Victoria Rippel sent in this picture of members of AmeriCorps from Genesee County at the site of the Extreme Makeover in Buffalo.  The picture was taken Nov. 9. Also check out this picture she posted on her blog.

Final Unofficial Numbers, posted 11:09 p.m.

Note: City Charter question not yet tallied and those numbers are not expected to be announced until tomorrow between 11 a.m. and noon.

WBTA Live Stream

Three Genesee County companies made the 23rd Annual Democrat and Chronicle list of Top 100 companies in the region.

The local companies are: Lapp Insulators LLC, 130 Gilbert St., LeRoy; Liberty Pumps Inc., 7000 Apple Tree Ave., Bergen; and, Manning Squires Hennig Co. Inc., 8426 Seven Springs Road, Batavia.

Here's what the D&C says is criteria for making the list:

The Top 100 companies are ranked by revenue growth using a mix of dollar and percentage increases over the three most recent fiscal years. To be eligible, companies must be privately held, independent, have a minimum of $1 million in annual revenue and headquarters in the Rochester region, which includes Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Livingston, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Seneca and Yates counties.

The D&C said the average growth rate for the Top 100 companies over the past two years was 25 percent.

We still have our election survey online (link below).

PLEASE READ: I have invalidated at least HALF of the surveys cast so far.  People are not following the instructions. If you say you're voting for one candidate for County Legislature in District 7 and then also select a candidate in District 8, I'm throwing out your survey.  That is by far the biggest reason for invalidating a survey.  I've also invalidated surveys for voting in every jurisdiction.

Also note that I've only included in the survey races that are competitive. For jurisdictions or districts that have candidates running unopposed, there are no survey questions.

County Jay Gsell has laid it out there -- in order to meet Genesee County's budgetary needs, residents will need to pay an additional 8 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

Gsell expects $24.7 million of the county's revenue to come from property tax. That's up 2.7 percent from the previous year.

The 8-cent increase works out to about $7 per year in higher taxes for a home owner with an $80,000 piece of property.

Gsell:

This 2010 recommendation is at best a hedge against continued fiscal pressures delivered at Genesee County’s doorstep with regard to increasing human services clients, criminal justice activity, poor economic indicator performance in the regional and state economies and the current mandated service delivery programs that harken back to the 1970’s origins with the unrealistic New York State spin of hooking county governments into not only delivering and administering what are typically state and federal partnerships in the rest of the U.S., but also having counties directly funding actual benefits – the so called “local shares.” 

There will also be no new county jobs created in county government, Gsell said.

Overall, the county budget is going up .01 percent to $140,666,000.

Gsell is also freezing pay at current levels -- no pay increases -- for top county management staff.

Mandated costs -- Medicaid, Early Intervention/Preschool, Handicapped Children’s, Mental Health LGU, Probation, County Jail and Public Defender/Assigned Counsel -- consume 84 percent of the county's property tax levy.

The State's economic woes and a wet, dreary summer has put the squeeze on the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce's tourism promotion budget.

The state cut its "I Love New York" allocation to the chamber by 20 percent, or $15,000.

The wet summer kept some people from traveling and the local bed tax was down 9 percent, or $26,000.

That kind of drop is reminiscent of 2004, according to chamber Tourism Director Kelly Rapone. That year there were a lot of rainy days and that resulted in fewer hotel stays locally.

"The impact on the programming is that we're not really able to develop new programming or enhance the programming that we have," Rapone said. "It hurts our ability to provide additional marketing dollars to our partners"

The chamber's tourism division is responsible for helping bring people into the county for golf, or events, or sight-seeing. It puts together golf packages for individuals and groups, provides information on amenities and things to do and markets the county throughout the region.

One of the changes in market, Rapone said, is that the Chamber will reduce the radius of its marketing from about 300 to 500 miles to 200 miles.

"We're going to be looking to do more precise, targeted efforts rather than some of the broader initiatives," Rapone said.

