Press release:

Construction work has commenced to finish a major water line project to the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) and bring the STAMP South Campus to 100-percent shovel-readiness for development.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) announced today (Aug. 18) that the $2 million active infrastructure project enables over one million gallons per day of water capacity to STAMP. This project is supported by Genesee County to support Phase I development of the STAMP site.

The 1,250-acre STAMP site, through the 850-acre STAMP North Campus and the 400-acre STAMP South Campus, is designed and permitted for more than six million square feet of new construction supported by low-cost hydropower.

“There is a tremendous amount of momentum for STAMP right now and not just from an infrastructure investment and construction standpoint, but in interest among site selectors and representatives from advanced manufacturing companies, including semiconductor companies from across the world,” said Steve Hyde, president and CEO, GCEDC. 

The start of the construction on the latest STAMP water line comes after U.S. Senator Charles Schumer was in Batavia on July 31^st to announce among other things, his support for a $1 million grant through the Northern Border Regional Commission for the construction of a new force main to serve the entire STAMP site. 

STAMP infrastructure design, engineering and construction launched in 2014 with the allocation of $33 million by New York State.

“With federal, state and local funding enabling STAMP’s infrastructure delivery, our 1,250-acre mega site will provide a significant return on investment and can be a model for economic recovery as New York State emerges from the pandemic,” Hyde said.

The infrastructure work includes the completion of the construction of a water line that was started from a connection from the Erie County Water Authority in Pembroke near the New York State Thruway. The second leg included construction of the line at a connection near the Western New York National Cemetery for veterans, and now from the cemetery to the STAMP South Campus.  

The work is anticipated being completed by the end this year. The design and engineering work was performed by Clark Patterson & Lee.

The Genesee County Office of Emergency Management Services distributed more than 100,000 masks and nearly 22,000 2-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer through June 30 in its efforts to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.

In a departmental review presented to the Genesee County Legislature’s Public Service Committee today, EMS Coordinator Tim Yaeger (pictured above) reported that his office assisted about 250 agencies, “which then touched about another 100 agencies" from March 16 through June 30.

Yaeger said supplies went to first responders, churches, for-profit agencies, nonprofit agencies, and other organizations as it was “tasked upon us” during what he called a “difficult time.”

According to his report, the Personal Protective Equipment supply distribution was as follows:

• N95 masks -- 8,412;
• Surgical masks -- 66,636;
• Cloth masks -- 48,354;
• Gloves -- 65,300;
• Hand Sanitizer (gallons) -- 605;
• Hand Sanitizer (2 oz.) -- 21,996;
• Thermometers -- 150;
• Gowns/Tyvek Suits -- 1,275.

His report also indicated that the Emergency Operation Center, activated in response to COVID-19, was staffed on Monday through Friday, monitored on the weekend and manned by the department’s full-time staff with assistance from deputy fire coordinators and county fire instructors.

Hours of operation started at 12 per day before being reduced to nine per day during the final month.

He credited his employees, (Deputy Coordinator) Bill Schutt, Gary Patnode and Jeanette Diehl, for pulling together as a team, and noted that first responders in the community were understanding, “very, very cooperative, and everybody got through this.”

Yaeger reported that staffing of volunteer fire and emergency management services personnel throughout the nation, including Genesee County, is at a “critical level making it many times unlikely to provide the manpower necessary to respond to emergency situations.”

With that in mind, he said that a Volunteer Services Task Force at the county level has been established to address this issue. Several meetings have taken place to look at viable solutions and funding avenues.

He believes that the best option for emergency services is a “hybrid; volunteer/career, paid/unpaid, staffed/unstaffed, local/county system.”

His report indicates that qualified staffing needs to be available when mobilized, and hopes that the task force would come up with an effective plan.

“We need to find a better system that we have today,” he said.

Yaeger also reported on other aspects of his department as follows:

• Nineteen of 20 jurisdictions (the Town of Alexander being the exception) have signed onto the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, which serves as a “blueprint for reducing the county’s vulnerability to disaster and hazards.”

Adopted in 2009, the HMP is a required guide for municipalities to be eligible for any state and federal mitigation funding. The updated County HazMat plan was approved by the legislature in October 2019.

• Three new deputy field coordinators have come on board in the past 16 months – Brian Schollard, Dan Coffey and Chuck Dodson.

