgiving as Lyndonville travels to the North Country to compete in the Lafargeville High tournament.
The Tigers will face the host Knights in Friday’s opening round.
This is the second year in a row Lyndonville has competed in the Lafargeville tournament which is a bit of a homecoming for Tigers Coach Rich Augustus who formerly taught and coached there.
Senior Colton Smith and sophomore Lane Woodworth lead Lyndonville’s veteran group which also includes seniors Sebastian Clark and Raul Morales along with juniors Atticus Mank, Lyric Raduns and Quincy McClinsey.
“Most of our scoring is back so we are looking to build off of last year,” said Augustus. “Defense will be key for us.”
Following the North Country trip the Tigers are scheduled to visit Barker for a non league game on December 1 at 6:30 p.m.
125 free turkeys given out to veterans
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Jim Nudd, left, and Nik Mroz, director of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, hand out free turkeys to veterans on Friday. Here, Albion American Legion commander Brad Rouse gets his free turkey.
ALBION – Orleans County veterans received 125 free turkeys for Thanksgiving this year, thanks to support from the Pfc. Joseph Dwyer Peer-to-Peer program.
Nik Mroz, director of the Orleans County Veterans Service Agency, and retired veteran Jim Nudd handed out the turkeys on Friday.
One of the first to get his free turkey was Brad Rouse, commander of the Albion American Legion, who praised the give-away program, funded by the Pfc. Joseph Dwyer Peer-to-Peer program.
“This is an excellent program,” Rouse said. “I also picked up one for my vice commander, Bob Gilsinan. We will probably cook both of them for veterans in the Legion.”
Mroz said in total they handed out 1,000 pounds of turkeys. They also do a ham give-away at Easter, passing out 100 hams to veterans.
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Hardware store opens on Main Street in Lyndonville
Photos by Tom Rivers: Allen and Rose Phillips opened Rosenal Hardware today at 29 South Main St. They ran a hardware store in Albion the past two years next to Save-A-Lot before moving the store to Lyndonville.
LYNDONVILLE – Allen Phillips tried to stay retired from the hardware business but he finds he likes to share his knowledge with the public.
He started working with a hardware distributor 50 years ago when he was in high school. He worked as a sales rep for many years, visiting hardware stores all over the region.
He finally retired, but when a new hardware store opened four years ago in Albion, Phillips decided to take a part-time job at Pro Hardware. Not longer after he became the store’s manager and then two years ago, the owner.
He renamed the store, Rosenal Hardware, which is a combination of his wife’s first name and his, Al.
The couple lives in Lyndonville and they decided to move the hardware store closer to their home.
Allen and Rose Phillips chose the name, Rosenal Hardware, as a combination of their first names, Rose and Al. Rosenal Hardware is located a building that saw a major renovation. Lyndonville native Robert Smith owns that site as well as others on Main Street that have been significantly refurbished.
Today was an unofficial opening day at 29 South Main St. They are still settling into the space. Only half of their hardware inventory is currently available at the site.
Phillips said Rosenal has a full array of hardware products, from a paint department to plumbing, electrical, nuts, bolts, rakes, shovels, rock salt, fasteners and many other products. Rosenal sells DeWalt power tools.
Rose and Allen are happy to have the store in Lyndonville, where the couple raised their four daughters: Amanda, Alicia, Rachael and Dana.
Rosenal will be open Monday through Saturday. Call (585) 765-1144 for more information.
