MEDINA – Mark Kruzynski, the high school principal the past five years, will be leaving that job next month to work as the school district’s director of finance.

Michael Cavanagh, the high school co-principal, will become the head principal and Medina will hire a new assistant principal.

Kruzynski, in addition to being principal, also has been serving as athletic director. The Board of Education tonight appointed Eric Valley, an art teacher and the head football coach, to be the new athletic director, beginning July 1.

Kruzynski will assist with athletic director and principal duties during a transition until the end of the school year.

David Boyle, the interim business administrator, also is expected to stay on as Kruzynski settles into the business manager position.

“There will be a fluid transition,” Kruzynski said about the changes.

He started with the district as a social studies teacher 17 years ago and moved to administration in 2006, working as assistant principal and athletic director.

Kruzynski has a certificate of advanced study in school finance and human resources. He will succeed Sharon Zacher, who took a job earlier this school year as assistant superintendent for business at Holley Central School.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Shauna Parkinson is the new executive director of the Orleans County YMCA, which is based at the former Medina Armory on Pearl Street. She officially starts the job on May 4.

MEDINA – The Orleans County YMCA’s new executive director likes the small town setting in the Y that is based at the former Medina Armory.

Shauna Parkinson said the community can expect top-notch programs, staff and equipment at the local Y.

She has been part of the Y in Western New York since she began volunteering in 1999 at a camp in Wyoming County. She then worked part-time at the Y before being hired full-time in 2004. She has been the senior program director for the Southtowns YMCA.

“I wanted something smaller with a more intimate setting,” she said about the choice to work in Orleans County.

She is pleased to join the Orleans County Y, which has just completed $570,000 in renovations and improvements to the historic Armory building. The capital improvement project makes the building more handicapped accessible, energy efficient and much more appealing and accommodating to its members, said Dean Bellack, one of the board members.

Shauna Parkinson meets with Jessica Leno at the new reception desk at the Orleans County YMCA. There is also a new women’s changing room and bathroom in the main foyer.

The improvements include a new side ramp and entrance to the building on Pearl Street. The gym floor has been resurfaced. The racquetball courts were taken out, which freed up space for a new lobby area near the side entrance. A new exercise room also was created.

The Y has added heat and air-conditioning units. The 86 windows in the building also were scraped, primed and painted.

A unisex bathroom has been added on the main floor as well as numerous signage.

Parkinson said the improvements are a sign the community supports the Y.

“It’s a great opportunity to work with a community that is committed to the Y, with a dedicated board and staff,” she said.

The changes at the Y are intended to make the historic building more comfortable.

Parkinson officially begins her work in Medina on May 4. She plans to develop and expand health and wellness programs, perhaps through collaborations with other organizations in the community.

Bellack said Parkinson is a good hire for the Y.

“She has tremendous Y experience and she smiles and has enthusiasm,” he said. “She knows everything we’re doing and can do it right off the bat.”

Emil Smith also was a blacksmith who ran for County Legislature

Emil Smith

MIDDLEBURY – A Medina resident who ran for County Legislature in 2013 was killed in an accident on Wednesday in Wyoming County.

Gregory “Emil” Smith, 54, was driving a two-axle box truck, traveling down a hill on Fox Road when he approached the intersection with State Route 19. Unknown circumstances led to the box truck failing to negotiate for a right turn at the bottom of the hill, and the box truck drove off the left side of the roadway and into a wooded area, the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Smith was ejected from the vehicle, and 1800 gallons of Halex, a liquid weed killer, contained in plastic drums, were thrown from the cargo area as it was ripped open by the collision with multiple trees. Halex and diesel fuel both spilled from the truck after the collision. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, and nobody else was involved in the crash, the Sheriff’s Department reported today.

Photo courtesy of Wyoming County Free Press

Smith was an active Medina community member, participating in art shows and many other events. He did blacksmith displays, and many of his metal creations were on display at his property on Route 63, including three large crosses across the road.

Smith also competed in the Celtic Games in Niagara County.

Emil Smith is shown doing a blacksmith demonstration in July 2012 at the Finger Lakes Celtic Festival.

He was opposed to the sale of the Orleans County Nursing Home and ran for legislator. He was endorsed by the Conservative Party and also ran under the “Save Our Nursing Home” independent line. Smith lost a close election to incumbent Bill Eick.

File photo – The Medina Mustang Marching Band, pictured during last year’s Memorial Day parade, will have a guest conductor for Memorial Day this year.

MEDINA – The Medina Marching Band will be led by a guest conductor at next month’s Memorial Day parade.

