By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 April 2022 at 11:08 am
Photo courtesy of Greg Reed, YMCA director
MEDINA — The YMCA in Orleans County will unveil a new indoor playground today during Healthy Kids Day from 6 to 8 p.m. The playground will be wrapped up and then that covering will be removed this evening.
The playground includes three slides, a bubble enclosure, ball room, web elevator, roller squeeze, bumper bag forests and climbs.
Six other organizations will attend the Healthy Kids Day event, running fun interactive games, said Greg Reed, the YMCA director.
The inflatable obstacle course also will be available. The Y is located on Pearl Street in Medina.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Glenn Whitmore, commander of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post, salutes after placing a wreath on the Vietnam Memorial in front of the post on Wednesday morning. The event was in honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day on Tuesday.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 31 March 2022 at 8:05 pm
Dave Kusmierczak, a member of the American Legion Post in Medina, wears a Vietnam bracelet in honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day. Kusmierczak served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971.
MEDINA – Each year on March 29 the nation celebrates National Vietnam War Veterans Day. On Tuesday, the Butts-Clark American Legion Post in Medina took part in ceremonies at the Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke to remember and honor all Vietnam war veterans.
Also participating were Batavia’s American Legion Post 332, the Patriot Guard Riders of New York, cemetery director James R. Metcalfe, Genesee Veterans Council president William Joyce, and Vietnam veteran the Rev. Robert M. Stuart.
A wreath laying ceremony was followed by an Honor Guard service with volley and Taps.
On Wednesday morning, the Butts-Clark American Legion and members from the American Legion in Lyndonville paid tribute to Vietnam veterans with a ceremony in front of the Vietnam Memorial at the Butts-Clark Post.
After a prayer by veteran Dave Kusmierczak, Commander Glenn Whitmore laid a wreath on the monument, followed by a volley and Taps.
In addition to Whitmore and Kusmierczak, those who participated were Peter Huth, Dave Barhite, Dave Morien, Larry Szatkowski, Luke Price, Dave Wells, Jim Wells, Maxine Schening, John Follman and Dave Higgins.
John Follman with the American Legion Post in Lyndonville lines up the rifle squad for ceremonies at the Butt-Clark American Legion’s Vietnam Memorial on Wednesday morning.
Provided photos: Pictured from left include coach Jeff Dole, Alex Balaban, Arian Cayea (captain), Isaac Pace and Scholastic Bowl host Derick Evans.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – Congratulations are in order for Medina High School’s Alex Balaban, Arian Cayea and Isaac Pace who took home first place in the Niagara’s Choice Credit Union Scholastic Bowl that was hosted by WLVL 1340 AM/105.3 FM.
The event was held at Niagara County Community College on Friday and the team, coached by Jeff Dole, beat Starpoint to become the 2022 Scholastic Bowl Champions.
Medina Scholastic Bowl team members Alex Balaban, Arian Cayea (captain) and Isaac Pace hold the trophy after winning the championship.
Scholastic Bowl is an academic buzzer competition similar to Jeopardy, but with teams testing their knowledge in literature, science, history, math and more. The Medina team dominated the whole season with David Berry, Dan Owen DeVera and Cole Hughes also representing the team throughout the regular season.
Mr. Dole says the team finished the regular season in first place and won the first two playoff games against Roy-Hart and North Tonawanda.
“In the championship game against Starpoint, Alex, Arian and Isaac represented our school,” Mr. Dole said. “It was an intense matchup with the Starpoint team taking a 5-point lead after the first round. Medina was in the lead by 5 points after the second round. In the final round, Starpoint took a 25-point lead with one question left. Needing to correctly answer the last 10 point question, Isaac buzzed in and answered with the correct answer and then received a bonus question worth 20 points.”
Alex came up with the correct answer to who was the first U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The answer was Teddy Roosevelt and the team pulled out the win by a score of 170-165!”
The team is currently done for the season, but will be competing in Masterminds, which is another quiz competition. The varsity team is currently in first place in a league with Albion, Holley, Kendall, Pembroke and Elba. The JV team is also in first place in their league and the middle school team is tied for first.
