By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 March 2025 at 9:12 am
Megg Wakefield
MEDINA – A local resident is asking the Village Board to back an effort to create a community garden in Medina.
Megg Wakefield said the effort would beautify part of the village and engage residents in growing vegetables.
She asked the board to think about a spot in the village for a garden. It could be at a park, a vacant lot, or on other village-owned land, perhaps next to the village office on Park Avenue.
She would like a spot in the village that is easily accessible to many residents, including those with limited transportation.
Wakefield said the garden could start small this year. She envisions it being “as low impact as possible.”
There may be grants available or donations to help with the costs for seeds, raised beds and other supplies.
Wakefield pointed to Holley’s community garden as a model. The Medina Village Board asked Wakefield to submit information on how the Holley garden functions.
Holley opened its community garden in 2017 on Route 31 on the east side of the village. The garden opened in the spring 2017 when the Clarendon Lions Club and the Myron Holley Garden Club agreed to supervise the project, which was facilitated by a $15,000 grant through the Orleans County Public Health Department. The grant was supplied by the Medical Reserve Corporation under the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Association of City, County and Health Officials.
Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman would like to pick a site in the village soon because the spring planting season isn’t too far away.
“It’s a great idea,” she said during Monday’s Village Board meeting. “It’s great for communities.”
Wakefield said she would start a Facebook group for the Medina Community Garden. Others interested in the effort can email her at Meggan.wakefield@gmail.com.
File photo: Holley celebrated the opening of its community garden in May 2017.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 March 2025 at 11:15 am
Village seeking federal assistance to bring down cost to local taxpayers
File photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina ladder truck from 1996 is shown in March 2023 when the fire department had an open house showing the tight quarters at the fire hall, especially for the ladder truck which only has 2 inches of clearance in pulling in and out of the fire hall.
MEDINA – Paying $3 million off over the next 20 years for a new ladder truck and addition to the fire hall will cost the average household an additional $100 in village taxes each year, Mayor Marguerite Sherman said during Monday’s Village Board meeting.
That is how it stands now if the village is unable to secure any grant assistance for the truck and the addition.
Medina is spending $1,698,995 with Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisc. to build the new fire truck with a 100-foot-long ladder. That truck is due to arrive between October and December, Sherman said. It will replace a ladder truck that is 29 years old.
Paying off the ladder truck with an annual bond payment will cost 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed property, she said. The average house is assessed for $129,000 in the village. Sherman said that puts the annual burden for the truck at $59.34 a year over 20 years.
She is pursuing federal assistance for the truck from Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer. An application to those offices is due March 31 and Sherman said the village should be notified in June whether any support will be coming towards the truck.
Medina also is looking at taking out a $1.3 million bond towards a fire hall addition for the new truck, which wouldn’t fit in the current fire station.
With that addition, if there aren’t any grants for Medina, the bond would impact the tax rate at 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed or $41.28 a year for the average. She said the village may pursue assistance for the addition from the Community Development Block Grant program through the federal Housing and Urban Development Grant program. Those applications open in May, Sherman said.
Together, for the two bonds, the impact would be $99.62 if the village is unable to secure outside funding for the truck and addition.
The Village Board is holding off on taking out finalizing a bond for the addition until it finds out more from the grant possibilities.
The mayor said it is unlikely the addition will be ready in time for the new truck. Village officials are looking at temporary housing for the truck. It will need to be in a heated building, she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 March 2025 at 9:47 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Clarice Assad collects sound near the Medina Waterfalls on Saturday afternoon. Assad, a Grammy-nominated composer, is working on a piece for the Albany Symphony to debut during a July 2 concert in Medina, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal.
Several community members joined Assad in a walk along the towpath and around the Canal Basin. She wanted to hear their insights about the community.
Clarice Assad walks along the towpath with Daniel Rosentreter on the north side of the Canal Basin. Rosentreter, co-owner of the Coffee Pot Café, also developed a bluebird trail in Medina including several bird boxes along the canal.
