Photos courtesy of Secretary of State’s Office

MEDINA – Mayor Margurite Sherman gives a tour of the downtown on Tuesday to Walter Mosley, New York’s secretary of state.

Mosley was in Medina to give a presentation on Kathy Hochul’s “Affordability Agenda” which will be detailed by the governor on Tuesday during the State of State address in Albany.

(Left) Mayor Marguerite Sherman gives Walter Mosley, the secretary of state, a tour of Medina on a frigid Tuesday with temperatures in the low 20s. (Right) Before the tour, Sherman welcomed Mosley to City Hall for his presentation.

The secretary of state toured the village to see how a $4.5 million NY Forward grant will be spent. The program is overseen by the Secretary of State.

The state in May 2024 approved divvying up the $4.5 million for eight projects in Medina.

The projects include:

• Transform Canal Basin Park into a Waterfront Gateway – $1,345,000. The parking lot along the Erie Canal will be turned into a “waterfront gateway” complete with green space, seating areas and boater/cyclist amenities.
• Expand the Canal Village Farmer’s Market – $675,000. Upgrade the Canal Village Farmer’s market campus by modernizing the existing building, constructing a pole barn for additional vendor space and beautifying the site with green space.
• Redevelop the Walsh Hotel – $560,000. Convert the upper floors of the former Walsh Hotel into studio and one-bedroom apartments.
• Upgrade the Hart House Hotel – $500,000. Upgrade the Hart House Hotel with new amenities including an enhanced outdoor courtyard space, a gourmet gastropub, a hotel guest lounge, a new front porch and an improved facade.
• Develop Arenite Brewing Company on the Canal – $500,000. Create a microbrewery with tasting room and outdoor seating overlooking the canal, complete with a rooftop solar installation.
• Rehabilitate the Upper Floor Apartments at 409-413 Main Street – $370,000. Renovate the second floor into a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.
• Establish a Downtown Small Project Grant Fund – $300,000. Create a pool of funding to support business and property owners with smaller-scale projects like facade improvements, window replacement and other repairs.
• Install Downtown Wayfinding Signage – $250,000. Implement a system of directional, informational, and interpretive signage to direct visitors to key locations and destinations throughout downtown.

Mayor Marguerite Sherman introduces Water Mosley, the secretary of state, before his presentation at City hall. He highlighted Hochul’s “Affordability Agenda.” Hochul seeks supplemental payments, tax relief and rebates for homeowners, tuition assistance for students, heating and cooling assistance for seniors as well as expanded access to child care assistance and paid leave for families and pregnant women.

‘We really wanted to give Medina a special Christmas’

Photo by Tom Rivers: Two 12-foot-high nutcrackers stand in front of the lighted arch entrance to the Harvest Restaurant at Bent’s Opera House.

MEDINA – Bent’s Opera House has added a new element to the building’s transformation. The site reopened in June 2021 following a major renovation over three years that earned Bent’s the top preservation award in New York State.

Roger and Heather Hungerford, the owners of Bent’s, wanted to add to Medina’s holiday charm and this season decorated the historic building from 1865 with lights, wreaths, garland, a giant red bow, a vintage Santa and angel, two 12-foot-nutctackers and a large ornament where people can sit for photos.

Photo by Everett Pelkey: Roger and Heather Hungerford and their daughter Isabella are shown with the big Christmas ornament next to Bent’s Opera House on West Center Street.

Most of the decorations were out in time for Medina’s Parade of Lights. But the Hungerfords and their staff and friends have kept adding to the display in December. Mrs. Hungerford is the site’s general manager.

The goal is to make the downtown area even more magical during the holiday season for local residents and to bring in more visitors, said Justin Bruce, the assistant general manager at Bent’s.

“Finding both vintage and new holiday decor that would only enhance the beauty of an already stunning piece of historic restoration,” Bruce said. “The goal of this project has always been to bring outsiders to Medina. And we really wanted to give Medina a special Christmas as well.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: A crowd mingles near the intersection of Center and Main streets with Bent’s Opera House in the background just before the Parade of Lights on Nov. 30.

Kathy Blackburn, a long-time Medina business leader, helped with some of the interior lighting and a display of poinsettias. She said the decked out Bent’s has been a marvel this holiday season, with many stopping by the ornament for photos.

