On Friday, the students in the Culinary Arts Program prepared their final projects for a group of judges. I happened to arrive in time for the last student of the day, Jose Vanegas, who made tacos and flan.

Jarett J. Locicero, 29, of West Main Street, Batavia, has been arrested following an investigation by the Local Drug Task Force and accused of selling fentanyl in and around the City of Batavia.

Locicero is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. 

Locicero is accused of selling fentanyl to an agent of the task force. 

At the time of his arrest, he was allegedly found in possession of an illegal knife, a crack cocaine smoking device, and suboxone.

He was transported to the Genesee County Jail and held on a warrant.

Batavia PD and the District Attorney's Office assisted in the arrest and investigation.

Batavia has a new Mexican food truck, Over the Border, from the Bender family -- Todd, Evan, and Ryan.

Evan said he hopes this is one of many different food trucks they plan to operate out of Batavia.  

Brennan Briggs, above right, received the BCSD Foundation Apple Award for May. The award was presented to him by Foundation Board Member David Chua, above left.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Batavia City School District Foundation lnc.'s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the latest recipient of the BCSD Foundation Apple Award -- Brennan Briggs. He was nominated anonymously and with great admiration to receive a foundation apple during the month of May. 

Determined and persistent are two words used to describe Briggs. Throughout his coaching and teaching tenure, Briggs has motivated his students and athletes to strive to do their best on and off the field.

He models positive character traits, which include respect and responsibility. He encourages to students to shine in their school and neighborhood communities. The foundation thanks him for being relentless in his drive for excellence and for his dedication to taking care of BCSD. 

The BCSD Foundation Apple award is given by a member of the school and/or local community to a Batavia City School District employee or volunteer. In the opinion of those giving the honor of this distinction, the awardee has gone above and beyond in their role and is being recognized by one or more people for these accomplishments.

Local artist, Mark Jensen, will be making each individual resin apple -- none will be exactly the same.

If you are interested in giving a Foundation Apple award, please submit your nomination form and $75 (payable to the BCSD Foundation Inc., 260 State St., Batavia NY 14020 att: Allison Chua). Nomination forms may be found on the district's Web page (at www.bataviacsd.org under Quick Links).

Community members with questions are asked to email us at foundation@bataviacsd.org

Andrew A. Said is indicted for the crime of attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer, a Class C felony. It is alleged that on Aug. 3, he intentionally attempted to cause physical harm to a police officer in the Town of Batavia by means of a dangerous instrument -- a motor vehicle -- when the officer was performing official duties. In count two, he is accused of first-degree attempted assault, a Class C violent felony, for allegedly attempting to cause serious physical injury to another person. In count three, Said is accused of first-degree reckless endangerment, a Class D felony, for recklessly engaging in conduct which created a grave risk of death to another person, under circumstances with exhibited a depraved indifference to human life. In count four, Said is accused of third-degree criminal mischief, a Class E felony, for allegedly intentionally damaging another's person's property in an amount exceeding $250 -- an unmarked NYS Police vehicle operated by a trooper. In counts five and six, the defendant is accused of second-degree criminal mischief, a Class D felony, for allegedly intentionally damaging another person's property -- NYS Police vehicles operated by two other troopers -- in an amount exceeding $1,500. In count seven, he is accused of unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, in the third degree, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged in count seven that he was directed to stop by a uniformed police officer or marked police vehicle, and he attempted to flee at speeds of 25 mph or more above the posted limit, or engaged in reckless driving. In count eight, Said is accused of driving while ability impaired by drugs, as a misdemeanor, for driving a 1997 Mercedes on I-90 while his ability to do so was impaired by drug use. In count nine, the defendant is accused of aggravated unlicensed operation in the third degree, as a misdemeanor. It is alleged in count nine that he drove on Aug. 3 knowing that his driver's license in New York was suspended or revoked. In count 10, Said is accused of misdemeanor reckless driving, for operating the Mercedes that day in a manner that unreasonably interfered with the free and proper use of a public highway, or unreasonably endangered the users of a public highway. In count 11, he is accused of operating an unregistered motor vehicle, a violation of vehicle and traffic law. The Mercedes was not registered in New York State. In count 13, Said is accused of operating a vehicle without insurance, another violation. In count 14, he is accused of having an uninspected motor vehicle, a third violation.

