letters to the editor/opinion

Shelby’s Republican-endorsed candidates back COs on strike

Posted 3 March 2025 at 5:05 pm

Editor:

The following Shelby elected officials and endorsed-Republican candidates stand with and support the correction officers on strike due to the current unsafe working conditions they have been dealing with.

The Town of Shelby has many corrections officers and their families in our community, and they need our support.

These officers are forced to work over 24-hour shifts continuously which is an unsafe working condition. The HALT Act limits confinement for inmates which puts the officer’s safety in jeopardy, since the inmates know they will not be restricted for violation of the rules and regulations.

Now the state is penalizing officers for standing up for safe working conditions by taking away their health benefits, which is ironic. So now the inmates get healthcare and the correction officers don’t.  In what reality is this OK?  We need to support these officers in any way we can.

Respectfully,

Scott Wengewicz, Supervisor

Jeffrey Schiffer, Councilman

Steve Seitz, Councilman

Mike Moriarity, Endorsed Republican candidate

Vassilios Bitsas, Endorsed Republican candidate

Tenney urged to support conservation efforts and take climate change threat seriously

Posted 2 March 2025 at 9:07 pm

Editor:

Congratulations to Congresswoman Claudia Tenney on her sweeping election victory last year.  When I travel to DC this week, I will urge her to use her mandate to address climate change and follow in the footsteps of the Republican environmental giants of the 20th century like Roosevelt and Nixon.

The American people know that there is 99 percent consensus in the scientific community as to the link between climate change and human activities. Recent wildfires have highlighted the continued risk of CO2 induced warming.

One policy that is addressing CO2 emissions is The Inflation Reduction Act. The policy serves to spur private investment, clean our electric grid and reduce costs for consumers. Our district benefited from this when Plug Power got $387 million for their facility in the STAMP industrial park. I hope that Congresswoman Claudia Tenney will work to preserve the clean energy provisions of the IRA.

As a lifelong Republican and a member of Citizen’s Climate Lobby, I know that Conservation is Conservative!

Rob Johnson

Medina

Zelazny says “No” far too often without offering solutions in Shelby

Posted 2 March 2025 at 9:04 pm

Editor:

After reading Ed Zelazny’s letter from Feb. 13 I am still left thinking, “Well Ed in the last 4 years what have you done for us residents?”

You bring up minute generic kicks the can down the road points, time and time again that you did nothing to help the town. Why should we sign your petitions or vote to renew your seat?

You constantly bring up and vote no to raising the budget – how can you run a business knowing the price of goods are going up but have no way to pay for them?

You vote no on paying monthly bills.

You vote no to save us money on water rates.

You voted no to a proposed flat tax rate for all residents resulting in the board accepting a higher budget proposal.

We watch the meetings month after month and not a damn thing gets resolved. The amount of bickering we see helps not one tax-paying resident. This behavior is why local residents want nothing to do with local government.

It’s embarrassing the way some of you board members behave. You continually bring up the same “issues” monthly, but never offer a solution. You wanted a code of ethics, then when the board needed to vote on it…. wait for it… you voted no on accepting a code.

The only light I see shown on “wild wild west” spending is you voting yes to give a pay raise for the Town Clerk three times, you voting yes to spending 6x more money than needed with an engineering firm for Royalton water flow, voting yes to keep purchasing 100% of our water needs from Medina that is double what Royalton is willing to sell at.

You are killing our community by not voting to purchase needed equipment at discounted rates when department heads bring deals to the table. Maybe we should have Elon come audit and see where this mystery money is disappearing to.

If you know what these backdoor deals are that we must be so blind to, why are you not informing us, the taxpayers after you have been in Town Hall serving your 4-year term?

Your term might have started with a signature, but it will end with your favorite vote, “No.”

William Luckman

Medina

Medina village official thanked for standing ground during feisty meeting

Posted 26 February 2025 at 9:38 pm

Editor:

“For in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, ‘hold office’; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve.” – John F. Kennedy

During a recent visit to the Kennedy Museum, I had the distinct and unsettling experience of coming face to face with the above quotation. At the February 24th Village of Medina board meeting, I experienced the sobering reality of what it meant in terms of responsible political leadership. The meeting lasted for almost 3 hours with the Village Board and audience sparring on a number of issues, and the dominant topic was the financing of a fire truck and the construction of an additional bay to house the vehicle.

