By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 December 2014 at 12:00 am
C.L. Helt, Architect, Inc. in Charlotte, NC – Here is a rendering for the proposed new Family Dollar in Medina.
MEDINA – The Village of Medina Planning Board accepted a site plan for a new Family Dollar store as complete, with the project to face scrutiny from the Orleans County Planning Board before getting a final vote by the village planners.
The Durban Group, which is based in North Carolina, met with the Village Planning Board on Tuesday for the new building.
The company wants the project at 11300 Maple Ridge Rd., almost across the street from Tim Hortons. That company originally wanted to build there but the state Department of Transportation said Tim Hortons needed to put a turning lane on the state road.
Tim Hortons opted instead to build on the north side of the road. The Family Dollar won’t need a turning lane because it has much less traffic volume without a drive-through.
Planning Board Chairman Chris Busch said the Family Dollar complies with the village design standards.
“It’s not your standard pole-barn dollar store,” he said.
The project will likely be on the County Planning Board agenda for 7 p.m. on Dec. 18.
MEDINA – There were activities from morning to night for Medina’s Old Tyme Christmas Celebration on Saturday.
The “Home for the Holidays”event included a Cutest Little Elf Contest. The top photo shows the winners, including from left: Madelene Wilcox of Buffalo, second place; Jaelyn Castricone of Medina, first place; and Aurora Owczarczak of Medina, third place. Jaelyn got to ride in the noon parade with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Santa and Mrs. Claus greet folks in the downtown.
Cutest Elf contest winner Jaelyn Castricone gets to ride with Santa.
All the cutest elf contestants were invited to walk in the noon parade to celebrate Santa’s arrival.
Melodee and Kadinz Sager of Medina decorate cookies at Case-Nic Cookies.
Maddysen Snook with her grandpa Christopher Seefeldt, both of Medina, enjoy the parade with Santa’s arrival.
Shawna Baldwin paints Olaf, a popular request, on Elizabeth Giarla of Barker at Wide Angle Gallery.
Catherine Cooper, director at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, reads classic Christmas stories during Story Hour at the library.
Horse-drawn wagon and sleigh rides were provided courtesy of Hartland Carriage of Gasport.
Jodi and Russ Peters sing Christmas Carols for the folks gathered at The Bread Basket.
Georgia Thomas wears some vintage clothes at the Medina Historical Society open house. Georgia said that the house was decorated circa 1850 with a tabletop Christmas tree with natural-type ornaments of ribbons, lace and gingerbread cookies.
Erik Wilcox of Buffalo was the winner of the Ugly Sweater Contest held at Tea & Couture Atelier.
Erik’s “ugly” sweater includes a cut-out framing his ipad playing Christmas videos and taped-on Christmas lights. He and his family learned of the Medina Olde Tyme Christmas Celebration by searching online. They thought it would be the perfect location for them to meet up with his mother Carol, of Greece, NY. They each traveled halfway for a family day of fun.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Matt C.M. Contracting is a repeat grand champion
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Matt Mundion and his giant igloo – The North Pole – was named grand champion in Saturday’s Parade of Lights. Mundion and his business, Matt C.M. Contracting, also won last year for a float with a team of deer pulling a sleigh stacked with presents.
Mundion this time built a framework of wood and attached white fabric on the outside to give an igloo look. He used two of the deer from last year – Rudolph and Dasher – as part of the display.
He also built a door in front so he could see to steer the igloo. He drove a four-wheeler underneath the igloo to travel the parade route.
Mundion is pictured under the igloo with Heather Schrader.
Other winners in the parade include:
Business/Commercial: Weed Man with Dancing Derrick Bradley on top of the float.
Service Organization: Albion FFA, which had a Polar Express themed float.
Not-For-Profit: Medina Band Boosters
Religious: Orleans County Christian School (with a Charlie Brown theme)
Fire Company: Shelby Fire Company
Other groups: Medina School Transportation Department. Pictured include, from left: Rob Dennis, transportation director; and drivers Tina Dennis, Linda Draper, Bonnie Carpenter and Mike Lyons.
Littlest Elf Award (for best design for involving youths and adults): Medina Head Start
Star Award: Bentley Brothers (Laura Bentley fills the snow machine on top of the float)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Runners round a bend on the towpath along the Erie Canal, which was part of the 5-kilometer course on Saturday for the second Home for the Holidays 5k.
There were 103 finishers in the race, which was up from the 85 in last year’s debut event.
