Business

A farm worker in Darien has been accused of stealing and selling 150 head of cattle from Herdsman at Reyncrest Farms and selling them for more than $250,000.

Charles G. Baldwin, 37, 4 John St., Akron, is charged with grand larceny and now held at Genesee County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Baldwin allegedly stole the cattle between July 2007 and May 2009 from the farm located at 9666 Route 77, Darien. The farm is owned by the Reynolds family, who reportedly employed Baldwin.

The alleged crime was investigated by William T. Ferrando, an investigator with the Sheriff's Office.

Victorian Manor in Batavia, which has been facing financial difficulty (just last fall, there were $1.54 million in liens against the property), has a new owner and a new name.

It's now The Manor House, owned and operated by Manor House, LLC.  The financially troubled Sunwest Management transferred the facility to a group of 10 individual investors.

Full press release after the jump:

It’s official—Victorian Manor is now The Manor House.  On Friday, June 
26, 2009, ownership was transferred from Sunwest Management to Manor House, 
LLC.

The new owners are the 10 individual investors who were originally brought in 
by Sunwest when it purchased the facility in 2006.  When Sunwest began to 
struggle financially in 2008, the investors undertook an effort to take 
control of the facility and have now been able to conclude the transfer of 
control and ownership.

“We loved this facility when we first invested in 2006 and love it even 
more today as we have been able to really get to know the staff and 
residents,” said Gordon Davis, the Managing Partner for the new ownership.  
“This is more than a physical facility.  It is home for our residents, but 
also, a community itself and an integral part of Batavia and all of Genesee 
County.”

The Manor House is an independent living facility for seniors with 40 
apartments and a full dining room in the original 15 year old building on 
East Main Street.  The new owners will now complete the construction of two 
new wings which will bring the total number of studio, one and two bedroom 
apartments to 90.

Despite its financial and management troubles, Sunwest, as the fourth largest 
operator of senior living facilities in the nation, understood how to design 
a senior living facility that was more than just an apartment.  The new wings 
were designed to complement the existing building with additional common 
community spaces, an exercise room; a games and recreation room, a hair salon 
and a large “ice cream parlor.”  “I think the ice cream parlor will be 
where everyone meets during the day” said Davis.  “Living at The Manor 
House is about being with friends and people you enjoy.  Staff is there to 
support our residents with high quality meals, organized activities and 
service that meets the different needs that our residents have.”

“We have finalized our agreements with the contractors and they will be 
back to work to finish the new wings beginning next week” said Davis.  
“We expect to have our first apartments ready for occupancy within about 
four weeks.”

Local contractors who had stopped work last summer and filed liens on the 
property are pleased to be back to finish their work.  “We are proud of the 
work that we do and it was hard to see this so close to completion yet no way 
to finish” said Brian Wormley of Wormley Construction, a contractor doing a 
walk through today. “This is a great facility and it will be nice to see 
people moving in soon.”

The Manor House was originally built by St. Jerome Hospital in conjunction 
with the Sisters of Mercy in 1994.  It has been a prominent feature on East 
Main ever since, and during the summer months, always with residents enjoying 
the daily movement of Batavia from its expansive porch.

If you've driven past Zigrossi Motors on Route 5 in Batavia last night or this morning and took note of a seemingly empty parking lot, don't jump to the conclusion that Zigrossi is out of business.

While you will be seeing less inventory on the lot over the next few months, that isn't why the lot was emptied last night -- that had more to do with hail than the fact that the business is being sold.

Harry Zigrossi has been in the car business for 30 years, he said, and he's ready to retire.

A buyer has been found, but because of the General Motors bankruptcy, the deal cannot close until early 2010, unless GM emerges from bankruptcy sooner.

"Because we were fortunate enough to be on good asset side of the General Motors list and not the bad asset side, we can be sold," Zigrossi said. "If we were on the bad asset list, there would be no new dealer and we would be shutting down."

