Stafford

As long as just about anybody can remember the Stafford Trading Post has been located in the Odd Fellows building at the corner of Main and Transit, but that may change before long.

The Stafford Planning Board approved a site plan last night for the adjoining lot, 6167 Main Road.

Owner Tom Englarth has been seeking approval for construction of a building suitable to a convience store and deli for nearly a year. Englarth expects Shelley Macan-Mouery, the current owner of the Stafford Trading Post, to move her store to the new location.

Laughing after the meeting, Englarth said, "I've never worked so hard to spend so much money in my life.

The new building will be fronted by 17 parking spaces and have a dining area for up to 25 people.

The site plan application says the proposed business will employ three people fulltime. The board stipulated that the occupant cannot be open for business between midnight and 5 a.m.

Macan-Mouery said this morning she isn't ready to discuss the possible relocation.

The lot is part of the four corners area, which has been designated a historical district.

Linda Call, president of the Stafford Historical Society, expressed concern during the meeting that the new building won't fit within the historical nature of the district.

"This is the most historic section of the Town of Stafford," Call said. "Doesn't this represent a modern intrusion into the district?"

Code Enforcement Officer Lester Mullen noted the current lot is vacant.

"It would be nice to fill that lot with something that would be good for the town," Mullen said.

"We're certainly mindful of the historic nature of the district," said board member Sharon Valyear-Gray, "but the current owner of the Odd Fellows building hasn't done anything with it."

The site plan passed on a unanimous vote.

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The land at 5981 Main Road is Stafford isn't good for much, according to Zoning Enforcement Officer Lester Mullen. You can't build a house on it and it's no good for agriculture because of the rocky structure under the surface.

The problem for years, though, is that it's zoned Agricultural/Residential.

Now the land has a use, and the Stafford Planning Board gave its blessing, after months of wrangling, to Bruce Scofield's plan to build a warehouse on the land.

Scofield runs roll-off container, fuel oil truck and refuse collection business. He plans to build a six-bay facility to store his trucks.

The facility is a perfect fit for the location, Mullen said, because unlike a house, it won't require septic. Septic requires digging, and apparently, you can't dig that deep on the parcel in question.

Two major considerations in the special use permit is that Scofield will not be allowed to store anything outside of the building and he must attractively landscape the front of the building along Route 5.

"The Town of Stafford gave a chance for him (A.D. Call) a chance to thrive, to succeed and that's all Mr. Scholfield is asking" his attorney Reid Whiting told the board. "He's just looking for an opportunity for his business to take off. It's a business that will be beneficial to Stafford. It will create jobs and tax revenues."

Andrew Kosiorek, 37, 53 W. Main St., #101, Corfu, is charged with criminal contempt and harassment following an alleged incident in Batavia. Kosiorek reportedly following a family dispute in which he allegedly struck another person. The person allegedly attacked is covered by a protection order.

Patricia M. Morris, 58, 5359 Horseshoe Lake Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI , driving with a BAC of .18 or more and driving left of road markings in a no passing zone. Morris was stopped following reports of erratic driving in the City of Batavia and Stafford.

Jennifer L. Heil, 26, 5690 Eagle Harbor Road, Oakfield, is charged with DWI,driving with a BAC of .18 or more and driving left of pavement markings. Heil was charged following a traffic stop in Stafford.

Gary Engle, 24, of 7549 Mechanic St., Byron, is charged with reckless endangerment. Engle is accused of shooting his .22 calibre rifle and 12-gauge shotgun in his backyard on June 13 at 3:15 without properly checking his backstop in the direction he was firing. The bullets reportedly entered the backyard of a neighbor where adults and children were present. No injuries were reported.