In a related development, the PSC approved the acceptance of a State Homeland Security Program grant in the amount of $109,781 in connection with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The bulk of the award ($82,336) will be appropriated to the Emergency Management Office operating budget to be used to develop regional partnerships, citizen preparedness efforts, cybersecurity programs, information-sharing capabilities and planning.

The remainder will be directed to the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement terrorism prevention initiatives.

Photo by Mike Pettinella.

A car struck a house at East Avenue and Hull Park, knocking out part of the foundation and causing a gas leak.

Batavia fire and Batavia PD responded and are waiting for National Fuel to come and shut off the gas to the house. There is a strong smell of natural gas in the area. 

All the residents have been evacuated; no one in the home was hurt. A resident was home upstairs, he said: "It sounded like a bomb went off." 

When he went outside to see what happened he could hear the gas leaking. He did not see the car that hit the house. The car left the scene and Batavia PD is currently searching for it.

East Avenue is shut down between Ross Street and Vine Street. 

UPDATE: Gas to home is shut off. Code enforcement is on scene and electricity is being turned off.

The car was located parked in adjacent Batavia Middle School lot after striking building. 

Investigators believe the person driving a vehicle that ran over a motorcyclist down in the roadway on Route 77 in Corfu on Friday night was driving a 2012 Hyundai Tucson.

The photo is a stock image and not a photo of the actual vehicle.

The car may have sustained some front-end damage and probably has significant under-carriage damage. 

After striking the motorcyclist, the vehicle continued southbound on Route 77 before turning westbound on Route 33.

Travis R. Hartloff, 26, was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC, where he remains in critical condition.

Hartloff was driving a 1983 Yamaha southbound behind a 2009 Honda Pilot and was unable to stop in time when the Pilot slowed to make a turn into an ice cream shop at about 9 p.m. After striking the vehicle, Hartloff was thrown from his motorcycle and he landed in the middle of the roadway.

He was run over by a third southbound vehicle, which is believed to the 2012 Hyundai Tucson.

Anybody with information that may assist in the case is asked to call the Sheriff's Office (585) 345-3000.

Unlike the process used during New York’s four phases of business reopening – where all decisions were in the governor’s hands, local governments will have a say in the way gyms can finally welcome back customers after five months of a COVID-19-generated shutdown.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced that gyms can reopen as soon as Aug. 24, but only at 33-percent capacity and with masks to be worn by everyone inside at all times.

However, “localities” will have a role, the governor said, in that local elected officials and health department leaders will be able to make some decisions. Furthermore, health departments will be required to inspect the facilities either before opening or within two weeks of reopening.

He didn’t share more details – a fact not lost upon Genesee County Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein.

Speaking at today’s Public Service Committee meeting, Stein wondered aloud what code the health department should be using when doing the inspections and asked whether the gyms could hold classes.

“There may have to be a conversation in regard to gyms and with (county Public Health Director) Paul Pettit,” Stein said.

She said that it looks as though “new powers” are being given to the public health director, and hoped that a “checklist or template” would be made available by the state to assist members of the Finger Lakes Region control room.

“This is just seven days away from today,” she said.

County Manager Matt Landers said the county has the right to “delay classes indoors” and to delay the openings of gyms until Sept. 2 although he doesn’t expect to go down that road.

A state requirement to have MERV13 air filters* installed in all gyms could pose a problem for fitness centers housed in older buildings.

Landers said he is realizing there are more gyms in Genesee County than he thought, with four or five in Le Roy alone.

“There will be a lot of fun stuff over the next couple weeks,” he said, implying there is plenty of work ahead.

Movie theaters continue to be on the outside looking in as no announcement was made on their reopening.

“Maybe movie theaters should file a lawsuit and then they’ll be able to open. That seems to be how it works,” Stein said, alluding to the fact that more than 1,500 gym owners filed a class-action suit last week against the governor for not lifting his closure mandate.

*From Wikipedia: MERV is the acronym for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, a measurement scale designed in 1987 by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers to report the effectiveness of air filters. 

Press release:

• Genesee County received two new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 272 positive cases.
  • Two of the previous positive cases reported last week were rescinded due to lab errors.
  • The new positive cases reside in Stafford and Alexander.
  • One of the positive individuals is under age 20 and one of the positive individuals is in their 30s.
  • One of the individuals was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive. One of the individuals was on precautionary quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Twenty-seven new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • Three of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from mandatory isolation.
  • Two of the positive individuals are hospitalized.
     
