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.

Press Release, Genesee Community College

BATAVIA – Genesee Community College was honored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for its distinction as one of the leading institutions with a significant representation of faculty and administrators chosen for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.

Institutions like Genesee Community College, recognized as Fulbright Top Producing Institutions, actively promote global engagement and facilitate their campus community members in seizing international opportunities.

Heather Jones

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections and work to address complex global challenges.

“This recognition underscores our unwavering dedication to fostering international opportunities for our faculty and administrators,” said Dr. James Sunser, president of GCC. “At Genesee Community College, we believe in the transformative power of global connections, and we are proud to support our campus community members in their pursuit of scholarly endeavors worldwide.”

Heather Jones, GCC professor of fine arts was selected for a Fulbright award for the 2023-2024 academic year. While collaborating with Professor Jose Luis Gonzalez-Cabrero and the Industrial Design Department at the University of San Luis Potosi, Professor Jones will be implementing an international cultural color study project with students from both Mexico and New York, which will culminate with a student art exhibit titled “Color Connection.”

She will be teaching a series of seminars on color theory in Mexico, that will be available online for her students taking classes at GCC. Students in Mexico and GCC will photograph one color in their daily lives and facilitate conversation online by sharing these images on the dedicated Color Connection social media pages.

The goal of the project is to take a deeper look at the expressive meaning of color in design, utilize the subject of color as a social bridge to break down cultural stigmas, and reinforce empathy and respect for cultural diversity. Photographs will be juried by the students and 100 plus photographs will be exhibited simultaneously at UASLP and in GCC’s Roz Steiner Gallery during March 2024. The exhibit will then be available to travel to other SUNY campus galleries.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program.

“Fulbright’s Top Producing Institutions represent the diversity of America’s higher education community,” said Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. “Dedicated administrators support students and scholars at these institutions to fulfill their potential and rise to address tomorrow’s global challenges. We congratulate them, and all the Fulbrighters who are making an impact the world over.”

‘We feel very blessed to have the types of neighbors who show up when they are needed. They came together to help us at this trying time and asked for nothing in return.’

Provided photos: Ron Jackson is shown with his grandson Cole Jackson and daughter-in-law Jamie Jackson.

Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – Last month Ron and Debi Jackson’s family were devastated to watch their roof of their 40 by 90-foot barn off during a vicious windstorm that rocked the Medina area.

“It was just horrible,” said Ron, who is a welding teacher at Orleans/Niagara BOCES’ Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.  “We had our hay stored in there and there were metal pipes flying everywhere.”

The following day 18 inches of snow fell and then another 10 inches a day later.

“We were blessed that no one got hurt and some of my students, friends and neighbors came and helped us move the hay, remove some of the pipes and shovel off the snow floor so there was not more damage,” Jackson said.

“I really have to thank my friends, neighbors and students Jimmy Poler, Noah Poler, Jeremy Botting, Mike Gehl and his son Matthew who all were first on the scene,” Jackson said. “There was a lot of site work to prepare for the barn raising, we needed many hands and could not have been completed without the help from Dave Alt from Alt Farms, brother-in-law Dean Bancroft, son and daughter Josh and Mikayla Jackson, Jay Wozniak from Absolute Property Maintenance, Robert Schumacher, Elliot Vanderwalker, Amanda Baker and two of my students Hanna Zastro and Conner Dwyer. It meant so much to our family that they were there.”

They are also fortunate to live in an Amish community who consider the Jacksons not only neighbors, but friends. One of those neighbors, Marcus, stopped at their farm and told Ron that his church heard about his plight and they wanted to help.

“I was completely in awe of their generous offer to help us out by the community donating their time and raising a new roof,” Jackson said.

“We feel that it was something we wanted to do,” said community member Jonathan. “The Bible teaches us to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ and to ‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ’.”

More than 20 members of the Amish community came together the beginning of February to rebuild the barn roof starting at 8 a.m. and finishing the project before sundown.

“Thanks to our insurance company’s speedy response we were able to get the wood, metal and trusses paid for that we needed to get the project done,” Ron said about Porter Insurance. “We used an Amish business, Lake Shore Metal, for the materials and when the company that makes the trusses heard our plight, they pushed up production and got us the materials two weeks ahead of schedule. It is very touching to see how many people were willing to help us with this catastrophe. I am really blown away.”

The Jacksons says they were overwhelmed by the response of the volunteers who showed up on a cold winter day to help then out. Their neighbor Roger Yutzy who owns Fairview Fencing said he and the rest of the volunteers are not only there to help a neighbor, but are enjoying the camaraderie of working together.

