MEDINA – You know Christmas is on the way when the MAAC red Christmas barrels start appearing in local stores, churches and the library.

On Wednesday, in keeping with a decades-old tradition, members of the Medina Fire Department picked up 40 barrels at the Grove United Methodist Church and delivered them to locations throughout Medina.

Hundreds of children living in the Medina School District and their families are assured gifts and a holiday dinner through the MAAC Christmas Program.

Fire Chief Matt Jackson and firefighters Tim Miller, Paul Urquhart, Lt. Steve Cooley, Nick Lee and Bob Urtel were those who volunteered for what has become an annual tradition, dating as far back as 40 years, when the firefighters used to collect old and broken toys, repair them and give them to children.

Sherry Tuohey, who coordinates the MAAC Christmas barrels, stands by the wagons which Bob Harrold of Lyndonville refurbishes and donates every year.

Cooley has been volunteering for 14 years. He remembers when the firefighters collected old toys, painted them and fixed them up.

“But you can’t do that any more because they are all plastic,” he said. “So this is a way we can help the community and maintain a tradition.”

Miller has been volunteering to deliver the barrels for eight years and this is Urtel’s seventh year.

People are asked to donate new or good toys, books, crafts and gift items. Gifts are especially in need for teenagers, said Sherry Tuohey, who coordinates the MAAC Christmas barrel program.

Tuohey heads a committee which includes former coordinator Sue Metzo, Norma Jean Foster, Judy Holbrook, Barb Vreeland and Kathie McMoil.

They also welcome donations of hats, gloves and socks, as well as food items for Christmas dinner.

The Medina High School Student Association under co-advisers Sara Cinquino and Kayla Rosenbeck, annually packs bags of personal care items.

Another much appreciation contribution to the MAAC Christmas program is the donation of red wagons by Bob Harrold of Lyndonville. For several years, Harrold has sought out children’s wagons throughout the year, refurbished them and donated them to MAAC.

Tuohey said the wagons are a big hit with parents and children, as often the parents use them to transport young children, or in some instances, where there is no car in the family, the wagons provide a way to transport groceries home from the store.

Harrold said it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the historic little red wagons. This year he was able to donate three red wagons and two wooden wagons.

The public is reminded that income guidelines have increased this year, comparable to those established by HEAP.

To qualify for a holiday box, families must live in the Medina School District, with Knowlesville and Medina zip codes (14479 or 14103), and comply with income guidelines. The program benefits children up to 18 years of age, their parents/guardians and seniors 62 and older.

Sign-ups must be completed during the second and third weeks of November by visiting St. Peter Evangelical Church at 1355 West Ave. from 10 a.m. to noon or 5 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 or 14; or Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God Church, 11031 Maple Ridge Rd., from 10 a.m. to noon on Nov. 9 or 16.

Medina firefighters who volunteered to deliver the MAAC Christmas barrels are, from left, Chief Matt Jackson, paramedic/firefighter Tim Miller, Paul Urquhart, Lt. Steve Cooley, Nick Lee and Bob Urtel.

Library in Medina considering 2 options for addition, including meeting rooms, tutoring space and expanded children’s area

Passero Associates, an engineering and architectural firm in Rochester, has proposed an addition on the back side of the building on two lots recently acquired by the library along North Avenue. An arch and courtyard also are part of the proposal. A construction project at the library includes two large meeting rooms, two restrooms, three tutoring rooms, large programming area, teen room, Friends of the Library room, expanded children’s area, additional parking, expanded adult collection space, and a local history room.

MEDINA – Leaders of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library want to push forward with a 3,844 addition on the library on West Avenue.

The building was constructed in 1966 at 11,000 square feet. The addition is planned for the back side of the building along North Avenue.

Estimates for the project range from $7 million to $9 million, depending on the scope of the work. A courtyard with an arch on the North Avenue side of the building could be eliminated to cut the costs.

The library is reaching out to some community members to get their feedback on the project, and whether it should be scaled back or not.

Passero Associates: The front side of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library facing West venue would get a new entryway and bigger windows.

