Medina

Petition submitted to force referendum on Medina dissolution

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Vote could be set for sometime in January-February

MEDINA – An issue that has been studied and debated for more than two years looks like it will finally go to village voters.

Three members of the “One Medina” grassroots group submitted petitions on Thursday to force a public vote on whether the village government should dissolve. The petitions were signed by 432 people and were presented to Village Clerk Debbie Padoleski. She has 10 days to determine if the petition will be certified.

She will check to make sure the people who signed are registered voters. She also is reviewing the list of eligible registered voters in the village. The petition must have at least 10 percent of the registered voters to force the referendum.

Padoleski said there are about 3,000 eligible voters in the village, but she will make sure in the coming days. The 432 signatures, demanding a vote on village dissolution, gives the advocates for a public vote a cushion in case some of the signatures are declared invalid.

The petitions were submitted on Thursday by three leaders of One Medina: Ed Weider and two former village trustees, Jim Lustumbo and David Barhite.

“The big thing is we want the people to have the right to vote on it,” Barhite said today.

If the petitions are certificed by Padoleski, the Village Board is required to set a public vote within 30 days of Padoleski’s decision. The vote must occur within 60 to 90 days of the Village Board setting a vote for the issue. That time frame would put a vote in January or February.

A committee already studied how the village government could be dissolved and its services picked up by the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway, or through a local development corporation, a non-profit corporation (for ambulance services) and also a debt district.

That dissolution plan was endorsed by a dissolution committee in April. Some community members formed “One Medina” to push for dissolution of the village with a goal of then merging the two towns.

The Village Board hasn’t set a public vote on dissolution after some village trustees wanted to give the two towns another chance at shared services and some consolidation of services. Those talks have focused on highway services but have got bogged down. A meeting set for last week was cancelled.

The citizen referendum wants resolution on the issue, and wants the public to have its say, Barhite said.

Barhite believes the village property owners bear too much of the cost of government services for the community. A dissolution plan would cut village taxes by 27 to 34 percent, and raise town taxes 46 percent for Ridgeway residents outside the village and 10 percent for Shelby residents outside the village.

According to the dissolution plan, a village dissolution would cut about $6 off that combined tax rate for village residents who are currently the highest taxed in the region.

Village residents would see a drop ranging from 27 percent in Ridgeway to 34 percent in Shelby. The rate in Ridgeway would drop from $19.49 per $1,000 of assessed property to a projected $14.30, according to the plan. That $5.20 reduction would save a homeowner with a $70,000 house $363 a year in taxes. (The rate includes village and town tax rates.)

Village residents in Shelby currently pay a combined $19.80 rate ($16.45 to the village and $3.35 to the town). That would drop 34 percent to $13.10 and would cut the tax bills from $1,386 for a $70,000 house to $917.

The Ridgeway residents outside the village currently pay a $6.71 rate for town, lighting and fire protection. That would rise 46 percent to $9.83 if the village dissolves and services are picked up according to the plan.

Shelby residents would see a 10 percent increase with dissolution with the current rate for outside-village residents going from $8.36 per $1,000 of assessed property to $9.17. That would raise taxes for a $70,000 home from $585 to $642.

Both Shelby and Ridgeway town officials have questioned the numbers in the plan and said they aren’t obligated to follow it.

Shared service talks seem to slow down again

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 October 2014 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – Village officials were scheduled to meet with the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby last week for continued shared service talks.

The meeting set for Oct. 6 was cancelled. Ridgeway Town Supervisor Brian Napoli sent an email to reporters today trying to clear up misunderstanding about why the meeting was cancelled. Napoli said leaders from all three municipalities agreed to cancel the meeting “because Medina asked for additional time to prepare.”

But Medina Mayor Andrew Meier disagreed with Napoli’s assessment. Meier said the village isn’t dragging out the process.

The two towns were supposed to crunch numbers for the costs of taking over plowing and highway work within the village. The towns were to have numbers ready for a Sept. 2 meeting. Shelby Town Supervisor Skip Draper presented a proposal that would save villagers in Shelby $2.46 per $1,000 of assessed property in their tax rate, while other Shelby residents (outside the village) would see a tax increase of 45 cents per $1,000.

