Board hopes a formal study can lead to bigger grants for elevator, building upgrades

Photo by Tom Rivers: City Hall on Main Street in Medina is underutilized by the Village of Medina mainly due to a lack of handicapped accessibility. The Village Board is seeking a grant for an elevator and other improvements so the building can be better used by the public.

MEDINA – The Village Board wants to see the City Hall better utilized by the village government, but it will take an elevator and other improvements to make the site handicapped accessible.

The board is seeking a grant through the state’s Community Development Block Grant program to determine what is needed to make the building more accessible and the estimated costs.

Once the village has that report, it can pursue other grants to pay for the upgrades.

The building is underutilized by the village. Medina moved its village offices out of the site in 1999, going to a one-story bank building next door with a drive-in window.

The Village Board doesn’t meet there either. It currently primarily uses the Ridgeway Town Hall and sometimes the Senior Center. For several years it used the Shelby Town Hall.

The Village Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals continues to use the City Hall meeting room for their sessions.

The Medina Sandstone Society uses the main meeting room at City Hall for the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame. This photo shows the induction ceremony on Oct. 17, 2024. The Sandstone Society has inducted 43 sites since the debut class in 2013.

The City Hall “Council Chambers” has been the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame since 2013. The Medina Sandstone Society the third Thursday in October each year inducts sites into the Hall of Fame which is now up to 43 sites.

While the village clerk’s staff is out of city hall, the code enforcement officer remains on the third floor.

Mayor Marguerite Sherman would like to see the building be better used, especially for the Village Board meetings.

Medina will be pursuing a $40,000 accessibility grant to show how City Hall could become ADA compliant. The grant doesn’t require any local match, said Jay Grasso, Medina’s grant writer.

This study should lead to larger grants to address the accessibility shortcomings with the building, which was constructed in 1908 out of local sandstone.

“There should be significant money to make repairs,” Grasso said.

But first Medina needs a formal study assessing the conditions of the site.

Dave Miller of the Sandstone Society speaks during the Oct. 17, 2024 induction. Medina moved its village offices out of the building in 1999 to a former bank building next door on Park Avenue. The Village Board also doesn’t use the main room for its meetings, instead typically using at the Ridgeway Town Hall or Senior Center.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Elvis impersonator Terry Buchwald performs “Bue Suede Shoes” and other classics from a  stage on Main Street on Wednesday during the Super Cruise.

Buchwald is shown looking through the side windows of a 1965 GMC pickup owned by Jim Stone.

There were 289 classic cars, trucks and other vehicles at the Super Cruise. The event is sponsored by The Walsh and Hellner Development Company.

That is a bigger turnout than last year when about 250 cars ad trucks were at the cruise-in.

Medina shuts down part of Main Street for the show. Cars parked on Main Street from the Center Street intersection going down North Main past the American Legion.

Darren Tobolski of Waterport brought a 1972 AMC Gavelin to the Super Cruise. The car has been in his family since 1979. He took it to his prom in 1983.

“She’s been a driver and survivor,” he said.

The car has 95,000 original miles on it. Tobolski said there aren’t too many Javelins at car shows.

“She’s not the prettiest car but she draws a lot of attention,” he said.

Many onlookers wanted a close look at this 2023 Vanderhall owned by Rick and Judy Overholt. Vanderhall Motor Works manufactures these three-wheeled autocycles, which have two wheels in the front and one in the back.

David Sevor gets his 1994 Cutlass Supreme convertible ready for the crowd. Sevor, a retired Holley police officer, bought the car in Michigan six years ago. The car gets many admirers during the cruise-ins.

“I don’t think you’ll find another car like it,” he said. “I like to be different.”

There are Cutlass Supreme cars at the cruise-ins, but Sevor said his car is unusual in being a convertible.

He has been to 25 cruise-ins so far this year. He loves the setting on a vibrant Main Street in Medina.

“It’s amazing what they’ve done here in Medina,” he said.

A 1972 Gran Torino Sport drew many onlookers to see the car up close.