Meanwhile, Zigrossi is still open for business. The new cars on the lot are all for sale and the service department remains open.  Zigrossi said all operations will continue until the new dealer assumes control.

The Downtown Public Market opens in the morning at 9:30 a.m.

Vendors this year include: Lloyd Christ Farms, S & T Christ Farms, J & W Fresh Farm Produce, Nice Farms, Schwab Farms & Watt Farm, Alston’s BBQ Sauce, Genesee ARC (Handmade) Pet Products, Nonna’s Vegetable Plants & Crafts & Pressed Flowers by L. Regatuso, Posy Power Peddler

Jackson St. Grill & Belladessa’s Pizza will serve hots, hamburgers, pizza & refreshments from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

The market runs every Thursday for the season from 9:30 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the corner of Center and Ellicott.

The micro-enterprise loan/grant program, which has been used by a number of businesses in downtown Batavia over the years to help them get started or expand is now available to any business in Genesee County, the Chamber of Commerce announced today.

The program provides cash for small businesses (five or fewer employees, including the owner) in a loan (75 percent) and grant (25 percent) format so businesses can hire more people, buy new equipment or make other business improvements that will lead to greater employment.

The program is designed to augment private funding sources when traditional loans are either unaffordable or unavailable.

Full press release after the jump:

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce announced today the availability of a micro-enterprise loan/grant program (75% loan, 25% grant) for small businesses located in Genesee County.  The program is designed to augment private funding sources when other funding is unaffordable or unavailable.  While standard commercial lending policies will apply, interest rates and repayment terms will feature affordability and flexibility generally not offered by banks.

Eligible borrowers must be micro-enterprise business owners with five employees or fewer (including the owner).  Funds may be used for any legitimate business purpose including, but not limited to, capital equipment, inventory, and working capital. 

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is an equal opportunity organization and therefore will not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, political affiliation, disability, or any category designated by Federal law. 

For applications and/or program details, contact the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce at 210 East Main Street, Batavia, 585-343-7440.

I took this picture last week, but I have the same thought every time I reach the intersection of Main St. and Lake St. in Le Roy: What good is Walgreens going to do for Le Roy? What where village planners thinking when they agreed to see two buildings that fit the village torn down and replaced by one that intentionally doesn't fit?

The Walgreens will do nothing to help the existing businesses in the village or help fill up the 10 or so vacant store fronts there.

The parking lot in front of the building is designed to make Walgreens a drive in, buy, and leave location.  The black metal fence further imprisons Walgreens customers, sending a clear message: Don't park here and walk to the village.

A new company coming into an existing business district couldn't send a more hostile message to the local community than this parking lot and fence.

Patrick Weissend, after 11 years as director of the Holland Land Office Museum, is changing jobs. He is joining the Bank of Castile as branch manager in Medina.

His 11-year-term puts him well ahead of the three-year average for museum directors in New York, but said the Bank of Castile offer was a great opportunity.

"I've been here for 11 years," Weissend said. "I love it here. It's a great place to work and great place to be and a great place to grow, and this opportunity came along and it can be like the opportunity of a lifetime that I can't pass up.  It's not something I applied for -- well, I did apply for it eventually -- It kind of just fell into my lap, so I had to take advantage of it."

Weissend, a Stafford resident, said he will continue to live in Genesee County and stay involved in community activities, as well as getting more involved in the Medina community.

Prior to becoming a historian, Weissend was an accountant.

The personnel committee will meet soon to discuss finding a successor, Weissend said. Meanwhile, he has three more weeks as director with HLOM.

"I have this feeling of both sadness and this feeling of excitement," he said. "You know, the sadness at leaving this place, which has become such a part of my life. In a sense, I enjoyed being Pat from the Holland Land Office Museum. It's weird that I'm not going to be that person any more. It's kind of like gone away, that person that I was, and now I'm going to be a new person. A lot of people have been reacting, shocked, shocked that I'm leaving. Some of my board members didn't believe me. Even my own mother said, 'I thought you would be there forever.'"

