Press release:

A Basic First Aid/ CPR class is scheduled to be held on Saturday, Aug. 4^th, at the Genesee County Fire Training Center.

The CPR portion will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by Basic First Aid from 12:30 to 4 p.m. The cost is $25 per portion or $50 for the full course.

The class will include instruction on basic first aid, use of an automated defibrillator (AED) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A First Aid/CPR certification will be issued to those who successfully complete the class.

Registration is required. Interested parties should contact the Genesee County Office of Emergency Management Services at 585-344-0078 or email Jeanette.diehl@co.genesee.ny.us.

Press release:

Farmers Market Coupons are still available at the Genesee County Office for the Aging, 2 Bank St., Batavia.

Booklets are available to adults aged 60 years and older who are income-eligible. Proof of age identification must be provided.

Income guidelines are as follows:  household of one $1,872 per month; household of two $2,538 per month; and, household of three $3,204 per month.

Maureen Estabrooks, Office for the Aging’s coordinator for the program, noted, “It still remains, that anyone 60 or older in a household may receive a coupon booklet as long as they are income eligible. This means that in a qualifying household, multiple individuals may receive booklets.

"This program is a wonderful way to help older adults with limited income to purchase healthy fresh produce from our local farmers.”

Questions may be directed to the Genesee County Office for the Aging at 585-343-1611.

Press release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced the lineup for their fall and winter tribute shows, with one concert each month featuring music from great artists.

The Paddock Room will play host to Abbamania – A tribute to Abba, based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  The cast looks and sounds like the famous Swedish rock group and will roll through all your favorites on Saturday, Sept. 8^th.

Saturday, Oct. 6^th is the date for American Graffiti starring Johnny Gems and the Red Hot Bananas. These artists have collectively been performing for 30 years.  The show brings back every major hit from every major artist, from 1955 to 1965.  You’ll hear hits by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and Bill Haley and the Comets! Into the 1960s with The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, Roy Orbison, Del Shannon and a highlight to Danny and the Juniors with “At the Hop” and “Rock and Roll is Here to Stay”!

Next up, on Saturday, Nov. 17^th, Batavia Downs welcomes Walk the Line – A Tribute to Johnny Cash.  With Gavan Rosseau playing the part of “The Man in Black” with a four-piece backing band, this tribute show showcases Rosseau’s ability to emulate the voice, look and mannerisms of the late singer. Songs performed include the Sun Record days all the way to those from the 1970s.

Blame it all on Their Roots –  Garth Brooks and Shania Twain Tribute takes the stage on Saturday, Dec. 15^th. This high energy show performs all this hits of the two country headliners whose records have sold more than 230 million albums worldwide.

Each concert will take place on a Saturday immediately following live racing. General admission tickets are $10 and are on sale now at www.BataviaConcerts.com for each show.

Each concert begins at 8:30 p.m. with doors at 8 p.m. Each ticket is redeemable on the gaming floor the day of the concert or the next day for $10 in Free Play. Tickets can also be purchased in-person at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel at their “Lucky Treasures” Gift Shop located in the lobby.

“We are looking forward to these indoor tribute shows,” said Henry Wojtaszek, CEO/president at Batavia Downs Gaming. “Building on the success of our summer concert series, we’re happy to keep General Admission ticket prices at a reasonable $10 to make sure everyone can enjoy these great tribute shows.”

About Batavia Downs/WROTB

Owned and operated by 15 Western New York counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo, Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia, NY. WROTB owns and operates 29 branches, as well as Batavia Downs Gaming, a standard bred racetrack and gaming facility. Since its inception, Western Region OTB has generated over $215 million in operating and surcharge revenues to the taxpayers of those participating municipalities.

A one-car accident with injuries is reported in the area of 6151 Clinton Street Road, Stafford.

Stafford fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 2:16 p.m.: A deputy on scene reports one occupant, out of the vehicle, cuts on the head.

