BOCES students partner with Medina for new bike racks

Provided photo – Medina officials dedicated this new bike rack and two others on Aug. 9. Pictured, from left, includes: Mary Lewis (Medina Business Association), Dawn Meland (Medina Tourism Committee), Rene Schuner and James Hancock (both from the Village of Medina Tourism) and Orleans Career and Technical Education Welding teacher Eric Farrell and his daughters Addison and Charlotte.

Press release, Orleans-Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – Last year students in Eric Farrell’s Welding Program at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center made creative welding sculptures at the request of the Village of Medina Tourism Committee. Those sculptures that resemble apples have been installed in Medina’s downtown as bike racks.

“We wanted some bike racks in downtown Medina,” says James Hancock, chairman of the committee. “The apple is Medina’s symbol because of all the fruit we produce and the students decided to make that their theme and made some gorgeous pieces. We were all impressed how beautiful they are.”

Mr. Farrell’s class designed the bike racks and made each individual part in AutoCAD and then used a CNC machine and a plasma cutter to bend the material and then weld and grind it. They were then delivered to F&H Metal Finishing Company who painted them. The Medina Department of Public Works placed two of them on Main Street and the third by the canal.

The bike racks were officially dedicated on Aug. 9 by the Medina Tourism Committee with Mr. Farrell being the honored guest.

“We are just thrilled to have them for our riders to use and so thankful to the Orleans/Niagara BOCES Welding students for the amazing job they did,” Hancock said.