Photo by Tom Rivers – Contractors are expected to begin stabilizing the corner of the Bent’s Opera House later this month. The three-story building was built during the Civil War in 1864.

MEDINA – It was about a year ago when the owner of the Bent’s Opera House realized the 150-year-old structure was in danger due to a rotted structural support beams on the southeast building.

To buy time, the Orleans Renaissance Group hired Matthews House Movers in Rochester to install “cribbing” as a temporary support so the rotted beams could be removed and the new supports installed. That more permanent solution will soon be under way.

The building was compromised after renovations in the 1930s and 1970s. First-floor masonry walls were removed. Those walls originally defined three distinct storefronts and helped support the two stories of the stone above, said Chris Busch, vice chairman for the ORG.

The original wooden beam also decayed due to water infiltration. ORG will replace the decayed section of the wood beam with new steel. The organization will also reconstruct the missing masonry walls from footers below the basement up to the beam that supports the second- and third-story stone façade, Busch said.

ORG will also have a contractor use new mortar to rebuild and repoint some of the existing stone. The projects could be done by the end of the year.

The Orleans Renaissance Group secured a $100,000 emergency loan from the Preservation League of New York State to address the main structural support timber on the building’s southeast corner.

“Upon engineering assessment, the necessary work that needed to be completed was greater than was initial thought,” Busch said. “It was absolutely critical that these deficiencies were addressed immediately.”

ORG already has plans for Phase 2 at Bent’s. That will include restoration of the original three storefronts using decorative cast-iron columns and cornice. The Village Planning Board approved a certificate of appropriateness for that work last week.

MEDINA – The Village Board opened its meeting on Monday by observing a moment of silence for Marcia Tuohey, a former village mayor who died on Thursday at age 84.

“She was a longstanding mayor and county legislator,” Mayor Andrew Meier said at the meeting. “She was a real trailblazer in our county and village.”

Tuohey joined the Village Board in 1979 after a successful career as general manager and part owner of Lakewood Village Mobile Home Park. She was once part-owner of the Orchard Manor Nursing Home and also co-owned residential housing and commercial properties.

“Our prayers go out to her family in this time of loss,” Meier said.

Calling hours will be Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bates & Tuttle Funeral Home, 226 Pearl St. Her Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Parish/St. Mary’s R.C. Church.

Editorial:

Marcia Tuohey

I saw two empty chairs next to Marcia Tuohey. It was July 28 and a good-sized crowd had turned out to watch a joint session of the Medina Village Board and the Ridgeway and Shelby town boards. The elected officials were there to discuss shared services and perhaps other ways to bring down the costs of local government.

Tuohey, a former Medina mayor and County Legislature chairwoman, had claimed a seat in the front row. She has attended many sessions over the past 18 months as the Village Board weighed the future of the community. She has shared her views at meetings, suggesting the Village Board trim more from its budget and also be “hard-nosed” with the two towns in negotiations, particularly seeking money for the ambulance service.

At that meeting two weeks ago, I started to sit down next to Tuohey but she told me not to. “Don’t sit next to me.” She flashed a little smile. I sat two seats away instead. That seemed good enough for her.

I’ve spent more time as an adult with Tuohey than with my own mother. I’ve always liked Marcia, even when she was telling me off. She didn’t hold back. She also could be nice. Sometimes during a break in the action at a Legislature meeting, she would come over and shoot the breeze with me. I’ve been to her house. Her late husband Carl joked he spent his retirement as his wife’s personal secretary. They kept up one of Medina’s grandest houses before downsizing a few years ago.

She liked the banter on boards and enjoyed behind-the-scenes politicking. I was impressed with her commanding presence as chairwoman. She knew the issues.

Tuohey died on Thursday at age 84. Some people might have known her as “The Hat Lady.” She was much more than a stylish dresser. When she represented the county with state officials and at regional events, the hats and her classy outfits stood out. But through her strength and determination, she made sure the county wasn’t forgotten. She wasn’t afraid of anybody.

She attended a three-hour Village Planning Board meeting two days before her death. Tuohey served on the board in an unpaid position. She’s the only former legislator I know of who returned to a village or town government role after serving in a county position. The Planning Board is about as thankless as it gets. She was happy to be a role player. She didn’t always need to be in charge.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Marcia Tuohey attended a July 17 retirement party for Paul Wagner. She appointed him as emergency management director 14 years ago.

