By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2022 at 9:56 am
Disc golf gets OK for Gulf Street Park
MEDINA – The Village Board has agreed to spend $2,600 for a community mass alert system where residents would be notified of watermain breaks, road closures and other urgent situations or critical events.
The Town of Shelby also will contribute $1,300 towards the total $3,900 cost.
Village officials asked Ridgeway town leaders to be part of the system but they opted against it. The notification system will include Ridgeway residents who live in the village of Medinas.
Medina will pay for the cost with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The village will be working with Hyper-Reach, a company based in Rochester. Residents will be able to select their preferred option to be notified: by text, phone call or email.
More information will be posted about signing up when it becomes available.
In other action at last week’s Village Board meeting:
• The board approved a 9-hole disc golf course at the Gulf Street Park. The project is funded through a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and will be overseen by the Orleans County YMCA.
The village Department of Public Works will clear some trees from the park and may put in the concrete bases for the holes that hold baskets.
The board approved use of the park for the course, and will get input on the design once its prepared by the WNY Disc Golf Association.
The YMCA also is looking to do a 9-hole disc golf course at Bullard Park and a smaller site in Holley. The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation gave the YMCA $20,000 to $24,000 to develop the projects with tee boxes, signs and baskets that are mounted in small concrete foundations – 8 inches wide by 20 inches deep.
• The board also agreed to let the Y have bikes for rent at Rotary Park in the downtown. Y employees will need to unlock and lock the bikes up at the beginning and end of the day, and be responsible for any bike helmets.
The board also gave the Y approval to bring a trailer to the Canal Basin for kayak rentals.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2022 at 9:34 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: The wooden gazebo in Medina’s Canal Basin has been declared surplus and will removed due to its unsafe condition.
MEDINA – The Village Board has opted against trying to sell a deteriorated gazebo at the Canal Basin, fearing if someone tried to move it the structure would crumble into pieces with the village having to clean it up.
The board in March voted to declare the gazebo surplus with the plan to have the Department of Public Works take down the structure.
Since then the village has been told some people would be interested in the gazebo and relocating it.
But board members last week said it doesn’t want to take a chance on having the gazebo moved by someone else. They worry the building would fall apart if someone tried to move it and the village would have to pick up the mess.
Jason Watts, the DPW superintendent, said the DPW would dismantle the gazebo and take it away from its spot by the Erie Canal.
“It’s not worth the time,” he said about trying to relocate the structure. “Let’s build back something nice.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2022 at 8:17 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Ammi-Joan Paquette, an author from Boston, greets book lovers on Saturday at Author’s Note in Medina as part of an Independent Bookstore Day celebration.
Paquette was one of six published authors featured during the day, which also included many prizes at the store on Main Street.
Author’s Note was one of about 900 independent bookstores in the country celebrating the day.
The nationwide event was started in 2013 by the American Booksellers Association to promote and highlight the value of independent bookstores and their impacts upon local communities.
A steady crowd of people visited the store at 519 Main St. throughout the day. Julie Berry, a Medina native and author of several books, owns the store.
Author’s Note was part of its first-ever Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday and celebrated with a theme, “A Bookstore is a Candy Store for the Mind.”
“Independent Bookstore Day gives us a megaphone to proclaim the difference we make in our communities,” Berry said. “Indie bookstores return two and a half to four times as much revenue to their local economies as chains do. We add whimsy, culture and variety to downtown shopping districts. And we work hard to foster literacy and reading for all ages, and especially for kids in our communities.”
These authors greeted Author’s Note customers on Saturday and signed books. From left include Ammi-Joan Paquette of Boston, Keely Hutton of Rochester and Dee Romito of Buffalo. Other authors at the store on Saturday included Bree Barton of Ithaca, Kate Karyus Quinn of Buffalo and Julie Berry of Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2022 at 6:07 pm
Vintage Cigar welcomes “Grover” and “Sandstone”
Photos by Tom Rivers: David Burd, co-owner of The Vintage Cigar in Medina, holds the Grover, a medium-full cigar that has a spicy taste with a hint of pepper. The cigar is named for former U.S. President Grover Cleveland of Buffalo, who married Frances Folsom, a former Medina resident. He is the only president to get married while he was the president.
MEDINA – A business that opened in October selling cigars and offering a smoking lounge debuted two of its own cigars today.
The Vintage Cigar introduced “Grover” and “Sandstone” today in the business at 513 Main St.