“I think technology has made many people more isolated and disconnected from each other,” Yutzy said. “You would not believe how many times I am working with a customer and they tell me they don’t ever talk to their neighbors. I find that so sad. In stressful times we should be pulling together.”

To thank their volunteers Ron, Debi, Nate and Jamie Jackson made a spread of food for lunch: smoked brisket and pork, macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, baked beans and corn bread to share.  “Their acts of kindness and concern have made us so grateful for the connection we have with them,” Jackson said. “We feel very blessed to have the types of neighbors who show up when they are needed. They came together to help us at this trying time and asked for nothing in return. We are very fortunate to live in this community and to be able to count these people as friends.”

ROCHESTER – The following students were named to the Dean’s List at Rochester Institute of Technology for the fall semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. Full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students are eligible for Dean’s List if their term GPA is greater than or equal to 3.400; they do not have any grades of “Incomplete”, “D” or “F”; and they have registered for, and completed, at least 12 credit hours.

• Jacob Corser of Albion, who is in the mechanical engineering technology program.
• Conner Hollenbeck of Albion, who is in the mechanical engineering technology program.
• Nathanael Strong of Albion, who is in the packaging science program.
• Reg Chuhi of Holley, who is in the computing and information technologies program.
• Sierra Apicella of Holley, who is in the studio arts program.
• Kyle Kuehne of Kent, who is in the software engineering program.
• Sydney Wilson of Lyndonville, who is in the software engineering program.
• Alanna Holman of Medina, who is in the human-centered computing program.
• Isaac Becker of Waterport, who is in the robotics and manufacturing engineering technology program.

File photo by Tom Rivers: The county will replace its fuel farm on West Academy Street in Albion, a facility constructed in 1993 and operating at 50 percent capacity due to deterioration.

ALBION – Orleans County legislators agreed on Tuesday to a $900,000 construction bid to replace the fuel farm on West Academy Street.

The site is used by the county fleet of vehicles, and other municipalities and not-for-profit agencies.

The fuel farm was built in 1993 but is currently at 50 percent capacity due to deterioration of various components of the system, legislators said.

The Legislature approved a bid from The Pump Doctor in Eden to demolish the current fueling system and install a new station at a cost not to exceed $900,000.

The fuel farm in 2022 was used for 161,700 gallons of unleaded gas and 95,720 gallons of diesel. County vehicles used 64,500 gallons of unleaded and 22,570 of diesel while other agencies used 97,200 gallons of unleaded and 73,150 gallons of diesel, according to a 2022 report on user data.

The county users include the DPW, Sheriff’s Office, Major Felony Crime Task Force, Animal Control, Emergency management Office, Public Health, Office for the Aging and Probation Department.

The outside agencies and other municipalities include Albion Central School, Town of Albion, Village of Albion, Community Action, Ministry of Concern, ARC, Mental Health Association, Mercy EMS, Soil & Water, RTS, Town of Carlton, Murray Joint Fire District, as well as being an emergency stop for various towns.

The users all pay the same price for the fuel. There is a fee that goes towards maintenance of the system, said Jack Welch, the county chief administrative officer.

It will take 12-16 weeks for the equipment to be fabricated and available for the delivery, he said.

“We hope the new system will be operational in August, prior to the start of the new school year,” Welch said.

Welch said the county did an analysis of the pros and cons of an in-house fuel farm vs. a WEX program where municipalities and not-for-profits can buy fuel at a retail store without taxes.

“When the analysis went beyond the dollars and cents and looked at the size of the vehicles, school buses, fire trucks and ten wheelers,” Welch said. “We discussed the idea of the WEX program with the owners of Crosby’s, our largest chain of gas stations. We also considered how the change could impact the retail customers of fuel stations in a positive or negative manner.”

County Legislator Fred Miller said the larger vehicles such as school buses don’t fit at some of the local gas stations, and he was concerned without the fuel farm there would be longer waits at the local gas stations with municipal vehicles filling up.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated from the original version to include more data and comments from county officials.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has declared March as “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.” County Legislator Don Allport presents a proclamation to Arc GLOW CEO Martin Miskell.

Others pictured include, from left: Arc board members Marlene Hill, Ken Barchet (board assistant treasurer) and Joe Barchet, and Lisa Bors, public relations director.

