Provided photo: This photo from December shows Medina’s new ladder truck. The quint truck has a 100-foot ladder and many other capabilities. Medina Fire Department officials visited the truck manufacturing site in Appleton, Wisconsin.

MEDINA – Village officials will soon be putting together a package for prospective buyers of Medina’s new ladder truck.

A new administration on the Village Board, led by new mayor Debbie Padoleski, wants the ladder truck sold soon.

The truck is currently in Tonawanda where is waiting for a part, the cover for a metal box for tools. The truck hasn’t been put into service and the letters haven’t been put on that says it is a Village of Medina Fire Department truck.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mayor Debbie Padoleski said she wants the village to push to sell the new ladder truck. Trustee Mark Prawel is at right.

“I’m hoping we can move forward with a sale,” Padoleski told other Village Board members during Monday’s board workshop meeting. “I want to keep this ball moving.”

Before she was mayor, Padoleski was on the board as a village trustee. She led a majority that included Mark Prawel and Scott Bieliski to vote on Feb. 9 and declare the truck surplus and begin the process for selling it.

Padoleski campaigned that the truck is unaffordable for the village. Besides buying the truck at $1.7 million, Medina would likely need to put an addition on its fire hall to house the truck. The current fire hall only has 10-foot, 6-inch clearance. The new truck can’t fit in the fire hall.

The truck with the addition could put the village on the hook for up to $4 million, Padoleski has said.

She wants to sell the truck at a minimum bid to pay off the loan, which is close to $1.8 million. The first of 20 payments at $139,225 is due in the village’s 2026-27 budget. That budget needs to be approved by the end of the month.

The Village Board needs to determine a minimum bid for the truck because there could be other costs, including a broker’s fee. The board could settle at a $1.9 minimum, Padoleski said.

The truck is expected to be back in Medina today. The village will take photographs of the truck, and prepare precise specifications for interested buyers. The potential bidders will likely want to come see the truck in person.

The mayor, who took office last week, said the truck could be sold through a sealed bid or an RFP (Request for Proposals).

Trustee Scott Bieliski said many fire departments have shown interest in the truck, including nearby Brockport and departments in other states. The village could sell the truck for more than $2 million, making a profit on the sale. Similar new ladder trucks are now $2.4 million at the time of the order with a wait from the manufacturer that could be three to four years.

Bieliski said Medina could work out a deal with Brockport and avoid needing a broker. A broker would charge a 1 percent fee and likely make about $20,000.

Village attorney Matt brooks said the Village Board is obligated to try to maximize the sale price. That could mean utilizing the services of a broker.

Bieliski said he would work to put together a bid package and reach out to brokers to help with the potential sale. In the meantime, the truck is expected to be stored in the DPW facility when it’s back in Medina.

Photo courtesy of Medina Triennial: This is a production still for Two Waters, 2026, by Tania Candiani. It is a new commission for the Medina Triennial.

Press Release, Medina Triennial

MEDINA – The Medina Triennial is pleased to unveil the full list of artists of its inaugural edition, All That Sustains Us, taking place June 6 to Sept. 7 in the Western New York village of Medina, along the Erie Canal.

Co-Artistic Directors Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo have invited 39 artists and collectives from across five continents to create a free, walkable, village-wide exhibition featuring over 100 works, including new site-specific commissions by 18 artists shaped in response to Western New York’s communities and ecosystems—many created in collaboration with local residents.

Following a year of on-the-ground research, Conte and Laansoo developed a curatorial framework rooted in the intersection of art, ecology, architecture, and rural contexts, while prioritizing local production to minimize carbon-intensive shipping.

Bringing artists from across the globe into dialogue with Medina and Western New York, the Triennial unfolds amid the histories, materials, and social worlds of the region. The works on view approach maintenance through linked themes: land relations and extraction, waterways and water stewardship, labor and repair, public life and community building, and the visible and hidden systems that shape everyday life.

Moving across different scales, the exhibition brings together building blocks and ruins, folklore and industry, farming and food security, interspecies kinship and ecological grief, as well as broader questions of conflict. Throughout Medina’s buildings, canalfront, parks, and former industrial sites, visitors encounter works that embody both endurance and fragility.

“All That Sustains Us echoes a question artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles posed in 1969 and never stopped asking: what does it take to keep things going? The Medina Triennial asks what forms of labor, knowledge, and commitment sustain civic life, ecological systems, and the built environment, especially under conditions of strain,” said Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo, co-artistic directors of the Triennial. “The works gathered here emerged from research and dialogue with artists and offer many distinct positions. What connects them is a shared attention to the forces, materials, and ideas that hold communities together, and to the conditions under which those structures begin to break down.”

The Triennial’s sites span the full breadth of the village. Situated in a former sandstone hotel overlooking the canal, the Medina Triennial Hub will serve as a welcome center, a home for education and residency programs, and a site for two major commissions—48 Collections from the Erie Canal by Futurefarmers and Reflection by Asad Raza.

The main exhibition site is 25,000 square feet of the Catherine Street Old Medina High School building, which has been closed to students and the public for more than three decades and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, where new commissions include A Good Wall by James Beckett, Two Waters by Tania Candiani, INT. HOME(S) by Ash Arder, THE TELL by Matt Kenyon, and Between Blossom and Core by Kärt Ojavee.

Works will also be presented at the Medina Railroad Museum, Orleans County YMCA, Medina Memorial Hospital, Rotary Park, State Street Park, and Sacred Heart Church, as well as installations directly on the Erie Canal.

Anchoring the outdoor program is a new site-specific commission by Lina Lapelytė, Faithfully Recording, a durational performance where singers and construction workers collaboratively build a public sculpture from reclaimed Medina sandstone on the Medina Railroad Museum’s grounds.

Scott Hocking presents a new commission in the empty lot beside the historic Medina Theater on Main Street. Further highlights include Anne Duk Hee Jordan’s water purification sculpture I travelled 66 million years to be with you and then you came, to be shown at State Street Park; Community Toolshed for the Birds by Richard Ighby & Marilou Lemmens, an interspecies collaboration installed at Rotary Park; Jane Jin Kaisen’s Sorrow Waters This Land; and Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge’s multimedia installation All the hours, presented at the Medina Memorial Hospital.

