Some sort of vehicle passing through Oakfield heading toward Batavia has taken down power lines across Main Street in Oakfield.

The roadway is being closed in the area of Dollar General.

Oakfield Fire is responding.

UPDATE 12:25 p.m.: A National Grid crew, apparently not the assigned crew, is on scene: "happened to be in the area and is going to check it out."

However, if the both parties – especially the victim – are willing, it’s worth the effort, says Diana Prinzi, the new coordinator of the Genesee Justice restorative program that is a division of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

“We’re working on our first restorative justice reconciliation meeting in the near future and it’s something I would like to see more of,” said Prinzi, a retired U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement supervisor who started in her county post on Jan. 3. “It’s one of the items on my bucket list.”

Prinzi (pictured at right) was hired to replace Catherine Uhly, who retired last February.

The Le Roy native and current resident of Alexander spent 22 years in various capacities with ICE, mostly at the federal detention center in Batavia, before taking a part-time victim’s advocate position at Genesee Justice early last year.

She said she has been doing her best to learn about the various programs that Genesee Justice has to offer, including victim advocacy, offender accountability, DWI conditional discharge, release under supervision and risk assessment.

Being able to “restore” broken relationships is at the heart of Genesee Justice, an innovative approach to navigating the legal system that has been a hallmark of Genesee County for about 40 years.

“We haven’t had any instances of where the victim, offender and a facilitator have gotten together in quite a while,” Prinzi said. “It’s a process that takes place after the fact, after sentencing, where we try to get them back on track; to be able to move forward with their lives, but the victim has to want it.”

A 1986 graduate of Notre Dame High School with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Brockport State College, Prinzi said she enjoyed her time as a victim advocate and jumped at the chance to lead the agency, which is located at 14 West Main St.

“I’m excited for the opportunity and feel that the qualifications of the job fit mine pretty well,” she said, noting that she scored well on the Civil Service exam that preceded the interviewing process. “Being in law enforcement, I understand that you have to follow the laws, and I believe that my 15 years of supervisory experience is an asset.”

Prinzi oversees a department that, when fully staffed, has 11 full- and part-time employees – case managers, community service victim’s assistants, victim advocates, DWI conditional discharge specialists, principal clerk and financial analyst. Currently, three part-time positions are open.

Genesee Justice serves the community in a number of ways, she said.

“We offer victim advocacy – services to crime victims, such as help with court proceedings, orders of protection, compensation claims, emotional support and referrals to other agencies,” Prinzi said. “Then there is community service, where a person’s sentence might include working at a nonprofit agency with complete oversight by Genesee Justice.”

Services to victims are provided at no charge, Prinzi said, adding that the department interacts with 450 to 500 persons annually.

She said the agency’s first-time DWI offender program has enabled those charged with driving under the influence the chance to complete several requirements over a year to possibly gain a conditional discharge, with a judge having final say in the matter.

Prinzi said the state’s bail reform has affected, to some extent, other programs such as pre-trial release (RUS) and risk assessment.

“Bail reform is being debated (by state legislators) and we’re still reviewing and researching that,” she said.

Outside of the office, she said that she and her husband, Samuel, look forward to spending time with their five grown children and one grandchild, and enjoy hiking and walking outdoors.

For more information about Genesee Justice, go to www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/geneseejustice/index.php.

Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Without a facility to provide intervention services for pre-school children in Genesee County, annual costs to transport these young people to regional facilities are exceeding a half-million dollars, County Public Health Director Paul Pettit said on Monday.

“We still do not have any local center-based services in Genesee County, and once Rainbow Preschool was shut down a little over a year ago (due to financial difficulties) that has resulted in having nothing available for our kiddos,” Pettit said at the Genesee County Legislature’s Human Services Committee meeting at the Old County Courthouse.

“So, any kids in the county that require full-day, center-based services, they're getting bused out, which is partly why our transportation services are as costly as they are.”

Calling it a “very challenging” situation, Pettit said it costs about $550,000 in 2021 to bus these children to programs and services in neighboring counties – to places such as the Mary Cariola Children’s Center in Rochester and centers in Livingston and Erie counties. He said last year’s cost likely was less than anticipated due to COVID-19 and the curtailing of travel.

Pettit said about 25 children participate in the county program that offers services such as speech, occupational and physical therapy.

“It’s unfortunate when you look at the cost, typically our transportation is as much as it is for the actual services,” he said. “It would be great to have some more local services, but we’re looking at different things.”

