MEDINA – The Medina Rotary Club last week welcomed guest speaker Nancy Fallon, Director of Rehabilitation Services for Orleans Community Health. Fallon is pictured with Bill Bixler, president of the Medina Rotary Club.
Fallon explained that Orleans Community Health has two facilities in Orleans County, one at Lake Plains in Medina for all services and one in Albion for physical and occupational therapy.
Orleans Community Health’s Rehab Department is a CARF facility. CARF is the gold standard in the industry and stands for Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. This national recognition states that Orleans Community Health has made a commitment to meet nationally recognized standards for quality and to continually seek excellence in its services and programs to create a foundation for the high level of patient satisfaction.
Fallon further explained that the Orleans facilities have a team approach to providing this care involving the physician, occupational and physical therapies, dietary and respiratory as indicated for each individual. While Acute Rehab may mean 3 hours of rehab per day, Sub-Acute with specific debilities may need an hour and a half per day. Both in-patient and out-patient services are available.
Medina Rotary member Jenn Hill reported that Thanksgiving supplies were delivered to a Medina family.
Bill Bixler reported on the success of the Parade of Lights, with Medina Rotarians selling out with food and beverages. The Rotary Club will begin participating and supporting a local food pantry. Other projects are being planned.
The club meets the first Wednesday each month at noon at the United Methodist Church (the former Apple Grove Inn).
For further information on Medina Rotary, contact any member.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Mark Kruzynski, director of finance for Medina Central School, goes over $34 million in work to the school district as part of two propositions that go before voters from noon to 8 p.m. on Dec. 21. Voting is at the District Office.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 December 2016 at 10:27 am
MEDINA – District residents next Wednesday (Dec. 21) will vote on whether the district can move forward with two propositions totaling $34 million.
One proposition calls for $32,588,000 for a slew of improvements at all three school buildings, the bus garage, and Vet’s Park. There would also be a new access road between Oak Orchard Elementary School and Clifford Wise Middle School.
The other proposition for $1,425,000 would allow for an expansion at Vet’s Park by acquiring 1.6 acres of land south of the park, adding permanent bleachers, more lighting, a new press box in the bleacher system, new fencing and additional synthetic turf in the current press box location.
The district has the local share of the project in its reserves, so there won’t be a hike in local taxes for the project, Tom Cox, interim school district superintendent, said at a public hearing on Tuesday.
“We feel we have been able to address the compelling needs,” Cox told about a dozen people at a public hearing. “It’s pretty much nuts and bolts but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some pretty nice stuff that will happen.”
Cox and Mark Kruzynski, the district’s director of finance, said Medina worked with staff, the Board of Education, community members and an architect and construction firm to narrow the capital project from an initial list that topped $50 million.
Cox and Kruzynski detailed the project in a power point presentation on Tuesday.
Here is how they break down the project:
• Health, Safety and Code Compliance – $7,691,000
The district would replace aging bus lifts, upgrade the fire alarm systems, door hardware and toilets.
The roof, ceiling panels and wall panels would all be upgraded at the swimming pool.
Windows and a generator would be replaced at Oak Orchard Elementary School. Those windows are more than a half century old.
The project expenses are broken out to $3,637,300 at the elementary school, $2,562,400 at the middle school, $892,800 at high school, $561,500 at bus garage and $7,000 at concession stand.
• HVAC – $13,596,300
All three school buildings, as well as the bus garage, will have HVAC totally overhauled with $4,728,200 planned for the high school, $4,115,200 at the middle school, $4,103,000 at the elementary school and $649,900 for the bus garage.
The district also wants to add air-conditioning for the high, middle and elementary schools at $285,600 per building or $856,800 total.
The HVAC and air conditioning projects would be funded 98 percent by the state.
The boilers are all about 25 years old and are nearing the end of the their useful lives, Kruzynski said.
If the district tried to fix a boiler or install air-conditioning outside of a capital project, Medina would have to pay 100 percent of the costs.
• Information Technology – $380,000
The district wants to move the network operations center from the basement of the district office to Oak Orchard Elementary School.
The project would also add fiber optics to handle future needs as Medina moves to more electronic devices and on-line testing.
Tom Cox, Medina interim school superintendent, discusses the capital project on Tuesday evening during a public hearing in the high school auditorium. Only about a dozen people attended the forum.
• Academics/Programs at High School – $2,408,900
The project would include upgraded science rooms, renovations in library (by knocking out a wall and expanding to a next-door computer lab), replacing windows and renovating toilet facilities.
A pole barn would also be built for storage for marching band equipment (so no longer have to rent at Olde Pickle Factory).