Five people are in the running for a chance to lead the band. The community can vote for one of the five by buying ballots for $1 each. The candidate with the most votes gets to conduct the band.

The Albion Marching Band had a guest conductor last year with the Rev. Richard Csizmar, pastor of Holy Family Parish, emerging as the winner. He directed the band following the Strawberry Festival parade with a performance on East Bank Street at the Food Court.

“We heard how successful the Albion band was when they did a guest conductor fundraiser last year,” said Mindy Kenward, chairperson for the guest conductor fundraiser in Medina.

Mustang Band leaders reached out to Mike Thaine, the Albion marching band director, and he gave Medina his blessing to do a similar contest, Kenward said.

The five people on the ballot in Medina include:

Eric Valley, high school football coach

Jeff Evoy, school district superintendent

Mike Dreyfus, a dedicated band booster and fan

Jaye Sullivan, owner of Blissett’s

Kathy Bogan, assistant district attorney

“We approached five people in the community, and they all very graciously agreed to be on our ballot, even though there is very little musical experience in any of their backgrounds, which is the fun of the whole thing,” Kenward said.

Ballots can be purchased at The Book Shoppe, Roberts Farm Market and Rosenkran’s. In addition, band members will be set up at the following locations from 10 a.m. to noon to encourage voting: April 18 at Valu Home Center, May 2 at Roberts Farm Market, and May 9 at Apple Blossom Florist.

Provided photo – Members of the Medina Winterguard are pictured at the championship show on Sunday. The students include (in no particular order) Aubrey Hoffmeister, Alexis Neuman, Krystal Kerstetter, Abigail Neuman, Hayley Hurt, Erin Dietz, Cloe Stinson, Sabrina Quiros, Morgan Allis, Madeline Bilicki, Kaela Grosslinger, Kylie Bielak, Kyra Baes, Angel Levin, Selena Austin, Haven Suarez, Paige Martin, Brianna McMullen, Brittanie Goodin, LeAnn Schneider, Alyssa McMullen, Alyssa Beyer, Talishiona Feitshans, Megan Furness, Avery Vanderwerf, Shamaria Howard, Mikayla Soha, Sage Reed, Grace Fuller and Shianne Sullinger.

Press Release
Medina Marching Band

BROCKPORT – The 2015 Winterguard season came to a conclusion on Sunday when the Northeast Color Guard Circuit held its championships at Brockport State College. There were 39 guard units from Central NY, Western NY and Canada competing in eight classifications.

In the Scholastic A class Medina took third place with a score of 81.87. Phoenix took first place with a score of 85.91, Greater Johnstown in second with 83, Liverpool in fourth with 81 and CNS in fifth with 78.95.

There were a number of awards and scholarships given out. Cindy Herberger and Tom Roberts were inducted into the NECGC Hall of Fame. Both exhibited many years of dedication to this art form.

With the Winterguard season concluding, the Medina band swings into preparation for the spring season with practices that already started. This will include twirlers, winterguard, percussion and wind ensembles, jazz band and their parade performance.

The band will participate in the Seneca Falls Pageant May 15-16, the Music in the Parks Festival in Cleveland, May 21-24, the Gorham Pageant May 29-30, and the Memorial Day Parade in Medina.

Donors gave $513,000 to update nursing home section of hospital

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Jim Moody, executive director of the Orleans Community Health Foundation, addresses donors and supporters in the new community room of the North Wing at Medina Memorial Hospital after a donor recognition board was unveiled on Thursday.

The hospital seven years ago started raising money to update the North Wing, which is a nursing home for 30 residents.

Donors gave $513,000 towards the project, with renovations occurring over two years.

Christina Khushalani (center), North Wing administrator, helps to unveil the donor appreciation display in the community room. There were 805 donations, at an average of $638, towards the project.

“We don’t want to be an institution, we want to be home,” Khushalani said a reception to celebrate the renovations.

Besides revamped living and community areas, the North Wing has an environment enriched with green space, visitors and activities, Khushalani said.

“This is a beautiful environment,” she said.

The project included a new sprinkler system, four air handler units, new cabinetry, an updated area for the nursing staff, new furniture for the resident rooms and the dining room, a new floor and a fresh coat of paint, and the new community room.

There also is access to an outdoor patio at the North Wing, which is on the second floor of the hospital.

The improvements were made room by room to reduce disruptions to residents.

Each of the rooms has new furniture, paint, windows, and other improvements.