The Triennial also marks the first U.S. presentation of works by Deirdre O’Mahony and Tokyo-based collective SIDE CORE, whose large-scale installation at Sacred Heart Church brings their distinctive engagement with construction infrastructure and public space to an American audience for the first time.

New works were produced under the Medina Triennial Fieldwork Residency, an initiative that gives artists time, space, and resources within Medina—including a cohort of local scientists, architects, farmers, and small business owners from across Western New York—to support research, foster collaboration, and deepen community connections. The program is designed to tailor commissions to the region through immersion in the village and its surroundings.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mary Mattingly is shown in September on a canal barge that she will be turning into a floating garden that should bear fruit this summer as part of the inaugural Medina Triennial. Mattingly will transform the 27-by-80-foot barge into a showcase for plants and nature. She led a similar initiative in New York City, and that repurposed barge drew 350,000 visitors and more than 900 guided tours.

In Fall 2025, Mary Mattingly and James Beckett began their residencies to create new commissions for the Triennial. Mattingly developed Floating Garden, a barge-based living artwork built with local residents and students from the Rochester Institute of Technology led by architect Amanda Reis, while Beckett explored how architecture carries local history, material intelligence, and slow instability, in collaboration with the University of Buffalo.

This Spring, Selva Aparicio and Michael Wang are in residence in Medina—Aparicio at work on Maintenance, a broom carved from anthracite coal, while Wang develops Future Sugarbush, a nascent sugar bush grove planned by the artist, and Sugarbush Energy, a canned maple sap drink that will be available for free throughout the Triennial, and at select businesses across Medina.

The Triennial also creates a space for recontextualization of existing works. Alice Bucknell’s Staring at the Sun, a sci-fi documentary about solar geoengineering and the limits of rendering the atmosphere as something wholly knowable, will be shown in the U.S. for the first time.

Buffalo-based Nigerian artist Victoria-Idongesit Udonian, also presenting at the 2026 Venice Art Biennale, will show a new configuration of her large three-part installation, exploring the links between bodies and transit within global labor economies. AKI INOMATA presents How to Carve a Sculpture—an ongoing series of wood carvings produced by beavers enlisted by the artist’s collaborators at zoos across Japan. The Triennial will also honor Jay Carrier—an essential presence in Western New York’s artistic community, who passed away in 2025, presenting three of his mixed media works, The Children Will Heal Us (2018), American Landscape (2015), and Night Dancer (2019) throughout the Catherine Street main site.

The Medina Triennial was initiated with major support provided by the New York Power Authority and the New York State Canal Corporation, conceived as part of a broader strategy to showcase the Erie Canal as active civic infrastructure.

Further programming and event details forthcoming. For more information and to sign up for the official newsletter, please visit medinatriennial.org.

Medina Triennial 2026 Artists

• Ash Arder (she/they) b. 1988, Flint, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Selva Aparicio (she/her) b. 1987, Barcelona, Spain; lives in Alfred, NY, and Chicago, IL
• James Beckett (he/him) b. 1977, Harare, Zimbabwe; lives in New York, NY and Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Taysir Batniji (he/him) b. 1966, Gaza, Palestine; lives in Paris, France
• Alice Bucknell (they/them) b. 1993, London, UK; lives in Los Angeles, CA
• Tania Candiani (she/her) b.1974, Mexico City, Mexico; lives in Mexico City, Mexico
• Jay Carrier (he/him) Onondaga/Tuscarora Nations, Wolf Clan; b. 1963, Six Nations reservation in Ontario, Canada; d. 2025, Niagara Falls, NY
• Harun Farocki (he/him) b. 1944, Nový Jičín, Czechoslovakia (present-day Czechia); d. 2014, Berlin, Germany
• Jeneen Frei Njootli (they/them) b. 1988, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; lives in Old Crow, Yukon, Canada
• FIBRA – est. 2019, Lima, Peru; Lucia Monge, b. 1983; Gianine Tabja, b.1983; Gabriela Flores del Pozo, b. 1979
• Futurefarmers – est. 1994, San Francisco, CA; including Amy Franceschini, b. 1970, Patterson, CA; Michael Swaine, b. 1971, Buffalo, NY; and FS Bàssïbét, b. 1997, Elmina, Ghana
• Terike Haapoja (she/her) b. 1974, Helsinki, Finland; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Greg Halpern (he/him) b. 1977, Buffalo, NY; lives in Rochester, NY
• Carole Harris (she/her) b. 1943, Detroit, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Scott Hocking (he/him) b. 1975, Detroit, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Gözde İlkin (they/them) b. 1981, Kütahya, Türkiye; lives in İstanbul, Türkiye
• Richard Ibghy (he/him) & Marilou Lemmens (she/her) b. 1964, Montreal, Canada; lives in Durham-Sud, Canada b. 1976, Ascot Corner, Canada; lives in Durham-Sud, Canada
• AKI INOMATA (she/her) b. 1983, Tokyo, Japan; lives in Tokyo, Japan
• Anne Duk Hee Jordan (they/them) b.1978, South Korea; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Jane Jin Kaisen (she/her) b. 1980, Jeju, South Korea; lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, and New York, NY
• Matt Kenyon (he/him) b. 1977, Baton Rouge, LA; lives in Buffalo, NY
• Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge (she/they) b. 1981, Maria, Quebec, Canada; lives in Rochester, NY
• Dionne Lee (she/her) b.1988, New York, NY; lives in Columbus, OH
• Lina Lapelytė (she/her) b. 1984, Kaunas, Lithuania; lives in London, UK, and Vilnius, Lithuania
• Matthew López-Jensen (he/him) b. 1980, CT; lives in Bronx, NY
• Cathy Lu (she/her) b. 1984, Miami, FL; lives in Richmond, CA
• Mary Mattingly (she/her) b. 1978, Rockville, CT; lives in New York, NY
• Deirdre O’Mahony (she/her) b. 1956, Limerick, Ireland; lives in Cork City, Ireland
• Abraham O. Oghobase (he/him) b.1979, Lagos, Nigeria; lives in Toronto, Canada
• Kärt Ojavee (she/her) b. 1982, Rakvere, Estonia; lives in Tallinn, Estonia
• Asad Raza (he/him) b. 1974, Buffalo, NY; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Gamaliel Rodriguez (he/him) b.1977, Bayamón, Puerto Rico; lives in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
• Selma Selman (she/her) b. 1991, Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina; lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Finnegan Shannon (they/them) b. 1989, Berkeley, CA; lives in New York, NY
• Jean Shin (she/her) b. 1971, Seoul, South Korea; lives in Hurley, NY
• SIDE CORE – est. 2012, Tokyo, Japan; based in Tokyo, Japan
• Victoria-Idongesit Udondian (she/her) b. 1982, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria; lives in New York, NY, and Lagos, Nigeria
• Mierle Laderman Ukeles (she/her) b. 1939, Denver, CO; lives in New York, NY and Jerusalem, Israel
• Michael Wang (he/him) b. 1981, Olney, MD, USA; lives in Upper Grandview, NY

