MEDINA – The village about two years ago was approved for a state grant to put in fast charging stations.

The state committed to a $245,184 grant for two direct-current fast charger pedestals. The project costs jumped to a projected $370,000 with National Grid and the state Department of Environmental Conservation to pay the additional expenses.

The village has been working with the Barton & Loguidice engineering firm on the design and engineering work for the project, which is planned for the Canal Basin. The stations, the first fast chargers in the county, would go in a median in the parking lot where there is access to three-phase electricity.

The project, however, is going to be handed off to the state which is doing a $1.345 million redesign of the basin and the parking lot.

The Village Board on Monday paid $3,750 to Matt Zarbo, a managing engineer with Barton & Loguidice. That money will be reimbursed by the state.

The state has its own firm working on the Canal Basin parking lot redesign. The basin will be transformed into a “waterfront gateway” with green space, seating areas and boater/cyclist amenities. It’s one of eight projects to be funded with a $4.5 NY Forward grant.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Medina’s fast-charging stations are planned for the Canal Basin near the median where there is access to electricity. There would be four spots with each station having two places to charge up electric vehicles.

Press Release, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

MEDINA – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has determined that the cleanup requirements to address contamination related to the former Bernzomatic Facility site at 1 Bernzomatic Drive, under New York State’s Brownfield Cleanup Program have been met.

The site is in the Village of Medina in the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby. The site is about 15 acres and is bound by New York Central Railroad and a vacant commercial property to the north, vacant wooded land to the south, Bernzomatic Drive to the east, and wooded land and commercial property to the west.

From 1969 through 2014 site operations involved the machining, assembly, packing, and shipping of hand-held torches by the Bernzomatic Corporation.

Current site activities include dry goods storage and material assembly, packaging, and shipping of air duct components.

The cleanup activities were performed by the Newell Operating Company and B360 Holdings LLC with oversight provided by the DEC. The DEC has approved a Final Engineering Report and issued a Certificate of Completion for the site.

The following activities have been completed to achieve the remedial action objectives:

• Demolition – The eastern machine building was demolished, and the concrete slab was removed. Following removal, the building footprint was backfilled with clean fill.
• Excavation – Excavation and off-site disposal of about 23 tons of contaminated soil exceeding the Restricted Commercial Use soil cleanup objectives was performed. The excavations were backfilled with clean fill.
• In-Situ (in-place) Reductive Chlorination – Groundwater at the site is impacted with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). To prevent groundwater contamination from migrating off-site, Liquid Activated Carbon and Biological amendments were injected into the ground to breakdown the VOCs.
• Site Cover System – The site cover system includes hard cover (building foundations, asphalt pavement, and concrete sidewalks), and 1-foot of clean soil cover in landscaped areas.
• Site Management Plan (SMP) – Development of a SMP for long-term management of residual contamination.
• Easement – An Environmental Easement was recorded to prevent future exposure to any contamination remaining at the site and to ensure implementation of the SMP.

Photos from LaBella: These images show some of the cleanup work at the former Bernzomatic site in Medina.

NYSDEC has approved the Final Engineering Report Approved, which:

1) Describes the cleanup activities completed.

2) Certifies that cleanup requirements have been achieved for the site.

3) Describes any institutional/engineering controls to be used. An institutional control is a non-physical restriction on use of the site, such as an environmental easement, when contamination left over after the cleanup action makes the site suitable for some, but not all uses. An engineering control is a physical barrier or method to manage contamination such as a cap or vapor barrier.

4) Certifies that a site management plan for any engineering controls used at the site has been approved by NYSDEC.

The following institutional controls have been put in place on the site:

• Site Management Plan.
• Groundwater and Land Use Restrictions.
• Environmental Easement.
• Vapor intrusion must be evaluated for any buildings developed on-site.

The following engineering controls have been put in place on the site:

• Cover System.

Next Steps: With its receipt of a Certificate of Completion, the applicants are eligible to redevelop the site. In addition, the applicants are eligible for tax credits to offset the costs of performing cleanup activities and for redevelopment of the site.

MEDINA – Last year was a transition year for the cruise-in events in Medina, with a shift from the Canal Basin to the Senior Center parking lot.

Rollin Hellner, who helped coordinate the events and covered the insurance cost, has a schedule prepared for 2025 that continues the cruise-ins at the Senior Center, and adds live music at two of the events at the Senior Center.

Rollin Hellner, coordinator of the car show cruise-ins in Medina, goes over the schedule and his plans for the event in 2025. He is speaking with the Medina Village Board on Monday evening. The schedule would be most Friday evenings from May 30 to Aug. 22.

Hellner went over the schedule during Monday’s Village Board meeting. He needs the board’s permission to allow use of the parking lot. The board said it will vote on the issue during the Jan. 27 business meeting for the board.

Mayor Marguerite Sherman thanked Hellner for his efforts in leading the events.

“It went well last year,” Sherman said. “We’re excited for everything you’re putting into it.”

