MEDINA – Craig Lacy, the third generation owner of Medina Parts’ NAPA store, has confirmed his 100-year-old business has been acquired by Genuine Parts Company (NAPA) based in Atlanta, Ga.

Today is their last day of business on North Main Street. Inventory and employees are being moved to the former CarQuest Auto Parts Store in Tops Plaza on Maple Ridge Road.

“This all happened very quickly,” Lacy said in a phone call from his Florida home.

Attempts to talk to a representative from Genuine Parts Company, who was in Medina Friday, were unsuccessful.

More information will be posted later today or early Saturday morning.

MEDINA – The public is invited to visit Gwinn Street Park on Friday to help the Medina Tree Board and Village of Medina celebrate Arbor Day by planting trees.

Kathy Blackburn, chairwoman of the Tree Board, has arranged for the third grade at Oak Orchard School to participate. They will lead off the morning’s activities with the Pledge of Allegiance at 10 a.m.

Medina expects to plant 20 trees in the village in the next few weeks, said Mayor Mike Sidari. The village has also received about $4,500 in donations from the community for a “Releaf Medina” effort to plant more trees in the future, he said.

Transient businesses will have to pay to set up in village; Board eliminates fee for replacing sidewalks

MEDINA – The Village Board set a new fee schedule for transient businesses on Monday, with the businesses having to pay a $100 application fee and then $25 for each day they are in the village, including on Sundays when they may not be open.

The board members say the fees will bring revenue to the village and provide some equity for the brick-and-mortar businesses that pay property taxes.

The board discussed the issue after hearing that Phantom Fireworks wanted to set up outside the Medina Lanes, a bowling alley on Maple Ridge Road, from June 20 to July 5 and sell sparkling devices and other legal fireworks.

“I worry about our hometown businesses,” said Marguerite Sherman, a village trustee.

The transient businesses do not include food trucks, or not-for-profits that set up for fundraisers. There are separate regulations for food trucks.

Mayor Mike Sidari said the fireworks sales is only the second time he can think of a transient business coming to Medina.

The other time was in 2013 when Transitowne set up for auto sales outside the bowling alley in a 10-day sales event.

Village Trustee Owen Toale said the $25 should include off days when the transit businesses may not be selling, but still have a tent and signs up promoting the business.

The board on Monday also decided to eliminate a $30 fee in the village books for people who apply to replace a sidewalk and need a right-of-way permit. A resident on Davis Avenue is planning to replace the sidewalks.

The village wants to encourage people to upgrade the sidewalks, Sidari said. The village DPW will continue to take away the old sidewalks.

MEDINA – The Village Board will meet this afternoon to adopt a village budget for 2021-22. The Village Board will look to reduce a tax increase that was at 2.6 percent during a public hearing on Monday evening.

“We think there is a little bit more we can for reductions,” Mayor Mike Sidari said during the hearing.

The tentative budget increases taxes by 2.9 percent, with the tax levy going up $92,060, from $3,197,059 to $3,289,119.

The tax rate would increase by 2.7 percent from $18.46 to $18.95 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The budget increases overall spending 2.9 percent or by $173,784, from $5,925,742 to $6,099,526.

The board will meet today at 4 p.m. at the Village Clerk’s Office to go over the spending plan and then vote on it. The budget needs to be passed by April 30.

Provided photos

MEDINA – Boy Scouts from Troop 35 and Cub & Webelos Scouts from Pack 35 participated in Canal Clean Sweep on April 17 and filled several bags of trash.

The Scouts picked up garbage starting at the Culvert Road tunnel and worked on the area on the canal towpath to the Beals Road Bridge, and also about a mile east of Culvert Road.

Troop 35 and Pack 35 have registered with the Canal Clean Sweep program for the past several years.

“This is a great way for the scouts to earn their community service hours and help keep the community and its resources looking great,” said John Dieter, Scoutmaster of Troop 35.

Press Release, Lee-Whedon Memorial Library

MEDINA – The annual meeting of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library will be held at the library on Monday, May 10, at 7 p.m.

Agenda items include voting on a trustee position, the presentation of the annual report and the presentation of the proposed budget. Trustee Steve O’Dea is seeking re-election to the Board for a five-year term.

The Board has prepared another conservative budget for 2021-2022. There will be no increase in the library tax with the amount unchanged at $546,285.

“The Board is sensitive to the pressures felt by taxpayers, particularly in the Village of Medina,” said David Schwert, Board President. “As fiscal stewards, we constantly strive to balance increased operation costs with a conservative revenue request. We are proud of our staff and our high standards of service.”

Residents of the Medina Central School District are invited to attend this public meeting. The library is located at 620 West Ave.

