By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 February 2024 at 8:09 am
MEDINA – The Village Board filled some vacancies on committees and is seeking more applications for other openings.
The board on Monday made the following appointments:
Planning Board alternate: David Flynn
Zoning Board of Appeals alternate: Randy Reese
Parks Commission: Randy Reese
Tourism Board: Barbara Gorham
Parks Committee: Michelle Capstick
The Village Board has other openings it would like to fill, including three spots open on Boxwood Cemetery Commission, one position on the Tree Board, and one spot on the Parks Commission.
Residents interested in the position can click here to see a volunteer application to be submitted to the village. Click here to see some of the current committees and their members in the village.
Photo by Tom Rivers: This three-story Medina sandstone structure at 613 Main St. was badly damaged in a fire on April 7. The building owner has been cited by the village which doesn’t want it to linger in the current condition.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 February 2024 at 3:06 pm
MEDINA – Several village residents told the Village Board on Monday they are concerned about a decline in neighborhoods as well as two large commercial buildings that are badly damaged, one from neglect and another from a fire.
“We used to be one of the most beautiful villages and now we’re at the bottom,” said resident John Parada. “We need to clean up so village looks better.”
Parada urged the village to send up more letters from code enforcement for property maintenance. He asked for a breakdown of how many letters are sent out in recent months.
The board said it would try to have that information available at an upcoming meeting.
Parada reiterated concerns shared by Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency. She urged the board to focus on the gateways leading into the village, where many homes need repair, fresh paint, and porches cleaned of debris. She said unkempt properties hurt efforts to bring in new businesses.
Village Trustee Jess Marciano agreed with several of the speakers, who are concerned about deteriorating properties.
“You’re not wrong,” she said. “That’s something that needs to be addressed.”
Village attorney Matt Brooks said citing people and imposing fines isn’t always the answer. Some people don’t have the money to make repairs or paint their houses. They may be elderly or encountered some misfortune, he said.
“It’s the old saying, it’s very hard to get blood from a stone,” he said. “People are often going through something hard.”
Community volunteers sometimes step up to help a neighbor overwhelmed by the task or short on funds, Brooks and residents noted.
Scott Carlton said village property owners face high property taxes, and are seeing neighborhoods slip into greater decay.
The village needs to reduce its taxes so people have more money for property upkeep, he said.
“It’s a vicious circle with the taxes being so high,” he said. “You have got to do something with taxes. It all falls to the homeowner. There are no big businesses, and when we get them, we give them a break.”
The village is looking to pursue a brownfields grant and also Restore New York grant that could help with some blighted buildings.
The board is concerned, in particular, with 613 Main St., which was badly damaged in a fire on April 7. The property is fenced off, but the board wants to see it either stabilized or a plan for a removal. The village has cited the owner, Jeff Fuller, and there will be a court appearance on March 25 to see if Fuller has action steps for the building.
The village also frets about a former large manufacturing site on East Avenue that has been vacant and a target of vandals in recent years. There have been several small fires in recent years at the three-story building at 525 East Avenue. This 70,600-square-foot building was previously used by the S.A. Cook Furniture Factory.
The property has been sold multiple times through the property tax auction, including in 2016 when it only fetched $100.
A more recent owner – Open the Windows of Heaven, Apostolic Ministry – doesn’t have insurance on the building. The church group also doesn’t have the resources to make extensive repairs or to demo the site.
Brooks, the village attorney, described the site as “a disaster” with no deep pockets to fix or demolish it.
The village six years ago instituted a vacant property registry, and Brooks said that has been successful in utilizing empty homes and buildings. The registry has reduced the vacant sites from about 80 to near 40.
The property owners pay a fee to be on the registry and then annual charges if the buildings remain unoccupied.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 February 2024 at 10:19 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Nick Joy, left, and Tanner Ferris takes the oaths of office and are sworn in as new police officer for the Village of Medina.
Joy’s dad Scott, right, is holding the Bible for while Ferris’ grandmother Darlene Sullivan holds the Bible while he recites the oath of office.
