By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 February 2023 at 10:55 pm
President Joe Biden’s 1 hour, 12-minute State of Union address is getting different reactions from the Congressional representatives.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) issued this statement:
“Tonight, President Biden once again tried to take a victory lap despite the endless crises caused by his administration. From the economy to national security, the President has continued to fail this country. The list is endless, but to start, inflation has risen over 13%, 4.5 million illegal aliens have flooded across our Southern Border, and homicides are up 13% since Joe Biden took office.
“Despite Biden’s disastrous presidency, our Republican House Majority is committed to delivering real results for the American people. In the first month that Republicans have been in the Majority, we have fully reopened the Capitol to the American People, voted to defund Biden’s 87,000 new IRS Agents, established a bipartisan Select Committee to hold the Chinese Communist Party Accountable, stood up for the right to life and voted to end unconstitutional and overreaching vaccine mandates.
“Republicans will continue fighting to preserve our self-governing Constitutional Republic and defend our individual rights. We will keep our communities safe, make life more affordable, and make the government more transparent. And we will always hold Joe Biden and the federal bureaucracy accountable to the American people.”
Congressman Joe Morelle (NY-25) released the following statement:
“The President outlined a bold agenda that reflects our shared democratic values, and I look forward to continuing our work on behalf of families in our community.
“We know that families across America are struggling, and they’re counting on us to provide support during these challenging times. That’s why my colleagues and I have been working to deliver on the issues that matter most—particularly our successful efforts to lower prescription drug costs, bolster healthcare services veterans, and strengthen the future of our manufacturing economy.
“As we look towards the future, I hope to build upon this progress and continue working to lower costs, improve quality of life, and ensure every American has the ability to not only survive, but thrive. We will continue our efforts to reduce gun violence and strengthen public safety, to protect women’s reproductive healthcare, to expand the Child Tax Credit, and grow our innovation economy to enhance competitiveness with countries like China.
“I am optimistic that over the coming weeks and months, there will be opportunities to collaborate with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to find common ground and advance these priorities.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued this response:
“The State of the Union is strong, thanks to the leadership of President Biden and the hard work of New Yorkers in Congress like Leader Schumer and Leader Jeffries.
“In his address to the nation, President Biden highlighted significant achievements that are making a difference in the lives of all Americans – including New Yorkers: the Inflation Reduction Act is creating green jobs while fighting the climate crisis, the CHIPS and Science Act is attracting growing, innovative companies like Micron, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is helping once-in-a-generation projects like Gateway to move forward.
“There is more work to do in order to make New York and the nation more affordable, more livable and safer. I commend President Biden for highlighting efforts to combat the gun violence crisis, and I look forward to working together with our federal partners to keep New Yorkers safe. President Biden’s focus on the affordability of child care and housing is crucial, as these are significant costs driving affordability issues. The President’s Unity Agenda – including the Cancer Moonshot, and access for mental health care and actions to combat the opioid epidemic – is a bold platform in lockstep with our priorities in New York.
“President Biden is right: America’s best days are ahead of us. With hard work, collaboration and smart investments, we can make the New York dream a reality for all.”
ALBION – Sheriff Chris Bourke, who is also the Orleans County STOP-DWI coordinator, announced that local law enforcement agencies will actively participate in the STOP-DWI Super Bowl High Visibility Engagement Campaign from Feb. 10-13.
With the anticipation of increased gatherings to celebrate the big game on Sunday, local law enforcement will be out to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving, reminding drivers to think ahead and have a plan for a sober ride to prevent injuries and save lives.
During this campaign, law enforcement agencies and local STOP-DWI programs will collaborate across the state in this coordinated effort to reduce the number of impaired driving-related injuries and deaths.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 February 2023 at 4:47 pm
Bronze statue honoring Charles Howard to be dedicated June 10
Photos by Tom Rivers: Santa and Mrs. Claus attended the June 2018 Strawberry Festival parade and greeted the crowd along Main Street.
