MEDINA – The Medina school district is pleased to announce that it will be providing free breakfast and lunch to all students in 2018-19 through implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Breakfast/Lunch Program.
The CEP program provides the opportunity for schools in high poverty areas to provide two nutritious meals every school day, while eliminating the stigma for those students previously identified as “low income.”
The CEP began in 2011 with three states piloting the program and then became a nationwide program in 2014. To be eligible for CEP at least 40 percent of students must be identified as “directly certified” for free meals without a meal application through programs such as SNAP, TANF and Medicaid. Medina school district has met this eligibility guideline.
Some families will still be asked to complete an Alternate Income Form to account for those students who are not directly certified. However, completing this form will have no impact on receiving free meals. This income information will allow the district to continue to maximize its funding through state and federal programs and grant opportunities.
“We are excited to offer CEP to our families,” said Superintendent Mark Kruzynski. “Research shows that when students eat healthy meals each day, their academic performance improves and they are in a much better place emotionally and socially. When the opportunity came up for us to participate in CEP, we took it as another chance to level the playing field for all of our students to give them all the best chance to succeed.”
If you have any questions regarding this new program, please contact your child’s school or the Business Office at 798-2700.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 August 2018 at 1:43 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Department of Public Works has fixed the water main leak on Park Avenue by Baxter Healthcare, but a section of the street will be closed the rest of this week.
The village had to dig up a section of the street to make the repair. Mayor Mike Sidari said new stone base and binder will be put on the section of Park Avenue near Pine and Olive streets.
The village DPW recently repaved Park Avenue. The milling machine may have caused vibrations that cracked the pipe or Sidari speculated the truck traffic may have been the culprit.
The street should be fully reopened next week. The DPW on Tuesday also expects to fix a leak on East Center Street and Bernzomatic Drive.
The DPW worked on the Park Avenue repair for 10 hours on Sunday and was back this morning.
Baxter Healthcare didn’t have running water this morning for its manufacturing site at the Olde Pickle Factory. Employees had to use 10 port-a-potties and hand sanitizer. The bathrooms at Baxter reopened temporarily at 10:30 a.m., but closed again before 11, an employee said.
Mayor Sidari said at about 1 p.m. today that Park Avenue was repaired with the leak near Bernzomatic next on the list.
“Hopefully by tomorrow all the repairs will be fixed and we’ll be back to normal,” he said.
MEDINA – The Medina Department of Public Works is working this morning to isolate two water main leaks, the Medina Police Department has stated on its Facebook page.
One of the leaks in the area of Park Avenue and Olive Street. The second is in the area of E. Center Street and Bernzomatic Drive.
These leaks have caused flooding, wet road conditions and some road closures, the Police Department said. Motorists are urged to use caution and to avoid these affected areas. These leaks may also effect water service throughout the village as well.
Park Avenue is closed between Olive and Pine streets.
“Any sediment in residential water should clear if run for a short period of time,” the Police Department said.
Press Release, Orleans County Department of Planning and Development
MEDINA – The public information session and public hearing for the Western Orleans Comprehensive Plan will be Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively, at the Shelby Town Hall, 4062 Salt Works Rd.
“The draft WOCP (Western Orleans Comprehensive Plan) is the result of 18 months of hard work by committee members and the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development,” said Yates Town Supervisor Jim Simon, who also chairs the committee responsible for revising the WOCP.
Simon is hopeful that “residents in Western Orleans will take the time to review the plan and provide the committee comments on its contents.”
The draft WOCP remains available for review at the town and village halls in Western Orleans County, the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library and the Yates Community Library. Stakeholders are encouraged to review the draft plan and submit their comments to the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development – the agency facilitating this process.
Comments should be submitted to the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development at 14016 Route 31, Albion NY, 14411. Additionally, the plan and an electronic comment form can be found on the Department’s webpage (click here).
Questions about the WOCP of the public involvement process should be directed to Sarah Gatti at the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development by phone at 585-589-3187 or email at sarah.gatti@orleanscountyny.gov.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Elvis impersonator Terry Buchwald woos a fan during last year’s Super Cruise in Medina. Sponsored by United Way of Orleans County, the event is scheduled Wednesday. Between 250 and 300 vehicles are expected.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 24 August 2018 at 11:49 am
MEDINA – Main Street in Medina will host the end of its summer cruise-ins with a final Super Cruise on Wednesday, featuring Elvis impersonator Terry Buchwald.
