By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – There are a lot of branches down, but most of the trees, including this one at Mount Albion Cemetery, have stayed strong during the ice storm.
Chris Busch cringed when he heard the weather forecast, calling for a half-inch to an inch of ice Saturday night and Sunday.
He worried about the old trees in Medina, and many of the new ones.
“Whenever they predict lots of ice that never ends well,” said Busch, chairman of the Medina Tree Board.
He was out today assessing the damage around Medina. He saw lots of fallen branches, but not too many snapped-off large branches from the mature trees.
The storm tampered off just in time.
“While under stress from ice load, most trees in Medina escaped major damage,” Busch said.
The trees were at their limit in supporting a heavy ice load, he said. Warmer temperatures this afternoon are melting the ice, easing the burden on the trees and their branches.
“At first glance Medina’s urban forest was lucky,” Busch said. “Had the ice storm lasted longer, things would’ve been much worse.”
Photo by Chris Busch – The trees on Pearl Street near the YMCA in Medina held up under the strain of the ice storm.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Hundreds of pairs of shoes from walkers and runners took a toll on the towpath this morning in Medina.
About 300 people joined for a walk/run in memory of Dennis Heil, who passed away on Dec. 2, leaving behind a wife and seven children.
The “Miles for Heils – In Memory of Dennis” included walkers and runners who went down and back on the towpath between the lift bridge and Marshall Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Jonathan Higgins, an active local firefighter for 25 years, is a new captain with the Medina Fire Department.
MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department has promoted a veteran local firefighter to captain, the department’s second in command.
Jonathan Higgins has been an active local firefighter for 25 years, since he joined the Carlton Fire Company when he was 20. Higgins became a paramedic when he was 25, and he served as paramedic at Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance in Albion for 17 years.
He also worked as a paramedic in Batavia for United Memorial Medical Center and then the city of Batavia for 14 years altogether. Seven years ago he joined the Medina Fire Department as a paid firefighter.
That proved to be good timing because a year later the city of Batavia got out of the ambulance business and laid off many firefighters.
Medina at that time had a grant to add staff while it took over western Orleans ambulance coverage from Rural Metro. Higgins has a been a leader for the department from day one, Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich said.
Higgins has the respect of his fellow firefighters and the community, the chief said.
Higgins has represented Medina and Orleans County at local, regional and state EMS councils. He took the lead locally in getting a helipad paved for the Medina Memorial Hospital, and also in the design and dedication of a firefighters’ memorial outside city hall in Medina.
Higgins helps douse the flames at a carriage barn fire in Medina last month. He has extensive experience fighting fires and responding to ambulance calls.
The department has 13 paid firefighters, including the chief and two captains. It has been without a second captain for about two years since R.J. Morgan retired.
The Village Board held off on the promotion but agreed to fill the spot after the firefighters’ union agreed to cost-saving concessions. The biggest savings will come from a new policy that only one of the 13 firefighters can be on vacation on a any given day. The previous policy allowed for two people to claim vacation the same day. The new policy with only one person off will reduce overtime costs, Zinkievich said.
Higgins will lead a platoon with five other firefighters while Mike Maak, the other captain, leads a group with five firefighters. Maak will also focus on the EMS for the department while Higgins leads firefighting efforts. Higgins not only has firefighting experience, but he brings an extensive paramedic background to the captain’s position.
“He’s going to be a super leader,” Zinkievich said.
Higgins and Zinkievich said staffing is a challenge, given the rising number of calls. The department has applied for a federal grant to add two paid firefighters.
When Zinkievich pitched the ambulance plan to the Village Board in 2007, he anticipated running anywhere from 1,500 to 1,700 ambulance calls. Immediately, the department exceeded that, pushing 1,800 to 1,900 calls in its first year. The department so far in 2013 is well ahead of the pace for the record 2,209 calls last year.
Altogether, with fire and ambulance calls, the department will respond to about 2,700 calls this year, the most ever.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 18 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Mike Wertman – Roles will be shifting a bit in January for Medina Central administrattors Chris Hughes, left, and Mark Kruzynski.
