Provided photo: Shelby firefighters used pet oxygen kits to help the rescued animals, including this cat.

MEDINA – A family of four was able to safely get out of a house fire overnight, with firefighters giving credit to a smoke detector for waking up the adults.

Firefighters were dispatched at 1:14 a.m. to West Oak Orchard St. Medina, Shelby and Lyndonville firefighters all responded.

The fire was put out in the living room and the scene was under control at 1:38 a.m., Medina Firefighter Steve Cooley said in a news release. The cause of the fire is deemed accidental, he said.

Firefighters also rescued two dogs and one cat. Shelby firefighters used pet oxygen kits to help the animals. Those kits were donated about a year ago by Wendi Pencille, a wildlife rehabilitator, and were used for the first time to save a pet late this morning.

The rescued cat was transported by Shelby firefighters to a 24-hour emergency veterinarian clinic in Buffalo.

“The latest information on all animals is that they are all doing well,” Cooley said.

The Red Cross also is assisting the family.

“It is extremely important to note that this family was asleep at the time of the fire,” Cooley said. “A properly installed smoke detector activated from the smoke coming from the living room and woke up the adults. The adults were able to grab both children and immediately crawl out of the structure.”

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Provided photo:  Medina students, from left, include Samantha Barker, Bailey Jackson, Jelia Howard, Hannah Nicholson and Trinitie Andrews. They are pictured with Librarian Jennifer O’Toole, right.

Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – Librarian Jennifer O’Toole has issued a challenge to the students at the Medina High School.

Saddened by seeing students spending more time on their phones in their study halls rather than reading a good book, she wanted to increase students’ passion for reading.

“We noticed that the circulation in the library was going down over the last two years, which is really a shame since we have so many good young adult novels,” she said. “I talked to the English teachers and asked them how we could get the students more engaged in reading and we came up with the Reading Challenge.”

The Reading Challenge is completely voluntary.

“We tell the students they can choose their own book, whether it is a hard copy or electronic, that it has to be age appropriate,” O’Toole said. “They have to check with their teachers to make sure it fits the requirements and then complete an assessment when they have completed it. The students have to read one book per remaining three marking periods.”

They are eligible for winning a gift basket for each marking period. If they read four books, they are eligible for a grand prize drawing of Kindle Fires.

“We are making it very clear that they cannot watch movies or read synopsis online, that these assessments will be geared totally towards the books,” she said.

Mrs. O’Toole said thanks to the generosity of the members of the community and the school, there are great incentives to get students to participate in the challenge.

“After each marking period they will receive Reading Challenge tickets that are entered into drawings for a lot of great things that have been donated like gift cards and candy in our baskets,” she said.  “Students can also receive two extra points on their English average each marking period as well.”

In addition, extra tickets can be obtained by borrowing books from the high school library and if the student is “caught” reading during a study hall.

The official kickoff was on Nov. 4 in the library and a representative from Lee-Whedon Library was on hand to give out information as well.

“We are really hoping students will participate not only for the prizes, but the fact that reading has so many positive effects like decreasing stress and improving memory”, says Mrs. O’Toole.

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Organizers urge residents to light up Park Avenue for parade

File photo: Catherine Cooper is dressed as an elf while reading a children’s story during the Olde Tyme Christmas celebration in 2014. Cooper will serve as grand marshal of the Parade of Lights on Nov. 26.

MEDINA – The eighth annual Parade of Lights, which draws several thousand people to downtown Medina, will include a new contest for residents along Park Avenue, urging them to light up and decorate their properties for the parade on Nov. 26. (The winner gets $100 with $50 to the runner-up.)

Altogether there will be about $3,000 in prizes up for grabs for the parade, which usually includes 40 to 50 floats. The grand champion will win $1,000 with prize money in other categories as well. (Click here for more information.)

Parade organizers have named Catherine Cooper as the grand marshal of the parade. She is director of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library and Ridgeway town historian.

“We try to get someone who is involved in the community and does good things,” said Jim Hancock, chairman of the parade. “She is very well respected and quite involved in the community. The library has become quite a hub for the village.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Matt C.M. Contracting was grand champion in the Parade of Lights last year. Matt Mundion, owner of Matt C.M. Contracting, created the “Medina Express,” a train with four units.

