By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 January 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Most of the appliances and floor tiles have been removed from the kitchen at the Trolley Building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County is upgrading the kitchen so it can be better used for classes and also to prepare food for events at the Trolley Building. The Extension is working to develop a commercial kitchen that would also be available to rent.
The Extension received a $15,000 grant from a foundation for the upgrades, which includes new plumbing and electric, new flooring, a 3-bay sink and other improvements. The Extension is trying to secure additional funds for two stainless steel table islands with water and electric.
The top photo shows a refurbished stove with 10 burners that was recently acquired. The Extension also added ventilation and fire suppression systems to the kitchen.
Volunteers and staff removed these pieces from the kitchen. The sink will be put in the Senior Council Stand.
The Extension would like to put an addition on the building and turn the site into a larger commercial kitchen/conference center.
Jennifer Wagester, the Extension executive director, is applying for a $250,000 state grant for the addition, which would include a new roof for the Trolley Building, and renovations, including handicapped accessible bathrooms.
Those funds are available through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York in the Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Program. The grant would cover 100 percent of the project, meaning no local match. The grant application is due Jan. 29.
The $50 million was announced by Gov. Cuomo last year with the one-time funding to help non-profit agencies combat poverty and who work with vulnerable populations in the state.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 December 2015 at 12:00 am
File photos by Tom Rivers – Bent’s Opera House is in line for two state grants. The building is a dominant structure at the corner of Main and East Center streets in downtown Medina.
ALBANY – State officials announced about $2.25 billion in funding for projects across the state today, and some of those dollars will go towards efforts in Orleans County.
The biggest award is $600,000 for the Orleans Economic Development Agency for a new building in the Medina Business Park. The EDA is working to have the shell of a building up to entice a company. Having the exterior of the building in place with the local permits secured would speed up the process for a company to settle in Medina, EDA officials have said.
Other Medina projects were picked for funding include $335,000 in a Main Street NY grant that will be administered by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce. The money will assist in renovation of mixed-use buildings in historic downtown Medina.
Downtown Medina will get $335,000 in a Main Street NY grant.
Bent’s Opera House, a landmark structure that opened in 1865 at the corner of Main and East Center streets in Medina, was approved for two grants. A $70,000 grant will go towards includes building stabilization, facade improvements, asbestos abatement and interior renovations at the three-story building.
The state also approved another $150,000 for Bent’s, which is owned by the Orleans Renaissance Group, for additional restoration work.
“This work will represent one phase of a multi-phase restoration project that will not only enhance its appearance, but will also enable public use,” according to the state announcement. “When complete, the Opera House will provide a safe and historic space for public gatherings and events, and will also provide space to several revenue and tax-generating businesses.”
Other projects include:
$200,000 to the Orleans EDA for microenterprise support, including downtown rental subsidies for businesses in the downtown districts in Albion, Holley, Medina and Lyndonville. Some of the state funds can also be used as grants for the small businesses adding equipment or a new line of products.
$126,210 for the chapel at Hillside Cemetery, which is owned by the Town of Clarendon. The Gothic Revival chapel was built of Medina sandstone in 1894. The state funding will go towards restoring the non-denominational chapel and repurpose it for new public uses. Anticipated use includes concerts, historical and art exhibits, and lectures.
The chapel at Hillside Cemetery was approved for state funds for restoration and repurposing.
$40,000 for the Kendall-Yates-Carlton Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The funds will go towards updating the waterfront plan for the three towns, providing new data on current conditions, policies, and implementation tools and projects.
Issues to be addressed include community revitalization, erosion, transportation infrastructure, water quality, and harbor management. Stakeholder feedback and public input will be solicited throughout development of the amended waterfront development plan.
$36,000 for Orleans County for a law enforcement shared service and efficiency study.
“The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and the Police Departments of the Villages of Albion, Lyndonville, Medina, and Holley will commission a study to explore the efficiency of current local law enforcement operations and compare them with alternative policing models, including the potential consolidation of the five departments,” according to the state announcement.
In addition, the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, which is based in Batavia and serves Genesee and Orleans counties, was approved for a $37,500 grant to create a full-time program director position to increase programming and service availabilities throughout its two-county region.
