Senator George Borrello will partner with VA Western New York Healthcare System and VFW Post #1602 in Batavia to host a Veteran Outreach and Enrollment Event on Thursday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Senator Borrello underscored the importance of our Veterans to gain access to all the benefits they’ve earned through their service.
“Our veterans have given more to our country than we could ever repay. In return for their dedicated and selfless military service, our federal and state governments will continue to partner and provide information on access to VA healthcare and monetary compensation to our veterans and their families. Representatives from the VA will be available to answer questions about VA healthcare options and related issues for compensation. This event will be a great resource and one that highly I encourage area veterans and their families to attend and utilize,” said Senator Borrello.
Senator Borrello also noted that the federal PACT or “Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics” Act, which took effect in August of 2022, has eliminated previous phased-in timelines for VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. VA representatives will answer questions on this new change.
The outreach event will take place at the Veness-Strollo VFW Post #1602, located at 25 Edwards Street, Batavia. The event is free and registration is not required.
Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, announced today that the company will once again offer military personnel and their immediate families an 11 percent discount off of their grocery bill this Veterans Day. This marks the 12th year Tops has been extending this discount to military personnel and their families.
On Monday, November 11 Tops Markets will honor an 11 percent discount off of a total order to all veterans and immediate family members in the same household, who shop at any Tops location. Customers should present proof of service that they, or an immediate family member are a U.S. Veteran, active duty, reserve or retired military personnel to automatically receive an 11 percent discount off of their total purchase that day.
"The respect and gratitude we feel for those who serve or have served in the military is beyond measure, and for that, we are eternally thankful," said Ron Ferri, president of Tops Friendly Markets. "This annual savings is just one of the many ways we wanted to give back to our local military community by honoring the associates and customers who have bravely defended our nation and made countless sacrifices through their service."
Additionally select Tops locations will be selling 4x6 US flags with a portion of its proceeds being donated back to Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight. Flags will be on sale through Veterans Day.
Tops is a longtime supporter of military associates and customers. The company’s support of military organizations includes, but is not limited to, support of the Wall that Heals, American Veterans Tribute Traveling Wall, Honor Flight Missions and golf tournaments, sending care packages for troops serving domestically and overseas, VA hospital visits, participation in veteran job fairs, parades and expos.
The Genesee County Department of Public Works announces the temporary closure of Junction Road between Hartwell Road and Covell Road in the Town of Pavilion, effective Monday, October 28. This closure is necessary for critical repairs to a steel deck bridge in the area.
The bridge repair is expected to take approximately four weeks. During this time, a section of the bridge will be removed, and no traffic will be able to cross the bridge. Motorists are advised to seek alternative routes and plan accordingly.
After all of the hopeful visions and dreams for developer Yong Guang Ye’s possible plans for the former JC Penney building, the site is now likely to go up for auction after going to foreclosure.
Ye’s former realtor, Jonathan Mauer of Pyramid Brokerage Co. in Fairport, no longer represents the California developer, who “didn’t really have a business plan” when he bought the department store property for $500,000, Maurer said. It was then put up for sale at a selling price of $750,000.
After the purchase became public, others chimed in with hopeful wishes that it could be turned into a boutique or micro hotel or a concert venue, citing its downtown location and midway point of Buffalo and Rochester as being a perfect setup for travelers. There were no takers for the property, apparently, and Ye let property taxes lapse into what may be eventual foreclosure, Maurer said. He wasn’t certain which out-of-state bank was the lender.
City Manager Rachael Tabelski briefly mentioned that it looked like the property was going up for auction during a recent City Council meeting. The Batavian requested further confirmation about the site's status at 40 Batavia City Centre on Friday afternoon.
"I believe they are one year out of back taxes, so foreclosure requires two years delinquent. I’ll need to check records to confirm," Tabelski said Friday. "I have heard that the lending company may be auctioning the property off. But I also have not found any details of this yet."
JC Penney closed its doors at City Centre in the fall of 2020 in an onslaught of closings due to corporate bankruptcy proceedings. Batavia’s site then sat quietly as local shoppers mourned the loss of another department store.
According to Genesee County assessment records, Yong Guang Ye of San Jose, Calif., purchased the 38,524-square-foot site on Feb. 2, 2021. The property has been assessed at $400,000.
