Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Rob Klino, president of the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, left, and Jeff Wagner, a member of Friends, stand in front of the boarded up stained-glass window in the cemetery chapel. A restored window will be unveiled in a rededication ceremony May 18. (Right) Friends of Boxwood Cemetery’s president Rob Klino, left, and member Jeff Wagner stand in front of the historic Medina Sandstone chapel, which has been undergoing renovations and restoration of one of its stained-glass windows.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 May 2024 at 8:50 am
MEDINA – Friends of Boxwood Cemetery have been engaged for more than a year in a project to raise funds to restore a stained-glass window in the historic Silas Mainville Burroughs chapel, built of Medina Sandstone.
“We are trying to bring it back to life,” said Rob Klino, president of Friends of Boxwood Cemetery. “We raised enough to restore the window, so we decided to go ahead and redo the interior of the chapel.”
Their project will be unveiled in a rededication ceremony from 6 to 8 p.m. May 18.
“It’s been a total labor of love,” Klino said.
The village of Medina helped with the interior, along with volunteers Tim Tierney, Jeff Wagner, Tom Snyder and Craig Royal.
The restoration includes new paneling on the walls, lighting and the addition of pews to make it look like it would have in the past.
The rededication on May 18 will feature wine and cheese, a history of the chapel by Medina historian Todd Bensley (who just released his second book on Boxwood Cemetery) and a presentation by Valerie O’Hara from Pike Stained Glass Studio in Rochester, who did the restoration and repair of the chapel window.
The chapel was built in 1903 at a cost of $25,000, Klino said. It is named in honor of a Medina native, Silas Mainville Burroughs, who became famous as co-founder of the pharmaceutical giant, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. This is one of the companies which today make up GlaxoSmithKline.
When Burroughs died in 1895, he left more than $22,000 to Boxwood Cemetery. Burroughs was buried in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where he had died from pneumonia, and commissioners desired to have his body removed and re-interred in Boxwood Cemetery. When it became evident this would not happen, the commissioners began looking for a suitable memorial to this generous patron and native son.
They settled on building a chapel, which could serve not only as a memorial to Burroughs, but a place where funeral services could take place and bodies stored for the winter, waiting for spring burial.
Stone for the chapel was quarried mostly from the McCormick quarry, and is described as “beautiful brown stone.”
Tickets for the rededication ceremony are $25 for members of Friends of Boxwood Cemetery and $30 for non-members. They are available at English Rose Tea Shoppe, 527 Main St., or Thistle Ridge (Klino’s shop), at 418 Main St.
Klino also acknowledged Leonard Oakes Estate Winery for sponsoring wine for the event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2024 at 8:11 am
Provided photo
MEDINA – The Medina Area Partnership on Wednesday unveiled a new cutout standup board with a historical theme. The new standup board was painted by artist Brandi Zavitz.
MAP has the display next to the Hemp House at 409 Main St. The new artwork allows two people to poke their faces in cutouts and appear like a Victorian couple on a walk with their cute little dog. The Erie Canal Basin is in the background.
Kathy Blackburn, one of the MAP leaders, said the effort gives people another activity while they are in Medina. The display is expected to be out until after Christmas.
The MAP events’ committee would like to have another cutout standup sign in the future.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Medina Fire Chief Matt Jackson gave three representatives from Barton & Loguidice and other village officials a tour of the fire station that is cramped and in need of repair. Jackson showed how the current concrete floors in the 1930s fire hall are uneven and sinking. The Fire Department has been seeking a new fire hall addition and repair project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2024 at 4:32 pm
MEDINA – The Village Board met on Monday with representatives from the Barton & Loguidice engineering firm to try to reach an affordable solution for adding space to the Medina fire station.
The village has a new ladder truck coming in December 2025. That truck is about 2 feet taller than the current one from 1995 that is 10 feet, 4 inches. The fire hall bays only have about two inches of clearance for the current ladder truck.
Medina needs about two more feet of height to accommodate the new truck, which also will be longer than the current truck.
Village officials were looking to put an addition of the fire hall with two bays, for the ladder truck and a fire engine. The four ambulances would stay in the current fire hall and the space currently for ambulances could be used for meeting space or possibly for police cars.
Medina officials were expecting the project to cost about $4.5 million. The estimates from Barton & Loguidice put the cost at about $6.1 million.
Mayor Marguerite Sherman said that is much too costly for the village. The Village Board hasn’t set a number on what the community can afford, but Sherman is seeking a project well under the $6.1 million.
Barton & Loguidice had three representatives meet with the board on Monday, and they take a tour of the fire station. Matt Fuller, a B & L vice president, said the company will present three options for the village, possibly by next week.
B & L will look at the feasibility and cost of lowering the entrance of the existing fire hall by about two feet. That would also mean lowering the driveway and possible other alterations to the building, including to the garage door and adding a step or two to stairs inside.
B & L will also do an estimate for a one-bay addition and a two-bay addition. The addition would be a metal building with a façade that could be brick to help blend in with the overall fire station complex, said Jeremy Hughes, B & L regional business development manager.
