By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 January 2018 at 9:42 am
MEDINA – A Medina company working on an expansion at its manufacturing site on Maple Ridge Road is planning to add 50 workers over five years, said James Whipple, CEO of the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
Takeform Architectural Graphics expects 40 of those new employees to be hired within three years, Whipple said.
The EDA held a public hearing on Tuesday afternoon for incentives offered to Takeform as part of a 15,500-square-foot expansion to an existing 30,000-plus-square-foot building.
Only Whipple and the Orleans Hub editor were at the hearing. Whipple took that as a sign no one opposes the incentives for the project.
Takeform wants the additional space and equipment so the company can grow its business – the design and manufacture of custom signage and graphics and related activities.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency is considering three incentives to help the company with the expansion.
One incentive includes a sales tax exemption, saving Takeform the 8 percent sales tax on up to $1,350,000 for building materials, equipment, machinery, fixtures and furnishings. That exemption would save Takeform up to $108,000.
The EDA also is proposing a mortgage tax exemption for a mortgage up to $2.5 million. Exempting Takeform from the 1 percent mortgage tax will save the company up to $25,000.
The EDA also plans to propose a 10-year tax exemption plan on property taxes for the addition. The company wouldn’t have to pay property taxes the first year for the addition and then would pay 10 percent of the assessed value the second year, with another 10 percent added annually until it’s at full value after a decade. Takeform would continue to pay the full value for the current building during the 10-year plan.
The exemption only includes the addition and includes the taxing jurisdictions of the Village of Medina, Town of Shelby, Medina Central School and Orleans County.
The property tax savings plan will be in more detail Friday when the Orleans EDA board of directors meets at 8 a.m. at 121 North Main St., Albion. The board will vote on the incentives on Friday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 January 2018 at 10:52 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: Medina firefighters were called to help put out a fire on Feb. 4 at 536 Bates Rd., one of 2,802 calls in 2017.
MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department responded to nearly 3,000 calls in 2017. The 2,802 calls was a busy year, the department posted on its Facebook page today.
“We’ll have more numbers up once the annual report gets done but here is one stat that speaks volumes: 34% of the calls overlap each other,” the department posted. “1 out of every 3 calls, we already have one crew out on a run!”
The 2,802 calls is close to the 2,920 in 2016. The record for call volume was 2014 when Medina FD responded to 2,986 calls.
The department will have more personnel to respond to calls this year after being approved on Aug. 31 for a $530,661 federal grant to boost staffing. That grant – Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) – is for over four years and covers a percentage of the salaries and benefits for four new firefighter positions.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 January 2018 at 8:04 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Firefighters respond to a fire on Jan. 2 at 3402 Bates Rd.
MEDINA – A Medina family with five children is staying in Rochester after a fire on Jan. 2 damaged their home on Bates Road.
The fire started in a wood stove and spread into the rafters. Many of the family belongings were destroyed from water damage to put out the fire, said Amy Monti, a family friend.
A GoFundMe has been established to help the Meacham family, and volunteers are collecting clothing and supplies for the family. The children are ages 6 to 14.
Heather Meecham, the children’s mother, said on GoFundMe she is grateful the family is able to stay together and her husband is recovering after being treated for first- and second-degree burns.
The family also has four dogs and has been able to find people to take care of the dogs on a temporary basis.
“The outpouring of support from everyone no matter in what way is just amazing,” Meacham wrote on GoFundMe. “Thank you everyone from the very bottom of our hearts!! Next is for us to find a home and get ourselves settled and back to routine. Thank you all again so much! This isn’t over, but at least we’ve taken some baby steps to help ease our hearts and peace of mind. Again we are full of gratitude.”
For more information on the GoFundMe and how to assist the family, click here.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Wendy Jacobson, former CEO and president for Orleans Community Health, speaks during a celebration on April 10, 2015 following a series of improvements at the North Wing of Medina Memorial Hospital. Donors contributed $513,000 to upgrade the North Wing for long-term residents.
Press Release, Orleans Community Health/Medina Memorial Hospital
MEDINA – Wendy Jacobson, CEO/President of Orleans Community Health, tendered her resignation to the board of directors on December 1, 2017 with a final work date of December 31, 2017.
