By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 August 2020 at 8:56 am
Medina is being considered for new Amazon warehouse after the company withdrew its plan to build in Grand Island.
Buffalo Business First reported that Medina is one of four locations in Western New York being considered for the project, with the STAMP site in nearby Alabama and sites in Chautauqua County also under consideration. Click here for a link to the article.
The Orleans EDA tweeted the article from Buffalo Business First and said the Medina Business Park already has the zoning and infrastructure in place for the project.
Amazon encountered community resistance in Grand Island for the 3.8-million-square-foot warehouse, with concerns raised about traffic and impact on the environment. Amazon offered the town $10 million for project approval, in addition to what the company would be paying in taxes.
But on Wednesday, the project was withdrawn. The company told Channel 2 (WGRZ) in Buffalo the opposition wasn’t a factor. The company instead is looking at other locations due to possible cost increases at Grand Island. Amazon said it is no longer looking at sites in Erie County for the $300 million project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 August 2020 at 9:40 am
District gives families until Aug. 21 to decide whether in-person schooling or remote
MEDINA – The school district has scheduled three meetings next week for the community to learn about Medina’s reopening plan.
The District is planning in-person education from Monday through Friday for students in grades Pre-K through 6. Classrooms have been reconfigured to allow for maximum social distancing, said Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent.
Students in grades 7-12 will have the option to attend school in-person every other day, alternating on Fridays. They will do remote learning when not in school, in-person.
“We simply do not have the space or staff for all students in grades 7-12 to be socially distant every day,” Krusynski said in a letter to the community on Monday.
Students identified as having higher level, disability-specific needs will be invited to attend school daily, he said.
Families have until Aug. 21 to notify the district whether their children will be attending school in-person or remotely. (Click here for more information.)
Aug. 21 is also the deadline to fill out a transportation request form. (Click here for more information.)
The district also has scheduled the following community meetings about the reopening plan:
August 17, 4 p.m. with focus on Oak Orchard Elementary
August 18, 4 p.m. with focus on Medina High School
August 19, 4 p.m. with focus Wise Intermediate/Middle School
Click here for more information on the links to the live stream/recordings of the meetings.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 August 2020 at 8:54 am
MEDINA — The Village of Medina Planning Board is taking public comments about having murals in the historic district.
There will be a public hearing at 7:05 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the City Hall, 600 Main St. Capacity is limited in the main meeting room for the hearing due to Covid-19 concerns.
Comments also can be mailed to Public Hearing, C/O Village Clerk, 119 Park Ave., Medina, NY 14103.
The Planning Board is considering a certificate of appropriateness for three murals in the historic district. These murals would be near Proctor Place on the back sides of one building, with two murals on the sides on a cinder block structure. One of the murals of a “Canalligator” is already done.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Two shoppers look over the sales on the sidewalk of the Downtown Browsery during Medina’s Sidewalk Sale on Saturday.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 9 August 2020 at 8:04 am
MEDINA – Sunny weather and lots of people made for a very successful Sidewalk Sale in Medina on Saturday.
A handful of merchants set up displays outside, offering discounts of up to 75 percent off.
Jamie Wagner at Creekside Florist said the traffic had been steady all day. They offered merchandise outside for 50 percent off, but said they had a lot of sales inside, too. Two customers, Viktor Kachaluba and Jimmy Bieliski of Medina said they came downtown to check everything out.
Ariana Pluskwa, clerk at Creekside Florist in Medina, helps shoppers looking over the items on sale on the sidewalk Saturday. At left is Viktor Kachaluba and Jimmy Bieliski, both of Medina, who said they were just checking things out.
At the Downtown Browsery, vendor Lucy Sacket said they were much busier than usual.
“A lot of people have been walking up and down the street,” she said. “We are pleased with the amount of traffic. There have been a lot of families out shopping.”
At the English Rose Tea Shoppe, they had items for sale on the sidewalk for 75 percent off. Becky Robinson, daughter of shop owner Cindy Robinson, said a lot of people had been in for the sale.