Barton & Loguidice officials take measurements of the driveway leading to the fire hall. The village will have a new ladder truck that is too tall to fit in the current bays of the fire hall. One possibility could be digging down into the concrete in the driveway and inside the fire hall to create more clearance for the truck to fit in the fire hall.
Sherman said the village doesn’t have deep pockets and is feeling the financial pinch.
“We need to look at everything,” she said in considering options to accommodate the new fire truck and consider repairs to the existing building.
The village has been hunting for grants for the building project and also the new fire truck but nothing has been committed so far.
Fuller, the VP for B & L, said municipal buildings don’t tend to secure grant funding, but there may be funds to help with the $1.7 million fire truck.
Fire Chief Matt Jackson said Medina considered ordering a similar-size ladder truck but those smaller ladder trucks are special order and a higher cost.
The Village Board on June 26 accepted the bid for $1,698,995 from Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisc. to build the new fire truck with a 100-foot-long ladder. The truck will replace a 29-year-old ladder truck with a 75-foot ladder.
Barton & Loguidice representatives at left and the village officials at right, including current mayor Marguerite Sherman and former Mayor Mike Sidari, look into a manhole at what’s below this space by the fire station.
About a year ago Chief Jackson welcomed the public to an open house to show how the current concrete floors in the 1930s fire hall are uneven and sinking. One component of the building project called for taking out the old concrete floors and putting down new concrete.
The total scope of the initial project included:
An addition to the fire hall that would be approximately 62 feet, 8 inches by 88 feet, 8 inches.
A new public entry, radio room/office, laundry room, EMS room, restrooms, Decon room, gear room, mechanical room, tool room, and apparatus bay with the existing apparatus bay being repurposed to house the village ambulances.
A mezzanine space to be located along the perimeter of the new apparatus bay with file storage and office space accessed from the existing building second floor hallway.
A new air and vapor barrier membrane and new exterior cladding system to be installed over the existing concrete masonry unit wall construction of the existing fire station, and the existing overhead sectional doors to be relocated and replaced allowing for adequate clearances around the ambulance apparatus bay.
The renewal of the building’s existing façade will result in creating a weather tight envelope while simultaneously allowing the cladding system of the addition to carry over creating a cohesive look to the updated facility.
The existing concrete slab in the existing ambulance apparatus bay to be replaced, including the installation of new trench drainage and epoxy floor finish.
The outdated emergency generator located south of the alley to be replaced and upgraded to accommodate the fire station and addition.
Sherman said the village needs to determine “needs versus wants” with the project.
“I would like to see some ‘bare bones’ options, as well as some choices,” she advised the B & L team.
The tour included a walk through in the basement, with B & L seeing whether the floor above could be lowered.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 April 2024 at 8:35 am
Rate drops from $21.16 to $13.97 after tax base grew by $100 million
MEDINA – The Village Board adopted a $7,678,256 budget for the general fund on Thursday that will increase the amount of taxes collected by 3.1 percent. However, the tax rate will plunge more than $7 – from $21.16 to $13.97 per $1,000 of assessed properties.
The towns of Shelby and Ridgeway, where the village is located, both completed town-wide reassessments in 2023 and those new values take effect in the 2024-25 village budget.
The tax base increased by $100.5 million, going from $178,984,667 to $279,494,874. That is a 56.2 percent increase.
The tax rate dropped 34.0 percent or by $7.19.
During a budget public hearing on April 8, the budget was at a 34.9 percent tax increase or up by $1,320,759. The Village Board and the department heads shaved $1.2 million from that to try to get to a “minimal amount,” said Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman.
However, she said the board can only cut so much. The village will be looking for more revenues outside of the property tax. Medina has tried for years to get in increase in the local sales tax, but has been kept flat by the County Legislature since 2001.
“This board has had numerous discussions on the need to pursue additional funding sources while looking long-term on how to best to continue services while trying to keep the tax rate affordable,” Sherman said.
Overall spending in the general fund is at $7,678,256 – up $84,960 or by 1.1 percent. The water fund is up 4.1 percent or by $83,296 to $2,102,947. The sewer fund is down 3.1 percent or by $39,816 to $1,256,195.
Debbie Padoleski, retired village clerk and treasurer, was elected to the Village Board in March and started her term on April 1. She ran for the board partly due to the rising assessments in the village and potential for much higher tax bills.
Some residents will actually see lower tax bills with this village budget, depending on the percentage of increase in their reassessments, Padoleski said. But others will be paying more.
“While we were able to reduce the levy by $1.2 million from the proposed budget, our hands have been tied by several factors,” she said.
Union contracts push up labor costs, and Padoleski said the lack of an increase in the local sales tax strains the village budget. Medina gets $160,160 of the local sales tax total, which is expected to be near $25 million this year. That is less than 1 percent for Medina of the total in the county.
Padoleski also thinks the village isn’t properly treated by the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway with divvying up the tax burden at the town level. Village residents should be seeing more of a break in their town taxes, padoleski said.