The 3,844-square-foot addition would add two much-needed meeting rooms, space for tutoring and more room for the collection and programs.

“We have a lot of organizations with no place to go,” said Cynthia Kiebala, president of the board of trustees for Lee-Whedon.

Right now there is a small meeting room that is also serves as a local history space and a “quiet room.”

The library was built in 1966 in an open style that was somewhat sterile and “blah” – a big, long room all painted in the same color of beige-yellow. A remodeling project in 2013 added “warmth” and technology. The walls were painted green, blue and yellow. The carpet has circles and other designs to help delineate spaces in the library. The library also added many pedant lights that hang from the ceiling.

The project also replaced the ceiling, and added many new high-speed Internet access points and upgraded computer technology.

Lee-Whedon has been feeling a space crunch and acquired two properties next door on North Avenue. The addition would add meeting rooms and tutoring space to make the site even more of an asset for the community, said Kristine Mostyn, the library director.

“This will certainly improve our ability to offer programming and educational services,” she said. “The meeting rooms could be used for organizations that have no other place to meet.”

Photos by Tom Rivers: Here is how the entrance of the Lee-Whedon  Memorial Library currently looks. The 11,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1966. The library’s leaders would like to put on a 3,844-square-foot addition.

Kiebala said the big open space in the current setup doesn’t allow much privacy, especially for tutoring. Students come in for tutoring through BOCES, local school districts and the Orleans County Adult Learning Services (OCALS).

“We have tutoring going on all the time,” Kiebala said. “They have to sit out in the liobrary now.”

The capital project would make the building mor aesthetically appealing by putting an arch with pillars in the front entryway. Some of the solid brick walls would be changed for larger windows to allow in more existing light.

Lee-Whedon has applied for $4.125 million in grants and government aid so far. It has been approved for $625,000 in state library construction funding. Lee-Whedon also was the top vote-getter in a community survey for the $4.5 million NY Forward money. Lee-Whedon is seeking $500,000 through that $4.5 million. An announcement on how the money will be divvied up among Medina projects is expected in the spring 2024.

This photo from Jan. 13, 2017 shows a crowd watching the Don Newcomb Country Band for the “Finally Fridays” concert series.

The library also will be doing a capital campaign, seeking donations from the community. The are many naming opportunities that will be available, including for the different rooms, the addition, and the courtyard. The library, however, will not change from being known as the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. A capital campaign is expected to start in early 2024. Kiebala is hopeful construction could start in the fall 2024.

“We want to make it happen,” she said.

The project would add more room for children’s programs and the overall collection. There also would be two more restrooms in the addition, and more parking on the North Avenue side of the building.

The scope of the project may be determined by a feasibility study currently under way. Lee-Whedon is working with Ivy Partners, the same group that helped Albion build the new Hoag Library that opened in 2012.

The fall foliage spectacle has moved past its peak in Orleans County and throughout most of the state, according to the weekly I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report.

“New York’s colorful fall foliage season winds down this weekend as autumn’s peak colors reach their final destinations in New York City and on Long Island, as well as in a few remaining parts of the Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley, according to the report issued on Wednesday afternoon.

The report states Erie and Genesee counties are about 85 to 95 percent color change, with many bare trees, according to volunteer spotters.

There are still lots of colorful leaves on the trees locally, but the leaves are dropping fast.

This is the eighth and final map of the 2023 I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report for New York State. Reports were issued every Wednesday afternoon.

The Butts Road canal bridge is shown on Tuesday afternoon with colorful leaves.

Reps for owners of nursing home in Albion tell judge facility is well-run, no longer on ‘focus list’

File photo by Tom Rivers: The owners of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion are accused by the state’s attorney general of inhumane conditions for some residents at the 120-bed facility on Route 31. In 2020 in the first year of the pandemic, 30 of the residents at The Villages died from Covid.

ALBION – The State Attorney General is seeking a preliminary injunction from a State Supreme Court judge to allow healthcare and financial monitors at The Village of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, a 120-bed nursing home in Albion.

Maura O’Donnell and Jared Goldman, assistant attorneys general, presented their arguments in court today in Albion before Judge Frank Caruso. They told the judge that nursing home residents continue to receive substandard care that jeopardizes their health.