He said the merger of GLOW ARC into a regional organization could open a door to services in Genesee County.

As far as reimbursement on some of the preschool programs, the county receives 59 ½ percent of the cost from New York State.

“The program costs for preschool, in general, are about $2.1 to $2.2 million, which includes the transportation piece (and) related services,” he said. “Kids may be in their home environment, or where they are just in need of speech (therapy) or OT, center-based are usually more involved, where they're receiving the full cadre of services.”

Pettit said the out-of-county children’s centers have a larger population of kids and are financially stable to the point where they could be – with more funding – persuaded to open a site in Genesee County.

“But, at the moment, we haven't had anybody knocking down the door. But I mean, we're definitely looking at it,” he said.

In an effort to control busing expenses, the health department is looking into creating a transportation coordinator that would work with Orleans and Livingston counties.

“This actually would be a three-county collaborative to oversee the busing program that we have and to try to keep costs in check and make sure we're routing and doing the best to get kids where they need to be in the most fiscal appropriate way,” he advised.

Speaking via a Microsoft Teams webcast, Kaylen Olwin and Wendy Kingsland, project managers, and Katie Chapman, senior project manager, said the Houston, Texas-based renewable energy company is in the early stages of the process of developing the solar farm.

Anticipated to be operational in 2025, the project would fall under the NYS Office of Renewable Energy Siting Section 94-c guidelines (a revamped version of the former Article 10).

About 24 people were on last night’s videoconference, including Town of Alabama board members, residents and the company officials.

Olwin said EDP Renewables currently has 58 wind and nine solar projects in North America, with five wind systems in New York producing 704.65 megawatts of power and 66 permanent jobs. She said the Alabama Solar Park Project would create 250 construction jobs and four permanent positions.

A look at the map presented last night shows the project covering several roads, including Batavia-Oakfield Townline, Galloway, Macomber, Maple, Gorton, Hutton, Wight, Judge, Morgan and Knowlesville, plus the vicinity of Maple Avenue.

Olwin said the company has 2,000 acres under lease at this time but the current plan is to have 940 acres of solar panels “inside the fence.” She added that EDP Renewables plans to comply with state and town setback regulations – up to 300 feet from homeowners’ property lines.

“Putting solar panels too close to homes is not a good thing,” she said.

The timeline for 2022 as proposed lists completion of land leasing – they did not disclose the current number of leasing agreements – as well as commencement of project design and finalizing environmental studies pertaining to winter grassland raptor surveys, breeding bird surveys, wetland delineations, archaeological studies and geotechnical studies.

The EDP Renewables reps said they plan to conduct quarterly meetings, preferably in person, while waiting for completion of the New York Independent System Operator study.

If all goes according to plan, an application to ORES would happen in 2023, construction would start in 2024 and the project would be online in 2025, they said. Olwin said the financial benefits to the Town of Alabama, Oakfield-Alabama School District, and Genesee County have yet to be determined.

Similar solar farms in Byron and Oakfield/Elba are at various stages, also as part of the Article 10/ORES process.

Contacted by The Batavian this morning, Alabama Town Supervisor Robert Crossen said the Town Board has been communicating with the three EDP Renewables’ managers for more than two years about the project.

He said EDP Renewables was one of three solar companies that provided input into the town’s solar law that was adopted in 2020.

While not opposed to the project, Crossen said he and the board are aware of the power granted to ORES to override any local solar regulations.

“The biggest thing the town board is wrestling with is the (compatibility with) our Comprehensive Plan and the loss of farmland – prime farmland and prime farmland when drained,” he said. “There could be up to 25 to 50 percent more land needed than what is inside the fence.”

Crossen said the major question is “how do we rectify agriculture and our Comprehensive Plan and the loss of farmland? It’s contrary to that plan.”

One provision of the town’s solar law is that it puts a cap of 2,500 acres for solar panels.

“We figured if we made it less than that, they (ORES) would just throw it out,” he said.

While the town does allow for more than 50 percent of prime farmland for solar, the law stipulates that if the solar developer exceeds that percentage, then it has to go somewhere else in the town and purchase development rights on a farm so it can’t be used for anything other than farming, Crossen added.

“We’re hoping that 94-c won’t throw that out,” he said.

Crossen said he understands that EDP Renewables “is serious” about this project as at least one of the three project managers attends each of the board’s monthly meetings.

Photo from EDP Renewables website.