Without some relief from the towns and county, Padoleski said the Village Board could face hard choices in the future about cutting some services.
“We are one step away from cutting services and while some of us are not yet ready to do that, I have been assured that we will continue to look for ways to cut costs, increase revenue and be open to different ways of doing business,” Padoleski said. “Our taxpayers need to be our main priority, always.”
Here are the village tax levies and tax rates in the past six budgets:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2024 at 3:20 pm
Event was fundraiser for East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Cheech, one of the pro wrestlers who competed Saturday in the Medina High School gym, acknowledges the crowd after he won a five-man scramble.
It was one of the featured battles in the “Spring Smash,” a benefit for the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company. Empire State Wrestling brought a group of pro wrestlers, including three with ties to Orleans County, for the event.
About 450 people attended the 2 ½-hour “Spring Smash” on Saturday. That matches the crowd from about a year ago, when ESW held its first event at Medina. ESW previously did an annual event at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, with crowds of 350 in 2018 and then 200 in 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic kept the wrestlers away starting in 2020 before last year’s return to Orleans County.
Cheech, one of the ESW’s more popular wrestlers, now faces the ESW champion Spencer Slade on May 18 during Brawlfest at Riverworks in Buffalo.
Colin Delaney, formerly of the WWE, screams when Spencer Slade twists Delaney’s leg. Slade, the ESW champion, kept his title.
Spencer Slade, an imposing physical specimen, acknowledges the crowd before his match. Slade is hearing-impaired and wears ear protection.
Kevin Blackwood, one of the most successful pro wrestlers from Orleans County, returned to battle Yoya. Blackwood has Yoya in a headlock.
Blackwood, 33, grew up in Albion as Kevin Lockwood. He lives in Los Angeles and wrestles all over the United States and Canada.
Erin Moody of Albion is Lockwood’s uncle. Moody remembers Lockwood as a little boy, jumping off the couch and pretending to be a wrestler.
“I’m really happy to see Kevin following his dream,” Moody said. “He is really doing it. Not many people get to live their dream.”
Maxx Cannon, “The Big Filthy,” makes his entrance into the gym. Jacob Miller of Medina wrestles as Maxx Cannon. Miller, 30, has been wrestling for about four years, but he took nearly a year off after the birth of his daughter. Saturday was his return to the ring.
He said he was thrilled to get a big response from the local crowd.
He battled Frankie Feathers, the former ESW champion.
“There is nothing like being in your hometown,” Miller said.
He has wrestled with ESW, Buffalo Championship Wrestling, Southern Tier Wrestling and Xcite Professional Wrestling.
Maxx Cannon gives a big facial reaction in his match against Frankie Feathers. Cannon had Feathers beat, but the referee missed the count after being knocked down.
Cannon enjoys interacting with the crowd and being on the microphone, talking some trash with his opponents.
During Saturday’s match, when he had the mic, he snuck in, “Let’s go Mustangs!” in a tribute to his alma mater.
Gavin Glass (right), a Medina native, is up high on the ropes with Darren Crowe. Glass used his “Glass Cutter” move to finish off Crowe.
Glass, 26, returned to the ring last month after taking about a year off when he became a father. Glass has been wrestling for almost a decade and travelled all over the country and Canada.
“I grew up wanting to do this since I was in fourth grade,” he said. “The dream has come true.”
Gavin Glass signs an autograph on a kid’s arm after Glass was victorious.
Adrianna Fury, right, has Haley Dylan down on the mat in the only match featuring women wrestlers. Dylan won the battle.
Zach Nystrom was among the wrestlers in a five-man scramble. Nystrom, a Texas native, now lives in Pittsburgh. He wrestles “up and down the East Coast,” often devoting Thursdays through Sundays to wrestling, and then returning to his regular job in logistics for a trucking company. He said the regular job “is much more boring than this.”
Nystrom, 26, played college football and was working as an iron worker when he decided to give wrestling a try. He loves the physicality of the sport, and some of the exaggerated showmanship.
He is a power wrestler. He doesn’t do fancy moves. His slogan: “Making the Basics Brutal.”
Nystrom typically is a “bad guy” in the matches. He enjoys connecting with the crowd.
“Wrestling is physical theater,” he said. “It’s somewhere between sport and show. For us, it’s our passion and we’re living out our dream.”
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Destiny Cherry (in blue coat) and Kellan Bensley shovel dirt in the hole where a maple tree will be planted. (Right) Kellan Bensley, left, and Jack Smith get shovels from FFA adviser Todd Eick, to help plant a maple tree at the FFA model farm.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 27 April 2024 at 11:26 am
MEDINA – Fourth-graders from Oak Orchard Primary School learned about trees and helped plant a maple tree at Medina FFA’s model farm on high school grounds.
It has been a tradition for several years for Medina Lions to conduct an activity with fourth-graders every year on Arbor Day, said Lions president Jim Hancock.
In the past the Lions have visited the fourth-grade classes with speakers to talk about trees, planted trees with help from the students in various locations, and in one year they gave a sapling to each child.
This year, however, they decided to plant a maple tree in the pasture of the mini model farm maintained by the FFA at Medina High School.