The gym bleachers would be renovated, and JV softball and baseball fields would be upgraded. There would also be renovations in Ag Classroom and greenhouse.
The high school opened about 25 years ago and needs some work, especially with HVAC and to meet new state codes and technology needs, Kruzynski said.
• Academics/Programs at Middle School – $1,028,000
The project includes renovations to the auditorium with stage floor, carpet, houselighting, some lighting and sound, and also some toilet renovations.
• Academics/Programs at Elementary School – $2,085,600
The project includes auditorium renovations – carpet, seating, general, and improvements to toilets, new drinking fountains, classroom storage units with sinks, upgrades to the playground, and provisions to abate hazardous materials if any are found inside walls during the construction project.
• Vet’s Park Site Work – $2,200,000 (part of $32.6 million Proposition 1)
Remove and replace turf that is 15 years old. The district also wants to improve drainage, complete sub-base reconstruction, replace fencing as needed, install a new scoreboard and sound system, add a new back stop and movable mounds for baseball and softball, reconfigure and expand the bleacher system and add new walkways.
• Site work for track – $896,000
The track has already been resurfaced six times and the state won’t pay for another resurfacing but will aid a reconstruction of the site, Kruzynski said. The rebuilt track will have six lanes, event area, a scoreboard, and fencing and paving.
• Site work for road from elementary to middle school – $3,012,700
A campus road will be constructed between Oak Orchard Elementary and Wise Middle School for bus traffic. The road will be heavy duty for buses.
The project includes demolition, removal and grading, as well as new sidewalks, stormwater management, parking and road lighting, removal of playground and construction of a new one for younger elementary-age students, and restored landscaping.
A new parking lot with room for 70-75 vehicles also would be added.
• Proposition 2 for site work at Vet’s Park – $1,425,000
This is a separate proposition with its own vote. The district wants to acquire 1.6 acres south of current facility, which will allow bleachers and the press box to me pushed back farther from the field so there would be more room for permanent bleachers.
The district is negotiating to buy the land and the price is far less than $1,425,000, Kruzynski said.
Most of the proposition costs are for demolition, drainage, base work, as well as additional fencing, more permanent bleachers, a new press box, additional lighting and electrical needs, and landscape restoration.
The district already has $2,323,182 set aside in reserve funds for its share of the $34 million project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 December 2016 at 4:44 pm
MEDINA – Peggy Murphy, a member of Holy Trinity Parish, sorts out toys for children this morning at Medina United Methodist Church, where many volunteers from the Medina Area Association of Churches are once again doing the annual holiday toy and food drive.
Community members filled 32 red barrels with toys, clothes and food.
The barrels were delivered this morning by Medina firefighters to the United Methodist Church, where volunteers are organizing the items.
Sylvia Riviere, a member of the Oak Orchard Assembly of God Church, is lead organizer of the toy and food drive.
“I like to see the kids have a Christmas,” she said. “It’s exciting to go through the barrels to see that the kids will be taken care of.”
MAAC will try to have two larger presents and two stocking stuffers for each child, as well as socks, mittens and a hat. Each family will also receive a Christmas dinner, including a ham.
There are 107 families signed up for the food and toy drive, and 48 senior citizens. The total number includes 149 kids and 161 adults. The number of children is down slightly from 151 last year, but the number of senior citizens has increased from 39 to 48.
Sue Metzo of the Presbyterian Church also has been an active volunteer with the food and toy drive for the past decade. She thanked community members for donating to the annual effort.
Donna Joslyn and Sue DeHollander, both members of the Presbyterian Church, sort socks, mittens and hats. If there are any extras, some will be given to the nurses offices at Medina Central School.
“It’s our way of giving back to the community,” Joslyn said.
The items are spread out on tables at the church, organized by age groups for children. Riviere, the leader of the drive, said there often aren’t enough gifts for pre-teens and teen-agers so MAAC will do some last-minute shopping for those kids.
John Curtin of the Community Fellowship Church at Johnson Creek (left) and Gerald Grimes of the Faith Covenant Fellowship move food inside the church so it can be divvied up among families and senior citizens.
The items will be delivered this Saturday by local firefighters.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 December 2016 at 11:48 am
MEDINA – Contractors have started work on renovations to the lobby at Medina Memorial Hospital, the first changes to the lobby since the early 1990s.
The $272,000 project is expected to take about 12 weeks. A grant will cover the costs of the work.
The project will also lead to a streamlined registration process, and will add a separate entrance for the Emergency Department, creating a “calming experience” in the Emergency Department, hospital officials said.