Summer is the perfect time for fresh produce – juicy fruits and tasty veggies. And what better place to get them than farm-fresh from a local farmer’s market or farm stand? Get to know the names behind your food. Shopping local is good for you, and for your local farmers – it’s a win-win!

Our Farm Markets are colorful, creative and fresh. We’ve rounded up the best in the area – including:

Pully's Farm Market – carrying a huge selection of hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, and vegetable plants. Open from April through October, Pully’s has fresh produce, seasonal treats, and a market full of local items and everyday goods. Visit on the weekend in the fall and you can wind your way through the corn maze or catch their pumpkin-cannon in action!

Le Roy Farmers' Market – fun on a Saturday morning from June to mid-October. Located on Main Street, this farmer’s market is a local favorite with weekly offerings found on their Facebook page. The market also partners with the Genesee County Office for the Aging to offer coupons for seniors. Find baked goods, wines, flowers, cooking demonstrations, weekly entertainment, and organic vegetables.

Downtown Batavia Public Market – open every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from June through October, in collaboration with the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District. The market participates in a number of government assistance programs, ensuring that fresh and healthy foods are available to everyone. Browse their stalls and find growers, bakeries and craft vendors offering a variety of produce, baked goods, cheese, eggs, honey, BBQ, maple syrup, and flowers. More than just the veggies – you can go home with everything from dog treats to quilts, and find new favorites every time you visit.

Smaller than a market, Genesee County is also home to a multitude of farm stands. Shop produce straight off the farm, handcrafted goods, and local treats at these area favorites:

Elba
Torrey's Farm Market – food grown with pride. Load up on potatoes, onions, cabbage, lettuce, seasonal produce, and peaches. You'll even find some crafts!

Star Growers – keep an eye out around harvest time! This little roadside stand offers mid/late seasonal produce: potatoes, cabbage, onions, squash, and pumpkins.

Batavia
Harrington's Produce, Bakery & Market Cafe – it’s a one-stop shop for fresh baked breads, fruits, vegetables and everything in between. And if that wasn’t enough, you can also snag a sandwich at their Clinton Street café – food so fresh it was probably picked that day!

Fenton's Produce LLC – asparagus, sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, blueberries, herbs, flowers – and summer and winter squash are home-grown and offered here. Look for Fenton’s around harvest season at their little roadside setup on Pratt Road.

Le Roy
J&W Farm Fresh Produce – consistently fresh, wholesome and flavorful fruit and produce from a small, local family farm.

Mackenzie Brothers – right on Harris Road, this little stand is serving up fresh sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, cabbage, melons, and winter squash – everything from acorn to butternut to fiesta to hubbard.

Clear out the cupboard and the fridge, you’re going to need room for all the fresh food that awaits! We don’t “carrot” all which one you choose to try – so pick one or (taste) test them all. And find more great spots to shop, eat, stay and experience at www.visitgeneseeny.com.

Mike Nolan, executive VP and COO of Western OTB, and Tom Turnbull, president of the Chamber of Commerce, along with officials from the Town of Batavia and NYSERDA, cut the ribbon this morning on the first electric vehicle charging station installed at Batavia Downs.

NYSERDA, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, assisted with the installation of the EV station.

Batavia Downs charging station is one of several stations installed throughout the Genesee-Finger Lakes region through implementation of the Genesee Region Electric Vehicle Charging Station Plan, prepared by the Greater Rochester Clean Cities coalition in 2016 with NYSERDA support. Other local communities recommended by the Plan to increase electric vehicle infrastructure and have recently installed charging stations include the villages of Victor, Geneseo, and Brockport and the City of Canandaigua.

The new station is in the southwest parking lot, near the door for valet parking.

It was an evening of mourning at The Harvester Hotel on Harvester Avenue on Tuesday evening as longtime customers gathered in the wake of learning earlier in the day that longtime owner Ken Merrick had died at the age of 74.