Nolan Bouchane of Lyndonville finishes the race in 19:20, the second fastest time. Bouchane, 18, is a student at the University of Buffalo.
Sam Morgano of Orchard Park won with a time of 18:37. Tammy Putt of Allegany was the first woman to finish with a time of 19:36.
Some of the participants ran in Santa hats, jingle bells and other holiday outfits. This group includes, from left: Teresa Wilkins of Medina, Mercedes Houseman of Albion, and Debbie Tompkins of Medina.
The race started and finished next to the American Legion on Main Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The 6th annual Parade of Lights in Medina this evening included a long lineup of floats with holiday lights. The event for the first time also included fireworks.
That display preceded the parade. In the photo above, Travis Phillips (orange hat) of Medina holds his daughter Evelyn while standing next to his wife Kristen. Their son Jaxon also joined them for the fireworks at 5:45 p.m. on Main Street, just before the start of the parade.
The fireworks went off north of Main Street. They gave a nice glow on the historic downtown business district.
The parade also include a grand marshal for the first time. Randy Bushover served in the role. He urged the residents to give back to Medina, their neighbors and family.
“Everyone of you is a light for your community,” Bushover told the crowd.
Orleans Hub will soon have highlights from the parade.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Many volunteers are at the State Street Park in Medina this morning, decorating Christmas trees and setting up a Nativity scene and other signs of the upcoming holiday season.
In the top photo, Dennis Dubai and Christine Limina string lights on trees at the park on Route 31, on the east side of the village.
Debbie Feltz and Gage Masters add lights to one of the trees.
The Medina Lions Club takes the lead in decorating the park. The “Decorate Medina” committee pays for bulbs and other supplies for the annual display. Pete Kaiser of the Lions Club heads the decorating effort.
“It should be nice tonight when the lights are on with all the people here for the Parade of Lights,” Kaiser said.
Lions Club members David Bellucci, with hammer, and Andrew Meier, right, join other volunteers in setting up one of the scenes at the park.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 November 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A giant snowman makes its way down Main Street in a lighted float by MAK Plowing and Landscape in Medina. The 6th annual Parade of Lights included many businesses, civic groups and other organizations.
The parade drew a big crowd to downtown Medina as well as spectators along Park Avenue.
The floats received some last-minute setting up in the parking lot at the Olde Pickle Factory. 810 Meadworks, which celebrated its opening today, also debuted in the parade. The float is show in the Pickle Factory parking lot.
The Medina Transportation Association had a patriotic theme for its float. Several bus drivers marched down Main Street waving flags and dressed as soldiers while bus driver Mike Lyons dressed as Uncle Sam.
A school bus is decorated to look like a giant flag. The vehicle is the new bus for the marching band. Students submitted design ideas to bus drivers. Last year the bus drivers turned a bus into a pirate ship.
“We do it for the kids,” said Mike Lyons, one of the drivers. “Each year we try to do something.”
The Medina FFA created a float with a theme about toys that escaped. Many of the FFA members were dressed as presents. In the top of the float, Josh Wells is the Jack-In-The-Box. He is pictured with elves, Chantelle Kidney (left) and Abigail Maines, the FFA president.
The Orleans County Christian School participated in the parade and had several characters from Charlie Brown.
The Albion FFA had a Polar Express themed float. The newly formed Roy-Hart FFA also participated in the parade for the first time.
Matt Mundion of Matt C.M. Contracting created this float of the North Pole. Mundion made an igloo using scrap wood for a frame. That supported the fabric to give the igloo its white look. Mundion steered the igloo with a four-wheeler inside.
Regan Stacey and Tom Follman portray characters from the Frozen movie. They were featured on the float for Habitat for Humanity.
Dancing Derrick Bradley returned with the Weed Man from Albion.
A member of the Medina Marching Band performs for the crowd. Even his trombone was decorated for the occasion.
The Medina Fire Department has its ladder truck decked out for the parade. Several other fire companies joined in the parade.
East Shelby firefighters, including fire chief Mike Fuller (right), dressed as reindeer for the parade.
Orleans Hub will post more photos from the parade tomorrow.
MEDINA – Medina Mayor Andrew Meier will host a series of office hours to provide constituents an opportunity to ask questions about the village government dissolution plan and the upcoming dissolution vote scheduled for Jan. 20.
