By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 February 2023 at 11:49 am
MEDINA – If the Village Board moves forward with new basketball courts at Butts Park, it could cost $166,703.
That is the low estimate from contractors who submitted quotes for the project. American Paving and Excavating, Inc. of Clarence Center has the low estimate so far for the project. Other contractors submitted bids for different pieces of the project. American paving was the only company that said it would take charge of the entire project.
The bid includes an area 94 feet by 115 feet and covers excavation, paving, striping, sealing and four basketball posts, backboards and nets.
Melissa Valley from the Medina Mustang Boosters is leading the effort to get new courts at Butts Park on South Main Street. Currently there aren’t outdoor courts in Medina.
The Village Board wants the new courts but isn’t willing to pay the full cost out of the village budget. The village hasn’t determined how much it can pay towards the project. The board is looking to use some of its federal American Rescue Plan Act funds towards the project.
Mayor Mike Sidari said he would like to see if grants could help with the new courts, and if the Mustang Boosters can help with fundraising.
The estimate from American Paving includes excavating an area 94 feet by 115 feet and going down 10 inches. The company would remove all sod, topsoil, dirt and clay and dispose of it offsite.
It would then install 8 inches of 2-inch crush run limestone and compact with a 7-ton vibratory roller. It would grade the stone to form a true and level surface, and then install a 2-inch course of type-3 dense binder. It would then put a 1-inch course of 1AC fine topping.
Valley encouraged the board to push forward with the project, which she said has been talked about for a few years now.
The two courts would by an 84-by-50 foot area. There would be 5 feet between the courts with a 5-foot perimeter runoff. There would be two hoops at each court, one at each end.
Conceptual renderings from Medina Central School: This shows a proposed new media center in the Oak Orchard Primary School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2023 at 9:05 pm
MEDINA – Voters in the school district today approved a proposed $34,357,277 capital project by a 269-43 vote. That is 86.5 percent of the votes in favor of the project.
The project includes significant work at the three school buildings, plus the bus garage.
There won’t be any new taxes as part of the capital project. District officials said the cost will be covered through $29,895,213 from state building aid (87 percent of the total cost), $2,750,000 from capital reserve and $1,712,064 by retiring debt service payments, resulting in a “tax neutral” financing plan, district superintendent Dr. Mark Kruzynski said in a letter to the community.
After the vote totals were announced at about 8:15 p.m. in the district office, he thanked the community for supporting the project.
“This will improve the roads, the security, the traffic flow and our entire program,” he said.
The district will work to finalize design spefications to be sent to the state Department of Education for their approval. That is expected to take six to eight months. He expects the project will go out to bid around Thanksgiving. The work could be spread out over two to three years, Kruzynski said.
Here is a breakdown of the capital project:
Junior/Senior High School – $17,324,760
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
New Choral Room (including new office and practice rooms)
New Band Room addition (including new offices, practice rooms, and storage)
New Music Storage Room with stage access
Replace stage curtains and add stage outlets
New STEAM Classroom
New Technology Computer Lab
New Technology Wood Shop addition (including exterior dust collector system)
New Greenhouse addition
New first-floor connector link to provide access to new classrooms
New first-floor classrooms at former District Office
New 8’ wide corridor including new single ADA-compliant toilet rooms
New first-floor boys’ and girls’ toilet rooms
New second-floor boys’ and girls’ toilet rooms
Reconstruct existing roadways and parking areas
New shared bus arrival/dismissal parking area for Jr/Sr High School and Intermediate School
Clifford H. Wise Intermediate – $9,769,533
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
Reconstruct existing Pool (including pool tank, gutter, deck, mechanical equipment, and lighting)
Reglaze and reseal windows with failed seals
Reconstruct select mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems throughout the building, including generator replacement, panel board replacement, sanitary piping replacement, sump pump replacement and crawlspace drainage improvements
Reconstruct existing roadways and parking areas: reconstruct existing exit onto Gwinn Street and expanded parking and roadway configuration
Oak Orchard Primary School – $6,198,091
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
New District Office in former Media Center
Reconstruct Girls’ Locker Room to provide ADA-compliant toilets adjacent to Cafeteria and Gymnasium
New Media Center
New Computer Lab
Reconstruct select mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems throughout the building, including panel board replacement, sanitary piping replacement and crawlspace drainage improvements
Rendering and design by Barton & Loguidice: An addition to the Medina fire hall would have tall enough bays with a building long enough to accommodate a new ladder truck. The current fire hall only gives about 2 inches of clearance in the garage doors. The fire trucks would go to the new addition while the ambulances are moved to space where the fire trucks are currently housed.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2023 at 4:06 pm
Village expects to have public information meeting in near future on fire hall expansion, new ladder truck
MEDINA – Mayor Mike Sidari wants to build public support for a new ladder truck and an expanded fire hall to accommodate that big fire apparatus.