Tuohey also represented the county on the board of directors for Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. She joined that board in 2006.

Richard Siebert remembers when Tuohey started on the WROTB board. Siebert represents Genesee County on the board. When Tuohey was Legislature chairwoman, she was outspoken against WROTB and the directors’ decision to buy the Batavia Downs race track in 1998. “Have they lost their minds?” Siebert recalled Tuohey being quoted in the newspapers.

The track has proved a big money-maker for OTB. The race track has about 800 video lottery terminals that resemble slot machines. The VLTs are carrying the corporation, more than making up for a downturn at the OTB parlors and losses with live racing.

At her first meeting on the board, Tuohey admitted she was wrong about the track in 1998.

“She told us we were right and it has been a great deal for everybody,” Siebert said.

Tuohey quickly earned the respect of the 17-member board, which included representatives from 15 counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo. Despite being from one of the smallest counties, she was elected by her peers on the board to be vice chairman of the board.

There was infighting on the board at times, and Tuohey didn’t back down.

“She would get in someone’s face if she didn’t agree with you,” Siebert said. “Everyone respected her. When she got done, you knew where she was coming from.”

Tuohey ran several business ventures before running for Medina Village Board in 1979. She was the co-owner and operator of a nursing home, motel and restaurant, mobile home park, and rental properties.

She ran for village trustee because she didn’t want Medina to spend $10 million for a new sewer plant. She was elected and Medina did a $3 million upgrade instead.

She was the first woman to serve as Medina mayor (from 1982 to 1990) and was the first woman elected to the County Legislature in 1990. She was chairwoman for 10 years, the longest tenure of any county leader.

She battled colorectal cancer about a decade ago but still pushed through big projects at the county, including renovations and an expansion of the county nursing home.

She set an example for all of us, a full life with family, business and public service. She didn’t let any obstacle – sickness, age, gender bias or the status quo – get in her way.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Medina Business Association and Village of Medina dedicated a new bike rack on Saturday at the Canal Basin.

This is the third apple-themed bike rack added to the downtown business district. The other two are on Main Street and have a different design.

This bike rack on Main Street was added late last month.

The Medina Business Association paid for new bike racks that were manufactured by students in the Orleans-Niagara BOCES welding class. F & H Metal Finishing in Medina painted the bike racks. The Medina Department of Public Works installed the bike racks that are designed to celebrate local heritage and give cyclists a place to tie up their bikes.

BOCES students created a stem and leaf for the top of the new apple-themed bike rack.

Photos by Sue Cook – Jena Hemphill gives out cheesecake samples at Celebrity Day Spa.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

MEDINA – The Medina Business Association began Sweets in Summer to offer a family-friendly option during summer to attract people to downtown Medina.

Many of the businesses served up sweets on Saturday and other organizations planned activities, including concerts, a history walk and other events.

“We’d been looking at some sort of summer event and making it family-friendly so people could bring their kids,” said Cindy Robinson, president of the MBA.

“People won’t even have to leave Medina today.”

The Medina Sandstone Society planned a tour in the afternoon focused on the interpretive panels throughout downtown Medina.

ellen j goods served up mini cupcakes.

Interesting and unexpected desserts were also offered at some locations. Apple Blossom Florist chose to offer cream puffs with edible flowers.

The Bread Basket co-owners Lori Brien and Lissa Stewart chose to serve handmade banana chocolate chip ice cream bread and birthday cake ice cream bread (pictured above).

In the evening, the canal basin hosted The Dave Viterna Group and the Creek Bend Band while The Park Grille served up hot dogs and sausages among other non-sweet items to give people a break from the sugar they’d eaten all day.

“We wanted to make it like a whole day event. You could spend the whole day here and shop, too,” said Robinson.

“We wanted to do something different other than Wine About Winter and Ale in Autumn, but it’s the same concept,” said Mary Lewis, owner of Creekside Floral.

“Instead of alcohol, we wanted to something more kid friendly. We sat down and just came up with a lot of ideas of what we could do.”

Lewis was one of the event organizers and also led the prize drawing for a basket of a dozen gift cards and items at local shops.

