One time when Shirley Taylor was pinstriping a man told her, "I've never seen anybody pinstriping like you before."

She knew the man wasn't being negative, but she still wasn't sure how to take the remark.

When the publisher of a UK-based hot rod magazine, "Pinstriping and Kustom Graphics," contacted her on Facebook and said she really liked her work, Taylor thought maybe she had found her own style that people like.

This month, Taylor is featured in that magazine, a bit of recognition only six years after she took up the art form.

"I always loved art, ever since I was a little kid," the Batavia resident said. "I’ve always loved painting and drawing, but I never knew about pinstriping until six years ago and I was first introduced to it. I never knew it existed."

Pinstriping is the art of creating designs using thin, precise lines, usually as decoration on objects. The art form is tied closely to hot rods and motorcycles, but pinstripers will also paint on sheets of metal and just about any object that might be of interest. Taylor's mailbox, for example, is pinstriped, and her collection of work includes Christmas tree ornaments.

She got started while attending an annual hot-rodding event hosted by her brother and a pinstriper there offered her a lesson. She's been hooked ever since, she said. After she learned the basics, she started to develop her own style.

When she attends the Syracuse Nationals this year, it will be her fourth year participating, painting panels along with pinstripers from all over the world. She said all of the items painted are auctioned off with the proceeds being donated to the Ronald McDonald House. Over the three days, she said, on average, they raise $75,000.

Last year was her first trip to a panel jam (a group of pinstripe artists gathering to paint) in Cleveland and she's been invited to an event in Chicago this year.

"It's a good community of people who come from all over the world for panel jams," she said.

Taylor's work can be found on her Facebook page.

I've been in the county's history department a few times but never noticed this sculpture before.

It's by Giovanni-Battista Lombardi, an Italian sculptor who lived from 1823 to 1880.

The bust was originally the property of the Dean Richmond family, and the last family to live in the Richmond Mansion, Watts Richmond, sold it to C.C. Bradley Sr., who donated it the history department in 1978.

It's striking because the veil looks so natural from a slight distance, but step closer and you see it's also marble.

The technique was popularized by sculptor Rafaelle Monti (1818-1881).

Based on a Google search, Lombardi seems to have made several copies of this bust. This one is dated 1866. The Metropolitan Museum of Art lists one in its collection from 1869. Earlier versions seem to exist as well.

The Genesee County History Department has received an interesting donation. It is a surveyor's transit that once belonged to Joseph W. Holmes.

Holmes was born in 1831 in Alabama and would eventually become the village engineer for Batavia. He became a preeminent engineer in Western New York, according to Michael Eula, director of the History Department. He was also an inventor, manufacturer and served one term representing Genesee County in the NYS Assembly.

He died in 1919.

The transit probably passed to his son, Glenn D. Holmes, also born in Alabama, in 1873, and a graduate of Batavia High School and Cornell University. He eventually became city engineer for Syracuse.

A resident of Hamilton discovered the transit along with some books that belonged to Glenn D. Holmes in his residence and made the donation to Genesee County. The transit is inscribed with the name of Joseph Holmes and "Batavia, NY."

It bears a striking resemblance to a transit Holmes used in a patent filing in 1883 for modifications and improvements to a transit for the purpose of better acquiring an accurate solar time. In an article on the evolution of the transit, Holmes is cited as one of several inventors who made modifications to the device during that era.

“This instrument is a wonderful example of the place that engineers held both in Western New York and indeed in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries," Eula said. "Engineers were really at the forefront of economic modernization that was taking place around the country."

In the collection of material donated was a sales receipt from Joseph W. Holmes.

A chimney fire is reported in a residence at 2109 Angling Road, Corfu. The Corfu fire chief on scene says it's currently contained to a "three-inch chimney pipe." Corfu and East Pembroke fire departments are responding. Other units were called but were subsequently told to go back in service.

The rollout of technology in the classroom is going faster than expected at Batavia City Schools, Director of Technology Jeffrey McKinney told the school board during its meeting on Tuesday evening at the Richmond Memorial Library.

There are now more than 2,100 Chromebooks distributed among students at the school, and with the delivery of Chromebooks to Jackson School, the rollout is six months ahead of schedule.