Her decision to leave at this time was based on several personal factors and she has been offered other opportunities that will be advantageous to her career. We thank Wendy for her dedication and hard work during the past three years as CEO.
She was instrumental in moving OCH forward in the fast-changing field of healthcare. Some of the accomplishments achieved during her leadership include: establishing OCH as a Critical Access Hospital, implementation of the 340B Drug Savings Program, Revenue Cycle Improvement, Lake Plains Dialysis renovations, ED/Lobby renovations started, Rural Access grant received to purchase new equipment, updated Imaging equipment, recruited Dr. Wolf for Albion, established a strong reciprocal partnership with Baxter, new surgical lights for the OR, updated the café, transitioned to Team Health for our Emergency Room, just to name a few.
We wish her all the best on her future endeavors.
Mark Cye (current OCH chief financial officer) will serve as interim CEO/President.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 December 2017 at 9:47 am
Takeform is planning a 15,500-square-foot addition to its Medina manufacturing plant on Maple Ridge Road.
MEDINA – There will be a public hearing on Dec. 9 for proposed incentives to assist with an expansion at Takeform Architectural Graphics at 11601 Maple Ridge Rd.
The company is planning a 15,500-square-foot expansion to an existing 30,000-plus-square-foot building as well as the acquisition and installment of machinery, equipment, fixtures and furnishings.
The additional space and equipment will be used for the design and manufacture of custom signage and graphics and related activities. Village officials say Takeform expects to add 50 jobs over three years as part of its growth.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency is considering three incentives to help the company with the expansion.
One incentive includes a sales tax exemption, saving Takeform the 8 percent sales tax on up to $1,350,000 for building materials, equipment, machinery, fixtures and furnishings. That exemption would save Takeform up to $108,000.
The EDA also is proposing a mortgage tax exemption for a mortgage up to $2.5 million. Exempting Takeform from the 1 percent mortgage tax will save the company up to $25,000.
The EDA also plans to propose a 10-year tax exemption plan on property taxes for the addition. The company wouldn’t have to pay property taxes the first year for the addition and then would pay 10 percent of the assessed value the second year, with another 10 percent added annually until it’s at full value after 10 years. Takeform would continue to pay the full value for the current building during the 10-year plan.
The exemption only includes the addition and includes the taxing jurisdictions of the Village of Medina, Town of Shelby, Medina Central School and Orleans County.
The 3 p.m. hearing on Dec. 9 will be at the Village of Medina Offices, 600 Main St. (Old City Hall).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 December 2017 at 7:46 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Colton Smith and his mother Elissa Smith were among the roller skaters during a free skate today at the Orleans County YMCA in Medina.
There were 98 children and 60 adults who skated during the event from 1 to 4 p.m.
The YMCA teamed with the Medina Area Association of the Churches and Orleans United Drug Free Coalition for the free skate, which included use of roller skates.
Staff from GCASA and the Orleans United Drug Free Coalition sort through canned goods. From left include Pat Crowley, program director; Sarah Stendts, program assistant; and Tracy Zakes, prevention educator.
Each child was encouraged to bring a can of food. There were 136 cans donated that will be shared with the food pantries at Calvary Tabernacle Church and St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Medina.
Pat Crowley reads off the name on a ticket for the winner of a prize. Each kid who donated a can of food was entered in a prize giveaway.
Another free skate is expected to be offered over spring break.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 December 2017 at 12:53 pm
Filomena’s Favorites takes first in competition
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Many of the storefronts in downtown Medina are decorated for Christmas with Santa, snowmen and other holiday decorations on display.
Filomena’s Favorites, pictured at top, on East Center Street was named the winner of the “Holly Jolly Christmas Window Decorating Contest” by the Medina Business Association.
This is also part of Filomena’s Favorites window display.
Here are some of the other windows that were decked out for the holidays.
Vision 2000 Family Hair Center & Sunburst Tanning
English Rose Tea Shoppe
Canalside Tattoo
ATB Staffing
Rosenkrans Gift Shop
Della’s Chocolates
Case-Nic Cookies
Eaton Insurance Agency
A Kut Above Hair Salon
M & M Flooring
Brushstrokes, The Goddess Muse, Herbalty Cottage and West Side Academy
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 December 2017 at 12:43 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – One Church made its debut in Medina on Christmas Eve with two services at the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Ann Street.