The board will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 to tour the fire hall and see the shortcomings of that facility: including doors that only have about 2 inches of clearance for fire trucks, sunken and uneven floors, and cracks in the walls.
Sidari said he would like to have the public also see the deficiencies of the building in person. He said the fire department has a clear need for a bigger and more modern fire hall.
The board in November received a report from the Barton & Loguidice firm that estimated the fire addition, plus repairs to the current fire hall, would be about $4.5 million. That doesn’t include the cost for the new ladder truck which could be in the $1.5 million to $2 million range, depending on when the village commits to the truck.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The current fire hall barely has clearance for fire trucks and the building needs some repairs. Newer fire trucks are too tall for the current bays.
The prices have been rising fast in recent years, with a shortage of materials and lead time now over 3 years from when the truck is ordered to when it is ready.
Fire Chief Matt Jackson told the Village Board on Monday the current lead time is 39 to 41 months.
Jackson and the fire department in recent years have been urging the Village Board to commit to a new ladder truck and a bigger fire hall.
“There is no doubt we have been dragging our feet,” Sidari said during Monday’s board meeting. “The biggest thing is we need the public buy-in. If we don’t, you know what will happen. It will be all over social media and it will get ugly.”
Sidari would like there to be public information meetings for residents to learn more about the need for the ladder truck and bigger building.
The board also wants to expand the village office next to the fire hall door on Park Avenue.
Barton & Loguidice put the fire hall addition at $4.5 million with the addition to the village office at up to $1.5 million. With furnishings for the two buildings, the total cost could be close to $7 million, Sidari said.
The plan for the fire hall includes an addition approximately 62 feet, 8 inches by 88 feet, 8 inches.
The addition would be on the current fire hall on the west side in an area that is currently a parking lot. That addition is needed to house a new ladder truck.
The current ladder truck is from 1996. That truck has a ladder that is 75 feet long. That truck has a clearance of 10.4 feet but the space in the garage is 10 feet, 6 inches, Jackson said.
The new ladder trucks have a clearance of 13 feet. The design for the new hall addition would have bays that allow up to 14 feet.
With a new space for fire trucks, the ambulances could be moved to the current fire house. The space for the ambulances right now could be used for police cars or perhaps as a meeting area, Sidari said.
The fire hall project also would include:
A new public entry, radio room/office, laundry room, EMS room, restrooms, Decon room, gear room, mechanical room, tool room, and apparatus bay with the existing apparatus bay being repurposed to house the village ambulances.
A mezzanine space will be located along the perimeter of the new apparatus bay with file storage and office space accessed from the existing building second floor hallway.
A new air and vapor barrier membrane and new exterior cladding system will be installed over the existing concrete masonry unit wall construction of the existing fire station, and the existing overhead sectional doors will be relocated and replaced allowing for adequate clearances around the ambulance apparatus bay.
The renewal of the building’s existing façade will result in creating a weather tight envelope while simultaneously allowing the cladding system of the addition to carry over creating a cohesive look to the updated facility.
