Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Civil War re-enactors battled at State Street Park this morning in a loud clash that is part of the Civil War Encampment in Medina.

The top photo shows the advancing Union firing at the Confederate soldiers.

This is the third year the community is hosting the Civil War Encampment. Previously, the re-enactors have had their mock battles at the GCC campus on Maple Ridge Road. Today the fight moved inside the village.

There will be another mock battle on Sunday at 2 p.m. by the GCC campus center. The following photos are in chronological order.

Confederate soldiers load their guns and get ready for battle. They are pictured near the edge of the park along State Street.

Union soldiers wait by the canal bank. The Confederate soldiers are on the other side of the fence.

In the beginning of the battle, the Rebels are on the offensive, pressuring the Union.

Union soldiers get ready to return fire.

Two soldiers on horses emerge from under the canal bridge. The mounted cavalry gives the Union a big advantage in the battle.

The Confederate soldiers stand their ground and fire at the Union.

The Union returns fire and gets ready to advance.

The Confederates reload while under fire.

The Union prepares to charge on the Confederates.

A fallen soldiers is tended to by his Confederate brethren.

The Union is on move, leaving behind a Confederate casualty.

A line of Confederate soldiers gets off some shots against the advancing Union Army.

The Confederacy, pushed to the edge of the park, isn’t giving up.

The cavalry comes up along the edge of the park, putting more pressure on the Confederacy.

These Confederates, including Olin Miller of Albion at left, load their weapons in the waning moments of the battle. Albion teacher Doug Mergler is at back right.

The Rebels are backed up and under pressure from the Union.

Albion teacher Jonathan Sanford, left, and Albion resident Wes Miller contemplate their next move.

The Confederates yield to the Union and the mock battle is over.

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The Civil War, after four brutal years of fighting, came to an end today in downtown Medina.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee (re-enactor Thomas Schobert of West Seneca) and Union General Ulysses Grant (Ed Brodbeck of Cheektowaga) shook hands on Main Street in a recreation of the surrender ceremony at the Appomattox Court House in south central Virginia.

The war was over on April 9, 1865. Genesee Community College has organized Civil War Encampments on the 150th anniversary of the war since 2012, with the first encampment at the Lima campus. Medina has hosted the event the past three years. The encampment continues Sunday at the GCC campus on Route 31A. This is the final time the college will be organizing the event.

The following photos are in chronological order and show the re-enactors at first moving from State Street Park and walking on East Center Street to the downtown for the surrender ceremony.

Confederate soldiers, after losing a battle at State Street Park, walk on Route 31 to downtown Medina.

The Union Army makes its way to Main Street, walking past Rotary Park.

Derek Maxfield, Civil War Encampment coordinator for Genesee Community College, also served as narrator for the surrender ceremony. He is standing at a podium by the Bent’s Opera Hall, which was built during the Civil War.

The two sides stand across from each other on Main Street.

Robert E. Lee hands the terms of surrender to General Grant.

Thomas Schobert, the Lee impersonator, has participated in other surrender ceremonies near the 150th anniversary of the war’s ending.

Today was the first time the Grant impersonator, Ed Brodbeck, participated in a surrender ceremony. Brodbeck said it was emotional, and he felt great respect for Lee and the Confederacy.

Grant demanded the Union soldiers not celebrate their victory.

“There was no shouting or taunting,” Brodbeck said.

The onlookers along the street in Medina also observed “a respectful silence,” which Schobert said he appreciated.

Union and Confederate soldiers shake hands after the surrender.

The fighting over, soldiers pause on Main Street in Medina.

The Confederate soldiers walk down main Street to a flag-raising at Rotary Park.

Confederate and Union soldiers join together to raise the American flag at Rotary Park.

These Union soldiers remove their hats during the flag-raising.

A Union soldier salutes the flag.

