MEDINA – About 150 Medina High School students and staff chose to do something good for their school and their community on their annual Make An Impact Day on Monday.
The teams spent half their day taking on service projects or beautifying their school. Medina School District had the afternoon off, but students volunteered their time instead of leaving.
The school has been participating in this event for several years. The rain kept many of the projects indoors, but there were some teams that were up for braving the elements and cleaning up local parks.
MEDINA – Orleans County public safety dispatchers on Saturday at 7:24 p.m. alerted firefighters from the Medina, Shelby and Lyndonville fire departments for a possible house fire on Gwinn Street in Medina.
Medina firefighters of the 2nd Platoon under the command of Lieutenant Cooley arrived on location and requested a 2nd alarm with smoke coming from the first floor of a 2-story house. Crews forced entry into the home and found the fire in the living room. While engine crews extinguished the fire, other crews simultaneously searched the structure for fire extension and potential victims. No one was found to be home at the time of the fire but crews did rescue and provide medical care to two cats. The cats were taken by family members to an emergency veterinarian.
Fire damage was limited to the room of origin with the rest of the structure sustaining smoke damage. The fire is under investigation by Village of Medina fire investigators and does not appear suspicious in nature. The Red Cross is assisting the occupants.
The 2nd alarm brought the Ridgeway Fire Department to the scene and units from East Shelby, Middleport and COVA EMS to the Medina Firehouse for standby coverage.
We would like to thank the dispatchers, the Medina Police, all our mutual aid departments, the deputy coordinator as well as the Red Cross for their assistance.
We would be remiss not to thank local wildlife rehabilitator Wendi Pencille. Wendi donated several pet oxygen masks to us a year or so ago and we used masks off both of our engines. That donation allowed us to take better care of some four-legged loved ones. We can’t thank Wendi enough.
Photo courtesy of Maiorana family: Nunzio T. Maiorana was a popular teacher and school administrator at Medina as well as the athletic director.
LOCKPORT – DeSales Catholic School has announced plans to renovate an area on their campus to create the Nunzio Maiorana Art Center, in honor of a beloved alumnus who graduated from DeSales in 1958.
Maiorana was a highly respected leader in both education and athletics throughout Niagara and Orleans counties.
He was also an accomplished self-taught artist who specialized in pen and ink drawings of historic lighthouses and buildings from across the world. Each of his drawings was hand-drawn using jeweler’s glasses and each art piece contained over 500,000 fine lines and dots. He won his first art show in 1957 sponsored by the Lockport Industrial Management Club.
After graduating from DeSales High School, Maiorana went on earn his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Detroit. He began his teaching career at the Diocese of Detroit at St. John Berchmans School. In 1963 he came back home to WNY to teach at Medina Senior High School.
This was followed by multiple roles throughout his tenure in Medina starting as a teacher and retiring as superintendent of curriculum and finance. He started in Medina in the fall 1963. His career spanned over 36 years until his retirement in 1998.
At Medina, Maiorana taught pre-vocational studies, English, and history; served as an assistant high school football coach, assistant principal, director of athletics, director of maintenance, grounds, and transportation; principal of Wise Middle School; and superintendent of curriculum and finance. He also sat on state and national committees for athletics and academics to ensure safety, wellness, and rigorous academic instruction for all students.
He remained an influential educator up until the day he passed away on Jan. 22, 2018.
“My father was without a doubt a great individual, a gregarious man with an infectious smile and great sense of humor,” said his son, David Maiorana. “He was a dedicated professional who was on a mission to provide his students with the best possible education, and his determination, temerity, and self-discipline made Dad a mentor we profoundly looked up to. It didn’t matter who you were, everyone knew him and everyone loved him!”
Ann-Marie Towell, Nunzio’s daughter, commented; “The devotion and leadership of our father inspired many students, adults and school communities, and we will continue to work together to sustain and build upon his legacy. We are honored to recognize his inspirational example as we dedicate this new art center for the children of DeSales Catholic School in his name.”
This rendering shows the layout for the Nunzio Maiorana Art Center at DeSales Catholic School in Lockport, where Maiorana graduated in 1958.