Jayson M. Connolly, 35, of 135 S. Main St., Apt. 10, is charged with assault in the third degree and criminal contempt in connection with three alleged incidents over a three-day period. On June 17, at about 7:30 p.m., Connolly allegedly swatted a stick from a bonfire hitting a female acquaintance with the stick and causing burn and blister on her right and left thigh area. On June 18, at about 11:45 p.m., Connolly allegedly phoned the woman in violation of an order of protection. On June 19, at about 11:45 a.m., Connolly allegedly tried to speak to the woman again in violation of the order of protection. Connolly was arrested and placed in Genesee County Jail without bail.

Jon M. Dambra, 21, of 22 Berry Grove Lane, Brockport, is charged with DWI and unlawful possession of marijuana following a traffic stop for allegedly speeding in the City of Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Jason Flansburg, 32, of 139 Woodlands Way, Brockport, was reportedly a guest at the Holiday Inn early yesterday morning when he began cussing and making loud noises at about 3:30 a.m.  Flansburg was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. He was also reportedly had some marijuana and was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Cory Jones, 26, of 5965 Main Road, Stafford, was stopped yesterday a little after midnight for an alleged traffic violation. Sheriff's deputies allegedly found him with marijuana and he was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Jerad M. Stalker, 25, of 8874 Hartshorn Road, Batavia, was stopped on Lovers Lane Road yesterday morning around 2 a.m.  He was charged with DWI, having a BAC of .08 or greater, improper parking on a road way and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Toni White, 28, of 14 S. Main St., Batavia, is charged with trespassing. The trespassing charge stems from a previous accusation of shoplifting at Wal-Mart. Following the initial charge, it was discovered that White had reportedly been banned from Wal-Mart, leading to the trespass charged on the date of the alleged shoplifting incident.

Terrance Dolan, 22, of 88 Woodcrest Blvd., Buffalo, and Sean T. Hennessy, of 41 Neuman Parkway, Buffalo, are charged with trespass in relation to events at the No Doubt concert at Darien Lake June 19 at 10:50 p.m. Dolan is accused of trying to enter a private area of the concert area and Hennessy is accused of trying to go backstage.

Andrew Paul Weick, 22, of 116 State St., Tonawanda and Paige Marie Fagan, 23, of 116 State St., Tonawanda, are accused of possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana. Weick and Fagan were reportedly at the No Doubt concert at Darien Lake when they were allegedly found in possession of hydrocodone, cocaine and marijuana.

Scott D. Larnder, 32, of 3 Jerome Place, Batavia, is charged with DWI, speeding and failure to take pre-screen test.  He was reportedly stopped on Route 5 near Sanders Road in Stafford. Larnder was arraigned the morning of June 19 and released.

Caitlin E. Mahoney, 22, of 84 Walter St., Tonawanda, is charged with DWI and a BAC of .08 or more. Mahoney was reportedly stopped at the side of the road on Route 33 in the Town of Batavia when contacted by deputies. Mahoney stated she was looking for the Thruway. Upon investigation, deputies concluded Mahoney was allegedly operating a motorvehicle while intoxicated.

William Briggs, 42, of 15 Savannah St, Apt. 6H, is charged with petty larceny for allegedly shoplifting from Target.

Bridget K. Grayson, 41, 8272 Gully Road, LeRoy, is charged with felony DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater along with driving to the left of pavement markings in a no passing zone, improper turn signal, driving slow and impeding traffic and failure to notify DMV of address change. Grayson was reportedly stopped on Route 237 in Stafford on June 19 just after midnight.

There was a field with horses by where I parked my truck in Stafford this afternoon. I started snapping some pictures and this horse came over to check me out.

Brian "Elvis" Dengler, a Rochester resident, takes a practice swing off the 10th tee at Stafford Country Club where a three-day invitational tournament got underway at 12:30 p.m. today.

It's the 58th Annual Jon Lynn Invitational, which allows members of the private club to bring in non-members for the big tournament.

Jon Lynn was pro at the club for 25 years, according to current pro Eric Haille, who has been with the club for 12 years.

