Press release:

Join GLOW OUT! in uplifting LGBTQ+ youth as they head back to school at their first-ever Back-to-School BBQ this Saturday, September 24 from 12:30-3:30 pm at DeWitt Park in Batavia. This all-age event is free, open to the public, and will be hosted by the fabulous Vanessa Leroux who is returning from the 2022 Pride Festival to entertain and wow participants again!

The afternoon will also feature Act Out!, GLOW OUT’s youth league led by Lilly Fiscus of Caledonia-Mumford HS, Abigail Merkley of Holley HS, Ruth Metzgar of GCC (formerly of Attica HS), Ayden Carlson of Batavia HS, and Judith Newton of Batavia HS. Learn about upcoming youth-related events and their efforts to combat bullying with the launch of their campaign “Fail the F-Slur!”. Targeting the need for family support, the group will also promote the start of their PFLAG/parent group which will begin in October.  

GLOW OUT! would like to pay a special thank you to Lynda Battaglia, Director of Mental Health and Community Services of Genesee County, whose generous time and stellar performance as a “Celebrity Bartender” helped to raise the funds for this event to be free for the community. This organization and the LGBTQ+ youth uplifted by this work are grateful to live in a community with such inclusive and dedicated leaders. More information about the event can be found on their website http://www.glowout.org/. If you are bringing a larger group or if you have questions, please email Sara Vacin at saravacin@gmail.com. Families, friends, and clubs are welcome!

Photo: Submitted photo.  Ayden Carlsen, Judith Newton, Sara Vacin, Abby Merkley, and Lilly Fiscus

Press release:

Did you know that radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that is released in rock, soil and water? Radon has no smell, taste or color and kills more than 21,000 people each year. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

Radon can build up to dangerous levels in your home, which can occur in new homes or older homes. “Radon can enter your home through cracks in the foundation, cracks in basement walls, holes, joints, dirt floors, sump pump holes, suspended floors and in the well-water supply,” stated Darren Brodie, Environmental Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “Any house that has contact to the ground has the potential for radon to enter the home.”

Both the EPA and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) have identified Genesee County as having a high average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter). “Testing your home for radon is the only way to know if high levels are present and corrective action is needed,” stated Brodie. When radon tests are completed, they should be performed in the lowest primary living area of the home.

GO Health encourages residents to test for radon when buying a home, doing a major renovation, every 2 years if there is a mitigation system installed or every 5 years otherwise. You can purchase a short-term radon test kit from your local hardware store or through a radon-testing laboratory. For more information on radon or other GO Health programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org

Press release:

Due to popular demand, we have added a second tomato canning class on Sept. 28, 6 to 8 p.m.  This is a hands-on class that will show you all the basics of hot water bath canning.  The Master Food Preserver will demonstrate both the hot and cold pack methods of canning.  There will also be a discussion on canning jams and jellies.

Recipes and handouts will be provided.  When the class is done, you will have a quart of tomatoes, but they will be too hot to take home that night.  You will be able to pick them up at the CCE office the next day.

The class will be held at the Stafford Methodist Church, 6134 Main St., Stafford, Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m.  Pre-registration is required as class size is limited.  No walk-in participants, please.  The cost for the class is $20 per person.  Registration and payment are due by September 26.  Contact Mandy at (585) 343-3040, ext. 101 or stop by our office to register.  You can also register and pay online by going to our event page athttps://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/events.

Press release:

On Saturday, Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., law enforcement agencies across Genesee County and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

There will be three locations across the county where citizens can dispose of their medications. Sharps will only be accepted at the Batavia location.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

• The Batavia Police Department, in conjunction with United Memorial Medical Center, will be accepting prescription drugs and sharps in the Alva Place parking lot across the street from Batavia Showtime (located in the Genesee County Mall), Batavia.
• The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office will be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at the Pembroke Town Hall, 1145 Main Road, Corfu.
• The Le Roy Police Department will be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at their headquarters located at 3 West Main Street, Le Roy.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. 