JC Penney was built in 1978 along Alva Place and remained a strong anchor for the former Genesee Country Mall-turned-Batavia City Centre until its doors were permanently closed in late 2020.
Genesee County municipalities can expect a share of the half million dollars in mortgage tax that the county will distribute after the Legislature approved a resolution of payments this week.
The county clerk/treasurer reported that $504,734.48 is available from mortgage tax—the one-time tax paid when a mortgage is recorded—and the Legislature agreed during Wednesday’s meeting to distribute that lump sum of the respective mortgage tax amounts to the city of Batavia and each of the towns and villages within Genesee County.
The breakdown is as follows:
The city of Batavia will receive - $83,983
Town of Alabama - $11,275.13
Town of Alexander - $15,680.53
Town of Batavia - $50,704.70
Town of Bergen - $31,432.60
Town of Bethany - $7,805.15
Town of Byron - $23,154.70
Town of Darien - $14,484.98
Town of Elba - $12,676.74
Town of LeRoy - $30,712.91
Town of Oakfield - $16,642.28
Town of Pavilion - $20,423.81
Town of Pembroke - $136,785.84
Town of Stafford- $21,895.93
Village of Alexander - $1,410.28
Village of Attica - $484.87
Village of Bergen - $4,174.35
Village of Corfu - $7,870.05
Village of Elba - $1,542.34
Village of LeRoy - $8,932.81
Village of Oakfield - $2,661.48
The county has records of these payments since 2011, with a total of $264,130.74. The totals have been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, with a high of $636,882.14 in 2022, which decreased to $562,507.30 in 2023, and that fell again this year.
In other action, the Legislature also approved overtime costs of $100,000 for the Sheriff’s Office to cover a current shortage projected through the year-end. This is due to police services for outside agencies and the need for overtime pay and fringe expenses.
The overtime cost, plus $6,200 in social security tax, $1,450 for Medicare tax, and $23,200 in retirement expenses, will have a total budget impact of $130,850.
Starting the week of October 28, the Batavia City School District, in partnership with a certified arborist, will begin needed work on the beloved and historic willow tree on the front lawn of Batavia High School (260 State St. Batavia).
According to the arborist, while the tree appears healthy, several dead branches are adding too much weight to the trunks. Without this work, we run the risk of a strong storm irreparably damaging the tree.
Our goal is to proactively maintain the tree and preserve it for generations of Batavia High School students and staff to come.
Work on the tree should only last a few days and will not impact school arrivals or dismissals.
The City of Batavia Fire Department is proud to announce the winners of our 10th Annual Fire Prevention Coloring Contest. With over 400 entries from Batavia Schools, this contest was very difficult to judge.
Congratulations to the following winners:
Grade K-1:
First Place- Isabelle Herdlien - 1st Grade Jackson Elementary, Miss Wahr
Second Place- Massiah Ayala - Kindergarten St. Josephs Regional School, Mrs. Case
Third Place - Ada McCracken - 1st Grade Jackson Primary, Mrs. Harloff
Grades 2-3:
First Place- Amara-Lee Thomas - 3rd Grade John Kennedy, Mr. Coke
Second Place- Cecilia Dejaneiro - 2nd Grade John Kennedy School- Ms. Wirth
Third Place- Payton Ford - 3rd Grade St. Joseph's School- Ms. Dumuhosky
Grades 4-5:
First Place- Josie Varland - 4th Grade St Paul Lutheran School, Ms. Austin
Third Place - Blessing Brobey - 5th Grade Batavia Middle School, Mrs. Consagra
An awards luncheon will be held Saturday, October 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City of Batavia Fire Station located at 18 Evans St. for all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. The 1st place winner of each group will receive a ride to school on a City of Batavia Fire Engine. Congratulations to all the winners!
CEO Byron Brown during Thursday's OTB board meeting. Photo by Howard Owens
Shortly after the board of directors for the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. approved Steve Casey as the first chief of staff at Batavia Downs on Thursday, his new boss, Byron Brown, reiterated that he had no involvement with Casey getting a job in marketing before Brown was named the new president and CEO of the corporation.