McKinney was joined during the presentation by teachers who are "tech mentors" for other teachers and staff members. They shared the various ways that Chromebooks and related software are being used to help drive learning and lesson plans.

High school Science teacher Bert Hall said he thinks the program is going really well and it's great to see.

“I would be remiss to say if I didn’t mention how proud I am to work for a community and a school district that cares so openly and so deeply about their students," Hall said.

Teacher John Mangefrida talked about how students are better able to organize their work on the Chromebooks.

"Where there was disorder, now there is order," he said.

Asked by a board member if parents can access their children's lesson plans and homework online, Mangefrida said they could. All it takes is for them to request access and they will be sent an email with instructions and a link.

The board member asked if that happens much, Mangefrida said it doesn't.

"The kids don't share that information," he said.

Jessica Korzelius and Cynthia Morgan shared their process for taking students through a lesson plan for a day, using Hyperdocs, which ends with a survey-like assessment that will help students gauge their own progress and give teachers feedback on how the lesson is working for the students.

“One of the best things about Hyperdocs is knowing that one of the hardest parts of our jobs is differentiating and making sure we reach all of our students and this really allows those who struggle to have extra support and those who can fly a little bit higher can do some more on their own," Korzelius said.

The district as also made tremendous progress on upgrading infrastructure and rolling out broadband, McKinney said.

"Everything is running at top speed," he said. "We have enough bandwidth right now for every teacher, student, parent, staff member to have eight devices on the network. ... We are flying as far as that goes."

Boys Basketball

• Cal-Mum 65, Le Roy 58 FINAL/OT
• Perry 70, Pavilion 41 FINAL
• Akron 39, Lyndonville 38 FINAL

Girls Basketball

• Oakfield 61, Alexander 49 FINAL
• Elba 33, Kendall 17 FINAL
• Notre Dame 38, Wheatland-Chili 33 FINAL
• Byron-Bergen 59, Pembroke 41 FINAL
• Attica 65, Holley 20 FINAL
• Batavia 50, C.G. Finney 15 FINAL

Hockey

• Notre Dame 2, Geneseo 1 FINAL
• Aquinas 8, Genesee Ice Devils 0 FINAL

Press release:

The Byron-Bergen Central School District is one of 433 school districts in the United States and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 7th Annual AP^® District Honor Roll.

To be included on the Honor Roll, Byron-Bergen had to demonstrate an increase in the number of students participating in the Advanced Placement (AP) program since 2014, as well as increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP exam scores of 3 or higher. Reaching these goals shows that the district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP.

“We are exceptionally proud of our students for taking advantage of the Advanced Placement courses available at our high school,” said Superintendent Mickey Edwards. “They recognize the importance of preparing for life after graduation, and are working hard towards their goals every day. I’d also like to thank our entire educational community for their commitment to AP and student success.”

National data from 2016 show that among black/African American, Hispanic, and Native American students with a high degree of readiness for AP, only about half are participating. The first step to getting more of these students to participate is to give them access. Courses must be made available, gatekeeping must stop, and doors must be equitably opened. Byron-Bergen CSD is committed to expanding the availability of AP courses among prepared and motivated students of all backgrounds.

“Congratulations to all the teachers and administrators in this district who have worked so tirelessly to both expand access to AP and to help students succeed on the AP exams,” said Trevor Packer, the College Board’s head of AP and Instruction. “These teachers and administrators are delivering real opportunity in their schools and classrooms, and students are rising to the challenge.”

Helping more students learn at a higher level and earn higher AP scores is an objective of all members of the AP community, from AP teachers to district and school administrators to college professors. Many districts are experimenting with initiatives and strategies to see how they can expand access and improve student performance at the same time.

In 2016, more than 4,000 colleges and universities around the world received AP scores for college credit, advanced placement, or both, and/or consideration in the admission process.

Inclusion on the 7th Annual AP District Honor Roll is based on a review of three years of AP data, from 2014 to 2016, looking across 37 AP exams, including world language and culture. The following criteria were used.

