By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 September 2020 at 12:38 pm
Provided photo
MEDINA – Jamie Murphy, the Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center activity director, visited the Medina Fire Hall today. She presented firefighter Stephen Miller with brownies to show appreciation to the firefighters for their service, especially today on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. That day about 3,000 people were killed in the terrorist attacks, including 343 New York City firefighters.
There will be a 9-11 observance today at 6 p.m. at the Courthouse Square in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 September 2020 at 8:45 pm
MEDINA – The food distribution next Friday morning in Medina will shift from the high school to the Ridgeway Fire Hall, 11392 Ridge Rd.
The entrance will be on Horan Road and the line will be facing north towards Ridge Road, where vehicles will exit.
There will also be a food distribution tomorrow, Sept. 11, in Albion at the same location as previous Albion distributions – the Community Action Main Street Store at 131 Main St.
In the Albion event, Community Action of Orleans & Genesee has partnered with Foodlink and Orleans County Office for the Aging to provide households with boxes of emergency food in response to the Covid-19 public health crisis.
The events are advertised to start at 9 but could begin earlier if the delivery trucks and volunteers are in place.
This is a drive-thru model with no walk-ins. People should have their trunks cleaned out so boxes of emergency food can be put into it.
There is no pre-registration. It is a first-come, first-served basis with boxes for about 300 vehicles.
With the Medina event, the office for the Aging and Foodlink partner with the Calvary Cupboard at Calvary Tabernacle Church to distribute the food.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 September 2020 at 3:12 pm
AJ’s Play Date expects to be a draw in the region
Photos by Tom Rivers: Adam and Kerry Papaj are pictured with their sons, Aiden (11) and Arik (7). The family opened AJ’s Play Date on Aug. 24 at 627 West Ave., at a former women’s gym across from Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.
MEDINA – A Medina family has opened a new business that caters to children who love to play.
AJ’s Play Date opens at time when many youth programs have been shut down or curtailed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Adam and Kerry Papaj have transformed a site for a former women’s gym into a one-of-kind playground with other activities that get kids ages 2 to 12 jumping, climbing, building and exploring.
There is lots to do at AJ’s Play Date, which opened Aug. 24 in Medina.
Kerry Papaj, a speech pathologist the past 26 years at Lyndonville Central School, designed the playground and the space at AJ’s. There is a trampoline in the center of the playground, and swings, stairs, a spiky spinner, a webbed bridge, tunnels and other obstacles for gross and sensory motor play.
The Papajs also set up a double train table, two doll houses and pretend play center with a kitchen, laundry, grocery store and ice cream/bake shop.
Arik Papaj climbs up the enclosed stairs that are part of the playground.
Mrs. Papaj said the playground has been well received by all children in the past two weeks. The family created the space to be friendly with children on the autism spectrum who have sensory processing issues. AJ’s has activities for gross motor play, such as jumping and running.
There are also many activities for sensory motor play – touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight and hearing – and fine motor play for skills such as writing, pushing Lego blocks together and opening and closing latches.
If kids need a break from the main play room, they can try the calming room with a lighted cube and translucent Legos.
Kerry Papaj, a speech pathologist at Lyndonville Central School, designed the playground to help children on the autism spectrum who may have sensory processing issues. She is shown on the trampoline.
AJ’s is named for Adam and sons Aiden and Arik, whose first and middle initials are all AJ. The family had been considering the indoor playground center for the past three years. They were aiming to open on March 1, but Covid-19 delayed the project. They weren’t able to receive the playground equipment until July.
AJ’s is currently limiting the site to less than 25 percent of its capacity or no more than 25 children at a time.
The Papajs offer the space for two hours and preregistration is required. Then AJ’s closes for an hour to allow for a deep cleaning.
It is open seven days a week, Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., for four two-hour sessions, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for two two-hour play times.
A boy ventures down the web walk in the playground.
Kerry and Adam are both very involved in youth sports programs in the Medina area. Mrs. Papaj was a volleyball and softball coach at Lyndonville. She is president of the LOYAL youth soccer organization in Medina, Lyndonville and Roy-Hart.
Mr. Papaj is a Medina school bus driver. He will open the business at 9 a.m. after doing his morning bus runs. He coaches his son’s U12 baseball team.
The family wanted an indoor play area in Medina. They said there are few options for indoor playgrounds in the region, especially those that are sensitive to children with sensory processing issues.
They see AJ’s as complimenting a growing business scene in Medina that is drawing visitors from outside the community.
Adam and Kerry Papaj teamed with Hank Brummer to offer Challenge Island.
