Photos courtesy of Kendall Central School: Kendall the Bus now stays alongside Lake Miekojärvi in Sirkkakoski, Finland.

Press release, Kendall Central School

KENDALL – From a small town in New York to the edge of the world, the story of Kendall Central School District’s retired school bus is a testament to adventure, creativity, and the unexpected connections that unite us across the globe.

Formerly known as Bus 126, the bright yellow vehicle once transported students throughout Orleans County. These days, the bus—renamed “Kendall” as a nod to the district it once served—sits peacefully on the shores of Lake Miekojärvi, having embarked on an unexpected journey to the heart of Finnish Lapland to be converted into a lakeside retreat.

The interior living area of “Kendall” features two sets of bunk beds, a seating area, and a small kitchen, along with other small luxuries.

The adventure began with a simple message to the district’s website earlier this year:

“I have purchased an American school bus in northern Finland,” wrote Joakim Nordstrom, who—along with partner Jennifer Carver—is now the proud owner of the converted vehicle. “On the side of the bus there are old stickers saying Kendall Central Schools. After some research, I believe this is your school.”

Their message kicked off a delightful investigation into the bus’s history, which revealed its sale by Kendall Central School in 2019 and eventual shipment overseas. After being heavily renovated by a previous owner, Kendall the Bus is now being transformed into a one-of-a-kind arctic getaway for travelers near the Arctic Circle.

“It was a surprise when we found out that one of our buses made it all the way to Finland and is being repurposed and will be used for years to come,” said Superintendent Nick Picardo. “I hope ‘Kendall’ brings as much joy to others as it did to the many students it greeted each morning with smiles on their faces!”

The back of the bus where the emergency exit door is located has been converted to a bedroom with a queen-sized bed and the perfect doorway to gaze out at the scenery through.

Plans for the bus’s next chapter include a lakeside terrace, a hot tub, and a redesigned cozy interior. Photos from its time at Kendall CSD will also be featured in the final design, giving guests a glimpse into small-town student life in upstate New York.

“It is amazing that a bus I used to drive here at Kendall when I was a substitute driver has made it all the way to Finland – 3,826 miles and an ocean apart,” said Karen Jones, Director of Transportation. “Now as Director of Transportation, I always wonder what happens to buses once we are done with them. I love that Bus 126 was reinvented into something for people to use for years to come and that a little piece of Kendall history is now in Finland.”

Joakim and Jennifer plan to launch a website and social media channels to document Kendall’s transformation. The district looks forward to following along and seeing how this once-routine ride becomes a global story of connection, creativity, and second chances.

From the streets of Kendall to the forests of Finland, Bus 126 proves that sometimes the ride doesn’t end when the wheels stop turning—it just finds a new road to travel.

Former Bus 126 on the first day of school, 2016. Bus 126 was retired at the end of this school year in 2017.

New residence will serve women and children

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – UConnectCare welcomed the community on Wednesday for tours of a new residence on Butts Road that will serve women in treatment for substance use disorder. The site will also offer behavioral health care.

The top photo shows director of residential services Stephanie Nadolinski, left, and Allison Parry-Gurak, UConnectCare’s chief residential officer.

Nadolinski will be the on-site leader. She has worked 25 years for UConnectCare, which was previously known as GCASA. Nadolinski brings experience of running the Atwater House in Batavia, which provides residential treatment for men with substance use disorder.

The building will be home for 25 women including 5 bedrooms for women with children. The building contains a variety of spaces to support and continue the recovery process including counseling, group sessions and career and personal development spaces.

Kathy Hodgins, UConnectCare chief executive officer, said there are very few options in the region for residential treatment for women that also can accommodate their children. UConnectCare has five rooms where mothers can have up to two children who are 5 or younger.

Allison Parry-Gurak leads a tour of the new women’s residence for UConnectCare. The site isn’t officially open yet.

It needs a final approval  It needs a final approval for an operating certificate from the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports.

UConnectCare needs to hire nurses and LPNs to be on site 24-7. Once they are hired, Parry-Gurak said she expects the final approval will be granted by OASAS.

UConnectCare expects the site to open next month.

The state Department of Health provided a $4.6 million grant for construction of the residence. That grant doesn’t include the operation of the site, which will be staffed 24-7, including two employees at night.

UConnectCare picked Albion for the project because many of the agency’s other residential and treatment programs are based in Batavia.

Hodgins said the site will give priority to women in Genesee and Orleans counties, but will be available to women outside those counties if there are rooms available.

