Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – When schools shut down from the Covid-19 pandemic on March 13, 2020, it was expected to last two weeks.

Unfortunately two weeks turned into the rest of the school year. The loss of in-person teaching for those several months proved detrimental to not only the students, but to teachers as well.  Medina High School Social Studies teacher Todd Bensley said he and his fellow teachers struggled to find creative ways to teach students.

Provided photo: Todd Bensley, a Medina social studies teacher, speaks during a recent meeting of the Medina Historical Society. Bensley is Medina’s village historian.

“Following instructions from the New York State Education Department, the administrators of Medina Central Schools informed teachers that due to inequities in regards to internet access and requirements to follow the Individual Education Plan for special education students, we were not allowed to assign new material to students,” Bensley said. “We could only review what we have covered up to that point in the school year. It was hard to keep covering old material month after month.”

Since Bensley also serves as the Village of Medina Historian, he thought it would be important to document the experiences of students so that future generations could understand what life in the spring of 2020 was like.

“I sent out a request to all the teachers in the district to consider giving students an assignment documenting their experiences during the pandemic that would be presented to the Medina Historical Society,” he said. “Many teachers responded. Some assigned writing projects to students, while others recorded their own experiences.”

Many of the district’s students put a great amount of effort and enjoyed being able to document their experiences.

“For some, it was therapeutic to be able to express their thoughts and feelings,” Bensley said. “For others it gave them the opportunity to reflect upon what was truly important in life.  Still others were excited to be able to share their experiences with future generations.”

The writings were collected into a binder and presented to the Medina Historical Society at its January 2022 Show and Tell Night at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

“The members of the Medina Historical Society were very excited to receive the book,” Bensley said. “Many commented on how important it was to document our experiences on paper, since few people are leaving written records that are not exclusively online.”

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Dan Fuller, rear, greets visitors coming for their wine glass at Medina Senior Center for Wine About Winter on Saturday.

MEDINA – A ton of snow and cold weather didn’t dampen the spirits of 800 people who descended on the village Saturday for the 14th annual Wine About Winter.

Members of the Medina Area Partnership, which sponsors the event, took over the Medina Senior Center as a welcome center, where participants were ID’d, picked up their wine glass and purchased tickets for a basket raffle. Baskets were displayed in participating stores.

To better control the crowd, start times were staggered from 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Wine glasses were sponsored this year by Cooper Funeral Home and Modern Mercantile, whose owner Gloria Brent was mingling with the visitors.

“Oh yeah, my store is participating,” Brent said when she visited the Senior Center. “It’s like a big party at my store.”

Dan Fuller was helping at the Senior Center, while his wife Sue was running her store, Della’s Chocolates. He couldn’t say enough about what a wonderful event it was and how great to see so many people come to town.

The Medina Area Partnership was especially happy to be having the event, as last year’s was canceled due to Covid. Proceeds from the event go toward other events to promote the Medina area.

Pictures by Scott Robinson: Cindy Robinson from the English Rose Tea Shoppe pours wine for a couple of participants in Wine About Winter.

At the Medina Historical Society on West Avenue, Georgia Thomas and her crew of Shirley Bright and Le Roy Neeper, Gloria Fierch and Erica Wanecski had a wonderful time with the hundreds who visited them.

“We had a marvelous turnout,” Thomas said. “You could just tell people were so ready to be out having fun with their friends. It was cold, but sunny and people were having a ball. They loved my stuffed animal display from Christmas and a lot were agog at our military room. They were also fascinated by the wine glasses I had out from 1880. They were a lot smaller than the ones today.”

The Historical Society was serving a berry wine from Black Willow Winery on Route 18, called Black Widow. Except for a couple of guys who preferred a dryer wine, Thomas said the Black Willow wine was a big hit.

Visitors fill Main Street during the Medina Area Partnership’s annual Wine About Winter on Saturday.

Throughout the day, the sidewalks of Medina were filled with people. Participating stores were identified by balloons placed by MAP’s event committee.

“From the standpoint of MAP, this was another strong showing for Medina,” said MAP president Scott Robinson. “It once again showed the popularity of the Wine About Winter event. Even with near single digit temperatures, 800 individuals were out to support the local business community and taste some amazing wine.”