“We have a lot of dedicated students involved in Masterminds and Quizbowl,” Mr. Dole said. “They show up to practice, enjoy competition and take school and learning seriously.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2022 at 9:31 am
Village DPW planting 50 more trees this spring
File photo by Tom Rivers: Medina DPW workers on April 26, 2019 planted a new tree at State Street Park for Arbor Day.
MEDINA — The Village of Medina has been named a “Tree City USA” for the 11th straight year. The Arbor Day Foundation announced the recognition for Medina due to its commitment to an planting trees and an effective urban forest management.
Mayor Mike Sidari read the letter at Monday’s Village Board meeting from the Arbor Day Foundation, recognizing the village again.
Medina has planted more than a 1,000 trees in the past two decades and will be adding 50 more to the landscape this spring.
Medina meets the Tree City USA criteria with four requirements: a Tree Board or department; a tree care ordinance; and annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita; and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
Medina has a Tree Board and also has formed a “Releaf Society” to raise money to plant new trees to replace some of the old ones, especially at Boxwood Cemetery. The Tree Board helps to decides what kind and where trees can be planted and which need to be trimmed or cut down.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2022 at 8:42 am
Firehall would need to be expanded to accommodate bigger fire truck
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Medina ladder truck is shown on Jan. 12 at a fire on Knapp Street in Albion. Village officials want to begin working to replace the ladder truck from 1996.
MEDINA – Medina Mayor Mike Sidari hoped to push off replacing a ladder truck for a few more years. But he said the ladder truck the village needs to start working on a plan to replace the truck from 1996.
“We have a desperate need for a new ladder truck,” the mayor said at Monday’s Village Board meeting. “And if we get a new truck we need a place to have it.”
Acquiring a new truck and putting an addition on the fire hall could be financed through a bond. Sidari said he wants the projects discussed as part of the village budget meetings in April. The budget needs to be approved by April 30.
Sidari said Medina has some leeway in its budget and still remain under the state constitutional tax limit. For a village that is 2 percent of the five-year average full valuation.
Medina’s full valuation for the 2021-22 budget was $173,610,268 and 2 percent of that is $3,472,205. The current budget has a tax levy of $3,259,119, which is nearing the tax limit.
Medina’s current ladder truck is from 1996. The ladder is 75 feet long. Medina officials would like a truck with a 100-foot-long ladder.
The new truck would cost an estimated $1.2 million. The current truck needs frequent maintenance that is costly. Village officials said Medina is already spending about $70,000 a year on the current ladder to keep it going.
The current fire hall is too small for a bigger ladder truck. Currently there is only two inches of clearance from the top of the truck to get in and out of the bay in the fire hall. The new trucks are 4 inches above the top of the door.
Medina Fire Chief Matt Jackson has suggested the village consider a 75-by-50-foot addition to the fire hall with two taller bays to allow more space to get trucks in and out of the building.
An addition would be an estimated $1.3 million to $1.5 million for the building, and extending heating and other utilities, as well as engineering costs.
The current fire hall includes two buildings, a Medina sandstone structure from 1908 and then an annex built in the 1930s for the DPW. The DPW moved in 1955 and Medina FD took over the 3,960-square-foot space, which is 45 by 88 feet.
In addition to the larger fire trucks, the Medina FD runs four ambulances from the site and one of them, ambulance 61, can only fit in one of the bays.
Jackson would like to see an addition in the parking lot with garage bays about 3 ½ feet higher than the ones in the current building.
Jackson is suggesting Medina pursue a 4,980-square-foot addition that would be 60 by 83 feet. It would have space for modern ambulances and fire trucks, be ADA compliant, and meet the department’s needs for the next 50 to 100 years. It would also have space for potential female firefighters.
Medina officials expect there will be some grant funding to help with the truck and fire hall expansion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2022 at 7:38 am
MEDINA – The Village Board will start digging deep into the village budget next week as its begins a series of meetings with village department heads.
The board on Monday set the following dates to work on the budget: 9:15 a.m. on April 4 with focus on fire department and police department; 9 a.m. on April 6 with focus on code enforcement; 9 a.m. on April 8 with focus on Department of Public Works, and then another meeting at 9:30 a.m. on April 13.