The Robinson and Burd families opened the county’s first cigar store and smoking lounge in October. Business has steadily grown, said Joe Robinson, one of the co-owners.
Vintage Cigar worked with Santiago Cigar Factory in Rochester to develop its own brand of cigars.
“It’s something we always wanted and it distinguishes us,” Robinson said.
The “Grover” is named in honor of former U.S. President Grover Cleveland who married a Medina girl, Frances Folsom. The two were wed while Cleveland was president. In one of his visits to Medina in the 1870s, he was arrested on suspicion of stealing a horse and buggy. He was actually borrowing a friends with permission.
“He is the only president to be put in jail in Medina,” said David Burd, one of the Vintage Cigar’s co-owners.
The Grover is a medium plus cigar with a thick, creamy smoke.
The Sandstone is mild and medium bodied. It has a barber pole design with alternating colors of tobacco leaves. Burd said that design is intended to honor the different shades of color in Medina Sandstone.
Today’s cigar release party included brandy served by North Ridge Distillery in Lyndonville. That business also has its own brandy-infused cigar that is sold at Vintage Cigar. Vintage Cigar carries about 100 brands of cigars.
Henry Amadiz, a cigar roller with Santiago Cigar Factory in Rochester, rolls a Sandstone cigar at The Vintage Cigar in Medina this afternoon. The in-house rolling was part of a cigar release celebration for two new cigars at the Medina business.
Photos courtesy of Chris Busch: Medina Mayor Mike Sidari reads a proclamation about Arbor Day to third-graders from Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 April 2022 at 3:53 pm
MEDINA – Medina’s Tree Board and third-graders from Wise Middle School participated in a ceremony this morning to celebrate Arbor Day.
This marks the 15th year of celebrating Medina as an official Tree City USA.
This year’s ceremonial trees were planted on Frank Street, between West Avenue and South Main Street. Participating in the ceremony, in addition to the third-grade students, were Kathy Blackburn, Lisa Tombari and Chris Busch, members of the Medina Tree Board; and Mayor Mike Sidari.
About 100 third-graders and their teachers attended tree planting ceremony on Frank Street this morning to celebrate Arbor Day.
Blackburn led the ceremony by explaining Arbor Day, which started in Spain more than 400 years ago.
Arbor Day became an official holiday in the United States in 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt issued a proclamation stating the importance of trees.
Sidari then read a proclamation from the Village and told the children the first Arbor Day was celebrated with the planting of more than one million trees.
The 95 children, who were accompanied by their teachers and principal Chris Hughes, were tested on their knowledge of trees by Blackburn and Tombari, who asked students to answer questions about trees. Students shared their knowledge, saying trees provide many benefits, including homes for birds, shade for people, fruit, maple syrup and clean air.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Kathy Blackburn, right, a member of Medina’s Tree Board, watches as third-grade students take turns in a ceremonial tree planting in honor of Arbor Day on Friday morning. Third-grade students from Wise Middle School gathered around a Tree City USA flag during a tree planting celebration Friday morning on Frank Street.
Blackburn told the students the story of Johnny Appleseed, then she and Tombari handed out coloring pages and activity sheets to the students. Arbor Day posters were also given to the teachers.
Students were then given the opportunity to step up and shovel dirt around the trees which had already been put in place by the village’s Department of Public Works. Most students said they had never planted a tree before.
Blackburn said the village typically plants 20 to 25 trees a year, but thanks to donations from ReLeaf Medina, they are able to plant 51 this year. South Avenue has been planted with most of them, with Friday morning’s trees being planted on Frank Street.
“We hope ReLeaf Medina can once again get enough donations to plant at least another 50 trees next year,” Blackburn said.
Varieties planted Friday morning included Celebration Maple, Japanese Zelkova and Princeton Elm. The village has done its research to determine what varieties will thrive best in certain areas, Busch said.
Other members of the Medina Tree Board are Bob Sanderson, Mary Lewis and Jake Hebdon.
Third-grade students from Wise Middle School hold an Arbor Day poster presented to their teachers during a ceremony Friday morning which featured tree plantings on Frank Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 April 2022 at 8:28 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board voted on Thursday in support of the site plan for a 9,200-square-foot banquet hall at Mariachi De Oro, a Mexican restaurant at 11417 Maple Ridge Rd.
The new single-story building would be behind the restaurant, north of that site and would include 90 more parking spaces on asphalt. That site is currently vacant greenspace.
The Rosario family opened Mariachi in 2011. The new building will be a wood-framed structure with metal siding.
