Jerry Shaffer, Rich McAdoo among leaders of new organization

Photo by JR Stein: Medina natives Rich McAdoo, left, and Jerry Shaffer are shown at a press conference on Jan. 31 in Clearwater, Fla. to highlight the Red Star Foundation. The organization has created a Red Star banner and a pin to recognize the service of a veteran or first responder who died of suicide.

A new organization, the Red Star Foundation, is honoring the service of veterans and first responders who die by suicide, and trying to offer support for the loved ones left behind.

Medina native Jerry Shaffer is co-founder and president of the Red Star Foundation and another Medina native, Rich McAdoo, is on the organization’s board as secretary. McAdoo, a Lockport resident, is a Ridgeway volunteer firefighter.

An average of 17.5 veterans die each day by suicide. Shaffer said the number is likely higher, 30 to 50, because many suicides are unreported or unconfirmed.

“Suicide is the biggest issue we have in the veterans community,” he said.

The VA reports there were 6,407 suicides by veterans in 2022 with 6,136 by men and 271 by women.

Photo by Kevin Crowsyn: Jerry Shaffer, a 1989 Medina graduate, speaks during a press conference on Jan. 31 in Clearwater, Fla.

Since 2001, about 150,000 veterans have died by suicide, Shaffer said. That is far more than have died in combat.

Suicide has a stigma, he said, and the loved ones of those who die by suicide often don’t get the support they should.

“We want to recognize their loss,” Shaffer said. “They should feel pride for their son’s and daughter’s service.”

The Red Star Foundation has a banner and a pin with a red star as the focus to be given to loved ones in a design similar to the banners for Gold Star and Blue Star families. Blue Star families have a loved one on active duty. A Gold Star family had a loved one killed in active duty.

The Red Star banners honor the service of veterans or first responders, and Shaffer said he believes the banner can reduce the stigma of suicide. He wants to help build a network of support among the families who have endured such a loss.

Many veterans suffer from depression and many have a post-traumatic stress disorder. When they leave active duty, their chances of suicide increase 50 percent, Shaffer said, because many feel a loss of a sense of identity and purpose, and a loss of their military community when they are no longer on active duty.

Shaffer, a 1989 Medina grad, is a former Marine. He enlisted right out of high school. He pushed the start the Red Star Foundation, which is an official 501c3 organization. It launched in July and right now is focused on a chapter in Tampa and Clearwater, Florida.

Shaffer would like to see chapters around the country, including in Medina where there already is an active group led by Ike Watts highlighting veterans’ suicide, and trying to provide a network of support for families.

“We’re at ground zero of the fight,” Shaffer said about veterans’ and first responders’ suicides. “We believe the Red Star Foundation is game-changing.”

The Red Star Foundation seeks to offer:

• Grief and bereavement support, and peer-to-peer networking
• Public awareness campaigns about the impact of suicides among veterans, military personnel and first responders
• Advocacy for better for better mental health care and suicide prevention programs
• Survivor advocacy training to empower families to become voices for change.
• Educational workshops to provide insight into mental health challenges and how to support others.

For more information on the Red Star Foundation, click here.

MEDINA – Only one person turned in petitions to run for a trustee position on the Medina Village Board. Tuesday was the deadline to turn in petitions signed by at least 100 registered voters in the village.

James “Scott” Bieliski is the lone person to turn in the petitions. He will run under the independent “For the People” party.

There are two trustee positions up for election in Medina. The spots are for two-year terms for positions currently filled by Jess Marciano and Diana Baker.

Neither Marciano or Baker circulated petitions. Marciano said she will consider running a write-in campaign to stay on the board and keep projects moving forward, including the purchase of a new ladder truck and an addition on the fire hall. Marciano helped lead the effort to downsize an addition on the fire hall from an estimated $6 million a year ago to the latest estimate at about $1 million.

The election on March 18 is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Center on West Avenue. The winners in the election will start their terms on April 1.

Lynn Creasey

MEDINA – The Senior Citizens of Western Orleans have $15,000 to install air conditioning at a former train depot, which serves as a meeting place for the seniors.

Lynn Creasey, president of the Senior Citizens of Western Orleans, said the building is often too hot during the summer for seniors to comfortably socialize for cards, games and meals.

The group has $15,000 saved and is willing to pay for the costs of AC wall units, Creasey told the Village Board on Monday.

He has secured two bids from contractors for the project and is expecting two more.

Village Board members want to hear from Jason Watts, the DPW superintendent, first before forging ahead. The board wants to make sure the existing utilities can handle the additional AC and see if Watts has any input on the project.