Merrick sold the bar after owning it for 44 years at the end of May to Melissa Kibbler and Kibbler's mother, Donna Russell, said Tuesday that bar patrons -- whom she said were like family, that the Harvester is like Cheers where "everybody knows your name" -- were also mourning the death on Friday of Casey Cook.

"It’s not just a bar," Russell said. "It’s family. We gather here when we hear this kind of news."

Kibbler wasn't at the bar Tuesday night, Russell said because she was too upset by the news of Merrick's death.

"He was her mentor," she said. "He was like a grandfather to her. She bought the bar in May and Kenny helped every step of the way."

Kibbler started working at the bar for 14 years at age 19 as a substitute bartender.

Casey Cook was part of the family at the neighborhood bar. She was diagnosed with cancer in January and the Harvester family held a fundraiser for her at the Polish Falcons Nest.

"This was very much known as the 'Bitches Bar' because the women in the bar were bartenders and the girls were always here so it was called the Bitches Bar and Casey was one of the Bitches," Russell said.

Just then a patron in a red T-shirt and blue jeans and a bit of gray hair walked out and Russell said, "This is the Bitches' boy" and quickly added, "that's not a bad thing."

Steve, she said, was called the Bitches' Boy because he would do anything for the women at the bar, help them with any problem, and a young man in a pink T-shirt with a construction company name on it added that Steve would help anybody, not just the women.

While talking about Cook, Russell and Steve began ticking off the names of several other patrons who have been taken from the world by cancer.

"This was a bad day," Russell said.

Click here for Ken Merrick's full obituary.

It was The Goht's last stand Tuesday night as a packed house said to goodbye to a bar full of friends.

You probably know The Goht as Billy Goats, named, legend has it, after a resident across the street who years ago kept goats.

For 18 years, until May, Steve Spyropoulos ran it with legendary hospitality. But after he died in May, his son, John, found the long days of trying to run Settler's restaurant and a tavern while taking care of his family too much of a strain, so he decided to get out of the bar business.

"There's a lot of ground to cover and it's physically straining on me," Spyropoulos told The Batavian last week in an exclusive interview. "There are late nights there, early morning here. I have a family at home. I have two boys who are 14 and I've got a daughter. She's 5. You know something's got to give sooner or later; I prefer it not to be with my family."

There were a few tears among family members Tuesday night as the bar filled up with longtime customers and many glasses along the way were raised to Steve.

John said the gathering was bittersweet. He knows -- and he said the customers were telling him -- closing the bar was the right thing to do, but he also knows his father loved the bar and the customers loved him.

"These are our people," he said. "They loved us. We loved them."

He said he thanked the community for all of its support.

"It’s been a great 18 years here, and 30-plus years next door," Spyropoulos said. "It's a great community. They’ve treated us great and I love them for that. There’s a lot of good people in Batavia. That is not said enough, how good the people in Batavia really are, you know.

"They take three or four bad comments on the Internet and a lot of people think that’s Batavia but it’s not. Batavia is tight-knit. A lot of good people in Batavia. All good people here. All of them."

Top photo: Patrons in the patio of The Goht, the bar is formerly known as Billy Goats, raise a beverage to Steve Spyropoulos, who died May 11 at age 66.

Photo below: Spiridoula Spyropoulus, John's mother, Jane Branton, sister, John Spyropoulos, Christy Brown, sister, and Miranda Spyropoulos, John's wife.

Downstairs features 1 bedroom or office good size formal dining room and full living room-great space for entertaining. Upstairs has 2 good size bedrooms and a full bath. Basement is dry, fully useable, space it even has cool man cave/office and a small area for workspace for extra hobbies.

There have been lots of upgrades but the large, private, fully fenced back yard with awesome huge deck is definitely a bonus for the City! Large extra wide driveway and fully reinforced garage for all your "toys," plus a nice storage area below is a nice extra. Neutrally painted and new carpet throughout makes it a move in and live!