This beautiful new facility will enhance educational opportunities and further develop a rich environment for learning art at DeSales.
Construction of the Nunzio T. Maiorana Art Center will break ground on June 27 and is expected to be completed prior to the start of school in September. The costs are estimated to be in the range of $125,000. His wife of 56 years, Charlotte Palisano Maiorana, has committed a significant amount to kick off fundraising for the project.
Donations toward the Nunzio Maiorana Art Center at DeSales are being sought. If you would like to make a donation you can do so by going online by clicking here, calling (716) 433-644 ext. 407 or mailing a check to DeSales Catholic School, 6914 Chestnut Ridge Road, Lockport, NY 14094. In the memo section of the check, please write Nunzio Maiorana or include a quick note that the gift is made in Nunzio’s memory.
Employees of Baxter Healthcare in Medina clean up the lawn at Head Start on Ensign Avenue in Medina. From left are Tammy Pogel, Tim Ingrassia, plant manager Kevin Foley and Melinda Pitcher. Foley said it was great to get out in the community and show support.
About 50 volunteers worked on service projects today for the United Way’s annual Day of Caring. Volunteers are doing projects at the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Hospice of Orleans, Camp Rainbow, Community Action sites in Albion and Medina, and in Lyndonville at the village garden on Main Street and Patterson Park.
Dean Bellack, right, director of Orleans County United Way, watches as Jackie Gardner, a board member, signs in for Day of Caring at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.
Lacy Regling, left, and Allison Stanley, employees of Baxter Healthcare, clean out a shed at Camp Rainbow during Day of Caring. The ladies said they enjoyed helping and would do it again.
Creig Shockley, left, and Brian Hosmer, both Baxter employees, repair and put up swings at Camp Rainbow. Four more Baxter employees painted cabins, while another cleaned the bathrooms.
Photos by Tom Rivers
Nick Peterson, left, and Michael Schroder, both of Baxter, paint the arts and crafts cabin at Camp Rainbow.
Brett Sobieraski of Kent, a sergeant with the Rochester Police Department, sweeps out one of the bathrooms by the swimming pool.
Heidi Truschel, community relations manager for the Arc of Genesee Orleans, trims a bush at Camp Rainbow.
Photo courtesy of Teri Woodworth
There were 15 students from the Lyndonville Lions Club’s Leo Club who helped clean up the village garden on Main Street and village’s Patterson Park. The students were part of the Day of Caring because United Way funds support the Yates summer recreation program.
Photo courtesy of Jason Smith
Lyndonville students rake and pick up debris at Patterson Park.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Mary Woodruff, coordinator of the Hometown Heroes effort, is pictured with banners of showing the late Vincent Cardone and Mitchell Mason, who is currently serving in the Navy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2019 at 12:54 pm
MEDINA – Mary Woodruff saw the banners for the first time on Monday. She cried.
She has worked the past four months for a display of “Hometown Heroes,” large banners of soldiers who have served in the U.S. military from Medina.
She has 38 banners of soldiers, from World War II vets to current enlistees. The vinyl banners are double-sided and 5 feet tall by 2 ½ feet wide.
“I was extremely pleased,” she said when she saw them on Monday. “I had goosebumps.”
The banners will be publicly unveiled on May 19 during a reception at the former Medina Armory, where many of the soldiers trained. That facility on Pearl Street is now the Orleans County YMCA. The banners will all be displayed during that reception from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
They will be on utility poles and street lights in time for Memorial Day on May 27. There will be 32 banners placed on Main Street between Starr Street through the downtown to Glenwood Avenue near the American Legion Butts-Clark Post. Another six banners will be on East Center Street.
They will stay up until just after Veterans Day in November. Woodruff expects they will last about three years.
She would like to add more next year, and will be going before the Village Board to seek its approval for additional banners in 2020.
“I want people to feel patriotism and restore pride in the USA,” she said today at the Village Clerk’s Office in Medina. “When you see a vet, say thank you.”
Mary Woodruff shows the banners of Sgt. Todd Draper who served in US Army 2004-05, including time in Iraq; and of World War II vet Sandino Stornelli Sr. Draper currently works as a lieutenant with the Medina Police Department.