Districts must:

• Increase participation/access to AP by at least 4 percent in large districts, at least 6 percent in medium districts, and at least 11 percent in small districts;
• Increase or maintain the percentage of African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students taking exams; and increase or maintain the percentage of those students scoring 3+ on at least one AP exam;
• Improve or maintain performance levels when comparing the 2016 percentage of students scoring a 3 or higher to the 2014 percentage, unless the district has already attained a performance level at which more than 70 percent of its AP students earn a 3 or higher;
• Achieve these outcomes among an AP student population in which 30 percent or more are underrepresented minority students (black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native) and/or 30 percent or more are low-income students (students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch).

The Fighting Irish traveled to Geneseo Tuesday night to take on Geneseo-Livonia. Notre Dame dominated the first two periods, entering the third with a 2-0 lead. Geneseo rallied a comeback attempt in the third, but despite several scoring opportunities were unable to overcome the two-point deficit, leading to a 2-1 victory for the Fighting Irish. 

Photos by Destin Danser Photography. Click here to view more or purchase prints.

As Batavia Town planners moved a pair of solar farm projects ahead Tuesday night, they debated the ramifications of more of these ventures upon agricultural land in the future.

The planning board approved seeking lead agency status for state environmental quality review for 11-acre solar farms on properties owned by Thomas Lichtenthal at 8169 Bank Street Road and Call Farms at 7755 Oak Orchard Road.

Both landowners are working with ForeFront Power to repurpose a portion of their 93-acre and 83.5-acre parcels, respectively, to connect to the power grid and generate about two megawatts of power each – enough electricity to service about 300 homes.

In typical solar farm agreements, property owners receive “rent” for using their land, which becomes a vehicle to produce electricity from a clean, renewable source -- while the solar company benefits by selling the solar power to the utility company.

The Lichtenthal and Call farms proposals first came to the planning board in December 2015.

Genesee County Planning Director Felipe Oltramari reported that the area to be used on the Call Farms property was not prime land for farming, while the Bank Street Road site is in an archeologically sensitive area and will need additional documentation.

Following their positive lead agency votes, board members and Oltramari discussed the solar farm issue in the context of the loss of prime agricultural land.

As the only town in the county that has zoning for solar farms, Oltramari said the protection of farm land “could become an issue as you get more of these” projects.

Planner Lou Paganello said he could see things getting out of hand.

“I didn’t think we’d be talking about giving up to 100 acres,” he said. “Where do we stop things from getting out of control? What are our options?

“Looking at the long term, we could have 50, 100 or 200 of these coming in. We need to know our legal rights and limits.”

Code Enforcement Officer Daniel Lang reminded board members that they had previously discussed solar farms at length and had decided to allow them as long as they didn’t exceed 20 acres.

“I think we should have done it (consider other restrictions) then, not after we’ve received applications,” he said.

Planner Jeremy Liles agreed with Lang, adding “how can we regulate the way someone uses their land?”

Town Engineer Steve Mountain noted that the local law was enacted to limit solar farms in size and that the special use permit process “gives us more say” concerning the most beneficial use of the land – a point echoed by Lang.

While some said they foresee many more solar farm applications down the road, planner Paul Marchese said he wasn’t so sure of that.

“I don’t think there will be an explosion because of the requirements that they (solar farms) need to be so close to the (power) grid,” he said.

In other developments:

-- Planners approved the construction of a 64-foot by 150-foot open air pavilion that would be attached to the existing building at the Bontrager Auctions site at 8975 Wortendyke Road. Voting came after planners determined that the project would have no impact upon the environment.

Owner Todd Jantzi said he will employ Dave Bennett Construction to build the pavilion, starting in March. He said that the covered structure, which will replace a tent, will enable him to conduct auctions year-round.

-- The board discussed a proposal by Pellegrino Auto Sales to put on a three-bay addition, measuring 1,200 square feet, at the dealership located at 4060 Pearl Street Road.

This proposal needs to go through the variance process, starting with the Genesee County Planning Board to the Town Zoning Board of Appeals and back to the Town Planning Board.

-- Town Engineer Steve Mountain said that the town has completed three of four required “high-impact actions” toward its goal of achieving Clean Energy Communities status and earning one of 14 grants in the Genesee/Finger Lakes Region -- 10 at $50,000 and four at $100,000 -- through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority program.