Easy to see! Call Lynn Bezon today at Reliant Real Estate, 585-344-HOME or click hereto view the complete listing.

164 Summit St., Batavia -- Comfortable and solid City colonial in nice neighborhood. Easy to see and super affordable, this 3-bedroom, 1 1/2 bath home features very spacious room sizes.

Downstairs is open and great for entertaining but very homey. Some hardwood floors and gorgeous unpainted woodwork really give this home charm. Upstairs bedrooms are all large with closets and attic is already partially finished and with a little paint could be amazing extra living/play space! Mechanically sound with nothing urgent to tackle but what you want to do!

Enjoy the front porch, that has the forever Trexx decking to enjoy the neighborhood or have your morning coffee on the back deck to enjoy the peacefulness of the cute back yard – either way come check out a really nice home! Call Lynn Bezon at Reliant Real Estate today 344-HOME for more information or click here to view the complete listing.

Press release:

The Genesee County 4-H Office would like to congratulate all of the 4-H members who exhibited animals at the 2018 Genesee County Fair.

Special thanks to our club leaders, volunteers, family members and friends who volunteered their time; the 4-H program would not be possible without your help!

Below are some highlights from the 2018 Genesee County Fair Livestock Shows.

4-H Beef Cattle Show

Novice Showmanship – Audrey Dorman

Junior Showmanship – Cody Carlson

Senior Showmanship – Caleb Carlson 

Master Showman – Caleb Carlson

Supreme Champion Female – Shianne Foss

Grand Champion Beef Steer – Shianne Foss

Grand Champion Dairy Steer – Cody Ehrmentraut

4-H Dairy Cattle Show

Novice Showmanship – Chloe Lamb

Junior Showmanship – Mason Werth

Intermediate Showmanship – Georgia Luft

Senior Showmanship – Mary Sweeney 

Master Showman – Mary Sweeney

Reserve Master Showman – Emily Mikel

Master Fitter – Emily Mikel

Reserve Master Fitter – Amelia Brewer

Grand Champion Ayrshire – Justin Deleo

Grand Champion Lineback – Jillian Brewer

Grand Champion Guernsey – Colton Slattery

Grand Champion Holstein – Emily Mikel

Grand Champion Brown Swiss – Emily Mikel

Grand Champion Jersey – Caroline Luft

Grand Champion Milking Shorthorn – Mary Sweeney

Supreme Champion – Mary Sweeney

Reserve Supreme Champion – Emily Mikel

4-H Dairy Goat Show

Novice Showmanship – Gabe Winn

Junior Showmanship – Jade Winn

Senior Showmanship – Melissa Keller

Master Showman – Melissa Keller

Best in Show Doe – Melissa Keller

4-H Meat Goat Show

Novice Showmanship – Brooke Frega

Junior Showmanship – John Riley

Senior Showmanship – Melissa Keller

Master Showman – John Riley

Best in Show Doe – John Riley

4-H Sheep Show

Junior Showmanship – Brendan Pimm

Senior Showmanship – Becky Kron

Master Showman – Maisy Ross

Reserve Master Showman – Ashley Ehrmentraut

Champion Halter Showman – Mya Grant

Supreme Champion Ram – Becky Kron

Supreme Champion Ewe – Brendan Pimm

Champion Market Lamb – Becky Kron

4-H Hog Show

Novice Showmanship – Brendan Pimm

Junior Showmanship – Cody Carlson

Senior Showmanship – Melissa Keller

Master Showman – Melissa Keller

Supreme Gilt – Melissa Keller

Champion Market Hog – Alianna Baris

4-H Market Animal Auction Goat Show

Junior Showmanship – Lily Haacke

Senior Showmanship – Melissa Keller

Master Showman – Melissa Keller

Grand Champion Market Goat – Melissa Keller

Reserve Champion Market Goat – Tyler Jirovec

4-H Market Animal Auction Hog Show

Junior Showmanship – Brendan Pimm

Senior Showmanship – Ben Kron

Master Showman – Ben Kron

Grand Champion Market Hog – Melissa Keller

Reserve Champion Market Hog – Camden Baris

4-H Market Animal Auction Dairy Steer Show