“If there is a message here it’s that this is very doable,” Draper said on Sept. 2.

Meier didn’t think those numbers were completely accurate because they didn’t include costs for salt and gasoline.

Napoli didn’t have a proposal at that meeting, but sent one about two weeks later. Meier said both proposals have been lacking in detail. The towns have also asked for more information from the village.

Meier said he is hopeful there can be serious talks among the three municipalities.

“We do have things we can work on, but it seems like we’re stalling out again,” he said.

The three municipalities met regularly in 2012 but those meetings were shelved. The village supported a dissolution study and that plan has the village dissolving with its services passed to the town towns, a local development corporation and an authority.

The two towns have questioned the accuracy of the dissolution data, and doubt if there would be significant savings with dissolution.

The dissolution plan identifies $277,000 in savings spread over three budgets that total about $11 million. That’s less than 3 percent and town officials said they only occur if everything went according to the plan perfectly.

The plan also identifies $541,000 in additional state aid as an incentive for dissolution, bringing the total benefit to the community of $818,000. The town leaders said the state aid may not be long-lasting

Village residents have the only vote on the issue if it goes to a public vote. The Village Board hasn’t set a referendum but a group of residents have been circulating petitions to force a vote on the issue.

Community has fun creating scarecrows at YMCA

Staff Reports Posted 11 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Chris Sevor, left, and Monica Clark created these scarecrows today. They had the giggles trying to stuff them into the car.

Photos by Peggy Barringer

MEDINA – The Orleans County YMCA hosted a Scarecrow Festival today at the Armory building on Pearl Street. The event is sponsored by the Medina Lions Club.

Phyllis Misso of Albion and her granddaughter Cathleen Mastrodicasa of Lockport work together on a scarecrow. The Clothing Depot donated the clothes and sheets for the scarecrows.

Freckles the Clown entertained the crowd, and also did face painting.

Wyatt and parents Sara and Andrew Szatkowski came out for the festival.

Ed Grabowski, a member of the Medina Lions Cub, is a scarecrow surgeon at the operating room table.

Arie and her mother Trudy Decker pose with a scarecrow.

Scarecrow heads were painted by the Medina School Art Department.

Report says Medina could sustain chain hotel

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2014 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – A consultant has studied the market for a hotel in Medina and concluded a small hotel with 41 to 49 rooms would be profitable.

The Orleans Economic Development Agency hired a consultant, Interim Hospitality Consultants, to do a feasibility study for a new hotel in Medina. The firm, led by Edward Xanders, sees a project as a success in Medina with at least an average daily occupancy rate of 60 percent.

The EDA is talking with Cobblestone Inn and Suites about a project in Medina. That company has built many hotels in small towns, typically working with investors in the host community.

The project is Medina would need about $1.6 million in investment, said Jim Whipple, EDA executive director. In addition to the hotel rooms, the project would have a swimming pool, conference room and a gym.

The EDA thinks a spot on EDA-owned land on Maple Ridge Road across from GCC would be an ideal location because the site already has infrastructure access within the village.

“It has water, sewer and power,” Whipple told the EDA board of directors this morning. “It could ramp up quickly.”

Investors would be needed to make the project a reality. Those investors would ultimately determine the location for the hotel, Whipple said.

Gabrielle Barone, the EDA vice president for business development, said Cobblestone has worked on projects in smaller communities than Medina. A chain hotel would be a lift for the area, boosting bed tax for tourism, sales tax for the county and state, and other spending in the community, Whipple said.

Orleans County ranks last in the state among 62 counties with visitor spending, according to a state report in 2012. The state report, prepared by Tourism Economics, puts the total visitor spending in Orleans at $21.13 million.

The county doesn’t have a chain hotel. That limits many visitors to day trips when they come to Orleans. With a chain hotel some of those visitors would be more inclined to stay overnight, spending more money in the county.

