Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27), NYS Senator Ed Rath (R,C,I - Amherst), and NYS Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) held a press conference this morning to call on Governor Hochul to reject the NYS Farm Laborers Wage Board’s decision to lower the overtime threshold from 60 hours a week to 40 hours.

“Farming is already a business suffering from labor shortages with incredibly tight margins, if the Governor were to accept this decision it would have disastrous impacts on the viability of agriculture in our state and the security of our rural economies,” Jacobs said. “Lowering the threshold would force producers and workers out of our state, and bankrupt generation family farms. I urge the Governor to reject this decision – made at the expense of our farmers – our region’s future prosperity depends on it.”

"The decision by the Farm Laborers Wage Board to lower overtime hours from 60 to 40 hours is fatal to our farms. As the largest industry in New York, agriculture is a vital part of our Upstate community. With this overtime 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. I remain deeply troubled by this decision and the impact it will have, not only in my district but across our State," Rath said.

“Our state’s agribusinesses and rural communities are staring down the edge of a cliff as they eagerly wait to see whether Gov. Hochul will stand up for them, or for the special interests who’ve been pushing this policy through the bureaucratic process,” Hawley said. “Farmers, lawmakers, farm laborers and experts alike have made clear the devastating consequences this decision will have on agriculture. In this moment, Gov. Hochul has the power to save agriculture in New York state, or put it down a path that will cause it to become something completely unrecognizable. Having represented a rural part of upstate New York in Congress, I sincerely hope she understands how dangerous this decision would be not just for farmers, but for rural communities throughout the state.”

Jacobs recently joined the New York Republican Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to Governor Hochul outlining the disastrous impacts of this recommendation from the wage board and urging her to reject it. You can read that letter here.

Batavia High School seniors are on the right path, Principal Paul Kesler says.

Kesler added a number along with his comment: 96. After having a graduation rate of 85 percent in 2011, fluctuating from 89 to 94 percent through 2020, seniors are at a 96 percent graduation rate, Kesler said. The increased percentage is proof that career initiatives and student attitudes are pushing kids on to greater success, he said.

“It’s a testimony of the work done in K through 12,” he said during this week’s board meeting. “We’re finding the right pathways.”

Some of those pathways include  early college opportunities with Genesee Community College and now Daemen College, which is new this year. Daemen hosted a cartooning class free of charge, with the school district paying for supplies. Students became engaged in the class, and it was a success in providing other possible avenues for them to pursue, he said.

A Leave to Learn program exposes students to various career possibilities, such as first responder, manufacturing, counseling and educational occupations. 

“Students are going to be able to select one of six buses, and on that date they’re going to have an opportunity to be with an adult and have an awesome work session,” he said.

The past two years have not only been frustrating for most, but have introduced socialization issues to district leaders, Kesler said. 

“It has caused us to realize that, not only as a district but as a nation, some of the focus needs to be on helping students be able to interact … our mental health is really important,” he said.

A post-graduation program — a Cornell University boot camp offered in collaboration with Genesee County Economic Development Center — will be available to seniors after they graduate. The camp is three days a week of concentrations in manufacturing jobs, Kesler said. Other improved partnerships include local dairy companies for hands-on learning and training, he said.

“We’re seeing more engagement of students,” he said, compared to when kids were remote due to COVID-19. 

May 2 will be “Decision Day” for graduating seniors to have the spotlight to announce their choices of college or career options. Fellow district students will be on hand to cheer them on, he said.
 

Photos and article submitted by Glenn Adams.

Earlier this month the Bethany Fire Department met for an annual dinner and awards event. In a year with over 200 service calls, this event highlights the time and sacrifice of volunteers who serve our community.

Jeff Fluker received the “firefighter of the year” award. Being a fire chief is a thankless job. It entails the visible time spent at fire and accident calls and the weekly Monday evening meetings. But there is also time spent planning, going to other meetings, filling out paperwork, and a host of other details in keeping a volunteer fire department going.

Top photo: Jamie Fluker, Jeff Fluker, and Jeff Wolak

Jeff Wolak received our “fire service award”.Jeff is the assistant chief, and likewise spends a great deal of personal time on fire department business above and beyond the regular meeting and service times. He works with the Chief going to meetings and planning the things that need to be done to serve our community.