Senior Showmanship – Carolyn Sybertz

Master Showman – Carolyn Sybertz

Grand Champion Dairy Steer – Carolyn Sybertz

Reserve Champion Dairy Steer – Cody Ehrmentraut

4-H Market Animal Auction Beef Steer Show

Junior Showmanship – Kaidan Hofheins

Senior Showmanship – Becky Kron

Master Showman – Becky Kron

Grand Champion Beef Steer – Caleb Carlson

Reserve Champion Beef Steer – Cole Carlson

4-H Market Animal Auction Lamb Show

Junior Showmanship – Brendan Pimm

Senior Showmanship – Becky Kron

Master Showman – Brendan Pimm

Grand Champion Market Lamb – Becky Kron

Reserve Champion Market Lamb – Melissa Keller

4-H Market Animal Auction Poultry Show

Junior Showmanship – Georgia Luft

Senior Showmanship – Clare Mathes

Master Showman – Clare Mathes

Grand Champion Pen of Market Chickens – Jillian Brewer

Reserve Champion Pen of Market Chickens – Jillian Brewer

4-H Market Animal Master Showmanship Contest

Overall Master Showman – Shianne Foss

City police just arrived at 2 Olin Ave. after a caller reported yelling and a fight in front of that address. In addition, one subject reportedly has a knife. That suspect fled on foot, headed toward Holland Avenue. He has a basball cap on backwards and is wearing jeans. The police are with him now in the Speedway parking lot.

UPDATE 5:33 p.m.: The address of 4 Olin Ave. was added to the job.

(File photos.)

Foxprowl Collectables has come full circle. This Saturday, Aug. 4, at 11 a.m., the toy and collectibles shop will host a Grand Opening in their former location -- 440 Ellicott St. in the City of Batavia.

Until then, they are open for a few hours each day there while getting things set up for regular business.

At the Grand Opening, there will be:

• Brenden Gillard, an artist, voice actor, costume designer and "Barnes & Nobles best-selling author";
• Anthony Zicari, comic writer and editor, whose worked on Dark Horse, Antarctic Press, London Night Studios, Narwain Publishing, Marvel Comics, Legendary Press, and INKWERK Studios;
• A Genesee County Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting at noon;
• Meet-and-greet pics with Batman's Penguin, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and Scooby-Doo;
• Giveaways and more!

Bill and Joy Hume, married business partners, opened their business at 440 Ellicott St. in 2010. It had begun the year before as an eBay operation.

On Sept. 1, 2016, having outgrown the Ellicott Street storefront, they moved into roomier, swankier quarters at the southeast corner of Main and Jackson streets. In early 2017, the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce named Foxprowl the Entrepreneurial Business of the Year for 2016.

A few months later, in June 2017, the Humes announced they would shutter their store altogether to concentrate on online sales, supplemented by "pop-up" or temporary store dates at the Falleti Ice Arena, and the ever-popular annual Foxprowl-Con at the Quality Inn & Suites in Batavia.

We can only guess that customers clamored for their brick-and-mortar return, enabling them to "geek out," as Bill Hume likes to say, on a regular ongoing basis when the mood strikes.

Dozens of volunteers converged on Watson Street in Batavia this morning for an act of mercy and ministry.

The volunteers from Eight Days of Hope are in town because of Kingdom Bound at Darien Lake Theme Park but their mission this morning was to rehabilitate the home of an 85-year-old widow, Miss Rose, on Watson Street.

"Our whole big thing is love and serve those in need," said Steve Tybor, director and founder of Eight Days of Hope. "There is so much need across America, so much discord right now in our country, we want to give people a glimpse of hope."