Assad walked with the group on Saturday and also was out on her own earlier in the morning. She was collecting sounds of nature, wildlife and other environmental noise, including church bells in the distance.
Assad has been a professional performer since she was 7. She was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2009 and a Grammy in 2022. She has more than 90 compositions to her credit, including many commissions for Carnegie Hall, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Orquestra Sinfônica de São Paulo, ROCO, LA Philharmonic, Grand Teton Music Festival, Santa Rosa Symphony, Metropolis ensemble, the Bravo! Vail Music Festival and the La Jolla Music Festival.
The group stops by the Big Apple along the canal. Assad also ventured over to the first quarry site for Medina Sandstone, John Ryan’s first commercial quarry in 1837. The quarry industry would bring thousands of immigrants to the community in the following century from Italy, Ireland, Poland and Britain.
Assad said she will take in what she heard and experienced in Medina as she works on the new piece.
People are also welcome to record their favorite sounds from Medina – a spot in the woods, birds singing outside their window, or other places that bring them comfort. Those sound files can be emailed to MedinaSoundArchive@gmail.com. Files can be in any format and should be under 5 minutes.
Clarice Assad welcomes a group of about a dozen people on the sound-gathering expedition. Stephen Shewan, a composer from Shelby, is next to Assad.
The Albany Symphony will be doing a concert with 35 musicians for the debut of Assad’s piece on July 2. The project is funded by the New York Power Authority and NYS Canal Corp. The Albany Symphony is planning five concerts which will all debut new compositions as part of the bicentennial.
The group walks along the towpath. While on their expedition, a bald eagle flew by.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Brandi Zavitz, left, and Cindy Davis, vice president of Friends of Medina Dog Park, are shown next to a gazebo at the Medina Dog Park. Zavitz will be painting a mural to be displayed on the wall at the park. She will paint about 50 dogs on the mural at $100 apiece with the proceeds going to the Dog Park.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2025 at 12:48 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Dog Park opened in September 2020 at a fenced-in area on North Gravel Road, next to the village’s former compost plant, just south of Boxwood Cemetery.
The site has been a big success, drawing hundreds of regular users, with many form outside Medina, said Cindy Davis, vice president of Friends of Medina Dog Park.
Zavitz made this portrait of her brother’s Bassett Hound, Hazel, in a tutu. This dog would tap her feet when she walked.
The site has added features since its opening, with agility equipment, a water station and a gazebo.
Soon the park will add large mural of local beloved dogs. Brandi Zavitz, a retired art teacher, will paint 50 portraits of dogs on the mural. She wants to show them with personalities, wearing super-hero capes, princess crowns, and other accessories to help shown when they are so loved.
Zavitz is backed by a grant from GO Art! to create the mural. She also painted the mural under the Glenwood Avenue canal bridge. She is teaming with the Friends of the Dog Park for an additional $100 fee to have a dog painted on the mural. Those proceeds will go towards the Dog Park which would like to add another water station, a second gazebo, another fenced-in area for smaller dogs and include more agility equipment, Davis said.
The mural will make a popular place even more special, she said, with all the portraits of dogs.
“In Medina you see so many people walking their dogs,” Zavitz said. “They love them like they are their children.”
She welcomes people interested in having their dogs in the mural to email her two photos of the dogs. She wants details about the dog’s personality (affectionate, goofy, etc.), whether or not it is living, if it is male or female, and some of the activities the dog enjoys.
If a dog has passed away, Zavitz will paint angel wings on that portrait.
For more information, contact Zavitz at brandizavitz@gmail.com or by text (585) 798-9780, or Davis at (585) 590-6543. Click here to see the Facebook page for the Friends of Medina Dog Park.
The mural will be 24 feet long. Zavitz said she will paint the portraits on site and expects the project to be done in the summer.
A retired Holley art teacher, Zavitz said she has been painting dog portraits for many years.
“This will be very spontaneous,” she said about the mural. “It’s going to be very exciting with a lot of movement.”