Cruise-ins have been a tradition in Medina for many years, beginning the end of June and taking place weekly in the canal basin. It has also been a tradition to hold the cruise-ins at the Orleans County 4-H Fair during Friday of fair week, and for one Friday at the Orleans County Marine Park at Point Breeze.
Lynne Menz shared this photo from the third floor of the Bent’s Opera House. This was early in the Super Cruise on 2015, before the street was packed with people.
If the weather is good Wednesday, they will have between 250 and 300 cars lining Main Street, said organizer David Green. In the past, antique vehicles and classic cars have stretched down Main Street from the red light downtown around the bend to the canal.
Main Street will be closed from Center Street north, and cars will begin arriving by 4:30 p.m., Green said.
Buchwald will entertain from 6 to 8 p.m. He has performed at the Super Cruise for several years, typically arriving by motorcycle.
As in the past, food vendors will be set up on Main Street and local restaurants will also be open to welcome customers. Several of the restaurants, including Avanti’s, Captain Kidz and Rudy’s, are sponsors of the event, Green said.
Door prizes for antique vehicle owners have been donated by Ace Hardware in Medina.
The evening will also feature 50/50 drawings, with the proceeds going to United Way of Orleans County, which is a sponsor of the cruise-ins.
Provided photos: Travis Schuck, a Boy Scout in Troop 28 in Medina, works on a new sign for the Medina Area Association of Churches. He is joined by Aaron Young of AGC Construction.
Travis is working on the project for his Life Scout rank. The signs say, “The Medina Area Association of Churches Welcomes You.” Travis is restoring two MAAC signs, one of North Gravel Road by Gallagher Farm and the other on Maple Ridge Road by Roberts Farm Market.
He will be putting up for new signs for the MAAC at the intersection of East Center Street and Bates Road, West Center Street and Salt Works Road, Ricky Place on Maple Ridge Road, and one on Main Street by Orleans Ford.
Joe Brueckner, a Scout in Troop 28, joined the sign-making project last week. Scouts from Troop 20 in Gasport and Evan’s Ace Hardware in Medina also helped with the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 August 2018 at 8:37 pm
MEDINA – Several employees at Baxter Healthcare in Medina have told Orleans Hub the company announced this afternoon that the service department would be eliminated in Medina along with more than 100 jobs.
Baxter will continue to produce manufacture smart infusion pumps in Medina for the medical field.
Baxter became a part-owner of the SIGMA Spectrum Infusion pump in 2009, and in 2012 became the full owner. Baxter is one of the largest employers in Orleans County with about 600 workers at the Olde Pickle Factory on Park Avenue.
The company told employees some workers would be laid off as soon as possible while others in the service department would keep their positions in Medina for up to nine months.
The service department work is moving to another Baxter location out of state. The employees were notified of the layoffs in Medina during a meeting at about 3 p.m. today.
Provided photos: One Church in Medina, which opened in December at the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church, held a back-to-school supply and backpack giveaway on Aug. 11. About 70 children received supplies for the school year.
One Church is a Free Methodist congregation with churches in Akron and Medina. The Medina church is located at 208 Ann St.
Pictured include from left in back: Medina Children’s Director Cherie Swain and Akron Office Administrator Pam Roesch, who are standing with Emma and Rosie Swain.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Larry Eastlack, pastor of the Medina United Methodist Church, is pictured in the sanctuary of the church, which moved into the former Apple Grove Inn about five years ago.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 August 2018 at 9:26 am
MEDINA – Larry Eastlack is back serving the Medina community. In the 1980s, he was the first paid director for the Medina Chamber of Commerce. He did that in a part-time role before taking community development positions in Rochester. He first worked in business development in Wilmington, Delaware.
But ministry has always been his passion – and calling.
On July 1, he started as pastor of the Medina United Methodist Church. With a background in community development, Eastlack has been looking at ways to make the church property – the former Apple Grove Inn – a better asset. He would like to see the church host a bridal show. The Apple Grove hosted those type of events back when he was the Chamber director.
The kitchen and fellowship hall also would be ideal for hosting receptions, parties, dinner dances and other events. Outside there is a gazebo and Eastlack said that spot could be popular for concerts.
Church members gathered to pray outside the former Apple Grove on Oct. 27, 2013 before going inside to dedicate the site.
“There is a lot of potential here that you don’t see in different churches,” Eastlack said during an interview at his office at 11004 West Center Street Ext., next to Shelridge Country Club. “This facility is absolutely amazing.”
His main focus, however, is equipping church attendees in their spiritual lives.