The Papajs also teamed with Hank Brummer of Newfane to offer Challenge Island, a STEAM program with activities for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.
Challenge Island uses space in a room next to the playground. That room will also have a concessions stand. Challenge Island uses many household products or supplies that are used to solve engineering problems.
Brummer also offers the Challenge Island at the Niagara Shores Campground in Olcott. The program offers hands-on learning using household items such as paper toll rolls to demonstrate momentum, energy and other scientific principles.
“It’s getting kids active,” Brummer said. “It’s getting them away from computers and getting them socializing.”
Aidan Papaj rides the bolster swing. The playground is sanitized after every group uses it. It takes a solid hour to wipe down and spray all the equipment.
AJ’s hopes to give home-schooling families or kids doing schoolwork remotely a chance to get out and play and do other educational activities.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 3 September 2020 at 9:47 pm
Jim Lustumbo is retiring after owning the site since 1986
Photos by Ginny Kropf: The sale of Lakewood Village Mobile Home Park to a Los Angeles-based investment firm was announced Tuesday.
MEDINA – A change in ownership was announced at Lakewood Village Mobile Home Park this week.
Jim Lustumbo, who has owned the park since 1986, has decided to retire and sold the park to Pinnacle Investment Firm from Los Angeles. The sale was effective Tuesday.
Lisa Villareal, one of three members of Pinnacle Investment Firm, spent several days in Medina, getting familiar with the park and orienting personnel on running the site.
Lois Austin will remain as onsite park manager, while Danny Dunn will continue to do maintenance.
“You are going to see a smooth transition,” Villareal told a handful of residents who attended a meeting Tuesday at the park.
Pinnacle Investment Firm owns mobile home parks in Texas, Missouri and Alabama, but this is their first 55-plus park, Villareal said.
“Things seem to be running smoothly here, and we want to keep it that way,” she said. “We don’t want to change management style.”
In a letter to all park residents, the new company said they were extremely excited to get going and look forward to providing exceptional management, including prompt maintenance service, as well as maintaining a safe and enjoyable place to live.
Jim Lustumbo discusses the sale of Lakewood Village Mobile Home Park in Medina with Lisa Villareal with Pinnacle Investment Firm of Los Angeles, who took over as new owners as of Sept. 1.
Lakewood Village was developed by Barbara Waters and her sister, the late Marcia Tuohey, in 1970. They eventually sold it to Frank Pavia, who was Jim Lustumbo’s uncle. The Lustumbos lived in Rochester, and when Jim inherited the park from his uncle, he and his wife Margaret moved to Medina and have run the park ever since.
Jim Lustumbo poses with Lisa Villareal from Pinnacle Investment Firm after announcing the sale of the park to the Los Angeles-based company.
Jim said he loves the park, but health conditions have convinced him it was time to retire.
“I’ve had two heart attacks, the last one in January,” he said. “What I’ve loved most is the people.”
He and Margaret will continue to live in the park and operate the storage buildings. They have bought a new camper and plan to spend much of their time camping.
“That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t had the time,” Jim said.
Since taking over the park, the Lustumbos have added nearly 30 new mobile units and developed the area on the north side of the lake.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 September 2020 at 3:30 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Trust is making several thousand dollars available in grants to community organizations and projects.
The grants generally range from $200 to $500 and are awarded to qualifying not-for-profit organizations and/or programs in the Medina, Ridgeway and Shelby region.
Funding is intended to help programs that clearly benefit this community and that have favorable tax and regulatory status.
The Trust has distributed nearly $40,000 to local programs and scholarships since 2010. The most recent grants went to The Arc of Genesee/Orleans to rebuild the nature trail at Camp Rainbow to make it wheelchair accessible. St. John’s Episcopal Church’s grant will assist in the restoration of a stained glass window sill and frame.
Orleans Recovery Hope Begins Here assisted in the purchase of a pop-up shelter, table and chairs for community education programs. Boxwood Cemetery Commission’s grant will help with the rehab the tombstone of the first Medina resident. And the Medina Historical Society were funded for a monthly speaker series.
In addition, the grants contributed to some larger programs. Orleans County Adult Learning Services (OCALS) grant partially funded a new community outreach program. Orleans County YMCA’s grant helped with the cost of their Before and After School Enrichment Program, while P.Raising Kids Child Care Center was assisted with an upgrade to the group’s kitchen.
To apply for a grant, organization leaders need to fill out a Sandstone Trust Application form and mail to Sandstone Trust, Post Office Box 25, Medina, by the application deadline, Oct. 31.