Medina Lions president Jim Hancock, left, and Lion Tim Moriarty, right, talk with Medina FFA teacher Todd Eick at the FFA Model Farm on Medina High School grounds, as they wait for fourth-graders to arrive for a tree planting ceremony.
Children and their teachers, Karen Pane, Scott Gerdes, Alina Patterson, Maria Lemme and Alexis Jones from all five fourth-grade classes walked to the farm on the southwest corner of the high school, where they were greeted by FFA instructor Todd Eick and his class of FFA members.
Eick asked each teacher to choose one child from their class to help shovel dirt around the tree.
Eick explained they planted a tree in the middle of the pasture to provide shade for the animals kept there. This includes alpacas, Nigerian dwarf goats and several ducks. A maple tree was chosen, as Eick explained, so 40 years from now when he has retired and his successor is in place, the tree can be tapped for maple syrup, providing another element of farming for the students to learn.
Then he asked the children how old they thought the oldest maple in New York state was. He told them the oldest living maple was planted in 1590 in Syracuse.
Medina FFA instructor Todd Eick, center, talks to fourth-graders about the importance of trees prior to planting a maple tree at the FFA model farm on Arbor Day.
Eick urged the students this summer to bring their families out for a walk and see how the tree is growing. He explained a maple tree grows about a foot a year and half an inch in diameter.
Hancock told the children about the Lions Club and how they were founded in 1935.
“We do a lot of good things for the community,” Hancock said.
He also introduced Tom Robinson, incoming president and chair of the tree program, and Lions Tom Beach and Tim Moriarty.
Eick then shared that the FFA in Medina was founded in 1936.
Before the children left to go back to their school, Eick asked them to line up and sing happy birthday to his mother, Pat Eick, whose birthday was Monday. Eick’s son Mason, an FFA member, recorded the song to play for his grandmother.
Fourth graders from Oak Orchard Elementary School head back to class after participating in a tree planting ceremony at the FFA Model Farm at Medina High School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 April 2024 at 7:27 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Second graders at Oak Orchard School in Medina helped plant four trees Friday on North Avenue as part of an Arbor Day celebration in the village. These kids with shovels include Emma McGrath in blue sweater and Gabrielle Watts.
The four trees plants by the kids were “Northern Acclaim” varieties.
This group is in a second grade class taught by Jamie Brooks. Her students have helped with Arbor Day plantings for five years. They students look forward to it every year and it ties in with their science lessons.
“They are learning about the earth around them,” Brooks said. “It’s talking the classroom outside.”
Members of the second grade Glee Club at Oak Orchard Primary School sang three songs to help celebrate the tree planting on Earth Day. Here they are singing, “This Land Is Your Land.”
Andrea Busch, director of the Glee Club, leads them in singing from a stage on North Avenue, not far from the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.
The group sang “This Land Is Your Land,” “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley, and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”
Medina is planting 69 trees this spring with 44 new trees on North Avenue, South Avenue, West Avenue, Park Avenue and State Street Park. The other 25 trees are going in Boxwood Cemetery.
Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman reads an Arbor Day Proclamation and shares her enthusiasm for the community’s commitment to trees.
Arbor Day 2024 marks the 17th year Medina’s urban forestry program has been a participant in the Tree City USA program of the National Arbor Day Foundation. The annual Tree City award honors Medina’s commitment to community forestry.
Many of the trees were paid for with donations through ReLeaf Medina. Click here for more information.
Mary Lewis, the Medina Tree Board chairwoman, said the Tree Board welcomes corporate and community sponsors to the tree-planting program.
The Arbor Day celebration included 2nd and 3rd graders from Medina Central School. The kids in front are second-graders in Abbi Keppler’s class.
Provided photos: Medina students Alexander Balaban, Isabella Gray and Elaina Bitsas pitched their idea of Pets & Found.
Press Release, Medina Central School
BUFFALO – Medina Junior-Senior High School business students competed and won top honors at the first-ever 43North Students to Startups Finals! The event was held at Seneca One Tower in Buffalo, NY.
Medina students Alexander Balaban, Isabella Gray and Elaina Bitsas competed against nine other teams, most from larger districts, and came home with first place and $1,000 for their hard work and effort.
Their business idea – Pets & Found – was a subscription style app to help owners find their pets and partner with local veterinarians to develop a kind of animal patient portal to benefit both pet owners and veterinarians.
43North is an accelerator program for seed-stage startups and has given over $5 million annually into growing Buffalo’s startup ecosystem. 43North is excited to collaborate with educators to inspire entrepreneurship and innovation in their classrooms.
“We are so proud of these students,” says Jody Sargent, one of the school’s business teachers. “We want to congratulate them for their hard work and effort as well as Business/Computer teacher Mrs. Krista Lindke who worked extensively to prepare these students for their success.”
The students were featured on the news television stations in Buffalo last night.
