Medina

Former Bernzomatic site in Medina bought and will be modernized for manufacturing

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 October 2018 at 2:48 pm

File photo by Tom Rivers: The former Bernzomatic plant is pictured in 2014 after it was closed by its last tenant, Worthington Cylinders.

MEDINA – A new owner has purchased the former Bernzomatic complex from Newell Operating Company, a subsidiary of Newell Brands.

The manufacturing plant has 160,000 square feet and has been vacant since 2014. It was last used by Worthington Cylinders, which had 174 employees in Medina. The company closed the Medina plant in mid-2014 and shifted those operations to a Worthington site in Wisconsin.

Worthington bought Bernzomatic in 2011. Bernzomatic had operated in Medina since 1969, making torches.

Worthington makes cylinders for the torches in Wisconsin. The company closed its site in Medina and shifted the torch production to Wisconsin, where the company said it could do everything at one site, saving in transportation costs.

The building has sat empty for more than four years.

It has been purchased by Kyle Brent through his B360 Holdings LLC. Brent plans to upgrade and rehab the former manufacturing site.

“The entire site will be completely modernized so the building and complex can again accommodate a fully-functioning manufacturing operation and warehouse, if that’s what a tenant needs, and there will still be plenty of flex space for separate offices or a call center,” Brent said in a news release from the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The main building is 160,000 square feet with ceiling heights ranging from 14 feet to 22 feet. There are two grade-level doors and 12 truck doors with levelers.

“The former Bernzomatic facility was designed and built to accommodate manufacturing,” said James Whipple, CEO of the Orleans Economic Development Agency. “There are very few buildings around anymore with high ceilings, multiple truck docks, rail access and expansion potential like this complex. And Kyle Brent knows exactly how to turn this property into a prime development site.”

There is rail access to the 33.85-acre site located at 1 Bernzomatic Drive in the Village of Medina, which is situated in both the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby.

“Kyle Brent’s restoration of the entire Bernzomatic complex means Medina will have more options,” said Medina Mayor Michael Sidari. “There continues to be a lot of interest in Medina as a place to do business. The village is committed to working with Kyle to implement his vision for the property. We want to do everything we can to work with him to bring more opportunities and jobs here.”

The location has been primarily used for industrial purposes since 1915. It was operated as a cannery and food processing center when it was purchased in 1969 by Birds-Eye. Bernzomatic, a division of Newell-Rubbermaid, later acquired the site to manufacture and distribute hand-held torches for soldering, welding and brazing.

Zoned industrial, with available infrastructure and access to low-cost hydropower, the site is located along Bates Road near the Medina Business Park, the largest shovel-ready business park in Western New York and the Finger Lakes.

“Having worked with Kyle on this project for quite some time, there is a lot to be optimistic about,” said Gabrielle Barone, Orleans EDA’s vice president of development. “With this complex sold and under the control of a successful businessperson like Kyle, I am confident this project will pay off with significant economic development.”

Kyle Brent’s company Brent Industries, home of KJ Motorsports and Outdoor Furnace Supply, will remain on Mountain Road in Middleport.

“The last two years of this acquisition have been a marathon, now it’s time to tackle modernizing Bernz,” Brent said. “This next phase is something I’ve really been looking forward to.”

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Medina elementary students explore fire safety trailer

Posted 15 October 2018 at 11:45 am

Provided photo: Oak Orchard Elementary School Principal Julie Webber and Mrs. Lehman’s third grade class are pictured with Medina firefighters Steve Miller, Joe Simmons and Matt Jackson.

Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department recently spent some time at Oak Orchard Elementary School talking to students about fire safety and allowing them to explore the Orleans County’s Emergency Management Office’s fire safety training trailer.

The 35-foot-long trailer is available to all 12 fire departments in the county and was paid for with a $75,000 state grant from State Sen. Robert Ortt. The trailer is used to help children and families develop a fire escape plan.