Josselyn A. Scott is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated as a Class E felony. It is alleged that on March 10, she drove a 2008 Audi on the Thruway, Oak Street, Noonan Drive and in the Days Inn/Super 8 parking lot in Genesee County while intoxicated. In Special Information filed by the District Attorney, Scott is accused of having been convicted of: aggravated driving while intoxicated as a misdemeanor on July 12, 2010 in the Town of Boston Court, Erie County; and driving while ability impaired by the consumption of alcohol, in violation of vehicle and traffic law, on Dec. 21, 2012 in Erie County Court. Those two convictions are within 10 years of the crime alleged in the current indictment.

This tree peony called Argonaut is one of the rare blooms developed by William Gratwick III at Linwood Gardens, where a Tree Peony Festival takes place this Saturday and Sunday.

LINWOOD -- Most everyone has heard of Rochester’s Lilac Festival in Highland Park, but how many know about a spectacular spring flower festival near Pavilion?

Every year around Memorial Day, the public is invited to visit Linwood Gardens, a private estate at 1912 York Road West, just northwest of Pavilion, and view the tree peonies. In 1997, Linwood Gardens was placed on the National and New York Registers of Historic Places.

The final weekend of this year's festival is Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and 2.

Admission to the Tree Peony Festival is a suggested donation of $10. A $15 donation includes a historical tour. The gardens are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The gardens are now owned by Lee Gratwick and include a distinguished collection of Japanese and American tree peonies.

Tree peonies have woody stems and grow taller than herbaceous peonies, reaching heights of four to five feet. Blooms can be 10 inches across.

The country estate of Linwood Gardens was created by William H. Gratwick Jr., a lumberman from Buffalo, who became enchanted with tree peonies and developed many unique gardens in the early 1900s.

The garden landscape features and Arts and Crafts style summer house, walled gardens with pools and fountains, ornamental trees and a view of the Genesee Valley beyond.

William Gratwick III established the extensive collection of tree peonies at Linwood Gardens starting in the 1940s. After his death, his daughter, Lee, moved back to the country estate and began restoring the gardens.

She developed the Tree Peony Festival to showcase the rare blooms developed by her father.

Special entertainment is planned for certain days of the festival, and tomorrow, there will be music by the Striking Strings on hammered dulcimers. Sunday’s entertainment will be parlor pipes by Ceiliah Connection.

A selection of homemade pastries, soup, quiche, desserts and coffee is made available by Sweet Arts.

A limited number of plants are available for sale each year.

Linwood Gardens is also available during summer months as a peaceful garden sanctuary for workshops, open garden days and wedding ceremonies.

For information on Linwood Gardens is available at www.linwoodgardens.org

Photos by Virginia Kropf.

Above, the estate home of William H. Gratwick Jr. sits on a hill in Linwood Gardens, where his granddaughter holds a tree peony festival each year.

Above, Holly Watson, granddaughter of Lee Gratwick, checks the blossoms on a tree in Linwood Gardens, overlooking the valley below. She and her mother, Clara Mulligan, are working with Lee Gratwick to restore the gardens.

Above, Clara Mulligan, daughter of Lee Gratwick, walks among the statuary and ponds on the estate founded by her grandfather in the early 1900s. 

Above, Lee Gratwick, granddaughter of William H. Gratwick Jr., who founded Linwood Gardens near Pavilion, looks at one of the plants which was about to bloom earlier in the spring. She moved back to the gardens in the 1980s to preserve it.

It offers a beautiful oak kitchen with granite countertops and newer Kenmore appliances, formal dining room with bay window, spacious living room, first-floor family room with gas fireplace, natural woodwork, forced air gas heat and central air.

It also has a full unfinished basement, two car attached garage, open porch, patio with awning, well landscaped 110’ x 107’ lot in one of Batavia’s finest subdivisions. Price is $235,000.

Purchase offers to be submitted by June 5, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. giving seller until June 8, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. to accept offers.

Call 585-409-9019 for details or private showings.

A car vs. pedestrian accident is reported at East Main Street and Harvester Avenue. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

Above, a student plays math game.

Submitted photos and press release:

Bergen -- Byron-Bergen Elementary School presented the inaugural STEAM Fair on Tuesday, May 21.

STEAM -- Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics -- students shared their accomplishments with their schoolmates and community. The fair was the culmination of months of learning, exploring and creativity.

“The most amazing thing about this event is how accomplished the work is,” said Byron-Bergen Elementary School Principal Brian Meister. “The students really take ownership of the day.

"They supervise the games that they have designed, present the science and art projects that they completed, and are truly proud of their achievements. We are all proud.”