Academic demands will be causing a bit of a shift in the work load for two Medina Central administrators, Medina High Principal Mark Kruzynski and Athletic Director and Wise Middle School Assistant Principal Chris Hughes, as of January 1.
Kruzynski will be adding the responsibilities of athletic director while Hughes will remain as Wise Middle School assistant principal and head of the district’s Physical Education Department.
The increased academic demands on staff due to the state’s listing of Wise Middle as a Focus School is cited as a primary reason for the shifting of duties.
“Academics is our primary concern and since the middle school is a Focus School this year Chris is needed in that area,” Kruzynski said. “And that is a very time consuming effort so this is really a balancing of work loads.”
Adding the role of athletic director is not a new one for Kruzynski who previously served in that position for several years before becoming high school principal.
MEDINA – Farm Credit East’s Batavia branch recently presented the Medina FFA Chapter with a $5,000 donation to help support the 89th annual New York State FFA Convention.
The three-day event will be at Medina High School in May and will draw over 1,000 FFA members, advisors and officials from around the state. During the convention, students will have the opportunity to attend workshops, network with agriculture professionals and compete in career development events. The event also showcases local agricultural businesses and the surrounding area.
Supporting young farmers and youth agricultural organizations is an area of special focus for Farm Credit East. In addition to providing financing and business services to Northeast farmers, Farm Credit maintains special programs for young, beginning and small farmers and also helps to provide and encourage their participation in activities that improve farm and financial management skills.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 December 2013 at 12:00 am
NY approves low-cost power for company to grow in Orleans
(Editor’s note: This article has been updated from an earlier version.)
MEDINA – A Medina company will receive 2.4 megawatts of low-cost electricity as part of a $15 million expansion project that will add 43 jobs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.
The New York Power Authority approved the low-cost hydropower allocation for Brunner International. The company is considering a 45,000-square-foot addition to expand the production of machined axle forgings that are sold to large, heavy-duty truck and trailer suppliers.
Brunner hasn’t committed to project yet and is weighing locations in other states for the expansion, said Jim Whipple, chief executive officer for the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
The power allocation makes Medina a more enticing site for the project, he said.
“This is not a done deal but it certainly helps,” Whipple said about the power allocation. “Brunner is weighing all the issues.”
Brunner, located at the corner of Bates Road and Route 31, has been a longtime hydropower customer for NYPA.
The state also approved a $750,000 incentive package under Empire State Development’s Excelsior Jobs Program and additional tax incentives are expected from the Orleans County Economic Development Agency if the company commits to the expansion in Medina.
Brunner completed a 41,250-square-foot expansion about five years ago that added 50 jobs in Medina.
Brunner is one of three growing companies in Western New York approved for the cheap electricity, according to the governor’s annoucement today. The hydropower is available to companies within 30 miles of the power plant in Lewiston. Medina is at the far end of the eligible territory.
Ford Motor Company will receive 1 megawatt in support of its plans to invest $150 million in its 63-year-old Hamburg stamping facility, located just outside Buffalo. Ford will upgrade equipment and add 10 new assembly lines.
The company will commit to creating 350 new positions at its facility above its current employment of 640 as a result of the expansion, with startup of the new equipment and assembly lines by the end of 2014, according to the governor’s announcement.
Gracious Living USA will receive 3.7 megawatts to renovate and refurbish four abandoned buildings on 50 acres of property in Buffalo to open an injection molding manufacturing facility and warehouse. The Canadian company wants to establish a greater presence in the U.S. for its resin-based furniture and other plastic products. The new facilities will lead to the creation of 250 jobs.
“Today’s low-cost hydropower allocations are a major win for Western New York, helping to create more than 600 new jobs, while reducing business costs to support the manufacturing industry,” Cuomo said. “As we grow the manufacturing sector in Western New York, the state will continue to leverage these kinds of investments to strengthen the local economy.”
State Sen. George Maziarz praised the power allocations for the companies.
