Jenna and Martin Bruning see location as popular spot for weddings and parties

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA One of the area’s most iconic barns has been a landmark on North Gravel Road for about 150 years.

The barn, with large painted letters WM J. GALLAGHER FARMS, will find new life as a events center for weddings, parties and other special events.

Jenna and Martin Bruning have been working to clean up the property, including the landscape and the building in recent months. They have two weddings booked for next year. They have a lot more work to do, but they see the site as a destination for the area.

The couple grew up on dairy farms. Jenna’s parents, Mike and Cyndi Van LieShout, own a dairy farm in Barre. Martin grew up on a dairy in Waterport. The couple was married in a barn at the Van Lieshhout farm.

“We were married in a barn and it was beautiful,” Mrs. Bruning said on Thursday during an open house at the site.

The barn will be repainted to match the original colors of white with green trim.

The Orleans County Planning Board recommended the Village of Medina approve the site plan and a special use permit for the Brunings to operate the business.

Planning Board member Joe Sidonio said the project is a way to bring a new use into a historic agrcultural property, while drawing more people to the community.

The property is in the village on the north side. The Brunings said the project has the potential “to provide a grand entrance into the village.”

Medina community members take a tour inside the Gallagher barn on Thursday.

The barn has a rustic look with a lot of space that the Brunings believe will be popular for weddings and other events.

The barn dates back to the Civil War era.

The Brunings plan to call the site “The Gallagher” and hope to have it available for events in June.

The property includes this stately brick house that the Brunings said would also be available for dinner parties and other events.

“The house is a monument of Medina and a gorgeous complement to the setting,” Mrs. Bruning said.

The Gallagher is close to the canal, and the Brunings expect visitors to The Gallagher will enjoy other spots in Medina.

The couple both have full-time jobs with Mr. Bruning working as a milk truck driver and Mrs. Bruning serving as a district manager for Aldi.

They have had help from friends and family with clearing brush, redoing masonry work, installing new support poles and tackling many other projects.

The Medina Historical Society has this portrait of William J. Gallagher, who was known as a local eccentric, a businessman who liked to portray a clown.

Mrs. Bruning said she has heard stories about Mr. Gallagher from community members.

Gallagher, former owner of the Gallagher property, is pictured hamming it up for the camera as a clown in the 1930s.

Gallagher appears to be missing his front teeth in the photo and his hair is wild. He has a wide grin and expressive eyes.

File photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Super Cruise planned for today on Main Street in Medina has been pushed back a week because Elvis’s wife had a baby, a little early, today.

Terry Buchwald, an Elvis impersonator, has been providing entertainment for the finale of the Cruise In series at Medina for several years. He arrives on a motorcycle and sings from a stage on Main Street from 6 to 9 p.m.

Buchwald and about 300 classic cars will be ready for the Super Cruise next Wednesday with cars arriving at 4 p.m. and Buchwald at 6, said David Green, coordinator of the series.

MEDINA – Will Medina’s next fire chief have at least 8 years of experience as a career firefighter or 10 years?

Will the chief have at least 2 years in a supervisory role, as a captain or perhaps an assistant chief?

Should the Village Board insist the next chief be required to live in the village?

These are some of the criteria the board is debating as it gears up to fill the fire chief position. Todd Zinkievich has retired from the position, effective Sept. 28. Michael Maak, a captain with the department, is the current officer in charge.

Trustee Marguerite Sherman wants to see how other fire departments with paid staff have filled the chief’s position. She said insisting on at least 2 years experience as a captain could prevent potential outstanding candidates from applying.

Trustee Michael Sidari said at least 2 years experience in the captain’s or deputy chief’s role should be a requirement for the next chief.

“I want someone with leadership experience,” Sidari said at Monday’s Village Board meeting. “It’s hard to go from being a firefighter to leading a department.”

Sidari said fire departments structure their leadership in different ways. Medina, for example, doesn’t have an assistant chief or lieutenant position. It has two captains: Michael Maak and Jonathan Higgins.

Village Board members said they would continue to discuss minimum qualifications for the fire chief, including a valid intermediate EMT card.

The fire chief leads 13 paid firefighters and a roster of call men that respond to about 3,000 calls a year.

In other fire department news, the board declared a 1977 pumper truck as surplus. That truck has been out of service for about a decade and is currently stored in Knowlesville at the Ridgeway fire station. Maak said he thinks it could fetch at least $2,000.

The board also accepted the resignation from R.J. Morgan as a call man and removed Albert Thompson from the call men roster. He is in the Navy.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Congressman Chris Collins, right, visits with Captain Jonathan Higgins at the Medina Fire Department on May 8. Collins announced today the department will receive $77,837 for equipment.