Photo by Ginny Kropf:  Members of Butts-Clark American Legion Post, Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion are welcoming the 76th New York State Bowling Tournament to Medina Lanes on April 18. This is the first time the tournament has been played in Medina. From left, in front, are Kim Stevens, Rick and Robin Boyle, Scott Carlton, Cathy Fox, Greg Smith, Judi Overholt and Chris and Jim Foss, owners of the bowling alley. Second row, from left, are Wayne Hale, Bob Stevens, Phil Rudnick, Guy Eaton, Joni and Bob Meehan.

MEDINA – For the first time in 75 years, the Annual New York State American Legion Family Bowling tournament will take place in Medina.

Members of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post, Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion will welcome 80 bowlers to the tournament at Medina Lanes for four weekends from April 18 to May 10.

The tournament is open to members of posts, units, squadrons and chapters across New York, including Legion Riders.

The committee planning the event has already received incredible support from the community, said Phil Rudnick, a member of Sons of the American Legion.

“We want to thank them,” he said.

Sponsorship opportunities include full, half or quarter page or business card size ads in the program book; lane sponsors with a lane banner with business name and logo; and donations of baskets for a raffle.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the businesses of Medina to shine and encourage visitors to come back again and again,” the committee said.

In addition to Rudnick, committee members include Judy and Rick Overholt, Auxiliary and American Legion members; Cathy Fox, president of the American Legion Auxiliary; Rick and Robin Boyle, Sons of the American Legion and Auxiliary; Scott Carlton, commander of Sons of the American Legion; Wayne Hale, SAL; Bob and Kim Stevens, SAL and Auxiliary; Guy Eaton, Sons of the American Legion; Greg Smith, American Legion; and Bob and Joni Meehan, SAL and Auxiliary.

Rudnick said they invite bowlers to come on Friday night, explore the town and shop.

“We hope they will come back for the Triennial,” he said.

Rudnick acknowledged Penny Brown of Batavia, who spearheaded efforts to bring the tournament to Medina and helped organize it.

“We are very happy to welcome this tournament to Medina, and all the veterans and their families,” Rudnick said.

The event begins with an opening ceremony with flags at 12:30 p.m. April 18 at Medina Lanes.

The Medina Triennial is proposing banners to be on the Medina Triennial Hub building at 345 North Main St., the former NAPA site. The Triennial also wants a series of other wayfinding signs for the upcoming arts initiative that is expected to draw 50,000 people to Medina from June 6 to Sept. 7.

MEDINA – The Village Planning Board has approved sign applications for several downtown businesses and also gave the OK for a series of signs in the village for the upcoming Medina Triennial arts exhibition.

• The Planning Board met on Tuesday and approved the sign application for Alexandra Peracciny Photography. She is moving her studio from the upstairs of Blissett’s to a storefront at 426 Main St.

The board approved the main sign for the building at 16 feet by 2 feet, but wants more details one three vinyl cling signs with two proposed for the windows and one for the door. Peracciny will need to provide more information on the size of the vinyl signs.

• The board approved a new projecting sign for Cuppa Joe at 112 East Center St. Joe Blake is the new owner of the coffee shop after acquiring the Coffee Pot Café from Dan and Hans Rosentreter.

• A sign was approved for “Medina Mart” at 123 East Center St. Saleh Almadhrahi of Lackawanna is running the business and will have a sign mounted near the roof. The sign will be 166 inches by 20 inches.

• The Medina Triennial wants a series of wayfinding signs, as well as two large banners on the Triennial’s main building at 426 North Main St. The banners will note the theme of the Triennial: “All That Sustains Us.”

The Triennial is seeking permission for many temporary signs around the village and downtown area. The Planning Board gave its OK. The Villkage Board will need to give final approval for signs on village-owned property at Rotary Park, State Street Park and the Canal Basin.

The Triennial wants 12 vinyl signs on sidewalks with arrows directing people to the Hub building at 345 North Main St., Rotary Park, State Street Park and the Railroad Museum.

The Triennial also wants 4 stake signs directing people to Medina Triennial, the old high school on Catherine Street which will house several exhibits, and the Railroad Museum on West Avenue.

The Triennial also wants 10 post signs about the Medina Triennial with the theme “All That Sustains Us” and eight A-frame signs.

Dan Gardner, the code enforcement officer, acknowledged the situation is out of the ordinary with so many temporary signs. He said the village should consider these on a case-by-case basis.

He said the signs are needed because there will be an influx of visitors and the art installations will be at multiple locations in the community.

Planning Board members said they are concerned about an abundance of signs in the downtown already, but they agreed the wayfinding signage would be helpful to the visitors and local residents during the three months.

“There will be a lot of exhibits all over the village and people will need to know where to go,” Gardner said.

Planning Board member David Flynn cast a no vote on the signs saying them seemed out of character with the historic downtown.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: The committee heading a meat raffle to benefit Medina Rotary discuss plans at a meeting at The Walsh. Clockwise from left are Liz Landis, Dawn Meland, Skip Helfrich, Carl Tuohey, Cindy Hewitt and Barb Jantzi. The event is scheduled April 25 at Ridgeway Fire Hall.

MEDINA – The Medina Rotary Club will sponsor its third annual meat raffle April 25 at Ridgeway Fire Hall, 11392 Ridge Rd.

Founded in 1923, Medina Rotary continues to serve the community with a handful of members. The group is currently seeking sponsorships from local businesses to support their latest venture, which they call “a fun, community-based event,”  according to Cindy Hewitt, who co-chairs the fundraiser with Barb Jantzi and Liz Landis. Other committee members are Dawn Meland, Carl Tuohey and Skip Helfrich.