The building was originally constructed in 1908 as the NY Central Depot. It has been the home of the Senior Citizens of Western Orleans since 1968. Creasey said the seniors have done several improvements to the building over the years, including a fresh coat of paint about three to four years ago.

Creasey said the organization survives on donations, but is committing the funds to the project so the seniors can use the site during the hot summer weather.

Board members not in agreement in moving forward with bond to finance project

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Village Board is looking at a one-bay addition to the fire hall to accommodate a new ladder truck due to arrive around this Christmas. The board hasn’t reached agreement on a bond to pay for the addition.

MEDINA – The Village Board has received an estimated price for an addition to the fire hall: $1,041,590.

That is significantly less than the $6 million the village was looking at for a two-bay addition plus upgrades to the existing fire station.

The $6 million was deemed far too costly by the Village Board about a year ago. The board has debated the past year how to proceed. It prefers a one-bay addition, although the board hasn’t committed yet on starting the process for a bond to pay for the addition.

The MRB Group in Rochester presented a design and estimated cost for the one-bay addition in a Dec. 12 report to the board.

A 1,750-square-foot addition to the fire station would be an estimated $700,000 for construction costs for a steel, masonry and concrete building. That includes HVAC, plumbing, electric, lighting and a fire alarm system for a facility that would a free-standing building with a truck bay and a unisex bathroom.

Although a freestanding building and independent of existing fire station, the new building would be connected for architecture and mechanical, electrical and plumbing purposes, the MRB Group stated.

Other costs include:

• Utilities at $35,250 for sanitary sewer lateral, 500-gallon oil/water separator, connection to existing sanitary sewer and roof leaders
• Site improvements at $19,525 for mobilization, excavation for foundation and pad, seal and crack fill parking lot, and concrete pads for doors.
• Design and construction contingency at 15 percent for $113,216. That makes for $867,991 estimated construction costs.
• Estimated soft costs (20 percent) or $173,598 for architectural; mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services; surveying fees, geotechnical; construction management; SEQR (environmental impact statement); fiscal fees; bonding fees; legal fees; and net interest.

That puts the overall estimated costs at $1,041,590.

But Mayor Marguerite Sherman said there remain unknowns with the project. There may not be many bidders given the project has been downscaled so much. Some contractors may not be interested in what is now considered a small project, she said.

There could also be some environmental surprises that could push up the costs.

She suggested the village pursue seeking a bond for $1.5 million to cover the construction costs and some possible surprises. If the cost is less or if the village secures other revenues through grants, Sherman said the bond amount would be less than the $1.5 million.

She wants the village to keep moving forward on the project because a new ladder truck is expected to be ready in December. As it stands with the timing, a new building might not be ready until February 2026.

The board on June 26, 2023 accepted the bid for $1,698,995 from Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisc. to build the new fire truck with a 100-foot-long ladder. The truck will replace a nearly 30-year-old ladder truck with a 75-foot ladder.

The new truck will be taller than the current one and won’t fit in the bay at the fire station. The current ladder truck has a clearance of 10 feet, 4 inches but the space in the fire station is 10 feet, 6 inches. The new ladder truck will have a clearance of 13 feet.

Trustees Debbie Padoleski and Mark Prawel want to wait on taking out the bond until more details are known on the costs to the village for the fire hall addition. Padoleski said taxpayers will want certainty on those details if the village starts the process for a bond.

Padoleski said the village made a “bad decision” by committing to a ladder truck without a solid plan for the addition.

Trustee Jess Marciano and Mayor Marguerite Sherman said the ladder truck is clearly needed and delaying on that truck would have only pushed up the costs for the truck.

Sherman said the village is seeking grants for the addition, and she is meeting with a representative from U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney’s Office and an official from the state Homes & Community Renewal to help pay for the addition.

“I feel in my heart I’m doing everything I can to find funding,” Sherman said at this evening’s Village Board meeting.

Any commitments to help with the project won’t come right away, Sherman said. She wants the village to keep moving forward, knowing the bond could be reduced if additional funding comes through.

Prawel said the board shouldn’t have committed to a new truck without knowing how it would be paid. Prawel joined the board on April 1, 2024 after the vote on the ladder truck.

“I’m not convinced we need a new truck,” Prawel said at this evening’s board meeting.

He said he disagrees with Fire Chief Matt Jackson’s contention it is critical to have a new one.

Marciano rejected that reasoning from Prawel. She said a recent inspection showed the truck is in disrepair.