Woodruff, a retired social studies and math teacher at Roy-Hart, pushed to start the Hometown Heroes effort in Medina after seeing a similar one in Alfred, where her late father-in-law Willis Burr Woodruff is featured on a banner. He served in World War II. He later ran the local Agway plants in Knowlesville and Batavia.
She was given permission by the Medina Village Board to pursue the project in January. She had 38 families step forward by a Feb. 15 deadline and pay the $200 cost for the banner and hardware to go on the poles. The Medina DPW agreed to install the banners. The Village Clerk’s Office handled the money for the project.
The banners have red and blue borders with a portrait of the featured veteran, as well as the vet’s name, time of service, branch of military, and honors. It also states who sponsored the banner.
Woodruff has a file for each of the 38 soldiers featured in banners.
“I feel like I know all of these soldiers,” she said today. “I’ve read about them and talked with their families.”
The debut of the banners comes at a time when Medina is celebrating the restoration of the World War I cannon at State Street Park and also has welcomed a new bronze statue of a soldier as part of a memorial at the former Armory.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 May 2019 at 9:20 am
Medina restaurant will add rooftop dining later this year
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Michael Zambito, left, owner of Zambistro in Medina, shows his new dining room to Dawn Meland and Pat Woodworth, who were there for the Twig banquet.
MEDINA – Michael Zambito always knew what he wanted to do – be a chef.
“I wanted to be a chef and I wanted to do it here in Medina,” he said.
Zambito graduated from Medina High School in 2000, and in 2004 he entered the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, graduating in 2005.
He had several local jobs, including the former Apple Grove Inn, until he and his mother Rita Zambito purchased the building at 408 North Main Street.
At age 23, he opened Zambistro, a restaurant in his hometown.
Business has grown and his eatery has become a popular spot in the area, due to his culinary expertise. It became evident he needed more space, Zambito said.
He has recently completed an addition, which saw a revamping of the front entrance, a new side entrance into a new dining room capable of seating at least 30, a new bathroom and doubling the catering kitchen.
He said the new dining room is a perfect venue for small parties, showers or rehearsal dinners.
He credits his success with their European take on table service and a menu of American comfort food, served in an intimate atmosphere.
“This is a place where you can bring your wife for your anniversary or come in for lunch wearing your shorts,” Zambito said.
The next stage in the expansion is to create a rooftop dining venue, with a birds-eye view of the canal. He would like to see it completed by summer.
The restaurant’s specialty is homemade pasta, with Zambito’s meatball recipe. He is also known for his signature desserts.
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 May 2019 at 5:32 pm
File photos by Tom Rivers: Making the Medina Waterfalls more accessible to the public was part of Medina’s application in 2017 for a $10 million state application. Medina is going to try again for the funding.
MEDINA – The Village of Medina plans to seek a $10 million state grant for downtown revitalization.
Medina sought the funding in 2017, but wasn’t approved. It didn’t apply last year, instead worked to put more pieces in place for the application, including a local waterfront development plan.
The recently passed state budget included a fourth round of the $10 million grants to 10 different regions of the state. Orleans County is considered in the Finger Lakes region by the state.
In the first three years of the program, the $10 million grants were approved in the Finger Lakes for downtowns the City of Geneva, City of Batavia and Village of Penn Yan. The state has approved 30 of the grants to the 10 regions altogether.
“As we have already seen with 30 communities across the State, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative is so much more than a $10 million prize,” Governor Cuomo said in a news release on April 19. “This critical program completely transforms downtown communities, resulting in unprecedented growth and development that leads to a renewed sense of pride in our cities, towns and villages. I look forward to seeing another 10 communities compete and prosper over the next year thanks to this critical funding.”
The program is looks to transform downtown districts in vulnerable areas of the state into livable, walkable and dynamic neighborhoods.
The grant applications are due by 4 p.m. on May 31. The Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council will review the applications and then submit its pick to the state win July for further review.
The regional council and state both will look for a downtown that has a plan to build on momentum of other public and private investment in the community.
