Medina

Medina’s dissolution committee meets for first time Thursday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 July 2013 at 12:00 am

MEDINA A committee that has been tasked to develop a plan for the village’s dissolution will meet for the first time at 1 p.m. Thursday. The session will be in the main meeting room at City Hall, 600 Main St.

Mayor Andrew Meier is a member of the committee. He is hopeful a plan can be developed and presented to the public by next spring. A dissolution of the village would need approval by village residents.

Medina received a $50,000 state grant to prepare the plan. The village on July 8 voted to hire a consultant and formed a committee to develop a plan for the orderly dissolution of the village. Don Colquhoun, former executive director of the Arc of Orleans, is leading the committee.

Other committee members include Cindy Robinson, a Main Street business owner and president of the Medina Business Association and the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce; Charlie Slack of Slack Insurance; Thurston Dale, a retired veterinarian; Meier; and Village Trustee Mark Irwin.

The group will work with the Center for Governmental Research to develop a plan to dissolve the village and fold those government services and assets into the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway.

CGR will be paid $55,555 for its work. The organization assisted Medina and towns of Ridgeway and Shelby with a consolidation study about two years ago. That project showed the costs of providing services could be reduced by $200,000 to $400,000 with consolidation of services, plus the state would likely give the communities $600,000 annually as incentive aid for reducing layers of government.

Meier would like to have a plan developed in the next six to nine months. The Village Board could then accept the plan and schedule a referendum for village residents. Town residents outside the village don’t have a say at the polls on the village’s fate.

Meier believes dissolving the village and its layer of government will significantly reduce Median’s tax rate, making the community more desirable for residents and businesses. Medina has the highest combined tax rate – village, town, school and county – in the Finger Lakes region. That rate is about $54 per $1,000 of assessed property, with the village accounting for about $16 of that tax rate.

Task Force makes 2 drug arrests

Posted 30 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release
OC Major Felony Crime Task Force

Joel Hackenburg

MEDINA – Following a six-month investigation into the sale and distribution of prescription narcotic pills in the village of Medina, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force and Medina Police Department today executed a search warrant at 117 Worthy Ave. and arrested a resident on numerous counts of criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance.

Joel D. Hackenburg, 50, was charged with one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, three counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, and four counts of criminal diversion of prescription medications and prescriptions in the fourth degree.

Hackenburg was arraigned by Town of Ridgeway Justice Lawrence Sanderson and was committed to county jail on $10,000 cash bail or bond. He is to return to town court at 9 a.m. on Aug. 5.

Angel Gonzalez

In a separate investigation at 61 Ricky Place, another resident was charged with three counts of criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance.

Police charged Angel Gonzalez, 73, with one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the second degree, a felony; two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree; and one count of criminal diversion of a prescription medication and prescription in the fourth degree.

Gonzalez was arraigned by Town of Ridgeway Justice Lawrence Sanderson and was committed to county jail on no bail. He is to return to Shelby town court at 9 a.m. on Aug. 1.

South tower on St. Mary’s gets a repair

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos courtesy of Chris Busch – Workers were at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Medina on Tuesday, making a repair to the south tower of the landmark church.

MEDINA – One of Orleans County’s most iconic structures, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Medina, has the attention of contractors, who are making a repair to the south tower of the church.

Chris Busch, a member of the Holy Trinity Parish in Medina, took these photos of workers in action on Tuesday.

“The structure is arguably one of the finest sandstone buildings in Orleans County and Western New York,” Busch wrote in an email.

Construction started on the church in 1902. It was complete in 1904. St. Mary’s was built in a 14^th Century English Gothic design.

“It is an outstanding example of the ecclesiastical Gothic Revival architecture of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,” Busch said, quoting from a brochure on the history of St. Mary’s. “It rivals many other examples in the region and the state in size, design, and stature.”

The southern spire measures 100 feet, while the northern tower soars 170 feet high.

Medina FD topped $4k for MDA

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2013 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – Medina firefighters passed the boot on Friday and raised $4,222.92 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, firefighter Jerry Lewis reported.

Firefighters stood for eight hours at the Main and Center street intersection, and passing motorists left donations.

Views from a Medina rooftop

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2013 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – Chris Busch was out enjoying a gorgeous sunny day today, and talked his way to the rooftop at the R.H. Newell Shirt Factory building at 115 West Center St.

He sent along these photos looking toward the First Baptist Church at 203 West Center. You can also see the Post Office in the front right and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in the back right.

Busch’s other photo includes the Sandstone Apartments and Bent’s Opera House.

Sandstone Society’s historic walk features Boxwood Cemetery

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Concert in the basin follows Aug. 10 event at cemetery

Photo by Tom Rivers – The front entrance to Boxwood Cemetery includes mammoth sandstone pillars and chapel made of the local stone in 1903.

Press release
Medina Sandstone Society

MEDINA – Medina’s annual ‘Historic Walk,’ sponsored by the Sandstone Society, will take place at Boxwood Cemetery and will offer a generous slice of history surrounding some of the village’s most prominent people buried there.