During the school day, students enjoyed activities including yoga ball plinko. The classic game of chance transformed into a fully interactive, outdoor, relay race as students rolled yoga balls down a hill of bumper posts to try to earn the most points in a given time period.

While outside, students also learned how to reuse scavenged items to make new products like Big Head Boxes with visiting students from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Inside, students enjoyed face painting, math games, science project presentations, and a K-6 visual art exhibition.

In the evening, the fair opened to the public featuring many of the day’s activities in addition to interactive robot basketball, a robot golf course designed by Byron-Bergen students, and virtual reality field trips.

Photos by Gretchen Spittler.

Below, an RIT student demonstrates “Big Head Box.”

Below, a student shows artwork.

One of the area's largest construction firms, owned by Darien Center resident John Zoladz, lost a $435,692 contract for a project in Hamburg this week, after being the low bidder, and is blaming what the company describes as a pro-union front group for the change of direction.

Meanwhile, an organization calling itself The New York Foundation for Fair Contracting sent out a press release celebrating the decision by unnamed Erie County leaders, who squashed the Zoladz contract under the state's "Lowest Responsible Bidder" law.

The law allows government agencies to reject low bids from contractors not deemed qualified. Generally, that means the company placing the lowest bid has the capability to fully and reliably perform the contract requirements.

NYFFC's press release suggests Zoladz is not qualified because of two work-related deaths in the past couple of years and was accused of falsely claiming it was a small business owned by a service-disabled veteran.

The NYFFC press release says that Zoladz paid a $3 million fine, which is not entirely accurate. The company was required to pay a portion of that fine and there as no finding of liability.

While NYFFC portrays itself as a "watchdog" group, Zoladz, which is a non-union shop, alleges that the trustees of the nonprofit have strong ties to International Union of Operating Engineers Local 17.

"The entities share the same address and likely share services," Zoladz said in its press release. "The trustees also appear to include at least one apparent operator of a company that directly competes with Zoladz.

"Finally, the 'Foundation' appears to be funded, at least in part, by union-employer contributions from collective-bargaining agreements. It is clear that, even without the 'Foundation’s' previous history with Zoladz as explained below, it is a motivated competitor of open-shop Zoladz."

It is true that Zoladz was fined by the OSHA over work-related deaths of employees. In August of 2016, Aaron L. Wellman died when a piece of construction equipment rolled off a trailer on Route 20 in Darien Center. The fine in that case was $8,000. On April 5, 2018, an employee was caught in a conveyor belt and suffocated. Zoladz was fined $43,000.

"To the NYFFC’s understanding, this is the first instance of Erie County using its lawful responsible bidder authority," the NYFFC said in its statement. "This enforcement ensures responsible contractors who abide by the law and deliver a high-quality product have a fair shot at public works contracts."

In the Hamburg project, Zoladz bid on just a portion of the $3 million job. The company blames competitors for lobbying against the company receiving the contract.

From the press release:

"Zoladz Construction disagrees strongly with the county’s sudden reversal, coming as it does in the wake of governmental pressure from competitors," said Jennifer K. Harvey, attorney for Zoladz.

"While we certainly agree with DPW that the settlement at issue in this matter does not result in a negative finding, we vigorously dispute the legal and factual reasons DPW cited as a basis for finding Zoladz’ bid incomplete and subject to rejection.

"We are requesting a hearing to exhaust our administrative remedies, and we remain confident and hopeful that Zoladz will be able to start work soon on this long-promised project that’s so critical to the safety and peace of mind of county taxpayers driving in Hamburg."

The press release states the NYFFC issued a letter May objecting to the award of the contract and said the group has mounted a similar "attack" in Niagara County but that the County Legislature there investigated and found the complaints without merit before awarding the company a $1.8 million contract for work on the county landfill.

Zoladz, based in Alden, employes 175 people and was founded by cousins John Zoladz and Tom Dougherty in 1985, when they had only a tractor and a backhoe. Now they have offices in Charlotte, N.C., Avon, and Lackawanna.

As many as 24 customers are without power in the area of Highland Park and Pringle Avenue, according to National Grid.

The power outage was reported at 8:39 a.m., about the time a loud boom -- possibly a transformer -- was heard in the neighborhood.

National Grid estimates power will be restored by 10:45 a.m.

Submitted photo and press release:

The Genesee Community College announced that Timothy P. Tomczak has officially been appointed as the College's Dean of Human Communications and Behavior (HCB) effective July 1.