“It has made an impact and is continuing to make an impact,” she said.

Bent’s just announced a contest for people to get photos of their pets in the ornament.

The display will stay out for as long as the village keeps up the Main Street decorations.

Justin Bruce, assistant general manager at Bent’s, stands in a courtyard with an archway of lights and a vintage Santa.

Many of the employees at Bent’s and Talis Historic Restoration worked to decorate the three stories of windows with lights. Travis Farnsworth from Talis and Mark Hungerford, the facilities manager, put the wreath and garland at top of the building.

Photo by Everett Pelkey: Bent’s was a popular gathering spot on Main Street before Medina’s big parade on Nov. 30.

File photo: Here is how the Bent’s looked at the start of the ambitious renovation project.

Photo by Tom Rivers: One of the stops during the Oct. 5 Boxwood at Night event included a display with a list of the 107 people buried in a potter’s field at the cemetery. Of those 107, only 28 have head stones. The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery would like to install a plaque in the cemetery listing all 107 people. The Medina Sandstone Society is contributing to that effort.

Press Release, Medina Sandstone Trust

MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Trust, a community endowment that disburses small grants to local programs, projects, and organizations has released its 2024 grant awards.

The following programs and organizations were funded a total of $5,600 for 2024’s round of grant funding.

• Hands for Hope Street Ministry to provide Purex and laundry detergent to clients.
• The Canalside Radio to assist with the purchase of 100-watt FM radio transmitter and related equipment, antenna, etc.
• The Medina Historical Society for funds to cover historical speakers and publicity costs for future programming.
• ORG – Friends of Boxwood Cemetery for assistance with the cost of installing a memorial in Potters Field, listing the names of the 107 people who are buried there. Currently there are only 28 headstones.
• GO Art! for assistance with purchasing a wagon, stage, tires, sound and projection equipment to be used first in August 2025 for the Erie Canal Artisan Festival and other future festivals and events.

This is the Medina Sandstone Trust’s 13th round of awards with over $65,000 in small grants and $10,000 in scholarships awarded so far.

The Medina Sandstone Trust encourages local non-profit agencies to apply for the 2025 round of grant funding. Instructions on how to apply will be released in October 2025.

Donations to help support the Medina Sandstone Trust can be made at any time to the Sandstone Society, Post Office Box 25, Medina, NY 14103 or donate online (click here). Gifts to this 501(c)(3) are tax deductible.

Provided photos

Volunteers helped set 250 wreaths at Hillside Cemetery in Holley/Clarendon on Dec. 14 as part of Wreaths Across America. The wreaths were set at the graves of veterans.

The Holley Rotary Club led the effort for the second year. The Rotary Club joined Wreaths in 2o23 and hoped to do 100 wreaths. It doubled that goal in 2023. The wreaths are $17 each.

The Holley Rotary Club organized Wreaths Across America at Hillside Cemetery. Some of the volunteers are shown at a veterans’ memorial at the cemetery. The memorial includes five granite etched stones for the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. The memorial has a pentagon-shaped concrete base and a 25-foot flagpole.

Wreaths Across America has grown in Orleans County since Medina was the first to do it at Boxwood Cemetery in 2013.

Medina started with seven wreaths in 2013 at Boxwood. On Dec. 14, the community placed 1,260 wreaths at five Medina cemeteries. That includes 573 at Boxwood, 455 at St. Mary’s Cemetery, about 200 at Sacred Heart Cemetery and the remainder to Bates Road Cemetery and Tanner Cemetery on Telegraph Road.

Photos courtesy of Jacob Hebdon: Lance Corporal Nick Fitzak carries one of the wreaths during a ceremony at Wreaths Across America on Dec. 14. Medina has participated in the event each year since 2013.

“The community of Medina was very generous in their donations to the Wreaths Across America organization,” said Gloria Brent, chairwoman of the event in Medina. “Next year we hope to expand our reach to include all of Bates Road and Tanner Cemeteries with plans to cover all of our local cemeteries as awareness grows in the coming years.”

Veterans were part of a ceremony at Boxwood at noon on Dec. 14. After that a big group of volunteers placed wreaths at five cemeteries in Medina.