The former Arc of Genesee Orleans and Arc of Livingston-Wyoming merged in 2021 following 18 months of planning to form the new Arc GLOW. This is the first four-county chapter of The Arc New York. This follows the merger in 2016 of the former Arc of Orleans and Genesee Arc.

In Orleans County, Arc GLOW has three homes for individuals with disabilities, operates Orleans Enterprises Work Center in Albion, day habilitation programs, Meals on Wheels/Nutrifare in Albion and Camp Rainbow in Ridgeway. Several programs and departments also share space with the finance department on Caroline Street in Albion, Arc GLOW officials said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Michael Christopher, center, accepts a special recognition award this afternoon from County Legislator Skip Draper, right, and Sheriff Chris Bourke.

Christopher is retiring after a career as a corrections officer at the county jail. Christopher started in 1992 as a part-time correction officer and became full-time in 1994. He worked his way up through the ranks and was promoted in 2011 to correction sergeant, in 2016 to sergeant first class, and in 2020 he achieved the rank of lieutenant.

Christopher has taken on multiple job assignments within the jail including Incarcerated Individual Disciplinary Coordinator, Classification Coordinator, Livescan Coordinator, Fire Safety Coordinator, and Municipal Police Training Council Certified Instructor. He also served on the Orleans County Safety Board for several years.

“I appreciate Orleans County for hiring me and having faith in me and moving me up in the ranks,” Christopher told county legislators. He is known among his co-workers as “Cadillac.”

Mike Christopher accepts the special recognition award from Legislator Skip Draper. Joining Christopher are his colleagues from left: Sgt. Dawn Basinait, Sheriff Chris Bourke, Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson and Sgt. Chris Shabazz.

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Pera

ALBION – The great-grandchildren of the late Judy Grabowski presented a check today for $685 to the PAWS Animal Shelter on Gaines Basin Road in Albion. The money came from a Super Bowl Square fundraiser with some of the players donating extra for PAWS. Donna Vanderlaan, a PAWS board member, is in back.

The donation was presented by Caleb, Leah and Eli Prior of Hilton on what would have been Grabowski’s 86^th birthday. PAWS was one of her favorite organizations to give to, said her daughters Pat Fredendall of Holley and Elizabeth Pera of Hamlin.

Grabowski was known as “Mema” to the great-grandchildren. She was a Holley resident who donated often to PAWS in memory of friends who passed away, and as memorials for pets in the family that also passed.

Grabowski’s great-grandkids play with some of the animals at PAWS.

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

MEDINA – Have you been feeling sluggish lately? Have you been told you are overweight? Has your healthcare provider told you that you have prediabetes or are at risk of prediabetes?

Do you have a parent, brother, or sister with Type 2 diabetes? Have you had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or given birth to a baby who weighed over 9 pounds?

Are an African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, or Alaska Native person? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be at risk of, have prediabetes, or be at risk of type 2 diabetes (Type 2).

The Orleans County Health Department has reviewed feedback from a recent survey and will be hosting the Lifestyle Change Program starting March 20 from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, 620 West Ave. in Medina.

Register now to claim your seat for better health: Click here to register or e-mail NDPP@orleanscountyny.gov or call (585) 589-3162.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 29.7 million people 18 and older with prediabetes,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. “Of the 38.4 million people who have diabetes, 8.7 million are undiagnosed. The Lifestyle Change Program helps those who are at risk or have been diagnosed with prediabetes to take charge over their lives.”

According to the New York State Department of Health Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System 2021 report, Genesee County has 13.4% of adults and Orleans County has 11.4% adults diagnosed with prediabetes, Pettit said.

Taking 26 hours over the span of a year will help individuals take control over their health. The group will meet weekly for 16 weeks and then the rest of the year will get together 1-2 times a month.

For many the program removes the risk of prediabetes, for some it delays the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Those who follow the program can lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by as much as 58% or 71% if over the age of 60, according to the CDC.

Now is your time to take control of your health and lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.  Register for the class now!  This is the first series of the lifestyle change course that will be offered. If you are unable to attend this series of classes, there will be classes offered throughout Genesee and Orleans Counties in the future.

For more information on GO Health programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org or call your respective health department at:

• Orleans County: 585-589-3278
• Genesee County: 585-344-2580 ext. 5555

133 ‘Hometown hero’ banners can be picked up Wednesday, Thursday at village office

File photo: The banner for Asa Hill, a  Civil War soldier, was among the 133 banners that debuted in 2021. He was wounded in battle and lost a leg due to the injury. He came home to Shelby and was a farmer until his death in 1881.

