File photo: Jesse Cudzillo, left, and Dean Bellack are shown in this picture taken last year at the YMCA while Cudzillo was director. He has recently stepped down to accept a position in a new online telehealth company founded by his brother.

MEDINA – Jesse Cudzillo has announced his resignation as executive director of the Orleans County YMCA.

Cudzillo is stepping down to pursue a new venture as chief executive officer of Neneu Wellness Club, a next-generation wellness company he has launched with his brother and founder, Nicholas Cudzillo.

“This is an opportunity we saw to really help people, and this seemed like the right time,” Jesse said. “I am filled with gratitude for my time at the YMCA. The mission, the people and the impact we have made together in this community will always be part of who I am. The YMCA stands for strengthening spirit, mind and body – and I have witnessed firsthand the real change it creates in people’s lives.”

Cudzillo led the Orleans County YMCA through significant programming expansion, community partnerships and youth development initiatives. He credits the organization with preparing him to take the next step in his professional journey, building upon the foundation of health, wellness and community.

“Jesse Cudzillo will be greatly missed,” said Dean Bellack, former board chair who is serving as chief volunteer officer until a decision can be made how to replace Cudzillo. “He has accomplished many new community partnerships, including the Christian Bow Hunters Archery Program, building the teen center and kitchen and bringing Kwandrans’ Tae-Kwan-Do into the Y. He established himself as a community leader and grew membership in our Orleans County branch. On behalf of the staff and board members in the GLOW YMCA, we wish him success in his new venture.”

“We have launched Reneu Wellness Club to take our mission one step further,” Cudzillo said. “Reneu is a physician-aligned telehealth and functional wellness platform focused on personalized care, advanced peptide therapies, hormone optimization and lifestyle coaching. Our mission is to deliver transformative, medically-responsible wellness to individuals across the country – starting right here in Western New York.”

Reneu Wellness Club aims to blend cutting-edge medicine with heart-centered coaching to help people feel, look and live better, Cudzillo explained. The company operates through a concierge telehealth model, offering care that is proactive, not reactive.

While stepping away from the YMCA is bittersweet, Cudzillo said, he emphasized that his admiration and support for the Y’s mission remains as strong as ever.

“The YMCA will always have my respect and appreciation,” he said. “I am proud of the work we did together, and I am excited to continue serving our community in a new way.”

Appointments can be made by logging on to www.reneuwellnessclub.com.

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board approved an expanded school zone where the speed limit is capped at 15 miles per hour.

Police Chief Todd Draper advocated for the change with the extended boundaries near the Wise Intermediate School and Oak Orchard Primary School.

The Village Board held a public hearing on the change on Monday evening. Tim Zeiner, a local resident, supported the change and asked the village to better mark cross walks for pedestrians. He would like to see signs and paint in the road similar to what is done with the Main Street cross walks.

The school zone is designated from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Mondays through Fridays. The state Department of Transportation allows a school zone to extend a maximum of 1,320 feet along a highway passing a school building entrance or exit of a school abutting on the highway.

The expanded zone includes:

• Gwinn Street, extending 1,320 feet north from the northern intermediate school entrance
• Gwinn Street, extending 650 feet south of the southern intermediate school entrance
• West Oak Orchard Street, extending 500 feet west of Oak Orchard School western loop entrance
• West Oak Orchard Street, extending 1,320 feet east of Oak Orchard School eastern loop entrance

The school zone restrictions do not apply to ambulances, fire vehicles or police vehicles when on emergency trips.

MFD, pared back from 21 to 17 full-time, needs to fill fire chief vacancy

Photo courtesy of Medina Fire Department: The Medina Fire Department welcomed Mackenzie Rider-Work, left, and Brian Bates as probationary firefighters. They were hired at Monday’s Village Board meeting.

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department has two new full-time members after they were hired at Monday’s Village Board meeting.