The Medina firefighters, their respective union and supporters spoke to many frustrations and instances of prior years and other village boards that in their opinion failed to act proactively. The current administration is left to figure out how to move the project forward given the serious impact to village taxpayers.

With poise and empathy, Ms. Padoleski, who over 40 years rose through the Village ranks as a clerk, deputy clerk and clerk treasurer. She currently serves as a village trustee and deputy mayor, and took exception to the tone, demeanor and breakdown in communication she has experienced in navigating the fire truck bonding and fire hall addition projects.

Ms. Padoleski was firm, resolute and unflinching in her opinion that she would not be cajoled given the long-term financial implications to taxpayers. Although Ms. Padoleski’s comments were met at times with interruptions and background chatter, I remain optimistic that a return to civil discourse, common sense and mutual goals will resolve this impasse.

Ms. Padoleski by her persistence and demeanor reinforced in my mind what John F. Kennedy meant when he said “we the people are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership…we demand and deserve” and I personally thank her for it.

Gabrielle Barone

Medina

Resident grateful for kind person who plowed driveway

Posted 24 February 2025 at 9:04 am

Editor:

It is so refreshing to know that people still look out for their neighbors. A big “Thank You!” to the young man who plowed our driveway on Brockville Road this Sunday.

My husband has mobility issues and can barely walk. Our snowblower froze/broke this weekend so my son and I have been shoveling the drive all week. Even so, my husband’s car, my car, as well as an Amazon driver all got stuck in our driveway.

My husband has doctor visits this week and I’ve been sweating bullets as to whether I cleaned it well enough not to get stuck. Your act of kindness is appreciated more than you will ever know!

With appreciation,

Stacey Keon

Murray

Shelby town supervisor says he has led many improvements in town government

Posted 21 February 2025 at 4:56 pm

Editor:

In response to Mr. Heminway’s editorial dated February 18, 2025.

Mr. Heminway states “That changed with the rapid increase in taxes and other issues like the STAMP wastewater pipeline project that threatened to overwhelm Medina’s infrastructure capabilities and damage our county’s natural resources.” For the fiscal year 2024 my budget dropped the tax rate $2.53, and $1.79 outside the village and inside the village respectively.  The budget I submitted for fiscal year 2025 had a flat tax rate for the whole town of $3.40. Watch the budget meetings to see how that submitted budget was revamped. The STAMP plant expansion is being dealt with by the Town of Shelby combining forces with Orleans County.

Mr. Heminway writes, “The NYS 2021 Comptroller’s Audit Report and the 2024 follow-up audit.” There was no audit done in 2024, there was a review conducted by the Comptroller’s Office. All discrepancies have been corrected.

Heminway continues, “neither the former nor the current Supervisor resolved the discrepancies in the Town’s accounting records and could not provide a reasonable explanation for not correcting the discrepancies.” I was not the town supervisor for the prior years. That being said I inherited the records and I am responsible for the financial records of the Town.

For those not in attendance at this month’s Town Board meeting you would have heard from two independent accounting firms the town hired, explain that there was no corruption, and no money missing. All Town financial records are in order and are being finalized for 2023 and 2024. There will be a Notice published announcing the findings.

The Town has sound financial records and a strong financial footing. You would also have heard the accounting software purchased before I took office was malfunctioning, not all accounts were transferred into the new system by the software company, and even the contracted accountants could not get the software to work correctly. Moving forward the town has hired and is working with an accounting firm to maintain financial records in accordance with the state comptroller’s office.

So, maybe the current Supervisor did fix the towns financial records! Maybe the current Supervisor led the charge to defeat the windmills, fight the STAMP plant expansion, get an alternate cheaper supply of water, while still negotiating with the Village of Medina for cheaper water rates, invested the towns funds in a NYS authorized interest bearing entity (earning the town five figure interest on its funds).

Maybe the new Supervisor helped the highway superintendent purchase a much-needed new plow truck for cash (ARPA funds) while decreasing taxes, and use ARPA funds to fix and update the Town Hall building that needed repairs, all with the Town Board’s approval.