Previously: In the hopes of curbing some state power over solar farms, Town of Alabama adopts solar ordinance

Oakfield Fire responded to Crazy Cheap Cars on Main Street for a report of smoke in the building.

The building was evacuated.  The involved building was apparently a storage area on Water Street.

The fire is believed to be out now.

UPDATE 8:48 a.m.: Oakfield assignment is back in service.

A car into s pole accident is reported in the area of  5380 Fotch Road, Stafford

There is reportedly airbag deployment. 

Stafford Fire and EMS dispatched. 

UPDATE 3:58 a.m.: Law enforcement has cleared the scene.  The vehicle gas been towed.  

That’s what Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans counties, communicated to members of the Genesee County Legislature’s Human Services Committee today as he presented his department’s annual report.

“Ever since I’ve been in my position, we’ve been seeking an increase in Article 6 funding,” said Pettit, (pictured at right) speaking about the section of the Public Health Law that authorizes funding for core services delivered by local health departments. “But, if anything, that has deteriorated over the years as they’ve (state lawmakers) have made more things ineligible.”

Things seem to be changing for the better, Pettit said, as a result of his review of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed 2022-23 state budget.

“As this is our main funding stream … we continue to advocate for (increased funding) on an annual basis,” he said. “Now, (for) the first time the (governor) actually proposed increases in Article 6 funding in her executive budget.

“Again, this is fairly unique. It's never been in the executive budget; we've always lobbied the legislative side for when they put their packages together and it never makes it to the end. So, we are very happy to see that it is in on the front end. And it's fairly significant.”

Pettit said that Article 6 funding for full service health departments (such as Genesee-Orleans) is set to increase from $650,000 to $750,000, and money for “fringe reimbursement” also will go up.

“Public health through Article 6 has never received fringe reimbursement on any of our costs,” he advised. “It's all been local or written off on different grants. We’ve always advocated for it, but it's never been realized. So, the biggest thing in here is that it included up to 50 percent fringe reimbursed on any eligible expenses.”

Fifty percent translates to about $230,000 more to the county health department – bringing the total of state funding through Article 6 to around $1.1 million. Pettit said that kind of money will enable his department to implement key programs, such as lead immunization.

While not official yet, Pettit said he has attended advocacy days in Albany and “everyone we've talked to seemed very supportive; there doesn't seem any appetite of reducing it or taking it out.”

In addition, county health is set to receive $22,000 in performance incentive funds this year, which also can be used for any Article 6-eligible reimbursement, Pettit said.

Pettit touched upon several other aspects of the Genesee and Orleans department, which has been a merged agency for nearly 10 years:

-- Lead poisoning intervention: With the Centers for Disease Controls dropping the permitted levels to 3.5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (and NYS expected to adopt that measure), more people will be eligible for the county's lead program.

Pettit said the department is receiving three grants for its lead program: $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, $250,000 from the CDC and $100,000 annually for five years from the Healthy Neighborhood program that is targeted for the City of Batavia.

“That’s … where you can go in and work with landlords and homeowners ..., making sure their house is safe – smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and those different things,” he said.

-- Cross Jurisdictional Services: The shared services agreement with Orleans County has worked well, both financially and programmatically, Pettit said.

“I think our response to the pandemic and how we've been able to leverage resources and just share our media and our … information that we share with the public -- our public interface with a website -- those have all allowed us to be more efficient and streamlined with our responses,” he said.

Financially, he said the CJS agreement (shared staffing and programming) has saved $275,000 a year over the 9 ½ years – which equals $2.5 million over that time.

Pettit said he hopes that both counties will receive full accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board by early next year.

-- Community health assessment: Every four years, local health departments are required to conduct a full community health assessment. In Genesee’s case, it is being done in conjunction with Orleans and Wyoming counties.

“This is a very collaborative process where we work with all the health systems in the counties, and we bring in our different community partners and other departments … to put together our assessment of basically what's going on in our community, as far as access to health care, other types of services that are available,” Pettit said.

A spinoff of that is the Community Health Improvement Plan that utilizes a survey to obtain the public’s views on health care, transportation and other vital health-related subjects.

-- Septic replacement program: More than $110,000 has been given to Genesee County residents in eligible areas in reimbursement costs for upgrading their septic systems, and that program will continue this year.

“These are along definitely some of our higher tributaries and creeks and streams in the county where, again, we don't want to see incidental discharge occurring,” Pettit said.