Eric will be sending us results for the tournament over the next three days, so look for them in the sports section.

Bradley R. Jordan, 16, of Bethany, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property. Jordan is allegedly involved with the theft of a 2004 Polaris Sportsman Pro H.O. Four-Wheel ATV from a residence in Stafford. Deputy P.J. Reeves reported he found Jordan in possession of the ATV, which went missing March 11. Previously, we reported Steven Peckenpaugh, 17, of Attica, had been arrested and charged with the theft of the vehicle. Jordan is held on $10,000 bail. The value of the ATV was placed at $3,700.

Abdullah H. Shareef, 27, of Rochester, is accused of damaging a door to City Centre on May 4. He was taken into custody by Batavia PD at 8:05 p.m last night. He is being held in Genesee County Jail on $1,000 bail.

Jarred Brannan, 24, of Churchville, was taken into custody based on a bench warrant. No details are provided on the nature of the warrant. He is held in Genesee County Jail on $1,000 bail.

Bob Fitzsimmons and Mike Boyle get a little sun sitting next to an eye-catching jet black 1963 Corvette Convertible. Fitzsimmons and Boyle said they will be in the same spot everyday, outside the Stafford Fire Department building, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. selling raffle tickets for the vehicle (or $50,000 in cash) until the drawing on Father's Day.

This is the 26th year the SFD has raffled off a Corvette. Fitzsimmons said it's a very successful fund raiser for the department.

"We own all our own engines, the building and the land behind it," Fitzsimmons said. "The town gives us a little bit of money, but not much. It (the raffle sure helps with my taxes, I'll tell you that."

The raffle is known throughout the world, Fitzsimmons said. They publicize it through their own mailing list as well as magazine ads.

Tickets are $1 each, or three for $2, or $10 for a book of 15.

The driver and one passenger suffered unspecified facial injuries and complained of pain following a roll over accident on Route 5 on Saturday near Buckley Road in Stafford.

The driver, L.M. Schellenberg, 18, of Le Roy, said she served to avoid a deer when she lost control of the vehicle.  The car was a 2001 Chevy sedan.

Her passenger also reportedly injured in the accident was 16-year-old D.M. Schellenberg, also of Le Roy. 

Both were taken by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment.

Amy Mathisen has a dream -- to build a facility for gymnastics and offer them after-school programs on her parents' farm in Stafford.

Karen Nostrant and Paul Hendel don't necessarily want to stomp on that dream, but they aren't eager to see such a facility close to their home on Caswell Road. The prospect of increased traffic and car lights shining into their windows is not appealing to them.

On Mach 24, Mathisen sent a letter to the Stafford Town Council outlining her plans, which will require land-use changes.

Mathisen's dream starts with converting three or four acres of the farm into a lot for the facility, which would be 9,000 square feet with 400 square feet dedicated to before-and after-school programs and recreational activities.

Parking would be a gravel lot.

In a letter dated May 1, Nostrant and Hendel say the proposed location would be less than 100 feet from their front porch, that the parking area would significantly increase noise and lights adjacent their property, traffic on Caswell would increase from three vehicles per hour to more than 30 and the value of both properties would decrease as a result.

Rather than try to shut down Mathisen's dream entirely, however, Nostrant and Hendel, who are both volunteers with the Stafford Fire Department, suggest the facility be shifted to Griswold Road, which would put a barn between it and the two houses on Caswell.

Mathisen's a 33-year resident of Stafford and has been involved in gymnastics since age 13. She wrote to the town council:

"Gymnastics is a sport that prepares youth for any sport through gross motor skill development, strength training, flexibility and balance. Gymnastics is for both boys and girls of all ages and with the afterschool program right at the center, some parents will have one less stop to make in their busy schedules, which in turn strengthens the family unit. I want gymnastics in Genesee County to have a facility that will be around for years to come with the tools it needs for gymnasts to excel. I have been involved in a program that has moved at least 8 times in the last 10 years. I want there to be a permanent home for gymnastics in Genesee County."