One customer was Barbara Hoffman of Lewiston, who said she has been to Medina before and loved the village. She came back Saturday to see what was going on.
After months of being shut in due to the pandemic, Medina merchants decided it was time to do something. Customers were all seen wearing masks as they browsed through the stores and checked out the merchandise displayed on the sidewalk.
Barbara Hoffman of Lewiston came to Medina to see what the stores had to offer during the sidewalk sale on Saturday. She is shown looking over sale items at the English Rose Tea Shoppe.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 9 August 2020 at 7:34 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Tim Fischer, left, and Mike Hoch, both employees of Chiavetta’s, tend the chicken cooking next to the railroad tracks by the Medina Senior Center during the Lions chicken barbecue on Saturday.
MEDINA – Medina Lions Community Yard Sale and Chicken Barbecue have been a tradition in Medina for several years, but because of the pandemic they were unable to have it this year. So when the village announced a Downtown Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, the Lions decided to take advantage of the situation and have a chicken barbecue.
They arranged with the Senior Center to use their building to set up, and Chiavetta’s set up their grills across the tracks.
Jim Punch, a member of Medina Lions, puts a customer’s chicken barbecue order in the back seat of the car. The Lions set up in the Senior Center and customers drove in on one side, had their order delivered to their car and then drove out the other side.
The dinner was a resounding success.
The Lions had originally planned to order 450 halves of chicken, but when they sold 400 presale, they decided they better up their number. They ended up having 620 halves cooked and they sold all but 30.
Tim Fuller and Mike Hoch, who work for Chiavetta’s in Brant, arrived at 6:15 to get ready to cook. They said in spite of the pandemic, they have been busier than usual. Because a chicken barbecue lends itself very well for takeouts or drive-thru, everyone wants to have a chicken barbecue. Hoch said they are even getting calls for weddings and are so busy they are booked solid.
Jim Hancock, a member of Medina Lions, takes the order for a customer who is in line to pick up his chicken barbecue at the Senior Center in Medina on Saturday.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Zambistro is looking to expand to 410 Main St., next door to the current site. The façade would be an extension of the current look.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 August 2020 at 1:37 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Village Board approved a certificate of appropriateness for the front façade at 410 Main St.
Rita Zambito, owner of the building, applied for the certificate. Her son , Michael Zambito, is looking to expand the Zambistro restaurant next door.
The façade would be very similar to the current look at Zambistro.
“It will be exactly the same,” Michael Zambito told the Village Planning Board on Tuesday.
The columns and post will stay. Gooseneck lights will be added above the door.
“We want it to look like one solid building all the way across,” he said.
Zambistro last year completed an addition to dining room.
In other action, the Planning Board:
• Approved a permit for Rebecca Smith to operate a home business at 152 Erin Rd. Smith will do tattoos at her home by appointment only. She has been working in the tattoo business for 30 years.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 5 August 2020 at 10:09 pm
Worker in Medina didn’t have contact with patients
MEDINA – Personnel at Orleans Community Health have announced a hospital employee has tested positive for Covid-19.
CEO/Administrator Marc Shurtz, North Wing Administrator Sarah Hallifax Bateman and Risk Manager Joanna Miller made the announcement in a press release today, stating the employee was sent home and is currently on mandatory quarantine. The employee was asymptomatic and is the first positive Covid-19 employee case the hospital has had.
Per the Department of Health guidelines, this puts our North Wing residence visitations on hold for 28 days, the press release said.
“At this time we hope to re-open the North Wing to visitors by the end of August,” hospital officials said.
It is noted that the North Wing just recently opened little more than a week ago for visitation, allowing up to two family members to visit a resident for one hour, while wearing a mask and practicing safe distancing.
The hospital added it is important to note that the hospital employee who tested positive did not enter the North Wing unit, nor did the worker have contact with residents.