• Orleans County received three new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 282 positive cases.
  • The new positive cases reside in Kendall, Shelby and Carlton.
  • One of the individuals is in their 30s and two of the individuals are in their 40s.
  • One of the individuals was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • One of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Eighteen new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

Press release:

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently announced that video telehealth appointments to veterans’ homes increased over 1,000 percent, as veterans increasingly chose virtual care through VA Video Connect during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Western New York, VA Western New York Healthcare System (VAWNYHS) has conducted over 9,000 telehealth appointments between Oct. 1 and Aug. 17.

VA Video Connect allows veterans and their caregivers to meet virtually with their VA care teams on any computer, tablet, or mobile device with an internet connection. As in-person interactions decreased in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, VA Video Connect supported veterans’ abilities to continue care and remain safely at home.

Usage of video to home services has been increasing since mid-March with peak usage reaching more than 29,000 appointments per day. 

The increase at VAWNYHS represents a 1,400-percent increase from the same time period in 2019. Other telehealth milestones from VAWNYHS include:

• All primary care providers can complete Video to Home visits;
• All mental health providers can complete Video to Home visits;
• VAWNYHS offers Video to Home in 21 different specialty care clinics.

VA is also taking strides to bridge the digital divide for veterans who lack the technology or broadband internet connectivity required to participate in VA telehealth services.

At the national level, VA is working with strategic partners, through the VA Secretary’s Center of Strategic Partnerships, to increase access to the technology that veterans need to connect with their VA health care team virtually.

“As we near the three-year anniversary of the launch of VA Video Connect, even during these challenging times, VA has and continues to maintain access to high-quality health care for veterans,” said Executive Director Michael Swartz.

“As the service becomes more popular, VA remains committed to providing a seamless user experience to ensure veterans have access to care, where and when they need it.”

Read more about VA Video Connect. For information about VA’s telehealth services visit connectedcare.va.gov.

Submitted photos and press release:

The Interagency Council of Genesee County in conjunction with Stafford’s Little Library at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is excited to announce their collaborative book donation in memory of the late Dr. Sam Leadley, Ph.D.  

Books, reading, writing and down-to-earth teaching were extremely important to Leadley. That's how he learned so much and also how he shared with others his thirst for accurate information.

As for calves, he fell in love with every newborn heifer he ever met. He believed each one deserved to be the best cow she could become.

Leadley was a staple at Attica Veterinary Associates for his calf and heifer expertise. He began specializing in calf and heifer management back in 1988, and ever since his reputation has flourished. He was one of the most recognized names in the calf and heifer industry, not only in the United States, but also around the world. Dr. Leadley consulted on numerous operations in Asia, Europe, and both North and South America.

For some of the same reasons, Leadley volunteered though the Office for the Aging as a means to make a positive difference wherever he could. He was good at it, whether it was working through Lifespan with a widow who'd never handled household finances; delivering books to a shut-in through the Library Visits program; or, helping ACORNS raise funds for the programs at the Genesee County Park & Forest.

He was a member of numerous community organizations and volunteered his time for the Stafford Cemetery Association, Le Roy Historical Society and was a proud member of St. Paul’s.

Above all, he was a helper and a teacher. Many of the books donated in his memory are about farm animals or depict the importance of being a kind and generous person. Leadley was a lover of all things that increased our learning in the world and he worked tirelessly to make his community a better place.

Top photo: Coleman Elliott and Cooper Swanson enjoying a book from Stafford’s Little Library in memory of Dr. Sam Leadley.

Press release:

The Recovery Station, an innovative program of Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, is presenting an Overdose Awareness Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 28 at its 5256 Clinton Street Road location (formerly Bohn’s Restaurant).

“The event is all about raising the public’s knowledge of the opioid epidemic and the dangers of overdose, and reducing the stigma of drug-related deaths,” said Sue Gagne, coordinator of the agency’s recovery center.

Gagne added that the GCASA Prevention Department will conduct naloxone training and members of the GOW Opioid Task Force will be in attendance to answer questions and share information about the group’s mission.

A “memory tree” will be on site for those who wish to add a friend or loved one’s name in remembrance, and tours of The Recovery Station will be available.