Office hours will be at Village Clerk’s Office, 119 Park Ave. in Medina. The first set of office hours will be as follows:
Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 3 to 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 9 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Residents seeking clarification or who have general or specific questions regarding the dissolution of village government are welcomed and encouraged to attend. The format will be informal and conversational, and no appointment is necessary.
The dissolution referendum will be Jan. 20, 2014 with polls open from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Citizens Center on West Avenue in Medina.
MEDINA – Artist Judith Villavisanis has been working on a book-shaped entrance to the children’s library at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library this week. She is expected to be on site for about two more weeks, creating an entrance with words and illustrations.
“It is an invitation to enter the area and the world of imagination,” said Catherine Cooper, library director. “It will have rich and vivid colors.”
Villavisanis lives in a Florida and is a muralist. She has many Albion connections and submitted a proposal for the project.
The “Storybook Entrance” project is part of the interior renovations in the library. Lee-Whedon leaders expect the entrance will become an iconic part of every child’s experience at Lee-Whedon.
Here is how the entrance looked before Villavisanis went to work.
MEDINA – After a several-month investigation into the possession, sale and distribution of marijuana in the Village of Medina, two people were arrested and jailed on Tuesday, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported.
The Task Force, along with the Medina Police Department and the Orleans County Multi-Agency Swat Team, executed a search warrant on Tuesday at 915 South Main St.
Police seized approximately 6 ounces of marijuana, cash, scales, packaging and other drug paraphernalia. Police also encountered three young children in the presence of marijuana.
The following were arrested:
Marcus S. Warren, 31, of 915 South Main St., Medina. He was charged with one count of criminal possession of marijuana in the fourth degree, and three counts of unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree.
Ashlee Waters
He was arraigned by Town of Yates Judge Donald Grabowski and committed to Orleans County Jail on $2,500 bail. He is to appear in Shelby Town Court on Dec. 11 at 9 a.m.
Additional charges for sale of marijuana are pending against Warren, the Task Force reported.
Ashlee J.P. Waters, 25, of 915 South Main St., Medina, was charged with one count of criminal possession of marijuana in the fourth degree, and three counts of unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree.
She was arraigned by Judge Grabowski and remanded to Orleans County Jail on $1,000 bail. She is to appear in Shelby Town Court on Dec. 11 at 9 a.m.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Some of the floats, including one by Habitat for Humanity, work their way down Main Street during last year’s Parade of Lights. The sixth annual parade with be at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
MEDINA – The 6th annual Parade of Lights will return Saturday at 6 p.m. in downtown Medina. The event for the first time will include fireworks at 5:45 p.m.
The parade committee also has picked a grand marshal for the parade. Randy Bushover will serve in the role.
“Randy is a local guy who promotes his beloved community of Medina,” said Jim Hancock, parade chairman. “He is an ambassador for Medina and is well liked and known to most of Medinans.”
Bushover will lead a tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. at Rotary Park in the downtown.
“This is a honorary position and we are happy to acknowledge Randy and for all that he has done to support our community,” Hancock said about the grand marshal.
For more on the parade and the schedule of events on Saturday, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 November 2014 at 1:56 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers – Property owners in the village of Medina pay one of the highest combined tax rates – village, town, county and school taxes – of any community in the state.
MEDINA – A new report from the Empire Center lists the combined tax rates of 3,663 jurisdictions across the state. Medina is near the top for the highest tax rates.
Village residents in the Town of Shelby paid a $54.13 tax rate per $1,000 of assessed property in 2012. That was the 13th highest in the state. Village residents in the Town of Ridgeway paid a $53.82 rate, the 16th highest in the state.
Several jurisdictions in Orleans County were in the top 100 for highest tax rates, but none were higher than the Village of Medina.
The Village of Wellsville in Allegany County was the highest overall with a combined rate of $67.78. Several Allegany communities – Alfred, Friendship, Andover and Bolivar-Richberg – topped Medina.
The high tax rates have a negative impact on real estate values, depressing prices. Allegany is the only county with lower real estate values than Orleans. The median value in Allegany was $73,000 in 2012, with Orleans at $77,000.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said the real estate prices are more devalued in the villages, where property owners pay far more in taxes than residents outside the village borders.
That is one reason why he is pushing for a dissolution of the village government in Medina, to try to reduce the gap between the tax rates for village and outside-village property owners. Village residents will vote on that issue on Jan. 20.