“It’s a more comfortable place,” said Sandra Madejski, president of Orleans Community Health Foundation. “We’ve always had excellent care but our facility needed to be updated. Now we have great care and a facility that is worthy for residents to call home.”

Cheryl Ann Bilski, president and CEO of Functional Interiors, worked on the interior design for the project.

“The goal was to take away from the antiquated look it had,” she said. “It’s important the residents feel comfortable in their surroundings.”

Nurses Jen Rider, left, and Miranda Miller are pictured at the new nurses station, which tends to be a popular place for residents to congregate.

The project reduced the nurses station area by half and added more chairs, and a fake fire place in an area where residents like to socialize.

There are four color-coded door frames – gold, rust, live green and teal – to help residents and visitors be oriented in the wing.

Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina designed new room numbers and donor plaques with a floral feel, an in-kind donation for the project. Takeform also donated the donor recognition board.

Wendy Jacobson, interim CEO and president of the hospital and Orleans Community Health, thanked donors for supporting the project.

“It’s a wonderful thing that so many community members have created this wonderful home,” she said.

Provided photo – Hundreds of children from Oak Orchard Elementary School gather for Medina’s 2013 Arbor Day Celebration.

Press Release
Medina Tree Board

MEDINA – Arbor Day 2015 will mark the eighth year in a row that the Village of Medina has been awarded the Tree City USA designation by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The award honors Medina’s commitment to community forestry.

This year Medina will plant 60 trees, mostly along areas of Park Avenue with additional plantings on West Center Street, West Avenue, Gwinn Street, Elizabeth Street and Mead Avenue.

Medina’s annual Arbor Day Celebration is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on April 24 at the Medina Historical Society, 406 West Ave. Hundreds of grades kindergarten through second grade school children from Oak Orchard Elementary School are expected to attend and participate.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley will be in attendance along with Michael Kracker, aide to Congressman Chris Collins. Mayor Andrew Meier will read the annual Arbor Day Proclamation.

“We’re so very proud to be a Tree City USA community,” Meier said. “It demonstrates commitment to the community’s environment and helps make our village an attractive place to live, work and visit. Other communities continue to look to Medina for help over and guidance in starting their own Tree Board and planting initiatives. It’s a source of pride knowing that our urban forestry efforts have inspired others.”

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters, and the USDA Forest Service. Tree City USA is a national designations.

This year the village will plant six trees from citizen-sponsored tree requests.

“Each year, we receive more and more applications from citizens looking to plant trees on the right-of-way in front of their home,” said Chris Busch, Medina’s Tree Board chairman. “For $150, the village will plant an approved tree, sponsored by a citizen (provided the site/tree meet criteria). This year we’re planting six trees in village neighborhoods.”

Applications for citizen-sponsored tree plantings are available on the village’s Municipal Tree Board website, by clicking here.

“We commend Medina’s elected officials, volunteers and its citizens for providing vital care for its urban forest,” said John Rosenow, chief executive and founder of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Trees provide numerous environmental, economical and health benefits to millions of people each day, and we applaud communities that make planting and caring for trees a top priority.”

Nicole Goyette, Arbor Day coordinator for the village and Creative Studies teacher with the Medina Central School District is quick to tell of the many benefits of planting urban trees.

“Trees dramatically increase the overall quality of life in the community,” she said. “Time and again, research has shown the multiple benefits. Trees reduce carbon dioxide, dust and other air pollutants; they are natural stormwater capture and retention devices, lower summer air temperatures, and- most importantly- increase property values.”

Recent studies indicate a row of mature street trees has been shown to increase property values up to 18 percent.

Arbor Day is celebrated in Medina and across New York State on the last Friday in April, this year on April 24.

Sen. Ortt also introduces legislation to extend hydropower to hospitals, housing authorities

MEDINA – More incentives are being offered to a Canadian company, trying to make Medina the best option for a new vegetable processing, packaging and distribution facility.

Pride Pak Canada Ltd. has been offered 1 megawatt of hydropower, deeply discounted electricity from the New York Power Authority.

Pride Pak is considering acquiring and renovating the former BernzOmatic plant in Medina, a site vacated last year by Worthington Cylinders. Pride Pak’s investment in Orleans County and the property would be $18 million and would create 163 new jobs, according to the New York Power Authority.

“These low-cost hydropower allocations from the Niagara Power Project demonstrate the Power Authority’s commitment to invest in the people and businesses of New York State,” said John R. Koelmel, NYPA chairman.