Eight Days of Hope is based in Tupelo, Miss., but Tybor said a satellite ministry will open in Buffalo in August. The focus of the ministry is serving those touched by natural disaster, such as residents of Houston after Hurricane Harvey. In Houston, 4,692 volunteers, over back-to-back eight-day periods, rebuilt more than 800 homes, doing more than $10.5 million in work for those victims.

"This is what we do after a natural disaster but this, in essence, is like a human disaster, where somebody has a need and nowhere to turn," Tybor said.

This morning, two hours into the work, the volunteers were more than halfway done with the home of Miss Rose, so the volunteers were turning to other tasks in the neighborhood.

They were in front yards up and down the block and on Jackson Street pulling weeds, cutting grass, trimming edges and looking for anything else they do could help out a neighbor in need.

"We're also doing landscaping door-to-door and helping the neighborhood take it up a notch as far as the looks," Tybor said. "They’re beautiful homes but sometimes people need an extra hand and that’s what our volunteers are doing."

The volunteers come from nine states, including from as far away as Texas.

"We’re a faith-based ministry but it's nine-different denominations," Tybor said. "It’s the Catholics and the Baptists and the Pentecostals coming together, setting aside our differences and just loving and serving people in need."

The home on Watson was identified with the help of Pastor Marty Macdonald at City Church. Last year, the ministry helped a Batavia veteran whose home had been flooded. Tybor said the ministry will be back in Batavia during next year's Kingdom Bound.

"We love Batavia," Tybor said. "We’re glad we’re here. We’re glad to be part of Kingdom Bound. It’s a great ministry and we’re going to do this every year during Kingdom Bound, find somebody in need in Batavia and just love and serve them."

A volunteer prays for Sgt. Dan Coffey after Coffey stopped on Watson to check out the work.

Press release:

Genesee Community College has published its 2016-2017 Annual Report -- available for the first-time ever completely online!

In addition, the College adopted an agricultural theme for the report highlighting the surrounding community.

GCC's 2016-2017 Annual Report was published on a special website, http://annualreport.genesee.edu/ to support the College's sustainable business practices as well as to maximize accessibility to the information contained within the report. From the welcoming message on the report's homepage to the photos recounting the past year's dynamic stories, GCC demonstrates its commitment to the theme "Plant. Water. Harvest. Repeat."

"At its core, GCC plants seeds of knowledge, waters and cultivates the learning experience, recognizes and celebrates the harvest of contributions, and continuously refines and repeats the process to ensure our future," President James M. Sunser, Ed.D., said in the report's opening message. "We hope we have captured how our efforts echo the hard-work, innovation and dedication of the farming families and agribusinesses that have long made our community a strong and vibrant place to work, live and grow."

A multitude of stories with accompanying photographs are celebrated in the report representing innovative programs that "Plant" seeds for student success. Events such as the Annual Tech Wars hosted by the Accelerated College Enrollment program, lectures by Multicultural Communications Club, volunteers working with Habitat for Humanity and many other stories reflect GCC "We plant" initiatives.

The report's "Water" chapter includes images from a plethora of community events such as Veterans Day, the Harvest Festival and the popular Cougar Crawl weekend. Perhaps, and most appropriately, the "Harvest" chapter of the report is the longest, highlighting all the ways students, faculty and staff contribute to the community through GCC's Center for the Arts productions, the Scholars Symposium, the annual Fashion Show, commencement and so many meaningful efforts.

It is through the annual repetition of GCC's efforts that our communities continue to grow and succeed -- which are highlighted in the report's "Repeat" chapter. Finally, the "Supporters" tab of the report pays tribute by listing those whose donations to the College have helped ensure long-term success.

Everyone is encouraged to view the annual report at http://annualreport.genesee.edu/ and join in the celebration of the accomplishments of the past academic year.