The building has been radically changed in the past three months by One Church as the building transitioned from a Catholic site that had been closed for more than a decade to a Free Methodist congregation.
Brian Hahn, executive pastor for One Church, welcomes people to the second Christmas Eve service that started at 8:30 p.m.
One Church shares the same staff and budget as the Akron Free Methodist Church. That church started in 1863 in Akron and changed its name to One Church as part of its new mission in Medina. The two sites are one, with Medina not a secondary location to Akron, Hahn said.
He praised volunteers for the numerous hours of work in getting the church ready the past three months.
There is a sound and multimedia area in the back of the church where there is also a station with coffee and cookies. The pews at Sacred Heart have been removed and replaced by cushioned chairs.
There is new paint and carpeting. The pulpit area also has a large screen for multimedia presentations. Twice a month the sermon will be streamed in from Akron and shown in Medina. The other weeks in the month, a pastor will deliver the sermon in Medina, and sometimes that will be live-streamed to Akron.
Morgan Wagner is part of the worship band at One Church. They sang, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night”.
Rick Rouse, lead pastor at One Church, delivers the sermon on Christmas Eve. He preached at four services at Akron and then two in Medina on Sunday.
Rouse said the Akron congregation felt a call to start a church in Medina. He has been in the ministry since 1982 and helped with church plants in Webster, Fairport and Amherst. Those new churches were all independent with a separate budget and staff. Medina is different because it s budget and staff are all in the same budget and organization with the Akron congregation.
Rouse said One Church wants to reach out to people “without a church home and who desire a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
One Church will have its grand opening with its first Sunday morning services on Jan. 7 with services at 9:30 and 11 a.m.
The large room that was a fellowship hall in the basement of the building has been divided into four separate classrooms or childcare rooms.
One of the rooms is a nursery for ages 0 to 3 years.
One of the church attendees on Christmas Eve lifted her hand during the music. One Church has an up-tempo band playing contemporary Christian music with some traditional hymns.
MEDINA – Students and staff at the High School have been getting into the holiday spirit with their annual Snowcoming. Working on the scene include at top, Toby Kiebala, left, and Christian Hahn with Sarah Cochrane on the bottom.
The weeklong event is a lot of fun for the students as they engage in traditional winter activities and various theme days. It’s a great way to bond before the winter break.
The following decorate a tree: Alyssa Beyer, teacher Gianna Sargent, Shelby Green, Madison Kenward, Kristi Oliver, Gianna Greco and Lilly Carpenter.
Shelby Green, Kevin Lasky (Assistant Principal) and Dave Sevenski (BOE President) are pictured by the tree which was donated by Sevenski.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Hartway family last month opened the Sourced Market & Eatery. Darlene Hartway, center, is pictured with her children Travis Hartway and Katie Misiti. Travis oversees the bakery and gardens. His sister Katie is the kitchen manager and chef, while Darlene is the market manager.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2017 at 9:51 am
Sourced Market & Eatery is a showcase of local agriculture
MILLVILLE – A new business features the local agricultural bounty, from organic vegetables to locally raised beef. There’s even tangy jam and lemon curd.
The logo for the Sourced includes a moose that recognized the site’s previous history when it was Moose’s. The Hartway children, now adults, were kids when the business was Moose’s. They lived nearby on Mix Road and remember buying candy at Moose’s. This jar is lemon curd, which was prepared by Darlene Hartway.
Sourced Market & Eatery also serves up sandwiches, soups and baked goods that feature local ingredients.
“This is about knowing where your food comes from and who produced it,” said Darlene Hartway, who runs the business with two of her children. “We’re hoping to be a showcase. We have a lot of talented producers in our area.”
Sourced opened just before Thanksgiving. It is located at 12195 Maple Ridge Rd. The Hartways will have gardens at the site and grow vegetables within view of the store.
The family lived on Mix Road in Barre, running a crop and beef farm until moving about a decade ago to South Dakota. Darlene’s husband Charlie ran a farm milking 300 cows in South Dakota. Darlene ran a tea shop and served specialty dinners in Clear Lake, SD.