“These are human beings,” O’Donnell told Judge Caruso. “They deserve safe and dignified care.”

She said recent testimonials from residents and their families, as well as an investigator’s report, indicate some of the residents still are not receiving basic care, or proper dietary needs, medical care and bedsore treatment. Families often aren’t communicated with in a timely manner, O’Donnell said.

It was nearly a year ago on Nov. 29, 2022 when Attorney General Letitia James announced she was suing the owners of the Villages of Orleans for financial fraud that led to significant resident neglect and harm.

It was the first of several lawsuits from the AG against nursing home operators, alleging a scheme where owners created real estate companies to siphon off the profits from the nursing homes at the expense of resident care.

While the case against The Villages moves through the court, the AG’s Office is asking for health and financial monitors to make sure staffing levels and care are up to standard, and funds aren’t diverted improperly.

Glenn Jones, an attorney for Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services, said there is no need for monitors. He said the only money going to the real estate owner of the property, Telegraph Realty, is being used to pay the mortgage. To default on those payments could put the facility in foreclosure and out of business, he said.

Jones, a partner at the Harris Beach law firm, said recent surveys from residents and staff show the facility has made improvements since the Covid pandemic. He noted The Villages also is no longer on a list of Special Focus Facilities from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Facilities on that list have a record of poor survey results and inspections.

“We oppose this application because the conditions have improved since the start of litigation,” Jones said in court today. “The surveys are better. We have graduated from the Special Focus and are well within the averages of nursing homes in New York State.”

Many of the recent complaints detailed in an investigator’s report filed last week are based on double and triple hearsay, from anonymous sources and with claims that are incorrect, Jones said.

Dennis Vacco, another lawyer for Comprehensive (and a former state attorney general), faulted the AG’s request for a preliminary injunction, saying there is no new current evidence of neglect. The new request in court “didn’t have a factual underpinning,” Vacco said.

Letitia James, in her lawsuit filed nearly a year ago, claimed the nursing home owners fraudulently diverted $18 million in Medicaid and Medicare payments, money that went in the owners’ pockets instead of towards resident care.

But Jones disputed that saying the payments were reimbursements for care given – thousands of claims since 2014. He said owners forming a real estate entity that owns the nursing home property is not out of the norm.

O’Donnell from the AG’s Office said there isn’t a clear owner in charge at The Villages. The monitors are needed to insure resident care is a priority and there isn’t fraud financially.

Jared Goldman, another assistant attorney general, said the owners have deceived the Department of Health with official filings. The DOH inspections and regulatory authority aren’t enough to ensure compliance at The Villages, he said.

“There has been persistent and repeated illegality,” he told the judge. “This is a 1-star facility which is the worst rating available. This is still a 1-star facility.”

Judge Caruso didn’t make a ruling in court today. He said he would review the submissions and decide soon about the preliminary injunction and whether there will be monitors. He presided over a 2 ½ hour hearing today in the main courtroom at the Orleans County Courthouse.

The named respondents in the initial AG lawsuit from Nov. 29, 2022 are Bernard Fuchs, supposed sole official owner of The Villages; his son and daughter-in-law Gerald and Tova Fuchs, and his sons-in-law Joel Edelstein and Israel Freund; David Gast; Sam Halper; Ephram Lahasky; Benjamin Landa and his son-in-law Joshua Farkovits; and Teresa Lichtschein and her daughter-in-law Debbie Korngut.

The lawsuit also named Telegraph Realty LLC, which owns the real property where The Villages sits on Route 31; CHMS Group LLC, which provides administrative services to The Villages; and ML Kids Holdings LLC, which received over $1.5 million in cash transfers from Telegraph and is controlled by Ephram Lahasky, according to the AG suit.

There were about 10 attorneys in court today for the different owners and several asked that their clients be removed from the lawsuit because they have a very small minority stake in the ownership, or are part of the real estate company and have no decision-making role with the operation of the nursing home.

Alyssa Friedman, an attorney for Landa, said Letitia James is an “activist attorney general” and is the only AG in the country suing nursing homes.