"Having served GCC in a number of capacities for more than three decades, starting as an instructor, then professor and then director, I am honored and excited to take this next step into the role of Dean of Human Communications and Behavior," Tomczak said.

"To be a resource that brings together quality teaching, learning and decision-making while focusing on students and their success is something I am truly passionate about."

Tomczak's history with GCC, which began in 1987, is full of honors and activities and speaks to his lifelong dedication to students, colleagues and the College's campus community.

He is a three-time SUNY Chancellor Award honoree. Last year, Tomczak received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service; in 2007 while working as GCC's associate professor of Psychology, Tomczak received the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities; and in 1994 he was first recognized with the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

He was also recognized by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Teaching Excellence Award in 1991, and is the author or co-author of more than 20 professional articles and presentations. He is an associate member of the American Psychology Association and the Council of Undergraduate Teachers of Psychology.

Tomczak was a pioneer of the College's distance learning movement, first teaching "telecourses" and moving on to teach sections of psychology courses online. Tomczak was also one of the first full-time faculty members to teach in GCC's ACE program at the program's inception.

Most recently, Tomczak served GCC as a professor and director of Social Sciences. As such, Tomczak co-chaired a 32-member Steering Committee with GCC's Dean of Distributed Learning, Craig Lamb, Ph.D., to develop the College's new Strategic Plan, "Framing our Future."

The plan was approved by the College's Board of Trustees and now governs all seven campus locations, as well as GCC's Online Learning and ACE Programs, and helps guide developments at College Village through 2023.

In 2016 and 2017, Tomczak also co-chaired the Steering Committee for the Middle-States Accreditation self-study, a critical process that involved the whole campus.

Additionally, Tomczak has been serving as interim dean of HCB since 2018, and is helping guide a partnership with the University of Rochester and Nazareth College to develop a collaborative prison education program.

"Tim's leadership experience and his dedication to GCC have been evident in so many valuable projects across our campus," said Kathleen (Kate) Schiefen, Ph.D., provost & executive vice president for Academic Affairs.

"From his interaction with students in the classroom to his administrative responsibilities-he has been a strong asset to the College in many capacities. We are all excited for Tim to begin this next chapter with the Human Communications and Behavior team."

Tomczak's accomplished career has earned him a place in GCC's Recognition Matters series, which highlights the important achievements of the College's faculty, staff and students. Officials at GCC have embraced this series as a way to acknowledge and celebrate the high quality of the recognized individuals who demonstrate GCC's "beyond expectations" brand.

Tomczak holds a B.A. degree from Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania and a M.A. degree from SUNY College at Geneseo and currently resides in Elba.

Rebecca LeFevre, a Bank Street resident, spotted this fawn in her backyard last night and shared the pictures with us.

Above, Scott Kern, who lives on Alleghany Road, was one of the most vocal in opposing the state’s proposal to put a roundabout at the intersection of Route 77 and Ledge Road.

ALABAMA – Scott Kern minced no words when he shared his concerns and disapproval of the state’s proposal to build a roundabout at the intersection of Route 77 and Ledge Road during a public hearing Wednesday night at the Alabama Fire Hall.

Kern lives a few hundred feet south of the intersection, and while he acknowledges there are frequent accidents there, he also says there are much more practical and cost-effective ways to address the problem.

Like all those who spoke in opposition to the proposal, Kern’s concern was over the fact that traffic (especially truckers) would be coming around a curve and down a hill and face the intersection just in front of them.

“You are asking truck drivers (who would be accelerating after leaving the 40 mile per hour speed zone in Indian Falls) to slow down in winter on slippery roads," Kern said. "Then coming up the hill, they don’t have a running start after having to slow down for the roundabout.

"It seems to me the money could be better spent than wasting it on a roundabout in the middle of nowhere.”

He advised representatives from the NYS Department of Transportation to give this a whole lot more thought.

“You’ve given no consideration to my neighbors on the corner who now put up with noise and pollution, and will be faced with even more when vehicles are slowing and speeding up,” Kern said. “The guy on the corner is going to have headlights in his bedroom at all hours of the night.

“I know people have died on that corner. I was there when they died. But it would be better if you took that $1.8 million and paved the road. Just give it some more thought.”

The public hearing began with a time for residents to ask questions from 5:30 to 6 p.m.

Frank Billittier, regional design engineer for the NYSDOT, introduced members of the design team and explained the roundabout was a proposal to improve safety at the intersection.