ALBION – Organizers of the Albion Strawberry Festival announced the two-day event will be back June 9-10 with some changes due to the Main Street lift bridge being closed.
The parade route, which used to head north on Main Street over the bridge, will instead turn left on West Bank Street, said June Persia, chairwoman of the festival.
The organizers also are seeking the state Department of Transportation’s permission to close Main Street to traffic from Park Street to the bridge. A detour would be expected to send traffic down East Park Street to work their way over to the Ingersoll Street bridge for those headed north.
A statue of Santa, in clay form, was shown to the Albion Betterment Committee on April 23. The statue will be cast in bronze and is on schedule to be ready in time for the Strawberry Festival.
This year’s festival has a theme of “Here Comes Santa” to celebrate the unveiling on a new bronze statue in the likeness of Santa. It will be in Waterman Park, about a half block south of the canal.
Brian Porter, a sculptor from Pendleton, is creating the statue and it is on schedule to be ready in time for the festival. It will be dedicated on June 10 in honor of the late Charles W. Howard, who ran a world-famous Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966, and also operated Christmas Park.
Howard remains a revered figure among Santa impersonators. The Santa School is now in Midland, Mich. and still bears his name.
Volunteers are discussing ways to have more festival fun. Persia said a cornhole tournament on Main Street, near the closed off bridge, is one possibility. Organizers are looking for more activities that would be fun for adults, while keeping the children’s entertainment.
Persia has been helping to plan the festival for the past decade. She looks forward to the two-day event with live entertainment, a food court, arts and crafts vendors, a 5k/8k race, the parade and other activities. This will be the 35th Strawberry Festival.
“I want to see the community come together,” she said about the festival. “I like to see people come into our village. We have a beautiful village.”
A team of volunteers is needed to plan and run the event. More volunteers are welcome Persia said. The planning committee meets twice monthly, alternating every two weeks from a morning meeting to an evening meeting.
The next meeting will be 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Hoag Library. For more information, reach out to Persia at (585) 704-1994.
Gov. Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York Power Authority has approved 4.9 megawatts of low-cost electricity for Edwards Vacuum, a company that is building a $209 million manufacturing facility at the STAMP site off Route 63 in the Town of Alabama.
Today’s announcement follows the approval last week by the Genesee County Economic Development Center in $17 million in tax breaks for the company. The GCEDC approved sales tax exemptions of approximately $4.34 million and a 20-year property tax abatement of approximately $12.85 million.
Edwards Vacuum is part of the Atlas Copco Group. It will build a “factory of the future” at STAMP that will serve the semiconductor industry and advanced manufacturing sectors and create approximately 343 new high-paying jobs, GCEDC officials said.
The Power Authority today approved a 4.9-megawatt low-cost Niagara hydropower allocation to Edwards. Additionally, the NYPA board approved 2.1 megawatts of High Load Factor power that the Power Authority will procure for Edwards on the energy market.
Low-cost Niagara hydropower is available for companies within a 30-mile radius of the Power Authority’s Niagara Power Project or businesses in Chautauqua County.
“The economic development awards approved at today’s meeting will advance the goals of New York’s ambitious Climate Act and strengthen the state’s position as a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing,” said John R. Koelmel, New York Power Authority chairman. “The Niagara Power Project is linked to tens of thousands of Western New York jobs and is powering New York’s transition to a clean energy economy.”
Edwards is preparing to construct a 240,000 square-foot campus that will include manufacturing, warehouse, and administration at the STAMP location. Dry vacuum pumps are a critical component of the semiconductor manufacturing process, and the firm’s expansion would directly support semiconductor companies in the United States.