The year ahead is going to be exciting, Robinson added. More events are being planned and people will definitely be seeing and hearing a lot more about Medina and our business community.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – American Red Cross staff help volunteers give blood during a blood drive on Friday at the Orleans County YMCA.

About 20 donors gave blood during the drive which was sponsored by Orleans Community health and the Orleans County YMCA. More than 30 people made appointments, but many were no-shows on a tough weather day.

Kim Balcerzak of Medina was among the donors on Friday. She has been a regular blood donor the past 18 months, after not giving blood before that. She started giving blood in honor of her mother-in-law.

Balcerzak, 57, also said she is aware of the critical blood shortage.

“People need it,” she said about the blood donations. “I hope there would be some for me if I ever need it.”

Orleans Community Health, parent organization of Medina Memorial Hospital, helped promote the blood drive, and highlighted the national blood crisis. The American Red Cross, for the first time in its history, has declared a national blood crisis.

Since March 2020, the American Red Cross has reported a 10% decline in overall donations. If donation levels do not return to normal soon, many patients in need of transfusions will not receive them, the Red Cross said.

The American Red Cross is facing a national blood crisis – its worst blood shortage in over a decade, posing a concerning risk to patient care. Amid this crisis, doctors have been forced to make difficult decisions about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait until more products become available. Blood and platelet donations are critically needed to help prevent further delays in vital medical treatments.

Some upcoming blood drives include:

• Feb. 22, 2 to 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Club in Medina
• Feb. 24, noon to 5 p.m. at Elba Fire Hall
• Feb. 25, 1 to 6 p.m. at Clarendon Fire Company
• Feb. 28, 1 to 6 p.m. at Middleport Fire Hall
• March 2, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Elba High School
• March 3, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Kendall Jr.-Sr. High School
• March 15, 12:30 to 7 p.m. at Albion Elks Lodge

To make an appointment or for more information, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Cruisers perform this evening at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina as part of the Finally Fridays concert series.

The group includes, from left: George Litz on guitar and vocals, fill-in drummer Mike Stamp, Gary Withey on keyboards and vocals, and Dennis Beausoleil on base.

The series was cancelled last year due to Covid-19 concerns and restrictions. It opened for the season on Jan. 7 with different bands performing every Friday at 7 p.m. until March 4. About 50 people attended tonight’s concert.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council provides funding for the nine-week concert series.

Upcoming concerts include Heenan Brothers on Feb. 11, Mr. Mustard on Feb. 18, Pocket Change on Feb. 25, and Cuisle Mo Chroi on March 4.

George Litz sings “I’m Ready” by Freddie King. The Cruisers play a folksy, bluesy kind of Americana. The band was without lead singer Gary Jones, who expects to be back soon.

Mike Stamp sings “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Gary Withey sings the opening number for the Cruisers.

Dennis Beausoleil jams with the band at the Medina library.

Photo and information from Lee-Whedon Memorial Library

MEDINA – The Lee-Whedon Memorial Library is thrilled to offer Discovery Kits for circulation. Kits were purchased with grant funding provided by Apex Clean Energy. Each kit has a different theme: biodiversity, birdwatching, stargazing, simple machines, engineering, brain building, and geocaching. Kits contain a variety of technology, books, games, and activities.

Lee-Whedon is always looking to meet the needs of our community through new and innovative collections.

“Kits are geared towards families with children interested in exploring Medina and learning about the world we live in,” said Kristine Mostyn, Library Director. “They will be available to check out with your library card starting February 3^rd. Be sure to watch for our spring programs showing how to use each of the different kits.”

File photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Fire Department heads down East Center Street on an ambulance call Friday that was outside the village.

An advisory council looking for answers to improving EMS service in Orleans County will meet for the first time on Feb. 16 at the Orleans County Office Building.

The council will have 35 members with a representative from each of the 12 local fire departments, 10 towns, four villages, four ambulance providers and county officials.

The group will likely break into subgroups to brainstorm ways to improve staffing or volunteers, response times, and help the ambulance providers be stronger financially.

Local officials say the local EMS is in crisis locally with too few responders and not enough ambulances, often resulting in delayed responses.

Recent data shows increased dropped calls and slower responses, especially in eastern and central Orleans.