The existing concrete slab in the existing ambulance apparatus bay will be replaced, including the installation of new trench drainage and epoxy floor finish.
The outdated emergency generator located south of the alley will be replaced and upgraded to accommodate the fire station and addition.
“We really have to get buy-in from the village residents,” Sidari said. “Let’s show them why we really need this.”
Sidari would like to see chalk markings on the outside of the current fire hall to show the height needed for a new ladder truck. He also said residents should be invited to see firefighters move the big trucks in and out of the fire hall, to see the tight fit.
They also can see the other damage in the building, which Barton & Loguidice estimated would cost about $600,000 to fix.
The village is considering a 42 by 48 foot addition with a vestibule on the side that is 7 feet by 10 feet, 8 inches. That addition primarily would include meeting space.
The project would include two fully accessible restrooms and drinking fountains, as well as more parking. A window would be eliminated in the employee breakroom, and a hallway reconfigured to the new addition.
Barton & Loguidice said the village office addition presents infrastructure challenges similar to the fire station addition. Although there is no underground electrical service, there may be utility work associated with the construction of the new restrooms to connect into the sanitary piping within Park Avenue’s right of way, the report states.
The Village Board is looking to expand the village office and add some parking in the greenspace area west of the current village office on Park Avenue.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2023 at 2:38 pm
Specific projects likely at least a year away from approval
Provided photo: Mayor Mike Sidari, right, holds a ceremonial check for $4.5 million after the governor’s presentation on Monday. Joining him from right to left include: Village Trustee Tim Elliott, Kathy Blackburn, Diana Baker, Village Trustee Jess Marciano, Scott Robinson of the Medina Area Partnership and David Flynn.
MEDINA – The long-awaited news on Monday that Medina was a big winner for projects in the downtown and near the waterfront is a “transformative moment for Medina,” said Mayor Mike Sidari.
He attended an event in Rochester on Monday when Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $4.5 million Forward NY grant for Medina. The Village of Geneseo also was awarded a $4.5 million grant and the Village of Perry won the big $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant for the Finger Lakes Region.
Sidari is thrilled with the $4.5 million coming to Medina. He praised the business community and a team of village officials and volunteers who have been pursuing the $10 million DRI for six years now. Medina made it as a finalist before, but never secured the funding until Monday.
The state this year broke up the downtown revitalization grants. There are still $10 million DRI winners among 10 regions in the state, but the state is giving smaller Forward NY grants of up to $4.5 million for villages or hamlets.
Sidari said there is still more hard work to do before tapping into the money. The State Department of State will send a representative to Medina in about two weeks to go over the next steps.
Sidari said he expects a committee will be formed of village officials and the business community to zero in on specific projects, get commitments from property owners and construction estimates, and then send those projects to the state for final approval.
That is expected to take much of this year before the state finalizes the projects, and then the work could proceed in perhaps a year. But it could take longer. Sidari noted some of the construction projects in Batavia didn’t get started until last year – more than four years after Batavia was awarded the $10 million DRI in October 2017.
“Hopefully at the end of this year we can announce our projects,” he said on Monday evening. “The process will get started it about two weeks. I expect it will be about two years before we see changes.”
The $4.5 million grant from the state will push Medina forward, Sidari said, “advancing opportunity for entrepreneurs, job creation, generation of tax revenue and ultimately attracting more young families and tourists.”
Photo from Governor’s Office: Gov. Kathy Hochul announces a $4.5 million Forward NY grant for the Village of Medina during a presentation on Monday at The Theater at Innovation Square in Rochester.
Medina’s application included seven proposals for funding, but those aren’t necessarily how the money will be allocated. It’s almost guaranteed those seven proposals won’t be funded at the levels in the application because Medina didn’t get the $10 million.
Sidari said the $4.5 million will still make a big impact in the downtown area. “I think it will be just enough money for what we need to do,” he said.