“We were lucky enough to have the trailer for the whole week,” says Oak Orchard Principal Julie Webber. “We like to get the community into the school as much as possible and this lets the children know that the fire department is here to help them. Our students, grades first, second and third got to visit the trailer. Pre-K and kindergarten had a traditional fire safety talk in the classroom. It was very cool. They practiced crawling on the floor to exit the trailer. It’s a real-life experience for them. They also got to practice calling 911.”

The trailer is set up with a kitchen area, hallway and a bedroom. The firefighters talked about how to handle pots and pans on the stove and kitchen fires. They also discussed the importance of touching the doors to see if they are warm before opening them.

“We had the trailer the week before Fire Prevention Week to showcase this to the school,” said firefighter and paramedic Steve Miller. “We pumped fog into the trailer to simulate smoke and we talked to the students about having two ways out of their home. We also talked about the importance of changing your batteries in your smoke detectors twice a year and overall fire safety and what to do in the case of an emergency.”

One of the features of the trailer is that the doors can be controlled to get warm to the touch from built-in heating elements. There is a window at the back of the trailer with a ladder that the students practiced getting out of.

“We tell them when there is smoke you want to get nice and low because smoke rises,” Miller said. “We explained the importance of when they get outside to have a meeting place for their family so everyone can be accounted for. Our purpose is to provide fire safety tips to the children and make it fun for them. It’s a great tool for us to use.”

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LynOaken, Chamber’s Agricultural Business of the Year, continues to diversify and make upgrades

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Wendy Oakes Wilson and her brother Darrel Oakes stand next to the tractor which takes wagons full of visitors through the orchards and vineyard at LynOaken on the Ridge. The family farm will be honored by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce as Agricultural Business of the Year at the annual awards dinner Thursday night at White Birch Golf Club.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 15 October 2018 at 10:21 am

MEDINA – Darrel Oakes and his sister Wendy Oakes Wilson are the third generation to operate the family farm started by their grandfather Leonard Oakes in 1919.

On Thursday evening, LynOaken Farms will be honored as the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Agricultural Business of the Year.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Chris Oakes, orchard manager at LynOaken Farms and the fourth generation to work on the farm, holds a Redfield apple, a variety that was developed in 1938. The apple has a red flesh and pink seeds. It’s one of the heirloom varieties in a U-Pick orchard at the farm.

The award is not only a tremendous honor, but a perfect preview of the events leading up to celebration of LynOaken Farms 100th anniversary next year, Wilson said.

“We don’t know who nominated us for the award, but we were pleasantly shocked and honored,” Wilson said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Leonard Oakes had just gotten certified in poultry service from Cornell when he purchased land at the corner of Alps and Platten roads in the town of Yates.

“There were apple trees on it, but he wanted to raise chickens,” Wilson said. “He also had row crops, tart cherries and cucumbers.”

When Leonard died in 1951, his son James and new wife Wanda came back from Purdue to run the farm.

“Wanda was just pregnant with Darrel at the time,” Wilson said. “Our father was not into raising livestock and poultry, but was more interested in fruit, so he started planting cherries, apples and peaches.”

James ran the farm until the early 1980s, when Darrel took over.

Wilson at the time was still a teenager. She graduated from high school and went to the University of Michigan, intending to pursue a career in international business. She spent a year in Brazil and a year in Spain as an exchange student.

When Darrel offered her a position on the farm as treasurer and head of sales, she accepted.

Wendy Oakes Wilson pours a glass of wine in the wine tasting room at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, 10609 Ridge Rd., Medina. LynOaken Farms, run by the Oakes family, has been named Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Agricultural Business of the Year.

She is to first to admit she does not have a green thumb and the only thing she has been able to nourish is her husband and son.

“I’m the first employee who is not responsible for anything in the orchards,” she said. “But what I brought to the table was experience in business and accounting, and the ability to sell.”

In addition to the home farm in Lyndonville, the Oakes branched out to Ridge Road, Medina, where they opened a market and gift shop. Since Wilson joined her brother, they have a presence in 90 different locations in Western and Central New York where they sell apples and peaches.

File photo: Jonathan Oakes, the wine maker at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, serves up some Steampunk Cider from the tasting room in August 2014 during the annual Steampunk Festival at the winery. Oakes dressed up for the festival.

