Provided photos

MEDINA – Brandi Zavitz, an artist from Medina, has been at the Medina Dog Park working on a mural that will feature about 70 beloved canines in the community.

Zavitz and the Friends of the Medina Dog Park had set a cap of 50 dogs for the mural. People pay $100 to have their dog painted on the mural with those proceeds going to the Friends for improvements at the park on North Gravel Road, just south of Boxwood Cemetery.

Due to the strong interest, the mural was expanded to 70 dogs as well as Orly the Ox, the county’s bicentennial mascot.

The mural initially was planned to be 24 feet long but Zavitz made it 8 feet longer to fit in more dogs.

Her artist fee and the cost of the materials are being covered with a grant administered by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

Cindy Davis, vice president of Friends of Medina Dog Park, is thrilled to see the outlines of all the pets that Zavitz has sketched out on the mural.

“I’m so excited,” Davis said. “It’s going to be awesome. I truly think it’s going to bring more people to the park. We have kind of become a family here. We all take care of each other. So seeing these dogs painted will always keep these fur babies in our hearts.”

The Friends of the Dog Park would like to add another water station, a second gazebo, another fenced-in area for smaller dogs and include more agility equipment, Davis said.

Press Release, Heritage Wind

BARRE – The Heritage Wind Community Grant Program is now accepting applications for its Spring 2025 grant cycle.

Since its inception in 2020, the grant program has awarded nearly $140,000 to Orleans County community causes and non-profit organizations working to build healthy communities, increase environmental sustainability, foster economic development, and promote education.

The Fall/Winter Grant Cycle included awards to the following community organizations:

• Town of Barre Fire Department
• Village of Albion Summer Youth Park Program
• The United Way of Orleans County

Local organizations working in the Town of Barre and the broader Orleans County community are encouraged to apply. Grants are typically awarded in the $1,000 to $5,000 range, with priority given to proposals that demonstrate meaningful impacts to the greatest number of area residents.

 We will be accepting applications until June 15. Please apply at www.heritagewindpower.com/grant.

The four focus areas for the Community Grant Program are:

• Building Healthy Communities – Programs that support public health or enhance the quality of life in the community.
• Economic Development – Programs that support the economic wellbeing of the community.
• Environmental Sustainability – Programs that support environmental revitalization, sustainability, or empower residents to be stewards of the environment.
• Promoting Education – Programs that support educational institutions, especially the advancement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This may include curriculum development, vocational training, or literacy support.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact Anna Mathes at (585) 563-5137 or anna.mathes@apexcleanenergy.com.

Department of Labor says program costs too much with dismal results

File photos: (Left) In these photos from February 2024, Iroquois Job Corps’ carpentry student Jeremiah Caldwell works on one of the buddy benches which will be placed in four local Medina parks as a way to spread goodwill. (Right) Students in the carpentry program at Iroquois Job Corps Center work on Adirondack chairs, which the Medina Rotary Club will sell to raise money for the community.

MEDINA – The Iroquois Job Corps has been ordered by Department of Labor to have its students sent home by June 4 as part of a “pause” announced by the DOL on Thursday.

Center officials believe the DOL is moving to close the centers, and not put them on pause. The DOL announced it has halted contracts with 99 contract-operated centers. The Iroquois center, with a capacity for 225 students, is run by ETR, Education and Training Resources. ETR operates 11 Job Corps in states. In New York, it runs the Job Corps in Medina and Oneonta.

Job Corps is an employment and training system for young adults aged 16-24 throughout the United States with over 120 campuses. The center in Medina is located on the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

It has 104 full-time equivalents working there with a $8.9 million budget serving up to 225 students. The center says it has a $17 million economic impact on the community.

The Department of Labor, in its announcement on Thursday, said the Job Corps are not cost-effective and the sites often have violence and other infractions, with a dismal graduation rate.

“Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training and community,” DOL Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. “However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program’s possibilities.”