Sponsorship benefits will include recognition as an official event sponsor, the business name and logo displayed on a printed banner at the event, exposure to more than 150 local attendees and support of the Medina Rotary Club’s mission.

Funds raised through sponsorships will be used to cover four larger door prizes and themed gift baskets for the basket raffle, helping Rotary to create an exciting and memorable experience for attendees, Hewitt said.

“The Medina Rotary Club is proud to support local community organizations and respond to calls of need within Medina,” Hewitt said.

The Medina Rotary Club’s community involvement includes volunteering at the food pantry at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church,  scholarships for local high school seniors, financial support for local non-profit organizations, assistance for local families in need at Thanksgiving and Christmas and installation of benches in town parks and sports fields. They also provide mattresses for people in need.

Medina Rotary’s main objective is service – in the community, the workplace and around the globe, according to information provided by Hewitt. It is part of Rotary International, a non-political and non-religious group open to all.

The April 25 meat raffle will also include a 50/50 drawing. Doors will open at 6 p.m., followed by the event from 7 to 10 p.m.

Sponsorships of any amount are greatly appreciated.

Anyone wishing to support the meat raffle or looking for more information can contact Medina Rotary Club by e-mail at medinanyrotary@gmail.org.

New members are always welcome at Medina Rotary. Anyone interested will find more information by logging on the group’s website (click here).

Photos by Ginny Kropf: The king and queen of Dyngus Day were crowned Monday night at Sacred Heart Club in Medina. The new royal couple, Patty Jones and Chris Kozody, were crowned by last year’s royalty, Eileen Pettit and Eli Howard.

MEDINA – Dyngus Day couldn’t come and go without a celebration at the Sacred Heart Club.

Although the club on North Gravel Road doesn’t throw the big party they used to for the community, they still observe the traditional holiday for their dedicated members.

J.T. Thomas, president of Sacred Heart Club, and member Chris Kozody spent the weekend cooking the traditional Polish dishes for their Dyngus Day feast Monday night, which also included crowning of a king and queen.

Georgia Thomas, wearing a traditional red outfit for Dyngus Day, fills a plate with authentic Polish food at the buffet Monday at Sacred Heart Club.

Last year’s royalty, Eileen Pettit and Eli Howard, crowned the new king and queen, Chris Kozody and Patty Jones.

Kozody and Jones were both surprised, even shocked, to have been chosen, they said.

Kozody is a dedicated volunteer at Sacred Heart Club, where he cooks for fish fries and Dyngus Day, Thomas said. He also does the inventory and ordering.

 Jones volunteers her time at almost every event, Thomas said.

“Whether it’s decorating or working the door or raffles, she is always there,” he said.

During the evening, members enjoyed the feast prepared by Thomas and Kozody, both of whom said they learned to cook from their family – Thomas from his father Ron, who was a butcher; and Kozody from his mom and grandma.

Kozody prepared sweet and sour cabbage and golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls), while Thomas made lazy pierogis, smoked Polish sausage with kraut and fresh Polish sausage. An array of Polish sweets was provided by Hans’s Bakery.

There were also pussy willow branches for guests to take home, another tradition on Dyngus Day.

Thomas said Sacred Heart stopped running a big Dyngus Day celebration for the public several years ago when it became impossible to find a polka band.

Dyngus Day is steeped in tradition. It celebrates the end of the often restrictive observance of Lent and the joy of Easter. Information provided by Thomas says many Polish customs date back to pre-Christian, Slavic practices. The custom of pouring water is an ancient spring rite of cleansing, purification and fertility. The same is true of the complimentary practice of switching with pussy willow branches.

Dyngus Day is associated with the baptism of Prince Mieszko I and his court on Easter Monday in 966 AD. In more modern times, the tradition continued when on Easter Monday farm boys in Poland wanted to attract girls of their choice by throwing water on them and hitting them on the legs with twigs or pussy willows. On Easter Tuesday, the women would return the favor.

Chris Kozody, left, and J.T. Thomas, president of Sacred Heart Club, pose in front of the array of Polish dishes they cooked for Dyngus Day.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Debbie Padoleski takes the oath of office as Medina mayor on Monday evening while her husband Tom Padoleski holds the Bible. Village Clerk-Treasurer Jada Burgess administers the oath in the Shelby Town Hall.

MEDINA – Mayor Debbie Padoleski took the oath of office and presided over her first meeting as Medina mayor on Monday.

Padoleski said the Village Board will be working on the budget this month and developing plans to address issues in the village.

She congratulated Jeff Wagner and Mark Prawel for their victories as village trustees. Both joined her in taking the oath of office on Monday.

“I am committed to accountability and transparency with the public and with each other,” she told the board members on Monday.

She said it will be a team effort among the board members. “We need to use our individual strengths and talents towards a more affordable village,” she said.

Mark Prawel takes the oath for another two-year term as village trustee. His wife Tina holds the Bible while Padoleski administers the oath.

Some of the appointments approved at Monday’s meeting include:

• Deputy Mayor – Scott Bieliski
• Fair Housing Officer – Jess Marciano
• Village Historian – Todd Bensley
• Clerk-Treasurer – Jada Burgess
• Deputy Clerk-Treasurer – Miranda Herbert
• Registrar and Deputy Registrar – Jada Burgess with Miranda Herbert as the deputy
• Three appointments to Planning Board with five-year terms – Chris Goyette, Mary Lewis and Richard Moss with Dean Bellack as an alternate
• Member of Tree Board for three-year term – Lisa Tombari
• Member of Boxwood Cemetery Commission for three-year term – Jacob Hebdon
• Member of the Minimum Standards Appeals Board for five-year term – Chris Busch
• Three appointments to Parks Committee for two-year terms – Brooke Beatty and Randall Reese
• Four appointments to Tourism Committee for two-year terms – Jim Hancock, Kelly Kiebala, Janet Smith and Barbara Gorham
• Village Attorney – Matthew Brooks

Mayor Debbie Padoleski led her first meeting as mayor on Monday evening. She has attended numerous meetings over the years as the former village clerk-treasurer and the past two years as a village trustee.