From left include Mr. Jody Sargent, Isabella Gray, Elaina Bitsas, Alexander Balaban and Mrs. Krista Lindke at the 43North Students to Startups Finals.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 26 April 2024 at 7:22 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Alexandria Purnell, left general manager of the Walsh Hotel, and bar manager Emily Plumb stand in the dining room, where Monday night euchre is going to be offered beginning April 29.
MEDINA – The staff of the Walsh Hotel is going all out to bring new life to the historic building, after an extensive remodeling by Tim Cooper and subsequent purchase by local developer Rollin Hellner.
General manager Alexandria Purnell has announced new features about to be launched, including extended hours, expanded menu and euchre games on Monday nights.
Purnell and bar manager Emily Plumb will welcome guests to the facility which, since 1852 has served the community as a bar, restaurant, hotel and speakeasy.
New hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
“We are getting busier and busier, and that is wonderful,” Purnell said. “We have even booked our first wedding and reception here for October.”
“It is so much fun to see the support from the community,” Plumb said.
Hellner reports that he expects to begin renovation of the upper floors by fall, creating 22 studio and one- or two-bedroom apartments.
Perhaps the most exciting news is the start of euchre games every Monday night. Seating is available for up to 48 players.
Games will begin at 6:30 p.m., and players can earn substantial prize money, based on the number of players.
A veteran euchre player, Lee Smith of Lyndonville will oversee the games and be a substitute player if someone ends up without a partner. No one will have to worry about getting a seat to play, whether they come with a partner or not.
A server will be available to take orders from the card players, so they won’t have to interrupt a game to get a drink. Free coffee and snacks will be provided.
The cost to play will be $5 per person, plus $2 to get in a loner pot. Prizes will be paid for first, second, third and last place.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 23 April 2024 at 2:29 pm
YMCA on Saturday hosted benefit for Ahmed Cherif
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Neven, an 8-year-old volunteer with Voice Gavel Club, left, walks 9-year-old Ahmed Cherif down the runway during a fashion show Saturday at the YMCA. The fashion show was one of many events which took place at the Y to benefit Ahmed’s medical treatments. (Right) Mariem Cherif, left, chats with French interpreter Marie Scott of Lyndonville during a benefit Saturday at the YMCA in Medina to benefit Cherif’s son Ahmed. Looking on is Scot’s daughter Anma, 3. Mariem and Ahmed came to Medina a year ago from Tunisia seeking medical help for Ahmed, who faces multiple health problems.
MEDINA – A crowd of people filled areas of the YMCA Saturday during a fundraiser to benefit 9-year-old Ahmed Cherif, who came from Tunisia a year ago with his mother Mariem seeking medical help.
Organized by volunteers from World Life Institute in Waterport and the Voice Gavel Club (junior Toastmasters), the afternoon featured numerous events for children and adults, including a bounce house, henna painting, bookmark making station, paint pouring workshop, bake sale, concession stands, arts and crafts table, face painting, basketball game and walk with Ahmed during a youth fashion show.
Highlight of the afternoon was auctioning off a painting by a young artist named Aricia, a grade 10 student at St. Robert Catholic High School. The painting was donated by the Voice Gavel Club of Toronto and sold for $300.
Ahmed’s mother mingled with the crowd and shared her joy for the support they have received. She told about selling her car, quitting her job as an accountant and leaving everything behind to bring Ahmed here.
“She was very brave, going to the unknown,” said Marie Scott of Lyndonville, an interpreter who speaks French with Mariem.
“It’s so hard leaving Ahmed’s dad back in Tunisia,” Mariem said. “But I am so happy with Ahmed’s progress. Since I met Project Life things started moving ahead.”
Mariem is also attending English as a Second Language classes twice a week at World Life Institute Education Center in Waterport, under sponsorship of Orleans-Niagara BOCES.
While Ahmed still isn’t able to speak, there was no mistaking his joy on Saturday as he danced around with the other boys and girls.
Noori Bibi, vice president of the YMCA board, said the event was a huge success in her eyes.
“It was wonderful to watch people enjoy the many activities and the atmosphere,” she said. “There were people from not only our community, but neighboring places like Buffalo and Rochester, as well as Canada, who came to show their support. I am so proud of all the young people and what they accomplished on the day. I am also very grateful to all the volunteers and the Medina local businesses and the YMCA for their generous support. I know Ahmed and Mariem felt the love and support from the wider community.
“And although Ahmed doesn’t have the voice or words to express himself, he certainly showed his joy by dancing throughout the event,” Bibi said. “This was a great start to our fundraising efforts for Ahmed. Thank you to everyone who supported this and participated, and please keep on supporting Ahmed by donating on our website.”
Click here to donate through World Life Institute.
YMCA hosted a benefit Saturday in support of Ahmed Cherif, a 9-year-old from Tunisia who came to Medina with his mother for treatment of multiple medical conditions.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2024 at 1:09 pm
MEDINA – The village will soon have a committee working on the planning and fundraising for a new all-inclusive playground at State Street Park.
The playground would serve children with and without disabilities. Mike Sidari, the village mayor for eight years, will be on the committee for the project. His term ended on march 31 and didn’t seek re-election.