Medina’s rate is the highest in the Finger Lakes region. Meier looked at the state-wide numbers and concluded 99.64 percent of jurisdictions have lower rates than Medina.
“That is wretched,” he said. “It doesn’t help draw people and investment to our community.”
To achieve such a high tax rate in 2012, Medina did it with a $25.63 rate for the school district, $15.52 for the village, $9.63 for county and either $3.35 for Town of Shelby or $3.01 for Town of Ridgeway.
The average village rate in Upstate NY is $34.28, according to the Empire Center report that came out on Monday. That’s nearly $20 less than in Medina.
Other Orleans County jurisdictions aren’t too far behind Medina.
• The Village of Holley is 50th at $49.98 – $24.94 for school, $12.99 for village, $9.65 for county and $2.40 for town of Murray.
• The Village of Albion in Gaines is 77th at $47.77 – $18.06 for school, $15.92 for village, $9.60 for county and $4.19 for town.
• The Town of Barre in Medina school district is 95th at $46.81 – $25.63 for school, $9.61 for county, $9.34 for town and $2.23 for special districts.
• The Village of Albion in the town of Albion is 101st at $46.43 – $18.06 for school, $15.92 for village, $9.60 for county and $2.85 for town.
• The Town of Barre in the Holley school district is 108th at $46.12 – $24.94 for school, $9.61 for county, $9.34 for town and $2.23 for special districts.
Even without the village rate, Shelby and Ridgeway show up in the top 200 overall in the state. The Town of Shelby came in at $43.67 for 154th, with the Town of Ridgeway at 161st with a combined rate of $43.52.
The lowest overall rate in state goes to Sagaponack on Suffolk County at $1.19.
Provided photo – Four Medina students participated in the American Legion Oratorical Contest, including from left: Dylan Metz, John Kelly, Chris Keller, Jon Calo Gonzalez. They are pictured with Steve Johnson and Frederick Heschke from the Legion.
Press Release
Medina Central School
MEDINA – Medina students participated in the American Legion Oratorical Contest last Thursday, speaking about “What the Constitution Means to Me.”
Chris Keller won first place for his speech and Jon Carlo Gonzalez came in second. Both students will compete in the Orleans County competition on Dec. 13 at Albion Middle School along with their Medina classmates John Kelly and Dylan Metz.
“I was very impressed,” said Todd Bensley, social studies teacher at Medina High School. “All the students did an excellent job expressing their passion for the Constitution.”
MEDINA – The Medina Rotary Club provided a family with a basket of fresh vegetables, a gift card for the turkey and pies, bags full of canned goods, along with fresh rolls and butter – all the fixins for a Thanksgiving dinner.
The Rotary Club of Medina traditionally adopts a family and provides Thanksgiving dinner. It is a practice long in tradition and full of great feelings for all. Rotarians personally contribute items for this food basket.
The club is also raising money for its youth programs. This year The Medina Rotary Club is sponsoring a Medina High School student to study in Mexico while also hosting a student from France who is attending Medina High School for this 2014-15 school year.
Rotarians are particularly thankful at this time of year for the opportunity to give back to our community.
Provided photos – Medina High School teachers are pictured with food collected at the school for a local food pantry. The group includes, from left: Julie Webber, Kim Zakes, Jon Sherman, Gianna Sargent and Tom Robinson.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – The Medina Teachers’ Association at the High School, Clifford Wise Intermediate/Middle School and Oak Orchard Elementary pulled together to help out the Calvary Tabernacle Assembly’s Food Pantry for the upcoming holidays.
Medina High School French teacher Julie Webber says this is the fourth year the staff has rallied together for the church’s “Helpful Harvest.”
Oak Orchard Elementary teachers collected many bags of food for Calvary Tabernacle’s food pantry.
“We asked everyone over the course of two weeks to bring in nonperishable food items,” Webber said. “The church does so much for our community and everyone was happy to lend a hand. We even had teachers volunteer to go shopping for their colleagues who didn’t have time to go to the store.”
Mrs. Webber says they are very grateful to Tops for donating the brown bags for the staff where they attached their wish list: cereal, boxed potatoes, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, kid friendly snacks, can fruit and vegetables, stuffing, jelly and can pasta and ravioli.
Clifford Wise Intermediate/Middle School teachers are pictured with food to be donated.
“We ended up with about 30 to 40 bags at each of our schools and it was a great feeling to be able to pull up to their building and help them carry it inside,” Webber said. “They were very grateful.”