MEDINA – The application for Medina’s Full Day Universal Pre-K (UPK) program is now available on the Primary School’s website or by going to oak.medinacsd.org and looking under “News and Announcements.”
Parents of children not already enrolled in UPK who are interested in enrolling their child in Kindergarten for the 25-26 school year are also asked to complete the application form.
To be eligible for UPK, children must be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2025. To be eligible for Kindergarten, children must be 5 years old by Dec. 1, 2025.
For any families looking to learn more about the full-day UPK program, the Medina School District will be hosting an Information Night on Thursday, March 13th from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., held at Oak Orchard Primary School. Childcare will be provided for any children eligible to attend school in the 2025-’26 school year.
Doors will open at 5:15 p.m. and the evening will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. There will be a brief general session for adults in the auditorium, and then participants will visit scheduled locations throughout the building. Please plan to arrive by 5:30 and stay for the duration, in order to receive all the information prepared.
Families interested in learning more about Medina’s UPK program are encouraged to attend the Information Night. If you are unable to attend, information will be shared afterward on Oak Orchard Primary School’s website.
Timeline for UPK Application, Acceptance, Registration and Screening:
February 26 – April 7: UPK applications accepted by calling the Oak Orchard Main Office, or through our website, starting on 2/26
Thursday, March 13: UPK Information Night 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at Oak Orchard Primary
April 8: Families notified of acceptance into UPK Program or if program capacity is reached, that lottery is to be held.
Week of April 7: Lottery held, if needed, and registration packets mailed.
Week of May 19 – May 23: UPK Student Screening, applicants should bring all registration materials to the screening. A parent and the child are expected to attend the screening. Applicants will be contacted by phone to schedule their screening time.
Any questions can be directed to the Oak Orchard Main Office by calling (585) 798-2700, option 3 and then 0, between 7:30 to 3:30, Monday through Friday.
Photo by Scott Robinson: Some of the women who own businesses in Medina met in Rotary Park for a photo on Tuesday, in observance of International Women’s Day on Saturday. Women who own 14 businesses in downtown and the Medina area are affiliated with Creekside Floral, A lily and a sparrow, Bent’s Opera House, Hometown Wellness, Vintage Cigar, English Rose Tea Shoppe, Hans’s Bakery on Main, Ontario Shores Credit Union, Law Office of Katherine Bogan, Premier Cleaning Services, the Willows, RLW Cattle Co., KG Rentals and Author’s Note.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 March 2025 at 8:56 am
MEDINA – It is ironic the idea to pay tribute to Medina’s female business owners should come from a man.
The idea to observe International Women’s Day came from Scott Robinson, a member of the marketing committee and past president of the Medina Area Partnership.
Information online indicates National Women’s Day was first observed in the United States on Feb. 28, 1909, stating the Socialist Party of America designated the day to honor the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested poor working conditions.
An initial observance occurred in 1975, however, the day wasn’t officially designated until March 8, 1977.
March was declared as Women’s History Month by Barack Obama’s administration in 2011.
One of Medina’s many women business owners is Mary Lewis, who opened her first flower shop on Maple Ridge Road after Muchow’s closed in 2006. A year later she moved her business, Creekside Floral, to 422 Main St., and then in 2018 to her current address at 509 Main St.
“A woman brings everything to a business, especially mothers who are used to multi-tasking,” Lewis said.
Of more than 100 businesses who are members of Medina Area Partnership, more than 40 are owned or co-owned by women.
Some of those business owners came to Rotary Park earlier this week. Those business owners represented Creekside Floral, A lily and a sparrow, Bent’s Opera House, Hometown Wellness, Vintage Cigar, English Rose Tea Shoppe, Hans’s Bakery on Main, Ontario Shores Credit Union, Law Office of Katherine Bogan, Premier Cleaning Services, The Willows, RLW Cattle Co., KG Rentals and Author’s Note.
“I was thrilled with the turnout,” Robinson said. “Mary Lewis did the legwork of getting people there, even minutes before, making sure everyone had an opportunity. It’s a great testament to the business community and many of the powerful women helping it thrive.”