Application forms can be obtained as follows: In person at Medina Parts Co. (NAPA) 345 N. Main St. or Michael Zelazny, CPA 511 Main St.; By regular mail request sent to Sandstone Trust, PO Box 25, Medina, NY 14103; or online from the Sandstone Trust web page, www.sandstonesociety.org.
Questions may be sent by email at sandstonesociety@gmail.com or calling Michael Zelazny, CPA at 585-798-1006.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 August 2020 at 10:17 am
Chris Busch influential in setting Medina’s standards in historic district, Maple Ridge Corridor
File photo by Tom Rivers – Chris Busch, shown here in 2014 with the Bent’s Opera House in back, served many years as chairman of the Village of Medina’s Planning Board and Medina’s Tree Board. In his role with the Orleans Renaissance Group, the organization pushed to save the bent’s Opera House, a project now led by Roger Hungerford.
MEDINA – The leader of Medina’s Planning Board has resigned after two decades of major investment in the downtown business district and also along the Maple Ridge Corridor.
Chris Busch has been serving as chairman of the Village Planning Board and also the Historic & Architectural Preservation Review Board.
Busch, in an Aug. 5 letter to Mayor Mike Sidari and the Village Board, said “it is time to move on” after more than 20 years on the Planning Board.
Busch led the boards that implemented design standards in the downtown historic district and also on the Maple Ridge Corridor. Those standards for signs, facades and building construction established a blueprint for guiding the growth on Main Street and on Maple Ridge.
“Over that time, with a great deal of cooperation, hard work and vision, much has been accomplished,” Busch wrote in his letter.
Medina has seen major investment in the historic downtown sites, and also significant growth on Maple Ridge with several new commercial buildings.
“The Planning Board is in good hands,” Busch said in the letter. “Seated on the current board are some of the finest, most qualified and dedicate people I have ever known.”
Busch, who also led Medina’s Tree Board for more than a decade and helped plan for planting 1,000 trees, said he would be willing to serve on an ad hoc committee, waterfront committee or in an advisory committee. He remains active with the Orleans Renaissance Group, which oversee the farmers’ market and the Farm-to-Table dinner, as well as other cultural events in Medina.
Sidari and the Village Board accepted Busch’s resignation during their meeting last week.
“I want to add our thanks for his many years of service and our deep regrets for his resignation,” Sidari said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 August 2020 at 10:02 am
MEDINA – Two career firefighters at Medina have resigned to become members of the North Greece Fire Department.
Adam Vanderheite and Joseph Simmons both submitted letters of resignation that were accepted by the Village Board last week.
Simmons will continue with Medina until Sept. 21. He thanked the Village Board and Fire Chief Matt Jackson for the opportunity to work in Medina the past three years.
“I have learned the importance that quality Fire/EMS is to the communities in Orleans County and how grateful the citizens are that Medina offers these services,” Simmons wrote in his letter.
Vanderheite’s resignation is effective Sept. 25. He worked two years for the Medina FD. He said he was grateful for the chance to become a professional firefighters and work alongside “some outstanding individuals.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 August 2020 at 2:38 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers: This mural in Medina’s Canal Basin depicts a man and mule on the Erie Canal. The mural was painted by Ben Northern and installed about 20 years ago.
MEDINA – The Village Board approved a 60-day moratorium on any public art projects in the historic district. This will give the village time to update its ordinance for public art and perhaps create a new Public Arts Commission.
The moratorium was approved on Monday, following a public hearing at the Senior Center, where the Village Board will now be holding its public meetings.
Arthur Barnes created this mural of a mule-drawn packet boat that is displayed in the Canal Basin.
The moratorium doesn’t include three murals that were approved last week by the Village Planning Board. Those large paintings will be buildings on Proctor Place.
The Village Board is looking to form a group with representatives from the Village Board, Planning Board and people with expertise in the public art.
They will make a recommendation that will likely accommodate public art while preserving the integrity of the historic structures and character of the downtown.
If there are any changes to the zoning ordinance, there will need to be a public hearing where the community will have a chance to voice their opinion.
Village officials have been pushed to face the issue after the Form Foundation submitted proposals for four murals, with three in the historic district. One of the murals – the “Canalligator” – is already done.
Another one with a floral pattern would be on the other side of the same cinder block building as the Canalligator on Proctor Place. Another project, “Fake It Til You Make It” – will be on the back of 410 Main Street. The mural would go from the floor to the top of the cinder block wall.