In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long.

The Batavia Police Department Headquarters has one for everyday collection of drugs located in the rear vestibule at 10 West Main St., Batavia, NY.

Containers are also located at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office on Park Rd, Batavia, and at the Le Roy Police Department. Sharps are accepted at United Memorial Medical Center, 127 North St., Batavia.

The FDA also provides information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs. More information is available here.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 29th Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.

File Photo: Officer Stephen Quider, K-9 Batu, and Detective Jason Ivison in 2021.

Press release:

The Genesee County Highway Department will be paving on Morganville Road between Horseshoe Lake Road and Route 237 and East Morganville Road between Morganville Road and 237 in Stafford on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, weather permitting. The road will be closed to thru traffic during the paving operations.

To all motorists, businesses, and property owners along Lovers Lane in the Town of Batavia:

Lovers Lane between Route 33/Pearl Street Road and South Main Street Road will be closed to all through traffic during paving operations scheduled for Tuesday, Sept 27.  Paving Operations will occur between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.   Residents of Lovers Lane will have access to their property, but anticipate delays.  This is a weather dependent operation.  If postponed due to inclement weather the work will be rescheduled for the next workday.

Designated as a registered National Historic Landmark in 1961, the Holland Land Office Museum has been a treasured staple of Genesee County heritage for decades, which also means the site has taken its share of wear and tear.

After all, the stone museum building was built in 1810, and it was designed by famous Batavian Joseph Ellicott. The county has established it worthy of a capital project, which is to begin with a conditions study. A request for proposal was advertised, and three bidders pitched for the project.

“Wendel was by far the most qualified,” Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said to legislators this week.

Consultant Wendel of Williamsville came in with a bid of just under the $45,000 cap. Hens, the assistant county engineer and deputy highway superintendent reviewed the submitted proposals and recommended the Erie County company, Hens said. He asked that legislators approve the consultant and bid that’s not to exceed $43,324.

The scope of work is for a Holland Land Office restoration study.

“It’s a full, comprehensive look at the building,” he said. “And it should give us a road map of what we need.”

One of the goals is to document each area of the site at 131 West Main St., Batavia, and determine what its future needs might be. The consultants will be assessing “functionality issues,” and the potential to add a Welcome Center, Hens said.

Legislators Gary Maha, Marianne Clattenburg, Shelley Stein, Christian Yunker, Chad Klotzbach, John Deleo, Brooks Hawley, Gregg Torrey, and Gordon Dibble approved the request.

Photos of Holland Land Office Museum from the front, top photo, at the sidewalk along Main Street, and the side next to the parking lot, above. Photos by Howard Owens.

A vote to forward the proposal for a Wings Over Batavia air show was tabled Wednesday after Legislator Gary Maha questioned how much it would cost the county.

“I’m certainly in favor of it,” Maha said during the Public Service meeting at the Old Courthouse. “My concern’s as to the cost to the county … is it $10,000, $20,000, $60,000? We don’t know.”

County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens presented a brief update about the air show, and it has been progressing towards a 2023 date. A Wings Over Batavia Committee has established an LLC to accept and manage funds for the show, Hens said. Each air act would have its own insurance policy, in addition to the LLC, which would protect the county’s liability, he said.

“It has been 25 years since the county hosted an air show,” he said. "There seems to be a lot of pent-up interest in wanting it. And the city has an interest in doing the Wing Ding again.”

A former air show that ran in conjunction with the city’s downtown Wing Ding — Main Street lined with food and craft vendors — was a popular yearly event in the 1990s. Hens came on board with the county just in time for the final one in 1998, he said.