Cooper will give remarks about the parade and festival, and then flip the switch to light the community Christmas tree at Rotary Park. That will be at 5:30 p.m. Cooper will then head to Park Avenue at the old Fisher-Price plant where the parade begins. She will lead the processional to the downtown, and then take a spot on the judge’s reviewing stand.

The parade is now in its eighth year and for three years has had a grand marshal. Randy Bushover was the first one and Jose Avila filled the role last year.

Just before the parade, there will be fireworks at 5:45 p.m.

Hancock said there is still time for more parade entries.

Prizes will be awarded for Commercial/Business, Not-for-profit, Religious, Service Club/Organization, Fire Company, “Other category,” as well the Little Elf Award, The Star Award, The Community Spirit Award and Santa’s Pick Award.

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MEDINA – Three finalists have been named for superintendent of Medina Central School. All three are established education leaders locally.

The three finalists are:

• Dr. Aaron Slack, Principal of the Lyndonville High School;

• Dr. Michael Weyrauch, Principal at the Orleans-Niagara BOCES in Medina;

• Dr. Stephen Lunden, Assistant Superintendent at the Maryvale CSD. (Lunden also served as Medina’s director of finance from November 1998 to July 2000.)

Each finalist has a day to meet with various stakeholder groups – teachers, PTSA, boosters, students, support staff, and administrators – who will interview and provide the Board of Education with critical feedback. Those days are scheduled for Nov. 28-30.

Community sessions with similar opportunities for input are scheduled for the same dates from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. in the Board of Education room. One candidate will be available each evening on Nov. 28-30 to discuss his qualifications and respond to questions from the community.

“The Board is very pleased with the quality of the 15 applications that were received,” said Board of Education President Wendi Pencille. “The three finalists have the desired professional qualifications and attributes that the Board is seeking for this critical leadership position.”

The school district is currently led by interim superintendent  Tom Cox. He has provided temporary leadership for the district following the death on June 23 of Jeff Evoy, who had served as district superintendent for about five years.

The community is welcome to attend the public sessions with the superintendent finalists. Dr. Clark Godshall, superintendent of the Orleans/Niagara BOCES, is serving as search consultant for the Medina and will conduct the sessions.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Today is a great day for a country drive or walk in the neighborhood. The sun is shining and there are lots of colorful leaves on trees and on the ground.

I stopped by Boxwood Cemetery, a historic site on North Gravel Road in Medina, in the morning. The cemetery was recently included on the National Register of Historic Places. Boxwood has many towering trees and ornate grave sites.

The cemetery is next to Glenwood Lake, which can be seen in this photo.

Dirt paths, now covered in leaves, wind through the hills in the cemetery.

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File photo by Tom Rivers: Members of the Medina Mustang Band enters vets Park for a competition on Sept. 24 when Medina hosted the Fall Festival of Bands. Medina’s season ended on Sunday with a third place finish at the state competition.

SYRACUSE – After months of hard work, the Medina Mustang Band competed in the state competition Sunday at the Carrier Dome for the 40th time on Sunday.

The Medina students had their best performance of the season, earning 90.00 points in the Small School 1 Division.

That was good for third place at the NYS Field Band Conference out of nine bands in the division. Medina was topped by East Syracuse Minoa, second at 90.15, and New Hartford, the state champion with a score of 90.90.

Jim Steele, the Medina band director, praised the students and their supporters for the strong showing in Syracuse. The crowd from Medina gave the band a “roar” when they entered the field.

“The kids did everything that we asked of them and it did not fall short as the crowd’s reaction was the best of the night from what I heard,” Steele posted on the Mustang Band Facebook page. “The performance was on point and I could not be more proud of the kids, the wonderful booster organization and my staff for making this the most memorable season to date.”

The band has 135 students. Steele praised them for their effort and commitment to the program.

“As I have told you time and time again live with your eyes wide open and with a full heart and everything will be fine,” he posted on Facebook.

The day started off at 8 a.m. with the “Dome Breakfast” put on by the Boosters for the students and their families as a form of pep rally.  From there the students, staff, boosters and all of the equipment traveled to Hobart College where they practiced for three hours before heading to Syracuse for more practice and then their performance.