He told the Village Board on Monday the committee would likely include representatives from the Medina Parks Committee or perhaps a new “Friends of State Street Park.”
There have been two proposals so far submitted for the playground, with another one expected.
Sidari said the committee will meet with the companies making proposals and try to determine the best fit for the village. Sidari said the proposals so far range from $360,000 to $500,000.
One proposal from GameTime included PowerScape playgrounds with large decks and uprights to provide strength and capacity. Other features include sensory wave seats, RoxAll See Saw, inclusive whirl, Bunny Spring Rider, four-bay swing frame, including two with a belt, two with enclosed tot, two with Zero G, one expression swing and one expression swing with a universal seat.
There would also be a freestanding sensory wave arch climber with sensors, four benches, geotextile rolls and wood fibers.
The Rochester Community Foundation told Sidari charitable foundations would likely contribute to the project. Sidari also said the Medina Rotary Club has agreed to be a pass-through for any donations locally towards the project. The Rotary Club would accept the funds and then direct them to the new playground, Sidari said.
Mayor Marguerite Sherman believes the playground will be a big draw in the community, drawing visitors too who don’t have an accessible playground in their town.
“I think it will bring in a lot of people, and will get a lot of use,” Sherman said. “People are looking for accessible areas. If you build it they will come and they will bring their families.”
Sherman attended a recent conference by the NYS Canal Corp. where state officials encouraged canal communities to make their recreational opportunities more accessible for people in wheelchairs and with other disabilities.
Sidari said there are many disabled veterans who would welcome an accessible playground so they could be with their children.
In other action at Monday’s Village Board meeting:
• The board set 6 p.m. Thursday at the Senior Center for a final vote on the village’s budget for 2024-25. There will be a workshop on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. to further scrutinize the budget.
“We are putting a lot of time and thought into it,” Sherman said.
• The board voted to seek a $50,000 state engineering planning grant for the development of an engineering report to identify sources of inflow and infiltration. The village’s share is $10,000.
• Appointed Bill Chmylak as a Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator.
• Approved a permit for Leonard Oakes Estate Winery to sell alcohol at up to seven blues concerts this summer at State Street Park.
“I was skeptical about alcohol in the parks, but it is very well laid out,” Sherman said about the layout at the concerts, which drew up to 800 people. “It’s just wonderful for our community.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2024 at 8:43 am
It’s official: Pride Pak Way, Commerce Way and Enterprise Way
Photo by Tom Rivers: Pride Pak Road will become “Pride Pak Way,” the Medina Village Board voted on Monday. The short road, about 300 feet long, is west of the Pride Pak vegetable processing facility on Maple Ridge Road. It’s one of three streets leading into the Medina Business Park that were officially named on Monday by the board.
MEDINA – The Village Board gave three short streets leading into the Medina Business Park official names at the Monday night board meeting.
The board had been discussing how to name the streets in recent months. After hearing suggestions for prominent community leaders and business tycoons from the past and present, the board decided for more generic names – Commerce and Enterprise. The other street will be Pride Pak Way.
Pride Pak Way is just west of the Pride Pak vegetable processing facility that opened in 2016. There already is a sign declaring the small street “Pride Pak Road.” That street could eventually extend farther back into the business park.
The board never officially named the street. The name will be “Pride Pak Way” to be consistent with the first street named in the park: “Marcia Tuohey Way” which is off Bates Road.
The three new streets are all perpendicular to Maple Ridge Road. Pride Pak Way is currently about 300 feet long. The village and Orleans Economic Development Agency previously said the street would be named Pride Pak as part of the agreement with the Canada-based company to come to Medina. Pride Pak lists the address of its Medina business as 11531 Maple Ridge Rd.
Enterprise Way is about 400 feet long, and is between Pride Pak and the hotel.
Commerce Way is about 400 feet long and between Takeform and BMP.
The board preferred more generic names, which wouldn’t have to be changed in the future if there are changes of ownership and the names of the existing businesses by the new streets.
The naming of the paved streets will add them to the village’s official street inventory, and could result in a slight increase in state CHIPS aid for road maintenance.
Photos by Ginny Kropf (Left) – Mary Thomas celebrates her 100th birthday at Orchard Manor in Medina today with granddaughter Maria Heeg of Chili, formerly of Albion, daughter Bonnie Ruhlen of Albion, son Jim Thomas of Florida, and granddaughter Barbara Bernhardt of Chicago. Jim and his family are former residents of Newfane. Son David from Pennsylvania was also present for a celebration on Sunday, her actual birthday. (Right) B.J. Thomas of Medina hugs her husband Ron’s aunt, Mary Thomas, on the occasion of her 100th birthday, celebrated at Orchard Manor.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 22 April 2024 at 3:31 pm
MEDINA – Mary Thomas’ 100th birthday turned into a three-day celebration at Orchard Manor Rehabilitation Center.