I am really excited about this upcoming event in Batavia. Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union is going to Pay it Forward to the Batavia NY community with $10 CASH to each participant. I added a paragraph below to explain this event clearly!

You’ve heard people say, “a penny for your thoughts”.  Visit TVFCU on Thursday, October 15^th when we will be giving you 1,000 pennies - $10.00 - just for telling us how you would use it to help someone else!  All entries will be videoed.  Finalists will be selected from these entries and posted on-line for voting. The winner will be awarded $1000 to use however they wish in contributing toward their cause. Stop by October 15^th, when videoing will take place between 10 am and 2pm, to tell us how you would “Pay it Forward”. Employees and their families are not eligible.  For more details about TVFCU “Pay it Forward” and voting, visit TVFCUBatavia.com or see our Pay it Forward Video and Rules.

Here's a letter we received from the Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District, which is seeking participation in creating the Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee.

It's written by district technician and coordinator Elizabeth Bentley-Huber.

Tonawanda Creek is our county’s priority watershed. Presently there is not a Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee in Genesee County. My goal is to form a whole watershed effort coordinating a variety of people and organizations to work together to address common interests and concerns.

I would like to reach out beyond the political boundaries. Stakeholder identification is a key component to the formation of a watershed committee, to ensure that all interests in the watershed are represented. These stakeholders can help indentify other stakeholders who may have not been identified yet.

I am contacting you and other departments/agencies/organizations in anticipation that you may be interested or know someone in your field of expertise that would represent your department/agency/organization on a watershed committee for the entire Tonawanda Creek watershed including Erie, Niagara, Wyoming and Genesee counties.

Watershed partnerships are important to effective watershed management. Established watershed partnerships are an invaluable resource for a newly forming group and these existing partnerships can provide answers to many questions a new group may have when forming.

It is important right now to begin with the existing groups within the watershed. Several people have been in contact with me expressing interest in participating in a Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee, including an environmental program manager and a Tribal representative, both from the Environmental Protection Agency and an engineer with the Department of Environmental Conservation.

I also have been in contact with Erie, Niagara and Wyoming County Soil & Water Conservation districts. Aside from promoting better communication between counties, there is a need for technical advisement to provide general environmental information, make resources available and involve people with more expertise in specific fields in their area.

I would like to have a preliminary meeting with department/agency/organization representatives before conducting a formal meeting opened to the public due to the amount of information existing on the Tonawanda Creek Watershed.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns at (585) 343-2362. I will be happy to speak with you. If possible I would like to have the preliminary meeting in the first week of November. Please let me know as soon as possible. Thank You.

Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District

Attention: Elizabeth Bentley-Huber
USDA Center, 29 Liberty St., Suite 3, Batavia, NY 14020-3247
Office (585) 343-2362, Fax (585) 345-1815



 

Genesee County continues to do a bit better than the rest of the state, and the nation, on employment.

The unemployment rate for the county dropped to 6.9 percent in August, down from 7 percent in July.

New York's jobless rate hit 9 percent, however, the highest level in 26 years.

The approval of $1 million for Phase 2 of the Western New York Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) was granted by the Empire State Development Corporation today.

Senator Michael Ranzenhofer was among those who applauded the allocation to help build the Western New York Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP). He sent along this press release:

“The WNY STAMP park project allows Genesee County to compete in a 21st Century global economy. The project paves the way for technologically advanced companies that manufacture computer chips, semi-conductors and photovoltaic cells for solar power to locate in Western New York. This project would create over 9,300 jobs here in Western New York."

The WNY STAMP park has been planned as a prime mega-site, suitable for large scale advanced manufacturing projects. The 1,340 acre project, located in Alabama near the intersection of Route 77 and Judge Road, will be the second of only one other similar park in New York State. Phase II of the project allows the Genesee County Economic Development Center to complete design and engineering work.