Brian Bates and Mackenzie Rider-Work both are joining the department, while it loses Andrew Steel, a full-time firefighter the past three years whose resignation effective July 31 was accepted by the board on Monday.

Steel’s departure follows the resignations last month of fire chief Matt Jackson and firefighters Tiffany Petry and Dylan Schreader. Captain Jonathan Higgins also retired.

The department was at 20 full-time members and a fire chief, but was pared down to 16 firefighters and a chief.

Once the fire chief position is filled, the Medina FD would need to fill one more position if the fire chief is promoted from within the department.

Bates joins Medina, coming from the Hilton Fire Department and Monroe Ambulance. He has completed the fire academy and is waiting to take the paramedic test.

Rider-Work comes from the Clarence Fire Department. He is an EMT-B and a state fire instructor assigned to Erie County.

“Brian will be assigned to the 4th Platoon and Mackenzie will join the 2nd Platoon once they complete the onboarding process,” stated the Medina professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2161. “They are both a welcome addition to the team but we still face a long road to return to being considered fully staffed.  We are still awaiting the promotion of a new fire chief to lead our department.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Pickleball courts at Bullard Park in Albion are becoming a reality. There are two courts fenced in next to the basketball courts.

Today, a crew from JM Pro Courts & Surface Solutions in Lancaster is putting sealer on pavement that used to be part of the parking lot at Bullard. Later today, the company is expected to paint the courts purple with green on the perimeter similar to the basketball courts.

JM Pro Courts & Surface Solutions clears off any dust and debris before putting the sealer down.

The project is the latest improvement at Bullard. The Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events, Inc., a non-profit organization that has secured grants and other funding for Bullard improvements, is pushing the pickleball addition.

Susan Oschmann, a member of G-ACRE, said about $5,000 is needed to finish off the pickleball courts. She said some generous donors, including Judge Sanford Church, have paid for fencing and part of the costs for the sealing and painting.

She will be at Rock the Park on Friday and Saturday selling $5 tickets for a wine and beer raffle to raise money for the final work on the new courts.

There is also a GoFundMe set up for people to donate towards the remaining cost of the courts. Click here for more information.

Photo courtesy of Greg Jones

The first coat is on the two pickleball courts, with paint to follow.

Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in the US the past four years. Players use paddles to hit a perforated ball over a net. The court space is much smaller than a tennis court.

There will be demonstrations Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. on the new courts for people to learn the rules of the sport and see players in action.

If the pickleball courts are popular in Albion, there is room next to them for two more to be added in the future, Oschmann said.

Photo courtesy of Susan Oschmann

The purple paint gets applied to the courts this afternoon.

SHELBY – Two people will be on the November ballot to fill one of three sudden vacancies on the Shelby Town Board.

The Republican Committee has backed John Pratt III, a former Town Board member, while the Conservative Party has nominated Mark Wambach.

They are seeking to fill two years of an unexpired term from Jeff Schiffer. He and Town Supervisor Scott Wengewicz and councilman Stephen Seitz Sr. have all resigned from the Town Board, leaving the board with only two members – Linda Limina and Ed Zelazny.

The board needs at least three members to carry out town business and pay bills.

The terms for Wengewicz and Seitz both end Dec. 31. Those can’t be filled with a special election. The town has reached out to the governor’s office for Gov. Hochul to appoint at least one person to fill out the final months of either board members’ term.

Because Schiffer has more time on his term after this year that spot can be filled at the Nov. 4 election.

That councilman’s position will be on the ballot as a two-year term, along with the full terms for town supervisor and two other councilman positions.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Village Board approved a lease agreement with Erie Floatel, LLC to have a house boat at one of the floating docks in the Canal Basin until Oct. 31.

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board has approved a lease for a house boat to be at the Canal Basin, a boat that will be available for short-term rentals and overnight stays.

The boat will remain at the dock and won’t be operated in the canal. The board approved the lease with Erie Floatel, LLC of Medina for use of the floating dock on south end of the canal for $220, plus another $100 for electric and water consumption for the season.