On Sunday (April 21), her actual birthday, she celebrated with a party for family and friends, including her three children, Jim and David Thomas and Bonnie Ruhlen, followed by cake on Monday with Jim, Bonnie, granddaughters Maria Heeg and Barbara Bernhardt and B. J., Thomas, wife of Mary’s nephew Ron Thomas. On Tuesday, she will celebrate again when Orchard Manor observes all the birthdays falling in April.
Mary grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where she met her husband Franklin at a USO dance.
“He was in the Army Air Corps and we were told it was a girl’s duty to go dance with the servicemen,” Mary said.
Franklin was from Lyndonville and when they married, they returned to Orleans County and settled in Waterport.
Mary led an active life, starting work while she was still in high school for the local Farm Bureau. After moving to Waterport, she was active in Waterport Methodist Church and worked for Orleans County Farm Bureau.
When Mary’s and Franklin’s third child, Bonnie, was born, Mary wanted to stay home, so she got a job selling Avon, where she could take the kids with her to drop off catalogs and pick up orders.
Mary Thomas blows out the candle on her birthday cake at Orchard Manor, in observance of her 100th birthday on Sunday.
Bonnie said her mother lived for a time in Clover Hill Adult Care home in Albion, where she loved to reminisce about the dresser in her room.
“I bought that with my very first paycheck,” she would say.
Jim reminded the family that his mother was still in high school at the time.
When the children were growing up, Mary was president of their school’s PTA, district clerk for Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation, and president of the Rebecca Lodge.
“Us kids like to be in charge, and now I know where we get it from,” Ruhlen said.
The family had set a goal for Mary to receive 100 birthday cards for her 100th birthday. Today they announced she had received 110 cards.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2024 at 8:55 am
Provided photos from Jessica Carpenter
MEDINA – Girl Scouts from Troops 82094 & 82096 in Medina were part of an Earth Day cleanup on Saturday morning and they filled 32 bags with trash.
They picked up litter and debris from the ditches of Route 31 and Bates Road near Brunner’s. They also picked up trash at Boxwood Cemetery and along the canal from Bates Road to Horan Road.
The Troops thanked the Girl Scouts for getting rid of so much litter and Jennifer Hughes for organizing the cleanup.
Press Release, Village of Medina Municipal Tree Board
Provided photos: Students from Oak Orchard School in Medina celebrate Arbor Day Medina in 2023. The students will again help plant Arbor Day trees on Friday.
MEDINA – April in the Village of Medina means it will soon be Arbor Day and once again, Medina will be celebrating in a big way.
Arbor Day, observed nationally on the last Friday of April, falls on April 26 this year.
“Sixty-nine trees in all will be planted this year,” said Chris Busch, Medina’s Forestry Coordinator. “Forty-four trees will be planted on North Avenue, South Avenue, West Avenue, Park Avenue and State St. Park, with 25 hardwood seedlings going in Boxwood Cemetery.”
Medina’s observance will be held on the east end, south side of North Avenue at West Avenue in the village (kitty-corner from Lee-Whedon Memorial Library). The east end of North Avenue will be briefly closed for the occasion.
Barring a rainy day, this year’s celebration will start at 10 a.m. and include the reading of the Arbor Day Proclamation by Mayor Marguerite Sherman, and enthusiastic participation by the 2nd and 3rd graders from Medina Central School. The Oak Orchard Glee Club will also be performing on stage.
“We’d like to give a huge ‘thank you’ to Superintendent Mark Kruzynski for Medina CSD’s continued participation in our annual Arbor Day Celebration and for providing Mrs. Andrea Busch as a school-based resource,” said Mary Lewis, Tree Board chairwoman. “We’re so grateful! The schools have been a colossal part of Medina’s Arbor Day tradition for over fifteen years!”
The Tree Board’s focus has been a three-pronged approach for several years: Main arteries and Central Business District area, parks, and high-need residential areas.
“The need for plantings in all of these areas continues,” said Mary Lewis, Medina’s Tree Board Chair. “Plantings from previous years are maturing and are making a real visual impact in the streetscape. The new trees we’ve been planting in our parks are truly improving those areas, and we’re beginning to make headway on our neighborhoods. There’s still so much to be done and I wish we could do more.”
Volumes of research on the impact of street trees show numerous benefits, including increase property values, slower/ safer traffic patterns, lower urban air temperatures, and absorption of harmful pollution. Recent research also indicates tree-lined streets in neighborhoods result in – among other things – lower blood pressure and improvement to overall emotional and psychological health.
“Tree-lined streets really do have an incredibly huge impact on many levels,” Lewis said. “There are many legitimate studies that bear this out. The benefits from investing in street trees are many and tangible. We hear this constantly from citizens throughout the year about how much they appreciate the beauty of our tree-lined streets. It’s very gratifying.”
Arbor Day 2024 will mark the 17th year Medina’s urban forestry program has been a participant in the Tree City USA program of the National Arbor Day Foundation. The annual Tree City award honors Medina’s commitment to community forestry.
The Tree City USA Program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters, and the USDA Forest Service. Tree City USA is awarded annually to those communities who qualify and is a national designation.