The DOL said the graduation rate nationwide at the centers is at 38.6 percent, with the average cost per student a year at $80,284. The average cost per graduate is $155,600, according to the DOL.

The program also doesn’t tend to be a pathway to a career. On average, participants earn $16,695 annually on average when they leave the program, the DOL said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Legislature on July 20, 2024 recognized the Iroquois Job Corps on its 60th anniversary. Pictured from left include Luke Kantor (Admissions and Career Transition Services manager for the Iroquois Job Corps), Deshawn Knights, Logan Abeyta, Unique Weeks, Janissa Legister, County Legislator Fred Miller and Job Corps operations director JT Thomas.

For the Iroquois Job Corps, the DOL reports there were 247 students at a $12,281,990 “prorated yearly center cost” or $8,858,261 yearly center cost.

The DOL reports Iroquois is at $49,724 cost per enrollee with 28.4 percent graduation rate.

The cost per graduate is at $211,758. The DOL reports there are 225 in the program for contract, but only 111 actual.

There were also 121 infractions in 2023 at Iroquois, and 14,913 “serious incident reports” at all the Job Corps centers, according to the DOL report.

Those serious incidents at all Job Corps included 372 sexual assaults and inappropriate sexual behavior, 1,764 acts of violence, 1,167 breaches of safety or security, and 2,702 reported uses of drugs.

The Iroquois campus can serve 225 students who are ages 16 to 24. They receive training in six main programs: brick masonry, carpentry, electrical, commercial painting, clinical  medical assistant, and certified nursing assistant.

Students stay on campus and receive other education. Some of those programs include work towards an equivalency diploma and driver’s education.

The DOL announced on Thursday it will be suspending program at 99 contract-operated centers. Those centers need to mobilize students to safely return to their home of record. Funds will be used to pause program operations, which includes managing facilities, maintaining student records, and ensuring students are connected with necessary employment and program resources, the DOL said.

The announcement is a major shock to the local center, which sees its program as a success, helping at-risk youth to receive employment training and often do community service projects in Orleans, Genesee and Niagara counties, said Skip Draper, a government liaison for Job Corps. He has worked for the program for 25 years. Draper is also an Orleans County legislator and chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party.

He said he and others are reaching out to elected officials, including Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, to stop the closure of the Job Corps centers. Draper said Congress has already approved funding to operate the centers through June 20, 2026.

The centers offer residential programs for students at or below the poverty line, who often struggled in a traditional school setting.

He is hopeful the DOL and the Trump Administration will reverse the decision when they see the many successes of Job Corps, connecting people to trades, health services and other careers.

“Job Corps is open to reform,” Draper said this morning. “The centers are well positioned to advance President Trump’s skilled-worker initiative. We have been able to get young adults in programs to take training initiatives.”

Draper said the enrollments are at about 60 percent capacity because the DOL isn’t letting the centers do background checks on students who seek to enroll in the program. The DOL took over that responsibility but hasn’t been doing the background checks. That has led to smaller enrollments, which inflates the cost-per-student, he said.

The Job Corps program has broad support in Congress, Draper said. Tenney and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have both visited the local site to meet students and learn about the programs offered there.

Born out of the War on Poverty and signed into law as the Economic Opportunity Act on August 20, 1964, Job Corps has provided safe housing, education, career and technical training opportunities, and support services for deserving young people, Job Corps officials said.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Amy Sidari, left, congratulates Danielle Schmidt for becoming the new owner of Gotta Dance Performing Arts LLC in Albion. Sidari led the business, known as Gotta Dance by Miss Amy, for 28 years.

ALBION – A new owner will be taking over Gotta Dance in Albion, with the long-time leader staying on as a mentor the first year.

Amy Sidari is retiring as the business owner, choosing to spend more time for her family and pursue other projects. She will stay on to assist Danielle Schmidt in her first year running the dance studio and business based at 28 West Bank St.