The Town of Alabama, just south of Shelby in Orleans County, was approved for a $1.5 million grant for new water lines to support the WNY Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) and nearby residents.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 December 2015 at 12:00 am
Orleans plans to replace more bridges and culverts in 2016
Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County officials and contractors for the Oak Orchard Road bridge in Barre gathered for a ribbon-cutting celebration on Wednesday for the new bridge near the muck. Pictured, from left: Chris Bayer, a civil engineer with LaBella Associates; County Legislator John DeFillipps; Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray; Legislature Chairman David Callard; Chuck Nesbitt, county chief administrative officer; Legislator Bill Eick; Legislator Ken DeRoller; and Karl Snyder, the estimator and project manager for Redman Construction in Brockport.
BARRE – A bridge near the muck was torn out in August and a new precast box culvert was put in its place. The new bridge opened last week, and county officials and contractors celebrated the conclusion of the project with a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday.
That wraps up the infrastructure work in a busy 2015 in Orleans County. The county also replaced a bridge from 1934 over Beardsley Creek on Waterport-Carlton Road in Carlton, and two culverts on Knowlesville Road in Ridgeway over the Oak Orchard Creek.
(The county also put a new roof on the Public Safety Building, and added two new pole barns for the Highway Department on West Academy Street.)
Orleans has more projects in the works in 2016 and ’17. Next year it will replace a bridge from 1959 in Kendall on Carton Road over Sandy Creek, and a bridge from 1936 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on East Scott Road. It will also replace two culverts on Platten Road in Yates, just east of the Village of Lyndonville.
The plan for 2017 includes bridges from 1928 in Ridgeway over Fish Creek on Culvert Road, and a bridge from 1956 in Kendall over Sandy Creek on Norway Road. The county will also replace two culverts on South Holley Road in Clarendon.
The new bridge in Barre goes over Manning Muckland Creek. The bridge has new guard rails, and is wider with more room on the shoulders.
The infrastructure work is part of an $8 million bond taken out last year to address bridges that had badly deteriorated. The federal and state governments would normally help pay for the projects, but those dollars have been hard to come by in recent years for Orleans County.
County officials worried the bridges would be “red flagged” by the state Department of Transportation with weight reductions. That would make travel more difficult, especially for the farm equipment, school buses and plow trucks.
The DOT considered 49 of the 131 bridges in the county to be rated deficient, as of Aug. 31, 2015. The DOT rates bridges on a score of 3.00 to 7.00. Anything less than a 5.00 is considered deficient.
The county will replace six bridges from 2015 to 2017, doing two each year. That should bring the number of deficient bridges down from 49 to 43.
The two bridges replaced this year had very low ratings. The bridge over Beardsley Creek in Carlton was rated a 3.80, and the bridge over Manning Muckland Creek in Barre was rated a 3.85.
The base of the new bridge in Barre notes it was built in 2015.
There has been a benefit to tackling the projects without state and federal help: far less cost and red tape. County officials estimate the projects are about one third cheaper than through the federal programs.
Those reduced expenses should allow the county to replace at least one more culvert or bridge as part of the infrastructure efforts.
“We can do it a lot cheaper,” said Jerry Gray, the county highway superintendent. “We’ve proved it.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2015 at 8:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – There is a new poster available in Albion that highlights the architecture of many historic sites in the community. I’ve been taking pictures of these doors for more than a year, trying to find the 25 most interesting ones.
I saw a poster of Buffalo doors about a year ago and decided to put one together for the Albion-Gaines community. I wanted to include many of the historic churches in Albion and also several of the doors from buildings at the Cobblestone Museum.
I was also looking for some oddball doors and included the marching band bus, the outhouse for former Gov. Rufus Bullock and one from a tugboat.
I decided to call it “14411 Doors” and use the zip code for Albion and Gaines. The two towns both have many striking historic treasures and linking the two makes the community even more dynamic.
You might wonder where I got the numbers for the 14411. Going across from left: a column from the Orleans County Courthouse; a 4 from the sign about Mount Albion Cemetery in the arch that says 1843; the 4 from the door on the former Swan Library; a window on the side of the Free Methodist Church (the first Free Methodist Church in the world); and a hitching post in Mount Albion.
Dublin, Ireland has really played up its doors with posters and numerous other products and tourism promotions. Click here for more about the Doors of Dublin.