The proposals in Medina application include:
• Small project grant fund for Main Street, West Avenue – $1 million estimated cost with $500,000 of grant.
This project is designed to support façade (a building’s street-facing elevation) improvements to commercial and mixed-use properties on Main Street that benefit both the businesses occupying those buildings and the community as a whole. Necessary updates include paint, brick, wood, awnings/canopies, lighting, windows and doors.
“Improvements to the street-facing exteriors of the buildings in need are meant to preserve the unique small-town charm in our community while spurring economic growth,” the village’s application states.
• Renovation and activation of upper stories, Main Street and West Avenue – $800,000 with $400,000 from grant.
Medina’s Main Street and downtown have proudly seen a relatively low first floor vacancy rate, while many of the upper stories remain vacant and underutilized, according to the application.
The property owners of the buildings located at 509 Main Street, 345 Main Street, 425 Main Street, and 525 West Avenue have shown interest in the following renovations: structural, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, new windows and a sprinkler system.
The building owners will be contributing to the rehabilitation costs. These spaces will offer expanded commercial space as well as additional housing and help create a more vibrant and active downtown, according to the application.
• Way-finding signage throughout village for $100,000.
While Medina contains many unique assets and historic resources, in many instances visitors may not be knowledgeable about the close proximity of the Erie Canal and other recreational resources. Conversely, those traveling by boat or bicycle on the Erie Canal may be unaware of the vibrant downtown that is steps away from the Canal Basin, which is part of the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, according to the village’s application
Potential signage types for downtown may include gateway signs, directional signs (vehicular and pedestrian), kiosks and interpretive signs, identification signs (destinations and parking areas), and light pole banners.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Medina in its application sought $100,000 of the grant to better direct people to attractions in the village. This photo is from Main Street this past December. Medina also is seeking to upgrade a municipal parking lot behind Main Street and East Center Street.
• Municipal parking lot upgrades at area behind Main Street and East Center Street – Estimated cost $500,000 with $300,000 from grant.
There is a large parking lot that lies to the southeast of the intersection at Main Street and East Center Street within walking distance of many businesses. The underutilized lot offers more than 50 much-needed parking spaces but needs enhancements including paving, directional signs (vehicular and pedestrian), green space/trees that provide shade and drainage, security cameras, safe pedestrian connections and additional lighting.
“These changes will help attract the attention of visitors and provide a necessary relief to existing parking infrastructure,” village officials stated in the application.
The village would like to improve a municipal parking lot to add more spaces and make the site more attractive.
• State Street Park – $300,000 for updated playground equipment and a small ice rink, bicycle amenities, seating benches and additional lighting.
“Despite recent improvements, including the addition of a small pavilion that allowed the park to host a summer concert series, State Street Park remains relatively underutilized, especially in the off-season,” village officials said.
• Mustang City: adaptive reuse of old high school at 324 Catherine St., $9 million project, $3 million in grant requested.
Mustang City will be a loft-style community set in the historic former Medina High School building. This project will involve the restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic structure, transforming its 90,000 square-foot floor area into 40 loft apartments. Mustang City will fulfill Medina’s need for additional housing options and will allow for a new kind of “maintenance-free” living, with amenities and services including grocery delivery, cleaning, and laundry pickup. This project is already underway with over 100 new windows and a new roof.
• Medina Railroad Museum: seeking $1.5 million.
The Medina Railroad Museum draws approximately 40,000 people annually. It recently invested $40,000 in the construction of a panel track to display box cars and house new exhibit and cafe spaces as well as restrooms and is also in the process of creating a continuous boarding platform.
The museum envisions these investments as part of a larger plan to expand its footprint and to create more of a campus-like complex. The campus will extend east from the existing museum building to the old train station near Main Street, creating a visible and intriguing presence along the main thoroughfare, according to the village application.
The train station building (currently used as the senior center) is owned by the village. The Railroad Museum would to see it become a welcome center and small exhibit space, attracting people off Main Street and to the museum (while the senior center would be relocated to Village Hall).