Provided photos

MEDINA – The Medina Rotary Club was part of Saturday’s Canal Clean Sweep, with community organizations and residents along the canal system out picking up garbage along the historic waterway.

The Medina Rotary Club worked on the area near the Marshall Road bridge, taking the path west to Fruit Avenue. They filled several bags with trash.

The Rotary Club rejoined the cleanup effort this year. Some of the participants included Carl Tuohey, Jeanne Tuohey, Jackson Tuohey, Cindy Hewitt, Joe Pane, Ben and Lydia McPherson, David Nixon, and organizer Gary Lawton.

Lydia McPherson finds a can and other debris near the canal during Saturday’s cleanup.

Local resident Colleen Brakenbury also led a cleanup on Saturday in Medina for the Canal Clean Sweep. That group met at the Prospect Avenue bridge and went to the State Street canal bridge. They filled about 20 bags with trash.

The Medina Sandstone Society also is planning to pick up garbage near the Canal Culvert this Friday and may work on other areas as part of the United Way’s “Day of Caring.”

The Medina Lions Club is planning its annual environmental cleanup day on May 1. Volunteers will pick up trash from Medina village parks and streets, and spread mulch along the north bank of the canal in the village.

Provided photos

MEDINA – Tessa Costich, a sixth grader at Wise Middle School in Medina, turned 12 on April 22. This year she didn’t want any presents. Instead, she asked family and friends to use money they would have spent on gifts to buy birthday kits that she could distribute to community groups.

So far Tess has put together 165 kits and donated some to the Gasport Food Pantry, Hands 4 Hope ministry and St Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Medina. She is looking to connect with another church to give away more of the kits.

The kits are a disposable tin pan, a box of cake mix, can of frosting, sprinkles, candles and party blowers. Some have vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, some red velvet cake. There have also been some cookie and brownie kits minus the frosting.

Provided photos: The Masterminds team competed virtually against the other teams and is undefeated so far this season.

MEDINA – A team of students at Medina High School are undefeated in a national academic varsity quiz tournament.

The Masterminds is led by algebra teacher Jeff Dole and includes freshman Alex Balaban, juniors David Berry, Isaac Pace and Arian Cayea, and seniors Suvi Biesinger, Alwyn Cayea and Carter Green, who make up the varsity team.

Jeff Dole, math teacher at Medina High School and adviser for the undefeated Masterminds, talks with senior David Berry, a member of the team. They will compete in the league playoffs on April 30 in Rochester.

The team is 12-0 for the first time in its history. Balaban is high scorer in the league with 570 points. Pace is fourth with 345 points.

There are also two junior varsity teams, one of which is 7-5 and the other 4-8.

The varsity Masterminds have placed first before, but have never been undefeated until this year, Dole said. Their score as of a week ago was 3,250 points, while the nearest competitor was 1,460 points.

Due to the Covid pandemic, the teams have had to compete online this year in the league, which includes teams from Albion, Holley, Kendall and Pembroke. They will face off April 30 with nine teams in the Rochester league. The top three will advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Topics of trivia can be on any subject, Dole said. This includes everything from comic books, sports and history to current events in the world and math.

Dole said the kids like competing in trivia, and whenever they can go to a competition they make an event of it.

“We stop and eat and socialize on the bus,” Dole said. “The kids also like talking to the students at other schools.”

Dole said some of the students decided not to join the team this year because they didn’t like the online format.

Each of the members of the team is especially knowledgeable in a different subject. Alex is an expert in geography and history; Isaac is well rounded; and David knows a lot about sports. Carter knows a lot about pop culture, while Alwyn’s strong points are Greek mythology, science and Roman gods.

“They all have their strong points,” Dole said.

In addition to the Masterminds, Dole coaches varsity track and junior varsity volleyball.

Provided photo: From left, Brian Fox, ETR president/CEO of Iroquois Job Corps; John Thomas, operations director; Rafael Rodriguez, Independent Living adviser; and Dennis Essom, Center director, pose in the Conference Room after Rodriguez was honored for saving the life of a fellow Job Corps employee.

MEDINA – An employee of Iroquois Job Corps was recognized this week for saving the life of a fellow employee.

Rafael Rodriguez is an Independent Living adviser who, without hesitation, put his First Aid/CPR training to work by performing the Heimlich maneuver on another staff member who was choking on an object lodged in his throat.

His actions saved the fellow staff member’s life, said Dennis Essom, Center director, in a press release.

Rodriguez was presented with a certificate of recognition, a monetary award and a paid day off.

The award was presented by Brian Fox, ETR president/CEO; John Thomas, operations director; and Dennis Essom, Center director.