“Being a pastor is just who I am,” Eastlack said. “I wanted my career to be making and growing disciples for Christ.”
Eastlack grew up as a pastor’s kid in the Wesleyan denomination. His five brothers and one sister also became pastors – in the Wesleyan denomination.
Eastlack started in ministry in the early 1970s. He is ordained with a degree from Houghton College in Allegany County. He was a youth pastor for a United Methodist church in Wellsville. He also directed an interdenominational choir that was touring Western New York and did a concert at the West Barre United Methodist Church. That’s where Eastlack met Nancy Nesbitt.
They married in 1973 and Eastlack for four years, from 1975 to 1979, led three churches in Orleans – Waterport, Kuckville and Kenyonville – before they merged and built a new church in Carlton.
The couple has three children. Gavin has been working as a model in New York City for about a decade. Morgan has a wedding videography business, and Kaitlin is a mother of four children.
Larry and Nancy live in Pine Hill in Barre in the house where Nancy grew up.
Besides a foray in community development, Eastlack also worked as television news reporter in Springfield, Mass., and Billings, Montana. He said the Watergate crisis, which was uncovered by reporters, inspired him to pursue the news business.
But ultimately his passion is in ministry. Since 1990, he has been a pastor. Eastlack has also served congregations in Canandaigua, Corning and Oakfield. He most recently worked five years as the pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Amherst.
He praised the congregation at the Medina United Methodist for their many outreach efforts for the community. The church hosts a Boy Scout troop, is the base for the annual MAAC toy drive and a number of other programs.
Eastlack also commended Tony Hipes, the previous church pastor who is now at Perry. Hipes was able to see the building project to completion. It took three years of renovations and nearly $1 million in upgrades before the church moved from a historic building at 222 West Center Street to the former Apple Grove. The church held its first service in the old Apple Grove on Oct. 27, 2013.
The United Methodists have a tradition of “social holiness,” addressing concerns in the community, country and world.
Eastlack said his focus will be on discipleship, on helping Christians strengthen their walk with Jesus.
“There needs to be a push on personal holiness,” he said.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Alex Feig, left, shows some of the deterioration to the equipment and cracks in the asphalt at the skate park to Mayor Mike Sidari, and Joe Perry, superintendent of the Department of Public Works.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 August 2018 at 9:32 pm
Skate Jam on Sept. 15 may indicate if community interest in skate park improvements
Alex Feig shows one of the long cracks in the asphalt at the skate park that can cause people to tumble off their skateboards.
MEDINA – Alex Feig sees a revamped skate park as another draw for the Medina community, enhancing the quality of life for local residents and also bringing visitors to the village.
Medina has site for skateboarders at Butts Park. But the site, built on a former tennis court, has cracks in the asphalt and the 20-year-old ramps, ledges and quarter pipes are showing their age.
“We have the space but right now it’s being underutilized,” Feig said about the skate park on South Main Street at Butts.
Feig, 32, would like to see the asphalt, which is prone to deterioration, be replaced with a concrete surface. The tennis courts are also too big. A smaller area would be better, Feig said. He’d like to see the fences removed so it’s an open area. If he had his wish, he would like to see bowls that skaters would go down and pick up speed and then be able to do different skating tricks.
Other communities have opened skating parks, including Amherst just last month. The Alix Rice Peace Park has a series of deep concrete bowls and other challenging features.
Feig has reached out the Tony Hawk Foundation, which has matching funds to develop new skate parks.
“If we dream big it could become a tourist attraction,” Feig said. “Skate parks can draw a lot of people in.”
Feig has planned a skate jam on Sept. 15 at the skate park at Butts from 1 to 4 p.m. The event is led by the Medina Skate Society with the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition a sponsor. Orleans United for eight years held a skating competition and demonstration at the park.
The Sept. 15 event includes a competition for the best trick. There will also be free food and music, and a skateboard and helmet giveaway.
Feig also wants to use the event to gauge interest in upgrading the skate park. It would take community fundraising to improve the site.
Alex Feig meets with Mayor Mike Sidari at the site today. Feig said concrete would be a better surface than asphalt. Feig also said the fences should be removed and area made smaller. A big goal would be to have bowls that people could skate in.
The village already is using about $500 given in memory of Luke Nelson, a skateboarder from Middleport who often used the park. He was 23 when he passed away on April 22, 2017. The money given in his memory went towards a repair kit for the cracks in the asphalt.