“People have said for years, why don’t we do another air show?” he said to The Batavian after the meeting. “We’ve got the right people in place that want to do it, that are willing to spend the time to plan it, and raise the money to make sure it happens. As far as what they’re asking, the cost to the county … we have a pretty rough idea of how traffic is, going in and out of the air show. It’s different now than it was in 1998. But we can work with the Sheriff’s Office and fire training folks to figure out what the cost of providing traffic control will be pretty quickly, and have it back to the Ways & Means Committee hopefully in October.”

During the meeting, Legislator Marianne Clattenburg voted to table the matter, but voiced her disagreement with the need for it.

“I’m for this. I’d move on it right now,” she said. “I think this is something that we would fully support.”

Maha countered that by stating the group is being asked to vote on unspecified data.

“But we don’t know what we’re voting on, we’re voting on a blank check,” he said.

The costs would mostly pertain to law enforcement time for security during the event, as participants and attendees are willing to pay for the show, Hens said. In the mid-90s, nearly 40,000 people would attend. Formerly affiliated with the Wings of Eagles, the air show ceased when that group moved on to another venue after 1998.

Hens said the next air show meeting is in early October, and he expects to have more details for that month’s Ways & Means members. Aside from attendance revenue, there is also the ripple effect of drawing thousands of people from other areas, Hens said. Those people rent hotel rooms, eat in restaurants and shop locally while here. The resulting sales tax is a benefit to the county, he said.

The air show would be a self-sustaining entity, with the county incurring only incidental expenses from structural items, such as law enforcement time, he said. Organizers would set up a perpetual seed fund to carry it onward annually, he said.

“Air shows are hugely popular. I mean, if you go to the air shows in Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, there are big throngs of people,” he said. “So it’s a fun event.”

Photo: Genesee County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, right, discusses a potential air show next year at Genesee County Airport during Wednesday's Public Services Committee meeting. Photo by Joanne Beck.

This year's Decision Makers Agriculture Tour hosted by Chamber of Commerce focused on one of the wonders of Genesee County, the mucklands and  the onions those fields produce.

"We got to see the Big O onion facility and it was beautiful, a really high-tech way of processing onions," said Tom Turnbull, interim president of the Chamber. "It's just amazing. Every time I come on one of these tours, the technology that goes into producing our food in this county is amazing."

As Turnbull and tour participants stood on the black soil of the mucklands on a cloudless afternoon near rows of onions waiting to be harvested, he marveled at unique enterprise.

"Seeing what the muckland is and the history, which I really didn't know the full story, about what is strange swamp land that's high in nutrients, and there's only a finite amount of in the country," Turnbull said. "It's just fascinating."

For The Batavian's previous coverage of the mucklands and onion production, click here.

Photos by Howard Owens

It was a short court appearance today for Cassandra Elmore, a Batavia woman facing three counts of injuring an animal in a case involving a dog that overdosed on narcotics.

Following an attorney conference, City Court Judge Thomas Burns announced that there were issues to be resolved in the case that needed to be placed on paper.  He ordered Elmore, who is out of jail on bail after being arrested following a previous failure to appear in court, to return to City Court at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 20.

Burns said he will hear motions in the case at that time.

Outside of court, Elmore volunteered to a reporter, "It will be interesting when you get the real case. You will be embarrassed." 

The 30-year-old Elmore was first arrested in July after she had taken her French Bulldog, Oddey, to veterinarians for emergency treatment. In each case, the veterinarians determined Oddey had overdosed on narcotics. Twice the veterinarians said they suspected Oddey had ingested cocaine.  On one occasion, Elmore reportedly said Oddey had found white powder on the kitchen floor of her residences, then on River Street.

Since that arrest, Elmore has also been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, obstruction of governmental administration, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd. 

Twice since her arrest in July, Elmore failed to make her scheduled appearance in City Court. Once somebody called the court and said Elmore was in the hospital. The second time, somebody who identified himself as an attorney from Pennsylvania indicated he was representing her.

Assistant Public Defender Jamie Welch is representing Elmore.