Mountain said that the town has successfully implemented the Benchmarking, Unified Solar Permit and Energy Code Enforcement Training actions, and expects to finish the LED Street Lights component by this summer. The town has about 70 street lights that need to be converted to energy-efficient LEDs.

On Monday night, City of Batavia officials attended a presentation on the program, which was reported on The Batavian.

Update, 11 a.m., Feb. 8:

Contacted by The Batavian this morning, Robert Chiarmonte, Mall Merchants Association board chairperson, would not comment on Tuesday's meeting.

"I've been advised by counsel (attorney) to not speak about the negotiations," Chairmonte said.

He did say that another meeting is planned and it will be "soon."

City Centre business owners and managers met Tuesday afternoon with Mall Merchants Association leadership and attorneys to learn the details of a proposal to end a 10-year dispute with the City of Batavia over the condition of the structure's roof.

A person close to the negotiations said a mediator had been called in to facilitate an out-of-court settlement over who is responsible for the maintenance of the mall's leaky roof.

City Manager Jason Molino said the two sides "continue to work toward a mutual agreement, with ongoing discussions" focused on settling the issue "outside of court, if possible."

A Level 3 sex offender facing a possible life sentence on his latest charges of alleged sexual conduct with a child won't get a chance to make bail, Interim Judge Micheal Pietruszka ruled in Genesee County Court this morning.

Marlek Holmes is facing the possibility of four different jury trials on Grand Jury indictments containing 30 counts of various sex offenses, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said in County Court today.

There are six Grand Jury indictments, with two being incorporated into other indictments to create the possibility of four different trials on each set of charges.

"I haven't even thought about that yet," Friedman said when County Court Judge Charles Zambito asked him which case he will go forward with first if the 42-year-old Holmes doesn't accept a plea offer.

Friedman also revealed he hasn't even decided yet on what offer he might hand over to the attorney for Holmes, Gerard Roux.

A plea offer will be put into writing in the next few days, Friedman said, but Roux is about to leave on out-of-town travel so Holmes won't be back in court until 1:30 p.m., March 1.

At that time, Holmes will either be able to accept the plea offer or the first case will be set for trial.

If Holmes goes to trial and he is convicted, the registered sex offender is facing a potential sentence of life in prison.

The counts against Holmes include two Class A felonies in the last indictment -- predatory sexual assault and predatory sexual assault against a child -- Holmes could be sent to prison for the rest of his life.

In all, Holmes is charged with 11 counts related to alleged sex crimes between 2010 and 2015, plus there are also charges still pending stemming from two prior incidents where Holmes allegedly failed to register his correct street address as a registered sex offender.

Also in court today, also represented by Roux, was Marquis Saddler. The 26-year-old Saddler is facing felony burglary and assault charges for his alleged role in a home invasion attack in October on residents on Central Avenue, Batavia. Saddler's case was also continued until March 1 with the expectation that Friedman will have a plea offer ready before then for the consideration of Saddler and his attorney.

Boys Basketball 

• Byron-Bergen 67, Holley 40 FINAL
• Pembroke 59, Oakfield 57 FINAL
• Kendall 55, Wheatland-Chili 37 FINAL

Girls Basketball

• Pavilion 50, Honeoye 36 FINAL
• Lyndonville 51, Rochester Academy 50 FINAL

Shaking out Stats and Scores from Monday in HS Sports

We've not reported on the dismissal of Rick Rapone as head coach of the Le Roy boys varsity basketball, a story first reported by Batavia's Best, in part because we wanted to try and get a better idea of what happened.

We checked with sources and couldn't get even a hint of what might have happened and the school never replied to an email seeking comment or even confirmation.

Today, another news outlet threatened to boycott coverage of the Le Roy High School athletic program because reporters and editors there feel the school district hasn't been forthcoming with information and they expect the school to apologize for firing Rapone.

Though some might like us to join such a boycott, we are not going to engage in such theatrics. 

• First, we don't know what happened, and we're never going to know. The school district or the school can't tell us and it's unrealistic to demand such disclosure from administrators;
• Second, while I admire many coaches in our community, and Rick Rapone always treated me well, The Batavian doesn't cover sports to highlight coaches. We cover sports to highlight players. It's about the kids, not the coaches, and I believe that's how Rick Rapone would want it as well.  