Event tickets could be shared. The ticket allowed for 24 tastings, but could be split between multiple people.

Multiple tastings of the same food could also be done at the same location allowing people to pick and choose which desserts they wanted to skip and which ones they wanted more of.

Businesses provided dessert tastings during the event, but also hoped to draw shoppers as well. They were allowed to choose what desserts they gave out which included cookies, ice cream, cakes and more.

Eighteen businesses participated including RG Lama Studios, The English Rose Tea Shoppe, The Bread Basket, Nice Farms, Meggie Moo’s, Ashlee’s Place, East Center Street Stop ‘n Shop, Case-Nic Cookies, ellen j goods, Creekside Floral, Celebrity Day Spa, Shirt Factory Cafe, My Cowboy Transportation, Della’s Chocolates, Rosenkrans, Apple Blossom Florist, ATB Staffing and Double Dips.

“It was a suggestion from one of our friends. She had found this recipe she wanted us to try because it seemed fun and easy,” Stewart said.

“We’re hoping with it being on a nice day and this is kind of a family activity, we’re hoping this turns out to be a good family activity. The concept is nice and inviting,” she added.

Dan Fuller punches tickets at Della’s Chocolates which offered peanut butter cups, milk chocolate minis and a new dark chocolate treat with a peanut caramel coconut center. The new treat is considered being added to the store based on positive response.

Susan Fuller, owner of Della’s Chocolates, was invited by the MBA to be one of the shops serving sweets.

Fuller had a hard time choosing which desserts to serve, so she chose to offer three options instead of just one.

“The MBA wondered what I thought of it because they’re trying to bring more activities to the town to bring more people in. I thought it sounded fun,” she said.

The Medina FFA students offered children a chance to play games in Rotary Park.

The games were designed by the students. A teacher helped to cut the shapes out of wood and then the students painted the designs on them.

The Medina FFA gave kids extra fun during the day. Michael Carson helps Faith Baker-Austin to score big in the chicken coop game.

To get the right shape, the students used a projector on the piece of wood and traced the outlines. They were first designed for use at a convention in May.

The students estimated they’d seen about 40 kids by the halfway point of the event.

Games included Black-Eyed Billy’s Crazy Eye Shootout, Milk Splat Madness, a chicken coop toss game and cornhole. Leis, sunglasses and pencils were given as prizes.

The final ticket sales for Sweets in Summer have not been calculated, but the estimate is between 100 to 200 were sold for the event.

“Our goal was 100 and we had tickets online at the MBA site, here at the English Rose Tea Shoppe and at Creekside Floral,” said Robinson.

The money went back to repaying the vendors for the cost of the desserts and any leftover money will be used toward future MBA endeavors, such as more bike racks and future events.

Photos by Sue Cook – Dave Viterna leads the band as guitarist and singer.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

MEDINA – To end a busy day of events in Medina on Saturday, the canal basin hosted two bands. The Dave Viterna Group started in the late afternoon and was followed by the Creek Bend Band. About 100 people attended the concert along the canal.

The group played classic rock music from Henry Glover, The Byrds and Johnny Rivers.

Provided photo – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library welcomes artists to submit proposals for a book-shaped entrance to the children’s library.

Press release
Lee-Whedon Memorial Library

MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library is soliciting proposals from artists for a unique project. One of the design elements envisioned in the interior renovation project was a book-shaped entrance to the children’s section.

This structure is now in place ready to be transformed and embellished by an imaginative artist.

“The interior of the library has been completely redesigned in the past year,” said Board President Maryellen Dale. “However, we still have a few visual elements to complete. We are very excited about the Storybook Entrance. We foresee it becoming an iconic part of every child’s experience at Lee-Whedon. The design should be imaginative and bring the entrance to life.”

Artists are invited to submit a detailed color rendering of the proposed vision for this feature element by Sept. 15. Submissions should include a resume/artist bio, information about past artistic projects, and photographic examples of artwork. A listing of materials to be used, a project timeline and the estimated cost should also be indicated.

For more specific information, including a budget range, please contact Catherine Cooper, the library director, at 585 798-3430.

“We expect that some of the work will be done while the library is open to the public, so that this can be a true community project,” Cooper said.