Medina’s Municipal Tree Ordinance and Arbor Day Celebration have been a model for several other communities looking to establish a board and planting program. Medina receives many inquiries for assistance and advice every year from municipalities across the state.
“In recent years, approximately 40 to 50 trees are inspected and recommended for removal. Each year we replace approximately the same number of trees in the community,” Busch said. “We’re keeping pace, but there is much more work to be done throughout the village.”
Busch continued, “We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Jason Watts, DPW Superintendent and his expert tree crew. They do it all with a high degree of professionalism and care– plant, prune, maintain and remove. They genuinely care about our village trees and we’re incredibly lucky to have them.”
The village maintains a policy of diversity in its urban forest plantings. Species to be planted this year include Honey Locust, Zelkova, Katsura, Crab apple, American Hornbeam, Serviceberry, and varieties of Maple.
(Left) Tilia mongolica “Harvest Gold” linden is of the many varieties being planted in Medina this Arbor Day. 40’ x 30’ at maturity, this tree’s name is inspired by a mantle of bright golden yellow leaves in autumn. (Right) The familiar Arbor Day signs in Medina mark the sites where the celebration will be observed.
Boxwood Cemetery trees will employ an entirely different focus and method of planting.
“Boxwood Cemetery is 175 years old and presents several difficult challenges for maintaining, removing and planting trees,” said Busch. “The old section on the hill in particular is a challenge on many levels. Most of the trees are very old. They were planted when the cemetery was new and space was still available. Now, those trees are at the end of their lives, are quite large, and are situated among numerous old graves and monuments. Their removal requires a great deal of care and specialized skill.”
“Many trees have been removed with more on the list to go, so we had to devise a workable, minimally intrusive plan to install trees for erosion control and soil stability,” said Busch. “After much research and deliberation, we’ve decided to utilize hardwood seedlings and grow tubes. This will allow us to reforest these difficult sections in a way that will result in an appropriate tree placed exactly where we want it in a minimally invasive manner. And, it’s relatively inexpensive by comparison.”
Busch explains the seedlings to be used were sourced from a hardwood nursery in Wisconsin and reflect many of the original species used in the historic cemetery. Further, the grow tubes will not only protect the trees from harsh conditions and deer browse, but will also greatly accelerate the growth, up to 4-5x.
Species include Shagbark hickory, Sugar maple, Red oak, and White oak, all species currently in the historic landmark cemetery.
“For this application, we believe it’s a good solution.”
Mary Lewis emphasized that while the village makes great progress each year, there is still much more work to be done throughout the village and Boxwood. With increasing costs and limited funding, the task is daunting, but they’ll rise to meet the challenge.
“Municipal budgets are tight and getting tighter. The cost of trees from growers has seen double-digit percentage increases in the last nine years and that’s a huge challenge,” said Lewis. “Each year we remove 40+ trees that are dead, dying and hazardous. The good news is we replace those trees with new, more beneficial and desirable cultivars. It’s an investment worth making.”
Busch states that the science of street trees and urban forestry has progressed and developed tremendously in the last 40 years with a greater understanding of new cultivars developed specifically for urban use.
“At the turn of the nineteenth century when most of our village forest was planted, there was little choice for a street tree– elms and oaks were the more expensive option, and Silver maple was the cheaper option,” Busch explained. Municipalities were interested in large, fast-growing trees that created beautiful tree-lined streets. They had little knowledge of any unintended consequences and infrastructure was different.”
Busch further explained that despite looking very nice, those trees caused big problems.
“One hundred years later, these Silver maples are massive at nearly 70-plus feet and create numerous issues with infrastructure, safety and utilities. Today, thanks to extensive research and purpose-driven breeding, there are literally hundreds of cultivars in every shape and size for use in a variety of urban conditions. We take into consideration the limitations and conditions on every site, and select the right tree for the right spot. This insures a much healthier and desirable village forest.”
Lewis states, “Thankfully, the village has been consistently supportive of our efforts to reforest the village utilizing new urban forestry knowledge, and we’re grateful for it. Additional critical funds have come from an extremely generous community in donating money for trees, both as memorials and general plantings. People in Medina have really embraced our efforts and see the importance of trees in the village. They truly enjoy the aesthetic impact they have on our streets and neighborhoods.”
Lewis went on, “We’re incredibly grateful for the on-going financial support we receive through ReLeaf Medina. Without the generosity of the community, citizens and businesses, we wouldn’t be able to do it. It really does take an entire community to accomplish what we do.”
According to Lewis, tax-deductible donations can be made anytime for general tree planting, memorial trees or for “trees on your street”. Additional information can be obtained at the Village Clerk’s Office or by downloading the ReLeaf brochure online at villagemedina.org, or by contacting Lewis at mlewis.villagemedina@gmail.com.
“Financial support in the form of gifts and donations from the public and businesses are critical,” said Lewis. “We’re so appreciative of the support which is vital for the future. We encourage citizens to continue their support and urge corporations to consider becoming an annual corporate sponsor. Our tree-lined streets are definitely a contributing factor in people’s decision to locate their family or business in Medina and their donations play a huge role in making our efforts possible.”