Hellner presented a schedule for car shows this year, going most Friday evenings from May 30 to Aug. 22. The Super Cruise on Main Street would be on Wednesday, Aug. 27, and again will feature Elvis impersonator Terry Buchwald.

The car events aren’t all on Fridays. The July 4 show will be the following day on Saturday, July 5.

The show at the Orleans County 4-H Fair is usually on a  Friday but this year will be on a Saturday, July 26.

There are different themes for each cruise-in, including trucks, Corvettes, Mustangs, Hot Rods, “Bike Night,” British and Foreign Night, Camaros, Mopars, vans, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, with the car show culminating with the Super Cruise on Aug. 27.

The car shows averaged about 50 per event last year at the Senior Center with about 250 for the Super Cruise. The shows will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

“It was a good response and we’re looking forward to doing it again,” Heller told the Village Board.

He owns The Walsh across from the Senior Center. He is planning for deejays and live music in 2025, and is working out the best spot for a stage for the musicians. That performance stage will either be at the parking lot or at The Walsh.

Highway 31 will perform June 6, with Ken Ryan and the Professionals on July 5 when the car show is at the Senior Center parking lot. A band will be at the fair on July 26 and Elvis will conclude the cruise-ins on Aug. 27.

MEDINA – GLOW YMCA has embarked on its annual campaign to raise funds for scholarships to help those with financial strains afford a membership.

The Strong Communities Campaign is undertaken by all YMCAs in the United States.

“One thing most people don’t realize is YMCA is a 501c3 charity whose mission is Christian based,” Bellack said. “Each year our goal is to raise nearly $30,000 to help families in need. This year we are hoping to raise $29,500.”

The campaign began Jan. 1 and will run through May 31.

Donations can be made by picking up a flyer at the YMCA with a link on which to click, or by dropping a check off at the front desk.

“Y” director Jesse Cudzillo echoed Bellack’s words about the importance of supporting the YMCA.

Amber Regling of Albion works out on an elliptical machine at the YMCA in Medina, where she was able to become a member with aid from a scholarship.

“This is a charity, and our policy is we will never turn anyone away for their inability to pay,” he said. “I fear many people don’t know about our scholarships.”

Even a small gift can make a significant impact on someone else’s life, he said.

Contributions directly support free or reduced-cost programs, scholarships for memberships and vital community services which make Orleans County a better place for everyone, according to Cudzillo.

One local resident who was able to join the Y in September with help from a scholarship was Amber Regling of Albion, a single mom of three kids, all of whom have high needs.

“A girlfriend who is a member here invited me as a guest one day,” Regling said. “I used to go to the gym a lot in college and I loved it. With three special needs children, I haven’t been able to think about exercising, but now that the children are all in school, I finally had some free time for myself.”

She had recently suffered a breakup in a relationship, so she was looking for a diversion.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to afford a membership,” Regling said. “I knew scholarships were available and I applied for one and got it. Now I find enough time to be an hour and a half every couple of days.”

She said she sets goals for herself, but tries to keep them low enough to be able to achieve them. She likes the elliptical machines, treadmills and the yoga and pilates sessions upstairs.

“The Y has a special place in my heart, as I attended Head Start here as a child,” she said. “I have a lot of anxiety and found of all the things I’ve done, nothing helps like exercise. I’ve come in here 100% not OK and walked out 100% OK.”

Cudzillo said when determining eligibility for scholarships, they use the same guidelines as the school. A family of five making less than $50,000 is eligible for a 50% discount on membership and all programs.

Bellack added their goal is that every dollar raised goes to the community to help members use all the programs the YMCA offers.

GLOW YMCA has 695 member units, representing 1,541 individuals, Cudzillo said.

MIDDLEPORT – The final Mass at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Bishop Michael Fisher of the Diocese of Buffalo announced in September that St. Stephen’s would close as part of a restructuring of churches in the 8-county Diocese. The Diocese is closing some churches due to a declining number of priests and attendance.

St. Stephen’s is part of ONE Catholic that includes churches in eastern Niagara and Orleans counties. The bishop also announced St. Mark’s in Kendall would close but a final Mass date hasn’t been announced for St. Mark’s.

St. Joseph’s in Lyndonville also is in ONE Catholic but that church was badly damaged in a fire on Feb. 28, 2023 and later razed. Barker’s church also is in ONE catholic but that one will be aligned with a family of churches closer to Lockport.

ONE Catholic welcomes Catholics in the ONE Catholic family to attend the 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Stephen’s, 21 Vernon St. A donut social will follow at the St. Stephen’s Rectory following the Mass.

The following Sunday on Jan. 19 the 8:30 a.m. Mass will move to St. Mary’s in Medina. ONE Catholic said the music crew from St. Stephen’s will continue to provide music at St. Mary’s, and others from St. Stephen’s will be lectors, eucharistic ministers, greeters and ushers at St. Mary’s.