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Two members of the First Baptist Church in Medina changed the message board for the historic church at 203 West Center St.

Cheryl Wengrzycki in white and Hope Washburn took care of the task on Tuesday evening. The church is a landmark made of local Medina sandstone.

Opinion sought from State Historic Preservation Office

MEDINA – The owners of one of the historic downtown buildings in Medina wants to give the first floor façade a modern look with six reflective glass panels.

An image of how the façade looked in the late 1800s would be affixed to the reflective glass.

“It makes it functional and durable,” Bob Sanderson, one of the building owners, told the Village Planning Board.

Sanderson and Tim Hungerford own the site at 414 Main St. They said there are structural issues that make it difficult for the façade to have a recessed doorway like some of the other sites on Main Street.

Making the façade with a completely flat front would make the site more sturdy. They have proposed the façade look black with the reflecting panels with the image from the 1800s.

“This screams too modern to me,” said Marcia Tuohey, a Planning Board member.

Todd Benlsey, another Planning Board member, said the current façade “is definitely an eyesore.” The site is vacant and was last used by Fast Fitness, which has moved to a former hardware store across from the library on West Avenue.

But Bensley has reservations about the proposal, and wonders if Sanderson and Hungerford could make it look more traditional.

“We’re trying to keep a 19th Century, 20th Century flavor,” Bensley said.

Planning Board Chairman Chris Busch said the project shouldn’t be voted down just because it utilizes new technology and materials.

The board tabled its decision, wanting input first from the State Historic Preservation Office. Sanderson and Hungerford said they would seek the office’s opinion.

The façade would be split into two storefronts. Hungerford said there are prospective tenants for the building.

Courtesy of Medina Planning Board – The Village Planning Board also approved a certificate of appropriateness for the new sign for 810 Meadworks.

MEDINA – The Village Planning Board on Tuesday approved a special use permit for the first winery in downtown Medina.

810 Meadworks is renovating a former barbershop in the R.H. Newell Building next to the Shirt Factory Café.

Larissa and Bryan DeGraw and their friend Morris Babcock will open 810 Meadworks at 113 West Center St., Suite 1. That spot is located in the historic R.H. Newell building.

The business owners are renovating the site and working towards a late November opening. They expect the site will be embraced on the Niagara Wine Trail and will draw many visitors to Medina.

810 Meadworks is actually a meadery, which uses honey in producing wine. The board had a public hearing on the project on Monday. With no opposition, the board approved a permit for the meadery.

Planners said other wineries could open in the community. The board also approved a certificate of appropriateness for a projecting sign for 810 Meadworks.

MEDINA – A representative for either Family Dollar or Dollar Tree met with the Village Planning Board on Monday to discuss a possible new building on Maple Ridge Road.

Bill Burdwood, regional vice president of development for the Durban Group, represents one of the companies. He declined to say which one.

He met with the board to get a sense of what the board was looking for in a new building. He said one of the companies might want to put up a building made of corrugated metal.

Planning Board Chairman Chris Busch said that type of building would not be embraced by the board. He told Burdwood to look at Medina’s design standards, which spell out preferences for building materials, colors, landscaping, signage and other issues.

Burdwood said one of the companies is eyeing land at 11300 Maple Ridge Rd. That is 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 dollar store won’t need a turning lane because it has much less traffic volume without a drive-through, Burdwood told the Planning Board.

MEDINA – The accident Friday morning that closed a section of Maple Ridge Road for several hours left a Shelby firefighter with serious injuries.

John L. Miller, 36, is an active member of the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company. In 2012, he led all firefighters in Orleans County by taking 10 training classes and accumulating 176 hours of training.

On Friday morning, just before 8 a.m., Miller was on West Avenue when he allegedly pulled in front of a dump truck on Maple Ridge Road, Medina police said. Miller was heading south in a 2000 Chevy Suburban.

He pulled in front of a dump truck driven by Stephen Spencer of Oak Orchard Concrete. The dump truck was empty and Spencer was returning for another load of sand, Medina police said.

Miller was flown by Mercy Flight helicopter to Erie County Medical Center, where he is being treated for a broken right leg and other injuries.

He has been charged with failure to yield. Spencer was not injured in the accident and declined medical attention at the scene.