Paul Lamparelli of Cheektowaga is contractor for the job, and Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina will be adding graphics and signage as part of the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 December 2016 at 7:58 am
Provided photos
MEDINA – The Medina Teachers Association recently had its third annual Helpful Harvest food drive and doubled the giving from last year. This picture with some middle school students shows the collection at Wise Middle School.
The drive ran from Nov. 1 to Nov. 15. Teachers, with shopping lists of needs, filled grocery bags donated by Tops Friendly Markets in Medina. More than 100 bags of food are being donated to the local food pantry.
This picture shows teachers at Oak Orchard Elementary School.
High School teachers are pictured with food donated in the annual Helpful Harvest.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 December 2016 at 8:25 am
MEDINA – The school district has the results back from lead testing at 346 water outlets on the campus. There were 32 outlets that exceeded the state threshold of 15 parts per billion.
“Please be assured that the water supply in Medina Central Schools is safe for drinking,” Thomas Cox, interim district superintendent, said ina letter posted on the district website. “None of the sources showing elevated levels were sources commonly used for drinking or cooking.”
A summary of Medina’s lead testing results include:
• In the high school, there were 11 outlets that were above the threshold – all were sinks in science rooms.
• In the middle school, there were 13 spots with elevated levels of lead – 12 were sinks (mostly in science/technology rooms), and one was a rarely used drinking fountain in a technology room, said Mark Kruzynski, Medina’s business administrator. That fountain is no longer needed at the school and has been taken out of service because there are several filtered chilled water fountains in the area.
• At Oak Orchard Elementary School, there are eight water outlets above the threshold with 6 classroom sinks and 2 seldomly used drinking fountains, Kruzynski said. Those drinking fountains have been taken out of service. There are other filtered chilled water fountains close by, he said.
The district has posted “non-potable water – do not drink” signs at water outlets with elevated lead levels.
“Those signs will remain in place until we have remediated the problem and have re-tested the water source and found the lead levels below the permissible NYS levels,” Cox said in his letter.
Medina and other school districts in the state are now required by NY to test for lead in any water sources. NY is requiring action for any water source with lead at 15 parts per billion or more.
For more information on Medina’s results, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 December 2016 at 3:22 pm
Provided photos
MEDINA – Contractors hired by the state Department of Environmental Conservation are tearing down the Starlite Cleaners building at 331 North Main St. The top photo shows the demolition that started on Monday.
“The whole thing coming down by this week,” said Mayor Michael Sidari.
The DEC had a firm study the site for contaminants and also to see if the building was structurally sound. The DEC deemed the site unsafe, and is taking it down after the asbestos and other contaminants were removed.
Once the building is down, Sidari said the site will be covered for three to six months until there is another environmental study. If there are remaining contaminants, they will likely also be removed and the site redeveloped, perhaps as a municipal parking lot or Sidari said another developer may have interest in building on the site.
This photo shows the site earlier today when most of the building had been knocked down.
“Everything is up in the air right now,” Sidari said about the future of the site. “There are many ideas.”
The Village of Medina has been working on an fix for the site for years, including paying for an environmental audit of the site.
The former Starlite has been empty since a fire in the building about a decade ago.
Contractors work on removing the structure in this photo from Monday.
The Starlite site has been in limbo for several years. Matt Mosher of 331 Main Street Incorporated is the owner of the property, but the taxes haven’t been paid in several years.
Normally a property with unpaid taxes over several years would then be turned over to Orleans County, but the county hasn’t accepted the property due to the environmental liabilities.
Sidari said he expects the village will become owner of the property.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2016 at 11:50 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Otis, a toy dog owned by Garrison Foote, gets bandaged by registered nurse Mary Dunham at Medina Memorial Hospital this morning. The hospital welcomed kindergartners from Albion on Wednesday and this morning. They were all urged to bring in a stuffed animal that could be bandaged with pretend injuries.
The children and their toy animals also went in the X-Ray room.
Mary Dunham gives a Teddy Bear some medical attention as part of today’s Teddy Bear clinic. Medina Memorial brought back the clinic last year after it had stopped for a few years. The hospital hopes the Teddy Bear Clinic helps children to feel more comfortable if they ever need to go to the hospital.
Sasi, the official “spokesbear” for the Orleans County Health Department, tells students about the importance of washing their hands with soap and water for about 20 seconds. Sasi’s handler is Nola Goodrich-Kresse, public health educator for the Orleans County Health Department. Sasi has been the Health Department’s ambassador for about 20 years.