The western end of the county, which is primarily served by the Medina Fire Department with career firefighters, isn’t plagued by the issues.

Justin Niederhofer, deputy director of Emergency Management Office in Orleans County, met with local municipal officials in October and they outlined some of the challenges in providing EMS services.

Some of the challenges include:

• Many of the paramedic and EMT positions require extensive training, but don’t pay very well with little fringe benefits. The pay isn’t much better than working in fast food or minimum wage jobs, without the training and responsibilities.
• The ambulance providers are fiscally challenged with low reimbursement rates from Medicare and Medicaid, and many patients who keep the insurance checks rather than turning them to the ambulance companies, Niederhofer said. There are also many patients without insurance resulting in little revenue for COVA, Monroe Ambulance and other providers.
• Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management director, wants to see the state change a law to allow the ambulance providers to directly be paid by insurance companies, rather than the checks going to patients who often keep them. The companies also need higher reimbursement rates to better cover their costs and pay their staff more.
• Allen Turner, communications director at the dispatch center for the county, said many people call for an ambulance when they don’t need one, which stresses the EMS system.
• In Orleans County, only the Kendall Fire Department continues to run an all-volunteer ambulance. Albion, Clarendon, Holley and Carlton all have taken their ambulances out of service. Kendall isn’t able to bill for its services because it’s all-volunteer. With only Kendall running a volunteer ambulance that puts more pressure on COVA in central Orleans and Monroe Ambulance for eastern Orleans to respond to calls.
• The fewer ambulances in the county also are tend to be more unavailable with the closing of Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport. Those ambulances have to drive farther towards Rochester to hospitals. Although the Brockport site is now Strong West, the ambulances still are often sent to Rochester hospitals and that ties up crews for longer times. Niederhofer said the short-staffed hospitals also are slower in being able to accept patients. What used to be one or two hour call is often four hours or more. That longer time commitment also is leading to increased burnout, especially for the volunteers, Niederhofer said.

County Legislator Skip Draper, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said the advisory council will be looking for solutions for all the issues, and will study options for funding.

File photo: Members of Medina’s Releaf Medina Society stand around a diseased ash tree in State Street Park last spring. The Society is doing a second annual fundraising drive to purchase trees to replace the hundreds which have been attacked by the emerald ash borer. From left are Lisa Tombari, Kathy Blackburn, Releaf Medina Society chair Robert Sanderson and Jake Hebdon.

MEDINA – The Releaf Medina Society is preparing to launch its second annual fund drive from Feb. 1 through Arbor Day on April 29.

Funds collected will be used to replace the many trees in Medina which have to be cut down, mostly due to the Emerald Ash Borer.

The Society is delighted with the success of the drive last year, which raised $8,225, said Kathy Blackburn, a member of the Releaf Medina Society.

The Releaf Society was formed to create an organization to which residents could make donations to help restore the estimated 100 trees a year which are dying. Blackburn explained that while Medina also has an official tree board, because it is a village organization, it cannot accept monetary donations. She also stressed they also work closely with the Medina Tree Board.

The Releaf Society operates under the umbrella of the Orleans Renaissance Group, a non-profit organization, which makes donations tax deductible.

Last year, donations enabled the village to plant 12 trees, while 35 were taken down. This year, the village will be able to plant 42 trees, costing between $199 and $300 each. Donations enable the donor to request a tree be planted in honor or in memory of a loved one. Flyers  with application forms are available in various locations throughout the village, online or by calling Blackburn at (585) 734-5801.

A general donation of any amount will be used to replace trees between streets and sidewalks. A donation to designate a tree in memory or in honor of someone costs $300. Those trees will be planted in one of the village’s six parks and will be identified with a black granite plaque.

The minimum donation to request a tree be planted on your street or in a specific locations is $250. The donor’s recognition will appear on Medina’s website and at City Hall. There are also other levels of donations, which are identified in the flyer.

Blackburn added that donations are used for the purchase of trees only. Planting, watering and maintenance is done by the Medina Department of Public Works employees.

Donations may be sent in the form of a check payable to Medina Releaf Fund, in care of ORG, P.O. Box 543, Medina, 14103.

Trees are needed on all village streets, in all six parks and in Boxwood Cemetery, Blackburn said.

