Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Construction has started on a new pedestrian bridge in Medina that will cross the Oak Orchard Creek.

RJT Construction Services in Rochester is the contractor for the project on Maple Ridge Road (Route 31A) in Medina. This area also will get about 2,000 feet of new sidewalks on the north side of the road.

The Medina Village Board on March 23 approved the $837,448 bid by RJT Construction Services to install the bridge and sidewalks. RJT was the lowest of four bidders when the bids were opened on Feb. 18.

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. (In this photo, the Mariachi de Oro Mexican restaurant is shown in the background.)

The new bridge and sidewalks have been several years in the waiting. 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 ($55,000), Town of Shelby ($130,000) and Orleans County ($97,500).

In addition to the construction bid, the village has approved paying Barton & Loguidice $166,300 for construction services and inspections.

Crosby’s is the first business west side of the creek on the north side, near the approach to the new bridge.

Initiative showcases work by 39 artists at multiple sites

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Cora Goyette, left, and Bea Young of Medina inspect an exhibit on the bank of the Erie Canal in State Street Park created by Korean artist Anne Duk Hee Jordan for the Medina Triennial.

MEDINA – As the Medina Triennial goes into its final week, executive and creative director Kari Conte reflects with immense gratitude on the artists, partners, supporters, volunteers, residents and visitors who have brought the ambitious project to life.

The first time such an event has taken place in a small town, the Medina Triennial has brought thousands of visitors to Medina since the opening June 8. It’s final day is Sept. 7, Labor Day.

At the heart of the Medina Triennia is a vital commitment to accessibility, said Conte. The exhibition is free and open to everyone.

“We believe access to art should not depend on the ability to purchase a ticket,” Conte said. “Keeping the Triennial free allows people to visit spontaneously, return with friends and family, encounter new ideas and experience contemporary art within Medina’s distinctive cultural, architectural and ecological landscape.”

During the past three months, the Triennial has welcomed guests from 32 states and several foreign countries to experience more than 100 artworks by 39 artists across sites throughout the village. The response from critics and visitors alike has affirmed our belief that ambitious contemporary art can thrive outside usual cultural centers and create meaningful connections across generations and ideas, according to Conte.

In a recent Hyperallergic review, “Art as Infrastructure at the Medina Triennial,” Sue Reisman described the Triennial as “sprawling yet rigorously organized” and “beautifully curated,” highlighting the exhibition’s engagement with the systems that sustain our shared lives, Conte shared.

The theme of the Triennial is “All That Sustains Us.”

Also, to sustain the Medina Triennial and assure its return in three years as a free event, donations are imperative, Conte stressed. Donors may log on the Medina Triennial website and choose to make a one-time donation or monthly donations.

In addition, the Triennial may be supported by purchasing one of several limited edition artistic items.

Conte also shared a letter from former Medina resident Burton Thomas, who wrote, “Medina is my hometown, and it was a wonderful place to be as a kid. I returned today to visit the Medina Triennial, a truly wonderful world-class art exhibition. I have never been prouder of this charming village, and I am grateful to the organizers and curators of this wonderful exhibition. I could have spent several days viewing the beautiful and thought-provoking works of so many amazing artists. If you value art, history and the environment, you must experience the Triennial. My only regret is I did not visit it more this summer.”

The final weekend of the Medina Triennial features a talk by Buffalo-based artist Matt Kenyon at 4 p.m. Saturday; a curatorial tour with Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo at 2 p.m. Sunday in the historic Medina High School on Catherine St.; a conversation on James Beckett’s A Good Wall with Nicholas Bruscia, assistant professor of architecture at the University of Buffalo, at 4 p.m. Sunday on the front lawn of Medina High School; and a walk and talk with artists Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens at 2 p.m. Monday in Rotary Park on Main Street.

All 10 exhibition sites will be open from noon to 6 p.m. the last weekend, Thursday through Labor Day, including the YMCA.

Conte’s invitation is, “We hope you will join us during this final week and continue to be part of what comes next.”

The Triennial is scheduled to return to Medina in three years.