Medina will apply again for $10 million for series of projects

Courtesy of Village of Medina, previous DRI application: The Village of Medina wants to improve public access to the Medina Waterfalls by constructing an elevated platform from the towpath. That project was part of Medina’s application in 2019 for $10 million in DRI funding.

MEDINA – The Village of Medina has a better chance of landing a $10 million grant as part of state Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

That’s because the state has doubled the funding, from $100 to $200 million for 10 regions in the state. In the first four DRI rounds, the state picked one winner from each of the 10 regions for $100 total.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced the state will be allocating $20 million for each region, with either two $10 million winners or one $20 million recipient.

The communities have until Sept. 15 to submit an application. Medina Mayor Mike Sidari said the village will be trying again for the $10 million and is working with Bergmann, a Rochester engineering and architectural firm, and a local committee to identify projects.

Sidari said he expects there will be some changes from the previous application, including some new projects that may be added. The village’s application also should be strengthened by several recent additions to the downtown, including the completion of the Bent’s Opera House, an expansion at the Zambistro restaurant, several new murals and other projects in the downtown. The state wants to direct the $10 million to villages or cities with momentum in their downtowns.

“We’re marking the Downtown Revitalization Initiative’s fifth year by doubling down on our commitment to help reimagine communities across the state, especially as we prepare for a post-pandemic future,” Cuomo said in a recent announcement. “The DRI is a cornerstone of New York’s comprehensive economic development strategy to drive investment and job creation in downtowns across the state. Our investments will support new and existing businesses, drive new mixed-use developments and bolster the arts and cultural venues to help attract residents and visitors for years to come.”

Medina was one of five finalists in 2019. That makes Sidari think the community already has a strong case for the funding.

Medina missed out to Seneca Falls in the Finger Lakes Region two years ago. The DRI wasn;t offered last year. Previous $10 million grant winners in the Finger Lakes region include the City of Geneva in 2016, the City of Batavia in 2017, the Village of Penn Yan in 2018 and Seneca Falls in 2019.

Applications for DRI Round 5 are available on the DRI website (click here). All applications should be submitted with a $10 million award in mind but may indicate that they would also like to be considered for a $20 million award, Cuomo said in a news release.

As with past DRI rounds, each selected community needs to develop a strategic plan with a vision for the revitalization of its downtown and identifies a list of signature projects that have the potential to transform the downtown. DRI funds will then be awarded for selected projects that have the greatest potential to jumpstart revitalization and realize the community’s vision for the downtown, Cuomo said.

Medina’s application from 2019 listed the following projects to be considered for DRI funding:

• Streetscape Improvements at an estimated $1 million in DRI funding.
• Rail with Trail, a multi-use trail along the Medina Railroad from the museum to Main Street, at an estimated DRI funding request of $200,000.
• The Canal Village Farmer’s Market would become a year-round market with a community kitchen, distillery and event space as part of a $3 million project, with $2.8 million in DRI funding.
• Canal Basin Park – Improved waterfront access and amenities at the Canal Basin Park for $2 million, to be funded with the DRI.
• State Street Park – enhanced programming to make the park a year-round recreational destination, with an ice skating rink, enhanced lighting, boat tie-ups, benches and bicycle racks, and a construction of a nature trail at a $600,000 cost, with the DRI funding $500,000.
• Lions Park Boater Access – The village seeks $250,000 for the DRI to install boat tie-ups and docking facilities at the Lions Park near the Route 63 lift bridge.
• Medina Falls Overlook – The village wants to better utilize the Medina waterfalls by adding a viewing platform and overlook off the Erie Canalway Trail, near the Horan Road Bridge. The project would cost an estimated $1.9 million with the DRI funding $1.5 million.
• Wayfinding Signage – Install a cohesive and well-branded system of wayfinding and directional signs at a cost of $200,000 with the DRI funding $150,000.
• Small Grant Fund – This fund will support economic-development related activities through the distribution of small grants to local businesses and investors. Medina would like a $900,000 fund with the DRI paying $600,000.
• Mustang City: Adaptive Reuse of the old Medina High School – A $9 million project with the DRI request at $3 million.
• Snappy’s Mixed-Use Development: This project at $1.8 million includes a $1 million DRI request. It would redevelop the Snappy facility on Commercial Street by the Erie Canal into a mixed-use commercial and residential space. The property could be redeveloped with the first floor for commercial uses and the second floor for residential.

File photo by Ginny Kropf: Visitors look over a display of Corvair automobiles parked at the Medina Railroad Museum during their visit here several years ago. A grant from the Preservation League of NYS will go towards a plan for rehabilitation and reuse of the 300-foot-long freight house shown in this photo.

MEDINA – The Medina Railroad Museum has been approved for an $8,000 grant to help pay for a “Historic Structure Report” to help the museum plan for rehabilitation and reuse of the 300-foot-long freight house.