To cancel the order for the new fire truck would cost the village a 10 percent penalty or about $170,000, plus the village would still have an old ladder truck without a new one coming. Sherman said she thinks the penalty now would be $250,000 to cancel the order.

Marciano said it is reasonable for village taxpayers to foot the bill because it is village equipment. She welcomes grants and assistance for the project.

“I would love for Chuck Schumer to buy it for us,” she said.

Padoleski said she worries the village is becoming unaffordable for many of the residents. The bond payments for the fire truck and addition will only make it worse for people, raising their taxes even more.

The board will spend April working on the 2025-26 village budget. Padoleski said some tough choices may need to be made on village services to bring down the tax burden.

“Something has to go some people can afford to live here,” Padoleski said.

Village resident Carol Callina spoke at this evening’s meeting and she suggested the board consider eliminating the police department and having the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office take over patrolling the village and responding to calls in Medina.

Marciano said Callina is the first resident to make that suggestion in a  public meeting.

The board will meet again on Feb. 24. Sherman said more information should be available then about grant possibilities and other potential federal and state aid.

She agreed the village could face some tough choices during the budget process.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Rollin Hellner holds a schedule for Cruisin’ in Medina, which begins the 2025 season on May 30 in the parking lot of the Medina Senior Center.

MEDINA – With final approval from the Medina Village Board, local developer Rollin Hellner is “gung ho” to begin his second season of heading car shows in the village.

Hellner first took over the events last year when David Green announced he was stepping down after decades of being in charge.

“I’ve been coming to these shows with my father, who has a 1967 Mustang, since I moved here in 2015,” Hellner said. “I was disappointed to think there might not be a show after all these years, and I couldn’t let that happen. It’s not only important for people to have something to do, but I didn’t want to see it go away. Medina is not just a great place to live and do business, it’s a great place to visit, as well. I want to see it continue to grow and improve.”

The car shows again this year will be in the parking lot of Medina Senior Center, across from the Walsh Hotel, which Hellner owns.

While the parking space is smaller than the previous location in the canal basin, Hellner said car enthusiasts and collectors were happy with the new site, for the most part, attracting 40 to 50 vehicles on average. He said they also had cars last year which had never attended before, including a Mustang owner from Lewiston who attended every week.

Hellner was happy to have received approval to have live music this year and announced a schedule of entertainers, which include Highway 31, Stanton, Ken Ryan and the Professionals, Darryl Brown and Chill Factor and yet unannounced entertainment on July 26 at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. Recorded music or a disc jockey will provide music on alternate weeks.

The night at the fair has been changed to July 26, the last Saturday night in July, at the request of the fair officials who commented on the large number of antique vehicles and the crowds typically at the fair on the last Saturday. Last year had one of the largest participations of antique vehicles, Hellner said.

Cruise-ins will start a week early this year, with opening cruise on May 30. Every night will have a different theme, starting with Country and Truck Night on June 6; Corvette Night on June 13; Mustang Night on June 20 and Hot Rod Night on June 27. Beginning in July, the fifth will be Bike Night; followed by British and Foreign Night on July 11; Camaro Night on July 18; Mopar Night on Aug. 1, Van Night on Aug. 8, ‘50’s Night on Aug. 15; and ’60s Night on Aug. 22.

As in the past, Cruise Nights will end for the season with Super Cruise on Main Street on Aug. 27, a Wednesday, featuring Terry Buchwald as Elvis. A rain date for the final show is Sept. 3.

Hellner added this year’s cruise-ins are going to be “cool.” One week he is going to showcase a 1947 Mack firetruck, owned and restored by local funeral director Tim Cooper. He has contacted the company and got the full build sheet on the truck.

Although Hellner keeps busy with multiple renovation projects throughout the area, vintage automobiles are a passion of his. He owns a 1935 Rolls Royce. He is planning to promote Medina’s Cruise-in at Buffalo’s Motorama, where he is entering his car. The show takes place March 28 to 30 at the Convention Center.

Hellner also shared that his Rolls will appear in a movie, The Panic, about J.P. Morgan, which features two scenes shot in Buffalo and one in Youngstown. The movie is scheduled to be released this year.

MEDINA – The YMCA in Orleans County has received a $3,000 grant from Project Play Western New York to offer a a Free Play Zone from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (Feb. 17-21).

The Free Play Zone will feature tag games, open gym time, soccer and other activities, Project Play Western New York said in a news release today.