When the North Wing unit is reopened for visitors, hospital staff said they expect to follow the same guidelines and schedule that was previously in place, and they will re-share that information as the time approaches.
The hospital’s visitor policy, which became effective March 13, is still in place, and no visitors will be allowed at Medina Hospital or Lake Plains Dialysis centers in Medina and Batavia. Patients will continue to be treated and will complete a health screening upon their arrival. All staff also completes a health screening daily upon their arrival.
“As we have from the start, we continue to be diligent in the safety of Orleans Community Health’s staff, patients and residents,” Shurtz, Bateman and Miller said. “We are proud to have remained Covid-free on the North Wing and will continue to do everything possible to keep our residents safe.”
Anyone wishing to have communication regarding their care or the care of a loved one can contact Shurtz at 798-8101, Bateman at 301-1151 or Miller at 798-8210.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 August 2020 at 3:54 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Village Board is giving water users a break in the village policy of insisting on full payment of late water bills.
The village sends out the bills quarterly. It allows 21 days after a bill is due before notifying the water customer the water will be shut off.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the village didn’t send out a shut-off notice. But now about a dozen users are facing two quarterly bills, with some of them in the $900 to $1,000 range.
One landlord, Matt Mundion, asked the village to allow partial payments to make the bills more manageable for water customers.
Village Trustee Tim Elliott said he supports the partial payments because the village is likely to get some revenue rather than being more likely to get nothing from those water customers. If the bill isn’t paid and the water is turned off, the landlord is usually stuck with the full bill.
Accepting a partial payment can create an “accounting nightmare” for the village clerk’s office, which typically has only accepted full payments in the past, and has only let the payments lag for a quarter, said Debbie Padoleski, village clerk-treasurer.
The village has only allowed partial payments in the case of a big water leak resulting in a very large bill.
The Village Board, which met Saturday after last Monday’s meeting was cancelled due to the big rainstorm, agreed that water customers with two late quarterly bills must pay at least the full amount of one of those quarters to keep the water from being shut off. The second quarter bill needs to be paid before the next bill comes out in three months.
In other action at Saturday’s meeting:
• The board accepted a bid for $27,961 from Delacey Ford in Elma for a new Ford F150 truck for the Water Department.
• Voted to have Auctions International sell old playground equipment and bikes. This doesn’t include the Snail at Pine Street Park. The Snail is staying, Mayor Mike Sidari said.
• Agreed to allow the Medina cross country team to use Boxwood Cemetery for two home meets on Oct. 13 and Oct. 20, if the season is allowed in the fall. The Village Board made one stipulation that any paint with directional arrows needs to be on grass and not the roads in the cemetery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 August 2020 at 10:32 am
‘I think it’s time for the village to come into the 21st Century with modern art. I think there is a place for it and a place not for it.’ – Mayor Mike Sidari
Photo by Tom Rivers: The new mural of the Canalligator has been popular on social media. The large painting is on the back of a building in an alley off Proctor Place, a block from Main Street. The Form Foundation says there is some lore in Medina that there was once an alligator in the Erie Canal. This alligator is also a Buffalo Bills fan.
MEDINA – Village of Medina officials want to accommodate public art, perhaps by identifying a section in the village where murals would be allowed and may form an Arts Commission to weigh in on the proposals.
The Village Planning Board has been asked to issue a certificate of appropriateness for three murals in the historic district. One of them is already done. The board will meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss the murals. (A fourth mural is proposed outside the historic district.)
The “Canalligator” debuted last month on a cinder block building, and on the back of boarded-up windows in an alley off Proctor Place.
The Form Foundation, a group in Medina pushing public art, spearheaded the project. It wants to do three more murals and would like to get started soon on those projects.
“I think it’s time for the village to come into the 21st Century with modern art,” said Medina Mayor Mike Sidari. “I think there is a place for it and a place not for it.”
Sidari and the Village Board discussed the murals on Saturday. The Canalligator mural should have come before the Planning Board before it was painted, board members said.