The two new officers were sworn in during this evening’s Village Board meeting.
Joy of Lyndonville is already well known in Albion and Medina, where he is a trainer and co-owner of the Hustl House gym. He will continue at Hustl House while starting a new career as a police officer.
“It is a really great opportunity to serve the community even more,” Joy said.
Ferris is a 2017 Albion graduate. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from SUNY Brockport. He has been working for Keeler Construction.
“This is a great way to make a difference,” Ferris said about working as a police officer.
His grandfather, Richard Ferris, was a deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.
Tanner Ferris is grateful for the chance to work for the Medina PD.
“This is a smaller community where you can make a difference and not just be a number,” he said.
The two officers will take a six-month police academy starting Monday at Niagara County Community College then they do field training with the Medina PD.
MEDINA – The application for Medina’s Full Day Universal Pre-K (UPK) program is now available on the Primary School’s website or by accessing the link found here.
Parents of children not already enrolled in UPK who are interested in enrolling their child in kindergarten for the 24-25 school year are also asked to complete the application form.
To be eligible for UPK, children must be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2024. To be eligible for kindergarten, children must be 5 years old by Dec. 1, 2024.
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 14th 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 2024-25 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:
Feb. 16 to April 1: UPK applications accepted by calling the Oak Orchard Main Office, or through our website, starting on Feb. 26
Thursday March 14: UPK Information Night 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. at Oak Orchard Primary
April 2: Families notified of acceptance into UPK Program or if program capacity is reached, that lottery is to be held.
Week of April 1: Lottery held, if needed, and registration packets mailed.
Week of May 6 – May 10: 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 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 26 February 2024 at 8:51 am
File Photo: Roger Hungerford speaks during Dec. 9, 2021 in the Bent’s Opera House events center.
MEDINA – An announcement, which Roger Hungerford once said would “blow the medical industry out of the water,” is forthcoming on a project which Hungerford and head medical researcher Jason Maine have been working on for four years.
Hungerford has numerous patents for medical devices, including an intravenous delivery pump and a cardiopulmonary bypass pump. His father Van also is credited with designing the first heart pump for a physician at the Cleveland Clinic.
Roger has formed AMGIS, headquartered in the Olde Pickle Factory on Park Avenue, where work is progressing on a revolutionary approach to intravenous fluid and drug delivery. Fifteen engineers have been working remotely on this project, Hungerford said in an interview.
Most recently, Hungerford and his team developed an advanced clinical guidance software tool which electronically connects and integrates patient data from multiple units, such as seizure pumps, infusion pumps and cardiopulmonary pumps.
Hungerford anticipates his newest invention, an intravenous drug and fluid delivery device, will be ready to submit to the FDA for review in two parts the second half of this year. He said it will be tied up at the FDA for a year before AMGIS can begin manufacturing it in Medina. He anticipates a large number of patents will be associated with the device.
He said the new invention will make every other device in its field obsolete.
“We are using things that have not previously been considered until we engineered all these breakthroughs,” Hungerford said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 25 February 2024 at 11:38 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Vassilious Bitsas, left, and his dad Jim hold a pizza ready for the oven at Cusimano’s. The family, who also owns Country Club Restaurant in Medina and pizzerias in Lockport and Brockport, believe in supporting their community. They regularly donate pizzas to Little League teams and gift cards for benefits and charitable organizations.
MEDINA – If there is one thing the Bitsas family believes, it is in feeding the hand that feeds them.
The Bitsas’ story began in 1980 when Bill Bitsas and his family immigrated from Greece to Toronto, and then to Rochester. The trip from Toronto, through Orleans County, would set the stage for the success that was to come.
Bill worked at a restaurant in Rochester, owned by his maternal grandparents, but when he started looking for an opportunity to expand, he remembered his drive through Medina.
In 1972, with his wife Frances, he opened the Country Club Restaurant on Main Street. Twenty-two years ago, his son Jim and his wife Mindy took it over.
“Our son Michael loves pizza, and we started thinking about opening a pizzeria here,” Mindy said.