I think there is potential to use the doors in Albion and Gaines as a draw for the area.
The “D” is actually one of the windows on the Albion Village Hall but it is tipped clockwise at a 90-degree angle. The first “O” is the big stained-glass window in the First Presbyterian Church and the second “O” is an old hitching post at Mount Albion.
The “R” is an ornate letter at Mount Albion for the Randall family (not far behind the chapel), and the “S” was taken from the Ingersoll Memorial Fountain at the cemetery.
The posters are 16 by 24 inches. They are available exclusively in the 14411 zip code at Bindings Bookstore, Hazy Jade Gift Shop, Watt Farms Country Market and the Lake Country Pennysaver.
Canadian company to invest $20M in NY, create 200 jobs
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
MEDINA – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that work has begun on Pride Pak Canada Ltd.’s new 68,000-square-foot facility on 13 acres in the Medina Business Park.
Pride Pak, Canada’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable processor, is spending more than $20 million to build a state-of-the-art facility and install machinery and equipment in Orleans County in order to be closer to its U.S. customers.
“This company will not only bring new jobs to the regions, but will also bolster local farmers and help attract other businesses to the area by being the anchor to this new commerce hub,” Cuomo said. “Today’s action is more exciting news for the Finger Lakes.”
Pride Pak in Ontario currently exports 35 percent of its produce to the U.S. market. The company packs fresh-cut vegetables for other companies, including Wegmans Food Market. The vegetables are packed fresh, not frozen.
“Pride Pak is very much looking forward to this collaboration with Orleans County,” said Steve Karr, CEO of Pride Pak. “This is a mutually beneficial opportunity; Pride Pak is expanding its business and moving closer to its customer base, while Orleans County can count on a positive impact on its economy.”
The facility will work with local farmers with carrots and other “root vegetables” and will also package salads, with some of the salads going to Pride Pak’s Canadian customers. Pride Pak expects about 45 truckloads of product each month. The vegetable waste, about 220 tons a month, will be delivered to local livestock farms to be used as animal feed and fertilizer.
The economic support and assistance from state agencies was a critical factor in locating the Pride Pak distribution project in New York State. New York State, through Empire State Development provided up to $2 million in Excelsior tax credits.
The New York Power Authority is also providing an allocation of low-cost hydropower to Pride Pak in return for job and capital investment commitments. Pride Pak is also receiving a $750,000 grant from New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley said, “This has been an extraordinary year for economic development projects in my district. I am excited to usher in the new Pride Pak fruit and vegetable processing plant in the Medina Business Park and look forward to monitoring its progress. The new facility will create an estimated 200 new jobs and bring fresh produce to customers right here in Western New York. Furthermore, any excess fruit and vegetable waste will be delivered to local livestock farms to bolster our local agriculture industry. I am proud to have worked with Empire State Development, Gov. Cuomo and local leaders to bring this business into my area.”
Assemblywoman Jane Corwin said, “Growing the Upstate New York economy and creating new jobs for our region has been my top priority since taking office. I am proud of the all that we have accomplished in the State Legislature, both in working with Governor Cuomo and our local partners in making new development a reality. Pride Pak will be as great asset to Orleans County and will significantly make both a direct and indirect impact on our local economy. The continued investment in our region will have a long term positive effect on our economy and ensure that our children will have opportunity right here in New York State.”
State Senator Rob Ortt said, “With the potential of creating approximately 200 jobs in an area that needs it most, this project is exciting news for Medina as well as our entire region as the demand for locally-grown food continues to rise. The new Pride Pak facility will collaborate with local farmers to help to deliver fresh, healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables to consumers while strengthening our economy’s agriculture industry. I’m looking forward to working with our partners across the pond, and assisting them in any way we can to help further expand its operations globally.”
Dave Callard, chairman of the Orleans County Legislature said, “We are very excited to welcome Pride Pak to Orleans County. Pride Pak fits in extremely well with our developing agricultural cluster. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with our new partners as they develop this fantastic new venture.”
The Pride Pak facility in Medina is expected to be completed in spring 2016 with processing to begin in June 2016.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Main Street in Medina was blocked off for a classic car show on Sept. 2.