“They put up one and rejected the authority of the Planning Board to have any say over it,” said Todd Bensley, a village trustee.
He said he favors public art, and would like there to be a moratorium on the projects until the village establishes a process that includes modern art.
“All I’m asking for is dialogue,” Bensley said.
The Form Foundation put a petition on Change.org that was up to 1,060 supporters this morning, urging the Planning Board to keep the Canalligator and embrace the other murals. The petition states the village code enforcement officer and Planning Board is arbitrary in enforcing rules and “out-of-touch legislation.”
The foundation said the village was aware of the mural while it was happening, but didn’t respond until the mural was completed.
Village Trustee Marguerite Sherman said the Form Foundation seems to be trying to “steam roll” the projects past the Planning Board.
“I feel like someone is looking for a fight instead of working together,” she said at Saturday meeting.
Sidari said Planning Board Chairman Chris Busch has suggested Medina create a Public Arts Commission that would review murals. Medina has allowed the large outdoor paintings in recent years as long as they had a historical theme.
The Commission would review the proposals as well as the materials being used and the locations.
Trustee Sherman said she didn’t want to see another layer of government added. She said the Planning Board should stay empowered in reviewing the projects.
The Village Board, however, agreed to pursue a moratorium on public art that would likely last for 60 days. The board set a public hearing for 7:05 p.m. on Aug. 24 at the Shelby Town Hall. The moratorium will decide whether Medina should add a Public Arts Commission to review the projects. The moratorium would also give the village time to review its existing regulations for public art and see if those rules need to be updated. Village Trustee Tim Elliott cast the lone dissenting vote against a moratorium.
That moratorium won’t be in effect for Tuesday so the Planning Board can decide whether the two new mural proposals in the historic district can go forward without delay and whether the Canalligator can stay.
Sherman said the Planning Board has been put in a difficult position because the normal process of submitting an application ahead of time wasn’t followed.
Now there is urgency to approve the new murals as well because the artists have been scheduled to do the work.
“I would like to see the Planning Board have more time,” Sherman said. “I don’t think they should be pressured to make a decision because people are down their throats right now. We just want things to be done in an orderly way with the proper process.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: This banner is on Main Street in Medina in honor of George M. Underdown, a sergeant in the Army. He was killed in action at Vietnam on April 1, 1970.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 August 2020 at 7:35 am
MEDINA – More banners of soldiers from the Medina community will be put up in 2021. The Village Board on Saturday approved allowing up to 150 banners total.
There are currently 107 on display. That includes 38 from the debut year in 2019, plus 69 more this year.
With the cap at 150, Medina can add 43 more in 2021. The banners will be up for three years typically from near Memorial Day to just after Veterans Day. After the three years the banners will be given to the featured soldier’s family. And then a new group of banners can follow.
Mary Woodruff, coordinator of the Hometown Heroes effort, is pictured in June 2019 with banners of showing Mitchell Mason and the late Vincent Cardone. They were among 38 included in the first group of banners. This year 69 more were added.
Mary Woodruff, a Ridgeway town councilwoman, has spearheaded the effort. She asked the Village Board for permission to add more banners next year. They are $200 each. She said there has been strong interest in the community.
She told the board she expects there would be demand for another “50 easily” next year.
The first year, the banners were mainly in the downtown area, on Main Street and on East and West Center streets. This year many were added on South Main Street, West Avenue and Park Avenue.
Woodruff sees the banners going farther on those streets next year and she wants banner on Pearl Street near the Orleans County YMCA, which was originally the Medina Armory and used as a training site for soldiers.
Medina Mayor Mike Sidari thanked Woodruff for leading the effort with the banners. He said they look “amazing.”
Village Trustee Owen Toale, a veteran, also said he appreciates having the portraits of soldiers on display prominently in the village.