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department has been approved for a $77,837 grant for new fire hoses, nozzles and a thermal imaging camera.

Congressman Chris Collins (R-Clarence) announced the funding for Medina, as well as a $160,000 grant for the Naples Fire Department. The grants were allocated through the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which is designed to help first responders improve their capability to respond to fires and emergencies of all types.

“Providing the necessary funding for our first responders is an excellent and prudent use of federal money,” Collins said. “Our local heroes need the proper resources to do their jobs and protect our communities. Many small fire companies and emergency medical service providers are unable to purchase necessary equipment upgrades due to financial limitations.”

Collins said the funds will help “create more efficient and effective first responders.”

Medina will replace hoses and nozzles that are 25 years old, said Jonathan Higgins, a captain with the department.

“The fire department will add a thermal imaging camera on our first due fire engine that could be used to locate trapped victims or firefighters in structure fire and has a multitude of uses in the fire service,” Higgins said. “This equipment will enhance our ability to provide better protection to the residents in our community as well as the surrounding towns and villages. The Village of Medina Fire Department would like to thank Congressman Chris Collins for his assistance in securing this grant for our community and our fire department.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Firefighters from Orleans and Genesee counties witnessed a powerful “rotator” move a school bus that was tipped within inches of a crushed car.

Rusiniak’s Service in Buffalo brought the machine with a 360-degree boom. It can grab vehicles that weigh up to 115,000 pounds and swing them out of the way so rescue personnel can work on patients or free trapped people in a vehicle.

Rusiniak’s did the demonstration at Lyons Collision in Medina, and used a mini crane to move the bus.

Jeff Lyons of Lyons Collision said the “rotator” is a great asset to help firefighters.

“You can work off the side of a scene,” Lyons said. “You don’t have to back up and be directly behind the vehicle. It’s amazing to me that you can pick up that much weight and swing it around.”

The rotator has no trouble lifting a 25,000-pound school bus.

Dave Czumaj, right, of Rusiniak’s controls the crane. It can gently and precisely move massive weight at a scene. Jeff Lyons is at center. He said Lyons Collision and Rusiniak’s work together on some calls.

Cory Vercruysse of Lyons, right, helps guide the school bus while it is moved away from the car. Rusiniak’s does many demonstrations for firefighters in Western New York, showing the “rotator” in action.

The school bus is close to being set down on the other side of the rotator.

Barre firefighters Karl Driesel (left), Pat Lamka, and his daughter Sarah Lamka were among the firefighters to see the demonstration.

After the demo, firefighters worked on extrication drills on some of the vehicles at Lyons.

MEDINA – The Orleans Economic Development Agency is stepping up its efforts to bring a chain hotel to the county.

The Orleans Land Restoration Corporation, one of the EDA’s development arms, bought 5 acres of land on Maple Ridge Road for $50,000 last month. That property includes an abandoned house and overgrown yard.

The house will be razed and the land cleaned up, said Jim Whipple, EDA chief executive officer. The EDA will need to do an asbestos survey on the house before it comes down. The house was bought in a bank foreclosure sale on July 15.

The property sits between Takeform Architectural Graphics and a proposed spot for Pride Pak, a Canadian company that is looking to spend at least $10 million for a vegetable processing facility.

The abandoned house and overgrown property “looks bad” when the EDA shows potential developers the Medina Business Park and other land available for development, Whipple said.

The EDA has been working to facilitate construction of a new hotel on Maple Ridge Road in Medina. The EDA has talked with Cobblestone Inn and Suites about a project in Medina. That company has built many hotels in small towns, typically working with investors in the host community.

Whipple said an investor is interested in a Medina hotel, but first is working to finish another project. Whipple said he expects that investor will make a decision about whether to pursue a project in Medina this fall.

The EDA hired a consultant to study the market for a hotel in Medina. Interim Hospitality Consultants concluded last October that a small hotel with 41 to 49 rooms would be profitable in the community.

The EDA sees the land on Maple Ridge Road across from GCC as an ideal location because the site already has infrastructure – water, sewer and electricity – within the village.

The chain hotel would be a lift for the area, boosting bed tax for tourism, sales tax for the county and state, and other spending in the community, EDA officials said.

It would also be a plus for businesses to know they would have an option for visiting professionals, consultants and staff to stay in a local chain hotel without having to go out of county.

“Right now they’re not staying here,” Whipple said. “There’s a level of hospitality we don’t offer in Orleans County. We want to encourage a hotel and we’re investigating ways to help.”