The museum plans to hire Clinton Brown Company Architecture for the report on the freight house and to examine potential expansion onto nearby land to increase display space for railroad equipment.

The grant from the Preservation League of NYS is one of 32 for projects in 25 counties that total $297,995 in grant funding.

Each “Preserve New York” grant supports important arts and cultural initiatives, as well as economic development related to our state’s arts and cultural heritage, the Preservation League stated.

“Many of these grants will lead to historic district designation or expansion, telling the stories of communities throughout the state and allowing property owners to take advantage of the New York State and Federal Historic Tax Credits,” the league said. “This is even more valuable now, with the NYS Commercial Historic Tax Credit recently expanded for small projects, granting property owners a 30% credit. The Preservation League of NYS and our program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts and the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation are thrilled to help fund this important work.”

The freight house at the Railroad Museum was built in circa 1905 for the New York Central Railroad. The building is bursting at the seams to accommodate collections storage, 40,000 visitors a year, and museum programs, the league said.

“Navigating the difficulties and hardships of the past year has been a challenge for nonprofits and municipalities across the state,” said Erin Tobin, Vice President for Policy and Preservation and the Preservation League. “The League is grateful to our program partners at NYSCA and the Gardiner Foundation for continuing to support Preserve New York, which will grant much-needed dollars to so many worthwhile preservation projects this year.”

To see a list of all the grant winners, click here.

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Alaina Zapf, president of the Friends of the Medina Dog Park, is shown Saturday at the park at 260 North Gravel Road next to Medina’s former compost plant. She was presented with her Orleans Hub award for being an “Outstanding Citizen” of 2020. Orleans Hub wasn’t able to have its usual awards presentation as a group celebration due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

Zapf was instrumental in organizing and raising funds the dog park. She worked with village officials and contractors to get the project open last year with the initial fenced in area for dogs as well as an agility section.

The dog park is a place for dogs to socialize and get some exercise near the village. The dog park is a first in Orleans County. The park is a place for where the dogs can roam leash-free.

Zapf said there are more improvements coming, hopefully in late summer or early fall. That includes a water station for dogs to get drinks and rinse their paws. A small enclosure will also be constructed.

That fenced in area will be 100 by 100 feet. There are currently four memorial benches and two more are coming. Zapf also said security cameras will be added, as well as sponsor signs.

The Friends also want to raise funds for more agility equipment for dogs. The group’s fundraising efforts have been hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic. For more information on the Friends of the Medina Dog Park, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Medina Rotary Club member Carl Tuohey (left) and President Ben McPherson are shown at the tennis courts at Medina Central School, which have been modified this weekend for a pickle ball tournament.

There are 45 participants in the tournament. Tuohey is regular pickleball player in the courts at the Knights of Columbus on Main Street, where the basketball court on the third floor is used for pickleball.

Tuohey said many local service clubs do golf tournaments. Medina Rotary wanted to embrace a growing sport and also put on a unique local tournament.

“It’s good exercise,” Tuohey said. “Anybody of any age can play it.”

In pickleball, the courts are smaller than in tennis. The pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long. This group practices together as doubles teams on Saturday after they competed individually. They include Pete Zamniak (Medina native now in Rochester) and Sean Greif of Rochester on the left side playing against Will Soos of Buffalo and Jordan Hogan of Lockport.

Pete Zamniak returns the ball on Saturday. He said pickleball isn’t as physically taxing as tennis because the court is a smaller space. Pickleball is a test of quick reflexes and hand-eye coordination. The serve also isn’t an overheard serve like with tennis. The ball is similar to a whiffle ball, and the players use paddles, rather than rackets.

The top three individual players on Saturday include, from left: Will Soos of Buffalo, second; Jordan Hogan of Lockport, third; and Sean Greif of Rochester, first.

Jordan Hogan, right, hits the ball back over the net. Will Soos is at left.

Today there will be 16 doubles teams playing in the tournament.

Provided photo: Staff from the Emergency Department at Medina Memorial Hospital pose with Christine Nenni (the costumed character) and Michelle Wiseman from Best of Tymes Party Rentals, who donated buckets full of toys for children at the emergency department.

MEDINA – Children who are brought to the Emergency Department of Medina Memorial Hospital will find the experience a little less frightening, thanks to the generosity of two local women.

Christine Nenni and Michelle Wiseman, co-owners of Best of Tymes Party Rentals in Albion, have donated numerous buckets of small toys and activities to the Emergency Department, so that children who are brought in will have something to entertain them during a stressful situation, said Heather Smith, director of the Orleans Community Health Foundation.

Nenni and Wiseman founded their business in spite of the pandemic, because they wanted to provide a safe, fun environment where families could get together and spend quality time.