The 150 limit could be expanded if National Grid approves locations on the utility poles. The Medina DPW sets the banners on the poles. Joe Perry, DPW superintendent, said the workers are now used to putting the hardware on the poles and setting the banners in place and the process went faster this year.
Woodruff also said she is working to establish a website that would provide a database of the banners each year. That website would include an application for people who want to buy a banner.
She also would like there to be a fund where people could donate to buy banners for families who may not have the $200. The fund would also cover the costs for the website.
Woodruff also has plans to print a yearbook of the banners that go up each year.
Last year there was a banner unveiling inside the Orleans County YMCA, the former Medina Armory. A reception was planned for May 16 but was cancelled due what was then a 10-person limit on social gatherings due to Covid-19.
Woodruff said next year’s reception at the Y will include the new banners for 2021 and the 69 from this year.
(Editor’s Note: Mary Woodruff was one of the Orleans Hub’s “Outstanding Citizens” for 2019 for her work with the banners. The Orleans Hub was planning a recognition program on March 18 but that was cancelled due to Covid-19. Woodruff was presented with her award on Saturday during the Village Board meeting.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 August 2020 at 7:48 pm
Skate Society has $215,000 so far that will be matched by grant
Provided photo: This message for Luke Nelson was painted at the Skate Park in Medina. The site has cracks in the asphalt and will be upgraded to a concrete surface.
MEDINA – The Village Board this morning agreed to name a much-improved Skate Park in honor of Luke Nelson.
Alex Feig, president of the Medina Skate Society, urged the board to name the Skate Park in honor of Nelson.
Luke, a skateboarder from Middleport who often used the park, was 23 when he passed away on April 22, 2017. His family has donated to the park and helped organize the fundraisers to upgrade the site.
“Luke really is the inspiration behind this latest push to upgrade the Skate Park,” Feig told the Village Board this morning during a board meeting.
Skate Park design for Medina by Spohn Ranch
The Skate Park is at Butts Park on South Main Street. That park will continue to be a memorial for John Butts, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valiant actions in World War II.
The Skate Park will have a display that notes the site is named in honor of Luke Nelson. Feig said he anticipates there will be a plaque and small sign noting the park is in memory of Luke Nelson.
The Skate Society was able to secure a matching grant to upgrade the park with up to $250,000 from the Tony Hawk & Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundations. Medina has $215,000 raised so far and has until Nov. 30, 2020 to see if it can fully maximize the grant.
The $215,000 raised so far means there is $430,000 in upgrades coming to the site. Feig said there will be a skate jam fundraiser for the park from noon to 3 p.m. on Aug. 29 that should add to the local funds raised.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jeremy Brandenburg of Medina heads down a ramp during a Skate Jam on Sept. 15, 2018 at Butts Park. The Village Board expects to declare the ramps and other skateboarding equipment as surplus to be sold. New equipment is headed to the park next year.
The Village Board also agreed to declare all of the metal ramps and some other equipment at the park as surplus. They will stay in place until October-November and then be sold. The village wants a full list of the equipment before declaring a surplus. The sale could be used as additional local funds towards the grant match.
The ramps are about 20 years old and Feig said they would likely be desired for someone’s backyard or by another community looking to develop a skate park.
Feig said Medina can soon hire a skate park specialist to prepare a conceptual design and then construction bids for the revamped site. The work on the park needs to be complete by Nov. 30, 2021 to meet the requirements by the Tony Hawk & Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundations.
The new public concrete skate park will have a smooth surface and new equipment for skaters, bikers, scooters and in-line skaters. The park will also be an architectural work of art, Feig said.
For more information on the Skate Park, can visit Sk8Medina.com. Donation can be made directly to the Medina Skate Society. Larger tax-deductible donations should be made out to the Orleans Renaissance Group Inc. PO Box 543 Medina, New York 14103 specifying in the subject line “Skate Park Project.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 July 2020 at 7:18 pm
Students in grades 7-12 would alternate with in-person and remote learning
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Clifford H. Wise Middle School is pictured earlier this month in Medina. The school’s reopening plan would have seventh-graders move out of the middle school to the high school.