-- Adult use of cannabis: The state is ramping up its marijuana legalization guidelines, meaning that the health department will be called upon to provide educational information and, possibly, compliance checks along the lines of tobacco enforcement.

Cases of people who have contracted the omicron variant of the coronavirus are trending in the right direction, giving Genesee-Orleans Public Health Director Paul Pettit cause for optimism that COVID-19 could become an endemic rather than a pandemic in the coming months.

“We’re seeing that decline … which is good,” Pettit said at this afternoon’s Genesee County Legislature Human Services Committee meeting at the Old County Courthouse. “The numbers now are the same that we saw in October and November.”

Pettit said that typically in the spring – when people get back outdoors and “change behaviors” – the numbers will stay low.

“Hopefully, we will see it go down back to a baseline level,” he said.

When asked by legislators if the pandemic could be over, Pettit said that he and his colleagues were talking about the endemic stage last summer, before the new strain came into being.

He said that he thinks that COVID will not go away totally, but eventually would be treated like the flu or other respiratory illnesses.

Pettit said the local health department is focusing on education and the utilization of “tools that we have now that we didn’t have last year,” primarily vaccine boosters, anti-viral medications and natural immunity as well as the continued practice of layered mitigation strategies such as staying home when sick, distancing and masking as indicated based on current public health guidance.  

“We’re providing an ongoing component of education; knowledge and information on how to protect yourself,” he said.

Responding to Legislator Gary Maha’s observation that servers and patrons at many restaurants are no longer wearing face coverings, Pettit said the mask mandate instituted by Gov. Kathy Hochul remains in place – at least for a couple more weeks due to a stay on a decision by a downstate judge who ruled that Hochul did not have such authority.

County Manager Matt Landers said that he is expecting another 2,500 in-home rapid antigen test kits by the end of the week and will be reaching out to towns and villages to see who wants to distribute them to their residents.

According to data on the county health department website, the number of new cases from Jan. 19-25 was 745, down from 1,848 from Jan. 5-11 and 1,104 from Jan. 12-18.

Article by Coach Nick Burk:

The Batavia indoor track team competed on Saturday in the Monroe County Championships at Brockport State College and had a phenomenal meet! The boys' team came away with the championship beating out 21 other schools, scoring 74 points with Rush Henrietta finishing in 2nd place scoring 63 points. The meet came down to the very end with one point separating the two schools with three events left to compete.

Austyn Fernandez earned the Monroe County Championship in the Shot Put with a throw of 43-8 and finished 4th in the Weight Throw (50-0).  The 4x200m Relay of Fabian Vazquez, Aidan Anderson, Parris Price, and Cole Grazioplene also won a Monroe County title and tied our school record with a time of 1:35.61.

Other scorers for the boys' team included Jesse Reinhart finishing in 2nd in the High Jump (6-0) and 6th in the 55H (8.9), Fabian Vazquez finished 2nd in the 55 Hurdles (8.19), and 4th in the Long Jump (19-10), Carter Havens finished 3rd in the Triple Jump (39-11), Ifran Armstrong finished 5th in the 55 Hurdles (8.82), Luke Geiger finished 2nd in the Weight Throw (51-2), and Dan Saeva finished 6th in the Shot Put (39-2).

The 4x800m Relay of Cody Harloff, Noah Pickard, Dom Grillo, and Nate Canale finished in 2nd place (8:44.39), and the 4x400 Relay of Donovan Solis, Carter Havens, Ifran Armstrong, and Cole Grazioplene finished 4th (3:42.99).  To have all three of our Boy's relays finish in the top four is a clear testament to the balance and depth of our program this season.

For our Boys to win the Monroe County Championship as one of the smallest schools, against some very tough competition can be considered with the finest accomplishments for our Batavia Track and Field Program to date.  The Monroe County league has so many gifted athletes and to earn this championship is very impressive for our Blue Devils.  The Batavia coaches, Dan Geiger (Throwers), Rich Boyce (Distance, High Jump), Bill Buckenmeyer (Distance, Hurdles), Breanna Clark (Pole Vault), and Amanda Mikiciuk (Sprints, Jumps) all did a tremendous job preparing our athletes to compete at such a high level.