Low-cost Niagara hydropower is currently priced more than 40 percent less than wholesale market electricity in the Buffalo-Niagara region and is linked to tens of thousands of existing jobs, NYPA officials said.

Pride Pak, based in Mississauga, Ontario, is currently Canada’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable processor.

The power allocation follows a move by the Orleans Economic Development Agency last month that would save Pride Pak $1 million in property taxes over 20 years at the site, plus $280,000 in sales tax for materials and equipment in the renovation and expansion.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, praised the news from NYPA.

“As a small-business owner, I know the resources that are necessary to flourish in New York’s economy,” Hawley said. “I am excited to see public-sector entities actively supporting private-sector businesses in my district. For the private-sector businesses to thrive, we need initiatives such as these that will create jobs and grow Western New York’s economy.”

State Sen. Robert Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, also said the NYPA decision is good for Medina and the regional agricultural economy.

“This proposed project is a great example of how low-cost hydropower can be used to help grow our local economy while meeting the demand for locally grown food,” Ortt said. “Working with our partners across the border to deliver fresh, healthy food from a home base in Medina is a start to strengthening our region’s and state’s leading industry, in hopes of one day, distributing these local products around the world.”

Ortt also announced on Tuesday an effort to make the hydropower available to hospitals and housing authorities in Niagara and Orleans counties.

Ortt has introduced a bill (S4414-A) that would make low-cost hydropower easily available to hospitals and municipal housing authorities located in the two counties.
These types of institutions in the two counties would not be required to go through the eligibility process that’s currently in place for allotments of power through the Niagara Power Project, Ortt said.

“Niagara Falls is a powerful resource in our very own backyard, and certain facilities should be able to take advantage of its ability to produce cost-effective electricity provided by the Niagara Power Project,” Ortt said. “Making hydroelectricity easily accessible to housing authorities and hospitals in Niagara and Orleans counties will help those in need while spurring economic development.”

The idea to implement this bill came after Senator Ortt realized how many entities, including the Niagara Falls Housing Authority, are not currently eligible to take advantage of low-cost hydropower.

A hydropower allocation would reduce the operating costs at Medina Memorial Hospital, said Wendy Jacobson, interim chief executive officer for Orleans Community Health, the hospital’s parent organization.

“Cost containment is essential to smaller hospitals,” she said. “Reducing operating expenses through lower cost hydropower will help us to continue serving health care needs in our community. Along with physician alignment and affiliation with larger institutions to share resources, cost containment measures such as lower cost hydropower will assist Medina Memorial Hospital in achieving a healthy future.”

Eligible facilities that do not fall under the category of a housing authority or hospital would still need to apply for low-cost hydropower as long as they are within a 30-mile radius of the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston, Ortt said.

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Polish culture was celebrated today with Dyngus Day parties throughout Western New York, including one at the Sacred Heart Club in Medina. In the top photo, Sharon and Frank Gurzynski of Holley dance to music by Brass Magic, a polka band from Rochester.

The Sacred Heart Club served up Polish food, while about 150 people enjoyed the polka music and the crowning of Dyngus Day royalty.

Bill Wymyczak of Lyndonville was named king for 2015. He gets pinned by last year’s queen, Tessa Hartway.

Wymyczak, a construction worker, joined the Sacred Heart Club in the late 1990s. He has helped with many projects at the club, from redoing the back stairs to other concrete work.

“It’s a place to come and hang put and have some fun,” he said.

Tammy Hinkson was crowned queen this evening. She is dancing with Wymyczak, her fiancé.

The two met about two years ago on Good Friday at the Sacred Heart Club.

Hinkson helped prepare the Polish food for the Dyngus Day celebration, working in the kitchen on Saturday and today.

“Anything that goes on she is willing to help,” said Dee Lucas, one of the Dyngus Day organizers at Sacred Heart.

Dee Lucas announces the king and queen for Dyngus Day.

Hinkson is a member of the Sacred Heart board of directors. The club has about 200 members, and rents the hall out for weddings and special events.

“I just love working with the people,” she said.

Hinkson works as an accountant for Empire Coatings in Albion.

Dudley Reimer is a singer for Brass Magic in Rochester.

There were plenty of Polish food items to pick from, including cabbage rolls.

The annual Dyngus Day party is a popular event at the Sacred Heart Club.

‘Critical access hospital’ status will raise reimbursements

Photo by Tom Rivers  – Wendy Jacobson, interim president and chief executive officer for Orleans Community Health, speaks to the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday.

MEDINA – Medina Memorial Hospital may be a small hospital but it ranks high in the region for providing quality care, said the interim president and chief executive officer for Orleans Community Health.