Jamie Fluker, Jeff Wolak, and Chief Jeff Fluker

Jim Duval received the “ EMS award”. Tonight was Jim’s last monthly meeting with the Bethany Vol fire company. Jim has been with us for many years. This past year was one of the toughest we have been challenged with. Losing our EMS captain Mel Davis, Jim took everything over that Mel had previously done. Jim and his family have decided to take another path in life and be closer to his family. We truly appreciate Jim’s time, knowledge and dedication, along with his wife, Jane, for always understanding when he left for a fire call there was not telling what time he would be back.

Jim Duval with Chief Jeff Fluker, Jeff Wolak, and Jamie Fluker

As always, we are looking for more volunteers. We always need EMTs, interior firefighters, fire police, there is a job for everyone! If anyone is interested in joining there is always training you can attend to become qualified!! Join today!

Jeff Wolak, Chief Fluker, Lyle Boundy, Jamie Fluker  and FD Captain John Szymkowiak.

The Bethany Volunteer Fire Department.

Photo submitted by Jim Reinhardt. A rainbow this afternoon, visible over the pond in his backyard in Pembroke.

Rozanski, the district’s business administrator, reviewed ways to reduce expenses by $756,449 and get the 2022-23 budget to the state-mandated tax ca of 1.62 percent, or 31 cents more per thousand assessed valuations.  Otherwise, district voters would have to approve a budget with a super majority to allow a tax levy increase of more than 1.62 percent.

“(Superintendent Jason Smith) and I have identified some areas to get us to the tax cap,” Rozanski said during Thursday’s board meeting at Batavia High School. 

Rozanski presented a $55 million budget on Tuesday that included what was referred to as “wish list” items of nine new teacher positions, five school bus purchases, and replacing four retiring faculty members with new personnel. He and Superintendent Jason Smith agreed to draft a list of ideas to cut overall expenses, which were brought back to Thursday’s meeting.

Options included not replacing four retiring faculty members; phasing in the addition of teachers over a three-year grant of $5.8 million; and/or not buying the five buses and merging Jackson and John Kennedy school students to ride together on buses, and the same for high and middle school students. 

The busing option could mean a cut of $366,000 in expenses, but, per prior experience, it would create a delay for Jackson kids; they would get on the bus first before the John Kennedy pickup, he said.

There had been complaints about this system when implemented during the pandemic. Most students adapted in time, he said.

“The first two or three weeks the kids are getting used to the process,” Rozanski said. “After three weeks those kids are in a routine. We could take that out and take that reduction.”

Board President Alice Benedict recalled how the shared busing went.

“We had some really young kids on buses for a really long time,” she said. “Does it have to be five buses or nothing? Can we get one more bus?”

That’s possible, and would mean going back to the drawing board to configure bus routes, Rozanski said. 

Benedict wanted to remind all involved that “busing is not mandated.”

“This is a privilege to bus within city limits,” she said. 

As for bringing on nine more teachers, “the district would most likely apply for another grant to support” those positions in three years, she said. However, if that’s not an option, Smith and other administrators would have to review programs “and possibly eliminate the positions, or find other positions that could be reduced to make room for these employees and programs,” she said.

Benedict has previously asked about the ratio of teachers to students, and about enrollment trends. Smith suggested that a consultant may be helpful to advise the district about these particular issues during a future board meeting. 

The Batavian asked Benedict if those newly hired teachers stayed for three years, would they obtain tenure and therefore be permanent employees? Tenure is not an automatic process, she said.

“In three years, the principal (of the school that houses the grant program and employee) and the superintendent, along with the director of curriculum, will make a total review of the need of the position and the performance of the employee before making it a tenured position,” she said. “The board then receives the recommendation to discuss and vote on.”

Benedict asked the board a couple of times during the meeting if anyone had questions. No one responded. All board members will have a say, she said.

“Before anything is concluded, I will have conversations with everyone on the board,” Benedict said to The Batavian. “We have one month to ask as many questions as we need to so we can come to a consensus. It’s my goal every year to get the tax levy as low as it can be. We are still in the process of finalizing the budget.”