The report from Interim Hospitality Consultants said about 30 percent of the Medina hotel visitors would be on business-related trips, while the others would be people visiting family, or in town for class reunions, weddings and other special events.

Cobblestone prefers the site in Medina versus Albion because it’s farther away from competition in Batavia, where there are numerous hotels by the Thruway, Whipple said.

For more information on Cobblestone Inn, click here.

Hospital CEO says no job cuts expected, services will be increased in shift to ‘Critical Access Hospital’

Posted 9 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Press release, Medina Memorial Hospital

MEDINA – The Buffalo law firm of Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP is issuing the following statement on behalf of its client, Orleans Community Health/Medina Memorial Hospital, in response to recent media reports addressing its decision to apply for status as a Critical Access Hospital.

Dolores Horvath, President and Chief Executive Officer, Orleans Community Health Medina Memorial Hospital:

On the reports that the hospital is downsizing:

Medina Memorial Hospital was certified, on paper, for more beds than it actually needed or used to treat the patients of Orleans County, and this paper surplus of beds was preventing us from accessing important state and federal grants, incentives, and other funding.

Changing to Critical Access status will enable the hospital to receive additional significant sources of revenue, funding that will be crucial as we move forward with the goal of better serving the residents of Orleans County and the surrounding region.

Additionally, our hospital was recently designated a “safety net hospital” by the New York Department of Health, a move that signals the state’s belief that Medina Memorial is a vital community resource that provides necessary medical care – including life-saving emergency care – in Orleans County and beyond.

Addressing reports that there is uncertainty as to whether or not hospital staff will be impacted by a potential change in status:

There have been no discussions of any reduction in hospital staff as part of the Critical Access designation. This isn’t about reducing costs through staffing cuts, it is about updating the status of the hospital to best reflect its current level of service and to open the door to new federal and state funding opportunities. It is incredibly difficult in the current market to operate an independent rural hospital, and this classification will help to provide the funding Medina Memorial needs to ensure that we are able to provide high quality health care that meets the growing needs of our community for many years to come.

Responding to the assertion that the hospital is cutting services:
We are not cutting services. Reports that we are seeking to decertify beds in our pediatric department, for example, don’t account for the fact that we have not had a pediatrician on the hospital staff for several years. In reality, the conversion of those beds is a regulatory paperwork issue, not a cut in services.

As the Federal Rural Assistance Center has explained, “Conversion to Critical Access Hospital status does not mean losing services. In some instances, hospitals that have converted to CAH status may choose to expand their range of services to better meet their community’s needs.” That is certainly true for our facility. Under our current plan, we will be able to add cardiology and expanded orthopedic services, two specialty areas that we did not effectively cover, but will be especially critical to serving a rapidly aging population in the years ahead.

On the reports that Critical Access status is reserved for hospitals in “financial distress”:

That is simply not true. The ability to apply for Critical Access status is something reserved for rural hospitals, to promote access to necessary care. A hospital’s financial condition is not part of the evaluation under Federal law.

Statement from Bruce Krenning, Chairman of the Orleans Community Health Board of Directors:

The board of directors has been working diligently for more than a year to evaluate the ongoing status of Medina Memorial Hospital and to develop a long-term strategy that will best serve the residents of this community. Our foremost goal is always providing the highest level of care to our patients, and applying for Critical Access status is an important step in ensuring that the residents of Orleans County and the surrounding region have a hospital that is capable of meeting their medical needs well into the future.

Medina seeks historic designation for Boxwood Cemetery

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Commission is working on projects, improvements for site

Photos by Tom Rivers – Stone pillars hold up large iron gates at the entrance of Boxwood Cemetery on North Gravel Road. The entrance also includes a chapel, built in 1903 from Medina Sandstone.

MEDINA – One of the area’s grandest burial grounds, Boxwood Cemetery, may soon be recognized as a historical asset, a status that could help Medina secure grants for improvements at the cemetery on North Gravel Road.

The Village of Medina and the Boxwood Commission are working with the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to have Boxwood put on the state and national registers of historic places.