Genesee County may be losing out on the big Yahoo! data center deal, but that doesn't mean the county isn't out of the hunt for high tech jobs, according to GCEDC spokesman Chad Zambito.

Zambito told WBTA today (audio) that there are two big projects, with one being a strong possibility, that could get started in the western part of the county.

"Hydropower has been very important for us,'  Zambito said. "We've got two sites here in Genesee County that fall into the hydropower zone. It's about three-and-a-half cents a killowatt an hour. It's been a big difference right now. It's the only thing we're seeing moving is high tech looking at hydropower."

Also today, I e-mailed Zambito and asked him for his thoughts on why Yahoo! apparently picked Lockport over Genesee County.  Here's his response:

Our understanding is that an official announcement has not been made. That being said, we would certainly be happy to have them in the region but would obviously be disappointed to see Genesee County passed by. In comparison, the possible site in Niagara County may benefit from more industrial development as compared to our Green Field sites here in Genesee County.

Some 40 companies in Genesee County that receive Empire Zone tax breaks seem to be doing what the program intends -- create jobs -- according to a press release from Empire State Development.

But many others across New York are not, so today authorities notified about 1,600 companies that they are likely to be decertified.

No Genesee County companies made the "bad" list. Three companies are apparently being asked to supply more information.

For more on the new site law and the letters, check this Democrat and Chronicle story.

Here's the list of Genesee County companies who were notified they will retain certification:

Paramount Computing Associates, LLC
Altamar New York, Inc.
Tompkins Trust Company
Precon Thermoforming, LLC
PCore Electric Company, Inc.
Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc.
Delagrange Properties
Vantage Equipment, LLC
Lapp Insulators, LLC
LeRoy Plastics, Inc.
Fontrick Door, Inc.
K2 Plastics, Inc.
C.H. Wright Distributing Corp.
Wright Associates, L.P.
Summit Lubricants, Inc.
Liberty Pumps, Inc.
Icon Design, LLC
Automotive Corp, Inc.
Prime Materials Corp.
Regency Hospitality, Inc.
Chapin International, Inc.
Oxford Hospitality, LLC
ProTech Automation, LLC
United Parcel Service
Tompkins Insurance Agencies, Inc.
Duro-Shed, Inc.
Oxbo International Corp.
Yancey's Fancy, Inc.
Provitello, LLC
Paul Marshall Produce, Inc.
Ad Tech-Graph, Inc.
K-2 Industries, Inc. d/b/a Pavilion Gift Co.
O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative, Inc.
Wellsville Carpet Town, Inc.
Brothers International Food Corp.
Allied Building Solutions, LLC
Traco Manufacturing, Inc.
Highway Safety Devices International Corp.
Graham Corp.
Pyramid Prosthetics, Inc.

The following three companies have been asked for more information:

Millwork Solutions, Inc.
Genesee Gateway Development, LLC
Pembroke Park Development, LLC

Here are the three lists for the whole state in PDF format:

• Retention
• Questions
• Possible Decertification

It seemed like a good idea at the time: Le Roy resident John Garner happened to own an old DOT variable message sign, so he offered it as a promotional device to the organizations and businesses of the village.

We reported on the sign in January. The sign was placed on Route 19 and promoted local businesses and community events.

Just as spring started to get sprung, the sign disappeared.

Yesterday, Ann Walters, owner of the Hobby Horse on Main Street, told me the Department of Transportation asked that it be removed.
 

"What a marketing technique," said, Walters, who regrets seeing the sign disappear. "I wish I could say I thought of it."

She said it did help bring business into the village.

Walters impression was that the DOT didn't like one of their signs being used to advertise businesses, and there were concerns about it being a distraction, that the sign should be used only for its intended purpose, which is providing traffic information for drivers.

"How can you control use of a sign when you sell it?" Walters asked. "If you want to control it, you don't sell it."

Garner couldn't be reached for comment (Walters identified Garner as the owner of the sign).