The Planning Board approved certificates of appropriateness for the projects after consutlign with the State Historic Preservation office. The Planning Board on Aug. 18 approved the murals, saying the current code is vague.
SHPO also advised the board that the murals with modern art are compatible in historic district as long as they aren’t painted on main thoroughfares, aren’t painted on historic stone or on prominent architectural features.
The current regulations in the historic district are focused on the front facades of buildings and the historic architectural features – not the backs of buildings and cinder blocks.
“I think it’s time for the village to come into the 21st Century with modern art,” Medina Mayor Mike Sidari said at a meeting earlier this month. “I think there is a place for it and a place not for it.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 August 2020 at 9:21 am
MEDINA – The Village Board approved 12 members of a committee that will be tasked with looking at police policies and determine if reform is needed in the Medina Police Department.
Daniel Doctor, Pastor Jovannie Canales, Mayor Michael Sidari, Jacquie Chinn, Lt. Todd Draper, Scott Robinson, Sherry Tuohey, Chief Chad Kenward, David and Cynthia King, District Attorney Joe Cardone and Public Defender Joanne Best all have been named to the Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is requiring all 500 municipalities in the state that have law enforcement agencies to form committees with local elected officials, the police leaders and citizens and study the operations of the departments and determine if reform is needed.
The municipalities must adopt a plan by April 1, 2021 to be eligible for state funding. That plan could show that no changes are needed in the department.
“With more than 500 law enforcement agencies in our large and diverse state, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution,” Cuomo said last week. “To rebuild the police-community relationship, each local government must convene stakeholders for a fact-based and honest dialogue about the public safety needs of their community. Each community must envision for itself the appropriate role of the police. Policies must be developed to allow the police to do their jobs to protect the public and these policies must meet with the local communities’ acceptance.”
The committee needs to look at the following issues:
Review the needs of the community served by its police agency, and evaluate the department’s current policies and practices;
Establish policies that allow police to effectively and safely perform their duties;
Involve the entire community in the discussion;
Develop policy recommendations resulting from this review;
Offer a plan for public comment;
Present the plan to the local legislative body to ratify or adopt it, and;
Certify adoption of the plan to the State Budget Director on or before April 1, 2021.
Police Chief Chad Kenward and Mayor Mike Sidari said they reached to a cross section of the community for the committee and have Black and Hispanic residents, senior citizens, representatives from the district attorney and public defender, the school, the business community, the Village Board and the police department.
One local resident spoke during Monday’s Village Board meeting and asked to be considered for the committee. Michael O’Keefe is a defense attorney and a village resident with a law office on Main Street.
He said police reform is needed. He has reviewed body camera footage from Medina police officers and from other nearby communities.
“I am seeing a consistent wrong,” O’Keefe said. “They are not performing their jobs.”
Chief Kenward said he and Sidari went with the guidelines in picking a representation from the community for the committee.
“I didn’t feel we needed three attorneys,” Kenward said.
Cardone, the district attorney, and Best, the public defender, are both attorneys.
O’Keefe said he brings a skill set that would be beneficial to the committee.
Village Trustee Owen Toale said if O’Keefe was on the committee someone else would have to be taken off.
“These are 11 people who are extremely well qualified,” Toale said. “They are vested in our community.”
O’Keefe can submit his concerns to the committee and speak out during a public hearing that is required before the plan is sent to the state, Village Board members said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 25 August 2020 at 8:25 am
MEDINA – The board of MAAC’s Thrift Depot on Orient Street has revised the guidelines implemented for customers and donors when the store reopened in June after the pandemic.
Sue Metzo, coordinator of the Thrift Depot, said they want to ease some of the concerns voiced by customers. She said customers and donations have been down and they hope easing restrictions will encourage more people to visit, and still feel safe.
She said she has contacted both The Salvation Army and Goodwill, and learned they do not have such strict restrictions as the Thrift Depot was practicing.
Metzo said customers will still have to wear a mask and use hand sanitizer. They will no longer limit the number of shoppers in the store, she said. Children wearing masks will be allowed in the store, but they must stay with their parent at all times. This will be strictly enforced, she added.
The “touchless donation system” will continue, with the chutes remaining closed for now. Donations may be brought to the white door on Orient Street between 8:30 a.m. and noon on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. There, the donor, wearing a mask, will be guided to deposit donations in a quarantine area. There will no longer be a limit on clothing or household items one wishes to donate.
Metzo asked that donors make sure all items are clean and in good condition.
“It is costly for us to discard soiled, ripped or broken items,” she said.
These revised guidelines will be posted on the MAAC Thrift Depot Facebook page.
