Medina

Food distribution went smoothly at Medina High School

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2020 at 9:02 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Volunteers are ready to put three boxes of food in either car trunks or on truck beds during a food distribution at Medina High School today.

This was the first time the Foodlink distribution was at Medina High School. Previously, the old Medina High School on Catherine Street hosted the event, with Calvary Tabernacle Church leading the effort.

There were long lines in village side streets during the distribution last month at the former high school.

The boxes were stacked high at the start of the distribution.

Today, people entered the driveway at Oak Orchard Elementary School and followed an on-campus road past the middle to high school. That location kept the cars and trucks from waiting on village streets.

Volunteers were also able to split the line into two at the high school, which kept the process moving quickly.

Volunteers helped today from Calvary Tabernacle, the Orleans County YMCA, Office for the Aging, Medina Lions Club, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Orleans Community Health, Kalos Health in Niagara Falls, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Medina and the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Tom Robinson, a retired Medina school counselor, volunteered with the distribution. Susie Miller, Office for the Aging assistant director, carries one of the 25-pound boxes to a vehicle. Each vehicle received three boxes today – mixed dairy, cooked meat and produce.

The schedule until the end of August for the food distributions includes:

Wednesday, July 22 – at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville (includes one box of produce), 10 a.m. until gone
Friday, July 24 – in Albion at Community Action Main Street Store, 9:30 a.m. until gone
Friday, July 31 – in Holley, location to be announced, 9:30 a.m. until gone
Friday, August 7 – in Albion at Community Action Main Street Store, 9:30 a.m. until gone
Wednesday, Aug. 12, at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville (includes one box of produce), 10 a.m. until gone
Friday, Aug. 14 – in Medina at school district, 9:30 a.m. until gone
Friday, Aug. 21 – in Albion at Community Action Main Street Store, 9:30 a.m. until gone
Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville (includes one box of produce), 10 a.m. until gone
Friday, Aug. 29 – in Holley, location to be determined, 9:30 a.m. until gone

Kurt Strickland directs traffic to split into two separate lines.

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Medina seeks to fill vacancy on Board of Education

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2020 at 3:45 pm

MEDINA – The school district welcomes applicants for a vacant position of the Boar dof Education following the resignation of Kellie Schrader-Hurrell.

Interested residents need to submit a letter of interest addressed to President Arlene Pawlaczyk, no later than July 31, at her email address: apawlaczyk@medinacsd.org. Or a letter of interest can be mailed to her attention at the District Office, One Mustang Drive, Medina, NY 14103.

Candidates will be interviewed by the Board of Education and could be appointed at the Aug. 10 Board of Education meeting. The individual will fill the vacancy for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year.

Candidates for the volunteer position need to be at least 18, a qualified voter in the school district and a legal resident of the district for a continuous and uninterrupted period of at least one year.

For more information on the position and the responsibilities of a Board of Education member, click here.

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New Medina business, Mystic Dragon’s Lair, has quickly developed a following

Photos by Tom Rivers: Cassandra Wengewicz and her father-in-law Scott Wengewicz are pictured inside Mystic Dragon’s Lair at 339 North Main St. They opened the business on Main Street in February.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 July 2020 at 11:34 am

Metaphysical store has products at storefront, and runs popular Facebook Live sales

MEDINA — Scott Wengewicz has enjoyed mining rocks and crystal as a hobby for many years. The retired Border Patrol agent says rocks can be colorful, and they have energy which can have a calming effect on people, and also help them to work through grief or overcome fears.

Wengewicz, 58, is connected with other miners and he decided to sell quartz, gemstones, crystals and other products in a business from his basement.

He started in September and the business, Mystic Dragon’s Lair, quickly took off.

“We like dragons and we were selling from our basement which felt like a lair,” he said about the business’s name.

Cassandra Wengewicz holds a scenic quartz ball that has been cut and polished.

Mystic has nearly 5,000 Facebook followers. It’s Facebook live sale on Saturday had 1,400 comments. It does Facebook live sales on Tuesdays at noon and Saturdays at 10 p.m.

Those Facebook live sales fuel the business with buyers from all over the country, the United Kingdom, Australian and New Zealand.

Wengewicz needed more space for Mystic Dragon’s Lair. In February, he opened a storefront with lots of storage and packing space at 339 North Main Street in Medina.

The metaphysical store draws in-person customers from Western New York. They walk in and there is an aroma of incense, which is available for sale.