Wendy Jacobson said Medina Memorial tops the national benchmark for providing care for surgical, chest pain, pneumonia, acute myocardial infarct and many other conditions.

“We really provide quality care close to home,” Jacobson told the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday. “We are held to same standards as the larger hospitals.”

Jacobson has been leading the hospital and its parent organization, Orleans Community Health, since Dolores Horvath resigned in February. Jacobson said she intends to apply for the position on a permanent basis.

She sees positives for the organization, especially with the impending announcement that it will be a “critical access hospital.” That status from the state Department of Health is expected to be retroactive, going back to January.

That status will give Medina Memorial higher reimbursement rates through Medicaid and will strengthen Medina’s bottom line, Jacobson said.

The designation as “critical access hospital” also will help Orleans Community Health attract doctors to work in Medina and at the healthcare site in Albion at the corner of Butts Road and Route 31, which would be considered a rural clinic. Doctors that work at those sites will get a break on paying back their student loans for medical school, Jacobson said.

Orleans Community Health has an affiliation with Catholic Health Systems. That organization is helping to bring primary care doctors and other specialists to Orleans Community Health, said Jacobson, who also addressed the Orleans County Legislature last week.

The hospital on April 9 will celebrate the renovation of the North Wing Long-Term Residential Home. That celebration, including tours, will be from 5 to 7 p.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Steve Cavers, right, and Paul Wengrzycki, members of the First Baptist Church in Medina, carry the cross in the Medina Canal Basin as part of a Good Friday walk in the Medina downtown today.

About 40 people from Medina area churches were part of the “Pilgramage to Golgotha.” Christians took turns carrying the cross, while local pastors read Scriptures and the group sang hymns.

Cavers and Wengrzycki walk with the cross across Main Street.

DeAnn Diermyer, a member of the Lyndonville United Methodist Church, carried the cross at one point with Judy Hipes of the Medina United Methodist Church.

“It was awesome, awesome,” Diermyer said. “There aren’t enough words to describe it.”

Cavers and Wengrzycki carry the cross on West Avenue, headed to the Medina Historical Society.

Lang Lilley, in Bills jacket, hands the cross to Judy Hipes in front of the First Baptist Church. Hipes has been to Israel fives times, tracing the steps of Jesus when he carried the cross to Golgotha.

Hipes is married to Tony Hipes, pastor of the Medina United Methodist Church. Today was her first time carrying the cross, and she said it was a powerful experience, helping her to imagine Jesus carrying the cross after being brutally beaten.

“He was beaten nearly to death and he still had to carry it,” Mrs. Hipes said. “The fact that someone would do this for you is a very personal thing. That’s why Easter comes off as an amazing day.”

The Rev. Alfreda Morse, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, speaks in front of the Presbyterian Church on Main Street. Judy Hipes, center, and DeAnn Diermyer are holding the cross.

There will be Good Friday services this evening at 7:30 at the Medina United Methodist Church and 7:30 at the Knowlesville United Methodist Church.

On Easter, there will be a sunrise service at Boxwood Cemetery at 6:30 a.m. and at 7 a.m. at the Millville Cemetery.

ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency approved a plan today that would save a Canadian company $1 million in property taxes over 20 years.

The agency is offering an aggressive tax incentive proposal to try to sway Pride Pak Canada Ltd. to move into the former BernzOmatic property. Pride Pak officials are weighing other sites in Western New York and Pennsylvania for a new vegetable processing, packaging and distribution facility.

The site in Medina was vacated last year by Worthington Cylinders. The site is a 180,000-square-foot facility at 1 BernzOmatic Drive.

In addition to a discount on property taxes, Pride Pak would receive a sales tax exemption for equipment and building materials, an estimated savings of $280,000.

The total benefits – sales tax and property taxes – are calculated at $1,273,014. The EDA projected the company would spend $136,890,650 in Orleans County over 20 years. That translates into $107.50 spent in Orleans for every $1 given back as an incentive.

If the company chooses Orleans for the project, it is expected to hire 80 people the first year, then be up to 136 in year 2, and 206 after three years. The positions are expected to pay an average of $27,500 after the first year, $28,000 the second year, and $28,500 after the third year.

Pride Pak would buy some local produce, and package it to be distributed to grocery stores. The company wants to expand its operations from Canada and better serve a large northeastern US grocery chain, Orleans EDA officials said.

“It’s perfect for Orleans County,” said Jim Whipple, the Orleans EDA chief executive officer.