In 2004, they built a controlled atmosphere storage; in 2008 they planted a heritage U-pick orchard with 300 varieties and started a winery; in 2013, they began picking in the heritage orchard and added a pavilion to the property.

This year they have built a new packing facility, which will be up and running in a few weeks and will allow Oakes to do six times more what they currently do, Wilson said. It will also allow them to facilitate the promotion of private label to retailers and to sort peaches on that line as well.

Leonard Oakes Estate Winery will also be operating a new tasting room, called Bar Cultivar, at the Barrel Factory in Buffalo’s Old First Ward.

The Oakes are not content to rest on their laurels, and are talking about expanding the U-pick orchards and remodeling, expanding and repurposing the existing retail building to take advantage of new opportunities, Wilson said.

From Leonard Oakes’ one-main operation in 1919, the family operation grew to seven full-time employees in 2001 and 28 full-time year-round now. Eighty-nine are currently employed during the peak harvest.

The fourth generation of Oakes are heavily involved in the business.

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Blissett’s owner in Medina honored for lifetime achievement by Chamber

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Blissett’s has expanded under the ownership of Jaye Sullivan, who will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award Thursday by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 15 October 2018 at 9:08 am

‘That’s how a small business survives – by adapting to changing times. The biggest challenge has been competing with the big box stores.’ – Jaye Sullivan

MEDINA – Jaye Sullivan can’t remember in her lifetime when there was ever nothing to do.

Sullivan is the third generation of her family to own Blissett’s Specialty Shop in Medina.

On Thursday night, Sullivan will be honored by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce as recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Blissett’s was started in 1941 by Sullivan’s grandparents, Chester and Beatrice Blissett, who opened their first store in Albion.

Around 1950, they opened a second store in Medina, Blissett’s Children’s Shop, in space they rented in the S.A. Cook Building.

After experiencing a serious accident, the Blissetts closed the Albion store.

Their daughter Glenyce Stilwell bought the business in the 1970s, and the family all worked there, Sullivan said.

“From the time we were little – even as young as 3, we were in the store,” Sullivan said. “We also had a working farm. There was never not anything to do.”

Bridal wear for the entire party can be found at Blissett’s in Medina, in addition to First Communion dresses. Owner Jaye Sullivan, shown here with a selection of children’s gowns, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce at its awards dinner Thursday night. The store was started by her grandparents 77 years ago.

She grew up in a three-generation house, where she helped hoe acres and acres of cabbage and helped to tend 200 pigs.

“We would come to the store every day after school,” Sullivan said. “I count myself lucky being able to work and play with my family.”

“When a grandmother comes in to buy a gift for her grandchild in California, I realize how lucky I was to grow up with my grandparents,” she said.

Sullivan’s sisters, Jackie and Jan, worked in the store while growing up, but chose other careers.

Jan was involved in the store until their mother purchased the building at the corner of Main and East Center Street in 1996 and moved Blissett’s there.

After Sullivan graduated from high school in 1971, she moved to California, then returned to Rochester to work at Sibley’s for a year and a half. In 1983, she married Tim Sullivan, and they have a daughter Mackenzie Smith and grandson Jack, 3.

“If Jack ends up helping me here, he will be the fifth generation,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan took over the store in 2004. She said she gradually had to adapt the business from a children’s store, starting 30 years ago with a small selection of bridal wear. She began added more specialty items, such as christening and prom dresses.

“That’s how a small business survives – by adapting to changing times,” Sullivan said. “The biggest challenge has been competing with the big box stores.”

Sullivan is thrilled to be honored by the Chamber, because she said her grandparents would be so proud.

“My mother also loved this store more than life itself,” she said, a little of which may have just rubbed off on her.

Sullivan has served her community, as a member of the school board and an officer in the Medina Business Association for years and years. She is still a member of the Decorate Medina Committee.

“I’m very grateful to this community and the customers we’ve had through the years – from Buffalo, Syracuse and even Ohio,” Sullivan said. “I’m honored to be chosen for this award, and I will accept it for my grandmother and my mother.”