Brenna Podesta (next to Goodrich-Kresse) is an intern with the Health Department. She read a story, “Leo the Little Lion learns how to get ahead of lead.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2016 at 5:15 pm
Albion and Kendall are at bronze level, among top high schools in country
Photo by Tom Rivers: Some members of the Class of 2016 smile during commencement last June.
MEDINA – An annual report on the top high schools in the country includes three out of five high schools in Orleans County.
Albion and Kendall both earned bronze recognition, while Medina is at the silver level.
There were nearly 20,000 high schools ranked in the report by the U.S. News & World Report. (Altogether, there 28,561 public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, but more than 8,000 were eliminated from consideration because they were too small to be analyzed, U.S. News said.)
U.S. News looked at graduation rates (based on the 2014 cohort), math and reading scores on state proficiency tests, and college readiness programs, such as Advanced Placement participation and passing rates from students.
U.S. News also looked at how disadvantaged students – black, Hispanic and low-income – were outperforming disadvantaged students in the state.
The 6,218 highest-scoring schools, just over 30 percent that were large enough to be ranked, earned gold, silver or bronze awards.
The gold medals went to the top 500 schools, while schools ranked 501 to 2,673 earned silvers.
Medina earned a silver based on its 2,424 ranking. (It is ranked 207th out of New York high schools.) The district’s scorecard includes a College Readiness Index of 23.0 with 39 percent of high schoolers taking AP classes. The mathematics proficiency is at 88 percent with 90 percent meeting English proficiency.
Albion and Kendall were among 3,545 high schools to earn bronze rankings among the top high schools. (Bronze schools have a college readiness less than 20.17.)
Albion’s college readiness index was 11.9 with 22 percent of students taking AP classes. The math and English proficiency levels were both at 84 percent.
Kendall didn’t have a college readiness index but its math proficiency is listed at 78 percent while 94 percent meet English proficiency.
To learn more about the rankings, visit http://www.usnews.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2016 at 11:43 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Dr. Aaron Slack, current high school principal in Lyndonville, speaks during a community forum on Wednesday. He is a finalist for Medina school superintendent. Dr. Clark Godshall, Orleans/Niagara BOCES superintendent, is at lower left.
MEDINA – When Aaron Slack graduated from Medina High School in 1990, like many students from a small town he was eager to leave the community.
Now he sees Medina enjoying a “renaissance” in the downtown, and its business parks are filling up with companies.
Slack said the area is poised for more growth with high-tech companies coming to the STAMP site just across the county line in the Town of Alabama.
Engineers and highly skilled workers will be looking to move near STAMP. Medina is one of many communities they will be considering, Slack said.
“STAMP could be a game-changer, but what will differentiate Medina?” Slack said during a community forum on Wednesday, where he was featured as one of three finalists for Medina school superintendent.
A strong school district with a sound education that is technologically relevant and offers extracurricular opportunities will be important to keep and attract Medina families, Slack said
He met with district stakeholders on Wednesday, including students. Some of the student leaders said there isn’t equal access for all students to technology. Slack wants to level the playing field and bridge the digital divide.
He also wants teachers to use technology to engage students. That’s what he did 20 years ago as an eighth grade English teacher in the Greece school district. He went on to be a middle school assistant principal and then principal in Greece. Then he worked for the Harrison Central School District in Westchester County as director of technology before returning to the Rochester area as an administrator for the alternative school run by the Monroe 1 BOCES.
In 2011, he came closer to home when he was hired as principal at the Lyndonville High School.
Slack said Jason Smith, the Lyndonville district superintendent, has been a great role model for a district leader. Smith is transparent with the Board of Education, and maintains a student-focus with strong connections in the community.
Slack has seen the Medina-Lyndonville shared services partnership first hand. The arrangement has benefited both districts by preserving athletic teams and the school musical, drawing from students from both schools. That shared service expanded this year with two Lyndonville students joining the Medina FFA.
Slack said he would favor more partnerships among the two districts with academic programs, including Advanced Placement courses.
Educationally, he said schools need to make it a priority to have every student reading by third grade. If students can’t reach that benchmark at that grade “they will be behind the 8-ball the rest of their academic careers.”
He was asked about the Common Core standards and high-stakes testing for grades 3 to 8. Slack said the tests are typically taken in April-May and districts don’t get the results until October. That is far too long of a delay, and doesn’t allow schools and parents to move fast enough to help struggling students.
Lyndonville has been using real-time testing so it can measure student progress and work with students who may need extra help.
The high-stakes testing, teacher evaluations, and Common Core have been “a perfect storm of stress” for the teaching profession, Slack said. He worries about an “emerging teacher shortage” due to the recent education changes. But Slack said Medina can be attractive for teachers if they have leadership opportunities, a supportive administration and “a voice in the process.”
