MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library officials presented a plan to expand the library on Tuesday evening to about 75 community members.

Lee-Whedon is seeking the public’s support for a $5.2 million bond. A vote will be from noon to 8 p.m. on Dec. 10 at the district office for Medina, next to the high school.

Christine Crowley, president and municipal advisor with Fiscal Advisors and Marketing, discussed the financial impacts of the bond.

The expansion would go on the back of the current library at 620 West Ave. The current building is 11,100 square feet.

The 4,785-square-foot addition would create space for two meeting rooms, two tutoring rooms, a programming room with makerspace, Friends of the Library book sale room, a quiet research room, a teen room and 14 parking spots.

There would also be additional restrooms, a new circulation desk, a new entry portico with automatic sliding doors, about a 10 percent increase in the collection and upgraded technology.

The library already has $795,320 in grants secured and $175,000 in reserves, leaving a $4,229,680 to be financed over 20 years. That would result in a $48 a year increase in taxes for homes valued at $100,000, said Christine Crowley, president and municipal advisor with Fiscal Advisors and Marketing.

That represents the “worst-case scenario,” she said, because the library is likely to get additional grants and raise money in a capital campaign.

The library is seeking an additional $789,520 grant from the state for library construction. If that is secured, the amount to be financed would be $3,4410,160, lowering the tax impact to an average of $39 for houses at $100,000 in assessed value, Crowley said.

The library also expects it could raise $500,000 in a fundraising or capital campaign. If that is successful, the amount to finance would be $2,940,160 or a $34 impact for property assessed at $100,000.

Kristine Mostyn, the library director, noted Lee-Whedon has already acquired and razed two buildings behind the library for the addition. That property and building demolition has already been paid for.

Passero Associates showed a rendering of the front of the building, which includes an overhang near the entrance. That creates a visual impact, draws attention to the entrance and gives a spot to protect from rain and snow.

Passero Associates presented this rendering of the addition, showing how it blends in with the existing building. The addition would be from the three windows on the left.

Mostyn shared statistics from the library, including being open 287 days a year, hosts 371 annual programs attended by 6,899 people, summer programs attended by 1,411 children, 28 community partners, 650 monthly WiFi and computer users, and 103,769 items borrowed a year.

The expansion would allow the library to meet a growing need for meeting space. Right now there aren’t dedicated meeting rooms, and no individual tutoring space.

The library currently has five full-time staff and six part-timers. As part of the expansion, it would add one part-timer, Mostyn said.

If the bond resolution is approved by the public, construction on the addition is expected to start in 2025.

Residents attended the public information meeting to hear about the expansion and the impact on taxpayers.

MEDINA – Senior citizens packed the Senior Center of Western Orleans in Medina on Monday for their annual Christmas dinner and entertainment by Medina High School’s A’Capella Select Choir.

Following the business meeting, director Kelly Shaw handed out $40 gift cards to Tops to 10 seniors whose names were drawn. Concluding the meeting, president Lynn Creasey presented Shaw with a check in appreciation of all she does for the center and its seniors.

Dinner was potluck with beef on weck provided by the center and an array of Christmas cookies.

A highlight of the Christmas dinner every year is a visit from the A’Capella Select Choir, under the current leadership of Rachel Trillizio.

“Their visit is an annual tradition,” Shaw said. “I’ve been here 20 years and they were coming here back then. They’ve never missed a year.”

(Left) Medina Senior Center director Kelly Shaw, right, presents a poinsettia to A’Capella Choir director Rachel Trillizio, after their performance Monday at the Senior Center Christmas party. Each choir member received a decorated Christmas cookie to take home. (Right) Lynn Creasey, president of the Senior Citizens of Western New York, presents a check to Kelly Shaw in appreciation of her hard work and dedication to the seniors.

The choir sang a number of old favorite Christmas carols, including Silent Night, Oh Come all Ye Faithful and Joy to the World, along with several praise and gospel tunes, such as Alleluia Madrigal and Nanita Lullaby in Spanish.

“I’m the luckiest person in the world to work with these kids, who give 99.9% of their time to being in the musical program, including choir, marching band and plays,” Trillizio said. “Some of them want to go to college to study music, but those who don’t still show the same amount of pride, passion and dedication to the Music Department.”

Student Riley Tompkins was among the members who sang for the senior citizens on Monday.