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Board members of the Medina Historical Society who presented a program on the pioneer history of Orleans County at their opening meeting of 2025 are, in front from left, Barb Filipiak, Gail Miller, Shane Sia (Ridgeway and Shelby historian), Georgia Thomas, Erica Wanecski and Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper. At rear are Kay VanNostrand and Medina Historical Society president Reinhard Rogowski.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 March 2025 at 8:00 am
MEDINA – The Medina Historical Society’s first meeting of 2025 took place Feb. 24 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library and featured a program on the pioneer history of Orleans County.
In honor of the county’s bicentennial this year, Orleans County historian and Medina Historical Society board member Catherine Cooper suggested a program focusing on stories of the early pioneer settlers and the hardships they faced. She got the idea from Amanda Burris of Texas, who reached out to her over a year ago, explaining her connection to one of the early settlers. Burris’s ancestor is Aretas Pierce, whose stories she heard while growing up. Burris runs a recording studio and was interested in re-issuing the stories and also creating an audio version.
“With the upcoming bicentennial, the timing was perfect,” Cooper said. “Her book became available Jan. 1, so I proposed we devote the February program to a presentation on the pioneers and their stories.”
Board member Georgia Thomas took the reins and organized the entire event, Cooper added.
Historical Society president Reinhard Rogowski welcomed guests and described Orleans County in the early years.
“It was heavily wooded north of the woods, resulting in its being called the Black North,” Rogowski said. “Pioneers had to deal with bears, beavers, panthers, rattlesnakes and malaria, along with starvation.”
Rogowski then introduced board members, each of whom gave a presentation on a different town in Orleans County.
Barb Filipiak talked about Barre; Gail Miller, Clarendon, Carlton and Yates; Shane Sia, Ridgeway and Shelby; Georgia Thomas, Gaines; Erica Wanecski, Knowlesville; Catherine Cooper, Eagle Harbor, Kendall and Murray; Kay VanNostrand, Medina, Holley, Hulberton and Hindsburg.
In the late 1860s, the early pioneers of Orleans County were encouraged to write about their experiences, their journey here, how they settled the land and their hardships.
“Early pioneers were very conscious of their place in history. Their heart-felt stories provide a unique insight into the early history of the county,” Cooper said. “Their accounts were beautifully written, and then along came Arad Thomas and put them into a book.”
At this time, Pierce’s Pioneers of Orleans County is available as a set of three titles, including a pioneer cookbook, on Amazon.com. One volume may be purchased, or the entire set. T-Shirts, like the board members wore during their presentations, will soon be available on Burris’ site – https://folk.studio/blog/
In honor of the county’s bicentennial, the Medina Historical Society is planning to devote a future meeting to the history of Medina and how it was laid out by Ebenezer Mix, in a program by former Medina mayor Adam Tabelski.
Meetings are at 7 p.m. the fourth Monday of the month through May, with programs resuming in September at Lee-Whedon Library.
Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper provided this photograph of the Pioneers of Orleans County, taken by George P. Hopkins at their 11th annual meeting June 19, 1869 in Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 March 2025 at 7:13 am
MEDINA – An increase in need and decline in donations has prompted Medina’s Emergency Food Pantry at St. Lutheran Church to embark on a community-wide fund appeal.
According to Jim Hancock, who has been involved with the food pantry since its inception in 1982, the number of people they are serving is increasing greatly, while donations are declining.
“The amount of food we are having to buy is depleting our reserves,” Hancock said. “We are spending $600 to $700 a month purchasing food.”
While he said they do receive a lot of donations from places like the library, school and postal workers, they still have a great need for cereal, pasta and spaghetti sauce.
“These things are not being received in the quantity we need,” Hancock said. “If we don’t get help, it won’t be long until our resources will be depleted.”
In 2024, the Emergency Food Pantry served 898 adults, 343 seniors and 374 children, for a total of 1,615 individuals.
This represents an increase of 15% over the previous year, Hancock said. To receive food from the pantry, people must reside within the 14103 zip code area. There is no income criteria, however, an individual may only receive food from the pantry once a month.