The EDA has worked to finalize the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) plan to eliminate that uncertainty in its taxes for the company.

Generally, the EDA and local governments approve 10-year tax-savings deals for companies where they pay a sliding scale of the tax burden, adding 10 percent increments over 10 years.

Pride Pak would get a 20-year deal and see the increments rise 5 percent annually. The tax savings would help offset the costs needed to renovate and retrofit the manufacturing space into food grade specifications and other company needs, EDA officials said.

Pride Pak is looking to invest $10 million into the site, by acquiring the building and installing new machinery and equipment. The EDA is proposing the company be spared from paying sales tax on up to $4 million worth of equipment and materials.

The complex is currently assessed for $2.4 million. The EDA plan would have the company pay a fraction of the taxes on a reduced assessment, starting at 0 percent of a $1.2 million assessment in year 1.

The payment in lieu of taxes plan raises the assessment by 3 percent each following year until it’s at $2,104,207 in year 20.

The PILOT plan also sets the tax rates at a combined $45 per $1,000 of assessed property. That is below the combined tax rates of $54.21 for the Village of Medina, Town of Ridgeway, Orleans County and Medina Central School. Those entities will receive PILOT payments on a percentage of their overall share of the combined tax rate.

Should the tax rates fall below a combined $45, perhaps through a dissolution of the village and/or a significant increase in state aid, the PILOTs would then be based on whatever the combined rates are below $45.

Whipple said the EDA wanted to show Pride Pak the community wants them in Medina. He is hopeful the company will soon announce a commitment to Orleans County, but he said it’s not a done deal.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Pride Pak Canada Ltd. is eyeing the 180,000-square-foot former BernzOmatic site for a vegetable processing, packaging and distribution facility.

MEDINA – In an effort to sway a Canadian company to move into Medina, the Orleans Economic Development Agency is proposing deep discounts in the property taxes over 20 years at the former BernzOmatic property.

Pride Pak Canada Ltd. in Ontario, Canada, proposes to establish a new vegetable processing, packaging and distribution facility in a 180,000-square-foot facility at 1 BernzOmatic Drive.

The company wants to expand its operations and better serve a large northeastern US grocery chain, Orleans EDA officials said.

Medina is competing with other sites in Western New York and Pennsylvania to attract the company. In addition to discounted local property taxes, the EDA is working to secure state incentives and reduced electricity costs for the company.

“It’s still not a given,” said Jim Whipple, Orleans EDA chief executive officer. “We have to show that Orleans County is ready for them.”

Generally, the EDA and local governments approve 10-year tax-savings deals for companies where they pay a sliding scale of the tax burden, adding 10 percent increments over 10 years.

Pride Pak would get a 20-year deal and see the increments rise 5 percent annually.

The tax savings would help offset the costs needed to renovate and retrofit the manufacturing space into food grade specifications and other company needs, EDA officials said.

Pride Pak is looking to invest $10 million into the site, by acquiring the building and installing new machinery and equipment. The EDA is proposing the company be spared from paying sales tax on up to $4 million worth of equipment and materials.

Pride Pak expects to create up to 80 new permanent full-time positions by the end of year one. By year five, the company could have up to 200 workers at its U.S. site, according to the EDA.

The site was vacated last year by Worthington Cylinders, which shut down its Medina operation, laying off about 150 workers. It consolidated the Medina work with a site in Wisconsin.

The complex is currently assessed for $2.4 million. The EDA plan would have the company pay a fraction of the taxes on a reduced assessment, starting at 0 percent of a $1.2 million assessment in year 1.

The payment in lieu of taxes plan raises the assessment by 3 percent each following year until it’s at $2,104,207 in year 20.

During a public hearing on the PILOT on Tuesday, no one from the local taxing entities – Village of Medina, Town of Ridgeway, Medina Central School or Orleans County – spoke against the plan.

Whipple said Pride Pak would have a big benefit to the area. The company would buy produce from local farmers and would also be a big water and sewer users, which would help the Village of Medina. The company would also employ about 200 people at full build-out, which would strengthen the local economy.

The EDA board of directors is expected to approve the PILOT plan during its meeting at 8 a.m. on Friday.

Paul Hendel, the EDA board chairman, attended the public hearing on Tuesday. He praised Whipple and Gabrielle Barone, the EDA vice president of business development, for putting together the incentive packages to keep Orleans County in the running for the project.

“They’ve put in tons of energy with all of the phone calls and site visits,” Hendel said. “There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that people don’t see just to get to this point.”