So, we will continue to cover Le Roy athletics in the same manner and frequency we always have (which is to make it part of our rotation of coverage of trying to provide some coverage to all the schools with our limited resources).

NOTE: As a matter of transparency, I read the column in question at about 12:30. There's a timestamp on it now that it was last updated at about 1 p.m.,  I posted this just before 4 p.m., but, frankly, did not think at that time to check to see if the column had been altered. The threat to boycott coverage has been removed.

GLOW YMCA’s is kicking off its annual Strong Communities Campaign.

Part of the Y’s charitable mission is the philosophy that we never turn away someone with an inability to pay for membership or programs. To that end, we raise funds annually through the Strong Communities Campaign to help subsidize scholarships for youths, teens, adults, families and seniors in our community.

• This year’s campaign runs from Feb. 1st  – March 31st; 
• Our goal is to raise $36,000;
• We want to positively impact at least 700 people’s lives in the Greater Genesee Community;
• Reaching our goal will insure that children and families regardless of their socioeconomic status will have the chance to benefit from the important lessons of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility through YMCA programs and services.

We need your help! Please consider a gift to support us in achieving this goal and making our community stronger for all. To make a gift, contact Jeff Townsend, associate executive director at (585) 344-1664.

A person was reportedly attacked by a dog on State Street in the city and has multiple bite wounds. Police and Mercy medics are responding to 160 State St., lower apartment. The dog is now confined.

UPDATE 12:24 p.m.: An animal control officer is on scene and working to determine the status of the dog that bit a man. The dog is in the basement of the building where it lives. It is an older golden retriever/Labrador retriever mixed breed. It was playing inside with a newly acquired puppy that is a boxer mixed breed. The couple who owns both dogs was at home. The animal control officer said he was told the dogs have not been getting along well. Their play began to get aggressive and there was growling. The male resident tried to break up what became a dog fight and was subsequently bitten by the older dog, said the animal control officer. The man suffered bites on an arm and a leg, which will likely need stitches, and he was transported to UMMC.

A freezing rain advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for Genesee County and is effect until 1 p.m.

An accumulation of ice on roadways and sidewalks of only a few hundredths of an inch will make for slippery conditions and caution is advised.

Press release:

In celebration of Darien Lake Amphitheater’s 25th concert season, Live Nation, the amphitheater operator is partnering with Darien Lake Theme Park to offer an amazing deal to concert ticket buyers for this season. Each ticket purchased for a concert at the amphitheater will include complementary same-day admission into Darien Lake Theme Park. The offer will be valid for all tickets purchased for any concert at the amphitheater that occurs during the theme park’s operating schedule.

The 25th season lineup at Darien Lake Amphitheater is already shaping up to be one for fans of all types of music, including appearances by Luke Bryan, Green Day, Chicago & The Doobie Brothers, Train and many more to be announced in the coming months.

“This historic offer is a great way to honor the long history of the amphitheater, as well as its unique proximity to the theme park. This promotion is a great savings to the concert fan and thrill seeker alike – it truly is the deal of the summer,” said Jim Koplik, Live Nation president of Upstate New York and Connecticut.

In previous years, concertgoers wanting to enjoy a day at the Theme Park would have needed to purchase a combo ticket in advance or at the gate for a cost that has ranged from $9.99 to $19.99 plus fees.

“In celebration of our 25th season of concerts at Darien Lake, we’ve partnered with Live Nation to add some extraordinary value to the experience. Where else can you ride coasters all day and rock out all night with the greatest stars in the music industry?” said Chris Thorpe, general manager of Darien Lake Theme Park.

The visiting Pembroke Dragons defeated the Oakfield Hornets Monday in a game that was hard fought to the bitter end. The first half ended tied at 26 and both teams traded baskets through the second half, leading to a 57-57 tie with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. Pembroke went on to score two points with just over 20 seconds left on the clock, followed by a huge stop on defense to secure the Dragons' victory. 

Leading scorers for Pembroke were #15 Kyle Ludwig (pictured above) with 14 points, and #10 Ried Miano (pictured below) with 13 points. 

Photos by Destin Danser Photography. Click here to view more and purchase photos.