Monetary donations may be sent to St. Peter’s Emergency Food Pantry, 1355 West Ave., Medina, 14103. Checks or donations of food may be brought to St. Peter’s when the food pantry is open, from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or dropped off at sites, such as the library, or food drives conducted by organizations like the library and schools.
They are sending letters to groups and organizations asking for financial donations.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 6 March 2025 at 8:36 am
$1 cookies are fundraiser for Arc GLOW
Provided photo: Nicole Tuohey holds a heart cutout cookie as she stands in front of the former Case-Nic Cookies to promote her annual Have a Heart Campaign in honor of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in March. New owner Hans Rosentrater is allowing use of his windows to promote charitable events and will sell the cookies in his bakery for $1.
MEDINA – For most of the years Mary Lou Tuohey ran Case-Nic Cookies, she baked heart cutout cookies which she and daughter Nicole sold in March to support Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.
Now that Tuohey has sold the building to Hans Rosentrater, he is willing to continue the tradition. He is following Tuohey’s example of allowing non-profits to use the store windows for basket raffles. Currently baskets are on display to benefit Arc GLOW, which assists individuals with disabilities in the four counties of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming.
The frosted heart cookies are $1 and can be purchased at the store or ordered by calling (585) 798-1676.
The Tuoheys have been avid supporters of people with disabilities since Nicole was born with Triple X Syndrome and doctors told them she may never walk, talk, read, write or do math.
“As of that moment, we were determined, and she has been determined not to be ‘labeled,’” Mary Lou said. “Nicole is 33 years old and has done all of what the doctors said she wouldn’t do, and more. She has danced with Miss Stephanie for 28 years. She plays basketball, bowls, rides a horse, swims and rides a bike. She volunteers for different events at the Arc. She, too, is a person, not just a label, who has feelings, potential and determination. She may not do things the way other people do, but that doesn’t mean it is wrong. It means there are other ways to accomplish the same goal.”
Nicole attended Rainbow Preschool from 3 months of age to 5 years old and currently is part of Day Hab through Arc GLOW.
Each year in March, Mary Lou has included Nicole in fundraising to support the organization during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. This is the seventh year they have sold heart cutout cookies, using a red frosted cookie and a red and white frosted one to demonstrate how things, especially people, can be different, but the same.
Their annual campaign always included the words, “One is red, one is pink. The pink one has a bite out of. Other than that they are the same – made of the same ingredients, rolled out the same, cut the same and taste the same.”
That is the same with people, Tuohey explained.
“We are made of the same thing,” she wrote. “We might look different. We might not think the same, learn the same and socialize the same. But we all have feelings, all have potential and all have determination.”
Nicole and Mary Lou urge people to continue to support the charitable causes as they have in the past.
Provided photos: The late Art Hill on Saturday was inducted by the FOAR SCORE Fan Club into its auto racing hall of fame. Hill passed away at age 78 on Jan. 25, 2023.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 March 2025 at 9:23 am
Art Hill’s children, Jerry Hill and Jennifer Hill-Young, hold the Hall of Fame award presented for their father who was active in auto racing for about 60 years.
AMHERST – The late Art Hill, who was active in auto racing for about 60 years, was inducted into a racing hall of fame on Saturday.
The Friends of Auto Racing Seeking Cooperation of Racing Enthusiasts (FOAR SCORE) enshrines people who are outstanding in their profession and who make outstanding contribution to the sport of auto racing throughout the Western New York, Western Pennsylvania and Niagara Ontario Regions of Canada.
FOAR SCORE Club was established in 1948 by race fans for the betterment of auto racing. It is the oldest active auto racing fan club in the U.S.
FOAR SCORE honored Art Hill of Medina on Saturday at Classics V Banquet House in Amherst. Hill, the late owner of Art Hill Excavating, was an owner, sponsor and driver in auto racing.
The Hall of Fame listing for Hill states:
“The late Art Hill was involved in many different capacities in his long association with area motorsports. After some drag racing in the early 1960s, he teamed with brother Aaron to try some oval track racing at Lancaster.