MEDINA – The school district submitted a reopening plan to the state today. Medina’s preferred model would have all students attend classes in person for grades prekindergarten through 6.
Students in grades 7 to 12 would alternate with in-person classes and remote learning, with two groups taking turns every school day between in-person and remote learning.
The school district would have liked to have in-person learning at all grade levels for all school days. But Medina needs to space out desks at least six feet apart inside the classrooms. Medina doesn’t have enough classroom space to do that.
The district chose to prioritize the younger grade levels for in-person learning. Medina will likely have 12 to 16 students per classroom in grades kindergarten through 6 to meet the social distancing guidelines, said Superintendent Mark Kruzynski.
“If we had the space and staff we would love to bring everyone back every day,” he said this afternoon.
File photo by Tom Rivers: A Mustang banner is displayed outside Medina High School.
The district believes the socialization for students in the younger grades is particularly important. The district also heard from parents that childcare would be a challenge if the elementary-age students had to stay home on some school days.
The district will shift one grade level at Wise Middle School to the high school. Seventh-graders are currently at Wise and they will go to the high school. That will free up more classrooms at the middle school.
Additional classroom sections will be opened in grades K to 6 by utilizing AIS, reading teachers and special area teachers in grade level capacities at the elementary level, the district stated in the reopening plan.
The district posted a 35-page reopening plan on its website this afternoon. (Click here to see the plan.)
The document was also sent to the State Education Department. All 700 districts in the state had until today to submit reopening plans to the state. Those plans had to districts’ strategies for providing in three ways: in-person, a hybrid with in-person and remote learning, and remote learning only.
State officials will review the plans and next week Gov. Andrew Cuomo will announce whether schools can reopen with in-person learning in September.
Kruzynski said he is hopeful the governor will approve schools’ plans to provide education in person. Medina also surveyed parents to see how many don’t plan to send students back to school during the Covid-19 pandemic. Kruzynski said 21 percent don’t plan to have their children back inside the school based on a preliminary survey. That is similar to the state average of 20 percent, the superintendent said.
Medina will have teachers work with students who take their classes remotely. The district has Chromebooks for all students who need them and teachers will have staff development in August to be better prepared for remote learning.
Medina last school year had the campus close to students on March 16 and the schools never reopened for in-person classes.
The district is asking parents to notify the district by Aug. 14 if their children won’t be taking classes in school. The district also needs to know which students will need rides on the bus. The district’s reopening plan calls for one student in each bus seat, and masks must be worn on busses.
The district’s plan also calls for more frequent cleaning, including a daily disinfection of buses with more frequent cleaning in between bus runs of high-touch areas such as door handles, hand rails, bus seats and seat backs.
• Staggered schedules: The district will also stagger the schedules at the three buildings offering in-person education. The proposed schedules include:
For all Pre-K through grade 3 students, 7:35 a.m to 1:35 p.m.
For students in grades 4-6, 7:45 a.m. to 1:45 PM.
For students in grades 7-12, there will be alternating in-person education from 7:55 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. (Students will receive virtual education on days they are not physically present in school.)
• More WiFi on campus: Medina is also pursuing high-speed outdoor WiFi to completely encompass and cover the school grounds/green spaces, as well as parking lots. Kruzynski said many homes and sections in the community don’t have high-speed internet.
“This will allow, not only classes to go outside and exercise social distancing, but allow for a central location after hours if students and their parents need to come to download or upload any necessary assignments,” the district states in the reopening plan. “It is our goal to have these systems fully operational sometime in mid-late fall.”
The district will also provide Chromebooks for in grades 4 through 12 as a take-home device. Any student needing a device in K-3 will be allocated a device for use at home if virtual instruction is chosen by the family.
• Pre-K: Medina also is planning to offer the prekindergarten program in the library to allow for increased social distance requirements. Teaching centers will be used by individual children and each child will have their own individual supply box for classroom materials to be used daily.