Senator Ranzenhofer expressed appreciation to the efforts of many to move the project to the next phase.

“I would like to thank Senator Mary Lou Rath, Senator Bill Stachowski, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Assemblyman Dan Burling, Genesee County Economic Development Center President and CEO Steve Hyde and the Empire State Development Corporation for their tireless efforts to create a business-friendly environment and create jobs in Western New York."

Genesee County Economic Development Center President and CEO Steve Hyde had this to say:

“The WNY STAMP (Science, Technology, Advanced Manufacturing Park) project, located in close proximity to the NYS Thruway in the Town of Alabama, Genesee County, is a transformational regional effort which will, over the long term, help to transform Western NY’s economy from Buffalo to Rochester by growing high paying, advance manufacturing and technology oriented jobs. This...site is being developed as NY’s next generation Mega-Site similar to Luther Forest, the home of Global Foundries and AMD’s recent multi-billion investment.

"...I, along with many of the elected officials and people of Genesee County and the region, would like to thank Senator Ranzenhofer, and his predecessor Senator Rath, for all the support and hard work that has gone into helping WNY STAMP become a reality.” 

Mercy EMS is responding to a second call at Area 51 for a compound fracture. The first one was about two hours ago.

There was also a call out there this morning for a partially severed thumb.

At another location this afternoon, somebody had an arrow stuck in his wrist. There was also a call for a concussion at another recreation facility.

And of course, county ambulances have been getting the usual calls for older people with various health problems.

 The Genesee County Planning Board meets Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in County Building #2.

Agenda (PDF)

Minutes from previous meeting (PDF)

You are cordially invited to join us for the 20th

Annual Genesee County Decision-Maker’s Agriculture Forum,

sponsored by the Agriculture Committee of the
Genesee County Chamber of Commerce

“Careers in Action”

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Tour begins at the Elba Fireman’s Recreation Hall located at

7143 Oak Orchard Road (Rt. 98), Elba, NY 14058

7:15 a.m.         Registration / Breakfast (Eggs, sausage, hash browns, muffins, yogurt, milk, coffee, etc.)

7:45 a.m.                     Welcome:

Shelley Stein, Chair, Agriculture Committee, GC Chamber of Commerce

Steve Lockwood, Chair, Board of Directors, GC Chamber of Commerce

7:50 a.m.                     Torrey Farms

The current and next generation of Torrey Farms will share how the next generation of the Torrey family is working into the business and the various roles and responsibilities of family and management in running a Top 100 Farm.

8:45 a.m.                     Load busses and travel to Lamb Farm, Oakfield

9:00                             Lamb Farms, Oakfield

The Lamb and Veazey families will highlight some of the technology in use at their farm and how the second generation of the original partners are working together to share decision making and management to keep their business growing.

10:00                           Travel to CY Farms, Batavia

10:15                           CY Farms LLC & Provitello, LLC

CY will discuss the role of non-family members in the management of their diverse businesses and how they all work together to make the farm successful.  Jurian Bartelse of Provitello, LLC will talk about his family’s innovative veal raising facility and how technology has influenced the management of their business and the opportunities that it has created.

11:15                           Wrap-up and Return to Elba Recreation Hall

To participate in the 2009 Decision-Makers’ Agriculture Forum, you need to register by September 22, 2009, (there is no charge, but you must register): 

Call Melissa at the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce: 585-343-7440, ext. 27 or email: chamber (at) geneseeny (dot) com

It's that time of year -- time to start planning on flu shots.

The County Health Department issued a press release today notifying residents that flu shot clinics are in the works.

The first one is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 18.

Tentatively because only about 1/4 of the needed vaccine has been delivered to the county so far.  The remaining doses should arrive in September or October.

Full press release after the jump:

The best-tasting milk and dip in New York State comes from Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc.’s plants in Rochester and West Seneca, respectively. Genesee County milk suppliers participate in the co-op.