We tried calling Mathisen three times, but she has not returned our calls.

No hearing date has been set to review the proposal.

Illette Park in Stafford could soon benefit from a little sprucing up thanks to the quiet persistance of Jean Ianni, member of the Stafford Garden Club.

Ianni came to the Town Council meeting Monday night representing the club with no specific request for help from the town, but walked away with a promise of $250 to help plant either trees or bushes along the property line of the park.

When a council member asked Ianni what the garden club expected, what the plans were, how much money or help was needed, Ianni simply said, "We don't do anything until we get some help."

After some discussion about whether to plant trees or bushes, or maybe using some available paving stones to create a walkway, Highway Supervisor Steve Boldt looked over the budget for his department and said that between the maintenance for the part and weed removal, he might be able to free up $250 for the project.

That led more discussion on when to plant trees, if that was the plan.

"If you wait until Memorial Day, you will be water them all summer," said Councilman Ronald Panek. "The time to plant is now."

Soon, a motion was made, seconded and a unanimous vote cast to set aside $250 for the garden club to buy some plants for the park.

The Stafford Town Council approved the purchase of a John Deere Model 644 Loader Monday night for $98,000.

The piece of heavy machinery can serve a number of uses in the town, from earth movement to snow removal.

The full price is $166,000, but the town will get $68,000 trade in value for its current loader.

The winning bid was submitted by Five Star Equipment of Rochester. It was the only bid of four that met all of the criteria of the bid request, according to Highway Superintended Steve Boldt.

Steven Peckenpaugh, 17, of Attica, is accused of stealing a 2004 Polaris H.O. Four-Wheel ATV from behind a residence on Seven Springs Road in Stafford. The alleged theft took place March 11. Peckenpaugh is charged with grand larceny.

Derek Leach, 29, of Byron is charged with possession of stolen property. Leach is accused of having three stolen New York State vehicle inspection stickers.

Andrew Hall-Jones, 56, of Stafford, is charged with petty larceny after allegedly stealing clothes from outside an apartment in Stafford. He is being held in Genesee County Jail on $500 bail.

Rachel A. Baehr, 22, of Elba is in jail on a bench warrant after she allegedly failed to appear in a previous child endangerment case. She is held on $500 bail. Baehr was also taken into custody Friday at 3:30 p.m. on a petty larceny charge. She is accused of attempting to steal three 12-ounce bottles of Corona beer from Kmart by concealing them in her purse.

Timothy J. Smith, 19, of Basom, is charged with unlawfully dealing with a child after allegedly hosting an under-age drinking party. The party was reportedly held Saturday night on Lewiston Road in Basom. Deputies say Smith allowed people under 21 to drink while attending the party. He was taken into custody early Sunday morning and issued an appearance ticket.

Anne Weremblewski, 54, of Batavia, is accused of using a kitchen knife to scratch a neighbor's car. She is charged with a felony count of criminal mischief. She was released on her own recognizance and ordered not to engage in offensive conduct.

Jason Cramer, 25, of Batavia, allegedly made an "unreasonable noise" inside his residence during a domestic dispute. This caused neighbors to call 911. He is charged with disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana. The incident occurred early Saturday morning.

Vincent T. Winterkorn, 50, of Rochester, was stopped for reportedly speeding along Route 33 in through Stafford on Friday at about 7 p.m. Upon further investigation, it was determined that he appeared intoxicated. He is charged with DWI with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving without a license and speeding.

Andrew J. Rock, 22, of Batavia, is charged with petty larceny. Rock is accused of attempting to shoplift two bottles of perfume from Target. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Robert Piechocki, 45, of Alexander is accused of slapping his wife during a domestic dispute. He is charged with menacing and harassment. He is held on $1,500 bail.