Terry Buchwald arrived on Main Street in a motorcycle. He slowly made his way past the cars and people to his spot on the stage. Buchwald has been performing at the Super Cruise for several years.

The event caps off the cruise-in season in Medina. The cruises are usually on Friday evenings in the parking lot of the Senior Center on West Avenue.

The line of cars stretched down North Main Street farther than usual.

This 1973 Dodge – Andy’s Dream Machine – is owned by Andrea Wells of Albion.

Terry Buchwald told the crowd he was impressed by so many well cared for classic cars.

Chad Kenward, Shawn Houseman will serve in roles; Medina could add a third officer

Chad Kenward

MEDINA – The school district has hired two retired police officers to provide a security presence on campus this year.

The Medina Village Board, as part of its budget process last April, voted to end its contract with the school district where two Medina police officers served as a school resource officers.

The school district paid the village $82,500 towards each school resource officer. Village Board members said that didn’t fully cover the full costs of each officer, which Trustee Scott Bieliski said is about $125,000 to $130,000.

The school district has hired retired Medina Police Chief Chad Kenward and retired Brighton police officer Shawn Houseman to serve as school security. They will each be paid $53,000 for full-time work at the district this year. With the costs of insurance, FICA, Medicare, etc., the cost is close to what Medina has been paying per officer, said Dr. Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent.

Shawn Houseman

The Board of Education may add a third officer during the school year, he said.

Kenward retired as police chief in June 2023. He has served as the school resource officer before during his law enforcement career.

Houseman retired from the Brighton Police Department in 2022 after 26 years in law enforcement. His career also included nearly five years with the Medina Police Department and six years as a deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

The two school safety and security officers are authorized by the district to carry a firearm while on school property.

Retiring chief will join Major Felony Crime Task Force

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Mayor Marguerite Sherman presents a plaque to Todd Draper in appreciation for a 21-year career with the Medina Police Department.

Draper is retiring on Friday as Medina police chief. He has been in that role for about two years. He was previously a lieutenant and the department’s K9 handler.

“We appreciate all that you’ve done,” Mayor Sherman told Draper during Monday’s Village Board meeting. “It’s not an easy job.”

Draper will be joining the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force as an investigator. Sherman said she is happy he will continue to be working in law enforcement within the county.

The Village Board will interview six candidates for police chief with three interviews on Sept. 2 and then three more on Sept.9.

“Twenty one years is a long time,” Trustee Jess Marciano said about Draper’s career with the Medina PD. “He’s been a dedicated department head. He’ll be missed.”

Medina Police Chief Todd Draper accepts a plaque in appreciation of his service to the Medina Police Department the past 21 years.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Terry Buchwald portrays Elvis and rides a motorcycle down Main Street in Medina on Aug. 28, 2024 for the Super Cruise. The big cruise-in is back Wednesday in Medina with Elvis.

MEDINA – The super cruise will be back on Wednesday with perennial Elvis impersonator, Terry Buchwald. About 250 classic vehicles are expected for the special cruise-in on a Main Street in Medina.

The section of Main Street north of Center Street will be closed off to traffic. Classic cars are asked not to arrive before 5 p.m. They should enter the street from the north entrance by the American Legion or the west entrance by Zambistro off Pearl Street.

All makes and models are welcome, said Rollin Hellner, who has helped coordinate the cruise-in this year. Most of the events have been on Friday evenings at 615 West Ave., the parking lot for the senior center across from The Walsh.

Hellner owns The Walsh, which is the sponsor of the cruise-ins for the second year.

There will be awards in 20 categories including:

• Best Custom Truck – All years
• Best Custom Car – All years
• Best Modern American Car – Post 1985
• Best Original/Stock – All years
• Best Muscle Car – All years
• Best Drift Build – All years
• Best 4×4 – All years
• Best Lowrider – All years
• Best Motorcycle – All years
• Best Street/Hot Rod – All years
• Best Ford/Mercury – All years
• Best Mopar – All years
• Best GM – All years
• Best Jeep – All years
• Best European – All years
• Best JDM – All years
• Best Sports Car – All years
• Sponsor’s Choice (The Walsh) – All years
• Judge’s Choice – All years
• Best In Show – All years

It cost $10 to enter a vehicle for the judging. There is no charge for the public to come check out the cars and listen to the music.