Padoleski approved the following trustee liaison committee assignments:

• Fire/Ambulance – Scott Bieliski
• Police – Mark Prawel
• Code/Planning/Zoning – Jess Marciano
• DPW – Jeff Wagner
• Employee Relations – Scott Bieliski, Mark Prawel
• Clerk/Treasurer – Debbie Padoleski
• Town of Ridgeway – Mark Prawel
• Town of Shelby – Jeff Wagner
• Orleans County – Scott Bieliski
• Parks Committee – Jess Marciano
• Boxwood Cemetery – Debbie Padoleski
• Joint Recreation – Jess Marciano and Jeff Wagner
• Tourism Committee – Debbie Padoleski
• Waterfront Development Committee – Jess Marciano

Jeff Wagner is congratulated after taking the oath and joining the Village Board as a trustee for the first time. Padoleski, left, administered the oath while Jada Burgess held the Bible.

Photos courtesy of Rev. Randy LeBaron and Matt Caldwell

MEDINA – Matt Caldwell and his wife Rebecca carry the cross in the Canal Basin as part of today’s “Cross Walk” on Good Friday. The Cross Walk has been an annual tradition in Medina and is organized by the Medina Area Association of Churches and the Medina Clergy Fellowship.

The Cross Walk began at City Hall and then about 60 people proceeded to several stops in  the downtown area, Canal Basin and on West Avenue. At each stop, the group read a passage from the Bible and sang a hymn.

Mike Zaidel, a leader at Alabama Full Gospel Fellowship, carries the cross down the sidewalk on Main Street. They group was headed to Rotary Park.

Neil Samborski, a member at Glad Tidings Missionary Baptist Church, is dressed as a centurion, a Roman soldier.

The Medina area churches will have a sunrise service at 7 a.m. Sunday at Boxwood Cemetery with the Rev. Randy LeBaron from the New Hope Community Church leading the service.

MEDINA – GLOW YMCA has announced launch of its Strong Communities Annual Campaign at the Orleans County branch in Medina.

Strong Communities Campaign is an annual fundraising effort dedicated to ensuring that everyone in the community has access to the YMCA’s life-changing programs and services, regardless of financial circumstances, according to Andrew Houseman, senior program director at the YMCA in Medina.

This year, GLOW YMCA has set a fundraising goal of $30,000 to provide critical financial assistance for children, families and individuals across the region.

“The YMCA is a place for all,” Houseman said. “Everyone deserves the opportunity to belong, grow and thrive. Our Strong Communities Annual Campaign allows us to ensure that everyone – from children and families to seniors in our community, have support and access to our facility. We are proud to provide a place that has such a positive impact on individual’s health, development and overall well-being.”

Each year the campaign is supported by volunteers, staff, donors and community partners who work together to raise funds that make a direct impact locally, Houseman said. Through this collective effort, the YMCA continues to provide a welcoming space where people of all ages can build connections, develop healthy habits and reach their full potential.

The impact of the Strong Communities Annual Campaign can be seen in the lives of the families and individuals who benefit from YMCA programs every day, Houseman added.

An example is Josh, who found staying active and improving his health wasn’t always easy. Before finding the YMCA, even getting to a fitness facility depended on whether he had access to a bike, making consistency a challenge. That changed when he connected with a life planner through the ARC. Through that partnership, Josh was able to receive support with transportation and access YMCA financial assistance to help cover the cost of membership.

With those barriers removed, everything began to change for Josh.

At the YMCA he found more than just a place to work out. He found a routine, a sense of purpose and a welcoming community. He now spends his time building strength and staying active, whether it’s riding the stationary bike, walking on the treadmill or using strength equipment.

 But for Josh, it’s about more than physical fitness, Houseman explained.

“I like to listen to music and just get in the zone,” Josh shared. “The YMCA makes me feel like I’m building muscle, feeling healthier and just better overall. Without it, I wouldn’t feel as good or as healthy.”

Beyond the equipment and workouts, the YMCA has given Josh something even more meaningful – connection. Whether he’s seeing friends, spending time around others or even running into family members like his aunt, the Y provides a space where he feels engaged and part of something bigger, Houseman said.

“There’s a lot to do here, and it’s fun,” Josh said.

Josh also credits his life planner for helping him stay motivated, offering encouragement and guidance along the way. That support system, combined with access to the YMCA, has made a lasting difference in his life.

Stories like Josh’s are a powerful reminder of what’s possible when barriers are removed, Houseman added. Through strong community partnerships and financial assistance, the YMCA ensures individuals of all abilities have access to the resources, support and connects they need to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Through the YMCA’s Strong Communities Campaign, individuals like Josh are not only improving their health, they are building confidence, finding belonging and discovering new possibilities.

“Because at the Y, everyone deserves the opportunity to grow, connect and thrive,” Houseman said.

Community members and local businesses are encouraged to support the Strong Communities Annual Campaign through donations, sponsorships and volunteer efforts. Every contribution helps the GLOW YMCA continue to strengthen the community and expand opportunities for all.

For more information about the Strong Communities Annual Campaign or to make a donation, visit www.glowymca.org or contact Houseman at ahouseman@glowymca.org.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Rob Klino, left, and Gary Berger stand next to a wall filled with a collection of butter pat holders in the home of Berger’s parents, the late Frank and Nancy Berger. Klino will have an estate sale there on April 9 through 12.

Provided photo: Nancy and Frank Berger were long-time local leaders in Medina.

MEDINA – When Rob Klino goes to work, he isn’t punching your average “nine to five” timeclock. He’s embarking on a journey into the lives of those he serves.

Klino is a collector and an antique dealer whose profession is conducting estate sales. When he takes on a job to dispose of someone’s estate, he is delving into their most prized possessions – what their interests were, what they cherished, and often “what made them tick.”

Klino is a Medina native who grew up here, went to college and in his 20s, decided to move to Atlanta to escape the snow.

His love of antiques actually began while he was in high school and baby sat for a prominent family who loved to go antiquing. He would often go with them on short trips and witness them buying and selling antiques. As a teenager, he wanted designer jeans for school, but his mother wouldn’t spend the money, so he started buying and selling pieces in order to buy his own jeans. Soon he was buying art and pottery, and the foundation for his next profession was set.

In spent 23 years in Atlanta, working in human resources and software development. Then a desire to be near his family prompted his return to Medina in 2018. Shortly after, he opened Thistle Ridge Antiques on Main Street.

He remembers clearly his first estate sale – that of Tim and Maura Pierce on the corner of West Center and Ohio streets.

“I am very selective about the estate sales I do,” Klino said.