City of Batavia leaders are exploring the possibility of receiving up to $100,000 in grant funding through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Clean Energy Communities Program.

Public Works Director Matt Worth, Maintenance Superintendent Ray Tourt, Waste & Wastewater Superintendent Jim Ficarella and City Council members Adam Tabelski and Rose Mary Christian attended an hour-long presentation Monday night to learn the ins-and-outs of the program, which recognizes and rewards local governments for implementing a clean energy strategy.

The CECP is a $16 million statewide initiative to help municipalities reduce energy consumption and drive clean energy use, said David S. Zorn, executive director of the nine-county Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council and regional program coordinator.

Of that $16 million, $1.7 million in grants has been allocated to communities in the Genesee/Finger Lakes Region that achieve “Clean Energy” status.

Local governments that achieve at least four of 10 “high-impact actions” will earn CEC designation and then be eligible to access the grant funding, Zorn said.

“We will provide the resources and technical assistance to help local governments take action that could result in significant money saved at the municipal level, and also create jobs and improve the environment,” he said. “And we’re not just throwing a manual to you or giving you a link to a website. We actually have people in our office to assist you.”

Zorn outlined the 10 high-impact actions during his presentation at City Centre Council Chambers.

He said that Batavia, as a city, would be able to choose any of the 10 in its effort to obtain a grant for small/medium populations (under 39,999 people). He said that four $100,000 grants and 10 $50,000 grants will be awarded to communities in that population range in the Genesee/Finger Lakes Region -- and no local match would be required.

For large population centers (40,000 and over), NYSERDA will be awarding two grants of $250,000, and two grants of $150,000.

The 10 high-impact actions are as follows:

-- Benchmarking: Using the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) portfolio manager software, the community reports the energy use of municipal buildings to the public on an annual basis.

-- Clean Energy Upgrades: The municipality must achieve a 10-percent reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings through upgrades and renewable energy.

-- LED Street Lights: One of the “poster children” of the program, according to Zorn, this action item requires the locality to convert at least half of its cobra head-style street lights to energy-efficient LED technology.

-- Clean Fleets: Communities must install an EV charging station and/or other alternative fuel infrastructure OR deploy alternative fuel vehicles in the municipal fleet. In the case of the LED street lights and clean fleets, the NYS Power Authority offers low-interest financing and assessment assistance, Zorn noted.

-- Solarize: This is a campaign where communities or a third-party facilitator oversee at least 10 residential or small business rooftop solar installations. Zorn said discounts as well as state and federal tax incentives apply to these types of projects.

-- Unified Solar Permit: Municipalities pass legislation to adopt the NYS Unified Solar Permit to reduce costs and delays for solar projects.

-- Energy Code Enforcement Training: A one-on-one training for the community’s code enforcement officer and two other employees, this action results in “best practices” code enforcement by focusing on collaborative plan reviews and joint inspections of local construction projects.

-- Climate Smart Communities Certification: Localities can earn bronze, silver or gold designation by complying with this comprehensive rating system. Zorn said that 11 communities in Genesee/Finger Lakes have made this pledge, with the City of Rochester already achieving certification.

-- Community Choice Aggregation: A type of “bulk buying” program, this action item gives municipalities the opportunity to transition to alternative energy sources by enlisting residents and business owners to purchase energy at lower prices.

-- Energize NY Finance: An option for cities and counties only, this allows commercial or nonprofit property owners to pay back the cost of clean energy upgrades to their buildings through a special charge on their property tax bills.

Zorn said that the CECP has been going since last summer and thus far more than 50 municipalities in this region have been advised of the program.

“But nobody has gotten to four (high-impact actions) yet,” he said.

Tabelski and Christian said they will report on the CECP at the next City Council meeting, which is scheduled for Feb. 13.

“We’re looking at all aspects of the program,” Tabelski said. “We can’t cross any of these things off the list. We need to see how we can apply them to the city.”

Zorn said his agency is promoting a webinar series through next month and will be sponsoring workshops in May. For information about the webinars, click here.

Photo -- David Zorn informs City of Batavia officials about the finer points of the Clean Energy Communities Program on Monday night. Photo by Mike Pettinella.