A final budget will be adopted before the budget presentation on May 5 and district vote on May 17. In addition to a 2022-23 budget, district residents will also be asked to vote for three school board candidates to replace Michelle Humes, John Marucci and Chezeray Rolle, whose terms expire this year. Board candidates have until April 27 to file petitions for election.

Top photo: Batavia City Schools Business Administrator Scott Rozanski; Batavia City Schools Board of Education President Alice Benedict and Superintendent Jason Smith. Photos by Howard Owens.

During Tech Wars at GCC on Thursday, The Batavian spoke with Chris Suozzi, VP of business and workforce development for GCEDC, about how companies that are opening new operations here -- such as La Fermière and PlugPower -- as well as those that are expanding.

With labor markets tight, Suozzi said the future workforce of Genesee County can be found at events like TechWars, among the kids being turned on to engineering and technology.

He pointed to the $700,000 mechatronics training equipment acquired by BOCES on display at TechWars as one of the ways Genesee County is leading the state in workforce development.

GLOW with Your Hands, he noted, has also been a huge success and is also setting the pace in New York for workforce development. 

This summer, GCEDC starts up the Cornell in High School Program, which will provide training and job experience to 40 high school seniors in dairy science and sanitation in a boot-camp format.

Also this summer, people 18-24 will be able to participate in a tech-job training program that includes 16 hours of free classroom training and a 24-hour paid internship, each week for six weeks, that will lead to a paid apprenticeship with a participating local company. 

Both Suozzi and Rich Monroe, who is leading the mechatronics program at BOCES, mentioned several students who have successfully completed workforce development programs.  One went from selling car parts at $12.50 an hour to an apprenticeship at Barilla Pasta at $15 an hour and in less than a year with the company is now making $28 an hour.  Another student went from working at a convenience store to a job at USG where he started at $22 an hour and is now making $25 an hour.

All with student debt, Suozzi noted.

"It’s not to just go get a job," Monroe said. "It’s to further their education and to get more skills and make them more viable in the workplace."

Nick Rada serves Tracy Snyder of East Pembroke, one of his first customers, around noon today as the Burnin' Barrell BBQ restaurant opened for business at 10 Main St. in the Village of Corfu. His mom, Claire Shaw, lent a needed helping hand as Rada reported a steady stream of patrons all day. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and on some weekends, depending upon Rada's catering schedule. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

With notifications made to family members, the Sheriff's Office has released the names of two men stabbed to death on March 11 in a bunkhouse on a dairy farm in Alexander.

Their names are

Elibander Morales, 30.  He is also known as Elibander Morales Velazquez, Elibander Ivan Cruz, and Ivan Cruz.  

Marceleno Gomez Hernandez, 29. He is also known as Marcelino Gomez Hernandez.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene by a Genesee County Coroner.

Both were born in Mexico and had been employed and living in the U.S. for an unspecified period of time.

Taken into custody and charged with murder were  Raul Cruz, 18, of Warsaw, and Prince N.K. Wilson, 23, of Albion.

The men are accused of stabbing and killing two men at a dairy farm at 10216 Alexander Road, Alexander.

The investigation is ongoing.

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It was back to normal for Batavia on St. Patrick's Day on Thursday as revelers hit the local dining establishments and watering holes to party in public for the first time on the holiday in two years.

We visited O'Lacy's, Center Street Smokehouse, and Eli Fish Brewing. The Rince an Tiarna Irish Dancers performed at both Center Street and Eli Fish.

A return of an air show to the Genesee County Airport?

In the eyes of Genesee County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, the stars are aligned for the county to show off its renovated airport by hosting an air show – maybe as soon as the summer of 2023.

Hens, who is responsible for overseeing operations at the East Saile Drive facility, made the suggestion at Wednesday’s county legislature’s Public Service Committee meeting.

“There is interest in an air show,” he said, adding that the airport has been “completely redone,” including installation of water and sewer systems to accommodate such an event.  “It would be a showcase for the community.”

The last air show in Genesee County took place in 1998, Hens said, and was well-attended. Air shows in other communities, such as Geneseo, Niagara Falls and Rochester, continue to be successful.

Hens said the event can be a moneymaker for the county – namely through fuel sales and sales tax revenue from purchases at the show. He said he would be able to line up a promoter and performers as soon as the legislature grants its approval.