“Upstate New York’s emergence as a global hub for advanced manufacturing is stimulating unprecedented, transformative investments that will deliver the jobs of tomorrow to New York’s talented workforce,” Governor Hochul said. “By providing these firms with the tools and support they need to thrive, New York is furthering its legacy of innovation and cementing itself as a leader in the semiconductor industry.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 February 2023 at 10:44 am
New turf football field among first projects, expected to be ready in fall
Photo by Tom Rivers: The end of the Albion football field is shown last week. The grass field will become turf in a project expected to be ready in time for the fall football season.
ALBION – The Board of Education on Monday evening unanimously approved eight construction bids totaling $19,300,000.
Another bid for $2.6 million is expected to be approved next month, bringing the total to $21.9 million.
That is well in budget and leaves a balance of $1,084,507 in contingencies, said Kevin Donaghue, executive vice president Campus Construction Management which is assisting the district in the bid preparation and oversight of the project.
School district residents on Dec. 14, 2021 approved the $26.69 million capital project that includes all three schools, as well as the bus garage, and new synthetic playing surfaces for football, soccer and softball.
After a design phase for the project and review and approval by the state Education Department, the project went out to bid to contractors. The bids were opened last week and on Monday the board gave its approval, with one more contract needing additional review.
“The big picture is the project is right on budget,” Donaghue told the Board of Education.
The bids accepted on Monday include:
Site work – $6,295,082 by Diehl Development
General Trades – $5,441,000 by Javen Construction
Mechanical – $2,797,700 by T. Bell
Plumbing – $1,636,300 by Blackmon Farrell
Playground equipment – $257,027 by GameTime
Scoreboards – $124,725 by Toth
BMS (Building Management System) Controls – $339,068 by Day
Day is also the low bidder for access controls at $2,596,942 that is expected to be approved at next month’s meeting. That system will allow badges to lock and unlock doors, and can do a district-wide lockdown of all classroom doors.
Contractors will soon be a presence on campus with most of the work happening after school.
The first projects will upgrades to the district officer, with the district office staff moving to the E wing of the elementary school during the work at the district office.
Contractors also will be pushing to replace the grass field at the football stadium with turf. That effort is expected to start in April with a push to be done in time for the football season in late August-September.
The softball field and varsity soccer also will get turf fields. That will start this year but isn’t expected to be done until 2024. The varsity field is expected to be available this upcoming season, Donaghue said.
He went over the construction schedule during Monday’s board meeting. The schedule includes:
• Site Work – In 2023 the work includes the football field replacement, track resurfacing, multi-purpose field replacement (softball and soccer – starting June 1, 2023 and ending July 15, 2024), elementary school hot water service line, elementary school drop-off loop and sidewalks, elementary school playground fence replacement and high school hot water service line.
In 2024, the site work includes middle school hot water service line, tennis court replacement, middle school drop-off loop reconstruction, concrete sidewalk replacements, playground replacement at middle school, baseball field drainage improvements, JV softball field drainage improvements.
• Construction at elementary school – In 2023, district office renovation, classroom doors and plumbing fixtures at E wing (Nov. 6 to Dec. 1), classroom doors and plumbing fixtures at D wing (Dec. 11 to Jan. 5), crawl space plumbing and hot water heaters, EIFS replacement, carbon monoxide detectors/fire alarm, and electrical abatement and replacements.
In 2024, classroom doors and plumbing fixtures at C wing (Jan. 1 to Feb. 9), classroom doors and plumbing fixtures at B wing (Feb. 19 to March 15), classroom doors and plumbing fixtures at A wing (March 25 to April 19) and classroom doors and plumbing fixtures at G wing (April 29 to May 24), emergency generator replacement, doors/hardware/security enhancements, main office windows and fire shutter, and gymnasium folding partition replacement.
• Construction at middle school (basement) – In 2023, pool deck structural repairs, boiler room abatement and demolition, boiler room plumbing renovations, ad pool pumps.
In 2024, electrical room A/C and auditorium A/C.
• Construction at middle school (first floor) – In 2023, domestic hot water repairs, replace insulated window panels, gymnasium renovations, pool lighting and locker room renovation, replace ANSUL system, exhaust fan and relief air work, flooring abatement, flooring installation, carbon monoxide detectors and fire alarm, and electrical service component replacements.