Kathy Blackburn, Boxwood Commission chairwoman, said a decision at the state level is expected in December. If approved, Boxwood would join three other Orleans County cemeteries with the historic designation: Mount Albion Cemetery, Millville Cemetery and Hillside Cemetery in Clarendon.

Boxwood Cemetery has many retaining walls made of Medina Sandstone. Some of the walls need repairs.

The commission was reinvigorated last year and wants to draw more people to the cemetery for events and also make needed improvements to the site, Blackburn said.

The historic designation from the state and federal government could help the village obtain grants for resetting headstones, fixing sandstone walls, fighting erosion and tackling other projects.

The commission has made progress in the past year, Blackburn said. It has replaced the door in the chapel from 1903. A house on the cemetery has been cleaned out and the commission is debating the future for the house, perhaps as a museum.

The cemetery is home to many prominent Medina residents, including S.A. Cook who operated a bustling furniture company in Medina.

Blackburn wants to see more events at the cemetery, including lantern tours. She wants to see more flowers by grave sites.

For the second year Boxwood is participating in “National Wreaths Across America Day” on Dec. 13. For $15, wreaths can be purchased and placed at the graves for veterans. For more information, click here.

“It’s remembering and honoring the fallen, and teaching our children,” Blackburn said.

She would like to have 100 wreaths in Boxwood, and expand it to other local cemeteries next year. The Dec. 13 event will also include a ceremony with the Honor Guard and a 21-gun salute.

Firefighters respond to exhaust fire at Brunner

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2014 at 8:42 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Ridgeway firefighters head into Brunner International, where a fire in the exhaust system was reported at 7:09 p.m.

Firefighters quickly had the small fire under control. A department was evacuated at Brunner, a manufacturing plant on Bates Road. The company has nearly 400 employees in Medina that makes brakes for tractor trailer trucks.

Firefighters responded from Ridgeway, Shelby and Medina fire departments. A full moon just happens to out tonight.

Another young entrepreneur sets up shop in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2014 at 12:00 am

New auto body and collision shop opens on 31

Photos by Tom Rivers – Bruce Deyarmin, owner and lead painter for American Auto Body and Collision, opened the business on Sept. 15 at 308 East Center St.

MEDINA – Bruce Deyarmin can give new life and a fresh look to a car that looks smashed and ready for the scrap yard.

Since he was 15 he has been honing his skills as a body and collision specialist. After working for other people, Deyarmin last month opened his own business, American Auto Body and Collision at 308 East Center St.

Deyarmin, 30, took a break from body work for about year and worked as a contractor on houses. He missed the collision repair work.

“It’s like being an artist,” he said about bringing back crushed cars. “You can step back and admire the job you did.”

Deyarmin said most of the local vehicles in auto body and collision shops have had deer hits or been in other accidents. He has photos of cars with smashed-in front ends and other crumpled parts. When he’s done with the car, including giving it new paint and detailing, it looks like new.

Bruce Deyarmin is pictured with a custom built car, a 1995 Ford Probe, that he built himself. Deyarmin takes the vehicle to many local car shows.

Deyarmin is a Medina native and was born at Medina Memorial Hospital. He has watched the business district’s rebirth in recent years and wanted to be a part of it. He is near Ace Hardware, which completed major renovations of the former Jubilee store. Deyarmin cited that example and Tom Snyder’s work on a lumber yard and hardware across the street as examples of people investing in the east end of the village on Route 31.

Several other young adults are also investing in Medina and opening new businesses, Deyarmin noted.

“It feels like the whole town is coming back,” he said.

He needed to renovate 308 East Center St., painting the inside of the complex and adding ventilation and filtration systems, among the building improvements. He made a comfortable office a high priority for customers who may decide to wait while their car is being worked on.

Deyarmin also plans to sell used cars from the location. He has room for up to 15 vehicles. He expects to start selling those in about three weeks.

American Auto Body and Collision is open Monday through Saturday. Call Deyarmin at (585) 318-4084 for more information.

Mustangs perform at Orchard Park

Contributed Story Posted 6 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Provided Photo

ORCHARD PARK – The Orchard Park High School hosted the Cavalcade of Bands on Saturday, where nine bands performed. Medina was the only SS1 participant and scored 81.85.