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Another 1st place for Medina band, with state competition 2 weeks away

Posted 14 October 2018 at 1:44 pm

Courtesy of Medina Marching Band

The Victor Marching Band hosted a competition on Saturday with 11 bands performing on a chilly but dry night.

In SS1 Medina earned 1st place with a score of 84.45 followed by East Irondequoit in second with 81.50.

Other winners were Marcus Whitman in SS3 with 68.50; Hilton in LS3 with 74.50; Webster in LS2 with 79.85 and Cicero-North Syracuse in the National class with 89.50.

Medina will next perform on Oct. 20 at Orchard Park.

The state championships at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse will be on Sunday, Oct. 28. There is still time to get a seat on the spectator bus by contacting Jim Steele at 585-317-9389.

For true marching band enthusiasts there will be 53 bands performing in 6 divisions starting at 8 a.m. Medina performs in SS1 at 6:54 p.m.

The other divisions are SS3 starting at 8 a.m., SS2 at 10:15 a.m., LS3 at 1 p.m., LS2 at 2:50 p.m., SS1 at 6:15 p.m. and National at 8:10 p.m. As an added treat the University of Buffalo performs in exhibition at 5 p.m. and the Syracuse University at 9:54 p.m.

Tickets for the Dome are available at the door for $19 for adults and $13 for Seniors and children 12 years and under. Parking is $10. There is a new Dome policy which prohibits backpacks or purses. Only allowed bags are clear plastic vinyl and cannot exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12″ or you can use a gallon plastic bag. Additional info can be obtained at NYSFBC.org.

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Walk raises about $20K to end Alzheimer’s

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2018 at 9:56 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – More than 100 people walked 2 miles on Saturday, including a stretch along the Erie Canal, to raise funds to support people battling Alzheimer’s.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s returned to Medina on Saturday. Last year the walk was in Lewiston. The event was expected to raise $20,000 for Alzheimer’s care, support and research, said Lynn Westcott, the director of development for the Western New York Chapter.

The money funds programs in Orleans County, including support groups, care consultations, educational programs and a help line (1-800-272-3900).

For more on the WNY chapter, click here.

Some of the walkers pass the canal bridge by State Street Park and head to the towpath by the Erie Canal.

Signs at the park offer stark statistics about the disease.

Randy Bushover, right, served as emcee of the kickoff rally at State Street Park.

This group heads up Route 31 to State Street Park to conclude the walk.

Sienna Garcia Mathewson of Albion carries a purple flower which signifies she has a lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s.

The different colors of the flowers have different meanings. Blue flowers represent a person battling the disease. Purple is for a person who lost their battle with the disease. Yellow signifies a caregiver. Orange is for a general supporter of the cause. Personal messages were written on the flowers.

Mary Lou Tuohey hugs her daughter Nicole after Nicole cut the ribbon to kick off the walk. Nicole sold about 1,500 paper links at $1 each to create a chain for the starting line. Nicole raised money through her mother Mary Lou’s business, Case-Nic Cookies in Medina. They sold elephant cookies that added a new link to the chain. Nicole raised the money in memory of her grandma and grandpa.

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Medina Lions Club, Forrestel Farms team up for scarecrow festival

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2018 at 8:48 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Isabel Casewell, 12, of Medina makes a scarecrow on Saturday at Forrestel Farms, which hosted the scarecrow festival. The Medina Lions Club organized the event. For the first time in 10 years, the event was hosted by Forrestel.

The new venue allowed the Lions to offer more activities and games, and for participants to also tour the horse farm and see other animals.

The Shelby Volunteer Fire Company served chicken barbecue dinners. Other agencies were part of the event, including the United Methodist Church at the food booth, Boy Scouts, the Sheriff’s Department offering child IDs, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and GCASA.

Chance Sochia, 11, of Medina works on his scarecrow.

Pete Kaiser of the Lions Club helped with the assembly of many of the scarecrows.

Many of the clothes come from the MAAC Thrift Shop.

Students in Medina High School art classes painted the faces on the scarecrow heads. Iroquois Job Corps students made the stakes for the bodies, with the wood for the stakes is donated by Matt Mundion.