The Medina Business Association is pursuing a $300,000 state grant to assist building owners with projects.
MEDINA – Downtown Medina has enjoyed a rebirth in small businesses in the past decade with many new shops opening and building owners making big investments in their historic buildings.
Caring for an older building brings with it continuous challenges and expenses, from roofs, infrastructure and façades.
The Medina Business Association is trying to assist building owners by pursuing a $300,000 Main Street grant from the state. Those matching funds could be used for a range of projects, including creating residential space in the downtown.
The state is expected to announce the grant winners in December.
The Medina Business Association polled its members and about $1 million in projects were identified. The association considered seeking the maximum $500,000 grant, but opted to scale down its grant request to $300,000 to improve its chances of securing some money in the state program, said Kathy Blackburn, executive director of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
If the MBA is approved for the grant, the Chamber would administer the funds. A committee of community members would review proposals from building owners to determine which ones are approved for the grant. Blackburn said a committee already is in place through Medina’s façade program. The same group would review the downtown projects if Medina is successful with the grant.
Building owners would need to front the money, and then get reimbursed for half the cost. Some owners who expressed interest in the grant may not want to be in the program because of the upfront expense. Blackburn said the Chamber and MBA will see who can commit to the grant projects if the funds are approved for Medina.
Albion and Holley have both received Main Street grants in recent years that resulted in work on several downtown buildings as well as streetscape improvements.
In addition to Medina’s grant application, the Orleans Economic Development Agency is seeking state funds for a downtown rental assistance program that would make rent cheap for businesses in the first six months.
“It helps the businesses get on their feet,” Blackburn said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Al Capurso is pictured with a new historical marker that was unveiled today by the former one-room schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road, just north of the Erie Canal. The schoolhouse was built in 1832 and is one of the oldest cobblestone buildings in the area.
It has been largely abandoned since decentralization in 1944. The marker also notes that Caroline Phipps taught at the school. She went on to be a distinguished educator and ran the Phipps Union Seminary in Albion from 1837 to 1875. That spot later became the County Clerks Building.
A swing is pictured next to the former schoolhouse.
The restoration project has been backed by the Orleans County Historical Association and includes a new roof on the building and new windows, as well as the historical marker.
Here is how the building looked last winter.
Here is how the historical site looks today.
Gary Kent led the efforts to trim some of the branches that were hanging across the building. Those branches needed to be removed for the roof work, which was completed by Young Enterprises. Mike Tower fixed the rafters.
Bill Lattin worked on the window sashes, Bob Albanese helped clean up the grounds, and many volunteers pitched in to remove junk from inside the building.
Bob Barrett of Clarendon restored the teacher’s desk and chair that remained inside the school. He even reconstructed the drawers in the desk.
Capurso, who is now the Gaines town historian, would like the site to become a meeting house and museum.
He said that Gaines once had 12 one-room schoolhouses. They were roughly located 1.5 miles apart to make access easier by the students in attendance.
The windows used to be boarded up, but now plenty of light can get inside the old schoolhouse.
Next year, Capurso said he would like to see work on the ceiling, walls and floor. He is pleased with the progress so far, and thanked the community for its support.
Today’s program included remarks from Capurso; Bill Lattin, who is retired as county historian; Matt Ballard, the current county historian; Dee Robinson, former Gaines town historian for more than 30 years; Town Supervisor Carol Culhane; and Ted Swiercznski, who attended the school and has been active in local politics for several decades. Another former student of the school, Angelina Daniels, also attended today’s celebration.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Editorial
Photos by Tom Rivers – Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center, faces a gauntlet of reporters following last week’s announcement that a high-tech company would be the first tenant in the STAMP site in the Town of Alabama.
Two big economic development projects are coming to the area, and those projects should have a ripple effect, leading to other support businesses and boosting the local economy with more spending money at local restaurants and businesses.
The projects were years in the making, and show the importance of vision and laying the groundwork.
In Orleans County, Pride Pak will build a 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing plant on Route 31A in Medina, across from the GCC campus. Pride Pak is from Canada, and the Medina site will be its first U.S.-based facility.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency has welcomed several Canadian companies to the community in recent years, with Brunner International and Hinspergers Poly Industries among the group that has tackled expansions in Medina.