Another farmer offered to buy the farm and the Hartways welcomed the chance to move back home now that they are grandparents. Mr. Hartway also started a 40-cow organic dairy farm on Fruit Avenue.
Sourced on Friday welcomed customers to sample these jams.
The Hartways have seven adult children. Travis and Katie are part owners of Sourced. They both are Cornell University graduates with Katie earning a degree in applied economics and management. She worked for a large food service company out of college. She is the chef at Source and also manages the catering side of the business.
Travis earned a degree in bioengineering at Cornell. He enjoys experimenting with ingredients and makes many of the specialty bakery items while overseeing the gardens at Sourced.
Other Hartway siblings have indirect roles at the business. Brothers Nathaniel, Franklin and Justin Hartway grow vegetables at the Hartway Brothers Farm and some of their squash and vegetables are available at Sourced. Justin also works for Call Farms in Genesee County and Nathaniel works for McCormick Farms in Wyoming County.
Their sister Bailey is married to Robert Bannister, who runs Bannister Beef with his father Roger in Kent. Some of the Bannister Beef is for sale at Sourced.
The youngest Hartway sibling, Martha, recently graduated from college and is working as a caseworker for the Orleans County Department of Social Services.
The Hartways have returned near Medina, a community they see on the upswing. They like that their business is a just down the road from Medina in the country, across from a farm field.
Darlene Hartway and her family spent nine years in South Dakota running a 300-cow dairy farm before moving back to the Medina area. While in South Dakota, Hartway owned a tea shop and prepared specialty dinners in Clear Lake, SD. Her new business on Route 31A includes organic produce and many other locally grown foods and meat.
Darlene said the she better appreciates the diversity of WNY agriculture since being away. The region is home to dynamic fruit, vegetable and livestock farms – of all sizes.
“We really are in an abundant area here,” she said. “There is great, abundant food here.”
The farm has connections with organic farmers and other producers in the region. Hartway said the emphasis is on fresh and nutritious, without the food having to be transported hundreds and thousands of miles like many of the food items in grocery stores.
The site at 12195 Maple Ridge Rd. was known as Moose’s, which was an endearing spot to Travis Hartway and his sister Katie Misiti when they were children and going to the store for candy.
Sourced sells locally raised meat from McB’s Farm in Gasport, Baker Farms in Medina and Bannister Beef in Kent. Rabbit is on the left and pheasants are on the right.
Sourced includes a moose on its logo in honor of those roots.
The new store is much different. The menu is focused on local, sustainable agriculture. The gas pumps are gone. The Hartways used repurposed wood from a barn for countertops and sliding interior door.
Some favorites are emerging on the menu since Sourced opened a month ago. The muhle sandwich – egg, bacon, avocado and chipotle mayo – has been popular. The alces sandwich includes egg, sausage, cheddar and maple butter.
Some of the regular specials have included Chicken, Kale & Quinoa Soup; Noodle Bowl with Pork; and Nutella/banana Crepes.
MEDINA – The Medina Student Association held a canned food drive to benefit the MAAC (Medina Area Association of Churches) Christmas Program. At the high school, over 2,500 items were collected for families in need.
The donated food was picked up by Medina firefighters and delivered to the MAAC.
MEDINA – A big turbine blade that had been parked in Medina at the former Ames plaza since Dec. 5 was back on the move today.
Cassandra Poole sent in these photos taken from the Rite Aid parking lot. The blade looks to be more than 100 feet long. It was headed east down Maple Ridge Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 December 2017 at 11:14 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Members of the Medina Area Association of Churches are pictured at the United Methodist Church this morning with some of the toys and food that were headed to local families and senior citizens.
Sylvia Riviere, front left, has led the drive the past seven years. Sue Metzo, front right, also is a long-time leader of the effort. MAAC has been leading the annual drive for about four decades.
In back are Pastor Tony Hipes of the United Methodist Church, Donna Johnson, Pat Howell and David Riviere.
Local firefighters put out about 30 red barrels about a month ago in the community and residents and businesses donated toys, food and clothes. The MAAC put together packages for 112 families including 150 children. There were also 43 senior citizens that received meals, including a ham. (Last year the holiday drive served 107 families.)