The band was led onto the field by Brad DeWaal, a former Marine and soloist with the Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni Band.  The matador uniform worn by Jadiel Flores of Medina was made by Karen Furness.

1st place scores for the other classes are: SS3, Vestal with 80.20; SS2, Northwestern with 82.10; LS3, West Seneca with 84.75; LS2, Cicero North Syracuse with 89.15; and National, Arlington with 96.75.

Medina band leaders accept the third place award on Sunday at the state championships.

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MEDINA – Downtown Medina was invaded by children wearing costumes this evening in the annual Beggar’s Night, where merchants hand out candy on the last Friday of October. Many parents and the store owners also dressed up for the occasion.

The top photo shows Lisa Ames of Medina holding her 2-year-old daughter, Abigail, who is dressed as a bumblebee for Beggar’s Night, which is organized by the Medina Business Association. They stop for candy at Ashlee’s Place with owner Angela Waldriff and her son Tanner.

Maria Higgs of Medina walks down a Main Street sidewalk with her twin 19-month-old sons, Lincoln (Thing 2) and Wyatt (Thing 1).

Vanessa Lhommedieu, owner of the Fringe hair salon, was happy to give candy to the throng of costumed characters, including Mason Berry, 5, of Medina, who is dressed as the robot Baymax.

Ashley Woodroe, left, and her friend Lily Kiebala, both 14, dole out treats at Woodroe Realty, which is owned by Ashley’s grandmother, Debbie Woodroe.

Kathy Blackburn, owner of Meggie Moo’s and one of leaders of the medina Business Association, is pictured with the Stalker sisters who showed up an hour early to be first in line. Amelia Slaker (left), 4, is Elsa from Frozen and her her sister Jenelle, 6, is the Queen of Hearts.

Alana Koneski, left, is a crayon and Sarah Martin is the box for the crayons. Both are employees at Blissett’s. They are handing candy to Villette Gary, 8 (giraffe) and Ariane Watts, 3 (Elsa from Frozen). Both girls are from Barker.

Nicole Tuohey is dressed as the Cookie Monster. She hands out treats at Case-Nic Cookies, which is owned by her mother, Mary Lou Tuohey.

Madelyn Elliott, left, is Pippi Longstocking while handing out on candy to Kayden McGaffick, 6, of Medina. Madelyn’s parents, Crystal and Tim, own Brushstrokes.

Carrie Ribbeck of Avanti is pressed as a pizza slice. She hands candy to Jacob Rissew, who has on a sumo wrestler costume.

Tom and Bonnie Heck, owners of Herbalty Cottage, are pictured with their daughter, Lindsay Uderitz. They dressed up as characters from The Cat in the Hat.

All Inclusive Process had a pirate theme while giving out treats. Kate Tracey, left, is the owner and Cindy Tracey is one of the business’s employees. They welcome Gianna Stornelli, 9, of Medina who was dressed up as Stampy from Minecraft.

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File photo by Tom Rivers: Contractors will soon begin removing contaminants from the former Starlite Dry Cleaners site on main Street, which make the site more attractive for reuse by potential developers.

MEDINA – Contractors paid by the state Department of Environmental Conservation are beginning work on demolishing some portions of the former Starlite Dry Cleaners and removing asbestos and contaminants from the Main Street location.

The Village of Medina has been working on the project for years, including paying for an environmental audit of the site.

The former Starlite at 331 North Main St. has been empty since a fire in the building about a decade ago. Its neighbor at 333 North Main also is vacant.

The Village Board would like to see the sites be redeveloped.

“When it’s totally remediated there will be interest because it’s on Main Street with canal frontage,” said Marty Busch, the village’s code enforcement officer.

Starlite has been in limbo. 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 owned by Orleans County, but the county hasn’t accepted the property due to the environmental liabilities.

Busch said the remediation should ease worries of potential developers, and the site should draw attention from businesses.

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MEDINA – A towing policy from the 1980s keeps towing companies outside the villages from doing work inside the villages when there are accidents.