Medina and other villages have the sewer and water infrastructure that are critical to attracting manufacturing and processing plants. But many villages don’t have the open space for those sites. Medina village officials about 30 years ago, back when Marcia Tuohey was mayor, worked to develop a business park on Maple Ridge Road.
The site drew BMP and the former Trek. The Orleans EDA has worked in recent years to expand the business park, and those efforts are paying off with Pride Pak coming to town.
It can be a slow, expensive process, acquiring land, running infrastructure and access roads, mapping out wetlands, sometimes taking down decrepit buildings with asbestos, and trying to come out with the dollars to do it all.
The EDA deserves lots of praise for getting Pride Pak to the finish line and committing to Medina. The company has a site plan that is under review by the local Planning Boards. It expects to break ground next month and have the new building ready with 85 to 100 employees by next June.
Steve Karr (right), chief executive officer for Pride Pak Canada, last Tuesday meets village officials and others working on the company’s new 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing facility. He is pictured with Mauro LoRusso, vice president of finance for Pride Pak (center); Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency (far left); and Marguerite Sherman, village trustee (second from left).
The EDA also has been working for several years to make other spots in Medina ready for businesses. The agency has about 300 acres that are “shovel ready” with the infrastructure in place.
Those efforts should pay dividends now that the first tenant has committed to the STAMP site just down the road in the Town of Alabama.
1366 Technologies Inc. of New Bedford, Mass., was joined by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last Wednesday at GCC in announcing an initial $100 million manufacturing plant at STAMP, which is about 1 mile south of the Orleans County line.
The company has revolutionized manufacturing silicon carbon wafers – considered “the heart” of solar panels. It looked at 300 sites for its new factory.
1366 Technologies expects to expand and make a $700 million investment in the area, starting with 600 full-time workers and growing to 1,000. The company will use about 100 acres of STAMP, a 1,250-acre site.
Genesee County Economic Development Center officials expect STAMP will draw more companies that that the first tenant is committed. The site will be a big user of the Medina sewer.
Steve Hyde, GCEDC chief executive officer and president, started working on STAMP a decade ago. Back then, the economic development focus was putting new business parks along the Thruway. Genesee County added sites in Batavia, Bergen and Pembroke.
Hyde started talking about a “mega-site” in the Town of Alabama. A lot of folks seemed skeptical. STAMP is about 10 times the size of a typical business park and it is located near a swamp with little infrastructure.
Hyde saw the example in Albany with the Luther Forest Technology Campus, a mega site that has attracted global nanotech leaders, investing billions.
Alabama in rural Genesee County was remote, a “quiet site” like Luther Forest for the delicate manufacturing in nanotechnology. It also is a huge site. The high-tech companies, like 1366 Technologies, need a lot of room to grow. The Thruway business parks don’t have the land.
Hyde and Genesee County officials spent a decade building support for the project in the community, the region and state. New York committed $33 million to bring the infrastructure to the site.
While working on STAMP, the Genesee EDC had major successes bringing two yogurt plants to Batavia, projects that helped the agency build credibility in the region and state, leading to more confidence in STAMP.
Steve Hyde and Jim Whipple, the leader of the Orleans EDA, often say, “Economic development isn’t a sprint, but a marathon.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo urges communities to develop plans for shaping their future and be tenacious in implementing them.
Too even be in the economic development race, communities need to have an inventory of buildings and land that would be attractive to companies.
If they don’t have the assets in place, they need to work on getting them there, and they could be in for years of effort with lots of upfront costs before they see a nickel of return.
With governments cash-strapped, many municipal leaders may be inclined to pull back of economic development. Who wants to spend $50,000 cleaning up a brownfields site when there are so many other needs in the community? Who wants to build roads through farm fields, especially ones by a swamp?
Twenty years ago, when Vicki Pratt was leading the Orleans EDA, she pushed to create the Holley Business Park, putting together a game plan to extend the village’s low-cost electricity, and water, sewer, and roads to the site. That Business Park emerged with efforts from the Village of Holley, Town of Murray and Orleans County. It was a farmfield. Now it’s the home of Precision Packaging Products and other businesses.
Our communities should take stock of their assets for bringing in businesses, an honest appraisal of strengths and weaknesses.