On April 29, the Releaf Society will sponsor a celebration on the east end and south side of South Avenue, with students from the third grade at Oak Orchard Elementary School. The time will be announced closer to the event, and the public will be invited.

Blackburn said the black granite markers which were ordered last year were delayed due to the lack of etching material, caused by the Covid pandemic. They have finally arrived and owners will be notified when they will be placed and where their tree is planted.

Other exciting news is the addition of a volunteer forestry coordinator, Blackburn said. Chris Busch of Medina has offered to take on the task of researching what species of trees are suitable for different locations and soil conditions and if an existing tree does or doesn’t meet the criteria for removal.

In addition to Blackburn, members of the Releaf Medina Society are Bob Sanderson, chair; Lisa Tombari, Jake Hebdon and Virginia Kropf.

$4 million increase in state aid among 5 school districts

The local school districts would get funding increases in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state budget proposal.

The five school districts in Orleans County – Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina – would see a combined increase of $2,575,615 in Foundation Aid and $4,083,015 in total state aid.

The breakdown for each district includes:

• Albion – Foundation Aid up 3.00 percent or by $669,226, from $22,307,559 to $22,976,785. Total state aid up 1.48 percent or by $429,558, from $28,998,219 to $29,427,777.
• Holley – Foundation Aid up 6.02 percent or by $659,179, from $10,941,047 to $11,600,226. Total state aid up 7.57 percent or by $1,314,422, from $17,361,095 to $18,675,517.
• Kendall – Foundation Aid up 4.52 percent or by $367,633, from $8,138,171 to $8,505,804. Total state aid up 4.54 percent or by $634,283, from $13,984,659 to $14,618,942.
• Lyndonville – Foundation Aid up 4.85 percent or by $323,396, from $6,674,631 to $6,998,027. Total state aid up 5.96 percent or by $627,901, from $10,536,659 to $11,164,560.
• Medina – Foundation Aid up 3.00 percent or by $556,181, from $18,539,370 to $19,095,551. Total state aid up 3.84 percent or by $1,076,851, from $18,539,370 to $19,095,551.

Hochul’s executive budget sets $31.3 billion in total school aid, which is up by $2.1 billion or 7.1 percent. That includes a $1.6 billion Foundation Aid increase and a $466 million increase in all other school aid programs.

“It’s definitely helpful for us this year, and will help us to overcome the inflationary pressures we are facing in the budget this year, particularly in heating and fuel costs,” said Mark Kruzynski, Medina district superintendent.

Medina’s increase would be 3 percent in Foundation Aid, and 3.8 percent in overall state aid. That is less than many other districts.

“While the 3 percent Foundation Aid increase isn’t the jaw dropping increase that many wealthier suburban districts are slated to receive, our Foundation Aid was not held back as much as those districts were during the previous 10 years,” Kruzynski said.

The New York State School Boards Association praised Hochul for a budget that provides at least a 3 percent Foundation Aid increase to each of the 700 school districts in the state.

“The proposed 7.1 percent school aid increase would provide $1.6 billion in additional Foundation Aid in 2022-23 and would enable individual school districts to direct the aid where it is needed most, while easing potential impacts on local taxpayers,” said NYSSBA Executive Director Robert S. Schneider. “The minimum 3 percent Foundation Aid increase Gov. Hochul has proposed for districts already at full funding also is welcome as all districts face increasing costs.”

State legislators will weigh in on the governor’s budget proposal in the coming months with a budget deadline on April 1.

MEDINA – The Lee-Whedon Memorial Library is making Chromebooks, laptops and iPads available to be loaned out.

The library received a grant for nearly $5,000 grant from federal Emergency Connectivity Fund. This money will be used to purchase five Chromebooks, five laptops, and three iPads for circulation in Medina, said Kristine Mostyn, director of Lee-Whedon.

The grant has been allocated to assist libraries and schools in providing the tools needed for remote learning during the Covid pandemic, Mostyn said.

“We are very happy to be able to provide additional technology and resources to the students of our community,” said David Schwert, President of the Board of Trustees. “Adding this technology aligns with the library’s mission of providing free access to learning and information.”