James in her lawsuit claimed $18 million in fraud, which Friedman said is a “hyper-inflated” number.

Friedman urged the judge to keep the status quo at The Villages and not require monitors. She said a prospective owner is looking to buy the facility once there is resolution with the AG lawsuit.

“It is operating well and seemingly smooth,” she said in court. “There is no burning need to take any immediate action.”

John Martin, an attorney representing two of the named owners, said nursing homes are heavily regulated in New York. The AG’s request for monitors oversteps the role of the Department of Health which could pull a nursing home operator’s license if it felt there was danger to residents, Martin said.

He called the AG’s request for a preliminary injunction for monitors “inappropriate and unprecedented.”

Herb Greenman, an attorney for Telegraph Realty, said the real estate entity shouldn’t be in the lawsuit. He said the timing of the AG’s request for an injunction, 11 months after the initial filing, is puzzling because the facility is improved.

“We believe we are moving forward and not backward,” he told the judge. “The bottom line is we’re doing the best that we can. The facility is well-run. The residents are safe and being cared for.”

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation to support homeowners at manufactured home parks, a critical source of affordable housing for residents in New York State, particularly Upstate and in rural areas.

“This legislative package is our state’s latest tool to support New Yorkers in manufactured home parks – a key source of affordable housing in our state,” Governor Hochul said. “By expanding when homeowners in manufactured home parks have a right of first refusal, authorizing mortgages and mortgage pool insurance for modular and manufactured homes, and better aligning our legislative language with federal programs, we are helping to strengthen New York communities and continuing to provide New Yorkers with safe, stable, affordable homes. I thank the bill sponsors for their partnership in supporting this critical path to affordable homeownership for countless New York families.”

• Legislation S. 5881-A/A. 5549-A expands the right of first refusal that homeowners in manufactured home parks currently have to include whenever owners of manufactured home parks make offers to sell or respond to offers to buy the park. Under prior state law, homeowners in manufactured home parks were only able to exercise this right when the purchaser of manufactured home parks certified their intent to use the land for a different purpose.

The legislation also requires that homeowners notify owners of manufactured home parks within 60 days if they plan to make an offer to purchase the park and requires that homeowners make the offer within 140 days. This legislation will help homeowners in manufactured home parks safeguard their affordable communities, without unduly hindering unopposed investments in manufactured home parks.

State Senator James Skoufis said, “This bill package will empower residents to have a fair shot at protecting their communities from owners who don’t share their vision for the mobile home park as well as aligning civil penalties with federal regulations. I thank Governor Hochul for signing this legislation to establish an equitable balance between the interests of manufactured home park owners and residents who seek affordable, secure housing.”

• Legislation S. 7541/A. 7403 authorizes the State of New York Mortgage Agency to purchase mortgages and offer mortgage pool insurance for modular and manufactured housing, which primarily are financed as personal property and thus were often ineligible for SONYMA financing and insurance prior to this legislation. This legislation enables SONYMA to provide critical support to homebuyers who rely upon modular and manufactured housing as affordable pathways to homeownership.

Assemblymember Karen McMahon said, “This new law, which grants SONYMA the authority to purchase mortgages for modular and/or manufactured homes as personal property, will enable low- and moderate-income New Yorkers to finance affordable housing. The Assembly is committed to making housing fair and accessible to all, in New York’s urban, suburban and rural communities.”

• Legislation S. 7381/A. 7422 includes several technical changes to better align New York State law relating to civil penalties associated with manufactured housing with federal law. It replaces the word “fine” with “civil penalty,” replaces the word “licenses” with “certifications,” and it replaces the word “article” with “title.” It also replaces the language surrounding civil penalties with “the maximum civil penalty” established by the Code of Federal Regulations. In doing so, this legislation helps to correct a misalignment between state and federal language to help ensure that manufactured homes are produced, installed and serviced safely.

Assemblymember Didi Barrett said, “Manufactured homes are often the only affordable housing and homeownership opportunities in districts like mine and throughout much of New York State. I thank Governor Hochul for signing this critical piece of legislation aligning state and federal policies to better deter exploitative investors and firms, keeping occupants safe.”