“She has the charisma, the communication skills and the compassion,” Sidari said about Schmidt. “She has talent, talent, talent. This is a woman of confidence and a voice that belongs on Broadway.”

Besides assisting Schmidt in the transition to Gotta Dance owner, Sidari also hopes to teach a class to very young children, and be in the Thursday adult class as a participant.

Schmidt, 20, was a dancer at Gotta Dance for five years, and then studied dance for two years at Nazareth University. She is grateful for the opportunity to keep the dance studio going for the Albion community.

Schmidt was hedging whether to commit to buying the business and taking on the demands of that role. At age 20, she thought she might be too young to take on that challenge.

But she received strong feedback from those close to the studio. The April 5 dance recital, the last one for Sidari at Gotta Dance owner, sealed the deal for Schmidt. She saw more than 200 dancers get on stage and several hundred watch the recitals.

Schmidt could feel and see just how important Gotta Dance was to so many people.

“Everybody has been so loving and supportive,” Schmidt said. “I know how much this means to the community.”

Danielle Schmidt, right, has bought the Gotta Dance business at 28 West Bank St. from Amy Sidari.

Schmidt has been in the background assisting Sidari at dance recitals, cabaret shows, and benefits for people in need.

She has run the front of the house for some of the bus tours that attend cabaret shows at Gotta Dance for live music and comedians, sometimes two or three times a week. Those shows will continue with Schmidt as the owner.

Sidari in the past 28 years has gradually transformed the Gotta Dance building into three dance studios, the cabaret venue, and a piano studio. The building was used for a plumbing business before she acquired it.

The building has new wiring, insulation, a roof, three newer furnaces, thermal windows and a host of other upgrades.

Sidari is pleased Gotta Dance will enter into a new chapter, and Sidari can still be a part of it.

“It will be good for me because I love this place,” Sidari said about her continued role.

But she said ultimately she will support Schmidt as she makes Gotta Dance her own. Schmidt said nearly the entire staff has already committed to returning next season.

There will be an open house from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on June 12 at Gotta Dance for the community to meet the new owner. Schmidt will have dance registration in August, but may take sign-ups during the open house as well.

Schmidt said the studio will be a welcoming place where people can let loose, and build “confi-dance.”

Press Release, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, Western District of New York

BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Peter Celentano, 36, of Bergen pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo to illegal possession of machine guns, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, stated that on September 29, 2024, the New York State Police, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, executed a search warrant at Celentano’s residence in Bergen.

During the search, law enforcement recovered numerous items, including 3D printed pistol frames, firearm parts and accessories, ammunition reloading equipment, tools for constructing privately made firearms, a drill press, and two 3D printed machinegun conversion devices.

Law enforcement also conducted additional searches at properties in Lyndonville and Medina, during which they seized numerous AR-style lower receivers, 3D printed handguns, and additional firearm parts and accessories. In total, law enforcement seized over 200 firearms tied to Celentano.

During the investigation, law enforcement learned that Celentano provided another individual with nine lower receivers, two of which contained the “third pin hole,” qualifying them as machine guns.

An individual known by defendant had subsequently discarded these firearms off the Beals Road Bridge into the Erie Canal. A New York State Police dive team searched the Erie Canal beneath the bridge in Medina and recovered a cardboard box containing 10 AR-style receivers, an unmarked handgun, ammunition magazines, and additional firearm parts.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Joseph M. Graff, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 6 before Judge Vilardo.

Photo by Tom Rivers: These apple trees are shown on Sunday evening in the Carlton countryside.

Press Release, Orleans County Department of Planning and Development

ALBION – Orleans County is accepting enrollment of additional parcels in its existing, certified agricultural district during the month of June, pursuant to New York State Agricultural and Markets Law.

The annual 30-day window is for inclusion of property that consists of predominantly viable agricultural land.  During this time period, land may only be added and not removed from County Agricultural District No.1.