Some of the criteria listed by the state for the winning downtown:
• There should be recent or impending job growth within, or in close proximity to the downtown that can attract workers to the downtown, support redevelopment and make growth sustainable;
• The downtown must be an attractive and livable community for diverse populations of all ages, including existing residents, millennials and skilled workers;
• The municipality should already embrace or have the ability to create and implement policies that increase livability and quality of life, including the use of local land banks, modern zoning codes and parking standards, complete streets plans, energy efficient projects, green jobs and transit-oriented development;
• The municipality should have conducted an open and robust community engagement process resulting in a vision for downtown revitalization and a preliminary list of projects and initiatives that may be included in a DRI strategic investment plan; and
• The municipality has identified transformative projects that will be ready for implementation with an infusion of DRI funds within the first one to two years.
The site on Main Street that used to be the Starlite Cleaners could be redeveloped into parking and green space, Medina said in its state application for $10 million.
In Medina’s previous application, it sought to take better advantage of the wide Canal Basin, which Medina officials said then had “underutilized and untapped potential.”
The Medina application stated the downtown is ideally situated between Rochester and Buffalo. The village is on the Niagara Wine Trail and includes destination restaurants such as Mariachi De Oro and Zambistro’s.
Medina already has several popular events and attractions such as the Polar Express (19,000 in December), Parade of Lights (10,000 in late November), Thomas the Tank Engine (12,000 in May), Steampunk Festival, Wine about Winter, Ale in Autumn and Farm-to-Table dinner.
The application noted planned investments in the community, including a $6 million renovation of the Bent’s Opera House to develop the site into a boutique hotel, high-end restaurant and event space. The former Medina High School also is planned to be redeveloped into a mixed-use facility with apartments.
Medina also has a Business Park that has been a finalist for significant projects, including one manufacturer that would have created 800 jobs. Besides that coveted land in the business park, Medina is also 8 miles from the STAMP high-tech park in the Town of Alabama.
With the recent business expansions and prospects for more mean industry, Medina will feel a demand for residential opportunities, the application from Medina stated.
Much of the Medina housing stock and downtown architecture is in need of significant investment following decades of economic depression in the community, the application states.
Some highlights of Medina’s previous application for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative include:
• Canal Basin Revitalization: Medina proposed burying power lines (costs and lead times have already been obtained from National Grid), reconfiguring parking and roadway, improving pedestrian/bicycle traffic flow and replacing concrete wall with grass and tree lined slope. Medina also wants to remediate any soil conditions as needed.
The village application also sought Canal Basin infrastructure improvements with upgraded boating amenities – slips, docks, tie-ups and restroom improvements, better lighting for security and ambiance, a boat launch and a kayak launch, as well as more tree plantings and walkway improvements.
• Medina Waterfall Area Upgrades: The Medina waterfall exists as a result of a unique engineering infrastructure feat related to the Canal and Canal Basin, the Medina application states. Medina wants to bolster this unique opportunity around the canal and the Medina area and create a regional tourist attraction that would also draw more customers to downtown businesses and improve the local quality of life.
The application sought to allow pedestrian access to the waterfall, and also repair sidewalks and improve lighting.
• Seasonal Business Development Program: The village in its application sought a design and development program for seasonal businesses entrepreneurial opportunities. Medina said it would engage architecture and design students from local universities to help design and construct any temporary or permanent Canal Basin shop buildings.
• Streetscape Upgrades: The goal of the improved streetscapes would be to connect the surrounding residential areas to downtown and the Canal Basin. This effort would also work in with conjunction with the Brownfield Acquisition & Development portion of the proposed plan as well as the overall planing board initiative to improve pedestrian walkways and bike paths throughout the village.
• Buildings & Facades – Mixed Use: This program promotes enhanced usage of Medina’s unique downtown building stock – an asset base with many buildings comprised of priceless Medina Sandstone housed in a compact four corner downtown district which supports entrepreneurial pursuits, social engagement, civic leadership, walkability, cultural events and preservation, according to the application.
The recent capital investments by businesses in the community is creating a larger and larger housing and temporary lodging deficiency within the Medina area. This portion of funding would be directed toward attracting the national level talent these companies are seeking by leveraging Medina’s existing untapped architectural resources and infrastructure to increase unique hotel, temporary and permanent housing options across a diverse project set.