The building on Maple Ridge Road, at the corner of West Avenue Extension, was available, and Jim and Mark Massaro bought it. They opened Cusimano’s Pizzeria in 2017, the year son Vassilious graduated from Medina High School.
The pizzeria was named after Massaro’s late mother, Jim said.
When Covid hit in the spring 2020, Cusimano’s donated food regularly to workers at Medina Memorial Hospital, firefighters and policemen.
“We wanted to support the first responders and emergency personnel who had to be on the job every day,” Mindy said. “We continue to donate to them.”
They provide free pizzas to Little League teams after games and to other sporting events. They support benefits and fundraisers with gift cards. This summer Vassilious wants to do something for Little League softball and baseball. They will rotate teams to invite in for free pizza after each game.
The Bitsas family also owns Cusimano’s pizzeria in Lockport and Brockport, as well as the Olive Leaf in Lockport. In Brockport, they support a reading program at the school, where students who complete their reading assignments can come in get free pizza.
In addition to Vassilious, 24, Jim and Mindy have a son Michael, 21, and daughter Elaina, 17, all of whom come in and work in the restaurants.
Bill, who is retired, spends six months in Medina and six months in his home country of Greece.
“We love taking care of our customers and showing the community we appreciate all the customers we’ve had over the years,” Jim said. “Many of them have become good friends.”
Jim said they want their restaurants to feel like home, and for customers to feel comfortable.
The Country Club, at 535 Main St., is a full service restaurant, open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Cusimano’s sells, pizza, wings, salads, subs, wraps and newly-introduced beef-on-weck. Dessert options include cannoli, ice cream, cheesecake and brownies. Specials are made daily. They are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 February 2024 at 9:59 am
Angela Waldriff has offered guidance to about 250 businesses, including Diago Russell of Home Town Lawn Care
Photos by Tom Rivers: Angela Waldriff has owned Ashlee’s Place in downtown Medina for 33 years, withstanding pressure from Walmart, Big Box stores and the online marketplace.
MEDINA – Angela Waldriff opened a clothing store for women 33 years ago in downtown Medina. She has defied intense business competition over years, from Walmart, other Big Box stores and the online marketplace.
Waldriff said she strives to connect with her customers, sending them birthday cards, newsletters and letting them know they are valued. Waldriff sends about 100 birthday cards a month with hand-written notes.
She was at a meeting 12 years ago with the Medina Business Association when two SCORE volunteers – Jon Costello and Jim Hancock – said the community could use more SCORE mentors who offer advice and guidance to small business owners in Orleans County. Costello tends to focus on banking and financing, while Hancock connects businesses to services in the community to make the businesses stronger.
Waldriff has been committed the past 12 years to volunteering as a SCORE counselor through the U.S. Small Business Administration., focusing on marketing and building the business’s brand.
“It is satisfying to being able to help someone with their business,” she said. “It’s bouncing off ideas.”
Angela Waldriff works with Diago Russell of Home Town Lawn Care, a business Russell started about two years ago. Russell is a long-time friend of Waldriff’s son, Tanner. They both graduated in Medina’s Class of 2019.
Waldriff gives people suggestions for advertising and getting the word out about their business, often through social media and being an active participant in the community.
Keys to long-term success come from being reliable, offering a quality service or a product, and showing customers they are cared about, Waldriff said.
She has adapted her business when she sees opportunities. The women’s-only clothing store sells shoes and accessories. Ashlee’s also rents out tuxedos.
“You have to know who your customer is,” she said.
Waldriff also suggests using colors to help make the business stand out. She uses pink in her storefront, in her newsletter, and even with the color envelopes she sends out.
Waldriff has been working with Diago Russell, a lawn care business owner she has known since he was a young kid. Russell, 22, graduated with Waldriff’s son Tanner in Medina’s Class of 2019.
She knows Russell is a hard worker. He has been a personal trainer at the Orleans County YMCA the past three years. He started Home Town Lawn Care about two years ago. His first job was with Zambistro, starting as a dishwasher at age 16 and working up to the salad and service line.