“It is always a very enjoyable experience to share our music with people who have been a part of the community for years,” Tompkins said. “It is always a blast to sing in front of them, as they are a very fun audience who love hearing us sing. It means so much knowing that our hard work is recognized with grace. Performing in the Medina community means the world to me, and the people involved are always the highest of excellence.”

Rachel Trillizio, director of the A’Capella Choir, greets the audience during their visit to the Medina Senior Center on Monday. Singing for the Senior Center has been an annual tradition for many decades.

Another member of the Select Choir is junior Ava Blount. This is her second year in the choir and Select ensemble.

“A’Capella has been a safe space for me these past two years,” Blount said. “No matter what kind of day I’m having, it never fails to brighten my day. Performing for my community has been an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life – seeing all the little kids faces light up when we sing our Christmas carols, and seeing proud parents and sibling watch their babies carry on family traditions. And to those at the Senior Center, I value this experience because I admire carrying on the legacy that was created so many years ago. Yesterday was special, watching everyone’s reactions and faces as we sang songs they once sang. Carrying on this legacy and seeing everyone in the community enjoying our art, no matter what their age, truly makes our hard work worthwhile.”

Trillizio praised her forerunners who built and maintained the A’Capella Choir, namely the late Robert Conner and Lisa Roesseler.

Trillizio said they have sung every year, even during the Covid pandemic when they had to stand three feet apart and wear masks.

Trillizio ended by reminding the audience of their annual A’Capella Community Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15 at St. Mary’s Church.

MEDINA – Decorating Medina has become a holiday tradition with dependable volunteers as reliable as the Thanksgiving turkey and arrival of Santa Claus.

The first organized effort to decorate the village was the result of an idea brought back by the late Rev. Burt Entrekin from a trip he took out of state. He had visited a town elaborately decorated for Christmas, and he thought, “Why don’t we do that in Medina?”

That was more than 45 years ago, said Mary Woodruff, a member of the committee.

Year after year, donations poured in and more decorations were added.

Sue DeHollander, Mike Carey (behind the reindeer’s antlers) and Paul Woodruff set up reindeer in Rotary Park. All are members of the Decorate Medina Committee.

It has become a tradition for the Decorate Medina Committee to transform Rotary Park the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The Medina Lions have already put up the decorations in State Street Park, done as a volunteer project for the community.

The Decorate Medina Committee conducts fundraising, accepts and funds donations for the decorations in Rotary Park, State Street Park and the wreaths and garlands which Medina’s DPW hangs over Main Street.

Takeform donated a new sign of a photo booth for families to take pictures together.

Jaye Sullivan co-chairs the Decorate Medina Committee with Eric Watson. Among its members are secretary Barb Gorham, treasurer Maureen Sanderson, Paul and Mary Woodruff, Dave Sevenski, Kevin and Sue DeHollander, Cal Tuohey, Mary Lewis and Mike Carey.

As donations are the key to updating the decorations and adding new ones, the committee annually sends out mailers seeking contributions. This year, Sullivan said they are going to put flyers in the North Pole in Rotary Park for visitors to pick up.

Donations of any amount can be sent to Decorate Medina, P.O. Box 880, Medina, 14103.

Jaye Sullivan, co-chair of the Decorate Medina Committee with Eric Watson, stands by the clock in Rotary Park as she contemplates the decorating on Sunday morning.

The most wonderful time of the year has always been possible, thanks to all the dedicated volunteers and organizations who support Decorate Medina, according to Sullivan.

“As we continue to improve, add and refurbish our many decorations, we give a heartfelt thank you to all of our many supporters,” reads a flyer being circulated by the committee. “Please help us ensure the holiday Christmas spirit continues for generations to come by including the Decorate Medina Committee on your Christmas list.”

Rotary Park is ready for the holiday season, beginning with lighting the giant Christmas tree just before the  start the Parade of Lights at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The top finishers in the race included Jose Miguel Silva for males and Heather Mundion for the females.

MEDINA – Operation Honor, a local organization that assists veterans, held its 7th Annual 5K on Saturday, Nov. 9, with 50 participants and raised $5,000.

The first male finisher was Jose Miguel Silva with a time of 17:33 and the first female finisher was Heather Mundion with a time of 27:22.

The annual 5K starts and ends at the Junior Wilson Sportsman Club on Bates Road.