In other news involving the airport, the committee forwarded the following resolutions to the legislature meeting next week:

• Providing advance funding for a project to purchase snow removal equipment that is eligible for a $353,000 grant from the Aviation Capital Grant Program as part of the state’s AIR ’99 Program.

The county would receive reimbursement for that amount, but would be responsible for $39,250 of the expense, which would be paid out of the 1 percent sales tax fund.

Hens said he had been seeking funding for this venture from other sources and was “surprised” to learn that the county had received the grant. He said snow blowing equipment will be purchased since it’s more efficient using plows to clear the runways.

• Contracting with C&S Engineers Inc. of Syracuse for as-needed airport engineering, construction management and grant administration services from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2027. Hens said the company is “highly rated” and has worked with the county for three decades.

Press release:

Twenty-one teams and 17 doubles sets will be competing this weekend in the 15th annual Genesee Region USBC Association Tournament, that gets underway with a 7 o'clock squad tonight at Mancuso Bowling Center.

Squads are set for Friday night, Saturday and Sunday (11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. both days), with competition in Team, Doubles and Singles.

Plenty of spots remain on most shifts for next weekend.

The deadline for paid entries to be received in the Genesee Region USBC office is Tuesday, March 22.

First prize in the Open Team event is $1,000 guaranteed. Prizes in all categories in both the Open and Women’s Divisions will be paid on a 1:5 ratio.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday, March 18, 7 p.m. (Team event only);
Saturday, March 19, 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 20, 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Friday, March 25, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 26, 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 27, 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The entry fee is $30 per person per event. The All-Events fee (Team, Doubles and Singles scores combined) is $10.

For an entry form, go to www.bowlny.com.

To reserve a spot, send an email to mikep@bowlgr.com.

It has got to stop!

That’s the message Genesee County legislators likely will be sending to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Assembly and Senate next week through a resolution that calls for Albany to end the practice of taking local sales tax revenue from communities and putting it into the state’s treasury.

The legislature’s Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday passed the measure – sending it to the full board for consideration at next Wednesday's meeting.

Genesee County is taking action in conjunction with a directive from the New York State Association of Counties for municipalities to make their voices heard.

“This has been proposed before, but I guess NYSAC is trying to hone in on the fact that they weren’t hearing enough from localities – that we weren’t making enough noise,” Ways & Means Chair Marianne Clattenburg said.

According to the resolution, since 2019, New York State has diverted more than $677 million in local sales taxes away from cities, towns and villages and into the state’s general fund.

It reads, in part, that “local sales tax revenue should stay in the community where it is collected.  It is time to return to responsible budgeting to keep local tax revenue in the communities where it can fund local programs such as parks, community colleges, meals for seniors, day care services, 9-1-1 programs, mental health and addiction services and other quality life programs.”

The resolution calls for this practice “to expire permanently at the end of this fiscal year as originally intended.”

In other action, the committee approved:

• Appointments of C. Joseph Mahler and Thomas Clark, both of Batavia, and Peter Stanbridge of Bethany, to three-year terms on the Genesee County Parks, Recreation and Forestry Advisory Committee.

• A contract not to exceed $213,268 with U&S Services of Tonawanda for a countywide heating, ventilation and air conditioning control system upgrade. The amount is slightly less than the $225,000 that has been budgeted for this project.

• Two resolutions pertaining to the replacement of the South Street culvert over a drainage ditch in the Village of Le Roy. The first to establish the capital project, which will be covered by state aid of $757,410 and the second is to contract with Lu Engineers of Rochester for consulting and design services at a cost not to exceed $174,000, which is part of the state’s contribution.

Harold Gage has been drawing sap from maple trees and turning it into sweet syrup for 15 years at The Ridge NY (formerly Frost Ridge) but its been a long time since his syrup has been a featured menu item at the campground's restaurant. 

That changes this Saturday and Sunday with the first of two Maple Syrup Weekends at The Ridge.

The restaurant, not normally open for breakfast on Saturdays, serves pancakes smothered in Gage's syrup produced from trees right on the campground's property and transformed in a maple shack Gage built himself for more than a decade ago.

Gage learned to make maple syrup from the previous owner of Frost Ridge, who hosted Pancake Sundays, and eventually took over the entire operation.  He now gets help from his son.

Asked what he liked about making syrup he laughed and said, "Well, it's a lot of work."