File photo (submitted) of Daisy Klein, Lee Johnson, Barbara Easton, George Squires, George Wood, Jennifer Wood and Sharon McWethy.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4, the memorial created in May 2017 to honor the late Dennis Wood, an artist, professor and longtime ACORNS volunteer, will be dedicated.

ACORNS is a nonprofit "friends of the park" group that enhances the public’s experience at the Genesee County parks and fosters environmental stewardship and education.

His widow, Jenny Wood, announced that the ceremony will take place at the Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Center. It is located at 11095 Bethany Center Road in East Bethany.

Everyone is welcome; feel free to bring picnic goodies and stay for brunch or lunch!

Dennis Wood was known to be very generous and good friend of the Genesee County Parks in many ways.

He gave his time by participating in ACORNS meetings and field trips, and attending many educational programs. Dennis donated some of his own collections to the Interpretive Nature Center and funded the purchase of children’s field binoculars for use during kids' programs at the park.

Dennis was a very talented artist, and he provided beautiful note-cards for the ACORNS to sell as a fundraiser. The cards feature some of his landscapes and wildlife paintings, and are available for purchase at the Interpretive Center.

Dennis loved to share the joys of art as a professor at GCC, and taught a beginner drawing class to the ACORNS as a volunteer training day. Dennis was a delightful person to be around and is remembered for his quiet way of making people smile and laugh.

His memorial is a fully functional artist's easel that was paid for with funding from ACORNS and a donation from Jenny Wood. It is located in the ACORNS Outdoor Learning Center at Genesee County Park & Forest.

The easel's design was created by Paul Osborn, parks supervisor, and Kurt Schwab, Genesee County Highway Department sign maintenance mechanic. It was then laser cut by Oxbo International. Genesee County Highway welder Rob Barone adapted the donated easel to install the newly created art platform, which was then painted by DJ Desjardins in the paint shop.

If all goes according to plan, the City of Batavia will have a new manager by the time its next Council meeting takes place on Aug. 13.

That’s the latest word from Council President Eugene Jankowski, who said today that the three-person committee charged with finding a qualified administrator has “left no stone unturned” in its quest for someone to replace former manager Jason Molino, who left in January for a similar position for Tompkins County.

“It is my hope that we will be welcoming the new manager at our August meeting,” said Jankowski, who has been working with Council members Bob Bialkowski and Adam Tabelski – along with the Novak Consulting Group of Cincinnati, Ohio. “In fact, you should know even before that because the agenda will be out a few days before the meeting.”

Jankowski said he is bound by a confidentiality agreement to not offer more details about the prospective candidate – the search is down to one finalist – but did say the salary will be in the advertised range of $110,000-plus.

“We’ve identified someone who we feel very comfortable with,” Jankowski said. “We have conducted multiple interviews, background checks, credit checks, just about everything I can think of and even more that Novak came up with. It has been a very thorough investigation.”

Jankowski said an offer has been made to the finalist, but “no contract has been signed yet as lawyers (on both sides) are involved.”

He said the committee’s next step is to work out how to handle the introduction process to the community.

“We’ll be doing that over the next two weeks,” he said.

City Council has reached this point after interviewing five finalists during executive sessions in early July.

Public Works Director Matt Worth has been handling the city manager responsibilities since Molino’s departure, but indicated that he was not interested in the permanent manager position.

Press release from the City of Batavia Police Department:

Thursday, Aug. 2, the sixth annual GLOW Corporate Challenge will be starting out at 6 p.m. on Richmond Avenue in front of the NYS School for the Blind.

Starting at approximately 5:30 p.m., until approximately 6:15 p.m.,, Richmond Avenue will be closed from Prospect Avenue to Bank Street for the start of the GLOW Corporate Cup.

The race is expected to have a large group of runners and walkers in the area. The run will take place in the North-East sector of the City.

Vehicles traveling in the area should expect extended delays while runners and walkers are in the area. Please plan accordingly or make alternative travel routes to avoid the area.

Anyone with information in reference to any suspicious activity are encouraged to contact the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370 or online here.