The board also set a public hearing for the budget at 7 p.m. on April 25. The hearing will be at the senior center. The budget needs to be adopted by April 30.
The current 2021-22 budget totaled $6,109,526 with $3,259,119 raised by taxes for a tax rate of $18.77 per $1,000 of assessed property.
MEDINA – The Medina Police Department is currently investigating a phone scam where the Medina Police Department’s office phone number (585)798-5602 has been used as part of the scam.
The suspect(s) calls reporting there is a warrant for the person, and the only way to get rid of the warrant is to pay whatever monies they stipulate. The above phone number comes up on caller ID.
This isn’t how the Medina Police Department or any other law enforcement agency handles warrants. Please be mindful if you receive any calls like this, obtain as much information as you can without engaging in lengthy conversation with the caller.
Hang up, call 911, and/or the Medina Police Department (585)798-5603 or (585) 798-5602 to speak to an officer. Most importantly do not give the caller any monies and/or information so they can access your financial accounts.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 March 2022 at 2:01 pm
MEDINA – Lock your car doors, especially at night, to discourage break-ins, Medina Police Chief Chad Kenward said during Monday’s Village Board meeting.
He said many vehicles have been hit by larcenies, including some during broad daylight.
“The larcenies are a problem all over,” Kenward said. “People are desperate for money.”
He thinks people in need of money to fuel addictions and also because they don’t have enough to pay their bills.
He recommended the Village Board have additional lighting put in the parking lot for the senior center and village office, as well as more security cameras.
People can help themselves by locking their doors, Kenward said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 March 2022 at 6:04 pm
Switch to E15 could save consumers up to 25 cents a gallon
Photo by Tom Rivers: Tim Winters, president and CEO of Western New York Energy in Medina, said ethanol is a domestic supply that can bring down the cost of gas significantly.
MEDINA – A surefire way to bring down the cost of gasoline: add more ethanol to the gas blends.
That is the message from the CEO and president of Western New York Energy, which produced 62 million gallons of ethanol annually.
Tim Winters, leader of the facility on Bates Road, noted that the state has already approved for gas to go from 10 percent ethanol to 15 percent. The state Department of Agriculture and Markets made that decision on Nov. 21, 2019.
But the gas stations, which are heavily influenced controlled by oil companies, haven’t budged. Gas remains at E10, when E15 would likely bring the cost down much closer to $4 a gallon.
The average price is currently $4.35 a gallon for unleaded in the state. Winters said E15 in Pennsylvania and West Virginia cut about 25 cents off the price per gallon.
“These market conditions show yet again how consumers are at the mercy of oil companies,” Winters said. “And with higher blend rates we can have cleaner air for our kids and support our farmers.”
Using more ethanol in gas – increasing the blend from 10 to 15 percent – would lower the price at the pump, be better for the environment and also reduce the oil imports from Russia, Winters said.
He believes the gas stations would insist on E15 if customers demanded it. He is urging people to request E15 at gas stations.
“The oil companies are spreading misinformation,” Winters said. “This is David vs. Goliath.”
The voice of the customer, however, would make a strong impression on the gas stations, and could lead to E15 being offered. Right now, Winters said only a few gas stations offer E15 in the Albany area.
The change to E15 in New York would lower carbon emissions by 748,000 tons annually, which is the equivalent of removing 129,400 vehicles from New York’s roads, according to the Renewable Fuels Association.
Provided photo: Western New York Energy also is nearing completion of a new high purity distillation system.
Winters said E15 gas has now been driven 16 billion miles “without a single issue.”
The ethanol plant in Medina is currently the only one operating in the state. It will soon open a new high purity distillation system that can produce up to 15 million gallons of high-purity alcohol to be used in the pharmaceutical and beverage industries, and other industrial purposes.
Winters said the Medina plant is diversifying “because the fuel market can be a bumpy ride.”
Opening the plant in November 2007 has proven a success for the community, providing a big buyer for corn and producing about 60 million gallons of ethanol that is blended in gasoline.