Timothy Grice, 47, of Oakfield, is accused of unlawful imprisonment, coercion and harassment for allegedly not letting a housemate leave their residence. Sheriff's deputies responded to the house after receiving a 911 call yesterday at 10:10 a.m..  Grice reportedly punched, kicked and held the housemate. Grice allegedly also tried to grab the phone to prevent the housemate from calling 911.

Ryan L. Krupp, 23, of Batavia is accused of cashing a forged check from another Batavia resident at a local bank. He is charged with one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument and held in Genesee County Jail on $5,000 bail.

Ruben Torres, 19, of Mt. Morris, was stopped in Stafford April 24 at 2 p.m. for an allegedly obscured license plate. During a search, deputies reportedly found marijuana and cocaine. Torres is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Robert C. Synder, 48, of Batavia, allegedly pulled a woman from a chair and began dragging her across the floor by her hair Friday night. He is charged with harassment in the second degree. He is held on $1,500.

Daniel K. Norton, 22, of Batavia, was arrested early Sunday morning on a DWI charge following a traffic stop Lear Road. He is accused of having a BAC of .08 or more.

William E. Schneider, 23, of Bergen, is charged with a felony count of DWI. Schneider is also accused of driving 75 m.p.h. in a 55 m.p.h. zone. He was stopped on Route 33 in the Town of Stafford.

O.V. Murphy, 50, of Batavia, was charged with felony DWI on Sunday evening. Murphy was reportedly stopped on Route 5 in the Town of Batavia. He is accused of operating a motor vehicle while drinking and having a BAC of .18 or greater.

Sheriff's deputies and members of the Drug Task Force executed a search warrant last night at 5430 School Road, Apt. A, in Stafford last night and reportedly found $1,500 worth of cocaine and $500 in cash.

Taken into custody was Derek R. Leach, 29, of Stafford.

He is charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance.

Leach was locked up in Genesee County Jail and is being held without bail.

Marcos Juan Gomez, 31, of Rochester (pictured, right), is being charged with robbery in the 1st degree after allegedly being caught shoplifting at Target, and when security personnel there tried to stop him, he reportedly pulled a knife and fled. He was subsequently apprehended in the Home Depot parking lot. He is being held in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

Michael F. Geer, 18, of Batavia, is in jail on $5,000 bail and charged with harassment in the second degree and menacing in the second degree after allegedly wielding a knife and threatening to kill his mother. He is also charged with possession of a controlled substance He was taken into custody yesterday at around 5 p.m.

Benjamin Muntz, 20, of Oakfield (pictured, left), is accused of forgery after allegedly trying to pass forged checks at a local bank. He was arrested Thursday by a Sheriff's deputy while at Batavia City Court. He allegedly possessed two forged checks while at a Batavia bank in September. He is held in custody in lieu of $5,000 bail.

A 17-year-old girl from Stafford is in custody and held on $1,000 bail after allegedly entering a residence and taking $300 worth of property. She is charged with burglary in the second degree, a felony, and petty larceny. An order of protection was also issued.

Clint L. Stafford, 27, of Basom, was charged with DWI and felony unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle early Sunday morning. He was also ticked with an improper left turn and an open container.

A 17-year-old from Bergen is being charged with possession of a controlled substance in the 7th degree. A K-9 reportedly found hydrocodone in the teenagers possession in November and a subsequent lab test confirmed the substance was hydrocodone. The teenager was issued an appearance ticket.

A 17-year-old girl involved in a motor vehicle accident in Stafford last week was allegedly found with a switch blade knife and several marijuana pipes. She is being charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the 4th degree and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Bake Sale at St. Paul's: I stopped by the rummage and bake sale at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Stafford this morning. Pictured are Audrey Chessman, Mary Waterman and Betty Ward.

Rummage Sale Stafford: The rummage sale this morning at St. Paul's in Stafford. After a I took my first picture, a lady told me "I don't want my picture in the paper." So that's not the one I used.