The new project also includes sidewalks, lighting and landscaping. Trees included in the landscaping plan have been selected by the Maple Ridge Corridor District Tree List by the Village of Medina.
The banquet hall will utilize the existing entrance/exit to the restaurant.
The project includes removing a smaller building that is in poor condition, according to the Orleans County Planning Board. That building has been used for storage.
The banquet hall and parking spaces will be on a 3.75-acre lot with 2.19 acres to be developed.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 28 April 2022 at 7:14 am
Photo by Ginny Kropf: The Medina Railroad Museum is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a grand re-opening and open house on Sunday. As part of its Day Out With Thomas June 10, 11 and 12, the Museum will raffle off this Thomas the Tank youth bed.
MEDINA – The Medina Railroad Museum is excited to announce it will reopen to the public on Sunday, after being closed for four months for renovations.
The public is also invited Sunday to an open house as part of the Museum’s observance of its 25th anniversary this year. In honor of this milestone, admission to the museum and memberships purchased during the month of May will be 25 percent off.
The Museum closed after Christmas to make renovations in the restroom area, more than doubling the number of stalls for men and women and creating a separate handicap restroom. The gift shop has also been revamped.
After an absence of two years, due to Covid, the Railroad Museum will again welcome Thomas the Tank Engine on June 10, 11 and 12. Tickets are on sale on the museum’s website.
Also, the Museum is selling tickets on a Thomas youth bed, which will be raffled off June 13.
The Medina Railroad Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
These authors will be part of the independent book store celebration on Saturday – from left to right, and top to bottom include Bree Barton (Ithaca); Dee Romito (Buffalo); Kate Karyus Quinn (Buffalo); Keely Hutton (Rochester); Ammi-Joan Paquette (Boston, Mass.); and Julie Berry (Medina).
Press Release, Author’s Note
MEDINA – Author’s Note, Medina’s independent bookstore located at 519 Main Street, joins nearly 900 independent bookstores around the country in celebrating Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday with a roster of visiting authors and other celebratory activities.
The nationwide event, first conceived in 2013 by the American Booksellers Association, promotes, celebrates, and highlights the value of independent bookstores and their impacts upon local communities.
Author’s Note’s self-chosen theme for their first-ever Independent Bookstore Day is “A Bookstore is a Candy Store for the Mind.”
“It goes without saying,” says owner and author Julie Berry, “there will be quite a bit of candy at Author’s Note that day. Please, come take it off our hands.”
Author’s Note’s IBD celebration includes author visits in Medina and Royalton-Hartland schools in the days leading up to Independent Bookstore Day. Ithaca-based author Bree Barton will travel to the area to present her newest novel, Zia Erases the World, to students at both schools.
Bree Barton will be the first featured author at Saturday’s celebration, signing books and greeting fans from 10 to 11:30 a.m., followed by Buffalo-based authors Dee Romito and Kate Karyus Quinn from noon to 1:30, then Rochester-area author Keely Hutton and Boston-area author and literary agent Ammi-Joan Paquette from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
Author Julie Berry, the owner of Author’s Note, will be available throughout the day to sign books and greet guests. All the visiting authors will serve as “guest booksellers,” recommending favorite titles from the store.
Throughout the day, games, drawings, and giveaways will be available for customers of all ages, with several IBD-exclusive items supplied by the American Booksellers Association for sale or giveaway that day only.
“Independent Bookstore Day gives us a megaphone to proclaim the difference we make in our communities,” Berry said. “Indie bookstores return two and a half to four times as much revenue to their local economies as chains do. We add whimsy, culture, and variety to downtown shopping districts. And we work hard to foster literacy and reading for all ages, and especially for kids in our communities.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 April 2022 at 9:55 am
MEDINA – Crews fixed a hole in the main transmission line for the Village of Medina’s water system.
The line was shut off at about 10 p.m. on Monday night so water could be drained from the pipe with a 24-inch diameter. By 4 a.m., a tennis-ball sized hole was fixed with new steel welded on by a crew from the Niagara County Water District, said Jason Watts, Medina’s DPW superintendent.
National Grid was replacing a utility on Thursday when its auger hit the waterline, cutting a hole in the pipe, Watts said.
Medina crews tried to fix it Thursday but decided it would need to be shut down and drained to be repaired. Watts said that gave the village time to notify residents and prepare for the task on Monday night.
By 4 a.m. on Tuesday the water was flowing in the big waterline and things were back to normal, Watts said.