Erie Floatel will be operated by Andrew Meier and Svein Lilleby. The lease runs from Memorial Day to Oct. 31, 2025.

The lease agreement has been discussed at length in recent board meetings. Medina officials said the project is unusual along the canal and adds another feature for visitors to the community. Erie Floatel will be available to rent through Airbnb as a short-term rental.

The Village Board and Erie Floatel reached an agreement for the business to have $2 million in insurance coverage with the Village of Medina named as “additional insured” in Erie Floatel’s umbrella coverage of $2 million.

Brian Hellner, operator of North Star Cruises, said the village reached a more favorable tenant agreement with Erie Floatel than with Hellner’s boat ride business which started in 2023. Hellner said the village made him have $2 million in general liability coverage, not umbrella coverage and also didn’t make utilities available for his boat.

Mayor Marguerite Sherman and the board members said Hellner could have access to water and electricity at the same $100 rate.

Village attorney Matthew Brooks said the village has insisted on the $2 million of minimum insurance coverage, and Erie Floatel met that requirement.

Hellner said the village should insist the house boat is inspected and safe for the public. Brooks said a marine inspection is not within the purvey of the village.

Heather Farnsworth Hungerford, co-owner of the Bent’s Opera House, cautioned the Village Board from leasing too many of the docks spaces to businesses, limiting the public use of the properties. She said the house boat business for overnight stays could also discourage investment in the historic downtown for lodging.

Sherman said the leases in the Canal Basin are short-term for less than a year so the village can re-evaluate them. Right now, only two of the spaces are being leased. Sherman and the board members said there is still an abundance of dock spaces for the public.

“These are short-term leases so we have an opportunity to correct them if something goes wrong,” said Brooks, the village attorney.

Sherman said the board appreciates North Star Cruises and Erie Floatel for the services they are offering in the community.

“We are being fair,” she said. “We’re trying to work with our businesses as best as possible.”

Village attorney Matthew Brooks said the board is approving short-term leases that allow for re-evaluating after each season. In back are village trustees Mark Prawel and Scott Bieliski.

Draper to end 21-year career with Medina PD on Aug. 30

Photos by Tom Rivers: Todd Draper receives the police chief’s pin from his father Don Draper, a retired Medina police chief, during a swearing in ceremony on June 12, 2023. Todd Draper announced he will be retiring Aug. 30, ending a 21 year career with the Medina PD, including about two years as the police chief.

MEDINA – Todd Draper, the Medina police chief, will be retiring from the role on Aug. 30. Draper has been the chief since June 12, 2023.

He has worked for Medina for 21 years, including 8 ½ years as a K9 handler until Kye, a Belgian Malinois, retired in November 2020.

Draper was praised for being a hard-working police chief with a strong commitment to his hometown.

“Todd will be missed tremendously by this village,” said Jess Marciano, a village trustee.

She has served on the National Night Out planning committee with Draper in recent years. The event next week on Sug. 5 will be in Medina and Draper will again be in the dunk tank. National Night Out is a drug-free event intended to connect residents with first responders and community organizations.

Marciano also was on a Police Advisry Committee with Draper for several years.

“Todd has been a very receptive police chief,” Marciano said during this evening’s board meeting. “I’m really sad to see him leave.”

Draper was congratulated by board members for his impending retirement. He leaves the village with another department head vacancy to fill following the resignation of Matt Jackson as fire chief on July 12. Jackson cited a “constant battle” with some board members for his resignation.

The police department has been understaffed with some officers leaving for other departments where the pay is much higher. The board during its budget process in April also announced it was ending the K9 program and no longer would be providing two school resource officers at Medina school district. The district reimbursed Medina for nearly all of the expense, but board members said it didn’t fully cover the cost and the two SROs were needed to help cover shifts in the department.