The girls' team had some excellent individual performances led by Gavin Konieczny's 5th place finish in the Pole Vault (8-6).  Emma Radka finished in 5th place in the Shot Put (28-10), and the 4x800m Relay of Campbell Riley, Makayla Andalora, Jadyn Boyce, and Izzy Scott finished in 4th place (10:50.96)

The Blue Devils have two more prep meets before Sectionals and then will look to have significant success to close out the season at our additional championship meets in February.  Both the boys and girls have continued to improve this season and the team is embracing the opportunities to maintain and build upon the reputation and traditions of Batavia Track and Field.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Up to nine inches of snow are possible from a storm headed to the area that could hit sometime Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon.

A winter storm watch is in effect for all of western and north-central New York.

"Travel could be very difficult to impossible," advises the National Weather Service. "The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening
commutes."

Matthew Zakrzewski, 42, of Batavia, is charged with arson 3rd and criminal mischief 3rd. Zakrzewski, already in custody on unrelated charges, was arrested on new charges stemming from an incident reported at 9:30 p.m., Jan 16, on Bank Street, Batavia. He was jailed on nominal bail. Previously: Batavia man accused of setting fire in Washington Towers, stealing a bike

Laura Lee Pacer, 36, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Pacer is accused of harassing a neighbor at 10 a.m., Jan. 24, on Jackson Street. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Bleyke Z. Culver, 25, is charged with harassment 2nd. Culver is accused of hitting another person in the face during a fight on Pringle Avenue at 5:31 p.m., Jan. 11. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Heather Nicole Holbrook, 36, of Ellsworth Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Holbrook is accused of stealing merchandise from Walmart in Batavia at 3:49 p.m., Jan. 28.  She was released on an appearance ticket.

Michael David Hazzard, 31, of Morgan Road, Scottsville, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, driving with an open alcohol container. Hazzard was stopped at 4:11 a.m., Jan. 23, on Dublin Road, Bergen, following a complaint of a disturbance by Deputy Trevor Sherwood.

Joshua M. Bratcher, 31, of Pavilion, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs. Bratcher was stopped at 5:24 p.m., Jan. 30, by State Police in the Town of Bergen. He was issued an appearance ticket. No further information released.

Alonzo A. Dillard, 29, of Medina, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Dillard was stopped at 2:46 a.m., Jan. 30, by State Police in the Town of Alabama. He was issued an appearance ticket.  No further information released.

Jordan E. Brodie, 32, of Le Roy, is charged with possession of sexual performance of a child. Brodie was arrested in connection with an investigation that started on Jan. 13, 2020 by State Police. He was arrested on Jan. 29 and released on an appearance ticket.  No further details released.

Bobbi M. Bane, 45, of Batavia, is charged with welfare fraud 3rd and three counts of filing a false instrument 1st. Bane was arrested by State Police in connection with an investigation that began Jan. 25 in the Town of Albion.

John M. Toal, 46, of Oakfield, and Andrea L. Osborne, 37, of Oakfield, are charged with petit larceny.  Toal and Osborne were arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 4 p.m., Jan. 28, in Albion. They were issued appearance tickets. No further details released.

Kenneth Harris, 26, of Tonawanda, is charged with two counts of grand larceny 4th. Harris was arrested in Cheektowaga by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 10:24 a.m., Oct. 23 in the City of Batavia. No further details released.

Jordan R. Rose, 21, of Oakfield, is charged with criminal contempt  1st. Rose was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 3:10 p.m., Jan. 25, in the Town of Royalton. He was ordered held. No further details released.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating a fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred at 3:05 a.m., Saturday, on Route 77 in the Town of Pembroke.

Jordan E. Terkel, 32, of Corfu, was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Terkel's vehicle was reportedly southbound on Route 77 when it traveled off the south shoulder of the roadway and hit a utility pole. 

Coroner Karen Lang pronounced Terkel dead at the scene as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

The Sheriff's Crash Management Team is investigating the accident. 

Pembroke Fire and Indian Falls Fire assisted at the scene.

A much-coveted piece of downtown property will soon be home to Hunt Real Estate, Chief Executive Officer Peter Hunt says.

The company has purchased 97 Main St., Batavia, at the corner of Main and Jackson streets. Give them a few months, and his blossoming staff  — of about 16 people and growing — will be operating out of the site. 

Company leaders chose to add a branch in Batavia because it provides an integral connection between two of the company's major markets, Hunt said.

“First, it provides a very powerful link for us between Rochester and Buffalo. We've watched the market closely and believe that there's stability there and that there's a seeming energy and a renewed spirit of investment, particularly along Main Street, that we weren't a part of,” he said, addressing the company’s impending move. “We’re very excited about it.”