Luke’s mother, Terri Nelson, said she would like to see a bench at the park for parents to sit while they watch their children. She brought her son to the park numerous times because there wasn’t a designated spot in Middleport where skateboarders felt welcome.
Feig, who works at WBTA radio station in Batavia, said skateboarding was popular when he was a kid 20 years ago. He got away from it as a young adult but now is back at it.
“It’s a physical activity, but it’s also an artform,” Feig said about skateboarding. “Everyone goes at their own pace.”
Skateboarding will be a sport in the Olympics for the first time in 2020. He expects the sport will get a boost from that, drawing more participants.
Terri Nelson, Alex Feig and Pat Crowley, director of the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition, hold a banner promoting a skate jam on Sept. 15 at Butts Park.
Photo courtesy of Medina firefighter Jacob Crooks: Firefighters Tim Miller and Adam Fisher and Captain Matt Jackson try out the Medina Fire Department’s new inflatable boat in the Canal Basin.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 August 2018 at 8:31 am
MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department has a new boat, thanks to the efforts of a local businessman and the generosity of the community.
Jeff Lyons, owner of Lyons Collision, was at the scene with his tow truck where a man had driven into the canal on Aug. 17, 2017. He noticed the condition of the fire department’s row boat, when they tried to carry divers out to the submerged truck.
Photo by Tom Rivers: A boat for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department marine patrol was brought from Lake Alice in Carlton to help locate a submerged truck in the Erie Canal on Aug. 17, 2017. That boat didn’t have working sonar. A magnet was tied to rope to try to locate the truck.
“Our boat couldn’t handle the divers and their tanks,” said fire chief Tom Lupo. “It was a 1963 with a 1954 motor.”
As a result, the Orleans County sheriff’s boat had to be called, which resulted in a wait of more than an hour.
Shortly after that day, Lyons went to businesses and individuals in the community and secured $7,000 in donations, which was enough to cover the cost of the Inmar inflatable boat and 25 hp Suzuki motor, with a little left over.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Medina Fire Department captain Jonathan Higgins, firefighter Joe Simmons and Mayor Mike Sidari take a ride in the fire department’s new inflatable boat, which was launched to escort the Corning Museum of Glass Barge into the canal basin on Aug. 9.
With the extra money and only $300 out of the village budget, firefighters Jacob Crooks and Joseph Simmons were able to rebuild the fire department’s existing trailer.
“They did a terrific job, and so inexpensively,” Lupo said. “It was way cheaper than buying a new trailer.”
The boat made its maiden voyage on Aug. 9, when it was launched to escort the Corning Glass barge into the Canal Basin for its weekend visit with the schooner, Lois McClure.
Lupo said the engine had to be properly broken in, idling it for an hour, then running it at a low speed for two hours.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 August 2018 at 10:03 am
Waterfalls access, more canal amenities, more downtown businesses, and revamped playgrounds
Photos by Tom Rivers: Kimberly Baptiste, project leader of the Medina Local Waterfront Development Plan, meets with committee members on Wednesday during the kickoff meeting for the project. Baptiste works for Bergmann Associates, a firm hired to help Medina create the new plan. Committee members pictured from clockwise by Baptiste include Lisa Tombari, Tim Elliott, Chris Goyette, Marty Busch, Debbie Padoleski, Mike Sidari, Chris Busch and Kathy Blackburn.
MEDINA – A committee tasked with reimagining the Medina waterfront met for the first time Wednesday evening as part of an initiative to better capitalize on the Erie Canal, Glenwood Lake and other nearby assets, including the historic downtown.
The Village of Medina was awarded a $37,500 state grant in December to develop a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The LWRP is critical for developing a plan, both short-term and long-term, for the waterfront and also to help Medina pursue public and private investment for projects to make the waterfront and nearby areas more attractive.
Many state grants, for example, want to know if projects are in line with a LWRP. Medina currently does not have that kind of plan and it has hurt the community’s chances for funding, including a $10 million downtown revitalization grant. That money last year went to the City of Batavia. Medina isn’t applying this year partly because it doesn’t have the LWRP in place, Mayor Mike Sidari said.
He is on the LWRP group which includes members of the Village Board, Planning Board, Medina Business Association and other community members.
The committee said the village has come a long way in the past 20 to 30 years, with a vibrant downtown, other projects completed, and many well-attended community events. However, the Canal Basin is falling short of its potential for local residents and for attracting more visitors.
“Twenty years ago we did a lot on the waterfront and then it stopped,” said Marty Busch, the village’s code enforcement officer. “We have to keep going.”