Mixed use developments with residential projects would better utilize buildings and boost the local tax base, Medina officials said.
Medina also said some of the $10 million award could be used to expand the scope, utilization and economic development within the local farmers market (Canal Village Farmers Market) – perhaps with a year-round facility. The market could use bathrooms, lighting, paints, etc. The market fills a need in the downtown with the nearest grocery store 2 miles away.
Medina could design and develop a best practice strategy for increasing local food consumption, local farmer economic support via community purchasing power and overall cultural awareness of the benefits related to supporting local food movements (reduced carbon footprints, access to whole healthy fruits and vegetables for blighted neighborhoods).
• Brownfield Acquisition & Development: There are two key brownfield sites coupled with two existing properties within the downtown Medina area that could be leveraged in accordance with the previously laid out infrastructure projects. Both 151 Pearl Street and 331 Main Street could be transformed into a mixed-use municipal parking and green space lot serving parking needs while increasing overall green space.
Mayor Mike Sidari said the village and the committee working on the plan welcomes input on the plan and application. There will be an opportunity for the public to comment on proposals on May 21 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Village Clerk’s Office, 19 Park Ave.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 5 May 2019 at 3:28 pm
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Carrie Mikits, left, director of nursing at Medina Memorial Hospital’s North Wing, and Sarah Bateman, North Wing administrator, stand outside the entrance to the skilled nursing facility, which has just received a rating of 4 out of 5, making it tops in the county.
MEDINA – Boosting the ratings for Medina Memorial Hospital’s North Wing in one short year was a team effort, according to Sarah Bateman, administrator of the skilled nursing facility.
The North Wing’s recent rating by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services was 4 out of 5, a big increase from their 1 out of 5 rating received a year ago when the hospital affiliated with Rochester Regional Health. The North Wing rating places it at the top of all skilled nursing facilities in the county.
“We looked at the opportunities for education and identified the areas where we do well and those where we need to improve,” Bateman said.
One of the first things they did was let staff know where they needed to improve. They also fully implemented electronic medical records, said Carrie Mikits, director of nursing.
Both she and Bateman take great pride in the care given to residents of the North Wing.
Bateman has a lot of roots in Medina, she said. Her mother, Janet Hallifax, worked at the hospital for 35 years. Bateman previously worked at the hospital for seven years before going to Rochester Regional Health for a time.
She said she and Mikits just dove in with quality measures.
She doesn’t think the first rating supported the great job staff is doing at the North Wing, and a lot of the problem was in record keeping.
“A lot of things were not changes we made, just making sure they were reported adequately,” Bateman said. “Certainly the tools provided by Rochester Regional Health helped direct our efforts.”
Reaching five stars is definitely their goal, Bateman said.
“We want to provide the best care possible,” she said.
Bateman and Mikits pointed out a painting recently done on the wall near the entrance to the North Wing. It reads: Our residents do not live in our work place. We work in their home.”
Three things go into consideration for a 5-star rating. These are staffing (and the North Wing is at goal); a health survey by the Department of Health; and quality measures, rated against other nursing homes in the country.
“Medina has always taken pride in the care provided to residents, and the increased focus on quality has allowed a closer look at policies and processes to insure the highest level of care is provided and documented,” Bateman said.
Their ultimate goal is, of course, to reach that 5-star rating, Bateman said.
The North Wing is currently at full capacity, with 30 residents.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 4 May 2019 at 9:56 pm
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Stanley and Mary Stack of Medina celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary Friday at the North Wing of Medina Memorial Hospital. Staff provided cake and punch for family, friends and residents.
MEDINA – A Medina couple celebrated a milestone Friday which most people don’t get to experience.
Stanley and Mary Stack observed their 72nd wedding anniversary.
The couple met when she, the former Mary Hibbard, was only 17 and Stan was 23. He had just returned from the Navy, where he served at submarine bases in Pearl Harbor and New London, Conn.
Mary said they always had music back then at Sacred Heart on a Saturday night, and that was the place to go. Stan didn’t dance, Mary said, but his friends asked her to dance.
Then Stan’s brother-in-law introduced them – and that was that.
Mary went home and woke her mother up to tell her she was “going to marry that guy.” Stan said a week later he asked her out to the Club again.