Diago Russell is ready for the busy spring season in the lawncare business. He would like to expand services to have a year-round business.
Russell runs an active Facebook page showing some of the jobs he’s done with lawn care and landscape. He completed the Microenterprise Assistance Program and used a grant through MAP to add equipment including zero-turn mowers, a leaf blower and weed wackers.
Russell will start the busy spring season with one employee and expects to add more. He has run the business with four workers at its peak.
Home Town Lawn Care does lawn mowing, landscape, hedge trimming, power washing, edging, flower bed installation and other tasks.
Russell said he is looking to send out newsletters to connect with customers. He already has a sense of what some customers prefer with their lawn. Home Town Lawn Care has a Google business page and he puts out yard signs when he completes a job.
He enjoys helping people keep their properties looking neat. Most of the customers are in the Medina and Lyndonville area, but Russell said he is willing to drive farther if needed.
“With Home Town Lawn Care, I wanted to produce something here that would stay,” Russell said. “I’m a reliable person and someone you can trust.”
MEDINA – Resiliency kits are now available for checkout at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.
Life is full of challenges and stressors for the little ones in your life. These kits are to help teach your child how to manage their “big emotions.” Teaching coping skills, social skills and emotional regulation will help your child be better prepared for the future.
The library has 18 resiliency kits available for two weeks at a time. They range in theme from “Happiness” to “Anger” to “Overwhelmed.”
In addition to Resiliency kits, we also circulate Discovery Kits, for hands on STEM learning, and Little Learners kits, for teaching the building blocks of literacy. All kits must be borrowed from and returned to Medina. Contact the library for more information.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 23 February 2024 at 8:31 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Rochester pianist Gregg Herman practices on the new piano in the Harvest restaurant at Bent’s Opera House.
MEDINA – Diners at the Harvest restaurant in Bent’s Opera House can now enjoy music with their meals, with the addition of a new piano.
The piano was a Christmas gift from Bent’s owner Roger Hungerford to his wife Heather, who has always loved the piano and wanted to learn how to play.
“Growing up in a family of nine children, it was difficult to afford piano lessons” Heather said. “When Roger learned Denton, Cottier and Daniels in Buffalo was closing, he said we should go and look at purchasing one. Rather than put it in our house, I thought adding a piano here in this historic building would be a wonderful thing. Now everyone can enjoy it.”
She is hoping she and daughter Isabella can take lessons together this summer.
On a recent Thursday night, Rochester pianist Gregg Herman played music for diners. He has been playing jazz since he was 10.
“I’m looking forward to experiencing this wonderful place,” Herman said, as he sat down at the piano.
On nights when there isn’t a pianist, diners will be able to listen to dinner music, as the instrument is a player piano. It has been placed in the front window in the room off the bar, which will now be known as the “Piano Lounge.”
Walk-ins will now be welcome to stop in for a cocktail or order a meal, while they listen to the music, Heather said.
Justin Bruce, operations manager at Harvest, said they are thrilled to be able to provide an additional space where people can come in and relax.
“This is more casual,” he said. “We now offer something for everybody.”
Harvest is open for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and for brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. For more information, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 February 2024 at 3:57 pm
MEDINA – The Village Board is looking to follow the lead of the county and several other municipalities in expanding the income eligibility for senior citizens to qualify for a discount on their village taxes.
The board held a public hearing on the issue last week and plans to vote on increasing the income levels for the tax discount during the 7 p.m. meeting on Monday.
The County Legislature voted in November 2022 to increase the income levels for residents 65 and older to qualify for the tax break. The senior exemption previously was last changed in 2014.
The senior exemption previously gave 50 percent off property taxes for those 65 and older with an annual income at $15,500 or less and then dropped in 5 percent increments.
The new exemption levels offer 50 percent off at annual incomes of $19,000 or less. It then drops in 5 percent increments until bottoming out at 20 percent off between $23,800 and $24,699.99.
MEDINA – The Village Board is looking to follow the lead of the county and several other municipalities in expanding the income eligibility for senior citizens to qualify for a discount on their village taxes.