“The incense is calming and relaxing,” said Cassandra Wengewicz, Scott’s daughter-in-law who works with him in the business. “And it’s safer than a candle.”

Scott Wengewicz holds Mangano Calcite under ultraviolent light. The rock can help people let go of grief and fear.

Many people like to browse and see the crystals, rocks and other merchandise. Some of the crystals are cut and polished into the shape of crosses or skulls.

Not everything can be shipped. Mystic sells large clusters of quartz that needs to be handled with care.

Mystic sells dragon figurines, gargoyles, Buddha statues, bracelets with different properties, salt lamps, and about 50 types of rocks.

“Every rock has its own energy – whether people can feel it or not,” Scott said.

Mystic Dragon’s Lair sells about 50 different types of rocks.

Those rocks come in many sizes. Many of them are colorful and they look like giant jellybeans.

Those smaller rocks can be carried in a purse or pocket.

“It brings peace of mind,” said Cassandra, 29, a Lyndonville native.

She keeps a Healerite stone in her pocket and she believes it has helped her with her arthritic hips, reducing the pain.

Cassandra Wengewicz is shown with the “singing bowls” in the Reiki Room. The bowls send out pitches that help people think clearly.

Mystic encourages people to go to the doctor and follow medical advice. Scott Wengewicz said natural healing is a growing movement, with people seeking to better understand their bodies and how they can improve their health without totally relying on pharmaceuticals.

Cassandra has two bachelor’s degrees, in criminal justice and biology. The business allows her to be home more with her two children. And she said Mystic makes a difference for their customers.

“We want to help people and bring them happiness,” she said.

Mystic has another employee, Jennifer Storelli, who leads the Reiki Room, promoting natural healing and helping people to slow down, reduce stress and connect to positive energy.

The store also sells raw honey from Scott’s farm, Scokat Farms. He has been a commercial beekeeper for several years. He started working with bees when he was 15, making his own honey.

Mystic is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Click here to see its Facebook page.

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Crosby’s in Medina robbed at knifepoint last night, suspect at large

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 July 2020 at 9:23 am

MEDINA – A male suspect is at large after robbing Crosby’s in Medina last night at 1 a.m.

The suspect displayed a knife and demanded cash, said Lt. Todd Draper of the Medina Police Department.

The suspect took an undisclosed amount of money. No employees were injured. Attempts to locate the suspect were unsuccessful and the investigation is ongoing, Draper said.

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Medina declines WiFi hotspot at Village Office/City Hall

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 July 2020 at 8:53 am

MEDINA – The Village Board has declined an officer to have a WiFi hotspot installed for free in the parking lot at the Village Office and City Hall on Park Avenue.

RTO Wireless has offered to install the hotspots and is working to put them in place at nine town halls and two of the village offices – Albion and Holley. Ridgeway is the only town not participating because it is close to the Medina Village Office and the town has a small parking lot.

Medina Mayor Mike Sidari said he didn’t feel comfortable with WiFi access off the village’s network.

“I don’t want a back channel into our system,” Sidari said during a board meeting on Friday. “I don’t feel comfortable having it available for use or access.”

The mayor said ambulances and police cars also use the system and he worries their information would be compromised with public WiFi access.

Sidari said RTO Wireless has tried to assure him the system can’t be compromised, but he remains concerned.

“They say they can’t be hacked but everyday you hear about people being hacked,” he said.

Sidari and the board members also noted there are other public WiFi access spots in the community, including Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, which is a block away from the Village Office. The school district also has WiFi for students to access at the school parking lots.

The board on Friday also hired Jonathan Miller as a firefighter/EMT. He starts on July 27 and will be on a 78-week probationary period.

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Medina Visitor’s Center will reopen for season on Monday

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Visitor’s Center at Rotary Park is pictured last September. The site will reopen on Monday with volunteers.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 July 2020 at 1:02 pm

MEDINA – The Medina Visitor’s Center will reopen on Monday with volunteers at Rotary Park available to answer questions about the community and point visitors to local attractions and services.

The site, the Santa house at Rotary Park, is usually staffed with volunteers from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This year the Covid-19 pandemic pushed back the start.

This is the 11^thyear the Medina Tourism Committee will have the Visitor’s Center. It will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and also has added Saturday morning this year.

Jim Hancock, the Tourism Committee chairman, said the committee plans to staff the site until late September this year.