“I was pleased with very well how well things went,” he said today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 April 2022 at 9:42 am
MEDINA – The Village Board agreed to allow alcoholic beverages to be available during a series of blues concerts this summer at State Street Park.
The Orleans Renaissance Group is planning the debut concert series for July 7, 14, 21 and 28 and Aug. 4 and 11. Chris Busch, the ORG coordinator for the concerts, said the performers will be announced soon.
The group modified its application to village for using the park to include alcoholic drinks from Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and 810 Meadworks.
State Street Park has a pavilion for bands to perform that debuted in 2019. The Village Board said it will review requests for alcohol at the park on a case-by-case basis. That way the board will continue to have a say in the events.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 April 2022 at 9:18 am
MEDINA – The Village Board on Monday approved spending $17,000 to acquire vacant land next to the village clerk’s office at 119 Park Ave.
The vacant land is at the corner of Park and West Avenue. Medina is paying Generations Bank for the land, and also approved spending up to $3,000 for any closing costs. The village will use money from the American Rescue Plan Act for the purchase.
The land gives the village options for expansion in the future, Mayor Mike Sidari said.
The village is looking to put an addition on the fire hall in the parking lot next to the clerk’s building.
The board on Monday also discussed a proposal from Barton & Loguidice, a Buffalo and Rochester firm that does engineering, planning, environmental, and landscape architecture work. The firm said it would present plans for an addition to the fire hall for $12,300.
Village trustees want more time to review the proposal before making a decision.
The board is in the beginning stages of looking to expand the fire hall, which Mayor Sidari said is needed for a new ladder truck.
The current truck is from 1996. It barely fits in the existing fire hall. The new trucks are bigger and won’t fit in the current fire hall bays. The ladder on the current truck is 75 feet long. Medina officials would like a truck with a 100-foot-long ladder.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 April 2022 at 8:22 am
MEDINA – The Village Board on Monday night approved a budget that raises taxes by 1.1 percent.
That increase is in the tax levy, what the village collects in taxes. That will increase by $37,021 – from $3,259,119 to $3,296,140.
The tax rate will rise by 0.95 percent or 18 cents, from $18.77 to $18.95 per $1,000 of assessed property.
The $6,329,215 budget for the general fund increases spending by 3.6 percent. The budget includes $95,789 in money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Village officials said the budget, with a tax rate increase under 1 percent, is a victory.
“Thank you very much to all of the department heads for being on track with all of your budgets (this year),” Mayor Mike Sidari. “It was tight and I’m sure next year will be tight again.”
Village Trustee Owen Toale said he has now worked on the past 12 budgets. The tax rate increase at just under 1 percent is the smallest increase he can recall. Usually the increase is just under 2 percent.
He thanked the village department heads for working with the board to try to minimize an increase during a time of rising inflation and fuel costs. He commended Village Clerk-Treasurer Jada Burgess, Police Chief Chad Kenward, Medina DPW Superintendent Jason Watts, Code Enforcement Officer Dan Gardner and Fire Chief Matt Jackson.
“The public isn’t here and they don’t realize the amount of work that went into this,” Toale said. “Kudos to everybody involved. That is all the employees, all the department heads and the board members. It’s a great, great job.”
The budget includes 2 percent raises for village employees, except for the board members who remain at the same pay.
The board also approved the water fund budget, which increased from $1,681,291 to $1,905,440, and the sewer fund budget, which is up from $1,138,826 to $1,329,876.
The budget doesn’t include the new property assessments. Those haven’t been finalized. The village budget for 2022-23 shows meager growth in taxable valuation from $173.61 million to $173.93 million.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2022 at 8:57 pm
MEDINA – The main transmission line for Medina’s water system will be shut down tonight so crews can make a repair.
The line will be turned off at 9 p.m. and then the 24-inch main needs to be drained. Then crews from the Niagara County Water District and Village of Medina Department of Public Works will weld a section where there is a leak near Pride Pak.
The NC Water District and Medina DPW will each have six people working all night on the project.
Jason Watts, the Medina DPW superintendent, said he hopes the job will be done by 7 a.m.
The village filled its 3 million gallon water tank over the weekend in anticipation of the repair tonight.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 23 April 2022 at 8:56 pm
Provided photos: Brady and Dominique Meakin of Medina hold their son Koleson, who was born with a rare genetic disease called TPK1 Leigh disease. A 5K walk/run on May 21 at Junior Wilson Club will benefit the family.
MEDINA – The family of a Medina child born with a rare genetic disease will benefit from a 5K walk/run scheduled May 21 at Junior Wilson Club.