"I did not know he applied for a gaming license," Brown told a gaggle of reporters after Thursday's board meeting. "I did not know he was hired at Batavia Downs prior to me applying for the position.”
Casey's new position was created by an executive reorganization based on recommendations from consultants at True North. The board on Thursday approved a payment of $30,000 to True North for their consulting work.
Based on those recommendations, the board created a new executive organization with the following job titles:
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Administrative Officer/Chief of Staff
Chief Operating Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Vice-President of Operations
Vice-President of Business Development
Vice-President of Human Resources
Executive Office Manager
Director of Communications
Executive Business Administrator
The board eliminated the following job titles:
Director of Marketing
Director of Human Resources
Executive Chef
In addition to Brown as CEO and Casey as Chief of Staff, Ryan Hasenaurer was promoted from marketing director to vice president of business development. Danielle Fleming was named VP of Human Resources. Michael J. DeGeorge, who handled communications in the office of Mayor Byron Brown, was named director of communications at a salary of $130,000.
Timothy Callan Photo by Howard Owens
Brown said that based on the reorganization plan, he recommended Casey and DeGeorge for their new positions, which the board approved. Erie County's representative on the board, Timothy Callan, voted against the reorganization measures.
A number of media outlets have mistakenly reported that Brown hired Casey. On Wednesday, outgoing CEO Henry Wojtaszek told The Batavian he hired Casey not long after Casey first contacted him about a job back in May, months before there was an announced plan to replace Wojtaszek. Wojtaszek told Casey he would need to get a gaming license, which he did. Casey started working in marketing at Batavia Downs before the board hired Brown to replace Wojtaszek.
In an exclusive interview with The Batavian on Thursday, Casey confirmed that series of events with some additional details.
At 58, Casey said he started thinking about his retirement and that perhaps he should try to get back into the state's retirement system. While he's never been close with Wojtaszek, he's known him cordially for years, so in May, he decided to give Wojtaszek a call.
Casey said, "I'm thinking, 'Okay, it might be time to get back in. Where would I like to do that?' I think you saw a bit of chaos in Erie County. So I'm thinking, 'Where would a good spot be to go?' I knew Henry. We weren't close, but Henry and I, over the years, crossed paths, and I know him pretty well, so I reached out to Henry. 'Hey, any openings? I'd like to get back in the pension system.'"
Getting a gaming license normally takes weeks. Casey's was approved in about a week. Casey wasn't ready to start that soon so he didn't start working at the casino until September.
One of the issues Erie County reporters have raised regarding Casey is a wire fraud conviction against his former consulting company, LSS Strategies, in 2021. That came after a five-year FBI investigation that resulted in a $69 fine.
"That application was the most comprehensive document I've ever seen," Casey said. "I literally sat with my attorney, and together, we went through it, answering all the questions, disclosed everything we possibly could so they could then make a decision. And fortunately, they came back and said, there's nothing there.”
Casey said the Gaming Commission was "100% fully informed."
"The most important factor was Steve Casey, as an individual, I don't have a point on my driver's license. I don't have a misdemeanor. I don't have a felony. There's nothing against me as an individual,” he said.
Casey said he didn't learn that Brown was a potential candidate for the job until August or September.
"I've kept in touch with the mayor over the years since I left city government, but when I first came here, it was not based on whether the mayor would come here," Casey said. "He was still in the middle of his budget stuff in May. You're looking at April, May, June. So, my coming here solely had to do with me looking at opportunities for my pension and getting back into government."
Casey is excited, he said, to take on his new role at the OTB and is already impressed by the quality of the people he will be working with.
"I can tell you, I started at the bottom level here," Casey said. "I was seeing everybody on the floor, talking to all the employees here. They didn't know who I was. They didn't know my background. Extremely professional, incredible staff, very talented.
I'll tell you one specific example," Casey added. "The CFO here. I've worked in Albany, in Albany for nine years and in government for 24 years. I've seen some of the best budget directors you've ever seen, from the speaker's budget director to the governor's budget director. Jackie Leach is by far one of the single most talented CFOs I've ever seen. She knows everything about this place, the institutional knowledge, and her ability to do what she does here. I mean, it's a top-notch staff, and I'm looking forward to working with such a talented staff."