“Ford Motor Company employs many Western New Yorkers and this award will expand that number exponentially,” Maziarz said. “I am also pleased that Brunner International in Medina will benefit from the excellent programs NYPA provides businesses, as it will continue to grow Orleans County’s largest private-sector employer.”
Provided photo – Medina FFA students, pictured from left, include Kalvin Packer, Ashlee Dow, Kelsey Cody, Chantelle Kidney, Addy Zavitz, Charlie Enderby and Cassidy Albone.
Press release, Medina FFA
MEDINA – The Medina FFA has its annual Farm Store open for business. Running in conjunction with the citrus sale, the students set up a small store offering Medina FFA apparel, beef jerky, homemade dog treats and bird feed, apples, and many other products.
New this year is the opportunity to build-a-box. Visitors can select either a handmade crate or tray and fill it with local made products and goods. Customers can peruse the wares while waiting for their fruit to be carried to their vehicle.
The store is located in the greenhouse behind the high school. It is open Tuesday through Thursday this week from 9:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. On Friday after 2 p.m. all extra fruit will be available for sale.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 December 2013 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – This home at 204 West Center St., Medina, was one of 17 houses in the village to receive matching funds for improvements through a grant administered by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce. The $200,000 grant also provided money to 11 businesses for façade and sign upgrades. The Chamber is accepting applications for a new round of projects.
MEDINA – Contractors worked on 28 properties in Medina this past year, giving them new coats of paint and making other beautification improvements as part of $200,000 in matching grants.
An anonymous equity group provided the funding for the grant program, which was administered by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber is pleased to announce the anonymous funder wants to offer another round of $200,000 in grants.
“It’s just been amazing,” said Kathy Blackburn, Chamber executive director. “We are thrilled with the work that has been done. It’s encouraged others to work on their properties as well.”
The grant in its first year funded projects at 17 homes and 11 businesses. The Chamber is accepting applications for the new round. The money is available on “a first come, first served” basis, Blackburn said.
The grants are capped at a $20,000 maximum per property. The program is limited to sites within the village of Medina.
Eligible projects include exterior painting; woodwork and architectural metal repair, cleaning, restoration, painting or replacement; masonry repairs and tuck pointing; window and door repairs or replacement; cornice or parapet projects; awning work; and exterior lighting fixtures.
The projects are all reviewed by the Chamber’s Façade Grant Review Committee.
To see the application on the Chamber website, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 December 2013 at 12:00 am
‘The hospital is moving in the right direction,’ hospital CEO tells Legislature
ALBION – Medina Memorial Hospital and its parent organization, Orleans Community Health, are making a series of changes in the coming months that will make the hospital stronger and more viable for the future, the hospital’s CEO told Orleans County legislators on Wednesday.
The community can expect a shift to more outpatient care, although the emergency room and inpatient beds will remain.
“Things are looking good,” Dolores Horvath, the hospital CEO and president, told the Legislature. “The hospital is moving in the right direction.”
The hospital is well positioned to serve the county, Horvath said, with health care sites in Medina and a new facility in Albion at the corner of Butts Road and Route 31. The Albion site is increasing services and expects to meet the “urgent care” standard in early 2014. Radiology equipment will arrive this month so that service can be offered in Albion, Horvath said.
The hospital sold the Orchard Manor nursing home earlier this year and is closing a seven-bed psychiatric unit that hospital officials say operates at a $300,000-plus annual deficit.
“We could no longer sustain that,” Horvath said.
Small hospitals are challenged, Horvath said, and some have been unable to survive. Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport closed in April. Lake Shore Health Care Center in Irving, Chautauqua County, is closing next month.
“I’ve been in healthcare for 30 years and I’ve never seen such challenging times as I do today,” Horvath said.
The hospital has a staff focused in getting Orleans Community Health paid for its services through Medicaid, Medicare and the insurance companies.
Horvath said other health care providers are stepping up their efforts to attract Orleans County patients.
The University of Rochester Medical Center bought the former Lakeside hospital and renamed it “Strong West.” The organization has been advertising in Orleans.
United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia also plans to leave the Medina hospital as a tenant and open an expanded women’s health center on Maple Ridge Road.