In 2024, doors/hardware/security enhancements and auditorium AC.
• Construction at middle school (second floor) – In 2023, exhaust fan and relief air work, replace insulated window panels, flooring abatement, and flooring installation.
In 2024, convert lockers into storage rooms, electrical room A/C, auditorium A/C, and doors/hardware/security enhancements.
• Construction at middle school (third floor) – In 2023, exhaust fan and relief air work.
In 2024, doors/hardware/security enhancements.
• Construction at high school (first floor) – In 2023, library door reconstruction, window lintel replacements, domestic hot water heaters and carbon monoxide detectors and fire alarm.
In 2024, replace lockers (with wider units), doors/hardware/security upgrades, gym renovations and gym locker room renovations.
• Construction at high school (second floor) – In 2023, library door reconstruction, window lintel replacements, domestic hot water heaters, and carbon monoxide detectors and fire alarm.
In 2024, replace lockers, doors/hardware/security upgrades, gym renovations, gym locker room renovations, gym HVAC abatement and demo, gym HVAC installation.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 February 2023 at 8:22 am
Gloria Brent and Mike Snyder spearhead several Medina businesses
Photos by Ginny Kropf: This c.1853 Greek Revival home on the corner of Pearl Street and Proctor Place iwill be used as a business office for Gloria Brent and her husband Mike Snyder.
MEDINA – A 170-year-old home on Pearl Street is seeing new life as the office of MDS Consultants.
MDS was formed in 2008 by Gloria Brent, who with her husband Mike Snyder has purchased the house, which they are in the process of upgrading and highlighting many of its historic features.
Brent’s journey to Medina is a tale of success. Born and raised in Bath, she studied nursing at Corning Community College. She was working as a nursing supervisor at a nursing home in Rochester, where she saw a job posted for an MDS coordinator. (The Minimum Data Set is a mandated process for residents in Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes.)
“I knew nothing about it, but I applied kind of out of curiosity,” Brent said. “They hired me and paid someone to train me. I realized there was no one I could turn to for information when I needed it, and I knew then there was a need for this service.”
In wondering how to get her business started, her husband asked her why she didn’t just pick up the telephone book and start calling every nursing home in the area. She sat at her kitchen table, and her business was born.
“When I got to ‘B,’ Batavia was the first name I saw and I called Batavia Nursing Home,” Brent said.
(Left) Gloria Brent greets Andy Jamele in the Greek Revival home where his family lived when he was growing up. Brent and her husband Mike Snyder are making the house into an office. (Right) Gloria Brent shows one of the booklets she created which nursing homes must provide for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. She said her company, MDS Consulting, is the largest of its kind in the country which works with nursing homes to help them comply.
They were interested, and she was on her way. From 2008 to 2012, she worked alone from home, but the demand for her service was so great, she started hiring. Today, MDS Consultants is the largest company in the nation dedicated to helping nursing homes become and stay compliant with regulations for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. She employs 55 people throughout seven states.
Brent is the author of three books and has developed software to better capture patient care measures in skilled nursing facilities.
Both Brent, a licensed land surveyor, and Snyder have children by previous marriages, and after meeting through mutual friends, they married and moved to Medina, where he lived. They purchased the former home of Dr. Abassey on Culvert Road, and then began to pursue other business interests in the Medina area.
Two years ago, they purchased the building on East Center Street, which was home to Canal Country Artisans and then Filomena’s Favorites. It is now a very successful Modern Mercantile. In addition to purchased rental properties, last year they bought Main Street Liquor Store.
Five years ago the couple bought an c.1853 Greek Revival home at 105 Pearl St., which they are restoring as an office for both of them. The home is unique in its construction, as the walls are lath plank, or 1 x 6-inch boards laid flat and stacked on top of each other. They uncovered a lath ceiling in the room Brent will use for her office, and chose to frame around it and leave it exposed. In the room which become Snyder’s office, he is planning to install a tin ceiling.