“Last year we had 230 registered visitors who came from 32 different states and three foreign countries,” he said.

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2 canal bridges reopen with a new look

Photos by Tom Rivers: A worker is shown on Friday at the Bates Road canal bridge in Medina. Crane Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport is the contractor on the project. The bridge has reopened to traffic, but there is some additional work to be done, including installation of sidewalk grating for pedestrian access.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 July 2020 at 8:36 am

Work on bridges includes repainting from green to black

Two more canal bridges have reopened after major repairs. The Bates Road canal bridge in Medina and the Telegraph Road bridge in Murray both reopened to traffic on June 27.

They are part of a $10.7 million contract for seven canal bridges in Orleans County.

The Telegraph Road Bridge had been closed since Aug. 5, 2019 for steel repairs. The Bates Road Bridge was closed on Nov. 8, 2019 for the same reason.

Here is how the Bates Road bridge looked on Nov. 27, 2017, before the construction work.

The work is being completed by Crane Hogan Structural Systems in Spencerport and includes installing galvanized steel to replace steel floor systems, low chords, gusset plates, and truss elements. Bridge railing and guide rail on the bridge approaches also were improved and the bridges were repainted black. They were green but the black matches the original color.

The seven single-lane truss bridges were constructed between 1909 and 1914.

Five of the seven bridges have now reopened after extensive repairs. Those include Bennetts Corners Road in Murray, Telegraph Road in Murray, Transit Road in Murray, Densmore Road in Albion, and Bates Road in Medina.

There are two additional bridges currently closed for construction work: Gaines Basin Road in Gaines and Marshall Road in Ridgeway.

Mark Schwenk took this photo on June 27, the first day of the Telegraph Road bridge being reopened to traffic.

The canal bridge on Telegraph Road in Murray is pictured on March 12, 2018.

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Medina says phones expected to be out 2 more weeks at village offices

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2020 at 4:05 pm

MEDINA – The phone system is expected to be down for two more weeks after it was damaged by a lightning strike on June 23.

The lightning hit the City Hall and Fire Department annex, and took out phone lines, computer servers, two computers and damaged the HVAC system. Fifteen phones were “fried” from the lightning.

Medina Mayor Mike Sidari said it may cost about $30,000 to fix or replace the damaged items. The village’s insurance company will cover all of the costs except Medina’s $1,000 deductible.

The Village Board met today to discuss the situation. Sidari said it won’t be a simple fix and could take another two weeks.

The drive-through window remains open at the Village Office on Park Avenue. For all emergency calls for the fire department and police department, dial 911, Sidari said.

For non-emergency calls for fire and police, call (585) 589-5527, which goes to the dispatch center at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

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Medina PD announces name for new K-9: Phoenix

Provided photo: Medina police officer Jacob Reeves does a drill with the department’s new K-9, Phoenix.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2020 at 11:01 am

MEDINA – The votes are in and Medina’s new K-9 will be named Phoenix.

The department welcomed community feedback for the dog’s name. The options included Bandit, Erie, Phoenix, Gunner, Apollo and Raider.

Phoenix and Jacob Reeves, the department’s K-9 handler, have started a 14-week training program.

Phoenix is a Belgian Malinois. The K-9 team will train in patrols and drug detection.

Phoenix will replace Kye as the department’s K-9 in the fall after the training is complete. Kye has been the Medina PD’s K-9 for eight years.

Reeves also will replace Lt. Todd Draper as the department’s K-9 handler.

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Medina splash pad debuts during heat wave

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2020 at 7:28 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Nevaeh Moss, 13, of Medina has fun on Medina’s new splash pad that opened for the first time today.

The splash pad is at the Pine Street Park off Park Avenue.

The new splash pad is among $200,000 in upgrades to the neighborhood park. A group of residents raised the money for the park improvements, which also includes new playground equipment and pathway that will include flowers and butterfly gardens.

The committee that raised the money and pushed for the project includes Nicole Goyette, Tom Hungerford, Bob Sanderson and Maureen Sanderson.

Cadence Livingston, 5, of Medina is thrilled with the splash pad. She was there at about 5:30 p.m., when the temperature outside was 90 degrees.

The splash pad is the first to open in Orleans County. The Village of Albion is close to opening a larger splash pad at Bullard Park.

Jaiden Livingston, 8, of Medina enjoys the new water attraction in Medina. She is holding on to the pole with a button. When that button is pushed, the water comes out of five ground spray elements.

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