Firefighters from Medina, Ridgeway, Shelby and East Shelby delivered the gifts and food this morning. Mike Fuller from East Shelby carries one of the big boxes. The United Methodist Church, the former Apple Grove, served as the packing and distribution headquarters for the drive.
Medina firefighter Jacob Crooks checks the list for his deliveries. Firefighters said they welcomed the chance to deliver the packages to local families and senior citizens.
Medina firefighters Bob Urtel, left, and Jonathan Higgins carry boxes to an ambulance. The Medina Fire Department delivered the boxes from three ambulances.
Ridgeway, Shelby and East Shelby brought rescue trucks to carry the boxes to local families.
Provided photo: Lieutenant Todd Draper and Kye join Security and Law Enforcement students at the Orleans Career and Technical Ed Center.
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – Medina Police Department Lt. Todd Draper and his K9 partner, Kye, recently stopped in to the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center. The purpose of his visit was to spend time with the Security and Law Enforcement students in Steve Browning’s and Dudley Gilbert’s classes.
Lieutenant Draper talked to the students about what it is like to work with his K9 partner – a Belgian Malinois – and the bond he has with him.
“I have had Kye since he was one year old when the police department brought him over from Holland,” Draper told the students. “He is seven years old now and not only do we work together, we live together.”
Drpaer told the classes that when he was offered his promotion to lieutenant he would not accept it if Kye was not part of the package. He appreciates that the Medina Police Department honored his request.
“When he is ready to retire, I am hoping the department lets me purchase him,” Draper said about Kye. “The usual deal is that for a dollar they will transfer ownership to me.”
Belgian Malinois are used as a working dog whose tasks include detection of odors such as explosives, accelerants and narcotics, tracking humans and search and rescue mission.
“This is the breed the Seals used when they went after Osama Bin Laden,” Lieutenant Draper told the students.
He said Kye is trained for narcotics detection and he uses positive reinforcement to keep him on task.
“He has a toy that smells like drugs, so in actuality he is looking for his toy when we are out searching,” he said. “When he finds drugs I reward him for his work.”
He told the students that you never cross train a police dog because when he finds something, you don’t know what he is detecting. He also said that they work with other states to get drugs for the K9 to smell and get accustomed to.
“Drugs are made differently in each area, so it is helpful to expose the dogs to different narcotics.”
He and Kye gave a demonstration on how he locates drugs and how he is used to takedown a suspect, with Mr. Browning volunteering in that role.
He said that Kye’s heightened abilities prove to be a great asset to law enforcement work.
“He has a great sense of smell which is about 1,000 times stronger than ours and great vision,” Draper said. “He is also very athletic. He can jump over a six foot wall.”
Kye is also very social and a great draw to getting the community to interact with him,” Draper said.
“Usually when I am walking through an event alone, I won’t get a lot of eye contact or people talking to me,” he said. “When I have Kye with me everyone comes up to us and wants to pet him and interact with us. He is a great public relations tool. I really could not ask for a better or more loyal partner.”
More than 700 residents and landowners in western Orleans County responded to a lengthy survey covering everything from transportation to housing to inter-municipal cooperation.
Those results are now available for download and review on the Orleans County webpage and will be used to inform the Comprehensive Planning Process. (Click here to see results of the survey.)
The survey asked 93 questions and included responses from residents in the villages of Lyndonville and Medina, and the towns of Yates, Shelby and Ridgeway.
Among the uses most encouraged by survey respondents were farmers’ markets and groceries, followed closely by light industrial and/or manufacturing enterprises. Job creation efforts were ranked as “very important” to develop and/or improve among 80 percent of respondents.
Oft-cited concerns were a lack of well-paying jobs in the area as well as a lack of jobs for skilled laborers. On a positive note, when asked their most serious concern regarding their homes, 64 percent of respondents indicated they were satisfied with their current residence.
During the creation of the Western Orleans Comprehensive Plan in 1999, a similar survey was distributed. A notable change in the intervening years is a marked increase in residents’ concerns regarding the conditions of streets and roads – a 14 percentage point increase in respondents considering their condition to be a “very serious problem.”
A committee of western Orleans elected officials and residents met Wednesday. The group is working with the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development to update the Comprehensive Plan. Those changes will be the focus of public meetings in the future.
The survey and updated plan also can be used to bolster grant applications for sidewalks and other infrastructure.