This opportunity supplements, but does not replace, enrollment in an existing agricultural district during a more comprehensive review process held once every eight years. In 2024, the County Agricultural District No. 1 went through its major eight-year review.

The next eight-year anniversary review – the only time during which parcels can be both added and removed – will not occur until 2032.  Presently, there are over 120,150 acres in County Agricultural District No. 1.

Requests for inclusion in District No. 1 will be evaluated, in order, by the Orleans County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, the Orleans County Legislature, and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

To enroll, owners must complete and sign a Letter of Intent for Annual Enrollment form. These are available from the Orleans County Department of Planning and Development. Click here to access the form online.

Completed forms should be sent by July 1 to:

Corey Winters, Director

Orleans County Department of Planning & Development

14016 Route 31 West

Albion, NY  14411-9382

Please note that requesting enrollment during this 30-day time period is not a guarantee that an owner’s property will be added to Agricultural District No 1. Moreover, it will not automatically qualify your land for a reduced agricultural property tax assessment.

For information on obtaining a reduced agricultural property tax assessment, please contact your local assessor.  Any qualifying lot must be included entirely rather than partially.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Kendall Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata stands at the chapel at Beechwood Cemetery. The Medina Sandstone Society contributed $1,400 towards new doors for the chapel which has been hit with vandalism in recent years. The town recently put a new roof on the sandstone structure which was built in 1898.

KENDALL – The Medina Sandstone Society has approved a $1,400 grant to assist the Town of Kendall with new doors for a sandstone chapel at Beechwood Cemetery.

The new doors will protect the chapel from vandalism on the inside of the building which was constructed in 1898.

Sandstone Society President Matt Holland said the organization wanted to help the town in preserving and safeguarding the historic building.

Provided photo: Matt Holland, president of the Medina Sandstone Society, recently presented a check for $1,400 from the Medina Sandstone Society to Kendall Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata. The money goes towards new doors on a chapel at Beechwood Cemetery.

Town Supervisor Tony Cammarata said the town appreciates the assistance from the Sandstone Society. Cammarata said the total cost of the new doors will be about $3,500.

“It’s a big help,” he said about the $1,400 grant.

He also is thankful the Medina Sandstone Society is looking to assist with preservation projects outside its immediate target area of Medina.

“This sends a message the Sandstone Society is for all of Orleans County,” Camarrata said.

The Town of Kendall Highway Department recently worked on the roof of the chapel. With the new doors, Cammarata expects the building will be used to store lawn mowers and equipment. It also will keep out vandals.

“It’s a beautiful little chapel,” Cammarata said.

Holland said the Sandstone Society commends the Town of Kendall for working to preserve the chapel. The Sandstone Society is looking to partner with organizations to maintain historic sandstone buildings.

“This is really at the heart of why the Sandstone Society was created in the first place,” Holland said about the organization, which originally formed to save the Medina Armory and find a new use for the site (which later became the YMCA). “I look forward to doing more projects like this.”

The Sandstone Society also approved a $2,500 grant towards a memorial at Boxwood Cemetery in Medina for the 107 people buried in the potter’s field. Of those 107, only 28 have head stones. The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery would like to install a plaque in the cemetery listing all 107 people.

Business has evolved, expanded to reach century mark

Photos by Tom Rivers: Bentley Brothers has reached 100 years in business and will have a celebration on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fairhaven Inn & Events at 14369 Ridge Rd. (the former Tillman’s Village Inn). Some of the staff are showed at Bentley’s Albion location. From left include Kevin Bentley, salesman; Lisa Ray, service advisor; Laura Bentley, owner and president; Hannah Wehling, marketing and advertising coordinator; Alex Murphy, Albion store manager and salesman; and Jim Puller, inventory control manager.

ALBION – Laura Bentley is proud of her family and employees for reaching 100 years selling tractors and other equipment.

Bentley, the owner and president of the business, is looking forward to a big celebration on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fairhaven Inn & Events at 14369 Ridge Rd. She has sent out 7,500 invitations for the event.