Parry-Gurak, the chief residential officer for UConnectCare, leads a tour of the new residence, with this photo of the kitchen.

Most of the women at the site are expected to stay several months as they work on their rehab and re-entry. The maximum tends to be a six-month stay, but Parry-Gurak said people could stay longer as long as they are working on their treatment.

Here are some other photos from the open house on Wednesday:

Photo by Tom Rivers: The grass along the towpath in Albion, just east of the Ingersoll Street lift bridge is shown on Tuesday. Much of the grass has turned yellow due to a scarce rainfall this summer.

Orleans County is officially in a “moderate drought.” After several weeks of being designated as “abnormally dry,” the county is now in drought conditions, according to a map and data released today by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

No where in the state was considered to be in a moderate drought until the map was updated today. All of Orleans is in moderate drought. That designation also includes most of Genesee, about half of Monroe and Niagara, and the northern part of Erie.

The “moderate drought” conditions cover 3.8 percent of the state. The abnormally dry conditions have spread in the past week from 23.1 percent of the state to 49.3 percent.

In abnormally dry conditions, the Drought Monitor said crop growth is stunted, fire danger is elevated, lawns brown early, and gardens begin to wilt.

In moderate drought conditions, the U.S. Drought Monitor said honey production declines, irrigation use increases, and hay and grain yields are lower than normal.

Trees and landscaping also are stressed, fish are stressed, reservoir and lake levels are below normal capacity, and wildfires and ground fires increase.

This map posted today by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the “moderate drought” conditions in Orleans, most of Genesee, and parts of Niagara, Erie and Monroe counties. The “abnormally dry” conditions in yellow have also spread in New York.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Oak Orchard Lighthouse is shown on May 10, 2024 during a dazzling display of the Northern Lights. The spectacle in the sky has inspired the lighthouse’s board of directors to pursue a light show on the structure.

POINT BREEZE – The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum will debut a light show tonight that will mimic the Northern Lights.

The “Aurora Over The Lighthouse” show is expected to be dedicated at 8:30 p.m. with the half-hour show to follow.

The museum was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council to install lighting equipment for the show.

The lighthouse museum hired IlluminFx Lighting Systems in Rochester for the display. That company has created lighting shows for the Alamo, a battleship in Wilmington, NC and the nearby Churchville dam in Monroe County.

A.J. Hetzke, owner and general manager of IlluminFx Lighting Systems, programmed a show that will create the swirling green, purple and blue lights of the Aurora Borealis. He also programmed about a dozen other displays for holidays, including a orange-themed one for Halloween, green for St. Patrick’s Day, pink for Valentine’s and several others.

ROYALTON – State Police on Wednesday identified the 17-year-old boy who died on Aug. 10 while swimming in a pond in Royalton.

Quinn J. Cratsenberg of Royalton went under water and did not resurface in the pond near Deer View Drive.

Numerous first responders entered the water in an attempt to locate Cratsenberg. It wasn’t until more than two hours later that he was found in about 10 feet of water by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team at 8:53 p.m.

State troopers and first responders were initially called to the scene at 6:42 p.m.

Cratsenberg was transported to Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office pending autopsy.

There are no signs of foul play, State Police said.

Loud situations can be handled with disorderly conduct law

MEDINA – The Village Board has decided against pursuing a new local ordinance for noise, saying the issue can best be resolved with discretion of police officers who could instead issue disorderly conduct tickets.

Otherwise the village police should have sound meters to measure decibel levels, and would lose some subjectivity in assessing the situations.

Village Trustee Mark Prawel, a retired Medina police officer, said he faced noise complaints as an officer. He typically handled them with disorderly conduct charges if he felt a ticket was warranted. There is already a state law for noise levels in neighborhoods.

Mayor Marguerite Sherman said a local law could “open up a can of worms” with unintended consequences, such as putting the marching band and fireworks displays in a threshold where tickets could be issued.

Trustee Jess Marciano was looking into a noise ordinance. She said some clear parameters would provide clarification on a sometimes murky situation. But she said she respects the feelings of the board members.

Prawel said a local noise ordinance would be a hinderance for the police officers.

“The go-to (in these situations) is the disorderly conduct law,” he said.

Aug. 20 meeting focused on Fire Department to be rescheduled

Medina Mayor Marguerite, left, and Village Trustee Debbie Padoleski disagree on which steps are needed for the Medina Fire Department.

MEDINA – Village Trustee Debbie Padoleski aired out her frustrations with the ongoing saga on how the village will house a new ladder truck, due to arrive in December in a fire hall that is too small.