Cornell University’s Department of Food Science honored the cooperative’s Upstate Farms Milk and Bison Creamy Dill Dip products at the New York State Fair’s Dairy Day on Aug. 31.

Company representatives were invited to take home the Gold Medallion, accompanied by the Blue Ribbon. Ken Voelker, director of marketing at Upstate Niagara Cooperative pointed out that “Winning the gold reflects our member farmers’ commitment to produce the best milk and dairy products possible. We look forward to continually enhancing the quality of the products that we deliver throughout the U.S.” 

Bison Creamy Dill Dip, manufactured by Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc., is one of the company’s newest dip flavors, joining its popular flavor line-up. All Bison® dips are made with fresh sour cream and include flavors like French Onion, Southwestern Chipotle, Creamy Ranch, Roasted Garlic & Parmesan, and Reduced Fat French Onion.

Cornell University’s Department of Food and Science conducted the tests. Analysis focused on appearance, mouth feel and overall taste. The annual selection is a part of the New York State Quality Improvement and enjoys participation from nearly all commercial dairy producers in New York.   
   
Upstate Niagara Cooperative (formerly Upstate Farms) is owned and operated by a close-knit family of over 390 local dairy-farm families who care deeply about quality and freshness. The cooperative has been supplying a wide variety of fresh, high-quality dairy products under the Upstate Farms, Bison and Intense brands, for more than 40 years.

Four cases of rabies in animals have been confirmed in Genesee County, according to a press release just sent to local media by the County Health Department.

The four animals confirmed were a raccoon, bat, skunk and cat.

The health department encourages residents to stay away from wild animals and be suspicious of animals that are especially tame or aggressive.

And do not feed the raccoons.

Full press release after the jump:

The cost of burials are going up, as much as 40 percent in recent years, according to Eileen Kirkpatrick, Genesee County's social services commissioner.

Today, the Ways and Means Committee approved her request to implement a new payment schedule to cover funeral costs for indigent people.

In 2010, the basic allowance will increase from $1,556 to $1,634, and up about 5 percent in each of the next two years.

Kirkpatrick said the pay out is still less than some surrounding counties, and she certainly didn't want to see her department going the way of Niagara County, which even reimburses families who choose to buy special urns and oversized caskets.

"I don't want to get into the funeral business," Kirkpatrick said. "We expect funeral homes to bury people with dignity and compassion and we will pay for a basic rate."

Kirkpatrick said in a typical year, the county will pay for 35 to 40 burials.

The $200 back-to-school stipend for poorer families, which Gov. David Paterson announced last month, has probably been handled worse than any government program Eileen Kirkpatrick has seen.

She's the social services commissioner for Genesee County and I spoke with her after her presentation to the County's Ways and Means Committee this afternoon.

The state doesn't understand, Kirkpatrick said, the budgetary controls on counties and the need for more notice before such programs are implemented. Genesee County is fortunate compared to some other counties, in that its committee system works well, making it easier to get rapid approval of budget changes.

The state pushed out the funds to recipients without waiting for counties to get budgets properly amended, Kirkpatrick indicated.

"They didn't consult with the local commissioners," Kirkpatrick said. "They only consulted us after the fact."

Still, she's optimistic that most of the school-supply money handed out to local welfare and food-stamp recipients will be used as intended. She characterized most clients of the Department of Social Services as "working poor" who rely on government programs to help ends meet.

"Most of the people on food stamps are working and not just sitting around feeling lucky to collect benefits," Kirkpatrick said. "I'm very, very hopeful that any parents who get this money won't see it as some sort of windfall but will spend it wisely.

"Are there people who will see it as a windfall? Yes," Kirkpatrick added, "but I trust the good in people and believe most will spend it wisely."

The W&M Committee approved a resolution authorizing the budgetary change for the county, which will reflect $345,800 being received from the state for the school-supplies program, and $345,800 being spent.