Additionally, Genesee County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Erion and his K-9 partner, Frankie, are expected to conduct a demonstration at 1 p.m.

“All are welcome to attend – those in recovery, family members and area residents,” Gagne said, reminding everyone that face coverings must be worn during the tour and all social distancing and other COVID-19-related protocols must be observed.

For more information about GCASA’s recovery services or The Recovery Station, call Gagne at (585) 815-5248.

Press release from AAA: 

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.18, the same for three consecutive weeks. One year ago, the price was $2.63. The New York State average is $2.25 – down 1 cent from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.82.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia - $2.21 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo - $2.18 (no change since last week)
• Ithaca - $2.18 (no change since last week)
• Rochester - $2.21 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rome - $2.29 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse - $2.17 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Watertown - $2.28 (no change since last week)

Gas prices remain stable both locally and nationally. The national average price is parked at $2.18 again this week. As many schools begin to open down south, either remotely or in person, summer travel will slow and gasoline demand for leisure use should follow.

Here in the Northeast, gas demand for travel purposes will likely remain steady through Labor Day as families squeeze in final summer road trips. Current travel trends have families looking for destinations within New York State now while saving larger trips for 2021.

From GasBuddy:

"For the seventh-straight week and now some 53 days, the national average price of gasoline has stayed in a range of less than a nickel, an incredible feat for the summer driving season, and a level of summer stability we haven't seen in decades," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

"However, with new data from the Pay with GasBuddy payments card showing weekly demand last week rose to a fresh coronavirus high, we may see some upside in oil prices propelled by the good news that demand is solidly moving higher again. Should demand continue to rebound, its only natural that with less oil on global markets, prices are likely to drift to the upside if the situation continues to improve."

Two tractor-trailers collided in the area of Ellicott Street and Harvester Avenue in the city. Unknown injuries. One of the semis may be on fire. City fire, police and Mercy medics responding.

UPDATE 4:46 p.m.: A first responder says smoke is coming from under the hood of one of the trucks.

UPDATE 4:49 p.m.: Traffic will be redirected at Ellicott and Swan streets. Both rigs have Ontario, Canada plates.

UPDATE 4:53 p.m.: No injuries; small amount of fluids leaking -- hazmat response not needed, says command, adding that one lane of traffic remains open.

UPDATE 5 p.m.: Two heavy-duty tows will be needed; both trailers are fully loaded with cargo. One vehicle is out of its lane. It appears it was following too closely and either swerved to try and avoid the collision, or the impact of the collision pushed it into the other lane.

A dog is locked inside a Dodge minivan outside Walmart on Veterans Memorial Drive, in the fourth parking row from the food entrance. The plate returns to a Dellinger Avenue address in the city. An animal control officer is responding.

It's 73 outside and somewhat muggy today.

UPDATE 1:01 p.m.: The officer went through the parking lot a couple of times, but was unable to locate the minivan and is back in service.

Connie Bruggman sent us a proud picture of her towering sunflower on Elmwood Avenue on the Southside of the city.

Yesterday morning, Matt Landers was sworn in as county manager for Genesee County, replacing Jay Gsell, who retired Friday after 26 years and 364 days of service.

Reader-submitted video.

The Elba Betterment Committee hosted another night of live music in the Village Park, this time featuring What About Jane, an Albion-based band.

The next show is Thursday, featuring the Old Hippies.

A car has reportedly hit a guardrail and pole on Stroh Road near Alexander Road in Alexander.

No other cars reportedly involved.

Unknown injuries.

Alexander fire dispatched along with the Alexander ambulance. No Mercy ambulance is available.

UPDATE 7:01 p.m.: No injuries. The vehicle is off the road. Alexander units can stay in quarters.

A "possible disturbance" is reported on Myrtle Street in the Village of Le Roy. A caller reports a person ran over a neighbor's lawn mower with his pickup truck and stole a weed wacker. Le Roy Police are responding.

At one point Thursday, cars lined up for free rabies shots for their pets were backed up on Route 5 and a deputy was dispatched to assist with traffic control.

Sarah Balduf, environmental health director for Genesee County, said it was a larger than normal turnout for the rabies clinic and that cars started lining up at 2:30.

Staff members started processing paperwork and vaccinating pets as soon as they were set up, ahead of the 4 p.m. start time, which helped workers keep up with the stream of cars coming through the fairgrounds.