“Ultimately, he connected with driver Pete Hayes; Art crewed for and eventually took on ownership of the Hayes Modified through the ’70s, travelling all over the northeast. He stepped away from active involvement in the early 1980s to focus on his business and raising a family, but maintained a connection by sponsoring a number of racing teams.
“He jumped back into the ownership/crew chief ranks in the late ’80s, teaming with Hall of Famer John Julicher to form a potent combination. That pairing resulted in Super Stock/Late Model titles at Lancaster in 1994, ’97, ’99 and 2001, and numerous feature victories, including the Race of Champions weekend Late Model event in 1999.
“In 2001, Art climbed back into the driver’s seat in a Late Model at Lancaster for a few seasons, and though he never visited victory lane, he developed into a consistent top five racer. He later moved his involvement to the asphalt Sportsman division, first as a major sponsor of John Julicher, Jr., then as a car owner for Hall of Famer Bobby Weber before his untimely passing in 2023. Art’s daughter Jen and son Jerry accepted the honors.”
About 225 attended the awards banquet. Pete Stefanski of North Tonawanda and George Skora III of Eden were honored as “Drivers of the Year” on dirt and asphalt, respectively.
Others inducted in the Hall of Fame include Linda Pratt, Bruce Roll, Dave Schulz and Kenny Troyer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 March 2025 at 12:39 pm
MEDINA – A composer working on a new piece that will debut in a July 2 concert will be in Medina on Saturday.
Clarice Assad, a Grammy-nominated composer, welcomes input from the community. She will be in the Canal Basin at 2 p.m. for a “Sound Capture Journey.”
Assad, a Brazilian-American, is developing an orchestral piece that will be performed by Albany Symphony on July 2 in Medina. Assad’s piece will be the centerpiece of the “Water Music New York: More Voices festival.” She will work around the theme of the voices of nature and the environment along the Erie Canal.
“The goal on March 8 is to create a digital archive of the sounds of nature and the environment, as heard by the Medina community,” said Lily Whiteman, programs manager of Albany Symphony Orchestra. “Clarice and adventurous listeners will capture sound snippets from around Orleans County to tell personal stories about nature and the environment.”
Anyone can join Assad on Saturday or adventure on their own sound-gathering expedition. People can record their favorite spot in the woods or share the sound of the song the birds sing outside their window.
“How do you listen adventurously to the natural world around you?” Whiteman asked.
Be sure to include where you collected the sound, and your first name and last initial, to be included in the online Medina Sound Archive.
Assad will be in the basin in downtown Medina at 2 p.m. on Saturday to talk about the project and to wander about, collecting sounds of nature that run through the community. To join the expedition or for more information, email Whiteman at lilyw@albanysymphony.com.
Provided photos: The Medina JV Winterguard, left, and varsity winterguard, right, both performed in Lancaster on Saturday.
Posted 2 March 2025 at 9:16 pm
Information courtesy of Medina Band Boosters
The Medina Mustang JV and Varsity winterguards traveled to Lancaster on Saturday to compete for the 5th time this season.
A total of 24 guards from NY, PA and Canada came to compete. Medina’s JV guard performed in the Cadet class and came in 2nd place with a score of 57.28, bested by Ventures Cadet with a score of 59.55.
Medina’s varsity guard competed in the A1 class and came in 4th place with a score of 60.85, with the Ventures in 1st place with a score of 68.35.
The next opportunity to see these two Medina guards perform is Saturday, March 8 in Medina at the high school. A total of 25 guards will be performing and the doors open at 3 p.m. and the show starts at 4 p.m. This is a great opportunity to see these students and adults display their talents and it will give you a greater appreciation of what winterguard involves.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2025 at 12:12 pm
Union expresses disappointment with delays, downsized addition to fire station
Photos by Tom Rivers: (Left) Medina Fire Chief Matt Jackson speaks during Monday’s Village Board meeting, sharing his concerns about aging fire trucks. (Right) Stephen Miller, president of Medina Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2161, said the union “has lost faith in the village leadership.”