The following participated in the Wreath Laying Ceremony: The Color Guard and Honor Guard from the VFW and American Legion in Medina; Master Sergeant Michael Owczarczak – Master of Ceremonies; Sergeant David Kusmierczak, Chaplain for VFW & American Legion; Technical Sergeant Patrick Little; Sergeant Major Jonathan Little; Sergeant First Class George Pogel; Lance Corporal Nick Fitzak; Merchant Mariner Diana Anderson; Second Class Petty Officer W. Thomas Snyder and Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

“We were very fortunate to have Technical Sergeant Patrick Little and Technical Sergeant Scott Little perform Echo Taps during the ceremony,” Brent said. “Madelyn Elliott from the Medina High School Acapella Choir flawlessly performed the National Anthem.”

Assemblyman Steve Hawley was part of the wreath-laying ceremony at Boxwood.

Brent thanked to the following organizations that participated in this year’s event:

• The Boxwood Cemetery Commission led by Jacob Hebdon. (Members include Gloria Brent, Jeff Pasnik, Mary Lewis, Nicki Fredericks and Janet Husung.)
• The Medina Village Department of Public Works led by Jason Watts, superintendent.
• The Medina Village Clerk’s Office led by Jada Burgess, the clerk/treasurer.
• The Carpenters Local Union 276 with Jeff Pasnik brought 36 members and family from Orleans and Niagara Counties.
• The Girl Scouts of America – Troop 70183 out of Lockport led by Kelly Stahl.
• The Boy Scouts of America – Troop 18 out of Gasport.
• The Boy Scouts of America – Troop 35 out of Medina led by John Dieter.
• The Friends of Boxwood – Offered free hot chocolate to the participants at the event.

The Lyndonville community placed 445 wreaths at veterans’ graves. The effort is funded through an endowment by Anna Stelianou. She funded the wreaths in honor of her five brothers who served in WWII and the Korean War.

Stelianou is shown in front of this group photo outside the Webber Café on Main Street, where there was a brunch for volunteers before they headed out to lay the wreaths on Dec. 14.

The 445 wreaths will be placed at veterans’ graves for six cemeteries in Lyndonville: Lynhaven, Yates Baptist Cemetery, Angling Road, Marshall Road and Greenman Road as well as the Robin Hill Estate.

The American Legion Houseman-Tanner Post 1603 is organizing the Wreaths Across America program in Lyndonville.

State Sen. Rob Ortt attended the brunch before going to Mount Albion cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony there. Mount Albion participated in Wreaths Across America for the first time on Dec. 14.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Jenn Thom carries a wreath to be laid down at a grave of a veteran at the Veterans’ Section at Mount Albion Cemetery.

Thom is a leader of Operation Honor, which led the effort to have Mount Albion Cemetery included in Wreaths for the first time. There were 225 wreaths placed at the cemetery on Dec. 14.

Operation Honor purchased 100 of the wreaths with other contributors purchasing 125.

Thom urged volunteers to say the veteran’s name when setting the wreath.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Jess Marciano, Medina village trustee, speaks during last week’s Village Board meeting.

MEDINA – A Medina village trustee has made the “nice” list of elected officials in the state for her efforts to educate the public about the Open Meetings Law.

The New York Coalition For Open Government, Inc. highlighted Jess Marciano, a member of the Medina Village Board, for her letter to the editor posted on the Orleans Hub on Sept. 20.

Marciano details the Open Meetings Law and what meetings should be public, how the sessions should be posted ahead of time and what documents made available to the public.

She details reasons for going into executive session when the board can discuss matters behind closed doors – litigation, contract negotiations, and employment history of a person, including appointment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation.

The Coalition For Open Government is a non-profit organization “advocating for timely access to information and meaningful citizen participation.”

The group faulted Gov. Kathy Hochul for not delivering on her promise of a “new era of transparency.” The governor for the second year in a row vetoed legislation requiring the posting of emergency contracts online.

Hochul only signed one legislation about Freedom of Information and that new law requires government agencies to notify employees when their records are requested. This bill was opposed by open government groups, the Coalition said.