Breakfast will be served from 9 a.m. to noon this weekend and during the same hours on April 9 and 10.

Patti Unvericht, the new events coordinator at The Ridge, said next year she plans to expand the number of weekends and perhaps even bring back tours of the maple-making operation.

The Ridge is located at 8101 Conlon Road, Le Roy.

It has been a nearly two-month hiatus for Jennifer Gray’s newly named restaurant just over the Batavia border, and she’s not alone in waiting for it to be re-opened.

Gray has been posting updates on social media about The Tiny Piney on Main Road, Stafford, with as many as 2,000 anxious viewers.

“A lot of people follow it,” she said to The Batavian Thursday. “It’s just a weird little bar that people go to, a nice little quiesce place. I’m hoping to open next week, as soon as I get the license in the mail.”

Gray had purchased the bar and grill, formerly known as Pine Grove Inn, in March 2021. A temporary liquor license came along with that until New York State Liquor Authority informed Gray that there were “a couple of pieces of missing paperwork.” She had to shut down the place until the new license was processed and sent to her.

She posted a “temporarily closed” sign on Feb. 3 this year, and has anxiously been waiting for the permanent license. There was a mix-up in the Tiny Piney’s address, which is physically situated in Stafford but has a mailing address of East Main Street, Batavia, she said. She was told that the license was sent out this past Monday, and she is expecting to get it any day now. 

Gray has been making some aesthetic changes, with tropical colors and decor. For those former customers concerned with the decades-old ceiling memorabilia of hand-written messages, that’s not going anywhere, she said. 

She has two people helping to form volleyball leagues and a drop-in King’s Court, which is to get going by May. Two new volleyball courts have been carved out of the backyard and filled with sand. Outdoor lighting will ensure nighttime play.

Part of the bar’s new name hints at its size: “it’s tiny” Gray said, and accommodates 35 people. However, the large back deck accommodates the same amount of patrons and doubles the total capacity. 

The menu has been slightly shifted to include more fresh — versus frozen — foods, and Gray’s certified Angus beef hamburgers are her jam. Well, those and her freshly created margaritas and the Tiny Piney punch — a coconut-flavored concoction with rum and vodka.  

Jennifer is not a new face in town, as she has helped out husband Matt when needed at their restaurant, Alex’s Place, worked for a couple of years at Genesee Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, and has filled in for temporary leadership gaps at GO-ART! and United Way. When COVID-19 hit, she resigned from the orthopedic firm, and her most recent role has been as a busy hockey mom of two children. 

Now she has found her “vibe” at the tiny pub at 5609 Main Road. 

“It’s just a chill place,” she said.

For more information about volleyball leagues, call (585) 201-7283. For re-opening updates, go to https://m.facebook.com/The-Tiny-Piney-126142346292656/?ref=py_c 

Images of the pub's new logo and a burger creation are from Jennifer Gray.

The Batavia High School Production Club opens the romantic musical comedy Mamma Mia at 7 p.m. on Friday the school's auditorium.

Tickets purchased online in advance at www.showtix4u.com are $10.   At the door, they are $10 for students and $12 for adults.

Additional performances are Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Press release:

On Thursday, March 17, 2022, at approximately 6:38 p.m., State Police responded to a report of a serious injury crash on I-90 westbound in the town of Batavia, Genesee County.

The crash occurred in the area of mile marker 389.7, between the Le Roy and Batavia exits.  

A preliminary investigation determined the crash involved a tractor-trailer and an SUV.  As a result of the collision, the SUV became fully engulfed in flames.  One individual was flown to the hospital by Medicac with life-threatening injuries and two others were transported by ambulance for serious injuries. 

All westbound lanes are currently closed.  Traffic is being diverted at exit 47 (Le Roy) until accident reconstruction has been completed.  

More information will be released when it becomes available.  

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service

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A truck hauling an as-yet-unidentified fluid has rolled over on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 381.1 in the westbound lane.

There is a leak.

The driver is out and walking around but may have sustained a shoulder injury.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 2:27 p.m.: Stafford to stand in at Town of Batavia Station #2 and Oakfield to stand in at Town of Batavia Station #1

UPDATE 2:36 p.m.: Stafford cannot get a crew. Standing down.