There are two more shows before – Oct. 11 at Victor and Oct. 18 at Webster – before the championships on Oct. 26 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse starting at 8 a.m. The SS1 Class will start at 6:46 p.m. with Medina performing at 7:12 p.m.

Medina FD will honor village employee who died in fire in 1920

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2014 at 12:00 am

The Jan. 4, 1920 issue of The Buffalo Express details the fatal fire.

Edward O’Brien

MEDINA – It was bitterly cold on Jan. 3, 1920 when a fire broke out of a South Main Street house owned by Walter Crisp.

Edward O’Brien was the village’s street and water superintendent. He worried the cold temperatures would crimp water pressure, making it harder for firefighters to put out the blaze.

O’Brien was on the scene, helping a firefighter place a ladder on the house when the roof caved in. The chimney then toppled and landed on O’Brien, killing him. His 9-year-old son Francis was there for his father’s last breath before running home to get his mother, according to the Jan. 4, 1920 edition of The Buffalo Express.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Medina firefighters Josh Wolck, left, and Matt Jackson served as the honor guard for a new firefighters’ memorial in front of City Hall that was dedicated Sept. 28, 2013. There will be another memorial service at 10 a.m. today and Edward O’Brien’s name will be added to a brick by the memorial.

About a year ago the Fire Department dedicated a new memorial outside City Hall for firefighters who died in the line of duty and also unveiled memorial bricks in honor of past firefighters who have since died.

Today, O’Brien will be recognized with a memorial brick as part of a memorial service at 10 a.m. outside City Hall.

Jonathan Higgins, a captain with the Medina FD, said the department wants to honor O’Brien for his heroic efforts.

The department learned about O’Brien’s tragic death after the memorial was erected about a year ago. Some of O’Brien’s family are expected for today’s service.

The memorial service will precede the department’s annual open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That will include a chicken barbecue, an opportunity to meet firefighters and tour fire trucks, experience a rollover simulator and give in a blood drive.

Farm provides ‘living laboratory’ at Medina school

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 October 2014 at 12:00 am

District uses $25K grant to build barn, pasture

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – If you drive down Mustang Drive to Medina High School, you may do a double-take. New this school year is a small barn and fenced-in pasture. There are llamas, sheep, a goat and a calf out munching on grass.

Students in boots are doing farm chores, hauling feed and water.

Welcome to the district’s agriculture program, which is taking students out of the classroom for more direct hands-on learning.

Justice Snook, a student in Medina’s introduction to agriculture course, pets a goat in the district’s new farm, which will enhance Medina’s agriculture program.

Monsanto approved a $25,000 grant for Medina to bolster its agriculture program. The grant paid for a small barn, a fence around the 1-acre pasture, security cameras, and a hydroponic system that will produce about 80 pounds of a feed a day.

“It’s fun to come out here and learn about it,” said Justice Snook, a freshman.

One class of students is pictured near the pasture and a new barn. The grain bins in back have been there for several decades.

In previous years, the 100 students in the agriculture classes were confined to the classroom, listening to PowerPoint presentations by teacher Todd Eick. Rather than showing the students pictures of different types of feed, the students can feel the different textures and feed the animals themselves.

This year students in Intro to Ag, Vet Science, Agriculture Engineering and Technology, and Environmental Applications will all have experience getting outside and working with the animals.

Todd Eick, FFA advisor and agriculture teacher, talks with students while inside the new barn. Chickens and rabbits are also planned for the building.

“We’ll have about 100 kids daily interacting with the animals,” said Todd Eick, the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.

He stressed with students on Thursday the farm is highly visible to the community and will need to be kept clean, as a showcase for education.

“This is a living laboratory for us,” he said.

Chantelle Kidney, left, and Alexis Maines show the different pelletized feed for the animals. Students will learn how animals have different nutrition needs for protein, fiber, calcium and phosphorus.