Maybe, just maybe, it takes time to accomplish tasks. I have spent my entire adult life since 19 years old serving and protecting this great country of ours. I am currently serving our great town and will do my best to serve all of the taxpayers of the Town of Shelby, as a life-long, proud Republican.

I welcome Mr. Heminway’s challenge for Town Supervisor. In fact until recently he was a life-long registered Democrat, meaning now he is a RINO, (Republican in Name Only) to fool you into giving him your vote. I only have two questions, why didn’t Mr. Heminway run for office before all these problems were fixed? Why not run as a Democrat?

Respectfully,

Scott Wengewicz

Shelby Town Supervisor

Shelby GOP committee will be out circulating petitions for candidates

Posted 21 February 2025 at 11:29 am

Editor:

Hello, I am Dale Root, the chairman of the Shelby Republican Committee. I would like to remind our Republican residents we are once again starting our campaign season with signing of endorsed candidate petitions.

This year we have two Town Board positions and the position of Town Supervisor needing to be elected. The campaign season starts with signing of petitions beginning Feb. 25 and finishing on April 3 for the primary. Committee members along with candidates will be out circulating petitions. (The current committee members include Bill Bacon, Steve Seitz, CJ Woodruff, James Zelazny, John Pratt, Alana Koneski, Tom Winans and myself). We thank you in advance for your signatures.

After interviewing all that applied, the committee has endorsed 3 candidates: For the Town Board positions Mike Moriarty and Vassilios Bitsas have garnered the Republican endorsement.

Mike is a lifelong resident and family man of Shelby, business owner & the general manager of Pride Pak. In his position as GM, he is responsible for personnel, food safety protocols, works with a host of government agencies and has a strong work ethic. He takes a no-nonsense approach to wasteful spending.

Vassilios lives in the village, has a wonderful background of business experience, with his family they own five businesses. He is hands on with budgeting, finances and personnel. As a committee we found him to be smart & articulate – good qualities for the Town Board.

For the position of Town Supervisor the Republican Committee has endorsed the incumbent Scott Wengewicz. Scott is a Veteran, retired 30-year federal government employee and business owner. In December 2022 he stepped up and accepted the position of supervisor. In his time he has dealt with a flawed bookkeeping system, a bad STAMP project deal, windmill proposals, over-priced water where he negotiated a 50 percent decrease in rate, budget issues. Scott is committed to making sure Shelby residents and their tax dollars are taken care of.

On March 29 we will be hosting our fundraiser spaghetti dinner and meet and greet with the candidates at the Knights of Columbus in Medina. Everyone is welcome. The event will be 5 to 7 p.m. Please contact a member listed above for presale tickets or pay at the door.

Thank you,

Dale Root

Shelby Republican chairman

Trump, Musk lead reckless assault on federal government

Posted 20 February 2025 at 7:56 am

Editor:

President Trump, who was convicted of 34 felonies, and Elon Musk with Republicans acceding, are looting the government to line their own pockets with massive tax cuts and steering federal contracts their way.

Mr. Musk and his companies were under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Trade Commission and USAID prior to President Trump’s illegal dismissal of 18 Inspectors General.

The job of the Inspectors General is to root out waste, fraud and abuse and they are accountable to Congress and the American people. Mr. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is not responsible to Congress or to the American people. They are not vetted; they could be foreign terrorist for all anyone knows. Mr. Trump fired the Inspectors General because they were accountable to the American people.

The budget proposed by the Republicans entails $4.5 trillion tax cut mostly for the wealthy and large corporations with $2 trillion in spending cuts that will jeopardize the health care and food programs for poor and middle-class Americans.

It is important to remember that during President Biden’s administration, the Democrats dramatically reduced the deficits and the ratio of debt to gross domestic product while creating the fastest recovery in decades and strengthening the social safety net, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the Republican budget proposal would increase the debt by “nearly $4 trillion.”  Also, they write that the Republican’s budget “economic assumptions are overly aggressive,” meaning that they expect the budget proposals would do more damage to the middle class and increase the debt by a lot more.

Cutting jobs and government agencies randomly with no purpose or plan is wasteful.  Furthermore, Mr. Musk’s DOGE group is rifling through Americans personal information through the IRS, the SSI and the Treasury Department.