The engineer said in the last five years there have been 34 crashes, five times the number they expect to see at a similar type intersection. Eleven of the crashes involved an injury and one was a fatality. He said all the right-angle crashes involved an injury, and the roundabout would simplify right turns.

The design team looked at low-cost safety enhancements, such an all-way stop and a light-controlled intersection. They studied grades and said the hill just south of the intersection was not steep.

They also took a look at how long it took a truck to stop on a 3- to 4-percent grade when it was traveling at 55 mph. The distance was 495 feet, compared to 553 feet when on a 6-percent grade.

Billittier showed a video of a roundabout in Kansas to demonstrate how an oversize vehicle could navigate a roundabout by running up on the concrete apron. The video also showed how a snowplow would remove snow from a roundabout.

Construction of the roundabout would begin in the spring. Both Route 77 and Ledge Road would be closed to traffic for four to six weeks. Traffic would be detoured using Route 5 and Route 63. Road closure would be during July and August so as not to impede school buses.

Tom Finch, from the NYSDOT Northeast Regional Office, said five properties would be affected by the acquisition of land to build the roundabout. All property owners will be contacted and an appraiser will develop a fair market agreement for each property.

Property owners will be asked to sign the agreement, and in the case they fail to do so, filing of the map allows contractors to begin work.

Jill Klotzbach, a member of the Alabama Town Board, was the first to speak, making it very clear she opposed the roundabout.

“My family travels that intersection several times a day,” Klotzbach said. “I believe this intersection has features which makes it unsatisfactory for a roundabout. It’s on a hill and a sharp curve. Cars waiting for the right-of-way to enter the roundabout might be jeopardized by fast-moving vehicles coming down the hill.

"There is an intersection in the city where the road is flat and the speed limit is 35 mph and there are still crashes. Our farmers are all concerned about the difficulty navigating the roundabout with their large equipment.

“As a town board, we wrote letters to our legislature expressing our disapproval. The state has not listened to the expertise of local highway superintendents. What about the property values of the resident who will have the roundabout 30 feet from his house?

"The state keeps waving safety statistics at us, but do you have statistics of how safe a property owner feels with a roundabout 30 feet from his house?”

Attorney Reed Whiting spoke on behalf of his clients, Robert and LeNora Thompson, who live on the northeast corner of Route 77 and Ledge Road.

“They have many concerns about property devaluation and traffic lights flashing across their property all hours of the night,” Whiting said. “There will be jake-braking trucks, and any truck which enters at a high rate of speed is likely to travel near my client’s home.”

The attorney suggested rumble strips were far less expensive and far more effective than a roundabout.

Kathryn Thurber, who lives on Ledge Road, was upset with the fact Billittier said this was a public hearing, yet it was indicated they were going to take the property.

“It’s a done deal, and we don’t have any say,” Thurber said. “You said you are started construction to be thoughtful of school buses, but what about the farmers, who are at the peak of their season then? They need to move their equipment through there, back and forth to their farms.”

Lorna Klotzbach is a member of the Alabama Planning Board and she posed the question, “Is there anything that could be said to change your mind?”

“There are six current and former highway superintendents and workers in this room who have offered input and you have ignored them,” Klotzbach said. “You didn’t study the intersection in wintertime – you consulted charts.

"This intersection has a hill, curve, wind and heavy truck traffic in both directions going the speed limit of 55 mph. What happens if you are a car stuck in the roundabout waiting for a chance to move out and a truck comes down the hill at 55 mph?

“You are spending $1.8 million in a state where people are moving out in record numbers, yet you refuse to consider local input.”

She added it was rude and insulting to show a video from Kansas where roads are flat. 

“You have acted in a patronizing fashion to us,” she added. “You say we just don’t like change. We are not from the dinosaur era. We’d like to ask you to consider accepting our input, rather than come here and tell us it’s a done deal.”

She also quoted a comment from Alabama Highway Superintendent Bob Kehlenbeck, who said he’s been there on that hill in winter with the highway superintendent from Pembroke, shoveling sand under a truck that couldn’t make it up.”

She added at the end of the meeting how insulting it was to the residents of the Town of Alabama to discover the state had staked a state trooper and sheriff’s deputy outside the door. 

Julie Scarborough, who lives at Maple and Ledge roads, said she visited Scotland and saw many roundabouts there.

“But none of them were on a hill,” she said. “We live in one of the most expensive states and there are a lot of more economical options you didn’t even consider.”