Mary lived on Church Street and Stan on Oak Street. They didn’t have a car, so had to walk wherever they went.
Stan was working the afternoon shift at Harrison Radiator in Lockport, and Mary stayed up every night so she could talk to him when he got home. Other than the usual teen crushes, Stan was the first boy Mary dated.
A year later, they were married.
Eighteen years later they had their daughter Lisa, who lives in Missouri with her husband Howard Joseph of Medina. They also have a granddaughter Allison, who lives in North Carolina.
Stan and Mary admit they had their arguments, but Stan said they always worked through them.
Stan retired from Harrison Radiator after 31 years. Mary’s jobs included the telephone company, Niagara Chemical in Middleport and selling real estate.
For the past year, Mary has resided in the North Wing, where Stan visits nearly every day.
Stan never expected to reach his age. At 91, he was still doing his own lawn work. He goes to church and plays cards several days a week.
“So now we take one day at a time,” he said. “But we’re going for 73.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 May 2019 at 5:46 pm
Holley and Albion also among the highest
MEDINA – The Medina community again tops the lists of communities with the highest tax rates in the Finger Lakes region.
Medina’s cumulative rate of $56.40 for village, county, school and town (Shelby) was the most for 2018, according to a report from the Empire Center. The organization does the ranking annually, and Medina has led the Finger Lakes for several years, with other Orleans County communities not far behind.
The top 10 for highest tax rates in the region include:
1. Medina (Town of Shelby) in Orleans County – $56.40
2. Mount Morris in Livingston County – $55.45
3. Medina (Town of Ridgeway) in Orleans County – $55.37
4. Holley (Town of Murray) in Orleans County – $54.46
5. East Rochester in Monroe County – $51.08
6. Palmyra in Wayne County – $50.47
7. Seneca Falls in Seneca County – $50.29
8. Warsaw in Wyoming County – $49.82
9. Albion (Town of Gaines) in Orleans County – $49.58
10. Albion (Town of Albion) in Orleans County – $49.49
Medina’s cumulative tax rate isn’t the highest in the state. At Sloan, a village in Erie County, the tax rate for village, town school and county is $62.48, the highest in the state. Binghamton leads the Southern Tier with a $58.88 rate and Fulton is the highest in Central NY at $56.65.
Although the tax rates are high in some local villages, the average tax bill in Orleans County isn’t among the highest because the assessed values in the villages tend to be low.
In Medina, with a median home value of $71,300, the median tax is $4,021, according to the Empire Center report
In Pittsford, a Monroe County town, the median tax bill is $10,709, the highest in the Finger Lakes region. That is about 2 1/2 times the tax bill in Medina.
The Empire Center said high tax rates tend to depress home values.
“New Yorkers pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation,” the Empire Center said. “However, property tax burdens within the Empire State differ widely.”
Provided photo: From left include some of Medina’s Destination Imagination team members, Margaret Klotzbach, Christopher Goyette, Kody Leno, Jessica Granchelli, Ray Paull and Jack Masse.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – After achieving honors for creativity, teamwork and innovation in regional and state academic tournaments, two Medina High School teams have earned the right to compete in Destination Imagination’s Global Finals, the world’s largest celebration of student creativity, to be held May 22-25 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Team One members include Jack Masse, Margaret Klotzbach, Christopher Goyette, Jessica Granchelli, Kody Leno and Ray Paull. Team Two includes Devin Griffin, James Bieliski, Sophia Cardone, Abby Blount, Lexi Hare and Mary Flores.
They will compete with other teams in one of seven, open-ended challenges that require students to apply science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, in addition to their talents in improvisation, theater arts, writing, project management, communication, innovation, teamwork, community service and social entrepreneurship.
“The teams have worked very hard are extremely proud of them,” said, Nicole Goyette, team manager.
The Medina team members are among more than 8,000 students representing more than 1,400 teams that will advance to Global Finals. This year, 150,000 students have participated in tournaments throughout the U.S. and 30 countries in hopes of earning a spot at the Global Finals competition in May.