At the early level, a big emphasis will be placed on teaching children proper hand washing, social distancing and use of masks.
Children in the UPK program are provided a meal each day. The classroom will be used as a place for all children to eat with children seated at socially distant tables throughout the room.
• Remote Instruction: If Medina needs to shift to a remote format, students will already be entered into a Google Classroom digital platform. The Google Classroom will be a place for teachers to include daily activities, videos and a set of lessons which parents will be able to do with their children. Google Classroom will also be a portal for parent-teacher communications.
• Minimizing movement of students in schools: Medina will minimize having student sin big groups and from moving about the buildings. This potentially means having students eat lunch in their classroom instead of the cafeteria and eliminating assemblies, field trips and other large-group activities.
• Special-area subjects: Art, music, physical education may be pushed into the classroom. “Whenever possible students will utilize outside space for physical education instruction. We will adhere to 12 feet between students when engaging in physical activity,” the district stated in the reopening plan.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 July 2020 at 3:39 pm
The state has approved $235,256 in high-tech security upgrades at Medina Central School. The project was included in the latest round of funding through the Smart Schools Bond Act.
The money is available through a $2 billion Smart Schools Bond Act, which was passed by NY voters in 2014. (In Orleans County, the five school districts were approved for about $7 million combined in technology aid as part of the $2 billion Smart Schools Bond Act. The state breaks that down to $2,238,441 for Albion; $1,311,463 for Holley; $967,959 for Kendall; $733,151 for Lyndonville; and $2,000,222 for Medina.)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced that $94 million in projects have been approved at 131 school districts and five special education schools. Those projects include classroom technology, high-tech security and school connectivity.
“As the ongoing public health crisis has shown, now more than ever we must do everything possible to help schools modernize their infrastructure and are equipped to keep students up with their studies even when they can’t be in the classroom,” Cuomo said in a statement. “With this funding, we are helping schools navigate the pandemic while expanding opportunities and providing students with the skills and technology they need to succeed in the 21st century economy.”
The Smart Schools Review Board met today for the 15th time to consider investment plans submitted by school districts and special education schools. The Board is composed of the Director of the Budget, the Chancellor of the State University of New York, and the Commissioner of the State Education Department.
The plans approved today were submitted by 131 school districts and five special education schools. Projects include $52.2 million for classroom technology, $13.7 million for school connectivity, $24.9 million for high-tech security and $2 million for pre-kindergarten classrooms.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 July 2020 at 4:54 pm
Business’s top seller: handmade masks, many with superhero themes
Photo by Tom Rivers: Lynn Palmer is pictured inside Upscale Overstock at 339 North Main St. She opened the business on Nov. 29 and sells general merchandise and customized handmade items.
MEDINA – Lynn Palmer launched a new business on Nov. 29. Upscale Overstock sells general merchandise that was often in the big box stores.
When those stores looked to change merchandise and shift to a new season, overstock stores like Palmer’s often acquire the items. They are still new, but haven’t been used.
She tends to receive a shipment each week with one or two pallets of overstock items. Children’s clothing has been popular. She has clothes with popular characters from Disney, Minecraft, Super Mario, Frozen, Toy Story, Harry Potter and DC comics. She also has clothing and merchandise with NFL teams, including the Buffalo Bills.
“These are all brand new,” Palmer said at the store, which is at 339 North Main St. “This is not a thrift shop. None of this came from someone’s house.”
The store also sells toys, housewares, bed and bath products, and pillows, blankets and sheets.
Provided photo: These masks made by Lynn Palmer’s daughter, Samantha, have been popular, especially with parents and grandparents looking to buy face coverings for children.
The store got off to a good start, opening during the holiday season late last year. But the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Palmer was able to stay open, but was in the store by herself. She promoted items through the Upscale Overstock Facebook page. Customers could also peak through a front window, that opened for Palmer to hand off the purchases.