Travis Warner is the resident on the southeast corner who will be faced with the roundabout 30 feet from his home. He said he doesn’t have air conditioning in his home and leaves the windows open in the summer.

He fears the increased noise from vehicles, especially trucks and motorcycles, jake braking and accelerating out of the roundabout will make it impossible for him to enjoy the summer. He is also concerned about increased exhaust and air pollution.

In addition, Warner said the snow which blows through that intersection will blow out of the roundabout and drift in the road within 10 minutes.

Jeff Kelkenberg, who lives on Marble Road a quarter mile north, has between 400,000 and 450,000 miles on the road, hauling loads as wide as 18 feet. He said big rigs these days have steerable rear ends and farmers have equipment, even when folded up, which is 18 feet wide.

“It sounds like the state didn’t really look at what the community wants,” Kelkenberg said. “They could put in a traffic light, with no turn on red. It appears we need to stand together. We need to unite and stand together in that intersection.”

Wes Klotzbach was concerned that traffic approaching the intersection from the south has been coming out of a speed zone.

“Traffic behind you wants to pull out and pass, then you see that roundabout at the bottom of the hill and climb on the brakes, and you get rear-ended by the traffic behind you,” he said.

He said the majority of accidents are a result of drivers who fail to yield right of way, and asked what was so magical about a roundabout that it would make them yield, when they won’t in a normal traffic pattern.

Farmer Dennis Phelps, who also lives on Ledge Road, called the proposal “horrific.”

“You are supposed to be engineers and professionals, yet you can’t see the danger in a school bus in the roundabout with a truck coming down the hill which can’t stop,” Phelps said. “Slowing them down would be the smartest thing you could do.”

Richard Rudolph was highway superintendent in the Town of Pembroke for 32 years and plowed Route 77 from Route 5 for 25 years.

“One of the worse spots I had was that hill in a sleet storm,” Rudolph said. “I’m not against roundabouts, but I don’t think that’s the place for one. Turning lanes and flashing lights would do the job.”

Another resident asked if the DOT had ever seen a pea-picking machine.

“They’re huge,” she said, adding wryly “...Mommas and poppas, don’t let your children grow up to be engineers.”

John Anderson said with the winters experienced in this area, if a truck is slowed down to 10 miles per hour through the roundabout, it will never make it up the hill. He recommended a stop-and-go light and rumble strips.

Ron Thurber asked what statistics were given for other options. He asked for data showing statistics of similar intersections with a stop light and rumble strips.

“I drive truck, and common sense needs to prevail,” he said. “My biggest concern is for the residents of that corner. If the state doesn’t offer them a whole chunk of change for their properties, it will be a crime.”

Eighteen-year-old Seth Doctor, an Oakfield/Alabama student, said he goes to school with a lot of kids who go through that intersection every day and he was concerned they could possibly lose their lives.

“I’ve been driving for two years and I know it’s not easy to stop in snow and ice, especially with a truck,” he said.

Annette Johnson is a volunteer Alabama firefighter who sent the DOT office on Jefferson Road in Rochester a petition with 1,079 names protesting the roundabout. She has another petition with 300 more signatures ready to send.

“I have responded to accidents there and in five years, there was one fatality,” she said. “There are far worse intersections in this county, and we don’t need a roundabout (for them).”

Residents have until June 10 to file comments with the NYSDOT Region 4, 1530 Jefferson Road, Rochester, NY 14623.

Frank Billittier, regional design engineer for the NYSDOT, at a public hearing Wednesday at Alabama Fire Hall on the state’s intent to put a roundabout at the intersection of Route 77 and Ledge Road.

Lorna Klotzbach, a member of the Alabama Town Planning Board, reads her statement in opposition to the roundabout.

Kathryn Thurber, of Ledge Road, was another Alabama resident who spoke out against the proposed roundabout.

Four people were inducted into the Genesee Region United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame earlier this month at a ceremony held at Batavia Downs.

Three recipients are in the photo above, from left, Robert Hughson, of Medina, Achievement; Al Vlietstra, of Warsaw, Veterans Achievement; and James Foss, of Medina, Achievement. Eunice Englert, of Nunda, also was enshrined for Meritorious Service to the sport of bowling.

Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Our latest edition of The Batavian Sessions features Michael DiSanto, who is originally from Batavia and is now a full-time musician living in Buffalo.

If you would like your band featured on The Batavian Sessions, email howard@thebatavian.com.

To see previous videos click here (and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get free early access to our future releases).