This is some of the collection in the estate of Frank and Nancy Berger which will be sold at a  sale April 9 through 12.

His largest estate sale was that of a local doctor, but an upcoming estate sale April 9 through 12 has tugged at his heartstrings.

“It is an honor and a privilege to have been chosen by the family of Frank and Nancy Berger to host their estate sale,” Klino said. “I have often referred to Nancy and Frank and ‘Mr. and Mrs. Medina.’ Their sale is a fantastic opportunity to purchase a piece of Medina memorabilia to remember them by.”

The Berger’s lived at 3626 North Gravel Rd., where they built their home in 1959, and filled it with memorabilia. There, they raised two sons, Gary and Brian.

“Both my parents were big in history,” Gary said. “My dad was a big supporter of veterans and was active in the American Legion. He spent his whole life in Scouting.”

Rob Klino, who will have an estate sale at the home of the late Frank and Nancy Berger, holds a Pack 14 flag, which is part of a massive collection of Boy Scout memorabilia which will be sold.

Frank served in the U.S. Navy, spent 30 years as an industrial arts teacher at Medina High School and continued to serve several terms as president in the Retired Teachers’ Association. He was commander of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post, head of Medina’s Memorial Day parade for more than 40 years, a longtime Mason, a founding member of Medina Historical Society and a county legislator for 14 years. He was named “Medina Citizen of the Year” in 1972 and 1999.

Nancy no doubt inherited her love of antiques from her father, with whom she would go antiquing. Gary remembers going with them as a child. She was employed as a medical secretary for several area physicians, and in 1981, she opened The Personal Touch, primarily a fabric store, in Medina.

When that closed in 1999, she continued to run a Christmas shop at her home. She became passionate about Mid Eastern dancing, which she taught for eight years. Nancy also became involved in Scouting as a Den Mother for Cub Scouts, earning their highest achievement – the Silver Beaver Award.

In March 1986, the Bergers became the first couple to receive Medina Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Service Award.

Nancy died at 3:30 a.m. Sept. 27, 2015, and Frank at 3:35 a.m. Sept. 27, 2025.

This collection of stoneware will be sold during an estate sale at the home of Frank and Nancy Berger, 3626 South Gravel Rd.

Gary said his parents started collecting “stuff” as far back as he can remember. There is hardly a space in their house that doesn’t boast a collection of something.

“There’s some pretty amazing stuff,” Klino said. “It spans 79 years of their lives.”

The basement is filled with Frank’s Boy Scout memorabilia and a military collection on one half, while an assortment of Nancy’s collections fills the other half. The first floor is filled with antiques, primitives, “farmhouse fabulous décor,” Medina memorabilia, a huge butter pat holder collection, tea cup holders, glassware and stoneware.

Upstairs is devoted to Nancy’s collection of dolls, sewing notions and teddy bears.

The garage is also filled with everything from garden tools to Christmas decorations.

“Frank’s stuff was all over the place, while Nancy’s was so organized,” Klino said.

Because of the enormity of the estate, Klino said they have added an extra night for the sale. It is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. April 9, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 10 and 11 and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 12.

Gary Berger looks at a newspaper article on Dec. 31, 1999 announcing his father’s selection as Medina’s Citizen of the Year. He received the honor in 1972 and 1999.

Medina varsity comes in 4^th, JV in 2^nd

Photos and information courtesy of the Medina Band Boosters

GATES – Medina’s varsity and JV winter guard groups both competed Saturday in the North East Color Guard Circuit Championships at Gates Chili.

The top photo shows Medina’s varsity winter guard with scored 78.55 and finished fourth in the A1 class. Corning-Painted Post HS won with 82.810 in the division.

There were 29 guards performing that came from NYS, Canada and PA at the championships.

Classifications are determined by age and skill level.  The Medina Colorguard Club performed in exhibition and therefore not scored.

Medina’s JV guard competed in the Cadet class and scored 75.24 putting them in 2nd place in a group of 6 guards. The Lancaster Cadet scored 76.780 for first place.

While the WG season comes to close the entire band will be preparing for the parade season.

‘Connected we are stronger. This is not a slogan. It is a strategy for rural success’

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Kathy Blackburn, left, and Gabrielle Barone share a light moment during the gathering Wednesday night sponsored by Orleans Community Connects. (Right) Dean Bellack, board president of Orleans Community Connects (formerly United Way) and director Nyla Gaylord addressed invited guests to an informal gathering Wednesday night at Zambistro’s. Its purpose was to explain the name change from United Way.

MEDINA – Invited members of the community shared conversation and camaraderie at a gathering Wednesday night at Zambistro’s, during which leadership of the former United Way explained the new mission and reason for the name change to Orleans Community Connects.

The evening began with introduction of officers from Jodi Gaines, who was a longtime member of United Way of Eastern Orleans (when there were two United Ways in the county). Gaines now continues her membership, having served as president several terms and is now treasurer of Orleans Community Connects.

Virginia Kropf started as a member of United Way of Western Orleans around 2000-01 and later also became a member of Eastern United Way until the two merged in 2011. She continues to serve as secretary, a position she has held for more than a decade.

Jerome Pawlak is vice president, having started as a member of Eastern United Way in 1985. He remembers his dad’s grocery store in Albion supporting United Way when he was a youngster helping in the store.

Dean Bellack, president of Orleans Community Connects, speaks to a gathering of local residents who attended an informative meeting Wednesday at Zambistro’s.

President Dean Bellack attended his first meeting in 2019, at which the current director announced she was leaving. Bellack stated he had just retired from his company and sold it and he would be willing to step in as director until a new director could be hired. He served in that position until Nyla Gaylord was hired, who serves as director today.

Other board members are Barry Flansburg, Richard Hellert, Amit Misra and David Gagne.

Wednesday’s program continued with a brief history of United Way by Kropf. She shared how the agency was founded in the 1960s by Van Hungerford and several friends as the Community Chest. It was Hungerford’s belief there ought to be one agency in the county to which people could donate, thereby eliminating all the individual requests an organization would get.

United Way of Western Orleans shared an office with the American Red Cross, first above where Avanti’s is now, then in an office on the west side of Main, until moving across the street when Kennedy Brothers closed in 2000.