MEDINA – Passing through Medina on a drive to Rochester so impressed Rollin Hellner that it has set the path for his road to success.

“I saw all those beautiful businesses and shops and fell in love with the town,” he said.

A Newfane native and active preservationist, Hellner purchased a home on Maple Avenue in Medina in 2015, renovated it and sold it in 2021.

Since then, he has started an ambitious historic restoration of the Medina sandstone home at 304 West Center St., known as the Luther Mansion (recently Stonehurst); he bought the historic property across the corner known as the Maple Crest Inn; and is in the process of continuing renovations of the Walsh Hotel, which he also recently purchased.

(Left) Rollin Hellner looks at one of the restored windows of the Luther Mansion. The trim will be painted in colors found in the sandstone, of which the home is built. (Right) Hellner stands on the stairway of the historic Luther Mansion on West Center Street, which he is in the process of restoring to its former grandeur.

Hellner, 30, comes from a family of entrepreneurs, who owned Schimschacks Restaurant in Sanborn. They believe his grandmother actually started the chicken wing craze in the early 1950s, and he has her original recipes on index cards. His father this summer started a tour boat operation in Medina, which he plans to expand next year.

Hellner is CEO of Hellner Development Company, and also owns Timeless Building Materials in Burt, the largest specialty lumber company in the state, selling reclaimed lumber globally. In all, he owns nine businesses, most related to real estate or construction, he said.

Hellner went to college and got a degree in engineering, which led to a relationship with Ford and Volvo to develop lithium batteries for their cars.

He said he never wanted to be in the restaurant and bar business, but when he saw the Walsh for sale, he knew it had to be preserved. He also saw it as the perfect place to serve the “famous wings.” He plans to continue the restoration started by Tim Cooper, by finishing the upper floors to add studio and one-bedroom apartments.

“Then I saw the Maple Crest, and I wanted to live there,” he said. “I bought it in July 2022.”

He has made some repairs and restored the windows, original plasterwork and the parquet flooring. He has painted the outside in the home’s original color. The Maple Crest was built in 1860 for a Main Street merchant, who was a cousin of Susan B. Anthony.

Several weekends ago, Hellner hosted the Rolls-Royce Owners’ Club, to which he belongs. He took them on an exclusive tour of the c. 1861 Luther Mansion, which he plans to fully restore. Their three-day visit included a reception Friday night at the Walsh Hotel, a party Saturday catered at the Maple Crest by Bent’s and Sunday brunch at Harvest Restaurant.

Provided photo: Fellow members of developer Rollin Hellner’s Rolls-Royce Club visited the Luther Mansion on West Center St. during their recent weekend stay in Medina, as Hellner’s guests.

Renovations at the Luther Mansion will be extensive, Hellner said. All the original plaster will be re-created. In removing paint and wallpaper, they uncovered original designs, and they will all be documented and repainted as they were originally. The marble mantles had been ripped off the walls and sold and he was able to locate them and make arrangements to purchase them back.

The roof is being replaced with copper and slate. Hellner said the outside work will be completed by winter. The carriage house has already undergone extensive work to lift it from its foundation, repair it and replace rotted beams. He hopes to have the entire property finished by next fall.

Projects in Medina are not all Hellner is involved in. He purchased a 155,000 square-foot building in Middleport which was going to be demolished, restored it and recently added 50 employees to the workforce there.

“That’s what I do,” he said. “I find under-utilized buildings that are eyesores and fix them up. My favorite thing is to take the burden off the property owners so they can focus on growing their businesses.”

He has several large projects going in Buffalo, but most of his time is spent in Medina, he said. He tries to use local contractors as much as possible.

“I don’t do it to make money,” Hellner said about his historic restorations. “I do it because it’s the right thing to do.”

Press Release, Preservation League of New York State

MEDINA — Bent’s Opera House has received a 2023 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of NYS.