A scarecrow is put together on one of the operating tables.

Skye Rotoli, 15, of Medina welcomed the public to meet this llama named Peaches.

Kim Smith of Barre had many baked goods available at the festival. She has a commercial kitchen out of her home on Eagle Harbor Road.

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Old Medina HS transformed by artists

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2018 at 11:16 pm

Show with 29 artists continues on Sunday

MEDINA – The former Medina High School on Catherine Street has been transformed by artists for a special three-day show that continues on Sunday.

The high school is hosting 29 artists, including Virginia Melynk of Buffalo, shown with her creation using triangular shapes made out of spandex that utilize geometric patterns.

Melynk submitted a proposal to be part of the “PLAY/GROUND” initiative. Artists were given free rein to create in old classrooms, stairwells, hallways and other space in the school.

“It’s getting to engage in an old space and make something new out of it,” she said.

The opening night show on Friday attracted about 400 people, with many from Buffalo.

The show will be open for a final day on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10, and is free to children 12 and under.

Jonathan Casey gave the back entrance of the school a radical new look.

The gym showcases art and has stops for people to create their own artwork.

Michael Hungerford, regional director for Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina, sits in the stairwell of the school near a large papier-mâché alligator, created by Bethany Krull.

Hungerford read about a similar project as PLAY/GROUND in a vacant warehouse in New York City. Hungerford knew the old Medina school would be vacant for several months this year. His uncle Roger Hungerford acquired it from Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God Church and has plans to create apartments out of the school. First, Hungerford is working to renovate the former Bent’s Opera House on Main Street.

Michael pitched the idea of the art installations in the school and the Roger backed the project.

“It is so far beyond my expectations,” Michael Hungerford said. “The work is amazing.”

A closeup of the alligator created by Bethany Krull.

Hungerford said PLAY/GROUND introduced many people to Medina who had never seen the community before, including many of the artists. They had a very positive reaction to Medina.

“I’ve enjoyed seeing the response to Medina, even from the artists who like it,” Hungerford said. “They see cheaper property, which appeals to them because many artists are on a limited budget. This project has planted a seed to get people to Medina, and to the younger people here to see that something like this exists.”

Kyla Kegler of Buffalo created “Thin Space.” She welcomes people to get in the space with the balloons.

Some of the art visitors today get a close look of the exhibit created by Nando Alvarez Perez of Buffalo, who is from Oakland. His artwork is his vision of an ideal classroom setup, with lots of color on the walls, beanbags to sit on and reading nooks.

Kyle Butler of Buffalo created this apparatus for animations. He moves the squares around to create different images. The Michigan native welcomed the chance to create artwork without the pressure of sales.

“Everybody gets a classroom,” he said. “It’s a rare artistic opportunity.”

Colleen Toledano made this piece with pink foam, which proved popular for photos.

Amanda Browder first created “Spectral Locus” for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in 2016, when large colorful fabric was draped on three buildings in Buffalo. The “Spectral Locus” is in the auditorium of the former school.

Bethany Krull made this hand-built porcelain creation she calls, “Your Very Own Mythical Creature.” It is in the hallway of the former school.

The plain white walls in the hallways are no longer.

Even the stairways were given a new vibe by the artists.

Elizabeth Cooper of Medina also is a featured artist. She created angels doing acrobatic moves in one of the stairwells. Todd Belfield of Jeddo Mill Antiques assisted with the installation.

“It’s fabulous,” Cooper said. “Everybody has very interesting stories on how they got started.”

Cooper has the angels doing acrobatics. The rings are from barrel hoops. She is impressed with the variety of art work in the project.

“I feel like this is a spark for something very interesting happening in Medina,” Cooper said.

For more on PLAY/GROUND, click here.

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Sourced Market recognized by Chamber as New Business of the Year

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Darlene Hartway, right, and her children Katie Misiti and Travis Hartway arrange merchandise in their store near Millville. Sourced Market and Eatery has been named New Business of the Year by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 13 October 2018 at 8:28 am

MILLVILLE – Pursuing a dream has led to a local family being named New Business of the Year by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

Sourced Market and Eatery’s owners Charles and Darlene Hartway and their children – Katie Misiti, Travis Hartway and Nathaniel Hartway – will be recognized with other winners at the Chamber’s 20th annual Awards Dinner on Oct. 18 at White Birch Country Club in Lyndonville.