At some point they shared an office with the Medina Chamber of Commerce, until merging with Eastern to become United Way of Orleans County. They met at various locations, including the Crooked Door, Swan Library and the former Washington Mutual complex, until being offered permanent space (and their current office) at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Kropf said she couldn’t count the times she has told someone that money donated to United Way in Orleans County, stays in Orleans County. And that will remain true under the new name.

Nyla Gaylord, executive director, spoke next and said the evening celebrated an important milestone in the agency’s evolution into Orleans Community Connects.

“This isn’t just a new name,” Gaylord said. “It reflects our growing role as a connector of people, ideas and resources, all focused on strengthening Orleans County.”

Dean Bellack greets MarcAnthony Bucci from the Buffalo Community Foundation and Katie Brisson from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. They attended Orleans Community Connect’s get-together, along with Maura Dewan of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

Gaylord said the agency’s new journey began when Bellack stepped into the role of executive director.

“After retiring from a long career as a manufacturer’s representative, he brought those same strengths that defined his career – relationship building, community connections and a talent for bringing people together,” Gaylord said. “Almost immediately, Dean started contacting foundations in Buffalo and Rochester to ask for money.

“Almost immediately, foundations in Rochester and Buffalo reached out to us, asking for help to distribute emergency funds for rent, utilities and basic need,” Gaylord said.  “We immediately convened nonprofit leaders from across the county to coordinate how those funds would reach families in need. It was a defining moment – one which showed how powerful our local network could be when we worked together.”

When foundations asked what rural counties needed, Orleans’ answer was “digital literacy.” Then grants were written and received to address digital literacy in Orleans County, resulting in the Orleans Digital Literacy Initiative.

 Gaylord explained how she spent her own time while working as director of Ministry of Concern to write a grant, which resulted in funding of a grant writer at United Way for five years. Shortly after she joined United Way. She stepped into the role as executive director in July 2023.

“As someone who spent more than 30 years working in nonprofit administration and has lived in Orleans County my entire life, I felt called to help guide this next chapter,” Gaylord said.”

This would be addressing a previously neglected homeless population, supporting countywide outreach during the rollout of a new broadband system, convening a community conversation on housing and addressing a housing shortage. United Way also was involved in establishment of a warming center in Albion, a model which is now being replicated in Brockport and Warsaw.

Photo courtesy of Dawn Winkler: Clockwise from left, Kathy Blackburn, Sally Mathes, Carol Bellack and Ginny Kropf enjoy hors d’oeuvres and conversation during Orleans Community Connects gathering at Zambistro’s. Kropf has been a member of United Way (now Orleans Community Connects) for an estimated 25 years and secretary for at least a dozen years.

Partnering with consultant Nick Coulter and former county legislator Ken DeRoller resulted in forming the first Affordable Housing Summit last fall. Coulter is now working with a local developer to help move affordable housing projects forward.

All this work was made possible by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation. Today Orleans Community Connects’ programs include Caregivers Revitalize, Connect Orleans broadband research, Highmark CHEFS nutrition education and Housing Development consulting services.

“Board member David Gagne said Orleans County needs to help itself, and that is exactly what we are doing,” Gaylord said. “We are bringing partners together, identifying solutions and building the systems that will strengthen this community for years to come. That spirit of collaboration, responsiveness and local problem solving is what inspired our new name, Orleans Community Connects. Because the truth is simple – when we connect, great things happen.”

Dean Bellack concluded the evening by explaining where the organization is going and why that direction matters to every donor, every elected official and every business leader here.

“At the center of Orleans Community Connects is a simple truth – connected we are stronger,” Bellack said. “This is not a slogan. It is a strategy for rural success.”

Bellack said we all know the challenges – a shrinking population, rising costs, limited staff and a competitive grant environment.

“These pressures affect our towns, our villages, our nonprofits and our businesses,” Bellack said. “And they affect the long-term stability of our county. But when we connect our efforts – when we stop duplicating work and start aligning resources, we can accomplish far more than any one entity can do alone.”

The first major initiative Orleans Community Connects is launching is a series of collaborative meetings with every town and village in Orleans County. These will be structured, working conversations, not ceremonial gatherings, Bellack said.

“When we understand the full landscape, we can begin to coordinate instead of compete,” Bellack said. “We can align projects, strengthen applications and bring more funding into Orleans County.”

At the same time, Orleans Community Connects is preparing to take a major step forward by establishing their own internal capacity very soon. This will include professional grant writing support for towns, villages and nonprofits; coordination of multi-partner projects; administrative support for complex state and federal applications; and the ability to move ideas into action with consistency and follow-through.

“As we grow, it is important to be clear about our commitments,” Bellack said. “OCC will continue charitable giving to the most deserving nonprofits in Orleans County, funded through special events, just as we have always done. We will not send one penny outside the county. Every dollar stays here.”

Above all, Bellack said to accomplish their growth in Orleans County they need leaders at the table.

“To accomplish our goals, we need two to four additional board members who share our mission and who understand the value of coordinated, countywide impact,” Bellack said. “We especially need one or two individuals with town or village government experience, and a treasurer with strong financial expertise and experience with grants. This is an opportunity to help shape the future of Orleans County in a meaningful, lasting way.”

‘We are not asking for charity. We are asking you to join us, because the return on this investment will be felt in every corner of Orleans County.’ – Dean Bellack

Bellack closed by explaining, like United Way, Orleans Community Connects needs community investment in order to grow.

He said he was not asking for gifts.

“A gift is charity,” Bellack said. “An investment is belief. An investment says, ‘I expect this to grow. I expect this to produce results. I expect this to benefit the people who live and work here.’ We are not asking for charity. We are asking you to join us, because the return on this investment will be felt in every corner of Orleans County.

“That is the future we are building. A future rooted in connection and driven by collaboration, where every community has the tools, the support and the resources to succeed. We thank you for believing in this work. Thank you for your leadership. And thank you for being part of what comes next.”

Medina fire chief highlights report – ‘The funding model is broken’

Photos by Tom Rivers: Medina Fire Chief Steve Cooley shows a slide detailing a 21 percent in ambulance calls for the Medina Fire Department from 2008 to 2025. He also provided an overview of a 90-page report from the New York State Rural Ambulance Services Task Force. Cooley spoke during Tuesday’s meeting of the Orleans County Association of Municipalities at the Fair Haven Inn. About 25 attended the meeting.