While Elmore remains free on bail as her legal case continues through the judicial process, Oddey remains confined at the Genesee County Animal Shelter.

Top photo: Outside of court, Cassandra Elmore poses for the camera as she walks out of the Courts Facility with her mother. Inside of court, during her proceeding, she blew a kiss at a reporter in the courtroom. Photo by Howard Owens.

Previously:

• Woman charged after dog treated repeatedly for narcotics overdose
• Vet told police Oddey was showing signs of drug intoxication during emergency visit
• Elmore asks for time to hire attorney while Oddey waits at shelter
• Warrant issued for woman accused of letting dog OD after she fails to appear in court
• Law and Order: Woman charged in dog's drug overdose arrested again after traffic stop
• Woman in dog overdose case again fails to show up for court appearance
• Woman in dog OD case who skipped court appearances, arrested on warrant, held on bail
• Dog abuse case postponed after VFA letter received

A 43-year-old Batavia man who has been arrested at least six times this year failed to show up in City Court on his criminal matters, and the attorney appointed to represent him said he couldn't locate him.

Attorney Robert Stossel said he tried the former employer of Andrew Draper and several of Draper's family members, and nobody knows where he is.  The attorney also said he has several phone numbers potentially associated with Draper and was unable to contact him.

Stossel said that Draper has made one prior court appearance so he is aware of his obligation to appear in court.

Judge Thomas Burns issued a warrant for Draper's arrest.

In the past year, Draper has been arrested on charges of petit larceny (three times), criminal mischief 4th, DWI, and criminal contempt.

Thursday was the day — more than two months after the Kiwanis annual Independence Day 5K — when officials drew the winning ticket for a special prize.

Co-chairman Dave Chua selected Number seven out of the 119 race participants, and challenged them to remember their bib numbers. Not to worry, Chua had the registration list, and the winner was John Schrenker. He will receive a free pair of Saucony running shoes from The Batavia Bootery on Main Street.

The drawing was Thursday afternoon at the Bootery, which donated the pair of sneakers. Bootery manager Kevin Stone, and staff member Autumn Rogers, Co-chairman Dave Ramsey and Chua were present.

The annual event helps to support local nonprofit organizations, and this year’s proceeds went to the Autism Nature Trail at Letchworth State Park, Batavia City School Foundation for the Community Schools Program, and the Kiwanis activity fund. Kiwanis also hosts other events that benefit the community, including an Easter Egg Hunt, Thanksgiving Morning Skate and other activities.

Photo: Kiwanis Independence Day 5K Co-Chairman Dave Rumsey, Autumn Rogers and Kevin Stone of The Batavia Bootery, and Co-Chairman David Chua announce the winning race bib number for a free pair of running shoes Thursday at the Bootery on Main Street, Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck.

Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. directors this morning approved the creation of a director of Information Technology position at the Park Road entertainment venue.

The board, at its monthly meeting, passed a pair of resolutions concerning IT – the first to establish the department and a director and the second to appoint Jeff Magee of Rochester to the director post.

Magee, who has served as an IT consultant for the corporation, will receive an annual salary of $99,000.

“Jeff’s actually been affiliated with this company for about 30 years,” said WROTB President and CEO Henry Wojtaszek. “So, he is someone who we utilized on an outside basis to consult with and he’s a specialist in the area.”

Wojtaszek said the board decided to replace an IT employee who left the company with Magee, making him a full-time department head.

“It’s almost a neutral budget item because what we're paying Jeff equals what we were already paying him previously as a consultant together with the salary of the gentleman who we're not replacing,” he explained.

Magee may have to fulfill his duties in a makeshift work area for a little while due to the fact that a pipe burst on Sept. 12 and caused serious flooding to the upstairs administration area and also to the gaming floor downstairs.

The board grant permission for Wojtaszek and his staff to make necessary repairs to the damaged floors and furnishings under an “emergency declaration” – without passing a formal resolution at this time.