Medina has a wide basin at the canal and it has docks for boaters and bathrooms by the canal. But Busch said it needs a launch for boaters and kayakers.
Mary Lewis, owner of Creekside Floral and a committee member, said a top priority for the LWRP should be a plan for making the Medina Waterfalls more accessible to the public. Many people take a treacherous path on private property right now to see the falls. Lewis and other committee members said the waterfalls should be safely accessible to the public. That site, if publicly accessible, would be a big draw for the community.
Lewis has her floral business on Main Street. The first floor shops are mostly full in the downtown, but Lewis said there is room for more small businesses in the downtown buildings. She would like to see the total number double or triple in the downtown, to make the business district an even greater draw. The LWRP should include ideas to boost more entrepreneurs in the community, she said.
The Hydrobikes and kayaks for Pedal and Paddle Medina are docked in Medina’s Canal Basin. Some members on a committee to develop a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program want to add a launch for boats and kayaks.
The plan should also address the need to upgrade village parks with new playground equipment, and perhaps walking trails and other amenities. (Mayor Sidari and Village Trustee Tim Elliott said new playground equipment will be installed at Butts Park in September.)
Chris Busch, chairman of the Village Planning Board and also the Tree Board, said some community members had big dreams for Medina 20-30 years ago. Back then the pessimists made it more difficult to get projects in motion, but some optimists persevered.
“People don’t realize what we have,” Busch said. “There’s defeatism.”
The Medina Waterfalls are one of the most striking sights in Orleans County, yet there isn’t public access that gives a good look at the natural wonder.
Busch and others on the current committee said naysayers remain vocal in the community, and they need to be swayed about Medina’s assets and the community’s potential.
“Many have said, ‘We’re not Fairport,’” Busch said. “They act like this is our lot in life and we need to accept it. But we’ve come a long way and we have more to go.”
The LWRP will do an inventory of the assets in the community and look for ways to better capitalize on those resources, and also add more amenities.
The committee will meet again in September and October, and there will be at least three public meetings for residents to provide input.
The goal is to have a draft plan complete in March, and to send it to the state Department of State for approval. That document can then be used to help Medina pursue public and private financing for identified projects.
Orleans County also received a $62,000 state grant in December to develop a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for the canal communities outside the Village of Medina. That includes the towns of Shelby, Ridgeway, Gaines, Albion and Murray, and the villages of Albion and Holley. That project is expected to start soon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 August 2018 at 11:48 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: There isn’t an obvious sign on the storefront that says Mile 303. Look for this sign with the horse. Tim Hungerford, the owner, said he enjoys discovering bars and restaurants that aren’t always prominently marked.
MEDINA – A new restaurant in downtown Medina honors the community’s connection to the Erie Canal, while trying to “push the envelope” culturally with the food, alcohol and artwork.
Tim Hungerford opened Mile 303 on May 5 at 416 Main St. A long blue table is a sculpture designed to represent the canal. The sculpture also serves as the bar and the table tops.
Hungerford’s brother Brian, an architect in Chicago, designed the sculpture and Tim built it in a course of a year, using maple wood.
The wall facing the bar also includes a mural with a canal theme, featuring celestial horses pulling a canal boat. Even the name of the establishment, Mile 303, is connected to the canal. Medina’s mile marker by the lift bridge is 303. The canal runs 363 miles from Buffalo to Albany.
Hungerford and his wife, Teresa Misiti, bought the building five years ago and created a loft apartment for their family on the third floor. The second floor is used for their work offices.
Hungerford is a software developer and his wife has her doctorate degree and works as an environmental engineer. They have three daughters.
“We bought the building to be part of the effort to push Medina forward,” Hungerford said.
Tim Hungerford and his wife Teresa Misiti are pictured inside Mile 303 with their daughters, from left: Lou, Netta and Elsie.
As a kid Hungerford picked up cigarette butts and other trash at the Curry Building on Main Street, which is owned by his father, Roger Hungerford.
Tim has experienced his father’s commitment to Medina and Tim wants to make his own contributions to his hometown. Roger owns the Olde Pickle Factory and is working to turn the old high school into apartments and renovate the Bent’s Opera Hall. He also led the Sigma International company in Medina before selling it to Baxter in 2012.
Tim Hungerford was eager to leave Medina when he graduated at 18. After living in several major cities including New York City, Chicago and San Francisco, Hungerford wanted to come back home in 2013.