Peter Hunt lives in Buffalo, and he was pretty familiar with this area as a hockey coach, and that athletic role brought him to Batavia whenever his team played at the ice rink. Hunt Real Estate has been in temporary digs at 5 Jackson St. for the past year. The new space will have room — an estimated couple of thousand square feet on each of three floors — for growth of personnel and offices, and an apartment on each of the second and third floors, he said.

“And also we see the way the real estate market has changed, particularly since the pandemic descended on us. We see that communities like Batavia have a great opportunity for both improvement of the quality of life and also growth because it's becoming increasingly desirable to be in small to midsize cities and communities that have the kind of natural beauty that Batavia has all around it,” he said. “And we think that being part of that renewed excitement about communities like Batavia will be very important to us.”

Hunt followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and joined the family business right out of college. His son Charlie Hunt has done the same, and the chief operating officer has 10 years in at this point. The company has 58 branches from Boston, MA to upstate New York and in Phoenix, AZ. The company deals in mortgage, titles, insurance, residential/commercial sales. It is poised to provide services that no one else offers in Batavia, Peter Hunt said.

“Our vision very simply is ‘always there for you,’ which means that we are an integrated real estate and homeownership services organization, which we are the only one of currently serving Batavia,” he said. “So we're excited about adding value to the relationships that our sales professionals have with our customers and clients.”

With an eye toward growth, another sales professional was recently added to the Batavia branch, and 97 Main will eventually include two apartments to be renovation projects on the upper floors of the building. 

“Which really, I think, are going to be very cool units. You may know that they are in a  beautiful space in terms of high ceilings and beautiful windows, and so it's going to be a great spot,” he said. “We intend to grow; that's always our goal. As far as I'm concerned, growth is the name of the game in any business.”

Real estate sales were at a record high in 2021 — the best in sales during the company’s entire 110-year existence, he said. There’s a balancing act of supply and demand, and Hunt believes “there’s way, way less supply than there is demand,” which will keep pushing the market upward.

“So in order for that market to really cool down, there'd have to be a huge influx of inventory, more homes for sale. Percentage-wise, there has been huge growth, or there'd have to be a huge lessening of demand. Interest rates have moved up just very little over the last two months, and that will move affordability to make things less affordable. And we think that will affect demand a little bit, but not a real lot, because there's still a lot of pent-up demand for a nice house, a decent place to live,” he said. “We are four generations into the business, and while I guess I didn't wake up at age six or seven and say, ‘gee, I want to be in real estate,’ it's always been, obviously, part of our family culture.”

Batavia’s market includes many older homes, as compared to brand new projects, which make for a great product in the eyes of younger homebuyers, he said.

"It's all of Upstate that has had, really, a shortage of brand new housing for a long time. So the existing housing — you say older homes — really remain in high demand,” he said. “Young people, in particular, will see that as an opportunity to get a very nice home for still a very reasonable price compared to other parts of the country, and also the opportunity to improve that house and make it more valuable.”

The timeline is to get moved in and settled at 97 Main St. in the next few months, before focusing on apartment renovations, he said. He expects work to begin on the two apartments at the end of this year or early in 2023. The former Genesee Bank building also housed Thomas & Dwyer shoe store in downtown retail's heydays, and more recently House of K, Foxprowl Collectables, and other varied businesses.

Top and bottom photo by Howard Owens.

Top Photo from front left, Carol Hunt, Branch Manager Michelle Schlossel, Annette Rotondo, Gavin Townsend, Carson Marzolf, and back row left, Stephanie D'Alba, Bob Kwandrans, Marie Scofield, and Office Administrator Lauren Becht. 

The property at the corner of Main and Jackson streets, Batavia.

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.37, up four cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.42. The New York State average is $3.55, up five cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.51. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia - $3.51 (up eight cents from last week)
• Buffalo - $3.49 (up four cents from last week)
• Ithaca - $3.54 (up five cents from last week)
• Rochester - $3.55 (up five cents from last week)
• Rome - $3.58 (up five cents from last week)
• Syracuse - $3.51 (up four cents from last week)
• Watertown - $3.54 (up two cents from last week)

According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand is in a typical range for the winter driving season, equivalent to mid-January 2020. Continued growth in the price of crude oil has helped to keep pump prices elevated. If crude prices continue to climb, pump prices will likely follow suit. This morning, oil prices are in the high $80s to low $90s per barrel. Tension between Russia and Ukraine pushed crude prices up last week. Amid tight global supply, there are market concerns that a looming invasion could contribute to a volatile market, pushing prices higher.

