Medina approves 4-year contract with firefighters getting 2% raises

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 March 2020 at 3:12 pm

Board also approves $2,500 contribution to skate park upgrade

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board on Monday approved a four-year contract with career firefighters that gives them 2 percent annual raises.

The contract includes 20 firefighters. They also need to contribute 25 percent towards their health insurance premiums.

The contract runs from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2023. The boar don Monday agreed to pay the firefighters their retroactive pay increase. Trustee Owen Toale said that increase is in the current village budget.

Monday’s meeting deviated from a normal meeting. It was closed to the public with two of the five Village Board members and the village clerk participating online through Zoom. (Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers also participated through Zoom.)

The board intends to utilize Zoom until a state of emergency is lifted. Right now the state has ordered no public gatherings of more than 10 people.

In other action at Monday’s meeting:

• The board agreed to contribute $2,500 to upgrades of the skate park at Butts Park. The Medina Skate Society is leading an effort to raise $250,000 in matching funds for the park’s upgrades.

Medina has been awarded up to $250,000 from the Tony Hawk & Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundations. Medina has about $200,000 raised locally so far. The grant deadline for the local share is March 30. At that point every dollar that has been raised locally will be doubled. Medina could have $500,000 to build a skate park if the $250,000 local match is met.

The park is used by skateboarders, bikers, scooters and in-line skaters.

• The board set 7 p.m. on April 13 for a public hearing on electric charging stations. Burger King wants to put an electric charging station at its parking lot on Maple Ridge Road.

• The board voted to add a $50 charge plus the cost of a tree when people seek to donate a tree to be planted by the village. Mayor Mike Sidari said trees range from $175 to $219, depending on the variety.

Whatever the cost of buying a tree the village will add $50 to cover the village’s cost for digging a hole to plant the tree, the cost for mulch and a water bag.

That means, with the current prices, if someone wants to donate a tree it will cost $225 to $269.

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