A landscaped pedestrian plaza will connect the train station to the existing museum building. Site improvements at the existing museum will include visitor experience enhancements, roof upgrades, parking lot paving, as well as landscape beautification. On the southern side of the tracks, the campus plan calls for the creation of a park-like courtyard space adjacent to the library. This courtyard will include the installation of two, permanent dining cars – to be rented out for weddings and other events – as well as an enclosed pole barn building, which will be used to store and repair cars, according to the application.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 February 2023 at 11:23 am
Photo courtesy of Tim Elliott: Gov. Kathy Hochul announces a $4.5 million Forward NY grant today in Rochester for the Village of Medina.
ROCHESTER – The Village of Medina was awarded a $4.5 million state grant today following years of effort to secure major funding from the state.
The Forward NY grant was announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul today at The Theater at Innovation Square in Rochester. She highlighted investments in her executive budget for the Finger Lakes Region, and then announced a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative for the Village of Perry in Wyoming County, and then two $4.5 million Forward NY grants – for Medina in Orleans County and the Village of Geneseo in Livingston County.
She praised the officials from those communities for pushing a grand vision for their communities, and seeking the state funding to be a catalyst for a series of improvements.
“They have elected officials who believe the future could be better,” Hochul said.
The specific projects weren’t announced today. Medina is expected to form a committee that will finalize projects and cost estimates, which will then go to the state for final approval.
Hochul has frequently visited Medina in the past decade, first as a member of Congress and then as lieutenant governor before she taking office as governor in August 2021.
She mentioned today that Medina is blessed with many sandstone buildings, a Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame, the Bent’s Opera House and Railroad Museum.
She said she has been a customer at Rudy;’s Diner, Della’s Chocolates and the Author’s Note bookstore (formerly The Book Shoppe). She has attended the Parade of Lights in late November, which she joked seems to fall on the coldest day of the year.
More will be coming on the Orleans Hub on the governor’s announcement and the next steps with the grant.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 February 2023 at 10:18 am
Gov. Kathy Hochul has invited Medina village officials to Rochester this morning as part of an announcement of state investments in the Finger Lakes Region.
Medina has applied for a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant and also a Forward New York grant for up to $4.5 million.
Hochul will make an announcement at 10:30 a.m. at The Theater at Innovation Square, 131 Chestnut Street, Rochester, NY 14604. Her presentation can be following live on the governor’s website by clicking here.
Medina has been a finalist several times before for the $10 million DRI but hasn’t been awarded any of the millions. The $10 million DRI grants are more focused to cities
The state this year is offering the Forward NY grants which are geared towards villages. Those amounts so far in other parts of the state have been for either $2.25 million or $4.5 million.
Some of the Forward NY grants announced by Hochul include $4.5 million for both Lancaster and Wellsville in the Western New York region, and $4.5 million for the Village of Cape Vincent, and $2.25 million for both the villages of Lyons Falls and Waddington in the North Country.
Hochul, during an announcement at Dunkirk on Jan. 24, said the big grants from the state are “catalysts” for private investment in the communities. The grants can jump-start projects and help finish off other efforts.
Mayor Mike Sidari of Medina previously said the village has applied and been interviewed by officials in the region and state for both the $10 million DRI and $4.5 million Forward NY. The funding with accelerate economic development, small business development, tourism and housing projects.
The village has identified potential projects. If awarded one of the grants, those projects would need to go through a final approval process with the state with more precise construction estimates.
Provided photos: Pictured from left include Lion Ken Dunham who sponsored his wife, Barb Dunham, and Jeff and Charlene Smith as new members, and Lion Jim Hancock who sponsored Andrea Walton.
Press Release, Medina Lions Club
MEDINA – The Medina Lions Club inducted four new members during their monthly dinner meeting on Tuesday at the Junior Wilson Sportsman’s Club.