For more information call the library at (585) 798-3430 or check the library website.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: The Butts-Clark American Legion Post made a $500 donation to the local Wreath’s Across America project on Friday afternoon. From left are Dave Kusmierczak, Wreaths Across America coordinator Kathy Blackburn, Legion commander Glenn Whitmore and Dave Morien.

MEDINA – Medina’s Wreaths Across America project got a big boost Friday with a $500 donation from the Butts-Clark American Post.

The donation is particularly significant because the national Wreaths Across America organization announced it would match any donations made by Jan. 13, said local organizer Kathy Blackburn.

“I’m thrilled people are stepping up for this match program,” Blackburn said.

Medina first participated in Wreaths Across America in 2013, when the initial seven free wreaths were sent from the Worcester, Maine, Morrill Wreath Company. Support for the program soon mushroomed, with 315 wreaths placed in Boxwood Cemetery last month.

Blackburn also praised Tom Snyder from Medina Lumber, who made a major donation to the effort.

Next year, Blackburn said all veterans’ graves in St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart Cemetery will also have wreaths placed on them.

Dave Kusimerczak, a member of the local American Legion, who first suggested the Post make a donation to Wreaths Across America, has volunteered to walk both St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart Cemetery and count the number of veterans’ graves.

Blackburn said it is incredible how the Wreaths Across America program has spread across the country. Initially, in 1992, Morrill Worcester of Harrington, Maine, who owns a wreath company, had a surplus and donated enough to cover a neglected section of Arlington National Cemetery. Now, annually hundreds of tractor trailer drivers donate their services to deliver wreaths to 2,700 locations across the county.

“This program is amazing,” Blackburn said.

She added they can always use more volunteers to help placing the wreaths, the third Saturday in December each year.

Kusmierczak said he suggested the donation because he not only wanted to honor veterans, but give recognition to the American Legion.

Legion Commander Glenn Whitmore said he thought it was a great thing to do.

Anyone who would still like to make a donation and have it doubled by Wreaths Across America, can get it to Medina village clerk by Jan. 13. Checks should indicate “Wreath program.”

Belgian Malinois served in Medina PD for 8 1/2 years; meets with residents in farewell

Photos by Ginny Kropf: These children –Chloe Moreland, 9, (left) and Kinsley, 5 – pet Kye at the Medina Senior Center today, where Lt. Todd Draper took the dog so residents could say goodbye to him.

MEDINA – Kye, the Village of Medina Police Department’s K-9 until retiring in November 2020, bid goodbye to handful of residents, Medina police officers and firefighters this afternoon.

Kye’s handler, Lt. Todd Draper, brought the Belgian Malinois to the Senior Center this afternoon, so residents and children could come and say goodbye to the dog, who has been diagnosed with bone cancer.

Lt. Todd Draper waits with Kye to meet the public this afternoon.

Draper knew many children had interacted with Kye at school and public events during his 8 ½ years on the police force, and he wanted to give them a chance to say a final farewell.

When the village decided to have a K-9 on the police force, Draper was named K-9 officer and Kye was imported from Holland when he was a year old. That was in 2012. He had some basic training in Holland, and for a year after arriving in Medina he continued to train in narcotics detection, building searches, criminal apprehension and handler protection.

He served the village well until being retired at the age of 10 1/2. That was little more than a year ago and the village now has a new dog of the same breed, Phoenix. His handler is Officer Jake Reeves.

The first visitors to come and greet Kye on Tuesday were Ashley Moreland of Medina and her children Jaden, 10, Chloe, 9 and Kinsley, 5.

“The children had seen Kye in school and wanted to come and say goodbye,” their mother said.

Draper set up a display with pictures of Kye during his years on the police force, newspaper clippings of arrests he had a part in and posters drawn by children. Many had messages which said, “We will miss you.”

Kye has become part of the Draper family. About 2 1/2 months ago, the lieutenant said they noticed Kye was having difficulty moving. They knew he has undergone a lot of sprains and strains during his police work, but when he got worse, they gave him some medicine. It didn’t help, so they took him to the vet, who also gave him medication, then ordered some tests.

It was confirmed Kye had  bone cancer on his right shoulder. Already the tumor is the size of two grapefruit.

Draper said Kye isn’t in any pain, but he knows the day will soon come when the decision will have to be made to put him down.