“It’s a huge milestone,” she said about the century mark. “It’s a celebration of my family and the people who have worked for us over the years. They’ve put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”

The business was started by her great-grandfather, Allen Bentley, in Barre in 1925. It was originally called J. Allen Bentley and operated out of the grange. He sold some of the tractors and Cletrac machines that drained and cleared the Elba mucklands, equipment on tracks instead of tires that would have sunk into the muddy soil.

The business became Bentley Brothers when Allen’s sons, Gerald and Walter, came back from World War II and started working there in the mid-1940s.

Allen died in 1951 and his sons continued to run the business through the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were joined by Dave, his brother Doug and cousin Donna. After Donna left in the late 1980s as a bookkeeper, Doug and David stayed on, with David as manager and Doug as mechanic. (David and Doug are Gerald’s sons, and Donna is the daughter of Walter.)

David had graduated from high school in 1974 and then worked part time at the business while attending Alfred State College. After graduating from there, he started full time at Bentley’s in 1980. He led the move from Barre in 1991 to Albion on Route 31, and also opened the Brockport location in 2010. He retired in 2020.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Laura Bentley and her dad David are shown in September 2020, while standing next to a Kubota backhoe on the lot at Bentley Brothers in Albion. This was taken when David announced he was retiring.

His daughter Laura is now the fourth generation running the business which has grown to 21 employees at two locations – 13936 Route 31 in Albion and 5605 Brockport Spencerport Rd. in Brockport.

Laura returned to the area 20 years ago after living in Ohio and earning a degree in public relations. She worked a year at the Washington Mutual when she first came back to Orleans County. When she joined Bentley Brothers she attended numerous conferences for equipment dealers, and took accounting classes at Genesee Community College.

“It’s the family tie,” she said about the desire to come back home and join Bentley’s. “When I was in Ohio, I was missing it. I wanted to put down some roots.”

The business has expanded over the years, and endured some lean times.

Whenever agriculture struggled, Bentley Brothers felt their pain. The business was very focused on selling to farmers until 1980. That’s when Bentley added Kubota equipment, with tractors, lawn mowers, backhoes and other machinery geared to hobby farmers and people with big yards to maintain. Commercial landscapers and municipalities are also big customers, with zero-turn mowers very popular.

Bentley’s also became a dealer for Stihl chainsaws and handheld equipment at its Albion location, while Brockport sells Echo handheld equipment.

The business evolved during the years, from selling Cletrac, which was bought out by Oliver, then Oliver was bought by White, and White was bought by Agco.

Bentley Brothers primary customer area includes the four counties of Genesee, Orleans, Livingston and Monroe. It has been recognized by Kubota as an “elite dealer” for many years.

Bentley carries the following brands: Kubota, Land Pride, Ariens, Gravely, Scag, Stihl, Echo, Terrain King, Brillion, Kubota Generators, Bush Hog, Stinger and Wallenstein.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Laura Bentley wanted a Kubota similar to the ones Bentley Brothers had in 1980 when the business first started selling them. Last year she hunted down this 1979 Kubota B6100E in Ohio and had it restored by her employees. The 24-horsepower tractor with 2-wheel drive is on display at the Albion location and not for sale.

Laura has been very involved in the community, serving on boards for the Orleans County United Way, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Cobblestone Museum and the Leadership Orleans steering committee. She also is part of a business management program run by Kubota for select dealerships.

Bentley said she enjoys the camaraderie among the customers and her employees. Most of the employees live in Orleans County, including those at the Brockport store.

As part of the celebration on Saturday, there will be a $25,000 giveaway to someone who bought a tractor this month from Bentley’s. That winner will be announced at the celebration.

There will be many other discounts on equipment and machinery, as well as parts purchases.