From Gas Buddy:

“The price of oil pushed into territory unseen in over seven years as WTI crude hit $88 per barrel, which continues to drag gasoline prices higher. With continued concerns over geopolitical tensions and crude oil supply, the small yet noticeable increases are likely to continue," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "The only factor keeping gas prices from rising more substantially is that gasoline demand remains low as winter storms keep motorists closer to home. Once the weather starts to turn and warm gradually, we'll lose the only restraint to larger price increases."

Second cousins Hayden and Alex Allis lit up Medina Lanes on Sunday morning, rolling an 805 series and 300 game, respectively, in the Sunday Rolloffs League.

Hayden, a 25-year-old right-hander, posted games of 289, 258 and 258 for his second United States Bowling Congress-certified 800 series. His high series is 822.

Alex, a 22-year-old righty, fired his second USBC-certified 300 game en route to a 777 series. He previously rolled an 834 series.

Roger Allis, Hayden's father, was third on the list of high scores in the league with a 259 game and 734 series.

In the Thursday Ladies League at Medina Lanes, Amy Allis, who is Hayden's cousin and Alex's aunt, led the way with a 268 game and 704 series.

Elsewhere around the Genesee Region USBC last week, Chris Bailey of Batavia just missed an 800 series -- rolling 32 strikes in a 298-228-267--793 effort in the Turnbull Heating Triples League at Mancuso Bowling Center.

Bailey, who turns 41 on Tuesday, left a pocket 7-10 split after 11 in a row in the first game, had 10 strikes in the second game around a split and an open frame, and came back with 11 strikes in the third game, including the final nine after an open in the third frame.

In the Mancuso Real Estate League on Monday, Devon Leach of Batavia started with a 300 game in a 748 series. Leach, winner of the GRUSBC Scratch Memorial Tournament earlier this month, had an 802 series in October.

At Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen, Nathan Cordes of Batavia recorded a 289 game and 784 series in the Wednesday Men's Handicap League.

For a list of high scores, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the home page.

A motor vehicle accident is reported at State Street and Fairmont Avenue, Batavia.

Injuries are reported.

City Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:15 p.m.: Two cars, blocking.

UPDATE 9:20 p.m.: Two vehicles, no extrication required, three patients, two sign-offs.

Mercy Flight has been dispatched to the Stafford Fire Hall for a snowmobile accident that occurred at about 7:10 p.m. in the area of 5660 Horseshoe Lake Road, Stafford.

Stafford Fire and Mercy EMS responded.  Le Roy Fire dispatched with that company's UTV.

The patient is about a half-mile off the roadway and was initially unconscious but breathing and is said to now be somewhat conscious.

UPDATE 7:43 p.m.: Mercy Flight is on the ground.

Press release:

Regarding the upcoming vacant position of Council at large representative on City Council, City of Batavia Republican Committee Chairman Richard Richmond invites qualified individuals seeking to serve in this role to submit a letter of interest to him by February 17, 2022 

Mail Letters of interest to:

City of Batavia Republican Committee
PO Box 260
Batavia, NY 14021

To be qualified for the position, the prospective representative must be a resident of the City of Batavia and a member of the same political party as the representative who most recently served in the seat—in this case, a Republican.  These are requirements of Section 3-3 of the City Charter. ( Officially resigning, and his last day February 12, 2022, Jeremy Karas was a registered Republican; therefore, his replacement must also be a registered Republican).

The City Republican Committee expects to recommend an individual to the City Council, which has the appointment power to fill the vacancy temporarily.  The Council appointment will run through the calendar year 2022.  At the general election in 2022, there will be a special election to fill the remaining  3-years of the regular four-year term of office for the mentioned position.

 

Press Release:

The decision by the Farm Laborers Wage Board to lower overtime hours from 60 to 40 hours is fatal to our farms. Agriculture is a vital part of our Upstate community and with this change, many family farms will not survive. I have spoken with countless farmers and farm workers who have shared their concerns with this hour reduction.

Unfortunately, this will result in farm workers not coming to New York but going to other states with friendlier regulations. At a time when it is being preached to follow the advice of industry experts, the Wage Board instead opted to ignore the experts and pursue this out of touch agenda. I am deeply troubled by this decision and the impact it will have, not only in my district, but across our State.