He and his wife, also a Medina native, were expecting their first child. They wanted to be close to family and contribute to downtown atmosphere and rebirth of Main Street, and bring some urban ethos.
They bought the building at 416 Main St., and set about a major transformation of the site.
Alex Shepherd of Kenmore created the mural. Hungerford said he has plans for two more murals.
The first floor at 416 Main St. had most previously been home to FastFitness, which moved to West Avenue across from the library in September 2013. The top floor hadn’t been occupied in about 70 years. The second floor hadn’t been used, except for storage, for about 30 years.
The building renovations were a major effort and involved filling 38 dumpsters holding 2 ½ tons. The items were all carried out by hand.
With Mile 303, they wanted to create a cultural experience, where customers are exposed to art while tasting “modern and fresh food on the lighter side.”
The walls have framed moss art which was created by a botanist, Elizabeth Thomas, of Buffalo. She has recently moved to Chicago.
Benjamin Pecoraro is the head chef and he prepares the meals in kitchen out in the open in front of customers. The menu has a strong focus on seasonal, organic, locally produced food and small batch artisanal spirits.
“It’s local-ingredients driven,” Hungerford said.
He has known Pecoraro for 20 years, with the two playing in bands together.
The bar side includes custom cocktails and beer from local craft to Genny Light. Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina supplies white and red wine on tap, as well as cider, in addition to a bottled wine list.
Hungerford said the menu and beers will change frequently. The restaurant and bar is open Thursday though Sunday.
Hungerford and Misiti also have plans to open a general store next door that he wants to be “a Viddler’s in a modern format,” Hungerford said referring to the popular store in East Aurora. The Medina site will have canned alcoholic products, gifts and other items.
This shows part of the mural inside Mile 303. Hungerford believes art projects can add to Medina’s quality of life and entice more visitors to the community.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 August 2018 at 5:42 pm
Hawley invites colleague from Albany to see local agriculture, downtown business district
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Mayor Mike Sidari of Medina, right, gives Assemblyman Michael Benedetto (left), a Democrat from the Bronx, a tour of Main Street in Medina this afternoon along with Assemblyman Steve Hawley, a Republican from Batavia.
Hawley invited Benedetto to see some of the 139th Assembly District, which includes most of Orleans, all of Genesee and a portion of western Monroe.
Hawley and Benedetto say they are good friends who got to know each other on the Veterans’ Committee in the Assembly. Benedetto was the committee chairman with Hawley the ranking member.
“This brings about a more upstate-downstate respect for each other,” Hawley said about welcoming a downstate Democrat to the local community for a tour. “We treat each other with respect whether we agree or disagree.”
Today was the first time Benedetto has been in Orleans County. He has been to Western New York before, visiting Niagara Falls and Buffalo. Before seeing downtown Medina, Hawley showed him the Green Harbor Campgrounds & Marina in Lyndonville, LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville, and Torrey Farms in Yates. They had lunch at Avanti’s in Medina.
Hawley will go to the Bronx to see Benedetto’s district. This is the fourth Assembly member Hawley has hosted from the other side of the state.
Benedetto said he was grateful for the chance to meet some of the local farmers and business owners.
“You find out we’re all people and we’re more alike than different,” he said.
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and Medina Mayor Mike Sidari are pictured in downtown Medina. Sidari told the two Assembly members there are 95 businesses in the downtown business district with near full occupancy in the downtown.
“This is America,” Hawley said in showing Benedetto around Medina. “This is an American Main Street. It’s gorgeous.”
During the tour of Green Harbor Campgrounds & Harbor, Hawley highlighted the impact from last year’s flooding on Lake Ontario and the difficulty some business owners are having in accessing state funding that was intended to help homeowners and businesses recover from the damage.
At LynOaken and Torrey Farms, Benedetto was shown some of the latest trends and investments in agriculture, including a rotary milking parlor at Torrey’s dairy farm on Route 18 in Yates.
After lunch at Avanti’s, Benedetto and Hawley were scheduled to go to Genesee County to see Z&M (Landpro Equipment) in Oakfield, Genesee Community College in Batavia, Chapin Manufacturing in Batavia, Batavia Downs and then have dinner at Fortunes restaurant at the Downs.
MEDINA – Members from Medina High School’s Class of 1973 celebrated their 45th reunion Saturday evening at the Knights of Columbus in Medina.
Nearly 60 class members attended with some travelling from Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Rhode Island and Michigan, as well as many from all over New York state. A good time was had by all and everyone is looking forward to the next gathering.