BATAVIA, NY -- About 200 people attended a formal Senate hearing this afternoon at Genesee Community College focused on a dairy industry in crisis and possible solutions.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand heard testimony from producers and processors, economists and dairy industry experts. At the end of the two-hour hearing, which started about a half hour late, she said she was taking some good ideas back to Washington to use in developing long-term fixes.

The dairy industry is hard hit by: a pricing structure that's based on only 2 percent of the industry's products: higher fuel and feed costs; trade inequities; the expense of meeting increased regulations and standards not required by international competitors; and by a swiftly fluctuating market -- stemming from changing demands, the impact of product perishibility and supply -- plus many other factors.

It's a tough business and it requires a certain youthfulness to do the heavy physical labor, 365-days-a-year, with a liklihood of losing money at the end of the year instead of making a profit.

One of the surest ways of increasing the health of the dairy industry, is to increase consumer demand for its products. Several spoke in favor of the federal government doing more to help out, such as buying more milk for school breakfast programs, stocking up food banks with cheese or buying powdered milk for women and infant nutrition programs. In other words, use more Department of Agriculture money going toward food purchases anyway to beef up dairy consumption.

To compete with a ever-increasing variety of thirst-quenching beverages, the dairy industry needs to develop new products and boost the flavor, "mouth feel," and nutrition of milk without adding fat or calories.

They also called for leveling the field when it comes to trade. Why does an American dairy farmer have to pay a 15-cent per-hundred-weight fee for marketing and promotion, when the foreign importer does not yet still enjoys the benefits?

One good way to boost oversees consumption is to sell more solid milk product, which is in great demand worldwide. But more production plants are needed. Yet a capital expansion program for Batavia has been on hold since 2005 pending USDA approvals.

Rep. Eric Massa said he'll enlist his colleagues to pressure the USDA to speed things up if Kim Pickard-Dudley drafts him a letter on why the capital expansion program is critical for Western New York. She spoke as a representative of the farmer-owned Upstate Niagara Co-op.

Robert Church advocated "market-driven solutions" and federalizing uniform industry standards, so states like California, do not have unfair advantage over Western New York's dairy industry. He's herd manager for Patterson Farms, a 980-cow operation west of Auburn.

"You said one-size-fits-all," Massa told Church. "My job is to protect New York. That's what I'm here to do."

The problems faced by New Mexico, California or Arizona dairies, compared to here, are vastly different because their circumstances are different, Massa said, about as different in fact as Mars is from Pluto.

"California cows are happy cows," so goes the marketing slogan, but Massa said here it's more like "New York cows are really angry cows."

A special-use permit for a new RV, boat and auto storage facility in Elba were among several items approved last night by the Genesee County Planning Board.

The 37,000-square-foot facility will, be located on Drake Street Road at the former location of Drake Street Motors. The lot is adjacent business owner's home.

If final approval is granted by Elba's planning commission, the facility will be required to only store operational vehicles -- no parts or junk.

Other business included:

• A resident at 8846 Kenney Road in Le Roy is seeking permission to kennel up to seven rescued dogs on that property. If approved by the Le Roy Planning Commission, the owner will not be allowed to operate a commercial kennel without seeking a new special-use permit. Some board members expressed concern about barking dogs, but Jim Duval, director of planning, said that issue is really the responsibility of the local planning board. "In her application, she assures everybody they're quiet dogs," Duval said.
• A site plan review for Jeffries Ag Services, 6905 Ellicott Street Road, Pavilion, for construction of a new loading area, conversion of a former tank area to dry fertilizer storage and conversion of the front storage area into office space. On the recommendation of Mel Wentland, board president, the board added a provision that the DEC be contacted to review the dike capacity and ensure it is sufficient to protect Oatka Creek from any spills.
• A sign-variance approval for Coffee Culture, going in at 6 Court St., for signs on the three public-facing sides of the building.
• Both Bergen and Stafford are proposing changes to their zoning laws.