Michelle Sidari, daughter-in-law of Medina Mayor Mike Sidari, and her husband Joe live in Farmington, where she has organized several previous 5K runs to benefit charity. A senior sales director with Mary Kay, Michelle has become an ambassador for fighting domestic violence and cancer in women.
“Every year, I donate to the Mary Kay Ash Foundation, but after learning about the Meakin family in Medina, I wanted to help them, and decided to have this event in Medina,” Michelle said.
Brady and Dominique Meakin’s 8-month-old son Koleson has been diagnosed with TPK1 Leigh Disease.
When Dominique was eight months pregnant, an ultrasound revealed Koleson’s brain ventricles were enlarged.
“Doctors told us he would have this disease and there was nothing we could do about it,” Dominique said. “In three months he was diagnosed with a different disease. On Christmas Eve he had a prolonged seizure and spent five weeks in the hospital.”
This was when they did gene testing and determined he had this disease so rare there were few known cases. In fact, there was only one in the world with the severity of Koleson’s. He now survives with a feeding tube.
Koleson Meakin is shown in this Easter photo taken by his family.
Brady and Dominique were told they were both carriers of the gene mutation which caused Koleson’s disease. They have a 25 percent chance, if they get pregnant again, that baby would also have the disease. Their only hope would be invitro fertilization, so every embryo could be genetically tested.
“This would be an out-of-pocket expense for us,” Dominique said.
Dominique said they met Michelle through Mary Kay.
“We are so thankful she thought of us,” Dominique said. “The community supporting us is how we are able to take care of Koleson. We hope his case will make a difference, and doctors can learn how to help other children.”
The walk/run on May 21 will begin with sign in at 9 a.m., followed by the start of the race at 10 a.m. Participants are urged to register by May 1 in order to be eligible for a T-shirt. Registration is $30 with a shirt and $20 without one. A limited number of shirts will be available on a first-come basis for those who register after May 1.
Michelle’s goal is to have 750 participants.
She is also seeking sponsors and donations for a basket raffle that day. Anyone wishing to donate toward the race or raffle can bring donations to Junior Wilson Club on Bates Road between 6 and 9 p.m. May 20.
“As a special touch for the family, anyone who would like can bring a gift for baby Koleson or the family either on Friday night or the day of the race,” Michelle said.
Suggested items are books, adaptive clothing (6 to 9 months) huggies/pampers (size 4 and up), wipes for sensitive skin, gas cards for doctors appointments, dish soap, toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap or tissues.
Any business who would like to make a $100 donation will receive their name on the back of the T-shirts. Donations may also be made through Venmo to @TheMedina5K, by calling Michelle at (716) 450-1572 or e-mailing sidarimkoffice@gmail.com.
Michelle said as an ambassador for the Mary Kay Ash Foundation it is her job to spread the word and raise awareness about this organization and the amazing work it does in the community. She said the Mary Kay Ash Foundation donates money to help fight domestic violence by awarding grants to domestic shelters every year, and if anyone knows of a local shelter in their area who would like to be considered for a grant, they should contact her at (716) 450-1572 and she will write a letter of recommendation to accompany the grant application. The Foundation also donates to doctors and researchers in an effort to find a cure for cancers affecting women, Michelle said.
There is also a Cruisin’ for Koleson car show and basket raffle from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 28 at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville. There will be food vendors and live music.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2022 at 10:00 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board next week will review the site plan for a 9,200-square-foot banquet hall at Mariachi De Oro, a Mexican restaurant at 11417 Maple Ridge Rd.
The Rosario family opened the popular restaurant in 2011. The County Planning Board will review the proposal for the banquet hall during its meeting at 7 p.m. on April 28 in the legislative chambers of the Orleans County Administration Building, 14016 Route 31 West in Albion.
Other items on the agenda for the meeting include:
• Request for a special use permit and site plan review in Murray for a 27,500-square-foot building at 15631 Lynch Road.
• Request from the Town of Gaines for a 6-month moratorium extension on the installation of freestanding and ground mounted solar energy systems.
• Request from Town of Clarendon to amend the zoning text to allow additional recreational vehicles for special events on a private lot. Clarendon also seeks additional and revised language for non-conforming uses.
• Request for from Town of Carlton for review of special use permit and site plan to construct a 55’x40’ pole barn and to relocate a store from the existing structure to the newly constructed building. Project is at 14339 Roosevelt Highway.