Shawn Callard, owner of Automotive Solutions on Ridge Road in Medina, is asking the village of Medina to either change the policy or allow him to have an impound lot inside the village. Callard thinks running part of his business inside the village would them make him eligible for tows in Medina. However, the towing policy reads that towing calls should go to towing companies with their business within a village.

Callard is looking at having an impound lot at a Mahar Street site. His primary business location would remain on Ridge Road. He asked the Village Board to make a decision about the towing policy. If he isn’t allowed to tow inside the village, he said he won’t open the impound lot.

Callard and the Village Board have been discussing the issue in recent months.

Callard does tows in the county outside the villages. He is called by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department as part of a rotation among the towing companies.

But in Medina, Lyons Collision gets all of the calls. Callard would like to see the calls split, with Lyons and Automotive Solutions each on duty for two weeks each month.

Mayor Mike Sidari said the towing policy was drafted in the 1980s by the former sheriff, police chiefs at the villages, and the local towing operators.

Callard said he has the equipment and proper insurance to do the job.

“Not anyone can come in and do this,” he said.

Village Trustee Owen Toale said he didn’t want to create policies that steer business to some towing companies. If the village worked with the county to change the policy, Toale said it would benefit Automotive Solutions.

“The government shouldn’t step in and say you have to use a certain towing company,” Toale said during Monday’s village board meeting.

But Callard said the government has directed all of the towing business in Medina to Lyons Collision.

Trustee Tim Elliott said he would favor looking at the policy, with input from the county, current Sheriff Randy Bower, police chiefs and the towing companies.

Mayor Mike Sidari said he is open to looking at a towing policy “for the modern times.”

Medina wants to hear from Albion and Holley village leaders, too.

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Village also wants to route big trucks away from center of town

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mayor Mike Sidari said the village is reaching out to the DOT to reduce speed on Maple Ridge Road, and also to help route truck traffic to Salt Works Road and Bates Road on the edges of the village.

MEDINA – Village officials will ask the state Department of Transportation to lower the speed on Maple Ridge Road, which is becoming an increasingly busy commercial corridor.

The Village Board wants the speed lowered to 40 miles per hour from Sanderson Road (just east of Bates Road) through the village line just past the former Ames Plaza near Roberts Farm Market.

Mayor Michael Sidari said Maple Ridge is the scene of many serious accidents each year.

“I think we have good cause to bring it to the DOT,” Sidari said during Monday’s Village Board meeting.

Pride Pak will soon open on Maple Ridge, joining several other businesses. Sidari said there is also interest in a hotel next to Pride Pak.

In the past decade several new buildings have gone up on Maple Ridge, including Western New York Energy’s ethanol plant, Genesee Community College’s campus center, Tim Hortons, Dunkin’ Donuts, United Memorial Medical Center’s women’s health center, and Family Dollar. Tractor Supply, Mariachi de Oro, Takeform Architectural Graphics, Aldi Foods and other businesses have also opened on Maple Ridge.

Sidari has asked the Shelby Town Board, Ridgeway Town Board and Orleans County Legislature to support the speed reduction.

Ridgeway officials have already gone on the record supporting the move. Sidari said he expects Shelby will soon join the effort. Shelby may also have to join the village in formally asking the DOT to look at the speed reduction because Maple Ridge is in the town and village.

The village is also asking the DOT for permission to put signs on Maple Ridge Road directing tractor trailers to Salt Works Road for deliveries and pickups at Associated Brands and other businesses on Salt Works Road and Park Avenue.

The village also wants signs on the other end of Maple Ridge Ridge directing truck traffic to Bates Road, which has been upgraded to handle the heavier vehicles.

“We want to keep the trucks off the village streets,” Sidari said.

Trucks would still be allowed in the village for deliveries, but Sidari said the signs should shift some of the traffic to the edges of the village.

In other action at Monday’s Village Board meeting:

• Village trustees reported that MedEx, the Fire Department’s billing company, is reducing its rates from $36.75 per bill to $32.50, effective immediately and for 2017. MedEx handles about 2,000 bills annually for the Fire Department. Sidari said the change in rates will save the department about $8,000 a year.

• Appointed Bradley Lang as a full-time operator in the wastewater treatment plant. Lang recently passed the civil service test and is now a permanent employee.