There also will be live music with Bill Pileggi and Jimmy Aina in the morning, followed by Savage Cabbage in the afternoon. The first 500 to RSVP will get a free gift bag.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Volunteers at Medina’s Visitors’ Center celebrate opening day Tuesday of the tourism booth in Rotary Park. From left, Medina Tourism Committee chair Jim Hancock hams it up with volunteers Ruth Cleveland, Peggy Schreck, Orly the Ox, Janet Janneck, Barb Gorham and the Rev. Vince Iorio.

MEDINA – Medina Tourism Committee has announced the opening Tuesday morning of its tourist booth in Rotary Park.

On hand for the opening were volunteers Jim Hancock, also Tourism Committee chairman; Barb Gorham, volunteer scheduler; Ruth Cleveland, Peggy Schreck, Janet Janneck, the Rev. Vince Iorio and Dawn Borchert, director of Orleans County Tourism, with Isabella Zasa as Orly the Ox. Zasa studied travel and tourism in college and was a paid intern at Borchert’s office last year.

“Now she is a full-time employee,” Borchert said.

Volunteers Janet Janneck, left, and Peggy Schreck pose with the sign promoting Medina which indicates the Visitors’ Tourist Booth is open.

Several changes are taking place in operation of the tourist booth this year. First, the tourist booth will be open on Saturdays all through the month of September.

“We anticipate getting a lot of visitors with the special events planned for the canal’s bicentennial,” said Barb Gorham, who has taken over scheduling volunteers. “On Sept. 23 a bus load is coming from the International Canal Conference in Buffalo, and on the 25th the Seneca Chief will be making a stop in Medina. We have many events planned for their visits.”

Also new this year will be T-shirts and name tags for tourist booth volunteers.

“This will set us apart,” Gorham said.

The tourist booth has operated under the leadership of Hancock since it was established in 2009. For the first several years, it was located in the Chamber of Commerce office on Main Street, then moved to City Hall until relocating to Rotary Park in 2018.

The booth attracts more than 400 visitors every year, with 493 being the largest number. Last year, 438 tourists stopped at the booth from 38 states and eight foreign countries.

The Rev. Vince Iorio said he stepped up to volunteer because he enjoys seeing groups come into our town and greeting them.

“We get a lot of bikers and boaters,” he said. “This is my fifth year volunteering. When Jim first asked me to do it, I thought it sounded interesting.”

Hancock also talked Ruth Cleveland into volunteering.

“It’s hard to say ‘no’ to Jim,” she said. “And I thought it would be something different to do. This will be my third year volunteering.”

Hancock said they meet some really neat people from all over the world.

“They come by various means – car, bus, boats and bikers,” Hancock said.

Most are looking for places to eat, hearing local history and viewing the canal.

The tourism booth is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and currently, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, until a volunteer is found for the 1 to 4 p.m. shift.

Anyone interested in volunteering for a three-hour shift, especially for the 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, can contact Gorham at (716) 474-2734.

File photo: Medina police officer Jacob Reeves is shown in June 2020 when he and the department’s new K9, Phoenix, began a 14-week training program together before the dog went into service for the department.

MEDINA – The Village Board has agreed to sell the Medina Police Department’s K9 for $1 to Jacob Reeves, a police officer and the K9’s handler.

Reeves teamed with Phoenix, a Belgian Malinois, for nearly five years. Phoenix worked his last shift on Wednesday. The board as part of the 2025-26 budget voted to end the K9 program with the police department, citing costs. The K9 sees service outside the village and board members felt village taxpayers shouldn’t bear the full cost, especially with overtime for the K9 team.

The board also voted to end having two Medina police officers work in the school district as resource officers. Those officers will return full-time to the MPD for road patrol and other work within the department.

The board and Reeves always had the understanding he could buy the dog for $1 at the end of Phoenix’s service, which officially will be on May 31. Board members said that agreement was in his contract and is similar to what most police departments do when a K9 goes out of service.

The board last week also said any unspent donations towards the K9 program will be refunded after May 31. The board will wait until after May 31 in case there are any unexpected vet bills or other expenses.