ALBION – It’s a recipe for a crisis: more calls for service and a declining numbers of responders. And it’s a situation that could get more dire without changes in the funding model for emergency medical services.

A 90-page report from the New York State Rural Ambulance Services Task Force paints a grim picture for EMS services in rural areas. Many agencies have been run by volunteers, but many of those ambulance squads have gone out of service or are not able to respond to a growing number of calls.

In Orleans County, Kendall Fire Department was the last volunteer-run ambulance. It ceased operations after on Dec. 31, 2022. COVA also went out of business in late 2022 after 44 years of service in central Orleans County.

Now the Medina Fire Department and Mercy Flight EMS are handling most of the calls in the county. Those organizations face high operational costs, with low reimbursements from Medicaid and Medicare.

The Rural Ambulance Services Task Force released a report earlier this month calling for immediate state action to increase reimbursement rates and provide grants for rural ambulance services.

The Task Force said a state-level public health emergency should be declared to direct resources to areas struggling to provide timely service to residents in crisis.

Medina Fire Chief Steve Cooley highlighted the report as well as data for the Medina Fire Department during a presentation on Tuesday evening. Rural areas have seen many of their hospitals close or shot down services such as maternity. Locally, hospitals have closed in Albion and Brockport, and Medina no longer delivers babies.

Those changes have ambulances driving farther out of county. That ties up ambulances often for several hours, and can result in overlapping calls where there are delays because ambulances are all in service.

A Medina Fire Department ambulance is shown on East Center Street on Thursday at the Main Street intersection. The ambulance headed to Route 63 and out of Orleans County. The Medina FD responds to over 2,000 calls a year.

Cooley started as a volunteer in 1990 at age 16 with Tri-Town Ambulance in Gasport. He has worked with Medina Fire Department as a career firefighter/paramedic since 2010, and has been the fire chief since last year.

“Volunteers were once the backbone,” Cooley said about the local ambulance service. “But there are no volunteer transporting agencies left.”

He said the Task Force report was a five-year effort and it makes 38 recommendations to strengthen rural EMS care.

“This is not a future problem,” he said. “It is already impacting response times, coverage and patient outcomes in communities like ours.”

Orleans County had 5,521 ambulance calls in 2025, which was up from 4,965 in 2024, according to the Orleans County Emergency Management Office. Medina responded to 2,416 of those calls, with most in western Orleans – Village of Medina and towns of Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates.

Orleans County is working on its own EMS and fire services report, which is expected to be complete next month.

County Legislator John Fitzak said he expects there will be conversations among officials throughout the county once the report is out about EMS and the fire service in the county.

“Everybody is thinking about this and we’re looking for answers,” he said during Tuesday’s meeting of the local officials.

Cooley said “the funding model is broken” for EMS, with the reimbursement rates too low with Medicaid and Medicare. The ambulance providers also can’t bill unless there is a transport, and many people receive care at the scene but decline to be transported.

“We should be paid for care and not just transportation,” he said.

Cooley said EMS should be classified by the state as an essential service, on par with police and fire service.

Cole Hardenbrook, a member of the Kendall Fire Department, takes the radio out of the Kendall ambulance in this photo from Dec. 31, 2022. The fire department ceased providing service at 11:59 p.m. that day after 54 years. Kendall was the last volunteer-run ambulance squad in the county that did transports. Kendall responded to 9,700 calls over those 54 years.

It recent years it was getting harder and harder for volunteers from to meet the training requirements and give up the time to respond to a call and then make the transport to a Rochester hospital. Often the ambulance would have to wait at the hospitals to drop off patients. It could take five hours to go on some of the calls.

“In New York State, the reliability of the EMS system has significantly declined in recent years due to various challenges,” the EMS report states in the executive summary. “These challenges include a decrease in volunteerism, insufficient and lack of public funding to cover readiness costs, staffing shortages, escalating operational expenses, inadequate insurance reimbursement, increased call volumes, absence of performance standards, limited awareness of the EMS system among elected officials and the public, the influence of NYS home rule, and a lack of transparency and accountability for EMS agencies.

“In some instances, these systems receive public funding, but in many communities, they are not financially supported. This results in a patchwork system with local municipalities or fire districts throughout the state opting for different approaches to provide EMS coverage.

“EMS response is often at the mercy of time of day, day of week, proximity of an ambulance within a geopolitical boundary, and the availability of staff. Response times vary from minutes to more than an hour in many locations.”

Click here to see the full report from the Rural Ambulance Services Task Force.

Photos courtesy of Medina Triennial: Tania Candiani, left, will lead the recording of “Two Waters” on Saturday in the auditorium of the old Medina High School on Catherine Street. Two Waters is a choral performance inspired by one of the Erie Canal’s most unusual engineering features: the aqueduct where the canal crosses directly above Oak Orchard Creek, a spot where two waterways flow past each other without ever meeting.

Press Release, Medina Triennial

MEDINA – This Saturday, in the long-abandoned auditorium of Medina High School, Mexican artist Tania Candiani will gather hundreds of local participants—many from across Western New York—for a four-hour, one-take collective vocal performance that will be filmed as part of a new installation for the Triennial.

The 25,000-square-foot building, closed as a public school since 1991, is reopening as the central exhibition site for the Medina Triennial, one of twelve locations across the village showcasing internationally recognized artist works this summer from June 6 to Sept. 7 along the Erie Canal.

Candiani, who represented Mexico at the 2015 Venice Biennale, is known for creating artworks that bring together technology, history, and community participation. Her projects often transform local stories, industrial heritage, and environmental data into immersive sound and video installations.

In Medina, she’s collaborating with composer Rogelio Sosa on Two Waters (2026), a choral performance inspired by one of the Erie Canal’s most unusual engineering features: the aqueduct where the canal crosses directly above Oak Orchard Creek—two waterways flowing past each other without ever meeting.

Participants—recruited through an open call—will perform simple vocal gestures such as breaths, hums, tones, and whispers that build into a collective soundscape inspired by the canal and the region’s history of labor and infrastructure. The filmed performance will later become one of the Triennial’s major installations.

The project reflects the Triennial’s broader focus on Western New York’s landscape, labor history, and waterways, and its theme, “All That Sustains Us,” which looks at the systems and communities that maintain and shape places like Medina.

To be part of the vocal collective, click here for more information. The deadline to register is March 26.