MEDINA – The Village Board heard impassioned pleas from residents and the firefighters’ union on Monday, with residents worried that taxes are too high and pushing people out of their homes.
The union said the fire department has at least two fire trucks that should be replaced and soon be put out of service. The firefighters’ union president, Stephen Miller, also said the recent move to drastically downscale an upgrade and addition to the fire hall is inadequate and doesn’t meet the operational needs of the department.
“The membership has lost faith in the village leadership,” Miller said during a meeting Monday in a packed meeting room at the Ridgeway Town Hall. Many firefighters stood in the hallway because there wasn’t enough chairs and space in the main room.
He urged the board to take immediate action on upgrading the fire hall and the apparatus.
Miller said delays in moving forward with needed upgrades have resulted in much higher costs.
Jason Bessel, a Ridgeway firefighter, said the costs of new fire trucks have dramatically risen in recent years. Ridgeway just received a new fire engine for $860,000. Bessel said it was a five-year process to get the truck.
Medina’s ladder truck is 29 years old. One of the fire engines is 31 years old. The fire department pushed years ago to start the process of getting a new ladder truck. Miller said the cost in 2021 was projected at $1.3 million. When the board voted on getting a new one in June 2023, the cost jumped to $1.7 million.
The fire department also has been urging the board to fix a series of problems in the current fire hall, and also put on an addition needed for a new ladder truck. The new ladder trucks are bigger than the one from 1996, which already barely fits in the fire hall.
The board was expecting $4.5 million to fix the current fire hall and put on a two-bay addition. But the projections came in over $6 million, prompting the board to scale down the project to a one-bay addition only without addressing the shortcomings in the current fire hall. That one-bay addition is projected at $1,041,590.
But even the $1 million cost will be hard on village taxpayers, said Trustee Debbie Padoleski. Paying for that addition, plus the new ladder truck, will overwhelm many taxpayers who Padoleski already said are stressed in their village taxes.
“I know in talking with taxpayers in this village they are ready to look at a new way of doing business,” Padoleski said.
She is open to looking at a fire district which would move the fire department out of the village budget and into its own taxing jurisdiction. Medina FD could perhaps join with nearby volunteer fire companies in a larger joint district.
Padoleski said Medina’s Fire Department, the only one with paid staff in the county, provides extensive mutual aid to other towns, including with the ladder truck, yet the village is left to foot the bill for the fire department.
“The village pays too much for fire service compared to the towns,” Padoleski said. “We need a financially equitable solution from the county.”
Trustee Jess Marciano said the village needs to keep the pressure on the County Legislature to significantly increase how it shares the local sales tax. The county hasn’t increased the amount to the local towns and villages since 2001, despite the sales tax revenues more than doubling in that time.
The village will get $159,630 of the sales tax in 2025 out of a total expected to be around $23 million this year. That is less than 1 percent for Medina of the total local sales tax in the county.
“This is not sustainable,” Marciano said about the continued freeze in funding. “We are all neighbors. They ought to be listening to us.”
The county needs to increase the amount of sales tax for the towns and villages to help them keep up with the costs of equipment and personnel.
The Medina Fire Department brought a fire engine and ambulance to the board meeting on Monday, which was held at the Ridgeway Town hall. The Medina Historical Society is next to the town hall. Firefighters are urging the Village Board to find a way to update equipment and the facilities for the fire department.
Linda Limina, a village resident and member of the Shelby Town Board, says the taxpayers are struggling and some can’t even pay their water bills. Medina needs to find a better way to upgrade needed equipment without overburdening the village taxpayers, Limina said.
Mayor Marguerite Sherman said the Village Board has an obligation to firefighters and the police officers to provide them with safe and reliable equipment, especially when they are risking their lives in dangerous professions. That is not only police cars and fire trucks, but air packs and bullet-proof vests, Sherman said.
“I don’t want to raise taxes,” Sherman said. “But we need a fire truck and ambulance to show up in an emergency.”