He was asked about bullying and said Lyndonville has worked hard to embrace character education and create “a safe and caring climate.” The district has an anonymous online form to report bullying.
At Lyndonville, all students from grades Pre-K and 12 are on one campus using the same bus run. Older kids have been mentors to younger students.
He said he is most proud of the 98 percent graduation rate at Lyndonville last year. But Slack said no student should not graduate.
Slack said he would welcome the chance to be superintendent in his hometown. He currently lives in Medina and knows many of the residents and students. He said he would be visible in the schools and at after-school events.
“Being superintendent is two jobs – the people and the paper, and the people come first,” he said. “You can’t get swept up in the bureaucracy of being superintendent.”
The Medina Board of Education is considering three finalists for the job. In addition to Slack, the board and district stakeholders met with Dr. Stephen Lunden, the assistant superintendent at Maryvale, on Monday and Dr. Michael Weyrauch, principal at the Orleans-Niagara BOCES in Medina, on Tuesday.
Wendi Pencille, BOE president, said the board is working to make a decision soon.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Pride Pak has been praised for the appearance of its new vegetable processing site on Maple Ridge Road in Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2016 at 10:10 am
MEDINA – Fred Miller worked at Lipton in Albion as a young man. The plant closed in 1980, putting hundreds of people out of work.
Miller would go on to run a hardware store in downtown Albion. He also is an Orleans County legislator.
Robert Chapman, Pride Pak’s vice president of sales and marketing, welcomes about 300 people to the ribbon-cutting and opening celebration for the company’s new facility in Medina. Chapman credited CEO Steve Karr, lower left, with pushing the project to completion.
On Wednesday he attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the new Pride Pak vegetable processing site in Medina, a 68,000-square-foot building. Pride Pak has plans for expansion, with two more similar-size buildings.
Seeing the building stirred memories for Miller, of the busy Lipton plant that provided jobs for hundreds of working class families.
“This is wonderful to see,” Miller said inside the spacious Pride Pak, a 280-foot-long building where employees trim, clean and pack salads for Wegmans and other Pride Pak customers. “It reminds me of the old days when I went to Liptons.”
Pride Pak was looking at the former Bernz-O-Matic site in Medina, but decided to build new on Maple Ridge Road. The new facility didn’t need a costly retrofit and the site has room for the future expansions.
Steve Karr, Pride Pak CEO, said the company didn’t go cheap with the new building. It wanted an attractive facility on an important gateway in the Medina community.
Steve Karr, company CEO, thanks the Medina community for a warm welcome for Pride Pak.
Mike Sidari, the Medina mayor, thanked Karr and Pride Pak for such a nice addition to Maple Ridge Road. Not only will the company employ up to 300 people at full build-out, but it added a beautiful site on a busy corridor, Sidari said.
“It’s an inviting building as you come into the village,” Sidari said.
The grand opening celebration on Wednesday included fancy hors d’oeuvre appetizers, and local beers and wines, as well as a band playing. A warehouse was turned into a room for fine dining.
“We’ve been to a lot of ribbon cuttings,” State Sen. Robert Ortt said, “but none like this. This is truly amazing.”
Ortt said Pride Pak’s decision to build its first U.S. facility in Medina shows that rural Orleans County welcomes business.
“You don’t have to be in Rochester to attract a world-class headquarters,” Ortt said. “They have invested here in Medina, in Orleans County, in Upstate New York, in the United States of America.”
Warehouse space in Pride Pak was transformed for a festive celebration on Wednesday.
Pride Pak has one packing line in place and is working to get more on line. The packing equipment allows the company to double the rate of trimming, cleaning and packing vegetables for the salads.
Medina, the Town of Shelby, Orleans County and Empire State Development all worked to provide incentives for Pride Pak, and to get infrastructure in place for the new building and the future expansions.
Steve Karr thanked the government officials for their work with the project, which is about a $20 million investment for phase 1.
Steve Karr, the Pride Pak CEO, is pictured in overalls in mid-October when he was working with contractors helping to measure and connect lines that day. He is pictured in the warehouse space, which was the scene for an upscale party on Wednesday.
Karr said about 50,000 man hours went into the facility’s construction. He has been working 80 hour weeks in Medina to move the project along.
He was wearing a suit on Wednesday for the grand opening. But much of his time the past year was in overalls, helping with construction projects at the site.
Karr’s work ethic is legendary at the company. Robert Chapman, Pride Pak’s vice president of sales and marketing, said Karr’s determination made the ambitious project a reality on a tight schedule.