Operation Honor is a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports veterans in Orleans County, helping to cover utility bills, car payments, or purchasing heating pellets for veterans in need. Operation Honor has assisted one veteran with the cost of registering a wheelchair-adapted van.

The organization this year is joining in Wreaths Across America, where remembrance wreaths will be placed at the newer veterans’ section at Mount Albion Cemetery. The wreaths are $17 each and can be purchased online (click here). There will be a ceremony at the cemetery on Route 31 in Albion at noon on Dec. 14. Volunteers are welcome to help place the wreaths.

Jenn Thom, Operation Honor director, also said Salon de Coiffeur recently held a basket raffle with Operation Honor the designated beneficiary.  Salon de Coiffeur raised $2,170 for Operation Honor.

MEDINA – As is traditional in Medina the day after Veterans’ Day, Medina DPW was out early in the morning taking down the veterans’ banners for another year.

Mary Woodruff, who heads the banner project, will be at the Medina village clerk’s office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today to hand out the banners which have hung for three years and can now be claimed by family members.

Woodruff started the project in 2019 after seeing her husband Paul’s father’s banner while visiting Almond.

“The banners were first hanging on wires in a school gymnasium and they blew my mind,” she said. “I talked to the lady who did them and got the information and brought it back to Medina. Mike Sidari was mayor then and I started to explain the program at a Village Board meeting. That was November 2018 and I got the OK that night. The program took off and has grown every year since.”

The first year 30 banners were hung in 2019, and by 2021, there were more than 100, and then 240 in 2022.

“I can’t say enough about the DPW, who puts up the banners and takes them down,” Woodruff said.

Banners hang for three years, and on the third year, the first year’s banners are taken home and washed by Mary and Paul, then made available for families to pick them up.

Applications for next year’s banners will be available after the first of January. The cost is a one-time charge of $200 for three years’ exposure. A banner may be hung for a fourth year for an additional cost of $125.

Although Paul’s father was from Alfred Station south of Buffalo, Mary hangs it every year, because he is the reason she started the project in Medina. Willis Burr Woodruff was a tech sergeant with the U. S. Army during World War II.

Other relatives, which all hung together on West Avenue near the railroad tracks, were John McElwain, a brother-in-law; Ken Schaal, cousin; and Carl Caleb Jr., Mary’s brother-in-law.

Banners hung have represented veterans in all branches of the military and World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam Conflict and Persian Gulf War. Woodruff is excited at the prospect next year of having at least one soldier represented from the Revolutionary War.

MEDINA – Medina Lindy in the Village has announced a “Spritz of the Season” dance and concert Nov. 29 at Bent’s Opera House.

The live concert and dance event will feature Gordon Webster’s seven-piece Jazz Band, with vocalist Julia Weatherholtz.

From 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., the band will perform three full sets of big band-style jazz and swing classics, including upbeat holiday jazz, according to Julie Berry, co-founder of Lindy in the Village with her husband Phil.

Webster is a musician and bandleader, famous worldwide for his modern take on vintage swing music, according to Berry. Vocalist Julia Weatherholtz of Rochester will perform with Webster on keyboards, Jake Handelman of New York City on trombone, Tim Clarke of Buffalo on trumpet, Eric Metzgar of Sao Paolo, Brazil on drums and Eric Heveron Smith of Rochester on bass.

This lineup was part of the ensemble which recently played with Webster on Jeju Island in Korea. Weatherholtz and Handelman recently played with him at the Lincoln Center.

Attendees at the event, the day after Thanksgiving, will enjoy the ambiance of Bent’s newly restored opera house, along with drinks and appetizers from Harvest Restaurant. Those wishing to dance can take advantage of an open dance floor.

For those interested in learning more about Lindy Hop swing dancing, Medina Lindy in the Village will host a beginner swing dance lesson from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., included with ticket purchase for the concert. Experienced dancers will be on hand all evening to assist beginners.

This event is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program through the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by GO ART! Medina Lindy is sponsored by Community Action of Orleans and Genesee.

Tickets for the concert/dance can be purchased at www.medinalindy.com/tickets, with early bird pricing now through Nov. 24. Discounted pricing is available for college students. Under 18 may attend for free, but youth 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information on the concert, dance and lessons, e-mail info@medinalindy.com.  Those wishing to make dinner reservations at Harvest or hotel reservations should call (585) 318-2110 or visit www.bentsoperahouse.com.