Since the plant opened the corn yields have drastically increased around the state. The yields went from 97 bushels per acre in 2002 to 167 in 2021, which was a record high for New York.
Winters said the switch to E15 would mean more opportunities for corn growers and the local ethanol plant. But he said he feels for motorists who are paying near record-high prices. He wants them to have relief at the pump, and for the U.S. to not be enriching Russia with imported oil.
On March 17, about 1,000 farmers, workers in the ethanol industry, and other biofuel supporters sent a message to President Biden to broaden the use of ethanol blends like E15.
The letter was signed from people in 30 states.
“Simply allowing gasoline blenders to sell E15 year-round would instantly help moderate prices at the pump and deliver relief to American families,” the letter states. “Today, E15 is selling for 10-25 cents per gallon less than standard gasoline, meaning year-round use of the fuel would save the average American household at least $125-200 on its annual gasoline bill. Those savings would accrue immediately while also providing energy, environmental and economic benefits for the long-term.”
Winters said local residents can make a difference by simply requesting E15 as an option when they buy gas.
“Just ask the retailer for E15,” he said. “Tell them you want a lower-priced option.”
The ethanol industry doesn’t have near the resources to counter the power of oil companies, he said.
“As a state and a nation, we continue to place the financial wellbeing and clean air responsibilities of our citizens in the hands of dirty, harmful gasoline and oil producers,” Winters said. “Now is as good a time to make a change for the benefit of our neighbors – by putting some more money in their pockets while we are cleaning the air we all breathe.”
A push for E15 would also have a big benefit for the agricultural community.
“This provides critical support for New York farmers that are facing historically high input prices and facing the same financial struggles as consumers,” Winters said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 28 March 2022 at 10:06 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Catherine Cooper, Orleans County historian, talks about the history department and vintage cookbooks at the March meeting of the Senior Citizens of Western Orleans.
MEDINA – Senior Citizens of Western Orleans welcomed Catherine Cooper to their March dinner meeting to talk about the Orleans County historian’s job and share some of her vintage cookbooks.
Cooper retired in June 2020 as director of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library and accepted the position as Orleans County historian in September 2020.
She explained the first historian appointed was Arden McAllister, a Medina teacher, in 1938. Bill Lattin held the position for 35 years until he retired in 2013 and then was succeeded by Matthew Ballard he served in the position for more than five years.
As historian, Cooper said she is spending time sorting and refiling records to make them accessible.
“People come in looking for houses, genealogy, sandstone quarries and, always in December, information about Charlie Howard,” Cooper said. “You don’t need to know everything. You just need to know where to find it.”
Other things people ask for are old maps, minutes of the Pioneer History Association, early newspapers and photographs, Cooper said.
It can be a challenge when someone wants a photo from 1840 or a birth certificate from 1820. They didn’t take photos back then or have birth certificates.
Great sources of information are books by Medina’s Ed Grinnell and Ridgeway historian Richard Dennis. Cooper also talked about the Medina Historical Society at 406 West Ave. It was founded 50 years ago by the late Ceil White as a place to collect and preserve the history of Medina.
“There is so much material there,” Cooper said. “This includes information about the barracks by Fisher Price for World War II prisoners, H.J. Heinz Company, spinning wheels and more.”
The Medina Historical Society puts on informative programs, Cooper said. A recent one was on letters from the Civil War. Some were brought in and one person had a correspondence from Jack Benny a family member had received.
“Documenting change in an area over time – that’s local history,” Cooper said. “We are tribal. We need to know where we came from. When we are together, we talk about our families and what they did. We need to pass on those stories.”
One thing she urged was for people to label photographs.
Cooper also brought a collection of old cookbooks, some from the Historical Society and other belonging to her.
“You will find inspiration in those cookbooks gathered over the years,” she said. “They are a great resource. You can learn so much from the ads. In the 1950s and 1960s people canned and preserved food.”
Some of Cooper’s cookbooks were from Oak Orchard Elementary School, the Mustang Marching Band, St. Mary’s Mother’s Club and senior citizens.
Finally Cooper handed out copies of five self-guided walking tours of Medina developed by Todd Bensley. She urged seniors to get up, get out and see Medina’s history.