Some others on the “naughty” list:

• New York City Mayor Eric Adams for releasing his schedule which didn’t disclose his meetings with lobbyists or phone calls with elected officials.
• Jim Perry, the Niagara Falls City Council president, for preventing a member of the community from speaking during the public comment portion of meeting because he didn’t want to hear her concerns about the city’s animal shelter contract.
• City of Amsterdam for blocking public access to City Hall by requiring people to have an appointment in order to enter, and also for restricting the right to record or take pictures in public places.
• Nassau County Police Department for spending four years and at least $100,000 in attorney fees fighting a FOIL request for a phone directory.
• Syracuse School Board for sending a cease-and-desist letter to a news station asking them to stop contacting board members with questions.
• Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson for not allowing public comments at a village meeting due to his being annoyed by people speaking about a lawsuit filed against the Village.
• Christopher Scanlon, Buffalo Common Council President – After many years of people being able to show up at Buffalo Common Council meetings and speak regarding their concerns, Scanlon sent an email to his Council colleagues establishing a new rule that requires people to obtain permission from the Committee Chair prior to the meeting in order to speak.
• Phil Skowfoe, Fulton Supervisor in Schoharie County – Eliminated the right of the public to speak at town board meetings. He now requires the public to fill out a form one week prior to the meeting disclosing what you plan to say and are only allowed a 2-minute max at the end of a meeting.

To see the full report from New York Coalition For Open Government, click here.

Village officials say lower pay in Medina makes it difficult to keep and recruit officers

Photos by Tom Rivers: Christian Navas takes the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony on Monday evening during the Medina Village Board meeting. Navas was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant. He is holding his daughter Layla while his other daughter Mackenzie smiles. Navas’ wife Stephanie holds the Bible during the oath.

MEDINA – The Medina Police Department has promoted two officers within the department.

Christian Navas and Jake Reeves both started with Medina in 2016. Navas has been promoted to lieutenant and Reeves to sergeant. Both were sworn to their new positions on Monday during the Village Board meeting.

Navas fills the lieutenant position that has been vacant since Todd Draper moved from that position, the department’s second-in-command, to police chief in June 2023. Navas has been a sergeant with Medina PD since 2021.

Reeves has been Medina’s K9 handler since 2020. He will continue in that role with Phoenix, a Belgian Malinois.

New Medina Police Department Sgt. Jake Reeves gets helps with his collar brass insignia from Lt. Christian Navas and Police Chief Todd Draper. Reeves’ wife Dana watches after Reeves took the oath of office for his promotion.

The two officers were praised for their long-term commitment to the Medina PD, especially during a time of frequent turnover at smaller police departments.

“Both are great people in our department and they live locally,” said Mayor Marguerite Sherman.

The board accepted the resignation of Kyle Daly, who has left to join the Ogden Police Department. Alexandra Reigle of the Albion PD also has joined the Ogden PD. They were both sworn in at Ogden on Monday. They both live in Monroe County.

Police Chief Todd Draper said of the department’s 10 officers right now, seven have less than five years of experience at Medina. He said the pay in Medina is significantly less than at many of the Monroe County departments.

Many of the new officers for Medina live out of county, Draper said. They ultimately want to work closer to where they live, he said, when asked about the turnover in Medina.

Medina Police Chief Todd Draper administers the oath of office to Jake Reeves on Monday. Reeves was promoted to sergeant. He has been with the Medina PD since 2016 and will continue as the K9 handler, which he started in 2020.

The starting pay in Medina is $50,430, while some of the Monroe County departments are offering more than $100,000 for officers with at least three years of experience.

“The pay is definitely an issue we just can’t compete with,” Draper said in responding to a question from a community member at the board meeting. “The pay is a substantial difference.”

Draper said having more local candidates for the positions would help, but he said only 11 people took the recent Civil Service test to be a police officer and only one was a local resident.

Village Trustee Jess Marciano said the Village Board faces “intense pressure” to try to keep taxes as low as possible, while facing intense pressure to offer services, including police protection.

She praised Navas and Reeves for their long-term commitment to Medina, especially when they could earn more elsewhere.

Lt. Christian Navas holds his daughter Layla while being sworn in as lieutenant for the Medina PD. He joined Medina PD in 2016 and was promoted to sergeant in 2021. His daughter holds up her hand while watching her father take the oath.