Lion Ken Dunham sponsored his wife, Barb Dunham, and Jeff and Charlene Smith. Lion Jim Hancock sponsored Andrea Walton.
The ceremony was led by Lions District Governor Judy McKnight, and current club President Jim Punch.
Lions Club International is the largest service club organization in the world. The Medina Lions Club was founded in 1935, and has the mission “We Serve.”
Medina Lions members conduct vision screenings in area elementary schools and pre-schools; participate in many community events, some of which are the Parade of Lights and the Community Yard Sale; host the Scarecrow Festival and an annual chicken barbecue; and operate a Medical Loan Closet to meet the medical equipment needs of area residents.
For more information about the Medina Lions Club contact Jim Punch, President at jimppunch@gmail.com.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 February 2023 at 8:22 am
Gloria Brent and Mike Snyder spearhead several Medina businesses
Photos by Ginny Kropf: This c.1853 Greek Revival home on the corner of Pearl Street and Proctor Place iwill be used as a business office for Gloria Brent and her husband Mike Snyder.
MEDINA – A 170-year-old home on Pearl Street is seeing new life as the office of MDS Consultants.
MDS was formed in 2008 by Gloria Brent, who with her husband Mike Snyder has purchased the house, which they are in the process of upgrading and highlighting many of its historic features.
Brent’s journey to Medina is a tale of success. Born and raised in Bath, she studied nursing at Corning Community College. She was working as a nursing supervisor at a nursing home in Rochester, where she saw a job posted for an MDS coordinator. (The Minimum Data Set is a mandated process for residents in Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes.)
“I knew nothing about it, but I applied kind of out of curiosity,” Brent said. “They hired me and paid someone to train me. I realized there was no one I could turn to for information when I needed it, and I knew then there was a need for this service.”
In wondering how to get her business started, her husband asked her why she didn’t just pick up the telephone book and start calling every nursing home in the area. She sat at her kitchen table, and her business was born.
“When I got to ‘B,’ Batavia was the first name I saw and I called Batavia Nursing Home,” Brent said.
(Left) Gloria Brent greets Andy Jamele in the Greek Revival home where his family lived when he was growing up. Brent and her husband Mike Snyder are making the house into an office. (Right) Gloria Brent shows one of the booklets she created which nursing homes must provide for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. She said her company, MDS Consulting, is the largest of its kind in the country which works with nursing homes to help them comply.
They were interested, and she was on her way. From 2008 to 2012, she worked alone from home, but the demand for her service was so great, she started hiring. Today, MDS Consultants is the largest company in the nation dedicated to helping nursing homes become and stay compliant with regulations for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. She employs 55 people throughout seven states.
Brent is the author of three books and has developed software to better capture patient care measures in skilled nursing facilities.
Both Brent, a licensed land surveyor, and Snyder have children by previous marriages, and after meeting through mutual friends, they married and moved to Medina, where he lived. They purchased the former home of Dr. Abassey on Culvert Road, and then began to pursue other business interests in the Medina area.
Two years ago, they purchased the building on East Center Street, which was home to Canal Country Artisans and then Filomena’s Favorites. It is now a very successful Modern Mercantile. In addition to purchased rental properties, last year they bought Main Street Liquor Store.
Five years ago the couple bought an c.1853 Greek Revival home at 105 Pearl St., which they are restoring as an office for both of them. The home is unique in its construction, as the walls are lath plank, or 1 x 6-inch boards laid flat and stacked on top of each other. They uncovered a lath ceiling in the room Brent will use for her office, and chose to frame around it and leave it exposed. In the room which become Snyder’s office, he is planning to install a tin ceiling.
“We immediately saw the value in the building,” Brent said.
(Left) This is one of the walls in the home Gloria Brent and Mike Snyder are restoring at 105 Pearl St. The walls are 6-inch planks stacked flat. (Right) Andy Jamele, right, visited Gloria Brent and Mike Snyder last week in the c.1853 Greek Revival home where he lived with his parents. They are standing here in what was the Jamele’s living room and will become a conference room.