The animals will be used for either their fiber – llamas and sheep – or for meat – goats, chickens and rabbits. The calf may join a dairy herd at another farm when it gets bigger.

Eick tends to the animals on the weekends and over the summer, with help from some FFA members. The FFA program has grown to 130 in the high school and another 95 in the junior FFA program.

The agriculture program also has apple trees in a partnership with local grower Jeff Smith. Eick also is working with the FFA to develop two community gardens on district property.

“Even if these kids don’t become farmers, one of my goals is for them to become more self-sufficient, to show them how much you can do on 1-acre,” Eick said.

Art is sold for a good cause

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Palettes of Orleans concluded its second season with a reception and auction this evening at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina.

In the top photo Laura Gardner, left, and Sam Roskowski look over some of the 27 pieces of artwork on display, including the bottom row, from left, by Clara Lake, Jen Scott (dog) and Patricia Worrad.

The palette project was coordinated by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce with proceeds going towards art scholarships at each of the five school districts in the county.

This photo shows artwork by Connie Mosher (flowers) and Ed Rosko.

Medina teacher brings history to life

Posted 2 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Provided photo – U.S. History teacher Pierson Bell is dressed as a Revolutionary War solider in this photo with Victoria Vought (left), Abby Maines and Adam Cotter.

Press release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – U.S. History teacher Pierson Bell has a very unusual way to bring history to life to his students at Medina High School. He comes dressed to class as a British soldier.

“I am a Revolutionary War re-enactor and belong to a British regiment headquartered out of Rochester,” he said. “I got into it as a hobby when I was in graduate school at William and Mary, which is located in Colonial Williamsburg, the 18th century living history museum.”

His students have been studying the American Revolution since the beginning of the school year and when they focused on the military conflict and warfare of the 18th century, it seemed like a perfect time to wear his military uniform.

“The linear tactics, standing shoulder to shoulder and shooting at each other, seems silly to us in the 21st century, but it makes perfect sense to those in the 18th century due to the inaccuracy of the weapons,” he said. “We discussed factors that led to the American victory and some of the myths Hollywood movies perpetuate like Mel Gibson’s ‘The Patriot.'”

Mr. Bell says he loved this lesson because of its hands-on approach and because students ask questions on what they observe.

“As teachers we work hard to convey our passion for our subject to our students and hopefully excite them about their learning,” he said. “Showing students that my passion for history goes beyond work hours goes a long way in building credibility with them and creating interest for the subject.”

Artwork goes to bidders this evening

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Paintings by Orleans County artists will be sold to the highest bidder during a reception this evening, a project that will try to raise $1,250 for art scholarships – $250 for each of the five school districts in the county.

The top photo shows a painting of fishermen by Suzanne Wells of Waterport. The painting was displayed at Tillman’s Village Inn.

This is the second year the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce has coordinated the Palettes of Orleans. Last year it debuted with 70 paintings on palettes. This year the numbers were reduced and the format was switched to an 11-by-14-inch canvas.

This photo features artwork created by Jen Scott. The Book Shoppe in Medina displayed Scott’s work.

There will be a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery at 10609 Ridge Rd., Medina. The public is welcome to attend and bid on the 27 pieces of art.

School flies mourning flags after teacher’s death

Staff Reports Posted 1 October 2014 at 12:00 am

Provided photos

MEDINA – The school district is flying black and white mourning flags following the death of beloved middle school teacher Barbara Barnes. She was killed in a car accident on Monday morning in Newfane on her way to school.

Barnes taught special education at the Clifford Wise Middle School for 18 years. She lived in Newfane. Her husband Bruce is a town justice. They have two sons, Troy and Braidy. Barnes is also survived by her step-children, Livia Santschi, Evan and Thaler.

Barbara Barnes

The mourning flags at the school district will be at half mast on Saturday, the day of Barnes’s funeral. There will be calling hours at the Rutland & Corwin Funeral Home on Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. with the funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Newfane Methodist Church.

Donations can be made to the Barbara Barnes Memorial Scholarship, Medina School District C/O Christine Griffin, One Mustang Drive, Medina, NY 14103.