“We’ll address this and then we’ll bring all the things together (to the board) and they’ll approve everything,” Wojtaszek said, adding that all work will be done “in accordance with our bidding procedures.”

In another personnel matter, the board voted to discontinue providing cell phones to employees, opting instead to authorize a monthly stipend to those employees needing to use a cell phone for business purposes.

The Park Road Reconstruction Project has entered the homestretch and Batavia Downs Gaming officials couldn’t be more pleased.

That’s the word from Henry Wojtaszek, president and chief executive officer of Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., and the public benefit company’s board at their meeting this morning.

“It's probably 80 percent complete,” Wojtaszek said. “We expect substantial completion by October 17^th and hopefully we will have two-way traffic on the street (again) in just two to three weeks.”

Edward Morgan, chair of the Batavia Downs Operations Committee, reported that Nov. 30 is the “targeted” completion date.

He said that trees purchased by WROTB are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow – and will take a week to install – and light poles (also purchased by WROTB) will be delivered next week and installed during the week of Oct. 3.

Morgan also said that the facility will feature two valet parking sites – the current one at the south end and a new one at the main entrance “to accommodate those (customers) staying at the Hotel (at Batavia Downs).

Wojtaszek said installation of the trees and streetlights will be handled by CATCO, the project’s primary contractor, and subcontractors.

“We're excited about the possibility of the completion by the second week in October and we look forward to a completed, beautiful project,” he said.

When asked by The Batavian about parking at the lot of the former Kmart building across the street, he said WROTB’s lease with Benderson Development, owner of the property, has expired and that anyone parking there is doing so “at their own risk.”

However, he did say that there is adequate parking for the events at Batavia Downs, and that he could foresee another lease agreement with Benderson should the need arise for concerts next summer.

On another front, the board extended its suite license with Pegula Sports & Entertainment for the 2022-23 Buffalo Bills football season at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, and a similar agreement with Rochester Arena LLC for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Rochester Americans hockey seasons at the Blue Cross Arena.

Both contracts were paused in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting the passage of a pair of resolutions to extend them. The cost with Pegula Sports is $103,200 and the cost with Rochester Arena is $37,150 for this season and $38,250 for 2023-24.

Wojtaszek said ticket distribution for the suites are handled through the WROTB marketing department “in a very professional, promotional way.”

“It'll be a combination of tickets being given away in a drawing on the (gaming) floor, which improves the attendance on our floor and improves foot traffic throughout the building, and then through the host department,” he said. “They’ll find good players and make sure that they offer them to come in and enjoy the experience at a Bills’ game (or Amerks’ game).”

In a related move, the board approved an annual expenditure of up to $610,000 for various promotional items from Mark-It-Smart, Inc., based in Santa Ana, Calif. Items are purchased on a per-event basis as part of a “continuity program,” Wojtaszek said, and include luggage, cookware, purses, barbecue items, camping equipment, glassware and small appliances.

In other action, the board approved the following resolutions:

• Contracts with three Batavia-based companies for a telescopic boom lift, marketing mailers and electrical parts and supplies.

Directors authorized payment of $147,000 to Skyworks, the lowest bidder, for a telescopic boom lift, ending the recent practice of leasing the equipment.

“Now’s the time to take that extra step and purchase it and make it cost-effective for the company,” Wojtaszek said. “It's a safety issue. We have a lot of decent sized projects here, including window washing and construction. It was put into the capital plan, and it was in the budget for this year. The board thought it was prudent to go ahead and purchase it, and I agree.”

The board accepted a bid of $115,000 from Applied Business Systems to send out marketing mailers to patrons and potential patrons over the next year, with an option for WROTB to extend the pact for an additional year.

An agreement to spend up to $25,000 with Falcone Electric for electrical parts and supplies was approved through the end of the year.

• A five-year extension of a contract with IK Systems, Inc., of Victor, at a cost not to exceed $68,444 to provide maintenance and testing services for the facility’s surveillance system.