“That hurt us big time because people want to come in and look around,” she said.
The store is now fully open to customers (except they can’t try on the clothing). They need to wear masks, and maintain social distancing. Palmer has hand sanitizer for them.
Palmer, 50, worked in childcare for 30 years before starting the store. She also worked at Walmart. That is where she realized stores rotate out products and merchandise removed from the shelves can be sold by overstock businesses.
She took a 10-week small business class through the Orleans Economic Development Agency to prepare for launching her business. She liked the location on Main Street, including the building where she is based. Down the hall from her is a candy store, Mandeos Candy Shoppe, and Mystic Dragon’s Lair, which sells quartz, gemstones, crystals and other products.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on April 15 issued an executive order, requiring masks to be worn in public when social distancing isn’t possible.
Palmer’s daughter Samantha started making masks. Upscale Overstock has sold more than 500 of those masks.
“This has kept us alive during the pandemic,” Palmer said.
Her daughter also makes string art creations, paints signs on canvasses and also sells home-made scrunchies for hair.
“They’re all one-of-a-kind,” Palmer said.
She said business and traffic have been picking up this summer.
“People are definitely out more,” she said. “There are some people who dock their boats and go up and down Main Street. Medina is a unique little town.”
Upscale Overstock is open every day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the weekends.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 July 2020 at 9:27 am
Medina won’t get a chance to defend state title this year
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jada Draper, left, leads the Medina field band as the drum major in this photo from the Fall Festival of Bands in medina on Sept 21, 2019. The Medina band performed to a program titled, “Walk the Path.”
There won’t be a fall field band competitive season in Medina or New York State.
“It is with great regret that our conference has voted to end the 2020 competitive field band season,” the New York State Field Band Conference announced on Tuesday. “After meeting for several months and creating multiple contingency plans, our directors remained hopeful that some version of our traditional in-person season could be offered. However, after careful research and discussion with directors, consultants and other state associations, the New York State Field Band Conference has decided that the 2020 competitive field band season must be cancelled.”
Destiny Jones is a member of the Color Guard for the Medina Mustang Band. She is shown during last year’s Fall Festival of Bands in Medina.
Medina is the only school district in Orleans County that competes in the program. Medina won the state championship last year, winning the Small Schools 1 Division at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
This season would have been Medina’s 54th season competing as a marching band.
Jim Steele, Medina’s marching band director, this morning shared the news about the cancelled season on the marching band’s Facebook page.
“It is with great sadness that I announce to you that the 2020 competitive field band season has been cancelled by the New York State Field Band Conference,” Steele said. “This decision was not an easy one to make but in this crazy and ever changing world we are living in it was the right one.”
Steele said the conference acted out of safety for students and staff.
“The field band conference is looking into some alternative options to at least give the students of each school an opportunity to come together and perform in some way,” he said. “Details on that will be revealed at a later date from the conference.”
He said he is hopeful the band in Medina can still get together for rehearsals to keep their skills up to date. If the football season is allowed by the state, Steele said the Medina band might be able to perform at a game.
The NYS Field Band Conference urged school districts to safely allow in-person band rehearsals and parent/community performances this fall.
“We share in the immense disappointment of our performing students, educators, parents and fans,” the NYS Field Band Conference said in its announcement. “It shall continue to be the mission of the New York State Field Band Conference to encourage and provide a positive experience for all participants. We will still work to create opportunities for our students throughout the upcoming calendar year. Despite the lack of a formal competitive 2020 season, marching band in New York State will still exist. We will do everything in our power as directors to support and cultivate marching band for our current and future students.”
Lancaster’s Marching Band performed, “Into the Yonder Blue,” a tribute to the U.S. Air Force, during the Fall Festival of Bands at Vets Park in Medina on Sept. 21, 2019. KC Gust was the junior drum major for Lancaster. More than 1,000 people filled the bleachers for the show, which included nine marching bands.