Last week, Brent and Synder received a visit from a man who used to live in the house.
Andy Jamele of Kuckville lived there in the 1950s and 1960s with his siblings and parents Pasquale and Maude Jamele. He pointed out there were 10 rooms upstairs, which his parents rented out. He recalled when he and his brother Carl remodeled the east side of the house and moved his father from the west side of the house into those rooms. What was their living room will now be a conference room.
Jamele also pointed out where there used to be bathrooms, and windows which used to extend to the floor. He said there used to be quite a bit of land and a barn on the south side of the house, which sits on the corner of Pearl and Proctor Place.
His visit brought back a lot of memories, Jamele said. He is thrilled to see the home being maintained and put to good use.
Brent and Snyder didn’t say what might have in mind next.
“I never dreamed we would do what we’ve done,” Snyder said.
They work together to manage their properties, Brent said.
“We are enjoying the journey,” she said. “It’s all about the journey.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: Rollin Hellner, founder and CEO of Hellner Development Company, is pictured Saturday outside The Walsh at 525 West Ave. in Medina. He purchased the building last Wednesday from Tim Cooper.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2023 at 10:15 am
MEDINA – A Medina man with a real estate development business has acquired The Walsh and soon will buy the Holley Hotel.
Rollin Hellner, founder and CEO of Hellner Development Company, is only 29. He already has a real estate portfolio of several hundred thousand square feet with commercial and residential sites in Orleans, Niagara and Erie counties. He focuses on what he said are typically distressed properties.
Hellner lives in Medina in the Maple Crest, a 5,500-square-foot home that he renovated last year.
He had lived in Medina from 2015 to 2020 and was happy to come back to the village last year.
He has been friends with Tim Cooper for several years. Cooper bought The Walsh and worked three years on the first floor of the site. He opened a barroom and second tap room last summer.
Cooper had plans for the second and third floors, but will hand off the project to Hellner who is planning to make second floor apartments and third floor hotel rooms at The Walsh.
“He has a lot of energy and a lot of talent,” Cooper said about Hellner.
The new owner praised Cooper for his work at The Walsh, turning it into a popular gathering place for the community at 525 West Ave.
“Tim did a fantastic job with it,” Hellner said Saturday at The Walsh, as many people were coming into the tap room as part of the Wine About Winter event, with 800 people enjoying wine-tastings at 22 spots in Medina.
Cooper will stay on at The Walsh, managing the tap room.
“He did a lot of improvements that that brought back the original historic character,” Hellner said.
He also praised Cooper for creating a vibe at The Walsh that is focused on conversation and connecting with other people.
“We want it to continue to be a place where Medina residents feel comfortable,” Hellner said.
Rollin Hellner is his company will go through and renovate each of the 40 units at the Holley Hotel.
He also will close on buying the Holley Hotel on March 1. He has an agreement to start work on the site this week. There are some code violations that need to be resolved before people can move back into the building.
Residents in apartments at the Holley Hotel were forced to leave the site on Aug. 24 after the village code enforcement officer deemed the building was unsafe and unsanitary on Aug. 3. Residents were given three weeks to find alternative housing.
Some of the issues have been addressed, and Hellner and his team will work to get the site up to code. He said there will be a rebranding of the site, which will continue to be called the Holley Hotel. There are about 40 units in the Medina sandstone structure at the corner of Route 31 and Thomas Street.
There will be a screening process for tenants in the apartments, and he would like to offer hotel rooms. Initially, the units will be mostly apartments, but long-term he would like about half of the units to be hotel rooms. The building also includes two storefronts.
He said his development company will work on some parts of the outside of the building and go unit by unit inside, renovating the spaces.
“It’s a beautiful building,” Hellner said. “It’s very important piece of the Public Square.”