The Aug. 10 event will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the cemetery on Route 63.

This is the fifth year for the Historic Walk with others having covered the downtown area of Medina, the Erie Canal basin, a historic residential district and three sandstone churches.

Susan Holland and Mary Zangerle, co-leaders of the walk, met last week with Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin to start plans and they paid tribute to Lattin’s background.

“Bill has created great interest in all of our annual walks here and cemetery locations are among his specialties.”

Then the two added that the 2013 walk will be blessed with a full staff of history specialists.

“Helping Bill will be Todd Bensley, village historian of Medina; Adam Tabelski, who has made history a hobby, and Craig Lacy, an official of the Medina Historical Society. We can’t miss with a group of hosts like that.”

Boxwood in itself has a certain drama and its massive central hill displays some of the most striking monuments in the region. Added to those are numerous large mausoleums of stone, built to house the remains of entire families and fully inscribed.

One eye-catching point at Boxwood is the chapel sitting just inside the large iron gates. This century-old structure boasts some outstanding stone masonry and also a stained glass memorial window that will get a full description.

The co-leaders added, “There is no charge for this annual walk and the society offers it as a public service.” They said previous walks have drawn as many as 70 enthusiasts.

Following the Historic Walk the Medina Tourism Committee has announced that a special event will be held in the Canal Basin at Medina. At 4 p.m. a musical variety program will be presented right in the dock area and the main features will be Medina’s popular Dave Viterna blues group and a visiting Creek Bend Band offering Blue Grass music.

“The music will run from 4 to 8 p.m. as a free concert,” said Jim Hancock of the Tourism Committee. “All the crowd needs is to bring lawn chairs and enjoy the entertainment.”

As an added attraction a new Medina food business will be offering baby back ribs and other specialties at the concert site.

‘Patsy Cline’ performs in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Josie Waverly portrayed Patsy Cline during a concert tonight at Medina High School. About 150 people attended the event, which was a fundraiser for the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company.

The fire company has been fortunate to have a wave of new recruits who could all use new turn-out gear and air packs. It can cost $8,500 to outfit each firefighter with the proper gear, said Gary Williams, a member of the fire company who took the lead in organizing the Waverly concert.

Firefighters raise money for MDA

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Jerry Lewis and other Medina firefighters spent eight hours in the blazing sun today raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Lewis is pictured on Main Street, near Rotary Park.

Sailing canal boat due in Medina on Aug. 8

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Lois McClure schooner has been delayed by closed canal

Courtesy of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

MEDINA – The Medina Tourism Coomittee has been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Lois McClure this summer, but closed sections of the canal have delayed the sailboat.

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, owners of the boat, announced an updated schedule for Lois McClure today and Medina is listed as a stop on Aug. 8. The boat will pass east through Orleans before staying in Brockport on Aug. 9.

Lois McClure is like a floating museum. The schooner is a full-scale replica of an 1862-class sailing canal boat, constructed by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vermont and launched in 2004.

The boat has done many tours along the interconnected waterways of New York, Vermont and Quebec. Lois McClure is modeled after two 1862-class canal schooners sunk in Lake Champlain, the General Butler and the OJ Walker.

Launched in 2004, Lois McClure serves as a regional ambassador promoting the shared heritage of Quebecois, Vermonters and New Yorkers. The schooner is named in honor of Lois McClure, who, along with her husband Mac, has been a major contributor to the sailboat and other worthy community projects in the greater Burlington, Vermont area.

For more on the boat and its schedule, click here.

Firefighters will pass the boot for MDA

Posted 18 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release, Medina Fire Department

MEDINA – Firefighters will be at the intersection of Main and Center streets on Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., passing the boot to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Medina firefighters have participated in the MDA fund-raiser for the past few years. Motorists are welcome to donate some of their spare change and dollars to support the MDA.

Food for flowers in downtown Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Matthew Witte, a Medina DPW summer worker, waters flowers on Main Street this morning. Witte and the DPW are making sure the flowers and trees in the downtown get enough water during this week’s heat wave.

Long-time friends open bakery in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Lissa Stewart-Jones, left, and Lori Brien opened The Bread Basket in Medina on Monday.

MEDINA – Two friends since the third grade have joined together to pursue a life-long passion: baking and Medina.

Lissa Stewart-Jones and Lori Brien, both accountants, on Monday opened The Bread Basket at 513 Main St., the site of Reigle’s Market.

The Bread Basket continues to offer produce from the Reigle family farm and has kept many of their popular baked goods, especially the cinnamon rolls.

“We liked them and everybody else liked them,” Stewart-Jones said about the rolls. “Little by little we will add our own recipes.”

They praised the Reigle family for showing the site can be a success as a bakery with fresh produce. Some of the Reigle fruit and vegetables will be used in the baked goods, including blueberry streusel that was available today.

The Reigles closed in June so the family could follow their full-time passion: farming.