“Steve Karr is the most hard-working and committed man I’ve ever seen,” Chapman told about 300 people during the grand opening celebration. “It is Steve’s hard work and dedication that made this project in Medina possible.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 December 2016 at 8:12 am
‘Everyone is tired of the same old iceberg lettuce’ – Steven Karr, CEO of Pride Pak
Photos by Tom Rivers: Steven Karr, CEO of Pride Pak, gives a tour of the 68,000-square-foot site in Medina. This is the Canada-based company’s third processing site, and first in the United States.
MEDINA – Steven Karr, CEO of Pride Pak, says his business has always been about delivering on a promise.
The new 68,000-square-foot facility in Medina, staffed with 40 employees trimming lettuce and packaging it for salads for Wegmans, meets a commitment he made to the popular grocery chain based in Rochester.
Pride Pak is on a site that was a vacant field in January. The company and local governments pushed to have the site ready on an aggressive schedule. In addition to the 280-foot-long building, the site has a new road, water and sewer infrastructure, and other utilities.
“It’s about delivering what we talked about,” Karr, the Pride Pak CEO, told about 300 people during a ribbon-cutting and opening celebration.
For 35 years, Karr has been in the vegetable processing business. Karr has made a commitment to excellence and honoring contracts top priorities.
Medina gives the company a U.S. site. Pride Pak also has facilities in Mississaugua and Newfoundland. It is the largest vegetable processor in Canada, and 35 percent of its produce comes to the U.S.
Wegmans is a major U.S. customer. Sometimes, in big snowstorms, it can be challenging to get trucks from Canada through WNY to Wegmans. Pride Pak has taken big detours around a snowstorm, sometimes driving to Detroit or around Lake Ontario to get trucks through to serve customers in WNY. Karr said waiting out a storm out isn’t an option. The company will meet its obligations to customers.
Pride Pak currently gets its lettuce, baby spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, carrots and other vegetables from Yuma in Arizona, California and Oregon. Karr said the company wants to work with local growers in WNY.
David Corsi, Wegmans vice president of produce and floral operations, praised the Karr family and Pride Pak for a commitment to excellence.
Wegmans is “ecstatic” with the new Pride Pak facility in Medina, said David Corsi, the company’s vice president of produce and floral operations. The site is closer to Wegmans distribution hub in Rochester, ensuring a fresher product, and a smaller carbon footprint, Corsi said.
He praised Karr, his three children that work for the company, and the Pride Pak company for innovations with making salad much more attractive to consumers. A generation ago, people could buy heads of iceberg lettuce at the grocery store. Karr and Pride Pak trim the lettuce, and mix in baby spinach, thinly sliced red cabbage, and other vegetables. Pride Pak has several mixes and is always experimenting.
“For 22 years they have been supplying us with a stellar product,” Corsi said during Wednesday’s opening celebration.
Karr has 35 years in the processing business. He began innovating with salads after delivering vegetables to a Holiday Inn in Toronto. Karr said the chef at the Holiday Inn had to have 1,500 to 2,000 meals ready all at once. The chef told him the salads were a challenge. The lettuce wasn’t always consistent and there could be a lot of waste and trimming because of the outer leaves.
Karr decided to make it easier for the chef. Karr trimmed and chopped the lettuce, putting it in 50-pound bags. That eliminated some steps for the chef, and gave him an accurate count of the product. Other customers, including McDonalds, took notice and wanted the lettuce.
Pride Pak expects it can have harvested lettuce from Arizona and California to Wegmans in salad mixes within 48 hours of it coming from the fields. The Medina site cuts about 24 hours the time from field to grocery store because trucks don’t have to cross the border and make the trip to Mississagua.
Karr sees a growing demand for the salads.
“People are more health conscious,” he said. “They want more varieties. Everyone is tired of the same old iceberg lettuce.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: Members of the Karr family cut the ribbon this afternoon for Pride Pak’s new 68,000-square-foot vegetable processing and packaging plant in Medina. Steve Karr, fourth from left, is the company president and founder. He is pictured with his children, from left: Jennifer Pappas, quality director; Angelo Karr, vice president; Steve Karr’s wife Elsie (in back); Steve Karr; Greg Karr, vice president of procurement; and State Sen. Robert Ortt.
Posted 30 November 2016 at 8:36 pm
Press Release, Empire State Development
MEDINA – Empire State Development announced today that Pride Pak, Inc. has opened the doors on its new 68,000 square-foot facility on 13 acres in the Medina Business Park.