MEDINA – A new group of Hometown Hero banners will go up this spring and 133 banners that first went out in 2021 won’t be back.

The banners from three years ago will be available for pickup at the village office at 119 Park Ave. on Wednesday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m., and then on Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mary Woodruff, coordinator of the program, will be at the village office on the two days. She has the banners organized with a signature sheet in the crate with a serviceman/woman’s last name.

She asks people having someone else picking up a banner to notify her at mbwoodruff16@gmail.com.

“I am most humbled by your tolerance while you all waited so patiently for your banners,” Woodruff said in a message to the families. “2021 was the year that broke the record of banners sponsored by all of you. While cleaning each banner, I was sure to say goodbye to each serviceperson and a prayer for each also. I get sentimental when the banners are sent back home where their families/friends have waited for their return.”

This year there will be 78 new banners going up. They will join others from 2022 and 2023, making for about 190 total.

The banners are on a three-year cycle from when they first go out and then are “retired.”

Woodruff thanked the Medina Village Board, the DPW led by Superintendent Jason Watts and village clerk’s office led by Jada Burgess for assisting with the banners and supporting the effort.

“When you think the world is becoming a negative hive of angry, uncaring people stroll down the streets of Medina and your attitude will soar towards positivity in a moment!” Woodruff said.

Woodruff in July will start to accept applications for new banners for 2025. Woodruff said she already has a waiting list for 2025.

MEDINA – The Medina Business Park continues to be a finalist for big economic development projects, Medina village officials were told by an Orleans Economic Development Agency official.

The park, one of the largest certified shovel-ready sites in upstate, has 355 acres available and plentiful access to water, sewer, natural gas and low-cost electricity.

Many aspects of Medina are also a strong selling point, including a vibrant downtown and improved parks.

However, the gateways leading into the village need improvement, said Gabrielle Barone, the EDA’s vice president for business development.

She urged the Village Board to try to spruce up properties on South Main Street, and East and West Center streets. Many of these properties have chipping paint, items piled on the front porches and feel neglected.

“We have to do something about the appearances of the gateways,” Barone told the Village Board last week. “We don’t show well as to where people want to live with housing.”

Barone said the main arteries leading into the village have made upgrades in recent years, but she would like to see the community work to make it better.

Barone told the board that a Fortune 500 company had Medina as its second choice out of 85 sites.

“You’re dealing with some really heavy hitters,” she said. “We have to do something to show ourselves and promote ourselves.”

The companies have site selectors visit or company reps make the trip themselves.

Medina emerges as a strong contender, but Barone believes the look of some of the neighborhoods hurts in landing some of the prospective businesses.

Mike Limina, retired jewelry store owner in Medina, also told the board the community needs to work on the appearance of the gateways and some of the neighborhoods.

“We’ve got used to it,” Limina said at last week’s board meeting. “When you drive by it everyday you don’t notice it until it hits you.”

Barone said the village and its residents impress many of the site selectors and companies, but need just a little more to stand out from the many other competing communities.

“It just takes a lot of continued effort,” she said. “There are so many things they are looking at it.”

Press Release, UConnectCare

Provided photo: Making plans for the Soul Food Brunch on Feb. 27 at The Recovery Station on Clinton Street Road, Batavia are, from left, UConnectCare employees Kenyetta Reese, case manager; Sheila Rolle-Smith, case manager, and Melissa Vinyard, The Recovery Station coordinator.

BATAVIA – Chicken and waffles. Shrimp and grits. Greens. And lemon pound cake for dessert.

These traditional “soul foods” and much more are on the menu of the first Soul Food Brunch, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 27 at The Recovery Station, 5256 Clinton St. Rd., Batavia.

“What better way to bring folks together and celebrate Black History Month than with food and conversation?” said Kenyetta Reese, case manager at UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse).

Reese is organizing the event, which is free and open to the public, while sisters Sheila Rolle-Smith and V.J. Rolle-Belle are coordinating the effort, along with others, to put the food on the table for all to enjoy.

“We’re delighted to be a part of this event,” said Rolle-Smith, a case manager at UConnectCare. “This gives us a chance not only to share our black history but to learn from each other in a festive setting. It’s really all about respect for one another.”

Reese is reaching out to the community for groups wanting to assist in making the brunch a success.

“Volunteers are definitely welcome. And we’re always looking for Black-owned businesses to showcase,” she said.