There is still space at the Holley Business Park and lots of room for businesses in Medina. I worry about Albion. There is 6 acres available in the Albion Business Park by Butts Road. I don’t see a lot of other options.
There is the Route 98 corridor from 31A to the village, but there isn’t sewer for a manufacturer or processing plant. Albion officials should try to make that happen.
It makes sense because Albion has the capacity in its water and sewer plants to serve big users. Other communities don’t have the water or sewer to serve a big user.
Albion has the resource, but it needs options with vacant land with existing sewer for someone to build a Pride Pak-type facility.
I’d also look at the Point Breeze area and what could be done to make that a bigger draw. For years I’ve heard people talk about the need for a big investment in sewer infrastructure in that area. With STAMP bringing hundreds of high-paying jobs, the Point and all of the Orleans County lakefront could be in demand if there was more infrastructure in place.
The governor, while speaking at GCC last week, praised the efforts to prepare STAMP for the next generation of high-tech companies. Those businesses will shape the region for years and decades to come.
The governor said communities that want to succeed need to be laying the groundwork now. It’s a highly competitive environment as cities, regions and states vie to land manufacturers and businesses.
“The future isn’t just going to happen,” the governor said. “The future is what you make of it.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2015 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – It may be a vacant field now, but come spring, there will be a 64,000-square-foot vegetable processing facility along Maple Ridge Road in Medina.
That’s the goal by Pride Pak, a Canadian company that is building a complex in Medina for vegetable processing, packaging and distribution.
The company has an aggressive construction schedule in order to have the site in operation by next spring, said Marty Busch, the village code enforcement officer. The company will seek approval for its site plan for the project during the Village Planning Board meeting on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 600 Main St.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency also is crafting a 20-year tax savings plan for the company. Pride Pak would pay 0 percent of the property taxes the first year, and then 5 percent would be added until Pride Pak is paying the full 100 percent after 20 years.
There will be a public hearing at 9 a.m. on Oct. 6 at City Hall about the tax savings plan or a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT). The land for Pride Pak is currently owned by the EDA and doesn’t generate local property taxes.
Pride Pak was looking at the former Worthington Cylinders (Bernz-O-Matic) site, but decided instead to build new in Medina. Busch said the 64,000-square-foot building is just phase one. Pride Pak could expand the complex in three additional phases, Busch advised the Village Board on Monday.
The new building, plus equipment, represents an $11 million investment in Medina, Orleans EDA officials said.
In addition to the property tax discounts, the Town of Shelby is seeking a $734,000 grant through the state Office of Community Renewal to assist Pride Pak with the project. Pride Pak also has been been approved for a sales tax exemption for equipment and building materials, an estimated savings of $280,000.
The company would have 40 employees in its first year, another 40 the second year and would reach about 200 at full capacity, said Gabrielle Barone, EDA vice president for business development.
Besides adding jobs to the community, Pride Pak would benefit the local economy by buying some local produce, and packaging it to be distributed to grocery stores. The company wants to expand its operations from Canada and better serve a large northeastern US grocery chain, EDA officials said.
Jim Whipple, EDA chief executive officer, also asked the Medina Village Board on Monday to help pay for new water and sewer infrastructure for the Medina Business Park. Whipple said it will cost more than $100,000 to have infrastructure in place to serve Pride Pak and other future businesses in the park.
Whipple asked Medina to contribute $50,000 towards the effort. The board said it will consider the request.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA Chris Panek, an employee with Panek Coatings, gets in position to paint the Gallagher barn on North Gravel Road in Medina this morning.
Panek Coatings expects to finish the job today after using about 100 gallons of paint on the project.
The barn has been a landmark structure on the northend of the village for about 150 years. It is being repainted white with green trim to reflect its history as WM J. GALLAGHER STOCK FARMS.
Here is how the barn looked a month ago, before it was repainted.
The iconic structure was recently purchased by Martin and Jenna Bruning. They are working to make the site available as a events center for weddings, parties and other special events.
Here is how the barn looked late this morning.
The Brunings have been working in recent months to clean up the property, including the landscape and the building. They have two weddings booked for next year at the site.
The Brunings plan to call the site “The Gallagher” and hope to have it available for events in June. The property also includes a stately brick house that the Brunings said would also be available for dinner parties and other events.