Mayor Marguerite Sherman said the police chief’s test won’t be offered until the spring 2026. Medina may have to do a conditional appointment to fill the position until a new chief can take and pass the exam.

Draper during his career completed a 10-week management/leadership program from the FBI’s National Academy in 2022. He completed six classes at the National Academy: Critical Incident Management, Essentials of Leadership, Physical Training/Wellness Breaking Barriers and Building Communities, and An Overview of Forensic Science for Law Enforcement Managers.

He welcomed the chance to work with community members. He will be at the National Night Out for what Marciano said will be an “extended” time in the dunk tank.

Todd Draper is shown on Oct. 28, 2020 when he stopped by the Oak Orchard Lementary School with Kye, the Medina PD’s retiring K9. Draper served as the dog’s handler for 8 ½ years. This photo was during the Covid pandemic when people were required to wear masks.

Carl Zenger has been very active presence at refuge since 1997

By Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

Provided photo: Carl Zenger has been a dedicated volunteer at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge for nearly 30 years.

BASOM – Carl Zenger of Lockport has been awarded the Refuge Volunteer of the Year in the 2025 National Wildlife Refuge Awards by the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

A former board member of the Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and a retired mechanical engineer, Zenger is an integral part of the refuge. He has been recognized by peers, staff and the community for his unparalleled dedication to conservation. Since starting his volunteer journey in 1997, Zenger, 87, has invested over 44,000 hours — equivalent to 15½ years of a full-time employee.

“I’m not sure the refuge could operate without Carl — he’s such a treasure,” said Richard Moss, president of the Iroquois refuge Friends group. “We are planning to hold an award ceremony later this fall, likely in mid-October.”

In addition to this prestigious national award, Zenger was also named Volunteer of the Year for the Northeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and has been recognized by Congresswoman Claudia Tenney for his commitment to the community.

“Carl’s commitment truly embodies the spirit of John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural message — ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,’” said Desirée Sorenson-Groves, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “We congratulate and commend Carl for living this ideal and we thank him on behalf of all Americans for his contribution to conservation and to our world.”

The award ceremony in October will include representatives of the national association, members of the Zenger family, and other dignitaries. Moss said more information would be available closer to that event.

Zenger’s inspirational efforts include:

• Building hundreds of bluebird houses and toad abodes for outreach events.
• Leading outreach programs and initiating a multi-species cavity nesting program.
• Designing innovative nesting structures and pulley systems for safe and easy replacement.
• Supplementing calcium intake for purple martins by processing eggshells from local community events.
• Being a key proponent of our grassland habitat restoration team, mowing 200 acres annually and maintaining the refuge’s tractors for over sixteen years.

“Being chosen out of the entire national system for this honor is something special. If you see Carl, please join us in celebrating his incredible achievement and thanking him for his invaluable contributions to our community and the environment,” Moss said. “The refuge system has been hit hard by staff and budget cutbacks, going back well before the current round of federal budget scrutiny, so it is heavily dependent on volunteers like Carl to maintain and enhance our public lands.”

The National Wildlife Refuge Association’s 2025 awards also honored Rappahannock Wildlife Refuge Friends in Virginia as the refuge friends group of the year; Andrew Gude as refuge manager of the year for his work at the Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys national wildlife refuges in Florida; and Dartha Campbell, with the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia, as refuge employee of the year.

Includes reporting by Michael Doyle of Greenwire.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Fred Miller, right, presents a proclamation to child support specialists, Alex DeSmit and Kaitlin Zwifka, during last week’s County Legislature meeting. The Legislature recognized August as “Child Support Awareness Month.”