“People couldn’t go out and have fun during Covid, so we decided to bring fun safely to their homes, where they could party with family and friends they knew were safe to be around,” Nenni said. “We had two nieces who turned 13 and their parties were shot down due to the pandemic. We have developed a way to bring safe and affordable fun to everyone.”

Nenni said their party rentals,  which include a bounce house, popcorn machine, nacho station, outdoor games, snow cone machine, and more, cost one-fourth of what similar businesses in the city charge.

This spring, the women decided they wanted to help children in the area, so they contacted the Department of Social Services, Medina Central School, which has a backpack program, and the Medina hospital, and they began donating buckets of small toys.

Smith and Angela Moriarty, Emergency Department manager, couldn’t be more appreciative of the donations.

“Our ER at Medina Memorial Hospital sees around 850 children under the age of 12 in a year, so these types of donations are wonderful to bring joy to kids during a difficult time,” Smith said.

Moriarty hopes Best of Tymes Party Rentals’ gesture will prompt the community to pitch in and donate similar items. In the past, staff of the ED have been purchasing items for children out of their own pockets.

“We typically buy dollar store or Oriental Trading Company-type items, like stuffed animals, books, puzzle games, activity books, toy cars and dolls,” Moriarty said. “Sometimes families don’t want their children to bring home things they’ve played with while there were here, because of fear of infection, so it gets thrown away.”

Any items may be dropped off at the hospital’s front reception desk.

Nenni and Wiseman have developed ways to entertain children, while maintaining Covid safety precautions. At Christmas, they set up an event at their home where Santa sat on a bench on one side of the area and the children were on the other side.

At Easter, the women went to Burger King, McDonalds and Case-Nic Cookies and got items donated from each, which they included in the buckets handed out to children. The Easter Bunny (wearing one of their party rental costumes) rode in the back of their pickup truck while they drove around, mostly in the rural areas, handing out goodies.

Nenni said the idea to help children evolved from the fact Wiseman is a single mom and knows how hard it is for some families to buy even the smallest treats for their children. The women plan to continue their “bucket program” in the future and intend to contact Medina Police and Fire Department and COVA to see how Best of Tymes Party Rentals can work with them to help children.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul rows in a kayak in Medina on June 15 to promote a free kayaking program in the Erie Canal. She was joined in kayaks by Brian Stratton, state canal director; Greg Reed, director of the Orleans County YMCA; and Mike Sidari, Medina mayor.

MEDINA – The appointments have been filling up to use kayaks and hydro-bikes for free this summer in Medina. However, there are still many open slots.

The State Canal Corp. announced the 8-week program on June 15, in an event that included Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and State Canal Commissioner Brian Stratton, who both were in Medina for the announcement. They both tried kayaking in the canal that day, and Stratton even rode a hydro-bike.

Medina is one of five canal communities offering free “On the Canals” outdoor excursions this summer as part of the state’s Reimagine the Canals initiative. The other communities in the program include Macedon, Waterloo, Savannah and Amsterdam.

Stratton said the state is pushing to make the canal a bigger impact in the canal towns. Hochul on June 15 said the state is making a big tourism push to get New Yorkers and out-of-staters to vacation and experience sites all over the Empire State. She believes Medina will appeal to many people, especially with a historic downtown filled with local businesses.

In the new program offering kayaks and hydro-bikes, the New York Power Authority (which oversees the canal) will partner with the Orleans County YMCA. The hydro-bikes and kayaks are available to rent with appointments made online. The YMCA will lead excursions at Glenwood Lake and the Canal.

Click here to make an appointment.

Brian Stratton, state canal director, is on the hydro-bike and Greg Reed, Orleans County YMCA, is in the kayak in this photo on June 15 at Medina’s Canal Basin.

Photos courtesy of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library

MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library had a petting zoo outside the library today to kick off a summer reading challenge, “Tails & Tales.”

The library held the petting zoo at a vacant lot it owns on North Avenue. About 500 people welcomed the chance to meet the animals and kick off a summer reading challenge.

The activities today also included tie-dye bags and eating pizza from Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza. There will be ab outdoor family movie, Madagascar, shown later tonight at 9:30 p.m.

Spirit Wind Farm of Sanborn brought kangaroos for the event. Kristine Mostyn (center) is the Lee-Whedon director and Samantha Covis, right, is the assistant director. They meet some of the kangaroos.

Last year’s summer reading challenge didn’t include in-person activities. This summer there will be many in-person programs, both inside and outside the library.

Some of the bigger events planned this summer include:

• Outdoor Movies: July 16 & 30, Aug. 13 & 27 at 9 p.m.
• Wolcottsville Wildlife Rescue on July 28 at 11 a.m.
• Hawk Creek Wildlife on July 29 at 1 p.m.
• Cris Johnson presenting “Horror in the Library” on August 3rd at 1 p.m.

There are online reading challenges on Beanstack. Click here for more information.