The ladder truck is expected to arrive around Christmas in about 10 months. Marciano said the village can figure out where to keep it in the short term until an addition is ready, likely in early 2026.
Sherman said she will present the financial numbers on the projected annual debt service payments for the ladder truck and the addition during the next board meeting, March 10.
She said she is also pursuing grants for the truck and addition, but there won’t be a commitment on that for many months, if at all.
Sherman said the village faces other needs, from upgrading water and sewer lines, police cars and improvements to Boxwood Cemetery.
“There is a lot,” she said about the issues facing the village.
The board will soon be focusing on the village budget for 2025-26. That spending plan needs to be adopted by April 30.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 February 2025 at 12:51 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: J. Lincoln Swedrock, an engineer and vice president with BME Associates in Fairport, presents a request for the Medina Village Board to consider rezoning 46 acres on West Oak Orchard Street from light industrial to residential-3.
MEDINA – The Medina Village Board has been asked to consider changing the zoning for 46 vacant acres from light industrial to residential-3 to allow for new housing.
Sieck Wholesale Florist owns the land off West Oak Orchard Street near the Medina school campus. Ed Michel of Sieck Wholesale wants to keep the other 8.8 acres of the property as light industrial. That land is next to the railroad and includes a cell tower, an old boiler and another older building. Michel acknowledged those older buildings are in rough shape and will either be cleaned up or demolished. (Housing is not allowed in a light industrial district.)
Michel spoke at Monday’s Village Board meeting along with J. Lincoln Swedrock, an engineer and vice president with BME Associates in Fairport. Michel would like to develop the vacant land into housing, perhaps townhouses, multi-family housing and single-family residences.
He first needs to see if the village will change the zoning of the property. If that happens, he will work on determining what the market would support for new housing.
Village Board members voted to refer the matter to the Village Planning Board for its input. Mayor Marguerite Sherman said there aren’t enough housing options in the village.
The spot on West Oak Orchard Street may be appealing with the close proximity to Medina schools and access to village water and sewer.
The village doesn’t allow a cul-de-sac so an access road would need to extend through the property to Salt Works Road.
Swedrock said the meeting on Monday with the Village Board is just the first step in the process. He and Michel will need to connect with Shelby town officials about the access road if the project advances.
“Housing is a big push right now in New York State,” Sherman said at the meeting. “We need housing in the village, we really do.”
If the board wants to rezone the property, there will be a public hearing. There also will be opportunities for public input on the housing proposed if Michel decides to pursue the project if the rezoning is approved.
“Nothing is planned right now,” Swedrock said about the housing development. “It would be a diversity of housing options. But right now, it’s just do we want to look into this?”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 24 February 2025 at 8:00 am
MEDINA – Continuing a tradition which goes back decades, the Medina Area Association of Churches will again this year sponsor Lenten lunches in Medina.
This year’s Lenten lunches begin March 6 and continue every Thursday through April 10, at the First Presbyterian Church on Main Street.
Lunches begin at noon, with takeouts available at 11:45, according to Barb Hancock, a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and MAAC.
Participating churches provide lunch on a rotating basis, followed by a meaningful reflection.
The first lunch on March 6 will feature soup and sandwich by the First Presbyterian Church, followed by pulled pork on March 13 by the Alabama Full Gospel Fellowship, chicken and biscuits on March 20 by One Church, beef on weck March 27 by New Hope Community Church, sloppy joes April 3 by the Church of Abundant Harvest and scalloped potatoes and ham on April 10 by The Grove United Methodist Church.
Everyone is welcome to stop in and share the meal and fellowship, Hancock said. The program ends by 1 p.m.
A donation of $5 is suggested, with all proceeds going to Orleans County Meals on Wheels program and Albion’s Koinonia Kitchen.
Albion’s Lenten lunches start March 12 for five Wednesdays at noon at the Albion First Baptist Church, 30 West Park St.
MEDINA – A composer working on a new piece that will debut in a July 2 concert will be in Medina on Saturday.