The team is looking for any donations to help defer the cost of the trip to Global Finals. Donations can be made to: Medina CSD, and write “Destination Imagination donation” on the memo line.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2019 at 2:42 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A World War I cannon is hoisted from a trailer this morning at State Street Park. The cannon returned to Medina following more than a year of restoration work by Seed Artillery Reproduction and Restoration, in Altoona, Pa.
The B.L. 60 Pounder British field gun was a fixture at State Street Park since 1935. It was hauled away on March 12, 2018 for its restoration work.
These veterans capture the moment of the cannon being lifted from the trailer. They include from left Ken Schaal, Larry Szatkowski and Dave Higgins.
Local veterans gather around the cannon after it was put back at State Street Park this morning.
The cannon was falling apart. Dave Seedenberg of Seed Artillery Reproduction and Restoration was in Medina this morning to watch the cannon be put back in pace at the local park.
Seedenberg completely stripped and disassembled the cannon, and needed to fabricate some new parts. The big 15,000-pound gun was reassembled and painted with historic accuracy.
“It’s absolutely stunning,” said George Bidleman, owner of Orleans Ford who paid the $40,000 restoration cost. “It’s beautiful.”
Local veterans including Earl Schmidt (left), the County’s Veterans Service Agency director, push the cannon in place.
There are only 10 of the cannons like this remaining, with five in Europe and five in the United States, said Jim Freas, a past commander of the Butts-Clark Post for the American Legion in Medina.
“We have one of them,” Freas said. “It’s priceless.”
The cannon needed a little push to be centered on the concrete pad.
The Orleans Renaissance Group pushed to have the cannon restored. Chris Busch, chairman of the ORG, thought it might take a few years to raise the money. But Bidleman offered to cover the entire cost of the cannon restoration.
The ORG also raised $12,000 for three new flag poles, a new granite slant for a plaque about the cannon, and other site improvements. Orleans Ready Mix also donated the concrete where the cannon is displayed.
The new flag poles will carry flags for the United States, Great Britain and France. The cannon was manufactured in 1916 by Elswick Ordnance Company, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was used in battle in France and fired 2,871 rounds during its first tour. It was returned to England in 1917 for repairs and reissued to battery in France, September 1918, firing an additional 1,471 rounds.
George Bidleman, left, is presented a photo of the cannon with local veterans by Glenn Whitmore, commander of the American Legion Post in Medina.
“When George stepped forward we couldn’t believe it,” Whitmore said. “His heart is bigger than he is.”
Bidleman shook hands with each veteran at the park today, thanking them for their service. He said he was happy to help with the restoration of a prominent local landmark.
Whitmore said the cannon will be rededicated during the Memorial Day celebration on May 27. He said it will be a big event, and he welcomed veterans of all eras for the observance, and then an additional celebration at the American Legion, which is marking its 100th anniversary this year.
“It’s something that’s not being taken away because we’re losing so much of our history every day,” Whitmore said about the cannon. “Memorial Day is going to be a big day for this village and county.”
WJW Associates in Syracuse delivered the cannon to Medina this morning. The trucking company picked up the cannon in Altoona on Tuesday and brought it to Salamanca last night, before leaving this morning for Medina.
Jeff Karol of WJW said he got a lot of friendly honks and waves bringing the cannon up on Route 219 to Buffalo and then the Thruway this morning.
George Bidleman, left, watches the cannon be delivered to its spot in front of State Street Park.
Ron Ettinger, left, of Lyons Collision in Medina helps steer the cannon in place while a group of people, including Medina Mayor Mike Sidari (center), help push the cannon back on the concrete pad.
Seed Artillery Reproduction and Restoration put a small plaque on the cannon noting the restoration efforts were completed this year. The cannon was rusty with rot in spots and was missing chucks that Seed recreated.
Jeff Lyons, left, of Lyons Collision works with John Beauman of Beauman’s Garage in Lockport to remove straps from the cannon. Beaumont’s Garage brought a crane with a rotator to remove the cannon from the trailer.
After 14 months of restoration work, the 6-ton British field gun that has been a fixture in Medina since 1935 arrives on a flat bed truck. The cannon will be placed on a new concrete pad today with new flagpoles and lighting.