Pride Pak, Canada’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable processor, will ultimately invest up to $30 million on the state-of-the-art complex in Orleans County in order to be closer to its U.S. customers. The company has committed to creating 200 new jobs at the site. The Governor announced Pride Pak’s plan to build in the Finger Lakes region last November.
The new Pride Pak is pictured in the evening last month. The site currently has 40 workers and could reach 200 when the the company is at full build-out with two more buildings.
In 1984, CEO Steven Karr started Pride Pak Canada, Ltd. in an effort to service what he saw as Canada’s growing demand for high quality, easy to use fresh food. Expansion in to Newfoundland in 2006 established Pride Pak as the industry leader in the value-added produce industry. The company’s long-standing relationship with Wegmans Food Markets was the stimulus for Pride Pak’s move to the U.S.
Pride Pak CEO Steven Karr said, “We are very much looking forward to this next chapter with our partners at Wegmans. The cooperation we have received from the state has been tremendous and I cannot emphasize enough the value of doing business in Orleans County and the Finger Lakes where they are very welcoming to new business.”
As the industry leader in organic and conventional value-added produce processing, Pride Pak Canada currently exports 35 percent of its product to the U.S. All of Pride Pak’s produce is packed fresh, not frozen. They provide fresh-cut fruits and vegetables and specialty salad blends to food service operations and retail establishments, including Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.
Wegmans Food Markets CEO Danny Wegman said, “Wegmans is completely committed to supporting agriculture and food production partnerships like this one in an effort to grow jobs. The agriculture and food production industry is a key driver of our regional economy. The new Pride Pak facility will help create opportunities for farmers, and will create food production jobs in our region, thus helping to shape the food industry here and helping to ensure its vitality for years to come.”
Phase One of Pride Pak’s Medina operation will be dedicated to the production of organic baby salad green blends, expressly for Wegmans. Karr says Phases Two and Three will include the addition of conventional fruit and vegetable processing, with the company sourcing carrots and other root vegetables from local farm operations.
When fully operational, Pride Pak expects about 45 truckloads of produce each month. The organic vegetable by- product, about 220 tons monthly, will be delivered to local livestock farms and used as animal feed and fertilizer.
Steven Karr, company founder and CEO, addresses about 300 people who attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony and then celebration inside.
Canada’s largest fruit and vegetable processor chose to locate their U.S. headquarters in the Finger Lakes region thanks to Governor Cuomo’s emphasis on Upstate revitalization through the Finger Lakes Forward strategic plan and through other local support efforts. Empire State Development, provided up to $2 million in Excelsior tax credits in return for job commitments to move the project forward.
Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, “Pride Pak is a highly successful international company and their decision to grow its operations in New York State is a tribute to the concrete economic opportunities available here for companies looking to take their business to the next level. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York State has significantly improved the business climate, resulting in job creation in turn which fuels economic opportunities.”
The New York Power Authority also provided an allocation of low-cost hydropower to Pride Pak in return for job and capital investment commitments. The Town of Shelby also received a $750,000 award from the New York State Office of Community Renewal to assist Pride Pak.
James S. Rubin, Commissioner of New York State Homes and Community Renewal said, “HCR’s award of Community Development Block Grant funds will be used for machinery and equipment, and will create 80 jobs for working families. This is another example of Governor Cuomo’s efforts to revitalize the upstate economy and encourage innovative businesses like Pride Pak to expand operations in New York.”
State Senator Rob Ortt said, “The new Pride Pak facility is an impressive addition to Orleans County and the entire region. Pride Pak has been making a positive impact on communities, employees and consumers in Canada for over 20 years and we are happy they chose to make Medina and Orleans County their home in the U.S.”
Assemblyman Steve Hawley said, “I am passionate about local economic development and ushering in new businesses to our area, and it is exciting to see such a large company that directly supports Western New York’s agriculture industry begin operation here in my Assembly District. Pride Pak is an amazing company with a great reputation and its development aims to bring hundreds of jobs, fresh produce to support our local retail industry, and recycled material for our farmers. I am proud to have worked with New York State Economic Development and local leaders to see this project through, and I have faith that investments like these will attract other businesses to set up and expand in our state.”
Dave Callard, Chairman of the Orleans County Legislature said, “All of us here in Orleans County are so very excited about the commitment being made by Pride Pak and their beautiful newly constructed facility. Our team continues to work very hard to develop the kind of business friendly environment needed to attract great companies like Pride Pak to our community. This is an excellent opportunity for a wonderful long term partnership with Mr. Karr and his team.”