“We immediately saw the value in the building,” Brent said.
(Left) This is one of the walls in the home Gloria Brent and Mike Snyder are restoring at 105 Pearl St. The walls are 6-inch planks stacked flat. (Right) Andy Jamele, right, visited Gloria Brent and Mike Snyder last week in the c.1853 Greek Revival home where he lived with his parents. They are standing here in what was the Jamele’s living room and will become a conference room.
Last week, Brent and Synder received a visit from a man who used to live in the house.
Andy Jamele of Kuckville lived there in the 1950s and 1960s with his siblings and parents Pasquale and Maude Jamele. He pointed out there were 10 rooms upstairs, which his parents rented out. He recalled when he and his brother Carl remodeled the east side of the house and moved his father from the west side of the house into those rooms. What was their living room will now be a conference room.
Jamele also pointed out where there used to be bathrooms, and windows which used to extend to the floor. He said there used to be quite a bit of land and a barn on the south side of the house, which sits on the corner of Pearl and Proctor Place.
His visit brought back a lot of memories, Jamele said. He is thrilled to see the home being maintained and put to good use.
Brent and Snyder didn’t say what might have in mind next.
“I never dreamed we would do what we’ve done,” Snyder said.
They work together to manage their properties, Brent said.
“We are enjoying the journey,” she said. “It’s all about the journey.”
WASHINTON, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) announced today that she will be hosting a live Tele-Town Hall for constituents in New York’s 24th Congressional District from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday.
Participants can ask questions, provide feedback through interactive polls, and hear directly from Tenney on important issues in the district and across the country.
If you are interested in registering for the Tele-Town Hall, you can call Tenney’s office at 202-225-3665, visit the Congresswoman’s website at tenney.house.gov/rsvp, or dial in directly at the time of the call at 833-419-0132.
The 24th Congressional District includes a dozen counties including about the southern half of Orleans County.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2023 at 10:15 am
MEDINA – A Medina man with a real estate development business has acquired The Walsh and soon will buy the Holley Hotel.
Rollin Hellner, founder and CEO of Hellner Development Company, is only 29. He already has a real estate portfolio of several hundred thousand square feet with commercial and residential sites in Orleans, Niagara and Erie counties. He focuses on what he said are typically distressed properties.
Hellner lives in Medina in the Maple Crest, a 5,500-square-foot home that he renovated last year.
He had lived in Medina from 2015 to 2020 and was happy to come back to the village last year.
He has been friends with Tim Cooper for several years. Cooper bought The Walsh and worked three years on the first floor of the site. He opened a barroom and second tap room last summer.
Cooper had plans for the second and third floors, but will hand off the project to Hellner who is planning to make second floor apartments and third floor hotel rooms at The Walsh.
“He has a lot of energy and a lot of talent,” Cooper said about Hellner.
The new owner praised Cooper for his work at The Walsh, turning it into a popular gathering place for the community at 525 West Ave.
“Tim did a fantastic job with it,” Hellner said Saturday at The Walsh, as many people were coming into the tap room as part of the Wine About Winter event, with 800 people enjoying wine-tastings at 22 spots in Medina.
Cooper will stay on at The Walsh, managing the tap room.
“He did a lot of improvements that that brought back the original historic character,” Hellner said.
He also praised Cooper for creating a vibe at The Walsh that is focused on conversation and connecting with other people.
“We want it to continue to be a place where Medina residents feel comfortable,” Hellner said.
Rollin Hellner is his company will go through and renovate each of the 40 units at the Holley Hotel.
He also will close on buying the Holley Hotel on March 1. He has an agreement to start work on the site this week. There are some code violations that need to be resolved before people can move back into the building.
Residents in apartments at the Holley Hotel were forced to leave the site on Aug. 24 after the village code enforcement officer deemed the building was unsafe and unsanitary on Aug. 3. Residents were given three weeks to find alternative housing.