Wojtaszek said he has been “impressed” with IK’s performance.

“I actually supervise the surveillance department here on site and I interact with them (IK Systems) very often. They are very timely and they're very efficient, So, that’s a five-year contract, sort of at a reduced price because we did it for an extended period of time.”

• Electric and natural gas contracts with Marathon Power LLC and NOCO Gas & Electric, respectively, through Oct. 31, 2024. Both companies submitted low bids, with Marathon agreeing to supply electric at .0645 per kilowatt hour and NOCO agreeing to supply natural gas at 0.675 per centum cubic feet.

Press release:

In support of the Genesee County STOP-DWI program, the STOP-DWI Board invites all sixth- through 12th-grade students to submit a poster design that reflects the dangers of drinking and driving.

Designs should focus on the affects drinking and driving have on an individual, their family and the community.

The theme for the 2022 poster contest is, "Don’t risk it, drunk driving is always a losing game.”

 Guidelines:

• Contestants must be enrolled as a  sixth- through 12^th-grader in a Genesee County School;
• Poster should be no larger than 9’’ x 12” and must include the theme of: "Don’t risk it, drunk driving is always a losing game”;
• Please submit your artwork in landscape (horizontal) orientation;
• Each submission should be the original student’s work. Submissions should be mailed or dropped off to the address below;
• Each entry must include the artist’s full name, address, phone number, grade, age and school on the back of the poster (no personal information should be on the illustration).

Designs can be in any medium, including computer-generated. However, we strongly recommend that students create strong, simple and colorful designs that will deliver the most visual impact for their message.

Grand Prize Winner -- gift card, poster, sweet treat and their artwork on a billboard in Genesee County. They will also be honored at the STOP DWI luncheon banquet in December.

First-  through third-place winners from each category (sixth - eighth grade; ninth - 12th grade; and graphic art) will receive a gift card, commendation, poster and a sweet treat. They will also be recognized at the STOP-DWI luncheon banquet in December.

DEADLINE: Entries must be received in person or by mail by 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7.

The Pink Hatters and Friends return to Batavia Downs on Oct. 27 to celebrate cancer survivors in our community.

Tickets are $30 and include a $10 free play in the casino.

Doors open at 4 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. and a program to begin at 7 p.m.

There is a basket raffle, entertainment, and a keynote speaker, plus a "best hat" award.

Tickets are available at Healthy Living, 164 Washington Ave., Batavia, or by calling (585) 344-5331.  

Photo: File photo from the 2018 event

Press release:

The OACS Alumni Hall of Fame Committee will be honoring the Class of 2022 during an Alumni Hall of Fame weekend on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. in the OACS High school Cafeteria.  The 2022 OA HOF Inductees are:

• Daniel Gilbert - Class of ‘87
• Dr. Cory Merkel - Class of ‘05
• Gary Nanni - Class of ‘73

On Saturday, October 15, 2022 there will be a community dinner and ceremony (held in the OACS High School Cafeteria) to induct our newest members.  Doors will open at 5:30pm.  The event will begin at 6:00pm.

Tickets are on sale through Oct. 1 and are available at the following:

• Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School (7001 Lewiston Road, Oakfield  NY 14125)
• Oakfield-Alabama Middle and High School (7001 Lewiston Road, Oakfield  NY 14125)
• Oakfield Family Pharmacy (40 Main Street, Oakfield NY 14125)
• By contacting committee member Liz Conway at: conwayej@frontiernet.net
• By mailing a check (made payable to “Dollars for Scholars”) to:
  OA Hall of Fame, PO Box 35, Oakfield NY 14125
  Note: Please be sure to add “HOF Tickets” in the memo line of your check and include   your email address so confirmation of your order can be sent. 

Ticket Prices:  $30 for Adults (ages 11 and up), $15 for Children (ages 4-10) and no charge for ages 3 and under.