They do not have any clearance or Congressional authority. I want readers to know that Congresswoman Claudia Tenney not only accepts this invasion of your privacy, the loss of government safety net and jobs and the looting of your tax dollars but she praises this behavior.

William Fine

Brockport

DEI strives to expand access, show talent and value of every group/person

Posted 19 February 2025 at 6:01 pm

Editor:

In the 1970s, women were about 5% of the total musicians in symphonies. The DEI change was to make everyone audition from behind a screen so that the judges could not tell who they were.

Women now make up over 40% of musicians in our symphonies overall. You see, we all have bias. If you have a brain, you have bias towards those that are like you. When approaching any issue we ask, who has access? Who does not? What are the barriers that are blocking access?

We then change those barriers. Unconscious bias was stopping symphonies from seeing the talent of women, just putting a blind in front of everyone leveled the playing field. This is a great example of DEI in action.

My name is Betty García Mathewson, and I am a DEI professional. It was called Managing Diversity when I was introduced to it in 1990. I found my calling, the idea of helping people to see each other and learn to work together made perfect sense.

I later realized that my parents had been involved in Managing Diversity when I was a child. We were the “new” people in the community. They worked to bring the Latino community’s voice to the table in our community.

There have been many names through the years and the work is based on the idea that there is talent and value in every group/type of person, yet everyone does not have access to opportunity. DEI is the work of expanding access to the American ideals. We work to help our country live our highest ideals found in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Freedom and justice for all is something we have not yet achieved as a nation.

People have been working to expand access to the American Dream since our country was founded. The abolitionists that led the way to the end of slavery were involved in DEI work. The Suffragists who worked to make our government give women the right to vote, were involved in DEI.

The labor unions that brought us the 40-hour work week, overtime pay, and safe working conditions were all working to expand access to the idea of equal justice for all. DEI is about leveling the playing field and making sure that everyone has access to try, it is not a guarantee that everyone will achieve their dream.

The pushback is all about money. Those using DEI to scare people are trying to keep fighting so we don’t notice the proposed cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps.

People working to expand access to the American Dream have been successful. The people pushing back are trying to undo our progress. Every election cycle, different groups are chosen to divide us. It is often race, this time it is transgender people and immigrants of color (race).

Each election cycle is something designed to keep us fighting so the very few can control society at the expense of the many.

Betty García Mathewson

Albion

Shelby highway superintendent appreciates dedication by highway workers

Posted 19 February 2025 at 5:47 pm

Editor:

 Hello from the highway department at the Town of Shelby. I would like to take the time to give credit where credit is due.

This past weekend we were up against another test from mother nature. Our team gave it their all against the snow, rain, gale force winds and sub-zero temperatures.

Being short staffed by one MEO, our supervisor did not hesitate to hop in a truck to join the team beating back drifts, clearing intersections and laying salt. After two rounds he was proficient enough to be on his own. Now our other three MEO’s could focus on their routes and I could get in the loader to help.

So, thank you to the group Jeremy, CJ, Bill and Scott for a total of 34 hours each by Monday night. Your service did not go unappreciated.

Great job by all.

Dale S. Root

Town of Shelby Highway Superintendent

Shelby town supervisor candidate says he would lead town back to firm financial footing

Posted 18 February 2025 at 8:19 pm

Editor:

As a lifelong resident of Medina, I looked forward to spending my retirement here with friends and family, enjoying the life I worked hard for. Like most of you, I paid little attention to the workings of our local government.

That changed with the rapid increase in taxes and other issues like the STAMP wastewater pipeline project that threatened to overwhelm Medina’s infrastructure capabilities and damage our county’s natural resources.

Attending the Shelby Town Board meetings and budget workshops made me increasingly concerned about the inability to manage our tax dollars.

The NYS 2021 Comptroller’s Audit Report and the 2024 follow-up audit reveal that leadership has failed to follow basic bookkeeping practices and legally-mandated reporting for years. If you watch the YouTube recordings of these meetings, you will see how the “Majority 3” has fought tooth and nail against two other board members—not just to maintain the status quo but to block transparency and the public’s right to know.