Since 1984, the League’s annual Excellence Awards program has shined a light on the people who are using historic preservation to make all our lives better — through exemplary restoration projects, indispensable publications, individual action, and organizational distinction. This year’s Award winners will be recognized at a public reception at the Century Association in NYC on Monday, December 4. Click here for more information.

“It was an honor to work with Talis Equity on the restoration of Bent’s Opera House,” said Jeff Panza, regional operations manager for LeChase Construction Services. “At LeChase, we take great pride in projects that have a positive impact within their communities, and this historic restoration has given new life to an important cornerstone of Medina’s downtown business district.”

Built over 150 years ago, Bent’s Opera House once hosted speakers like Frederick Douglass and entertainers like Buffalo Bill Cody. After the theater closed, the building served the community in a variety of ways until the 1990s.

Bent’s was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, but by 2010 it was abandoned and in imminent danger of collapsing. Local developers Talis Equity, led by Roger Hunderford, had a vision to give Bent’s new life.

They collaborated with LeChase Construction Services and Kideney Architects to rehabilitate the historic building into a modern destination. Today, the facility includes an upscale, farm-to-table restaurant and bar, a boutique hotel with 10 uniquely themed rooms, and a beautifully restored theater for private and public gatherings.

“The 2023 Excellence Award winners span the state, from Olean to Brooklyn,” said Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo. “They represent how historic preservation addresses critical issues, from climate action to affordable housing, from spurring economic development to uplifting underrepresented histories. We are honored to recognize the incredible work each Award winner has done for their communities and beyond.”

The rehabilitation of Bent’s Opera House was funded in part through New York State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits. The project team included Talis Equity, LeChase Construction Services, and Kideney Architects.

2023 Awardees – Olean’s First National Bank & Siegel’s Shoes Revitalization in Olean, Cattaraugus County; Nash Lofts in Buffalo, Erie County; Claudette Brady in Brooklyn, Kings County; Bridge to Crafts Careers Program in Brooklyn and the Bronx; The Rehabilitation of Pier 57 in New York City; Bent’s Opera House in Medina, Orleans County; Julie Nucci in Owego, Tioga County; Kingston City Land Bank in Kingston, Ulster County.

About the Preservation League of New York State – Since its founding in 1974, the Preservation League has built a reputation for action and effectiveness. Our goal has been to preserve our historic buildings, districts, and landscapes and to build a better New York, one community at a time.

The Preservation League of New York State invests in people and projects that champion the essential role of preservation in community revitalization, sustainable economic growth and the protection of our historic buildings and landscapes. We lead advocacy, economic development, and education programs across the state.

Photos and press release from Orleans County government

ALBION – In honor of Operation Green Light, the dome of the courthouse will be lit green from November 1 through November 12.

In the photo at right, County Legislator Fred Miller presents a proclamation to Nancy Traxler, Director of the Orleans County Veterans Services Agency, in support of Operation Green Light and in recognition of the great work the VSA does in helping those who served in our military get the benefits and support they earned.

Operation Green Light is designed to show support for our nation’s veterans, raise awareness of the county role in providing support and resources to veterans, and advocate for legislation that will strengthen counties’ ability to support veterans.

Residents and businesses are encouraged to participate in Operation Green Light by placing a green light in a window of their home or business.

The Albion High School class of 1973 celebrated their 50th class reunion on Sept. 16 at Stafford Country Club. Attendees included classmates from areas such as California, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida as well as many living locally. As a surprise visitor, our 1973 AFS student, Phil Nell traveled from Switzerland.

Pictured left to right, 1st row: Betsy (Batchellor) Phillips, Jan (Bailey) Castelgrande, Earle Allport, Pat Martillotta, Laurel Munger, Robin (Allard) Wehling, June (Carr) Seager, Wendy (Miller) Hinkley, Lynne (Neri) Wright, Elaine (Kurzawski) Stefani, Susie (Sherman) Quenelle, Moey ( Hunt) Carpenter and Kitty Mackey

2nd row: Norm Phillips, Barb (Johnston) Navarra, Terry (Francis) Vick, Carolyn (Rustay) Flansburg, Linda Scurry, Dawn (Roberts) James, Jim DiMatteo, Paul Farnsworth, Jim Ries and Frank Beachel

3rd row: Mike Vick, Jim Navarra, Earl Townsend, Roger Beam, Jeff Moscicki, Missy (Murray) Rentschler, Phil Nell, Jim Simboli and Kevin Doherty.