DOT regional spokesman Lori Maher said there's an explanation -- not necessarily simple, but an explanation nonetheless -- for the DOT's position.

The state controls the right-of-way on state routes, which is 66 33 feet (66 total) on either side of the center line (though there are numerous exceptions and variables, so that measurement may not apply on this section of Route 19). There are also strict regulations dealing with commercial sites in visual range of a state road.

Even if the sign was outside of the right-of-way, Maher said, it would still violate sign advertising rules.

"The whole purpose (of these regulations) is to restrict the proliferation of signs containing all kinds of messages, which becomes clutter and a safety issue," Maher said. 

The rules are both state and federal and have their roots in the 1965 Highway Beautification Act, she said.

For more information on the NYS sign policy, click here.

Genesee County is apparently on the short list of potential locations for a new data center for Internet giant Yahoo!, according to the Buffalo News.

If Yahoo! located the center in Genesee County -- or Orleans -- the new facility would generate only 50 to 100 jobs, but it might spur new high-tech growth in the region, according to the article.

Yahoo likes the region for three reasons, Schumer said.

It has a well-educated labor force. And because the data center would house computer systems and other equipment, the company likes the cooler climate, Schumer said.

"In this case, our cool Western New York temperature benefits us," Schumer said.

The company also needs a good supply of electricity, and it prefers clean energy, the senator said.

Of course, when Google was looking at WNY for a data center, it couldn't come to an agreement with NYPA on electricity for the facility.

Genesee County farmers may soon have an opportunity to see their products sold in urban farmers markets in New York City, thanks to a bill unanimously passed by the State Senate last month.

The program creates a revolving loan program to help entrepreneurs open farmers markets in NYC's urban neighborhoods, providing residents in those neighborhoods with fresh farm products from New York State farms.

“One of our goals as a state must be to put quality New York produce from our farms on the plates of New York consumers,” said sponsor, Senator Darrel J. Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent), a retired dairy farmer who continues to raise livestock and grow crops on his farm in Northern New York. “This legislation is an important step toward achieving that. By giving consumers the opportunity to buy the highest quality and freshest products from New York farmers, we are giving our farmers new opportunities to sell their products, bringing healthy foods to underserved communities, and helping our environment by encouraging people to buy local.”

Hat tip to Lorie Longhany for finding this bill.

Three shopping plazas, including Tops, have been put up for sale by the conglomerate that owns them.

The Buffalo News reports the sell-off are part of a larger effort by Developers Diversified Realty Corp. to unload 52 shopping plazas in 20 states, valued at about $1.9 billion. Fourteen are in Western New York.

Also slated for sale locally are Batavia Commons and B.J.'s Plaza.

Personally, I find eating at a locally owned restaurant more satisfying. The menus items are generally more interesting, the food preparation more unique, more flavorful and more of my money is staying in the local community.

Starting tomorrow, it's the Greater Rochester Area Local Restaurant Week.

Sponsored by by LocalFoodService.com and the Greater Rochester Chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association, the week is designed to raise awareness of local restaurants, with participating restaurants offering special discounts.

In Genesee County, participating eateries are: Alex's Place, Sunny's Restaurant and Lounge, D&R Depot Restaurant and Red Osier Landmark.  A complete list of participating restaurants can be found here.

Whether a participating restaurant or now, Genesee County is fortunate to have dozens of outstanding locally owned, independent restaurants. So this week, eat out at least one evening and skip the chains. Pick a local restaurant, maybe one you've never been to before, and treat yourself.

And look on The Batavian this week for Deals of the Day from Larry's Steakhouse, T.F. Brown's and Main St. Pizza Company.

Maybe it was the time, as one speaker noted, but for as controversial as the Masse Gateway Project has seemed, the turnout at tonight's public hearing was disappointing. Only five people got up to speak.

Below are videos of each of the speakers. Note that I didn't necessarily capture the entire speeches of each person, though in some cases I did.