Some of the issues have been addressed, and Hellner and his team will work to get the site up to code. He said there will be a rebranding of the site, which will continue to be called the Holley Hotel. There are about 40 units in the Medina sandstone structure at the corner of Route 31 and Thomas Street.
There will be a screening process for tenants in the apartments, and he would like to offer hotel rooms. Initially, the units will be mostly apartments, but long-term he would like about half of the units to be hotel rooms. The building also includes two storefronts.
He said his development company will work on some parts of the outside of the building and go unit by unit inside, renovating the spaces.
“It’s a beautiful building,” Hellner said. “It’s very important piece of the Public Square.”
Mayor Mark Bower said he is very encouraged to see Hellner will be acquiring the site and putting resources into the building and giving it a new image in the community.
Hellner said he sees a lot of potential with Holley with its unique Public Square and its tourist attraction with the Holley Waterfalls.
His projects in Medina, Holley. Middleport, Lockport, Buffalo and Newfane are ambitious efforts, but Hellner said he sees the area as a good investment.
The properties in the villages are more affordable than in the suburbs, and he said he has a dedicated team that knows how to make the properties attractive for residents and businesses.
“I feel very good about a lot of the communities in Niagara and Orleans,” Hellner said. “We offer clean and affordable housing and real estate. I think there’s deals to be made here.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2023 at 8:42 am
Average price for regular unleaded at $3.545 in Orleans
The average price for regular gas is at $3.47 nationally, which is down 4 cents from a week, AAA is reporting this morning.
In New York, the statewide average for regular unleaded gas is $3.559 today compared $3.574 a week ago, $3.465 a month ago and $3.587 a year ago.
The average diesel price is at $5.256 today compared to $5.272 a week ago, $5.352 a month ago and $3.984 a year ago, AAA reported.
Here are the prices among Western New York counties:
Orleans, $3.545
Genesee, $3.430
Wyoming, $3.494
Livingston, $3.517
Monroe, $3.491
Niagara, $3.354
Erie, $3.467
Chautauqua, $3.616
Cattaraugus, $3.517
Allegany, $3.569
AAA issued this statement about gas prices:
“The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is down despite data from the Energy Information Administration which shows that gas demand is on the rise.
“However, total domestic gasoline stocks have increased. The growth in total supply has helped to limit pump price increases. If demand does not spike, drivers could continue to see pump prices drop.
“This morning oil prices range from $74 to $80 per barrel, down a few dollars from last week. Crude prices fell after the U.S. Federal Reserve increased interest rates and signaled that more increases are likely. As a result, the market believes oil demand could be less than expected this year, pulling prices down. Oil stock levels are also up.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2023 at 8:08 am
Courtesy of Medina Central School: The project includes a new vestibule at the Clifford Wise Intermediate School.
MEDINA – The school district will be holding a public information meeting today at 6:30 p.m. to go over a proposed $34.3 million capital project. The meeting will be in the junior-senior high school auditorium.
The project will go before voters from noon to 8 p.m. on Feb. 14 with voting in the district office board room.
The $34,357,277 project includes significant work at the three school buildings, plus the bus garage.
There won’t be any new taxes as part of the capital project. District officials said the cost will be covered through $29,895,213 from state building aid (87 percent of the total cost), $2,750,000 from capital reserve and $1,712,064 by retiring debt service payments, resulting in a “tax neutral” financing plan, district superintendent Dr. Mark Kruzynski said in a letter to the community on the district website.
Doing the projects as part of a capital plan will make the district eligible for state aid, covering the majority of the costs. If the project is voted down, Medina would still need to proceed with some of the “critical safety requirements and building preservation needs,” Kruzynski said. However, not doing the work in a capital project would put the full cost on district taxpayers, he said.
Eligible voters must be at least 18 and a resident of the school district for at least 30 days prior to the vote.