To sign up for the event, go to The Recovery Station’s Facebook page or contact Reese at kreese@uconnectcare.org. The deadline to register is Feb. 23.

‘The squeaky wheel gets the oil and we need to start squeaking’

MEDINA – Village officials say they aren’t abandoning hope that the Orleans County Legislature will hear their plea for a bigger slice of the local sales tax pie.

“We need to be in it for the long haul,” said Village Trustee Jessica Marciano. “This is going to be a long fight.”

The Medina Village Board last year sent a formal resolution to the county, asking for an increase in the local sales tax. All four villages in the county, and eight out of the 10 towns sent resolutions to the county, asking for more sales tax. The county hasn’t increased the amount the towns and villages since 2001. The 10 towns and four villages collectively receive $1,366,671 in sales tax.

The total local amount has more than doubled since 2001, and grew another $600,000 in 2023 to $23.1 million. The amount has now grown by more than $5 million since the $17.7 million in 2019. The county keeps 94 percent of the total.

The Village of Medina this year will get $160,160 of the total, which is expected to be near $25 million. That is less than 1 percent of the total in the county.

Mayor Mike Sidari said it is frustrating to get such a low amount because many of the businesses in the village are generating the sales tax that the county is reaping.

Marciano said the village shouldn’t relent and accept such a low number, especially as the village grapples with trying to prevent a big tax increase to pay for services, including a new ladder truck and addition to the fire hall.

Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson last month was asked about distributing more of the local sales tax to towns and villages, but she said in a brief response that would only push up county taxes. She spoke at the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon.

Marciano said county legislators need to see village and town taxpayers as county taxpayers, too, who need relief in their town and village taxes.

“The county is doing a disservice to their own residents,” Marciano said about the sales tax freeze to towns and villages. “We’re a major population center, and we have all these people who want services.”

Mayor Sidari said the village also gets short shrifted by the state with AIM payments or Aid and Incentives to Municipalities. Medina gets $45,523 in AIM from the state as a village of 6,047 people or $7.53 per person.

But other small cities with similar populations as Medina get far more in AIM. The City of Mechanicville, population 5,163 in Saratoga County, gets $1,649,701 for a per capita $319.52. The City of Salamanca in Cattaraugus County, population 5,929, gets $928,131 in AIM funding or $156.54 per capita.

Michael Maak, a retired Medina firefighter and a candidate for mayor in the March 19 election, said Medina should push to become a city to access the AIM funding, and also to get more of the local sales tax. That is a drawn-out legal process that needs the blessing of the state Legislature, something that hasn’t been approved in about 75 years, Maak said during last week’s Village Board meeting.

He said Medina shouldn’t give up the fight for more money in the sales tax and from the state for AIM.

“We provide a lot of services and they should give us what we’re due,” Maak said. “The squeaky wheel gets the oil and we need to start squeaking.”

Gas prices were up an average of 8 cents nationally for regular unleaded in the past week to $3.28 a gallon, following a 5-cent jump the previous week.

However, the price is unchanged in Orleans in the past week – $3.384 a gallon, according to AAA.

In New York, the statewide average is up 2.5 cents from $3.279 a week ago to $3.304 today.

Here are the average prices in Western New York counties today:

• Orleans, $3.384
• Genesee, $3.234
• Wyoming, $3.365
• Livingston, $3.416
• Monroe, $3.227
• Niagara, $3.204
• Erie, $3.324
• Chautauqua, $3.348
• Cattaraugus, $3.237
• Allegany, $3.392

AAA issued this statement about gas prices:

“After months of barely budging more than a few cents, the national average for pump prices moved into the fast lane, surging 8 cents since last Monday. A significant contributor is a shutdown at the large BP-Whiting refinery in Indiana, which was offline for more than two weeks due to a power outage. The refinery processes 435,000 barrels of crude oil per day, and the shutdown caused prices throughout the Midwest to climb, pushing the national average higher as well.

“In New York State, we are seeing only a few cents difference since last week, which is more typical for this time of year. This past week, we saw a decrease in gas demand, but fluctuating oil prices and a tight gas supply increasing prices.

“With February Break this week in the northeast, we could see a spike in gas demand result in another increase in pump prices locally.

“This morning, oil prices range from $78 to $83 per barrel, a $2 increase from one week ago. Diesel prices are also fluctuating. The national average price for diesel is $4.10, up 10 cents from one week ago, and down from $4.51 a year ago. The New York average for diesel is $4.41, up 1 cent from a week ago, and lower than $5.14 one year ago.”