Charles comes from a farming background, but went to work at Hartway Motors in Medina, the dealership owned by his parents, Chuck and Bonnie Hartway. When Chuck decided to retire, Charles and his sisters became partners in the dealership, until he decided to sell his interest and pursue his love of farming.

He and Darlene, with their seven children, bought a dairy farm in South Dakota and moved there.

After several years, a neighbor wanted to expand and offered to buy their land and entire equipment. They decided it was time to move back to Medina .

Charles started a certified organic farm on Fruit Avenue, while Darlene took a microenterprise class sponsored by Orleans County IDA. Katie and Travis also graduated from the class.

From left, Travis Hartway, his mother Darlene Hartway and his sister Katie Misiti stand among a sea of pumpkins on display at their store, Sourced Market and Eatery, which was named New Business of the Year by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

In November 2017, the family opened their store on Maple Ridge Road, Sourced Market and Eatery, featuring an array of organic products and locally sourced food.

“We want customers to know where their food comes from,” Darlene said.

All of the family is involved in the business.

Three of their sons run Hartway Brothers Farm near Millville, land once owned by their grandfather. The boys, Nathaniel, Justin and Franklin, grow squash and pumpkins for the market. Nathaniel also works for a farmer in Bliss.

Katie plans the menu every week, handles the majority of work in the kitchen, and also coordinates catering events. Travis is the baker and is often at the counter serving customers. He said one of their most popular features is the “to-go” salads. An example might be an Asian sesame, ginger and quinoa salad. Lunches are also popular, with offerings such as a beet reuben. There are also lentil, Greek and fall harvest salads.

The store sells farm-raised beef from the Bannister family at The Bridges, as well as duck, rabbit, Polish and Italian sausage, lamb and pheasant, all USDA inspected. Their daughter Bailey is married to Robert Bannister. The Bannister farm not only supplies all the beef for the store, but a lot of the apples, peaches and nectarines.

Daughter Martha works at Mile 303, the new restaurant in Medina, and once a month, Darlene collaborates with Mile 303 to do a brunch. A different style of food is featured each time, she said.

Sourced Market and Eatery also carries honey, cheese, jams and jellies, maple syrup, juices, tofu, gluten-free and vegan options and yogurt bowls.

Since opening their doors, they have already expanded and added a room for dining and displaying more produce.

Darlene grows the herbs and some of the vegetables she uses in a garden outside the store’s door.

The store and eatery are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday (eatery closes at 2 p.m.). Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (eatery is open all day). Starting in November, the business will open at 8 a.m. every day instead of 7 a.m. on Tuesday through Friday.

They are not open for supper, but the nutritious meals at Sourced sell for $8 to $9 and are a big hit.

“They are healthy, home-cooked and reasonably priced,” Darlene said. “Today’s special is lemon grass beef with jasmine rice and steamed green beans. We do as much farm-to-table as possible.”

Travis said they thought of themselves as being small and an “underdog,” so winning the Chamber recognition was a pleasant surprise.

“This area is growing and has a lot of new business, so we are surprised and very honored by the Chamber award,” Darlene said.

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Medina cuts the ribbon on new playground

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2018 at 8:09 pm

Provided photo

MEDINA – Village officials were joined by some local children at 5 p.m. today to cut the ribbon on a new playground at Butts Park. Dallas Kepner joins Mayor Mike Sidari, right, in cutting the ribbon.

Other Village Board members in back in green shirts include, from left: Marguerite Sherman, Todd Bensley and Owen Toale.

The Medina Department of Public Works and community volunteers did a lot of the construction work for the new playground. The DPW continued to work on the site on Tuesday and this morning.

The new setup replaces a wooden playground, which was rotted and in rough shape.

The new playground and wood chips cost just under $40,000. Sidari said the volunteer labor from the community saved several thousand dollars for the installation.

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