Here is a breakdown of the capital project:
Junior/Senior High School – $17,324,760
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
New Choral Room (including new office and practice rooms)
New Band Room addition (including new offices, practice rooms, and storage)
New Music Storage Room with stage access
Replace stage curtains and add stage outlets
New STEAM Classroom
New Technology Computer Lab
New Technology Wood Shop addition (including exterior dust collector system)
New Greenhouse addition
New first-floor connector link to provide access to new classrooms
New first-floor classrooms at former District Office
New 8’ wide corridor including new single ADA-compliant toilet rooms
New first-floor boys’ and girls’ toilet rooms
New second-floor boys’ and girls’ toilet rooms
Reconstruct existing roadways and parking areas
New shared bus arrival/dismissal parking area for Jr/Sr High School and Intermediate School
Clifford H. Wise Intermediate – $9,769,533
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
Reconstruct existing Pool (including pool tank, gutter, deck, mechanical equipment, and lighting)
Reglaze and reseal windows with failed seals
Reconstruct select mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems throughout the building, including generator replacement, panel board replacement, sanitary piping replacement, sump pump replacement and crawlspace drainage improvements
Reconstruct existing roadways and parking areas: reconstruct existing exit onto Gwinn Street and expanded parking and roadway configuration
Oak Orchard Primary School – $6,198,091
Reconstruct secure entrance vestibule
Reconstruct Main Office including lock-down security notification
New District Office in former Media Center
Reconstruct Girls’ Locker Room to provide ADA-compliant toilets adjacent to Cafeteria and Gymnasium
New Media Center
New Computer Lab
Reconstruct select mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems throughout the building, including panel board replacement, sanitary piping replacement and crawlspace drainage improvements
Reconstruct existing roadways and parking areas
New parking lot at relocated District Office
Bus loop paving restoration
Bus Garage – $1,064,893
Roof replacement
New staff parking area
If the project is approved by voters, the school district will work on final designs to be submitted to the State Education Department this fall, with SED approval expected in early 2024. The project would then go out to bid with the bulk of construction expected to start in summer 2024, according to a timeline from the district. Medina school leaders anticipate the entire project would be completed in early 2026.
File photo by Tom Rivers: The triangular units that form through-truss bridges are evident in this photo of the Gaines Basin Road Bridge.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 3 No. 5
In Orleans County, which spans 24 miles across, twenty bridges facilitate north-south vehicular access across the Erie Canal. The Brown Road Bridge in Albion allows pedestrian access only. There is one stone arch tunnel at Culvert Road.
Regular maintenance of this infrastructure provided jobs for many. “Canal Appointments” was a listing of those hired to work on the canal. Those appointments were published in the local newspapers in the early 1900s.
Perhaps you may see a family name in this list published in the Medina Tribune, May 29, 1913.
Water patrolmen: Daniel Horan and Thomas F. Holloran of Albion
State Boat: Captain Noah D. Smith, Albion, William Brazzell, Medina
Carpenter: James McKenna, Albion
Laborers: John Fox, Patrick Rooney, Andrew Heckman and Thomas Cleary, all of Medina. Edward Woodhull of Knowlesville, and James J. Crandall of Albion
Lift Bridge Operators: Knowlesville – John Manning, Joseph Higgins and Frank Hibberd; Eagle Harbor – Charles Maxon, John Webber and A.V. Lord; Albion Main Street – John W. McCarthy, John Owens and Martin Lucas.
Bank Watchmen: Medina – Martin Fox, Arthur Cox, John Maher and Patrick Burns; Knowlesville – John Hauser; Albion – Mason Miller, Edward Maxon, Albert Steldinger and Leonard Fackler; Fancher – James Ballou; Holley – Mortimer Clark, Michael Compoleti, Edward Coady and William Sweeney.
In addition, twelve men were employed at the waste weirs.