HomeCare & Hospice Foundation is preparing for their 29th Annual Tree of Life ornament sales and ceremonies.
Every year during the holiday season, HomeCare & Hospice Foundation and the communities they serve, come together to honor and remember lost loved ones.
“We look forward to bringing the communities we serve together,” said Melissa Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer at HomeCare & Hospice in Allegany. “We want those who have lost loved ones to feel support during the holidays – we encourage anyone to attend one of our ceremonies regardless if they have an ornament or if their loved one was on our services.”
Ceremonies will be held in Allegany on Thursday, November 14 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, located at 115 E. Main St., and on Wednesday, December 4 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia, located at 19 Ross St. Batavia.
To purchase an ornament or for more information, please visit https://2024treeoflife.givesmart.com or contact Sarah Negron at 716-372-2106.
The Board of Elections will be open this Saturday, October 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accept registration forms.
This is the last day to register to vote in the November election. The office will also be able to assist with absentee requests. Please use the west facing door.
Early Voting begins this Saturday. There will be 9 days of early voting at the ARC Community Center, 38 Woodrow Rd., Batavia. Schedule is as follows:
City-wide leaf collection will begin on November 4 and continue until December 6.
Residents are asked to rake leaves into piles and leave them in the parkway (un-bagged). Please place it close to the curb line/edge of the roadway without putting it in the street. Do not pile around fire hydrants, trees, utility poles, or signposts. Leaf piles should only contain leaves and no branches, grass clippings, or other materials.
Leaf operations typically have one crew on the Northside working from Grandview Terrace moving West, North of Main Street, and a second crew on the Southside beginning on River Street moving East in areas South of Main Street. A third crew will work using a vacuum along main roads and numbered routes. It takes about 2 weeks to go through the entire city and fluctuates depending on the size of the leaf loads.
Any resident with leaves can also bring them to the Yard Waste Station until it closes for the season. The Yard Waste hours are 12 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday until November 2 and will change to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November 4 through the end of the season due to daylight savings time ending.
The Yard Waste Station will be closed on November 28 & 29 to honor Thanksgiving and will officially close for the season on December 14.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT LEAF COLLECTION:
Leaf piles must be clear of sticks and all animal waste – if animal waste or other debris is found in the piles, they will not be picked up
Grass clippings, flower pottings, branches, and pumpkins cannot be picked up and residents may bring those items to the Yard Waste Station on Law Street (open through December 14)
Leaves should not block traffic or be piled near intersection corners. This causes sight issues for motorists/bicyclists/pedestrians.
Keep leaf piles clear of drainage ways and catch basins. Blocked drainage leads to localized flooding.
Leaves should not be piled around mailboxes, power poles, fences, fire hydrants or other obstacles.
Do not park on leaf piles. The heat from a vehicle exhaust system could start a fire.
Do not wait to get your leaves out. We will normally collect leaves twice within the month of leaf collection.
If it is snowing, we plow first. If it continues to snow, leaf operations will be suspended.
There is no leaf pickup in the spring.
Contact the Bureau of Maintenance @ 585-345-6400 option 1 if you have any questions.
Steve Casey, former deputy mayor in Buffalo under Byron Brown, has been appointed chief of staff for Western Regional Off-Track Betting.
The board approved creation of the position and hiring Casey as part of an executive restructuring plan.
Casey applied for a job with OTB in May and obtained a part-time job. He was deputy mayor under Brown, until 2015. Brown was recently named CEO of OTB.
Casey is receiving a one-year contract worth $190,000.
Michael DeGeorge, also a former assistant to Brown, has been hired by the board as director of communication, at a salary of $130,000.
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 1ST CITY OF BATAVIA 4-5 bedroom Duplex apartment with 1 Bedroom, Living room, laundry room, dining room, bathroom, and small kitchen on first floor. 4 bedrooms 2nd floor. Newly painted. Some new carpet. Basement storage. 1/2 garage use for storage/ not parking. Large yard. $1,100/month includes trash pickup, Refrigerator, Gas Stove. You pay gas, electric, water. No dogs. Good references required with background check. Pathstone approved. Near ARC. Mike 585-993-4002