From the 2024 follow-up audit:

“Town officials did not take meaningful actions to implement corrective action. Of the seven audit recommendations, six were not implemented and one was partially implemented.”

“As the chief financial officer, the Supervisor is responsible for maintaining complete and accurate accounting records.  Without complete and accurate records, the Board and Town officials do not have sufficient information to properly manage and monitor financial operations.”

And:

“In addition, neither the former nor the current Supervisor resolved the discrepancies in the Town’s accounting records and could not provide a reasonable explanation for not correcting the discrepancies”

Writing letters and speaking at meetings has had no effect. That is why I have decided to run for Shelby Town Supervisor. With over 40 years of experience managing people, projects and budgets, I know I can lead the board toward better solutions.

Starting February 24, I will be gathering petition signatures to qualify for the Republican primary in June. Expect to see me or a volunteer making the rounds.

I thank the Orleans County Conservative Party for their endorsement.

Together, we can put Shelby back on firm financial footing and make it a willing community partner once again.

I look forward to your support.

Jim Heminway

Medina

Governor should heed message from COs and make prisons safer

Posted 18 February 2025 at 10:51 am

Editor:

Let’s talk about COs’ safety at our state prisons. Effective yesterday on Feb. 17, Collins Correctional Facility is on strike.

As of today several other facilities, including Albion have joined in the strike. The state calls this illegal and the COs’ union NYSCOPBA states the strike is not sanctioned by the union. Which in itself exacerbates the problems.

Let me start by saying I support the COs 100%. The State has put them at serious risk with new rules, budget restraints and outright ignorance of inmate rights vs. corrections officers’ and staff’s rights.

I’ve had plenty of friends who work both at the Albion and Groveland facilities and you hear horror stories about COs being attacked and not much they can do about it. Now this strike is mostly about mandatory 24-hour shifts. And the COs’ inability to protect themselves while being attacked and the inability to enforce rules with effective punishments.

I’m told that In response to the strike, Hochul and her band of thugs have responded by locking in COs at Groveland for 24 hours (with threats of arrest if they leave) while their brothers are outside the wire striking. Apparently striking is illegal for State workers. News flash Kathy, allowing workers to work in deplorable and impossible conditions is illegal, too.

PESH (government workers equivalent of OSHA) is in charge of workplace safety but guess what, PESH is run by the government, and either has no enforcement power, or refuses to support workers.

Horror stories coming out of Albion and other state run facilities have been shared by COs for years and get worse daily. Neither PESH or NYSCOBPA seem to have the backbone to do anything about it.

Punishment rules have been abolished, enforcement of 24-hour mandatory shifts. COs attacked with little done about it. We have become way too soft on criminals both outside and inside state corrections.

This is just deplorable and something needs to be done. If the state refuses to allow COs to enforce prisoner rules and hold them accountable, if COs cannot defend themselves with at least the same enforcement as the attack they are experiencing, if the Union, and PESH refuse to support their right to work in a safe environment, then what are their options? Illegal or not, this strike should act as an eye opener. Hopefully our bureaucratic leaders are listening.

Mike Clemons

Dansville, former Albion resident

Founding Fathers sought limits on executive power from president

Posted 18 February 2025 at 10:40 am

Editor:

Teaching U. S. History and Government for twenty-nine years left me with an appreciation for what the Founding Fathers were risking with the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. Added to that was a fair understanding of what they were attempting to achieve later with the Constitution. My guess is that those 16- and 17-year-old high school juniors must have gotten the impression that the federal Constitution was something quite special.

The Founders believed that a republican form of government with strict limits on executive power was possible. Articles 1, 2, and 3 called for three branches of government. Was it mere coincidence that those articles laid out the branches in the order that the Constitution does? Why did the Founders provide so many ways for the executive’s powers to be limited? That executive can even be removed from office peacefully before his, or her, term expires!

Perhaps history and experience told the creators of our representative democracy that an unfettered executive was to be guarded against.

You can be certain that the people who risked their lives to establish our governmental system outlined the branch of government they did in Article One because that branch was to be the first among equals and a cut above the other two.

As citizens of the masterpiece they created in the 18th century, we have a patriotic duty to defend it against all enemies foreign and domestic.