One can infer the ethnic origin of these workers from their last names. One can also infer their political leanings, as these appointments were made on the recommendations of the Orleans County Democratic Committee, the Democrats having aligned with canal interests. Indignant comments decrying “canal patronage” and “political activities among the faithful” were frequently lobbied, particularly by the Medina Daily Journal.
Politics had swirled around the Erie Canal from the beginning.
MEDINA – Medina’s Varsity Guard performed for the second time this season on Saturday at Victor where 13 guards performed in six classifications.
Medina competed in the Scholastic A class and came in 5th with a score of 57.79. In that class Victor earned 1st place with a score of 67.69 followed by Orchard Park with 65.42; Jamestown at 60.76; and Lancaster, 60.05.
Winners in the other classes were Victor Cadets with 51.88; Gates Chili RA with 60.48; Gates Chili A1 class with 60.05; Gates Chili Independent A with 69.29 and Luminosa in Senior class with 73.58.
Medina’s next competition is Saturday, Feb. 18, in Batavia.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2023 at 12:39 pm
Courtesy of Wolfpack Multisport: The medal for those completing the Wayne Burlison Colon Cancer Awareness 5K or half marathon on March 25 pays homage to the late Wayne Burlison, an elementary school music teacher at Albion who also enjoyed long distance running. Burlison passed away from colon cancer at age 36 on March 26, 2014.
ALBION – There are two big changes so far for the annual Wayne Burlison Colon Cancer Awareness 5K in Albion set for March 25.
This year there will be an option for a half marathon, and there will be medals for those who complete either course.
Bert Galloman, the race director, teased out the medals on social media last week. In the past, those who finished the race received shirts, hats and gloves.
Galloman wants to recognize the efforts of those who complete the courses, and pursue fitness goals during the winter.
“We are doing medals this year because you never know where someone is in their athletic journey,” Galloman said. “Each race is a way to celebrate their achievement and we want to help grow the community. We also love seeing the joy on athletes’ faces as they cross the finish line and get their medal around their necks – there is no better feeling at the finish.”
Galloman wanted to include the half marathon, a distance conquered several times by Burlison, a former Albion elementary school band teacher who passed away at age 36 from colon cancer on March 26, 2014.
Burlison promoted fitness in the community through a Run for God program that took people from the couch to a 5K in less than three months. He lost more than 150 pounds through exercise and better nutrition.
The 5k course starts on Clarendon Road near the elementary school and goes east on Route 31 to Mount Albion Cemetery. After running in the cemetery, participants come back out on 31 and head back to the elementary school parking lot.
The half marathon also starts ear the school but heads south and then east through some of the country roads on County House and Holley roads. Runners will come back along Route 31, and take a loop through the cemetery.
The medals includes different neck ribbons for those who complete the 5K and those that finish the much longer half marathon at 13.1 miles.
Galloman said the half marathon should provide motivation to keep people moving at longer distances during the winter. He also thinks it will be a nice kickoff to the running season with half marathons in Rochester in April and Buffalo in May.
Erin Smith, a triathlete from Albion, helped plan the half marathon course. It avoids the towpath, which can be muddy or snow laden in late March.
Smith thinks the timing in late March fulls a void in the racing calendar, especially for a longer distance. Lockport hosts a 10-mile race on Feb. 11 and there aren’t too many longer distance races after that before there are several in the spring.
“I’d like to see what we can pull in for the longer distance,” Smith said. “I love this community and I love running, and we’re able to mesh the two together. Hopefully this will inspire people to try to get out and try this half marathon.”
Proceeds from the race have gone to a memorial scholarship for Albion at Albion Central School and also were used towards a walking trail at Bullard Park.
“It’s such a great cause,” Smith said. “Wayne was such a loved person and this was his most-loved distance.”
In Orleans County, which spans 24 miles across, twenty bridges facilitate north-south vehicular access across the Erie Canal. The Brown Road Bridge in Albion allows pedestrian access only. There is one stone arch tunnel at Culvert Road.