The EDA’s Land Restoration Corporation bought the house and land in Medina with some of the funds from the $176,000 sale of an Albion warehouse to BOMET, which is based in Cambridge, Ontario. That company has upgraded the warehouse and will use it as a base for recycling electronics.

MEDINA – The Board of Education voted on Tuesday to lop another 1 percent off school taxes for the 2015-16 year.

The Board in April approved a budget that kept the tax levy unchanged at $8,863,394 compared to 2014-15. District residents then supported the $34,802,870 budget in a May public vote.

However, the board on Tuesday noted some cost savings with personnel, giving the district some added flexibility in reducing the tax levy by $88,634 to $8,774,760.

District residents will see the tax rate fall from $23.31 to $23.01 per $1,000 of assessed property.

“This will be the third year in a row the school board has voted to reduce taxes thereby offering some relief to taxpayers,” District Superintendent Jeff Evoy said. “This will be the lowest tax rate for the MCSD since 2002-03.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – After six months of selling tickets, the Orleans Community Health Foundation picked the winner of its mega drawing tonight during a celebration at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery.

Michael Zambito won the $10,000 prize. Zambito is the owner of Zambistros in Medina and Mericana in Lockport.

The top photo shows Hospital CEO Wendy Jacobson (right) drawing the winning ticket in the mega drawing. She is pictured with Wes Pickreign, a board member for the OCH Foundation, and Heather Smith, donor development specialist for the Foundation.

Wes Pickreign thanks supporters for raising funds for a new ultrasound machine for the hospital.

The Foundation awarded 10 prize-winning checks totaling $15,700 in the mega drawing. That was up from five prizes in last year’s drawing.

This is the third time the Foundation has done the mega drawing. Last year there were about 200 tickets sold for $100 each. This year there were 250 sold. The Foundation made about $10,000 through the drawing and those proceeds will go towards buying a new ultrasound machine.

The Foundation has now raised about $100,000 towards its $175,000 goal for the new machine.

Tony Wynn (pictured), a member of the Foundation board of directors, was the biggest salesman for the mega drawing. He sold 75 of the tickets, including four of the top five winners.

Wynn of Albion said he is happy to promote and raise money for Medina Memorial Hospital and its parent organization, Orleans Community Health.

“I believe in the hospital,” he said. “It’s a great organization and they will take care of you.”

The group, “A Blues Band,” performed for the crowd at Leonard Oakes. The band includes, from left: Rob Robinson on keyboards, Mike Scanlan on drums, Mike Zelazny on guitar, and Glenn Fuller on harmonica.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – It has been an intense week of learning music, marching steps and overall choreography for the Medina Marching Band.

The 128 students in the field band have put in long hours each weekday this week.

They will show what they’ve learned during at preview show at 7 p.m. today. This year the band’s 7-minute show is called “Illusions.” Jim Steele, the band director, said it is partly a magic show.

He credited the students for their hard work. Even before band camp this week, students were learning music and getting together as the drum line, front ensemble, and color guard. This week all the units “put the whole show together,” Steele said.

The band has its first competition in Jamestown on Sept. 19. Medina will host the Fall Festival of Bands on Sept. 26, featuring 13 field bands.

Drum Major Amanda London, right, leads the band including the front ensemble. Michael Busch, left, is one of the percussion players in the ensemble.

Band Director Jim Steele watches the band members during camp this afternoon.

The band has been rehearsing Monday through Thursday this week from 1 to 9 p.m., with a 1 to 5 p.m. session on Friday.

The field band has won numerous state titles through the years, and is practicing hard again for the upcoming season.

Students drink water during a short break in the action this afternoon.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The big retaining wall made of Medina sandstone by the chapel at Boxwood Cemetery fell over in late July.

The Boxwood Commission expects insurance will cover most of the cost of having the wall reset with the existing sandstone, Commission Chairwoman Kathy Blackburn said.

A cemetery caretaker was mowing the hill by the wall when the wall gave out, Blackburn said. She is thankful the worker wasn’t hurt when the wall toppled.

She expects the wall will be reset and “shorn up” soon. The commission is working with its insurance company on the project.

The chapel was built in 1903. The 20-acre cemetery on North Gravel Road (Route 63) was recently included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Blackburn said a historical marker will soon be erected to note the cemetery’s historical significance.

It was originally established in the Rural Cemetery manner in 1850. Boxwood Cemetery is characteristic of the Rural Cemetery movement.

Prior to that movement, most burial grounds tended to be in church yards and associated with a specific denomination, according to Boxwood’s National Register nomination. Rural Cemeteries created a non-sectarian burial place that emphasized romantic associations with picturesque, park-like natural landscapes.