Sincerely yours,

Gary F. Kent

Albion

Medina firefighters’ union says Village Board has mismanaged fire hall addition, new ladder truck causing delays and increased costs

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina ladder truck from 1996 is shown in March 2023 when the fire department had an open house showing the tight quarters at the fire hall, especially for the ladder truck which only has 2 inches of clearance in pulling in and out of the fire hall.

Posted 17 February 2025 at 8:18 am

Editor:

For far too long, your Medina Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2161 have remained silent over the numerous issues that have plagued the village and subsequently the fire department.

After the recent Village Board meeting on February 10th, we can no longer sit idly by while the Board’s inadequate preparation and poor execution of ill-conceived plans have put the public and firefighters at risk.

The lack of foresight and procrastination in planning for the inevitable costs associated with operating the fire department has culminated in many necessary, crucial

projects to be at the breaking point at the same time. The current situation we are in is a direct result of the poor planning and mismanagement of village resources and finances by the Board.

The lack of foresight and proper financial planning has led to a situation where multiple critical infrastructure and equipment needs are converging at once, pushing our department to a breaking point.

The following concerns must be addressed immediately:

1. Long-term planning ignored:

This poor planning and mismanagement dates back half a decade to Aug. 19, 2020, when a six-year plan was presented to the Board by Chief Jackson. That plan included needed upgrades to the Fire Station and equipment. On Oct. 25, 2021, Chief Jackson presented at a public hearing the needs of the Fire Department in replacing the 1996 Ladder Truck and upgrading the 1930’s-built building.

Despite these efforts, progress has been slow, and key elements of the plan remain unaddressed.

2. Inadequate Firehouse Facilities:

In November 2022, the Board was presented with a plan for a two-bay addition and crucial structural repairs to our current dilapidated firehouse, which was built in the 1930s for the DPW. This plan called for $4.5 million for the fire station and $1.5 million for the Village Office.

On Aug. 14, 2023, the Board voted to seek bonds up to $5.6 million for the firehouse. On Aug. 24, 2023, revised plans were received with an increased estimate of $6.4 million, with $1.1 million allocated for repairs and $5.3 million for the addition. Due to a long delay in the original quote and proposing a bond vote, the price of the project increased and the Board felt it was too costly.

The revised plan (that has not been approved) now includes only one apparatus bay and a bathroom, failing to address critical repairs to the existing facility at a cost of $1.04 million. This is wholly inadequate and does not meet the operational needs of our department.

For nearly a decade, $31,200 has been spent on two different engineering firms for multiple sets of plans, both of which were denied or ignored by the village Board. In addition, $20,000 was spent on purchasing the lot west of the village offices for proposed expansion (that was part of the original expansion plan for the Fire Department). While there may have been cause to change engineering firms and start the process all over again, the question is, why did it take so long?

3. Delayed and Costly Procurement of a New Ladder Truck:

The need for a new ladder truck was identified years ago, with an initial projected cost of $1.3 million in 2021. Due to the Board’s delay, a second request was made on June 26, 2023, at an approximate cost of $1.7 million, up $400,000.

The failure to act sooner has resulted in an increased financial burden on the village, ultimately costing taxpayers more while continuing to put firefighters at risk.

4. Severe Safety Risks Posed by the Current Ladder Truck Presented at the Last Meeting:

The existing 1996 ladder truck presents serious and unpredictable hazards, including:

  • An electrical fire near the batteries during a response on December 10, 2021, exposing firefighters to toxic smoke,
  • A brake drum failure on November 25, 2023, while the truck was in motion, posing a life-threatening risk to both firefighters and the public,
  • Numerous other mechanical and electrical failures that jeopardize the safety of our crews and the public daily.

This vehicle is essential for fire suppression, search and rescue, technical rescue, and firefighter assist and search team operations (utilized for rescuing trapped or injured firefighters). It serves not only our village but also supports neighboring departments in emergencies.

The decisions made by this Board directly impact the safety of our community and those sworn to protect it. We urge the Board to take immediate action. We implore the Board to expedite the necessary funding and repairs for our firehouse to ensure a safe and functional working environment. We invoke the Board to provide a clear, sustainable plan for equipment procurement that prevents unnecessary cost increases and safety risks.