The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding OACS alumni who have achieved distinction in their lives and chosen field after high school through significant contributions to their career, community or through personal achievements; providing incentive for current and future students.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, October 15, 2022!

Daniel Gilbert ‘87:
Dan was a leader, coach, and teacher, on the playing fields, in the classroom, and in the community.

Joining the faculty of his alma mater in 1998, he preached "confidence, not cockiness" in making the Hornets a dynastic force on the baseball diamond.  His teams won 12 Genesee Region League baseball titles, and Section V championships in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2009.  In each of those sectional title years, he was also honored as Section V Coach of the Year.

When Hornet softball needed a coach in 2011, Dan stepped up and led that team to a sectional title, and was honored as Genesee Region Coach of the Year.

Dan amassed a 284-58 record coaching baseball, softball, JV and varsity football, and modified basketball.

At Oakfield, he taught health and physical education, creating and shaping the district's Adaptive PE program for students with special needs.

In the community he coached Little League baseball and youth football.

Dan's memory lives on in his players, students, wife, and children, and in Dan Gilbert Field, the OACS baseball diamond.

Dr. Cory Merkel – Class of ‘05:
Cory is an internationally-recognized figure in brain-inspired computing research.

After earning his PhD in Microsystems Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology where he also earned his Master's and Bachelor's, Cory spent three years at the Air Force Research Lab before joining the RIT faculty in a research and teaching position.

His RIT research lab focuses on "brain applications" - Artificial Intelligence security, improved accessibility for "smart assistants" like Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, etc. for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals; and designing integrated circuits that replicate the functionality and behavior of the human brain.  Cory chairs the Computer Engineering department's Social and Awards committee, which recognizes promising students for their above-and-beyond academic excellence and teaching and other support for the department.  He also teaches courses in the areas of digital integrated circuit design and brain-inspired computing.

He has been involved in a number of outreach programs such as the Project Fibonacci STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) conference, which engages students from middle school through college, in intensive workshops to foster and cultivate interest in STEAM disciplines.

At the time of his induction, Cory held three US patents, published over 50 peer-reviewed research articles, and advised dozens of students on their MS or PhD research.

Cory met his future wife while he was at OACS; they married in 2012.  In his spare time he continues his passion for percussion - he has been in musical groups since he was 12 - and sports, including rank achievement in kung fu and karate.

Gary Nanni – Class of ‘73:
Gary started his working career mowing and doing grounds at Carl Petronio Construction in Albion, where his father worked.  By the time of his retirement, he was president of Allied Builders, the $35 million company Petronio had grown into, with Gary playing a major role in its successes and expansion.

The capping project of his career was the $21 million Richard C. Call Athletic Facility and Student Success Center at Genesee Community College.  The firm's accomplishments, even just in Western NY, are too numerous to cite, but include the tennis courts and other renovations at OACS, the Oakfield Wastewater Treatment Plant, several projects for US Gypsum; plus Western Region Off-Track Betting Casino and Thurman Thomas Sports Bar in Batavia, Roberts Wesleyan's Life Fitness Center, RIT's Imaging Science Center, and at least 14 school districts in Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming, and Monroe Counties.

Under Gary's leadership, in 2002 Allied was ranked #2 in the Rochester Business Alliance/Democrat and Chronicle list of fastest growing companies, and Buffalo Business First's list of Top Ten Private Companies.

Press Release:

The Friends of the Rink organization will be sponsoring a Community Scrap Metal Drive Fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena (rear parking lot), 22 Evans St., Batavia, New York.

All proceeds will be used to fund needed ice rink improvement projects.

Unacceptable items include – refrigerators, vehicle wheel rims with tires attached, items containing mercury, items with fluids inside or out – gas, oil, hydraulic oil, tar, etc.

This event held in cooperation with Ed Arnold Scrap Processors, Corfu, New York.