Project Play Western New York announced nine grants in eight counties for programming from Feb. 17-21 when many schools are closed for mid-winter break. The Winter Free Play Series marks an expansion of Project Play WNY’s Summer Free Play initiative.

The Free Play Series works to provide youth in all eight counties of Western New York with opportunities to enjoy self-directed free play during school breaks, at no cost to families. The total amount granted for this inaugural process is more than $25,000.

Organizations that received grants are providing programming that best aligns with the mission of Project Play WNY, which is to work toward a community in which all children have the opportunity to be active through sports, regardless of zip code.

“Pick-up sports and free play have largely been replaced by scheduled practices, games and travel,” said Aaron Hord, director of Project Play WNY. “However, free play allows youth to exercise creativity, learn important interpersonal skills and develop a lifelong love of physical activity. We’re excited about our newest grant opportunity for organizations across the region and look forward to supporting no-cost, free play programming this February.”

 The 2025 Winter Free Play Series grant recipients are:

• Buffalo Bisons Charitable Foundation – the Ice at Canalside – $3,000
• Erie Regional Housing Development Corporation – The Belle Center – $1,500
• GLOW YMCA – Orleans County YMCA location – $3,000
• Lackawanna PBA – $3,500
• Lockport Ice Arena and Sports Center – Cornerstone Arena – $2,500
• Resource Council of WNY Inc. – $3,000
• Rural Outreach Center – $3,000
• Seneca Nation of Indians – Allegany Community Center – $3,500
• Sensational Fun, Inc. – $3,000

For more information on the 2025 Winter Free Play Series, visit: www.projectplaywny.org/winter-free-play.

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board has adopted a 2-percent occupancy for hotels, motels, short-term rentals and other lodging establishments in the village.

The Village Board held a public hearing on the new tax last week and the board adopted it with no comments offered from the public. However, the village is still working through how the tax will be implemented. A start hasn’t been established for when the lodging establishments need to begin collecting the tax.

Village officials aren’t sure how much the 2-percent tax will generate. It is on top of a 4-percent occupancy tax collected by Orleans County. That “bed tax” raised $119,003 for the county in 2023 and is used to promote tourism to bring in more visitors to the county. (Both the county and village occupancy taxes are also in addition to the 8-percent sales tax.)

The 2-percent tax in Medina gives the village some new revenue at a time when it faces rising costs for a new fire truck and an addition to the fire hall, as well as overall operations. The village has tried in recent years for a boost in the local sales tax revenue and also more money from the state in Aid and Incentives to Municipalities or AIM, but has seen little change from the county and state.

The Village Board didn’t designate how the funds will be spent, except to specify the money will be “allocated at the discretion of the Medina Village Board for any Village purpose.”

Lodging establishments are to pay the village the occupancy tax in quarterly payments.

To see the local law on the occupancy tax, click here.

Provided photo: The Medina varsity winter guard competed in Batavia on Saturday and took fourth place.

Information courtesy of Medina Band Boosters

BATAVIA – The Batavia school district hosted a winter guard competition on Saturday with 22 guard units performing in competition.

Medina’s varsity guard’s show is entitled “Tidal.” Nature’s elements create phenomenal events and water, under the influence of the moon and other natural events, can create tidal waves, a force to be feared. The Varsity guard competed in the A1 class and came in 4th place with a score of 50.66.

The JV guard competed in the Cadet class and came in 3rd place with a score of 45.83. Their show is “Going Up” and depicts a journey to the party of the season where they enjoy the beauty and color of city nightlife.

Both guards are instructed by Melissa Jaeger and both will compete this Saturday in Victor.

Wine About Winter is a fast sellout for Medina Area Partnership

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Sarah Fisher, left, a member of Medina Area Partnership, places a wrist band on a ticket holder to Wine About Winter. From here, participants picked up a goodie bag and purchased tickets for a chance to win a basket of prizes from participating businesses. (Right) Wynter Dumont of Albion gets a goodie bag from her companion as they prepare to embark on Wine About Winter. They do it every year, she said.

MEDINA – They came in pairs, some in groups. They came with friends and they came with family – 800 in all.

Today is Medina Area Partnership’s 16th annual Wine About Winter, an event which began with far fewer participants and continued to grow to a fast sellout again this year.

“All 800 tickets were sold out a month ago,” said Wendy Oakes Wilson, a member of Medina Area Partnership who has worked at most of them.

Wendy Oakes Wilson, left, and Ann Fisher-Bale take a break from checking in ticket holders to Wine About Winter on Saturday afternoon. They checked in 300 participants in 20 minutes. Start times were staggered between 1 and 3 p.m. to even out the crowds.