Mayor Mark Bower said he is very encouraged to see Hellner will be acquiring the site and putting resources into the building and giving it a new image in the community.
Hellner said he sees a lot of potential with Holley with its unique Public Square and its tourist attraction with the Holley Waterfalls.
His projects in Medina, Holley. Middleport, Lockport, Buffalo and Newfane are ambitious efforts, but Hellner said he sees the area as a good investment.
The properties in the villages are more affordable than in the suburbs, and he said he has a dedicated team that knows how to make the properties attractive for residents and businesses.
“I feel very good about a lot of the communities in Niagara and Orleans,” Hellner said. “We offer clean and affordable housing and real estate. I think there’s deals to be made here.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2023 at 8:08 am
Courtesy of Medina Central School: The project includes a new vestibule at the Clifford Wise Intermediate School.
MEDINA – The school district will be holding a public information meeting today at 6:30 p.m. to go over a proposed $34.3 million capital project. The meeting will be in the junior-senior high school auditorium.
The project will go before voters from noon to 8 p.m. on Feb. 14 with voting in the district office board room.
The $34,357,277 project includes significant work at the three school buildings, plus the bus garage.
There won’t be any new taxes as part of the capital project. District officials said the cost will be covered through $29,895,213 from state building aid (87 percent of the total cost), $2,750,000 from capital reserve and $1,712,064 by retiring debt service payments, resulting in a “tax neutral” financing plan, district superintendent Dr. Mark Kruzynski said in a letter to the community on the district website.
Doing the projects as part of a capital plan will make the district eligible for state aid, covering the majority of the costs. If the project is voted down, Medina would still need to proceed with some of the “critical safety requirements and building preservation needs,” Kruzynski said. However, not doing the work in a capital project would put the full cost on district taxpayers, he said.
Eligible voters must be at least 18 and a resident of the school district for at least 30 days prior to the vote.
Here is a breakdown of the capital project:
Junior/Senior High School – $17,324,760
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
New Choral Room (including new office and practice rooms)
New Band Room addition (including new offices, practice rooms, and storage)
New Music Storage Room with stage access
Replace stage curtains and add stage outlets
New STEAM Classroom
New Technology Computer Lab
New Technology Wood Shop addition (including exterior dust collector system)
New Greenhouse addition
New first-floor connector link to provide access to new classrooms
New first-floor classrooms at former District Office
New 8’ wide corridor including new single ADA-compliant toilet rooms
New first-floor boys’ and girls’ toilet rooms
New second-floor boys’ and girls’ toilet rooms
Reconstruct existing roadways and parking areas
New shared bus arrival/dismissal parking area for Jr/Sr High School and Intermediate School
Clifford H. Wise Intermediate – $9,769,533
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
Reconstruct existing Pool (including pool tank, gutter, deck, mechanical equipment, and lighting)
Reglaze and reseal windows with failed seals
Reconstruct select mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems throughout the building, including generator replacement, panel board replacement, sanitary piping replacement, sump pump replacement and crawlspace drainage improvements
Reconstruct existing roadways and parking areas: reconstruct existing exit onto Gwinn Street and expanded parking and roadway configuration
Oak Orchard Primary School – $6,198,091
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
New District Office in former Media Center
Reconstruct Girls’ Locker Room to provide ADA-compliant toilets adjacent to Cafeteria and Gymnasium
New Media Center
New Computer Lab
Reconstruct select mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems throughout the building, including panel board replacement, sanitary piping replacement and crawlspace drainage improvements
Reconstruct existing roadways and parking areas
New parking lot at relocated District Office
Bus loop paving restoration
Bus Garage – $1,064,893
Roof replacement
New staff parking area
If the project is approved by voters, the school district will work on final designs to be submitted to the State Education Department this fall, with SED approval expected in early 2024. The project would then go out to bid with the bulk of construction expected to start in summer 2024, according to a timeline from the district. Medina school leaders anticipate the entire project would be completed in early 2026.