Mike Sidari, Mayor of the Village of Medina said, “Pride Pak has already become an extraordinary corporate citizen and valued member of our community. We take pride in the fact that the Village of Medina is always welcoming to new businesses and that Pride Pak has chosen Medina for its new corporate headquarters in the United States.”
Pride Pak is currently accepting job applications and those interested can apply directly at Pride Pak or through the Orleans Center for Workforce Development in Orleans County.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2016 at 2:13 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Ken and Rose Baker from Baker Farms in Medina, right, are pictured on Saturday with Kari Kasmier, a beekeeper who sells honey.
The Canal Village Farmers’ Market expected to call it a season at the end of October. But many vendors still have vegetables, beef, honey and other products from the farm.
So the farmers’ market is staying open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. for the foreseeable future. That’s good news for the vendors who appreciate the extended season.
“This is the only one that I know of that is staying open in the winter,” said vendor Jo Marie Human of Human Farms and Greenhouses in Appleton.
She was selling wreaths, potatoes, winter squash, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and other vegetables n Saturday.
“We’ll keep coming until it freezes,” she said.
Jo Marie Human has wreaths and vegetables for sale at the farmers’ market.
The farmers’ market is at the old Bank of America drive-thru and parking lot, across from the Post Office on West Center Street. SK Herefords is selling beef products inside the former bank building.
Dawn Keppler of SK said the farm will be at the market every Saturday during the winter except for the month of January.
The market had at least five vendors each Saturday in November. This Saturday will include one new one: Nice Farms from Knowlesville.
Ken Baker of Medina is happy the market is staying open.
“We want to keep up our customer base,” said Baker, who had bacon, eggs, garlic, garlic powder and other products for sale on Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2016 at 11:41 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Dr. Michael Weyrauch, principal at the Orleans-Niagara BOCES in Medina, speaks with community members during a forum on Tuesday evening where residents could ask questions to the finalist for district superintendent.
MEDINA – Dr. Michael Weyrauch said kids always come first when running a school district.
He would have a visible presence, greeting students in the morning and afternoon, and keeping student opportunities at the forefront of decision making.
Weyrauch is currently principal at the Orleans-Niagara BOCES in Medina. He works with 640 students from seven school districts. He oversees about 40 staff members and a $5 million budget.
Weyrauch started his career in Medina as a technology teacher 13 years ago.
He moved to administration because he said he wanted to work with more students, and was welcomed by the district to serve as assistant principal at the middle school. He was principal there for four years before going to BOCES to be principal of the education center in Medina.
Not only has Weyrauch been accountable to 2 bosses at BOCES, but he also has worked closely with the superintendents at the seven districts.
“I have a ton of experience at BOCES that I never would have had in a traditional school setting,” he said on Tuesday when he was interviewed as one of three finalists for Medina’s school superintendent.
Weyrauch earned his administration certification from Brockport State College before earning his doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Rochester.
Weyrauch met with teachers, administrators, students and other district stakeholders on Tuesday. He was impressed by the level of commitment by everyone towards the district’s success.
“The students are extremely proud and push themselves to meet the expectations of their teachers,” Weyrauch said at an evening community forum.
He believes in the pursuit of excellence, and preparing students for life after high school, whether in trades, college, the military – whatever the next step may be.
At BOCES, he has brought in numerous career professionals to connect with students, and has pushed for the latest in technology for students and teachers to meet or exceed industry standards.
Weyrauch said a district can’t “give everyone what they want,” but he said with long-term planning a district can stay at the forefront of technology and resources without overburdening the taxpayers.
The superintendent candidate praised the district for recent gains in student achievement, especially with high school Regents. The scores in grades 3 through 8 seem to be at a plateau, Weyrauch said. However, the opt-out movement for standardized tests has left the district without a full sample for a student assessment. He wants to see more data to determine student progress, and then plan for how the district can help students who are struggling to meet standards.
Weyrauch told community members that he would work in collaboration with the Board of Education, teachers, staff and parents.
“You need that supportive mindset that it’s a family with a lot of children,” he said.
He favors the shared services arrangement with Lyndonville, where Lyndonville students play on Medina football and boys soccer teams as well as other shared athletics, and Medina students are part of Lyndonville’s school musical.
Weyrauch also said he would push for improved communication from the district to the community, through social media, the district website and local media, including the Orleans Hub and The Daily News in Batavia.
The district is meeting with the three superintendent finalists this week.
Stephen Lunden, the assistant superintendent at Maryvale, met with school stakeholders on Monday. Dr. Aaron Slack, principal of Lyndonville High School, will meet with several district groups today, including a community forum at 6 p.m. at the district office.