Mayor Sherman said Medina started offering a better retirement system recently to police officers, hoping that would be an incentive for officers to make it a career with the department. But Sherman said many of the younger officers would prefer to be bigger paychecks while working.

“The younger people want their money now,” she said.

She said the board continues to seek a balance on what the community can afford and what it needs to be competitive with other municipalities and businesses.

“We’re doing the best we can to pay them what we can,” Sherman said.

MEDINA – Two families are being assisted by the Red Cross and other family members after a late-night fire on Bates Road.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene of a house fire at 1:30 a.m. The Medina Fire Department responded with mutual aid by Ridgeway, Shelby and Albion.

Medina police officers were the first at the scene and all occupants were outside, while smokes and flames were coming from the structure, the Medina Fire Department stated in a news release.

Two cats were rescued, but one perished in the fire, which was brought under control about 30 minutes after the dispatch call.

The cause of the fire is undetermined currently and under investigation by members of the Village of Medina Fire Department Fire Investigation Unit/Medina Police Department with assistance from the Orleans County Fire Investigators, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office Investigators and Erie County Sheriff’s K9 Unit, the Medina FD stated in a press release.

Company, acquired by Hendrickson last year, looking to fill 60 positions locally

Photos by Tom Rivers: Brian Peyatt, plant manager for Brunner in medina, led tours of the factory on bates Road on Saturday. It was the first tour open to the community in more than a decade. The company makes brakes for tractor-trailers, buses and dump trucks.

MEDINA – Brunner International opened the doors to its factory on Bates Road to the community on Saturday and attendance was brisk.

Employees were happy to show off the workplace to friends and family, and Medina community members welcomed the chance to see the manufacturer which has robots doing some of repetitive tasks, forges heating steel to 2,200 degrees, and about 220 other workers.

Brunner has about 60 positions open right now, from entry level to skilled trades as machine operators, fabricators, electricians and in maintenance. People can apply in person at Brunner or through the Brunner website.

Brunner has had a presence in medina since 1992, moving into the former Abex Corporation site that had been shut down and vacant for seven years before Brunner moved in.

Brunner had a manufacturing site in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It has kept that site in Canada while growing in Medina, making brakes and components for heavy-duty trucks and trailers.

Jermy Zingo of Holley, a 14-year employee at Brunner, shows his daughter Evelyn the finished product at Brunner. The truck brake weighs about 250 pounds.

The company last year was sold to Hendrickson, a long-time customer. Hendrickson is based in Illinois. It sees strong potential in Medina with a dedicated core of employees and access to lower-cost hydropower, said Brian Peyatt, the plant manager.

Peyatt has worked at Brunner for 12 years. He said Saturday’s community open house was a first in his tenure at Brunner.

“We want to introduce ourselves to the community and show them what we do,” he said.

Hendrickson has factories in several countries, and US sites in Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas, Kentucky, South Dakota, Indiana and New York (Medina).

In announcing the acquisition of Brunner on Oct. 1, 2023, Hendrickson said Brunner’s primary product lines of brake shoes and s-cams complement Hendrickson’s primary business of designing and manufacturing suspension systems for the medium- and heavy-duty truck and trailer markets.

The Brunner product brand will be kept and used going forward, Hendrickson officials said.

“We are excited about this acquisition, as it will provide a platform for Hendrickson to expand our core competency in braking and provide additional components that will enhance our existing product portfolio,” said Matt Joy, president and chief executive officer of Hendrickson. “We look forward to working with our new associates and strengthening our business serving the Commercial Truck and Trailer industry.”

Saamir Rahman, materials manager and director of continuous improvement for Brunner, shows some of the brake components made by Brunner. About 60 people were on the tour for the first three hours on Saturday.

Brunner has recently added a few of the laid off workers from the Sumitomo Rubber in the Town of Tonawanda. The factory abruptly closed last month, putting 1,550 people out of work.

Brunner went to a job fair for those displaced workers. Peyatt urges people to give Brunner a try. The company offers competitive wages, a 401K retirement plan, and health care, vision and dental benefits.

Peyatt said employees also can feel pride in making the brakes for trucks and buses.

“Ninety percent of the time you’re out on a drive you’re probably near something we built,” he said about the company’s brake products.