“We’re not all on the same page,” Padoleski said during Monday’s board meeting. “I’m going in different directions and you’re going in different directions and nothing is getting done.”

Mayor Marguerite Sherman said she has been putting in many hours trying to secure more money for the village and keep the projects moving. The board voted last month to pursue a $1 million state grant to help with the costs of an addition. Padoleski opposed it saying the grant still leaves the village to pick up some of the costs.

“We have a fully operational fire department that needs equipment to run,” Sherman said. “Right now we have to move forward and equip our firefighters with what they need.”

The board back on June 26, 2023 voted to accept the bid for $1,698,995 from Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisc. to build the new fire truck with a 100-foot-long ladder.

That truck would be too big to fit in the existing fire hall. The current truck from 1996 only has a couple inches of clearance in entering and leaving the fire hall. The truck is 10 feet, 4 inches high in a truck bay with 10 feet,, 6 inches of clearance. The new ladder truck will be 13 feet high. A new hall addition is eyed to have clearance up to 14 feet.

The board voted to go ahead because the 2 ½ year wait for the truck to be ready gave them time to get an addition built for the new truck. Village officials expected the addition to have a much shorter turnaround than the fire truck, where manufacturers have lengthy waits.

Medina was planning on a $4.5 million project that would add two bays with a  fire hall addition and also fix many problems in the existing building. But the estimates ended up topping $6 million.

The board scaled it back to just a one-bay addition at just over $1 million.

But Padoleski, who was elected in March 2024, thinks the one-bay addition may be the wrong approach. She has tried to get the board to rescind the fire truck purchase and rethink the entire project.

“This has been mishandled from the very beginning,” Padoleski said. “I’ve been trying to get you out of this mess. You just don’t trust me. You don’t trust my judgement.”

The board was planning an Aug. 20 meeting to go over the project with its engineer and financial consultant, but Padoleski said she wasn’t pushing for more details on the fire truck and addition. She is questioning the overall costs on the village, and making that commitment on new debt for 20 more years. That Aug. 20 meeting will be rescheduled in the near future so the board can try to pinpoint its next steps.

Padoleski is retired as the village clerk/treasurer. She has long expressed the need for more revenue for the village to fund its services so the village residents and businesses aren’t bearing so much of the cost, especially with Medina personnel often going outside the village.

Mayor Sherman said the fire truck is coming and is needed. She is trying to find a spot to house the truck temporarily while the board plots its next steps with an addition at the fire hall.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina ladder truck from 1996 is shown in March 2023 when the fire department had an open house showing the tight quarters at the fire hall, especially for the ladder truck which only has 2 inches of clearance in pulling in and out of the fire hall. A new truck is due to arrive in December.

Padoleski said she has been wrongly branded as opposing the fire department. She said getting more assistance from the nearby towns and county will help ensure its survival with paid staff. She also said the department may need to pare down expenses.

Trustee Jess Marciano said the board members are all working for the best in the community, but the village is facing a difficult challenge in providing services to the community. Those costs are going up but the village doesn’t have more revenues coming in.

“If the surrounding municipalities would contribute more, it wouldn’t be an issue,” she said. “The goal is to maintain the service without breaking the back of the village.”

Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates each give $35,000 towards Medina’s full-time ambulance service.

Padoleski said the Medina firefighters often are going outside of western Orleans with recent calls in Wolcottsville and Lockport.

The mayor noted Orleans County is in the midst of a study on how to best provide EMS and fire protection in the county, looking at the current situation and trying to anticipate the future. She would like to wait and see the recommendations from the study before talking about changes with the Medina Fire Department.

Padoleski said the needs are already known: more revenue for the village if it’s going to continue as a career fire department.

“People appreciate our fire department but they need to put their money where their mouth is,” she said.

Marciano said the village officials need to communicate with the nearby towns and county about the need for more help with funding, especially now that the towns and county are starting their budget process for 2026. The village could use a boost in the local sales tax revenues. The County Legislature hasn’t increased the share to towns and villages since 2001 – 24 years ago.

Padoleski said she fully supports working to get more funding for village services.

“It sounds wonderful,” she said. “I’m all for it.”

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Brian and Lisa Christiaansen are pictured in October 2024 in the renovated game room they added to their pizzeria at 549 Main St., Medina.

Two businesses/organizations in Orleans County have been named to the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce’s Top 100 list of fastest-growing companies.