Photo from Medina Police Department

SANBORN – Medina police officer Alex Villegas was among the graduates on Friday of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy. He will next complete supervised field training prior  to working on his own at the Medina Police Department.

Pictured from left include Lt. Christian Navas, Alex Villegas and Police Chief Todd Draper.

Law enforcement officers from Niagara, Orleans and Genesee counties were part of the 84th Basic Course for Police at the academy, which was about 6 months of education and training.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library celebrated a ground-breaking today on a 4,785-square-foot addition on the back of the current library, which is 11,100 square feet.

The addition will create space for two meeting rooms, two tutoring rooms, a programming room with makerspace, Friends of the Library book sale room, a quiet research room, a teen room and 14 parking spots.

There would also be additional restrooms, a new circulation desk, a new entry portico with automatic sliding doors, about a 10 percent increase in the collection and upgraded technology.

Library officials break ground with ceremonial shovels today. From left include trustees Steve O’Dea, Dave Schwert, Board President Cynthia Kiebala, trustees Isabella mark and Kathy Boice, and library director Kristine Mostyn.

The new addition is expected to be ready in September 2026.

Library Director Kristine Mostyn thanked the community for its support thus far for the addition.

The project is under the $5.2 million that was presented to the community for a Dec. 10, 2024 bond vote. That passed 223-214.

Mostyn said the total are now projected to be $4,980,323.

The construction bids totaled $3,892,623 with the following working on the project: Javen Construction of Rochester, general construction; TME Excavating of Hilton, site work; McGrain Mechanical of Rochester, HVAC; Erie Electric of Rochester, electric; LMC Industrial of Dansville, plumbing.

There also are expenses for soft costs – permits, legal, bonding, utility fees, inspections, and furniture, fixtures and equipment.

Jeanne Tuohey, a trustee for the Nioga Library System, praised Lee-Whedon for securing about $2 million in state funding towards the expansion, which also included acquiring two lots next door and demolishing the houses. The state is paying $1,669,444 of the construction costs for the addition.

Tuohey said libraries are much more than books. She said with the new meeting rooms and programming space, Lee-Whedon will become an even bigger community hub.

The expansion will go on the back of the current library, where there will also be a parking lot with 14 spaces.

The library is trying to raise $500,000 through a capital campaign in donations and already has 65 percent committed towards the project. Click here to see more on that campaign.

There is one anonymous donor at $50,000. Western New York Energy also gave $25,000. Jim and Barb Hancock also donated $25,000 and the new teen room will be named in their honor.

The library anticipates $2,839,556 in financing which would result in a tax impact of $34 per $100,000 of assessed property.

There were several people in the library today for the annual used book sale.

Many of the library events are in the open space inside. The “maker space” will be a separate room for some of the programs. The concerts will still be in the bigger open space.

The library received citations and commendations for breaking ground on the capital project. From left include Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman; Julia Bauer, community liaison for State Sen. Rob Ortt; library director Kristine Mostyn; and Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

The front entrance will be upgraded as part of the project.

Passero Associates created this rendering of the front of the building, which includes an overhang near the entrance. This is part of a $5 million capital project at the library, which includes a 4,785-square-foot addition.

Provided photos

MEDINA – Dave Kusmierczak, left, accepts a $2,400 check on behalf of the Orleans County Joint Veterans Council from Dave Berry, president of the VFW Auxiliary to Lincoln Post 1483.

The van service is utilized by the veterans who need rides to medical appointments. They are taken to appointments by volunteer drivers.

The VFW Auxiliary 1483 held a chicken barbecue in May to support some of the programs the veterans and service members use in the community. The VFW Auxiliary would like to thank the community for supporting their Chicken BBQ, making this donation possible.

Dave Berry, president of the VFW Auxiliary to Lincoln Post 1483, is shown with one of the vans used to take veterans to medical appointments.