The proclamation states:

“Whereas, Orleans County is committed to ensuring the safety, health and well-being of our children, our greatest hope and promise for the future; and

“Whereas, parents have the most critical role in the development of their children, and an obligation to provide safe, loving and secure environments in which their children can grow and flourish; and

“Whereas, parents have an obligation to support their children, financially and emotionally; and

“Whereas, studies have shown that when both parents provide financial and emotional support, children are less likely to engage in unhealthy and unproductive behaviors and are more likely to do well in school and succeed later in life; and

“Whereas, the Child Support Enforcement Program and child support professionals in Orleans County play a vital role in assisting parents in achieving and maintaining economic security for their children.”

Press Release, NYS Department of Transportation

ELBA – The New York State Department of Transportation is advising motorists that on Wednesday, July 30, the intersection of State Route 98 and Lockport Road in the Town of Elba, Genesee County, will be converted from a two-way-stop into a four-way-stop, with new signs installed on Route 98.

Work will be completed by the end of the day. The new signs take effect immediately upon installation and motorists are advised to proceed with caution in the vicinity of the intersection while traffic adjusts to the new pattern.

Motorists should anticipate travel delays during this time and are advised to seek alternate routes if necessary. Construction activities are weather dependent and subject to change based on conditions.

Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver license.

Provided photo: Flotsam River Circus is shown here in a performance in Oakland, Calif. They will arrive in Medina for a show in the Canal Basin at 7 p.m. on Aug. 6.

MEDINA – Celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal is continuing with the visit of a floating circus in Medina’s Canal Basin.

On Aug. 6 Flotsam River Circus will put on a performance at 7 p.m., according to Jim Hancock, chairman of Medina’s Tourism Committee.

“This is unique and a fun event for children and adults,” Hancock said. “I hope many people will bring their lawn chairs and come out to see them.”

Flotsam River Circus is the brain child of Jason Webley of Seattle, formerly a traveling musician, who formed the floating circus with friends in 2019.

“When I heard about this being the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal, I reached out to the Canal Corporation and they were interested in having us perform,” Webley said in a recent phone call from his home.

The concept was inspired by the American showboat tradition and modern floating art projects, according to information from Webley, an accordion troubadour who captains the floating raft. The show includes musicians, puppeteers and circus artists on a ramshackle raft.

Flotsam is a troupe of musicians, circus performers and puppeteers who travel on a ramshackle raft, giving free performances in waterfront towns. Once their boat is together, they keep it in the water for the duration of the tour. They travel with a crew of nine and a converted school bus as their land vehicle, Webley said.

“Our goal is to bring some magic and whimsy to the world, while helping communities engage with their waterways,” Webley said.

He also stressed they are a 501©3 non-profit and exist with support from donations through Venmo or by logging on to www.rivercircus.

Courtesy of Orleans County Department of Planning and Development: This map shows the acreage in green that are in the county-wide ag district. The red areas are land to be included in the ag district.

ALBION – The Orleans County Agricultural District is set to expand by 445 acres. The county is doing the annual review for the district and nine landowners requested to be included.

The additions include:

• 91.2 acres on North Gravel Road in Ridgeway
• 36.2 acres on Townline Road in Ridgeway
• 8.3 acres on East Lee Road in Clarendon
• 35 acres on Root Road in Barre
• 90.8 acres on Roosevelt Highway in Carlton
• 59.5 acres on Center Road in Kendall
• 113.3 acres on Lakeland Beach Road South in Kendall
• 1.6 acres on Lakeland Beach Road South in Kendall
• 8.9 acres on Gaines Basin Road in Albion.

The additions were recommended by the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board and approved by the Orleans County Legislature last week. They go to state for a final certification.

The district is currently at 120,150 acres or 48 percent of the county’s land mass.

Corey Winters, the county’s director of planning and development, presented the additions to the Legislature last week.

Being in the ag district gives farmers some extra protections from nuisance suits where they are doing normal agricultural practices.

Undeveloped land that is in the district is not allowed to hook into waterlines for non-agricultural use because of the potential adverse effects on agriculture, Winters has said. Existing homes, residences, and farms within an agricultural district are not prohibited from connecting to new water lines.