The time for hesitation has passed. We call on the Village Board to prioritize these urgent needs and work collaboratively with the fire department to implement solutions that safeguard our community.

The next Medina Village Board meeting is on Feb. 24 at The Ridgeway Town Hall at 6 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Members of the Medina Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2161

(The union’s leadership includes Stephen Miller, president; Timothy Miller, vice president; Andrew Cheverie, secretary; and Chris Seefeldt, treasurer.)

Refill with Randy: Medical Loan Closet makes a big difference in community

Posted 16 February 2025 at 9:36 am

By Randy LeBaron

Jason Cogovan, left, discusses The Medical Loan Closet in Medina with Randy LeBaron.

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this day right… TOGETHER!!!

First and foremost I want to thank everyone who reached out to tell me they were glad to have Refill back. I appreciate you all and look forward to sharing more positive stories and highlighting the people and organizations that make me glad to be a part of Orleans County.

On that note, today I want to share about a valuable resource that many may not be aware of. I am talking about The Medical Loan Closet which is located at 711 Park Ave. in Medina inside The Olde Pickle Factory. The Loan Closet is run by the Medina Lions Club and I had a chance to sit down and have coffee with Jason Cogovan who co-chairs The Loan Closet with fellow member Dave Bellucci.

Jason, who has only been a member since 2023 after retiring from his work in Corrections, said that he was interested in joining the Lions Club because it was something his grandfather had been very involved with and he really connected with their motto, “We Serve.”

Jason describes the Lions Club as a non-political service organization that helps local communities and the world. Just this past year the organization helped with the Medina Yard Sale, helped people in need of glasses and hearing aids, had over 400 calls to The Medical Loan Closet, and even sent surplus inventory to Ukraine to help people in need in that war-torn country. In addition to the many other events that the Lions Club assists with each year the members are encouraged to take turns being on call with The Loan Closet two weeks at a time to oversee pick-ups and drop-offs.

The Medical Loan Closet is located at 711 Park Ave. at the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina. (The Kendall Lions Club also runs a medical loan closet for people in eastern Orleans County.)

Not long ago I called in myself to inquire about getting a lift chair for a friend who fell in her home, resulting in badly bruised knees and a broken neck. Having to wear a neck brace for 7 weeks along with complications with her knees made leaning back, and getting out of, her recliner very difficult so a specialized chair was suggested.

After making the initial call I was able to put my friend Jeanne Martillotta of Albion and her husband Walt in touch with Jason who was able to provide them with not just any chair but one that had belonged to Jason’s father Ray and which has already been used by a few different individuals since being donated. Jeanne was very thankful for having access to the chair during a difficult time and will now be bringing it back to The Closet for the next person to use.

Jeanne Martillotta appreciates use of a recliner after a recent injury.

When borrowing something from The Loan Closet there is a contract signed by the community member which includes an estimation of how long the item will be used for before being returned. Jason said that people are very appreciative of having access to these items and seem happy to return them for the next person to use.

There have also been times, including this past week, where Jason is driving to The Closet after picking an item up only to get a call requesting that exact item. When asked who could borrow from the closet Jason said the only requirement was to have a need. Though The Loan Closet is primarily promoted throughout Orleans County it is not uncommon to get a request from another county without a Loan Closet and Medina is happy to help.

Another thing I asked Jason, since the Medina Lions Club does not charge any fees for these services, is if they accept donations. His response was that they do but that it’s not necessary because the reality is that the items are already being donated for free by community members and even the space where the inventory is stored has been generously donated by Roger Hungerford, the owner of The Olde Pickle Factory. The Lions Club simply view themselves facilitators making it possible for community members to help other community members.

Currently, The Loan Closet has an inventory of hospital beds, lift chairs, wheel chairs, walkers, canes, scooters, commodes, shower safety equipment, etc. along with other supplies such as bed sheets, adult diapers, and more.

Although assistance in transporting items may be possible depending on the circumstance it is recommended that individuals plan to provide their own way of picking up or dropping off items.

So, if you or someone you know either has a need or has something to donate all you need to do is call (585) 205-3502 and a member will be happy to assist you.

See you in 2 weeks!

Pastor Randy