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MEDINA – The Village of Medina is considering a six-month moratorium on solar projects so the village can update its regulations for the projects, including guidelines for solar in the historic downtown.

“We’re not trying to ban solar projects we just want to recognize our assets and make sure the projects are done right, especially in the historic district,” Village Code Enforcement Officer Marty Busch said during tonight’s Village Board meeting.

The board set a public hearing for the moratorium for 7 p.m. on Nov. 28. The 6-month time frame will be retroactive to Oct. 24.

Busch noted that many of the towns in Orleans County have passed moratoriums on solar so the municipalities can revise their regulations. Some towns are limiting the moratorium to larger-scale solar projects that encompass more than a half-acre of land.

• In addition to the solar moratorium, Medina is considering updating regulations for food trucks and transient merchants. The village will have a public hearing on that local law at 7:05 p.m. on Nov. 28 at the Shelby Town Hall on Salt Works Road.

• The board passed a local law this evening that makes some changes to its vehicle and traffic law. People issued violations can now pay fines at the Village Office, instead of at court at the Shelby Town Hall.

Some of the fines were also increased. A Class A violation (parking on a sidewalk or blocking a driveway) will result in a $20 fine.

A Class B violation (parking past the 2-hour limit, parking in a fire lane, or parking too close to a fire hydrant) will result in a $30 fine. A Class C violation (parking in a handicap zone without a permit) will be an $80 fine.

MEDINA – The village will have a contractor working to replace about 2,000 water meters the next two months, and also replace reader devices on meters that are less than 8 years old.

The project is among several energy efficiency initiatives the village is working on. The new water meters will better track water usage and help the Department of Public Works identify leaks faster, said Peter Houseknecht, the DPW superintendent.

Many of the current meters are older and may only be tracking about 90 percent of the water usage because the meters wear down with age, Houseknecht said.

The new meters will replace ones that used a mechanical counter. The new ones have a cylinder to count water usage.

The village has hired In Line Services to replace the meters or swap out the meter heads. In Line Services staff will be in uniforms with photo ID and white service vans that are lettered.

To schedule an appointment, call In Line Services at 1 (800) 557-3088 or go online at www.inlineservicesinc.com. The meter work will be done on a first scheduled, first served basis from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The village and In Line want to have the work done by Christmas.

Contractors have already replaced the boiler system in City Hall as part of the energy contract. Houseknecht said the decorative lights on Main Street will be swapped out as part of the energy efficiency upgrades.

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File photo by Tom Rivers: Two giant snowmen greet people on the parade route during the seventh annual Parade of Lights in Medina last Nov. 28. The snowmen were part of a float by Bentley Brothers in Albion. The Sandstone Trust provides some funding to support the parade.

MEDINA – Community organizations in the Medina area are welcome to seek grant funds through the Sandstone Trust.

The Sandstone Trust, the endowment of the Medina Sandstone Society, is going into its sixth season of taking grant requests in Medina, Ridgeway and Shelby. Applications are due Nov. 21.

The Sandstone Trust has approved more than $20,000 in grants. Most of those grants are $200 to $500 and support not-for-profit organizations and other programs in the Medina community.

Some projects benefitted since 2011 include improvements to the veterans plot at Boxwood Cemetery, downtown Christmas lighting, Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, Medina Historical Society, Medina Business Association, The Arc of Orleans, YMCA, Orleans Renaissance Group, CAC pre-school, school-parent activities, downtown clock project, Medina Tourism Program, Parade of Lights, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Family Literacy, Millville Cemetery Association and other groups.

Application forms for the grant program are available from the society’s website (click here). Printed copies of the application can be obtained at NAPA Auto Parts on North Main Street, or at the office of Michael Zelazny, CPA, at 511 Main St. Or by a mail request to the Sandstone Society, Box 25, Medina 14108.

Questions about the grants can be sent by email at sandstonesociety@gmail.com or by calling Zelazny at (585) 798-1006.

When the Sandstone Trust was officially created in 2009, the society used an obsolete economic development fund which was inactive and in danger of being seized. A contract was written with the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo for financial management, a practice given by CFGB to over 800 such endowments. The original $18,000 in seed money has multiplied to more than $100,000.

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