Medina man also faces firearms charges

Terry Holloway

MEDINA – The 20th suspect of the ongoing drug sweep conducted by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force was charged on an arrest warrant in the Village of Medina after a vehicle stop by the Medina Police Department on Aug. 1, the Task Force reported today.

Terry Holloway Jr., 32, of 404 East Oak Orchard St., Medina faces numerous drug and weapon charges relating to the sale and distribution of heroin, crack cocaine and the sale of an AR-15 semi-auto assault rifle with over 200 rounds of ammunition, the Task Force reported.

Holloway has been charged with 2 counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felonies), 2 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felonies), 1 count of criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree (Class D felony), and 1 count of criminal possession of a firearm in the third degree (Class D felony).

Holloway was arraigned in the Albion Town Court by Town Justice Joseph Fuller and was committed to the Orleans County Jail on $100,000 cash bail. Holloway is to return back to Town Court on Aug. 19 at 9 a.m.

Holloway faces further charges regarding the sale and possession of the AR-15 semi-auto assault rifle and could also face potential federal charges, the Task Force said today.

Provided photo

Ryan Tuttle

In a separate investigation, the Task Force on Saturday was assisted by the Medina Police and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department in conducting an undercover operation involving the sale of a Glock 40 caliber semi-auto pistol and ammunition, which ended up being reported stolen out of the state of Florida.

Police arrested Ryan W. Tuttle, 24, of 3421 North Gravel Rd., Medina. He has been charged with 1 count of criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree (Class D felony), and 1 count of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree (Class E felony).

Tuttle was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Fuller and was committed to the County Jail on $100,000 cash bail. Tuttle is to appear in Shelby Town Court on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Tuttle faces further charges regarding the sale and possession of the stolen firearm and could face potential federal charges, the Task Force reported.

Scott Streebel said Postal Service remains ‘valuable necessity’

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Medina community has a new Postmaster to lead an office of 15 workers, making sure about 20,000 pieces of mail each day reach the 4,900 addresses in the 14103 zip code.

Scott G. Streebel, center, took the oath of office on Friday when he was sworn in as the 27th Postmaster. He is pictured with recently retired postmaster Charles Carpenter, left, and Jason Domagala, manager of Post Office operations for 98 post offices in the 140-141 area.

“It’s in good hands with him at the helm,” Carpenter said about Streebel.

Streebel began his 12-year postal career as a city carrier in Buffalo in 2003. He was promoted to a supervisor position at the Buffalo Processing and Distribution Center in 2006. He has held additional supervisor positions at Buffalo stations and branches, and has filled in as the Postmaster of Medina intermittently over the last six years.

Streebel said electronic communications – email and text messages – have reduced personal correspondence through the mail. But there is still a big volume for delivery packages, magazines, letters and other mail, including medicine.

“I still see it as a valuable necessity for America,” he said about the Postal Service.

Carpenter served as Medina Postmaster for 11 years. He likes how the Postal Service staff gets to know the residents in the Medina community, and tries hard to accommodate resident requests.

Charles Carpenter shakes the hand of Scott G. Streebel, the new Postmaster in Medina.

A big variable with the mail delivery is the weather, Carpenter said. A snowstorm locally, or even outside the area, can present a challenge with timely delivery. But Carpenter said the Postal Service is dedicated to the job.

Domagala said the Postmaster role continues to evolve and become more complex. He said Streebel has the skills for the job.

“In today’s business environment, a Postmaster needs to be able to work with our customers, maintain our retail and delivery operations, and manage our complex network of employee programs,” said Domagala. “Scott is well qualified to fulfill the role and is an asset to the Postal Service and to the community he serves.”

Some other tidbits about the Medina Post Office:

George E. Callaghan was the longest tenured Postmaster with 32 years from April 1937 to September 1969.

Rosemary Gorman was the first woman to serve in the role on January 1993. She is currently the Postmaster in East Amherst.

The Post Office was built in 1931 at West Avenue and West Center Street. It has a Colonial Revival style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only Post Office in the state with this particularly ornate design.

MEDINA A two-vehicle accident this afternoon in Medina involved a Genesee ARC bus with 13 passengers who sustained minor injuries. Many of them were transported to Medina Memorial Hospital but none had serious injuries, according to a county dispatcher and Medina firefighter.

Genesee ARC has a contract to transport children with disabilities in Orleans County. The bus rear-ended a Crew Cab pickup truck about 4:15 p.m. on South Main Street in front of Orleans Ford, according to a report from The Daily News in Batavia.