Temperatures that threatened to plummet into single digits did nothing to deter the revelers who came from across Western New York.

Suzanne Marinelli came from Canadaigua. She is the sister of Gabriella Albanese from Orleans County. She attended with Gabirella, her husband Larry, and friends Robin Alexander and Drew Lederhouse. They braved the cold to wait in a long line outside Medina Senior Center for registration to begin, while Marinelli chose to wait it out in the warm car. The Albaneses have gone to every one of the wine-tasting events, Larry said.

Autumn Polar refills the table of goodie bags at the Senior Center for participants of Wine About Winter.

Outside the Senior Center, Patrick Weissend proofed everyone before letting them go inside, where Wendy Oakes Wilson and Ann Fisher-Bale checked their tickets. After receiving a wrist band from Sarah Fisher or Amber Sherman, participants picked up a goodie bag, containing a list of participating businesses, a pen, ice scraper, wine glass, crackers, water and a sheet of coupons. There, they also had the opportunity to buy tickets to win one of the raffle baskets each store provided.

No one seemed mindful of the cold, especially Wynter Dumont of Albion, who joked about her name.

“I do this event every year,” she said.

Charise Blew of Batavia was also not mindful of the weather. She was just glad it wasn’t windy.

Patrick and Elizabeth Dannebrock of Burt were participating for the first time, attending with her mom from Hartland, who had done it before.

Ariana Pluskwa pours Cayuga White for Chris Long of East Amherst at Creekside Floral during Wine About Winter.

At Creekside Floral, Ariana Pluskwa poured Cayuga white wine for Chris Long of East Amherst, who came with a friend, Maria Bussenger. Long’s son Steve is a Medina firefighter and paramedic, and he and his wife have done the event before, so his mother knew about it, she said.

“I like the day out with friends, and I like to see the shops,” Chris said. “I try to buy something, even if it’s little, at all the shops. That’s why I brought my little backpack. I bought three bags of sponge candy at Della’s Chocolates and a raffle ticket at the Knights of Columbus to support their project to put in an elevator.”

Jayne Kuhn of Creekside Floral said the majority of people buy a little something. She has also worked during Ale in Autumn, and said each event draws a different variety of people.

(Left) Patrick Weissend proofs a ticket holder to Wine About Winter on Saturday outside the Senior Center in Medina, where participants in the event were registered. (Right) Larry Albanese of Albion, his wife Gabriella and friends Robin Alexander and Drew Lederhouse wait in the cold for registration for Wine About Winter to start at the Medina Senior Center.

Several participants were located “outside the beaten path,” but still had good crowds all afternoon. This included the Medina Railroad Museum, Medina Historical Society and American Legion.

At the American Legion, the place was packed and people were streaming down the sidewalk from the shops on Main Street. The Legion took advantage of the crowds by promoting the Breakout Band that night, open to the public, sale of American flags, a chicken and biscuit dinner on Feb. 22 and sale of raffle tickets for a fire pit.

Cathy Fox, a member of the Legion and head of the County American Legion Auxiliary, said they had sold 100 raffle tickets before 3 o’clock.

“This really is such a positive event,” Fox said.

At the American Legion on North Main Street, Joni Meehan pours Black Widow’s Berry wine for Tina Henning of Lockport.

Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – The Medina Central School District has seats available in the full-day Pre-K program for eligible district students for the remainder of the year.

As the district approaches the halfway point of the school year, Medina would like to stress the importance of a solid foundation in learning.

“We have seen a greater increase in student achievement in Kindergarten from students who attended the full-day program versus those who did not,” said Julie Webber, assistant superintendent for instruction.

The Medina Pre-K program follows the same schedule as the other Oak Orchard Primary

School grades from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The district provides students with breakfast, lunch and transportation.

They participate in purposeful play activities in the classroom while establishing foundations in literacy, math, science and citizenship. Students also participate in art, music, library, STEM and physical education classes.

“Through UPK, children have the opportunity to interact with their peers, develop important social skills, and build confidence in a supportive setting,” said Jennifer Stearns, principal at Oak Orchard Primary School. “These early experiences will provide a strong foundation for their academic journey and lay the groundwork for a positive attitude toward learning.”

Eligible students at this time are those who reside in the district and who turned 4 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2024.

If you are interested in enrolling your eligible child for the remainder of this school year, please reach out to Oak Orchard Primary School at 585-798-2700, option 3.

Note: Registration will begin in March for the 2025-2026 Pre-kindergarten program for students who will be 4 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2025.