Medina will lose UMMC as a tenant and could see some of its patients align with the Batavia organization, which would weaken Orleans Community Health.
Horvath asked the Legislature to be strong backers of Orleans Community Health, an organization with a mission to provide healthcare in Orleans County.
“We want you to be viable and strong organization that contributes of the overall viability and strength of the county,” Legislature Chairman David Callard said.
MEDINA – Firefighters responded this morning to an attic fire at a vacant house on Prospect Street in Medina. Firefighters from Medina, Lyndonville, Ridgeway and Shelby responded to the call. No injuries were reported.
Middleport and East Shelby fire companies filled in at the Medina fire hall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 December 2013 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Firefighters were dispatched to a call at 4:10 a.m. today after smoke was observed from a house at 206 Prospect St.
There was heavy fire in the attic and the blaze consumed the roof at the house. By about 5:30 a.m., the fire was under control, said Mike Maak, a captain with the Medina Fire Department.
The fire is under investigation. The department is also trying to determine the owner of the site.
Medina was assisted at the scene by firefighters from Lyndonville, Ridgeway and Shelby. Middleport and East Shelby firefighters were on standby at the Medina fire hall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Democrat & Chronicle today highlights the Medina Sandstone Society and its efforts to create a Hall of Fame. The newspaper includes a photo of the former Medina Armory, which is now the Orleans County YMCA.
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society will induct its first class of honorees in the Sandstone Hall of Fame on Thursday. Already, the venture is getting some publicity locally and beyond.
Today, the Democrat and Chronicle features the Hall of Fame initiative and includes a photo of the former Medina Armory and the Sandstone Society President Bob Waters.
“Medina sandstone had it all,” D & C columnist Jim Memmott writes today. “Impressively fireproof, famously durable, pleasing to the eye, it was a go-to building material in most of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th.”
Orleans Hub, the Medina Journal-Register and The Daily News of Batavia all have published several stories about the Hall of Fame.
The publicity for the community was one of the goals for the initiative. The Sandstone Society wants to annually highlight some of the great structures locally, in the region and elsewhere that used the Medina stone.
The society hopes newspapers from the communities with the honorees will publish articles when sites are inducted in the Hall of Fame.
Waters, in an interview with Jim Memmott, said there is strong interest in the community’s sandstone heritage.
“All of a sudden, Medina has got a flair for rediscovering its history,” Waters told Memmott. “And it’s not just me; it’s the young folks who are all gung-ho.”
Thursday’s Hall of Fame ceremony will be from 4 to 6 p.m. at City Hall. The event is invitation only.
Contributed Story Posted 8 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos courtesy of Chris Busch
MEDINA – The Medina High School A’Cappella Choir performed Sunday night to a capacity crowd of 650 people at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The choir performs a variety of music – both sacred and secular genres. Choir Director Lisa Roeseler leads the group.
A big crowd turns out each year for the concert, with some showing up two hours early to get a seat at the church. The concert used to be held at the Presbyterian Church but was moved to St. Mary’s where there are more seats.
As tradition each year, the choir processes in singing “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and processes out singing “Silent Night.”
Lisa Roeseler is the choral director, Music Theory instructor and the Music Skills teacher at Medina High School. The choral groups she directs include A’Cappella Choir, Mixed Chorus and the A’Cappella Select Ensemble. Lisa gives instruction in Music Theory 1, Music Theory 2 and AP Music Theory.
The Medina High School A’Cappella Choir has been a much beloved tradition for about a half century. The ensemble was begun under the direction of Eastman graduate Robert Conner. The ensemble quickly gained a regional reputation for excellence receiving many accolades. Conner, the man who started the tradition, attended Sunday’s concert and received an ovation.
Contributed Story Posted 8 December 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Chris Busch
MEDINA – The Medina High School A’Cappella Choir performs tonight during its annual community holiday concert at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
A big crowd of about 700 people turned out to hear the 102 singers in the A’Cappella Choir perform in the church, a 50-year holiday tradition in Medina. The group memorized 16 songs and will perform for other groups during the holiday season.