4th row: Steve Lanning, Mike Tower, Tom Poelma, Warren Seager, Bob Wells, Eric Robinson

Missing from photo: Lewis Morris and Valerie (Barclift) Williams.

Village Planning Board will review code for signage and lighting

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Theatre currently only allows letters that are set by hand while a person is on a ladder. The owner of the building wants to put in an electronic sign to promote events at the theatre, 601-611 Main St.

MEDINA – The Village of Medina will review its code for lighting and signage after being asked by the owner of the Medina Theatre to allow electronic signs for the building at 601-611 Main St.

Medina currently doesn’t allow electronic signs. Joe Cardone, owner of the theater, wants a modern marquee to promote events. He also told the Village Board it would be a vast improvement entering the downtown.

Medina currently prohibits digital and electronic signs. Cardone looked at other communities with theaters for how they handle marquees. Lockport allows electronic signs for the marquees while North Tonawanda is more restrictive, Cardone said.

The Village of Gowanda has a comprehensive ordinance and gives the Planning Board and Village Board discretion in reviewing a request for electronic signage.

Cardone said Medina’s code is currently “draconian” and allows no leeway.

“The ordinance as you have it holds you guys back from doing other positive things in the downtown,” Cardone told the Village Board last week. “The ordinance prohibits things allowed in other villages and holds this village back.”

The Flexlume Corporation has proposed this new marquee for the Medina Theatre. The company from Buffalo built the current marquee in 1938.

Cardone is seeking some funds through the $4.5 million allocated by the state to Medina in the NY Forward program. But the committee reviewing the projects said it was difficult to recommend funding for a project that currently isn’t allowed in the village.

He asked the board to consider changing its sign ordinance, either through a comprehensive update of the law or by just focusing on signage and lighting for marquees.

The Village Board agreed to have the Planning Board review the ordinance for all signage and lighting to see if changes are needed.

Trustee Tim Elliott said other aspects of the village code should be looked at, not just the marquee.

Medina’s sign ordinance doesn’t allow: “Any electronic message with a fixed or changeable display, which may be changed by electrical, electronic or computerized process or remote control, and may include animation or motion of any kind, words and/or pictures, electronically projected text, images or graphics, and may also include, but is not limited to, light-emitting diodes (LED), video, television and plasma displays, fiberoptics, holographic images, or other technology that results in bright, high-resolution text, images and graphics.”

The village code also states: “No sign shall be illuminated by or contain flashing intermittent, rotating or moving lights except to show time and temperature.”

Goal in first year is 100 wreaths to be placed on veterans’ graves Dec. 16

File photo by Tom Rivers: People visit the chapel at Hillside Cemetery in Holley/Clarendon. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

HOLLEY – The Holley Rotary Club is leading an effort to have wreaths placed on veterans’ graves for the Wreaths Across America celebration and observance on Dec. 16.

Lyndonville and Medina have been a part of Wreaths Across America in recent years. Now Holley is joining the effort that is in nearly 4,000 communities around the country.

Laura Bentley, a member of the Holley Rotary Club, was part of the effort in Medina last year, serving as a volunteer and helping to place wreaths on veterans’ graves. She was impressed and moved to see such a cross section of Medina volunteer to place the wreaths.

“The number that showed up for the community, from Boy Scouts to elderly veterans, it was very diverse group in size,” Bentley said today.

The Holley Rotary Club agreed to lead the effort at Hillside Cemetery where there are about 600 veterans’ graves. Holley Rotary is seeking to raise funds to do 100 wreaths in the first year. The wreaths are $17 each. Holley Rotary will be purchasing some of the wreaths and seek donations as well, Bentley said.

Those interested in volunteering for Wreaths Across America or sponsoring a wreath to support Holley Rotary are invited to visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/NY0482 to learn more.

National Wreaths Across America Day will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16.