The 6-ton cannon was completely stripped, reassembled and painted. George Bidleman paid the $40,000 restoration cost, with help from the Orleans Renaissance Group and Orleans Ready Mix. The cannon will be ready for this year’s Memorial Day observance on May 27.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: These four Medina residents are on a mission to raise $200,000 for improvements to Pine Street Park, an area they all played in as youth and are committed to seeing restored for future generations. From left are Tom Hungerford, Bob Sanderson, Maureen Sanderson and Nicole Goyette.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 1 May 2019 at 8:16 am
MEDINA – Pine Street Park has been an important part of the community for a long time, said nearby resident Tom Hungerford.
Hungerford has joined with Nicole Goyette, who also lives nearby, and Bob and Maureen Sanderson to raise $200,000 to make improvements to the decades-old park.
The idea to renovate the park was Maureen’s, who recalls the pool at Street Park in the 1940s and 1950s. Last summer she and her husband Bob, Hungerford and Goyette formed the Pine Street Park Project Committee and began to formulate plans for raising the money to bring the park back to life.
The park was formerly the site of tennis courts, which were removed 14 years ago when they needed costly repaving. New tennis courts were installed at the new high school on Maple Ridge Road in the early 1990s.
The committee contacted Ben Frasier, a Lyndonville native, whose Buffalo company Parkitects designs parks.
His design for Pine Street includes a splash pad, a butterfly garden and new playground equipment. There will also be a merry-go-round (spinner) similar to the one which delighted children in State Street Park.
Two youth play lacrosse in Pine Street Park. Sawyer Kingsbury, 12, left, and his brother Sam, 14, live in the area and often come here. They think it’s great the park is going to be restored with new playground equipment, a butterfly garden and splash pad.
The splash pad will be 30 feet in diameter and water will circulate out to water plants and trees. The splash pad is the first of its kind for Parkitects, Maureen said.
“There will still be the ball field and lots of green space,” Hungerford said.
“This is a very used park,” Goyette said.
Maureen said the park is in a very visible area.
“All the families who come to town for Thomas the Train come down Park Avenue, and the park is the first thing they see,” she said.
“We had visited the park and saw how dilapidated it had become,” Maureen said. “We have grandchildren now and want them to have a nice, safe place to play.”
In March, the committee launched a corporate fund drive, and raised more than half of the $200,000 needed.
“Businesses were very generous. Those who couldn’t give money offered materials or gifts in kind,” Goyette said. “Takeform made beautiful booklets with pictures describing our goal to send out with our requests. Now we are giving community members an opportunity to donate to our cause.”
This rendering from Parkitects shows the improvements planned for Pine Street Park.
Any donation is appreciated and may be made to Orleans Renaissance Group, P.O. Box 543, Medina, 14103.
Goyette said there is a huge youth presence in the area, and she hopes the new park will attract more.
“I know my three kids will get a lot of use out of it,” Hungerford said.
Tentative plans call for having the splash pad completed by the end of July and the playground by fall.
“This park will be classic and timeless,” Goyette said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2019 at 9:55 am
(Editor’s Note: This article was updated from an earlier version that said the Medina Memorial Hospital had agreed to help pay for an ambulance. The negotiations haven’t started, with no commitment yet from the hospital.)
MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department often transfers patients at Medina Memorial Hospital to hospitals in Buffalo and Rochester.
The first 22 days of April, Medina FD did 54 interfacility transfers from Medina Memorial, Fire Chief Tom Lupo told the Village Board last week.
Those trips occupy a crew for at least a couple hours, and put wear and tear on the ambulances.
Medina tries to replace an ambulance every two years, and the cost is typically about $160,000. Lupo and village officials are asking Medina Memorial Hospital to chip in for the cost of a new ambulance.
Lupo wants to ask Medina Memorial to contribute $5,000 annually towards a new ambulance, and with that contribution could rise to $10,000 in future years.
The village wants to set up negotiations with the hospital. The Village Board authorized Lupo to represent the village with the hospital.
The Village Board last week voted to declare a 2009 ambulance as surplus and donated the vehicle to the Orleans/Niagara BOCES program in Medina, where the vehicle and engine will be taken apart by students training to become mechanics.