Stewart-Jones and Brien saw an opportunity to keep the business going. They are among the first to open on the street each morning. They arrive at 5:30 a.m. and open the doors at 7:30. They will stay open to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

They are pleased to be part of a vibrant Main Street and downtown business district.

“Medina is in a good place right now with this charming downtown,” Brien said. “We’re just happy to be a part of it.”

The two business partners want to put an awning on the building and add outdoor seating.

They will have a grand opening on July 27, offering free coffee and tastings of the baked goods.

EPCO bought by Air Products

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Company captured CO2 in ethanol production

MEDINA – A company that captures CO2 discharged in the production of ethanol has been sold.

EPCO Carbon Dioxide Products has had a presence in Medina for about five years. The company set up a plant to capture CO2 from Western New York Energy’s plant in Medina. The captured CO2 has been sold to food companies. EPCO owned 12 CO2 purification and liquefaction plants.

EPCO last month was bought by Air Products, a publicly traded company. EPCO is based in Monroe, La. The acquisition also includes Louisiana Leasing, Ltd. of Illinois, an affiliated company that owns liquid CO2 distribution assets that are solely leased to EPCO. Air Products said the acquisition vaults the company among the leaders in the North American liquid CO2 market.

“We are pleased to be acquiring a company that demonstrated continued growth through the economic challenges of the past several years,” said Nelson Squires, vice president and general manager – North America Merchant Gases at Air Products. “EPCO’s geographic footprint overlaps nicely with our existing infrastructure such that we expect both cost and revenue synergy benefits.”

Air Products currently serves with other merchant industrial gases including the food, beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, oil field services, and metals fabrication markets.

Air Products employs more than 20,000 people in 50 countries. In fiscal 2012, Air Products had sales approaching $10 billion. For more information about Air Products, click here.

Flock of ducks raises $5,612 for Hospice

Posted 15 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Provided photo – Baxter Healthcare employees, from left, Rich Johnson, Steve Crane, Rod Johnson and Vice President Nelson Patterson accept their prizes and thanks from Marsha Rivers, Hospice development director.

Press release
Hospice of Orleans

LYNDONVILLE/MEDINA Deep waters and a swift current resulted in a break-neck Ducks Ahoy Race to benefit Hospice of Orleans on July 4^th.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the creek this high for the Duck Race,” said John Denniston of Albion, a Hospice volunteer who dons his wading trousers each year to retrieve the winners from the pool-noodle race track constructed and set by Lyndonville DPW employees, headed by Terry Woodworth.

More than 2,000 weighted plastic ducks of various colors floated to the finish line in Johnson’s Creek in what has become a favorite tradition of the Lyndonville Lions’ Independence Day celebration.

Hospice extends hearty appreciation to the Lions, the Village staff, and to all the Hospice volunteers who make the Duck Race such a success.Special recognition is due to Baxter Healthcare International of Medina for their very generous underwriting of the prizes.

In the end, it was Baxter employee Rich Johnson’s blue waterfowl winning the top prize of $500 by three duck-lengths. Thanks to everyone who bought tickets. See you next year for another riveting race!

Congratulations to the winners (including a pair of brothers and a double winner): Rich Johnson – $500, Jim Stelianou – $300, Mary Miesner – $200, Mary Miesner – $150, Don and JoAnn Melfi – $125, Rod Johnson – $100, Steve Crane – $75, and Rebekah Karls – $50.

Nominees sought for Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – The former railroad depot, now used as senior citizen center in Medina, is an example of Medina Sandstone’s use for commercial structures during the region’s booming industrial era in the early 1900s.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Canandaigua is one of many fine examples of well-maintained and massive church buildings made from Medina Sandstone.

MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society, which is working to establish a Hall of Fame to celebrate sandstone structures, welcomes the public’s help in picking buildings for the site. The Hall of Fame committee will take nominees until July 20.

The first group in the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame needs to “be a special class,” stunning examples of buildings made from the local stone, said Jim Hancock, a member of the committee working to establish the HOF.

The committee welcomes nominees from all over the state, and even beyond NY’s borders. Hancock said the committee, which also includes David Miller and John Slack, wants a list of nominees. The group will then go make site visits.

He is hopeful the first class will be inducted with a ceremony in October. The Hall of Fame will likely be in a temporary location for its infancy. Hancock would like to see the site move to a more permanent site at some point. Neither a temporary or long-term site has been picked.

The Sandstone Society is looking for structures that fall into four classes: churches, homes, public buildings or ornamental (architectural). The criteria by which these nominees will be judged by the selection committee includes age, beauty, architectural uniqueness and longevity.

“We can consider nominees from Medina and from out of the area because Medina Sandstone has been used world-wide,” Hancock said.

Hancock expects there to be four to six inductees in the first class. Each member of the Class of 2013 will receive a plaque from the Sandstone Society signifying its acceptance into the Hall of Fame. Another plaque with a picture will be placed in the local Hall of Fame. The Sandstone Society wants to make this an annual event.

Nominations, with a brief description, should be sent to Jim Hancock at hancock_jim@verizon.net. He will share them to the Selection Committee. Nominators should include their contact information.