General Grant (Ed Brodbeck), Abraham Lincoln (David Kreutz of Lancaster) and General Robert E. Lee (Thomas Schobert) watch the events.

After the surrender ceremony, the soldiers head down Main Street to return to the Civil War Encampment at GCC in Medina.

Provided Photos

MEDINA – The village celebrated Arbor Day today by planting a tree on West Avenue in front of the Medina Historical Society.

In the top photo, Medina Mayor Andrew Meier addresses a group of elementary school students by the Historical Society. Meier is standing on a carriage step while reading the Arbor Day proclamation.

This year more than 60 trees will be planted in Medina. The village has been designated a Tree City USA and has been a Tree City Growth Award recipient from the National Arbor Day Foundation.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, left, joins Mayor Andrew Meier, center, and Michael Kracker from Congressman Chris Collins’s office in tossing some dirt on the newly planted tree.

The new trees in Medina are planned for areas of Park Avenue with additional plantings on West Center Street, West Avenue, Gwinn Street, Elizabeth Street and Mead Avenue.

MEDINA – The Board of Education approved a $34,802,870 budget on Tuesday evening that won’t increase taxes.

The budget goes before district residents for a vote from noon to 8 p.m. on May 19 at the District Office board room next to Medina High School.

The budget maintains existing programming and will increase enrichment offerings in the elementary and middle school. Board of Education President Chris Keller said the district has worked in recent years to restore some of the cuts made about five years ago.

Keller said the district is in solid financial shape for the coming years, as long as the state doesn’t chop education funding like it did about five years ago, forcing Medina and many other districts to cut staff and programs.

The Medina budget will keep the tax levy at $8,863,394, the same as in 2014-15. Total expenses will be up 0.94 percent or by $324,876 to $34,802,870.

However, the budget includes vehicles purchases, which used to be a separate proposition. Taking those out of the regular budget would show a $25,124 decrease compared to the 2014-15 budget, said David Boyle, the district’s interim business administrator.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Medina Board of Education President Chris Keller, left, and District Superintendent Jeff Evoy lead the BOE meeting on Tuesday at Wise Middle School Library.

MEDINA – The school district had 21 percent of eligible students opt out of standardized tests last week for grades 3 through 8, which was a big increase from the 2 percent that refused the test the previous year.

Board of Education President Chris Keller said there has been “a lot of healthy discussion” in the community and state-wide about the ELA and math tests and the opt out movement. Some districts in Erie County had more than half of their students refuse the tests.

Keller thanked the Medina parents and students that declined to opt out last week. (The math tests start today and continue until Friday.)

Keller teaches English at Albion and voiced his concern that tests, for 90 minutes daily over three days in a week, are too lengthy and disruptive to the school day. He said the testing could be concentrated to two days instead of three.

The tests then continue to take teachers out of their classroom in the days after the exams because the teachers have to grade them.

“I have a lot of severe concerns about the test,” Keller said.

He didn’t detail those issues because he said he is grading some of them for Albion and he signed a nondisclosure agreement. But he did say that many educational experts view the tests “as developmentally inappropriate.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature want to see more of a teacher’s evaluation be tied to student scores on the Common Core tests. Currently, 20 percent of a teacher’s score is linked to the test results. Cuomo wants to push that to 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation.

“Politics has gotten involved in education in New York and it has gutted education,” Keller said at Tuesday’s board meeting. “We have a problem right now in that kids can’t read very well, and it’s not just Albion and Medina. It’s state-wide.”

Keller said the state in recent years has put too much emphasis on testing. Rather than recognize that mistake, the state is “doubling down on testing,” Keller said.

Keller prefers the Scholastic testing materials over Pearson, a business that sells education products and services. Scholastic tests are taken on a computer and teachers have immediate access to the results and can respond to students who are struggling, Keller said.

Teachers won’t know the results of the Pearson exams, given last week and this week, for individual students until August or September.

“At that point the students have moved on to the next grade,” Keller said.

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.