Oak Orchard Health and Mark’s Pizzeria (Medina) both were named to the list that was announced today by the Greater Rochester Chamber.

They will be honored during an awards celebration at the Floreano Convention Center on Nov. 6.

“At a time when there is much uncertainty for our business community, taking time to intentionally pause and recognize the innovation and success driving our region forward is critical,” said Bob Duffy, President & CEO, Greater Rochester Chamber. “Our community is made up of companies full of hard-working individuals who are relentless in the pursuit of greatness.”

Brian and Lisa Christiaansen took Mark’s Pizzeria to a new level with the opening of Tapped on Main, which gives customers a place to sit down, dine, have a drink at a bar and also enjoy a game room. The Medina location became the only one of Mark’s franchises to serve beer and wine

Brian Christiaansen started working for Mark’s in Fairport when he was 16 back in 1992. Brian would become a young owner, opening his first pizzeria in Hamlin, followed by Bushnell’s Basin and then Brockport. He now has stores in Medina, Albion and Newfane.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Oak Orchard Health in October 2022 celebrated the opening of a new mobile dental unit that will be going to the five school districts in Orleans County – Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina. Pictured from left include: Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Karen Watt, then chairwoman of the board for Oak Orchard; Karen Kinter, CEO for Oak Orchard; Rachel Nozzi, chief of dentistry for Oak Orchard; John Craik, program officer for the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (which provided $650,000 for the project); and Erica Wenner, director of constituent services for State Sen. Rob Ortt.

Oak Orchard Health has steadily grown from its beginning in 1973 in Albion, initially serving migrant farm workers. Now Oak Orchard has offices in eight communities serving 34,000 patients.

The locations are in five counties and include Alexander, Albion, Batavia, Brockport, Hornell, Medina, Pembroke and Warsaw.

To see the list of the 100 fastest growing companies, click here.

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board hired two full-time firefighters on Monday while accepting the resignation of another firefighter.

The two additions and one departure will bring staffing up to 16 full-time. That fills all of the positions except for a vacant fire chief spot. The department was at 21 – fire chief plus 20 other firefighters – until the department was reduced by four full-time employees during the recent budget process.

The new additions include David Pilecki of North Tonawanda, an EMS lieutenant with the Shawnee Volunteer Fire Company in Sanborn, and Frank Golojuch, who has five years’ experience as a firefighter and with EMS at Kodak Fire Department and Seabreeze Fire Department.

The board accepted the resignation of Nick Lee, effective Sept. 28.

Board members said they are concerned the fire department is already halfway through its budget for overtime, and that’s only after about two months of the village fiscal year.

Board members asked Lt. Steve Cooley for detailed reports on overtime due to fire and EMS calls, and also for providing community outreach through public events and fire prevention.

Trustee Debbie Padoleski would like to see the requests for community events, but she said she doesn’t want the board to be “micro-managing” the department.

“I don’t want to say no to everything but I don’t want to say yes to everything, either,” she said about the requests for firefighters to do fire prevention and attend other events.

The Medina fire chief would typically manage those requests for firefighters. Mayor Marguerite Sherman and the board said future budgets should have a line item for overtime for firefighters to do fire prevention and be at other events.

Cooley said the department is applying for a fire prevention grant that could help cover staff time for working with students and other community members on prevention.

Trustee Mark Prawel suggested volunteer firefighters could be part of the fire prevention and community outreach effort as well.

Rollin Hellner proposes to make 40-foot yacht available as Airbnb

Photo courtesy of Rollin Hellner: The owner of this 40-foot-long boat would like to make it available in Medina’s Canal Basin as a short-term rental for overnight stays.

MEDINA – Two weeks after approving a lease to allow a boat as an overnight rental in the Canal Basin, the Medina Village Board has received a new request in a similar arrangement.

Rollin Hellner wants to make a 40-foot-long yacht available as an Airbnb for short-term rentals. Hellner asked that the board agree to a lease that matches the one approved July 28 for Erie Floatel, LLC of Medina.

Erie Floatel can use of the floating dock on south end of the canal for $220 for the season, plus another $100 for electric and water consumption. Erie Floatel will be operated by Andrew Meier and Svein Lilleby. The lease runs from Memorial Day to Oct. 31, 2025. The Erie Floatel boat is 24 feet long.

The Village Board on Monday said it wants more time to consider the lease arrangement. Hellner asked that his boat be allowed in the Basin near the former NAPA building. But Mayor Marguerite Sherman said a large barge will be coming there soon as part of the Medina Triennial art initiative for 2026. She said other vessels also use the basin and she doesn’t want to see the basin get maxed out.