The St. Rocco’s Festival team from St. Mary’s in Holley and St. Mark’s in Kendall will host a breakfast at Holy Trinity in Medina to welcome the parishioners from St. Stephen’s to St. Mary’s.

MEDINA – After 29 years of bringing joy to customers through cookies and kindness, Mary Lou Tuohey is retiring after today as owner of Case-Nic Cookies in downtown Medina.

She and her staff have kept up their usual busy pace this holiday season. But this time there have been plenty of tears as Case-Nic nears the end of 29 years.

“I’m definitely going to miss it,” Tuohey said about the business where she has met so many people over the years. “A lot of people are upset we are closing.”

Kathy McHugh has worked for Tuohey the past decade at Case-Nic. She said Tuohey has an amazing work ethic and kind heart for the community.

“I’m grateful for everything Mary Lou has done for me and everyone,” McHugh said. “She is here from dawn to dusk.”

McHugh will miss the job at Case-Nic.

“It’s always great to put smiles on peoples’ faces,” she said.

Mary Lou Tuohey frosts cookies with a New year’s theme. Case-Nic has set a 100 dozen a day limit during the holiday season. It makes for a long day in the kitchen of baking and being bent over to do the frosting.

Case-Nic also made 2,000 dozen cookies for the Medina Railroad Museum this season for the Polar Express.

Tuohey decorates the New Year’s cookies with a 2025. Many customers orders for events happening months away with the cookies to be frozen. They wanted the Case-Nic cookies for their events.

Tuohey has the cookies ready for decorations. The blue ones are for the character Bluey for a birthday party in a few months.

A big banner is in the store thanking Mary Lou Tuohey for her 29 years at Case-Nic.

Many customers signed the banner, thanking Tuohey and the Case-Nic staff.

Case-Nic closes today at 5 p.m. Tuohey said the building at 439 Main St. will remain a  bakery. Hans Rosentreter, co-owner of the Coffee Pot Café, will take over the site.

MEDINA – Of the nearly 50 floats entered in Medina’s annual Parade of Lights Nov. 30, The Orleans/Niagara BOCES emerged as the grand champion.

 This morning, Jim Hancock, chair of the Parade of Lights committee, accompanied parade grand marshal Ginny Kropf to BOCES to present the the school with its much-deserved plaque for earning first place. BOCES also received a check for $500 for the top entry.

BOCES principal Nicole Goyette accepted the plaque, saying she is a firm believer it is important for the students to do things in the community.

“We tried to involve as many students as possible,” Goyette said.

Photos courtesy of Nicole Goyette: Niagara-Orleans BOCES award-winning float in Medina’s Parade of Lights had a theme of “On Track for Bright Futures.” 

The float had the theme of “On Track for Bright Futures” and featured a track around the flatbed with a toy train running; an eight-foot metal Christmas tree with thousands of green lights; and a fire pit around which students sat during the parade.

Students in the welding class fabricated the track and Christmas tree out of scrap metal and rebar. Automotive technology students wired the train with a toggle switch, and Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering students created the fire pit, with a fog machine to simulate smoke. Diesel program students had previously restored an antique 1954 John Deere 40U tractor, which followed the float in the parade. Graphics students made the sign describing the float.

“BOCES has always had beautiful floats,” Hancock said.

(Left) BOCES students string some of the thousands of green lights on the giant Christmas tree made from scrap metal which highlighted their award-winning float. (Right) A BOCES student welds a track out of scrap metal on a flatbed which would become the grand champion float in the Parade of Lights.

In all, Goyette said about 20 students and staff were involved in creating their float.

This is the sixth year BOCES has entered a float in the Parade of Lights and the first time they have won a prize.

“We were thrilled with the prize money,” Goyette said. “We are using it to help students who need materials for their classes, but can’t afford it. This includes work boots, tools, test equipment for nursing students and kits for cosmetology.

“It really comes in handy,” Goyette said.

Goyette said the kids have asked if next year they could keep the float and take it to Albion’s parade, which is what they plan to do.

A fire pit created by BOCES’ Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (Machining) class was surrounded by students on their float in the Parade of Lights.

The idea for BOCES to have a float in the Parade of Lights was initially suggested by Auto Technology teacher Bob Winters, and the school has supported it ever since.

“The kids already have an idea for next year’s float,” Goyette said.

Hancock said they give out almost $4,000 in prize money to parade entrants, in addition to a plaque.

The Parade of Lights takes place every year on the last Saturday in November, at the end of Olde Tyme Christmas in Medina.

MEDINA – Mile 303 will again host a ball drop on New year’s Eve on Main Street in Medina.

Mile 303 started the ball drop to ring in year 2019. The restaurant and bar at 416 Main St. will open at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday for a New Year’s Eve Party to culminate with the ball drop at midnight.

The Medina Village Board agreed to close off part of Main Street for the event. Police Chief Todd Draper said there hasn’t been any unruly behavior with past ball drop celebrations. He pushed to have the street closed so people can safely gather and mingle on Main Street to celebrate the start of a new year.