Medina may need to add more docks in the future, she said.

The board said Hellner’s boat would be better sited further east along Manilla Place, in an area close to the back of the Captain Kidz restaurant. That area is underutilized right now by boats. Hellner said that would work fine for his boat.

The board wants more time to consider the lease agreement and also reach out to the Canal Corp. for guidance in the matter. Sherman said the entrepreneurial interest is welcome at the Canal Basin. She just wants to make sure there is balance for other boaters and users.

She said the Village Board is working hard to accommodate the proposals and initiatives that will bring more vitality and economic activity to the village.

She said some people complained to the Canal Corp. about how the board handled the lease arrangement with the Erie Floatel, which the mayor said put a “black eye” on Medina with the Canal Corp.

“Moving forward I hope we can all be more supportive of each other,” she said.

Rollin’s Hellner’s father, Brian Hellner, runs the North Star Cruises business, offering boat rides in the canal. He shared concerns in village meetings about Erie Floatel, saying the boat should be inspected for safety before being made available to the public. Hellner told the board in recent meetings he didn;t think Medina had treated him fairly. He cited the village offering utilities to Erie Floatel and not to his business. The board has since said North Star could have access to utilities, too.

Brian Hellner said he doesn’t have any role with his son’s business proposal with the house boat.

Rollin Hellner said there is room for everyone to succeed in the basin. He said his boat will cater to a different market than the Erie Floatel. Hellner has a bigger, more luxurious boat that will accommodate more people and charge a higher price.

“There’s a lot of people who want to come to Medina,” Hellner told the board during Medina’s meeting. “It would be nice for Medina to have a yacht there. It’s different. It’s something new.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from Thursday evening shows several boats tied up along the wall at Medina’s Canal Basin.

Organization seeks Multi-Generational Wellness Campus in Albion

Photos courtesy of Oak Orchard Health: Karen Kinter, CEO of Oak Orchard Health, gave tours of the community health center last week in Albion to JW Cook, left, and Assemblyman Steve Hawley in Batavia.

Press Release, Oak Orchard Health

ALBION – Oak Orchard Health last week celebrated National Health Center Week with the theme “America’s Health Centers Celebrating 60 Years of Improving our Nation’s Health.”

With 1 in 10 Americans using community health centers to get primary care, this statistic emphasizes the importance we play in the community. Oak Orchard Health cared for 34,184 patients in 2024 across all our health centers.

As part of our recent celebration, Oak Orchard Health had the honor of hosting two distinguished government officials for tours of our health centers, providing an opportunity to showcase our services, discuss current challenges, and share future plans.

August 6 – Visit from JW Cook, Regional Representative for Governor Hochul

JW Cook visited our Albion Health Center, where he presented a proclamation recognizing our contributions to the community. During the visit, we discussed the challenges we face regarding grant funding and potential budget reductions.

We also shared our application for a grant to support the development of a 28,000-square-foot Multi-Generational Wellness Campus at the Albion Health Center Campus in Orleans County. This initiative, in collaboration with community partners, aims to centralize care and improve access to essential services for rural populations.

Planned services include walk-in healthcare, behavioral health support for aging adults, preschool special education, a centralized Head Start program, daycare, recreational activities, and more.

Following the tour, we highlighted the critical role of our Patient Engagement Services team, which provides transportation, translation, and advocacy for individuals facing barriers to accessing care—particularly specialist services. We also emphasized the importance and planned expansion of our behavioral health offerings.

August 7 – Visit from Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Hawley toured our Batavia office, where we provide primary care, pediatric services, and behavioral health support. We discussed the ongoing challenge of recruiting qualified medical and dental professionals to serve our communities.

Additionally, we shared the success of our warming centers, which have served over 170 individuals at the Brockport Community Warming Center and more than 300 at the Orleans County Warming Center.

We extend our sincere thanks to JW Cook and Assemblyman Steve Hawley for taking the time to visit our facilities and engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of healthcare in our region.

Oak Orchard Health

Founded in 1973, Oak Orchard has grown into an integrated health center with multiple locations providing health care services for everyone in our communities. Currently serving over 34,000 patients at nine locations in the towns of Albion, Alexander, Batavia, Brockport, Corfu, Hornell, Medina, and Warsaw. We also have two mobile units for medical and dental services. Oak Orchard Health is a recognized NCQA patient-centered medical home, 501(c)3 nonprofit, Federally Qualified Health Center and has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval.