A full slate of both girls and boys basketball is scheduled for Jan. 27 and we hope to see you there. Batavia High School will take on the Notre Dame Irish for a full day of both JV and Varsity girls and boys basketball. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation.
Game times are as follows:
JV Girls: 2:30 p.m. Batavia High School Gymnasium
JV Boys: 4 p.m. Batavia High School Gymnasium
Varsity Girls: 6:30 p.m. GCC Gymnasium
Varsity Boys: 8 p.m. GCC Gymnasium
Admission will be Adults $5 & Students $2, Children 5 & under - free! There will be a 50/50 raffle at each game.
The Foundation will be running concessions and is looking for donations of soda, water, pizza, candy, and chips! All donations assist our fundraising efforts! Please call Laurie for any donations or questions @ 585-409-3275.
The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation was established in 2007 in memory of Michael Napoleone who died at the age of 8 of Burkitts Lymphoma, a form of pediatric cancer. Since its start, the Foundation has given over $725,000 to families facing the challenges of a pediatric cancer diagnosis. They have donated over $75,000 to Youth programs from their grant funding, and supported research in the amount of $95,000. They also donated $50,000 to Golisano Children's Hospital and recently just completed their $25,000 gift to United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.
The Foundation depends solely on volunteers and less than 3% of monies raised are applied to administrative costs.
Come out and watch your hometown teams and support a great cause!
A Statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia).
Press Release:
“It’s that time of the year again. The Majority in Albany is once again desperately trying to clean up its mess by spending money we don’t have on projects we don’t need. Lowering the amount our public schools will receive to help teachers and students rebuild after COVID and giving over $2 billion to try to solve the self-inflicted migrant crisis are just more examples of downstate interests trumping the needs of Western New Yorkers. This administration needs to be more fiscally responsible. Families across our state have to create reasonable budgets and live within their means. It’s about time Gov. Hochul and the Majority did the same.”
Assemblyman Steve Hawley represents the 139th Assembly District, which includes Genesee and Orleans Counties and parts of Monroe, and Erie counties. For more information, please visit his official website.
The Town of Alexander Republican Committee is seeking registered party members who are interested in becoming the endorsed candidate for the following Town of Alexander open positions:
Town Highway Superintendent (4 year term)
Republican Committee, one each for District #1 and #2.
Those interested, please contact Barbara Eddy, Chairperson at 585-507-9930, no later than February 1.
Wintry weather ahead, according to the National Weather Service, has resulted in the following cancellations for Thursday:
The New Year's Dance for Genesee County Adults with Developmental Disabilities scheduled for this Thursday, Jan. 18, has been cancelled due to the severe winter weather. It has been rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Elba Central School will be closed on Thursday 1/18 due to the winter storm.
Batavia City Schools is closed, and all after-school activities are canceled.
The National Weather Service has predicted more heavy lake snow, with accumulations of one to two feet. Storm totals could locally exceed four feet. The highest amounts will be in Erie County, which is closer to the lakeshore. The band will move back southward across the Buffalo metro late early Wednesday evening. It will then move south of Buffalo tonight into Thursday morning, before shifting back north across the Buffalo metro area Thursday afternoon as it weakens and impacts areas closer to the Lake Erie shore. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph this evening will result in blowing and drifting snow, with near-whiteout conditions at times.
WHERE: Erie, Genesee, and Wyoming counties.
WHEN: Until 7 p.m. Thursday.
IMPACTS: Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Areas of blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning or evening commutes. Bitter wind chills as low as 10 below zero could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Heavy snow will fall in relatively narrow bands. If traveling, be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions and visibilities.
Chamber of Commerce President Brian Cousins looks on as Michael Battaglia, David Zauner and Elisa Martin perform the ceremonial rites at their new Prudential Advisors location at 1 Court St., Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens
Setting up shop under the Prudential name is about more than selling insurance, Michael Battaglia says. In fact, he and his business partners offer personal financial investment advice, and estate and retirement planning strategies in what he considers to be a “holistic approach.”
“It looks at all parts of someone’s financial situation,” Battaglia said while preparing for the ceremonial opening of Prudential Advisorsthis week at 1 Court St., Batavia. “There's kind of been that trend, I think, within the industry, especially with insurance companies that have gotten more so into the investment type retirement planning, where they're not just life insurance or long-term care, but branching out more, looking at all parts of a financial household, and helping them with, you know, transferring 401K's into an IRA. Basically, investment advice and setting up a brokerage account, kind of you name it, and anyway that we can help to provide an investment strategy.”
He said that among the three of them — Battaglia, a native Batavian, David Zauner of Corfu, and Elisa Martin from Churchville — they are proud to be working for a company with a 150-year foundation, plus their own combined experience of at least 30 years in the field.
Martin has primarily been a financial planner, which rounds out the financial advisor services of Zauner and Battaglia, including insurance and financial products to protect your family, save for and live through retirement, to save for education and small business.
“We all bring something different to the table,” Martin said.
Although they cut a celebratory ribbon for their new downtown office this week, the trio had a soft opening in August 2023. And despite little fanfare, customers have been finding them already, they said. They have regular hours and are available for appointments, however, “we don’t want to deter anybody to stop in and say hello,” she said.
They had been working in a Pittsford office, and when a private office in Attica closed, they wanted to close a gap of having nothing to serve customers between Buffalo and Rochester, Battaglia said.
“There really isn't any representation here. So we saw that that has been a good opportunity to help clients in this area … we’re really right here in the center of Genesee County, everybody's familiar with it. We're between Domino's and Batavia Tailors in that building, so we’re pretty visible there to them, and the traffic here is great,” he said. “So we feel we found a really visible spot that people could easily find us and fill that void that was kind of created. We do anything from life insurance, annuities, investments, and IRAs; we help small businesses with 401Ks and simple IRAs. So, financial planning.”
A lot of people don’t realize, Martin said, that the moment they stop working, they may not have certain insurance or financial protections in place.
“It’s putting a circle around them,” she said. “Everybody’s situation is different; it requires its own individual attention, to have their own correct individual plan.”
Zauner believes that no two people have the same exact financial needs.
“So it’s important to work with someone who understands your unique hopes and dreams, “ he emphasizes on the company website. “I value connecting with my clients in a meaningful way.”
Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. For more information, call 585-993-2567.
UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) is continuing its Foundation Scholarship program for 2024.
Four $1,000 scholarships will be awarded, UConnectCare Chief Executive Officer John Bennett announced.
They are as follows:
One to a Genesee County high school student.
One to a Orleans County high school student.
One to an adult student pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
One to a technical/trade school student.
Bennett said that the scholarships, which will be awarded at the agency’s annual membership meeting in May, will go to individuals pursuing their education at an institution of higher learning in the fields of human services or social services.
“With a goal of improving community health, the board of directors of both UConnectCare and the UConnectCare Foundation are excited about the prospects of supporting those who are committed to the behavioral health field,” Bennett said. “Without question, agencies such as ours are always ready to hire educated, dedicated, and skilled employees.”
He noted that students enrolled in a Genesee or Orleans County school can apply for the scholarship even if their primary residence is in another county.
Applications are available on the UConnectCare website – www.uconnectcare.org – or can be obtained by contacting Diane Klos at Diane Klos at 585-815-1883 or dklos@unconnectcare.org. Completed applications must be received via email or postmarked by March 8.
Other pertinent scholarship information is as follows:
Applicant must be accepted at an accredited college or university and enrolled in or matriculated in an eligible program/major.
Eligible programs or majors include Social Work, Nursing, Health Science, Mental Health Counseling, Psychology, or Human Services.
Current UConnectCare employees, board members and UConnectCare Foundation board members are NOT eligible.
Relatives of UConnectCare employees, board members and UConnectCare Foundation board members ARE eligible.
Applicant must provide academic history such as high school and/or college transcripts.
Applicant must provide two letters of recommendation from someone who knows the applicant’s work/volunteer/academic history. Letters from relatives will not be accepted.
Applicant must provide a resume or personal biography including work history, volunteer experiences, and extra-curricular activities.
Applicant must provide an essay that addresses educational and employment objectives as they relate to the mission of UConnectCare. Financial need, volunteerism, employment history, and civic involvement will be given careful consideration.
The scholarship monies will be awarded upon completion of the fall semester. The award recipient must provide a copy of their transcript demonstrating at least a 2.0 GPA.
Applicant may be invited for an interview before final awards are made.
The Batavia Town Planning Board on Tuesday night scheduled a pair of special use permit public hearings for Feb. 6 – one for the reopening of a motocross track on Harloff Road and the other for the addition of a third apartment at a former church building at the intersection of Slusser Road and Main Road.
Jason Bonsignore, a former National Hockey League player and current auto/motorcycle racing promoter, is looking to restore a couple properties and operate what used to be Kelly’s Motorsports on the weekends, hopefully starting this spring.
Bonsignore came to the planning board several weeks ago with his proposal and returned to the Batavia Town Hall last night to receive word that a public hearing would be set. He has been working with town engineers and zoning officers on a revised site plan that would pave the way to conduct racing of motorcycles, ATVs and go-karts.
Apparently, two 22-acre and 17-acre properties were purchased a couple years ago by Michael Lauterborn, a longtime friend of Bonsignore, after sitting vacant for nearly 15 years.
Bonsignore’s racing ventures are Action Park East Speedway in Greene (Chenango County) and Champion Speedway in Owego (Tioga County).
The Rochester native has been a part of the speedway scene for 28 years following a long pro hockey career that included stints with the Edmonton Oilers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The public hearing is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Town Hall.
City of Batavia resident Wesley Winters is seeking a special use permit to add a three-bedroom apartment to the former Presbyterian church at 8591 Slusser Rd. in what is termed the Hamlet Commercial District.
His proposal was recommended for approval last week by the Genesee County Planning Board, with the following modifications:
-- The applicant eliminates two parking spots in the parking plan as they are located within the right-of way of Slusser Rd;
-- The applicant obtains approval/documentation from the Genesee County Health Department regarding the adequacy of the septic system for the additional unit.
Winters said the building has housed two two-bedroom apartments since 1975. He said he has been working on the outside of the building for the past five years and will be doing all of the interior renovations himself.
His public hearing is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Town Hall.
Pete Zeliff, far left, answers questions about this year's Wings Over Batavia Air Show from Legislators Marianne Clattenburg, at the table, and Gary Maha, far right, during Tuesday's Public Service Committee meeting. Photo by Joanne Beck
Positives about last year’s Wings Over Batavia certainly outweighed any negative comments, according to Genesee County legislators, but lead organizer Pete Zeliff still addressed the couple of concerns expressed about the resurrected air show before getting a strong showing of support for this year’s event during Tuesday’s county meeting.
Legislator Gary Maha had received a message from someone who owns a hangar at the county airport, and he shared that he was unable to access his hangar for six days during the time before, during and/or after the Labor Day air show, Maha said. Zeliff countered that it was three days, and that the situation was being rectified for this year.
“It must have been a communication issue,” Maha said.
The other issue was handicapped parking, Maha said, as he and his wife Susan had attended the show and saw a woman struggling to push her husband in a wheelchair over a grassy area. Zeliff said that that, too, was being addressed for this second annual event.
Further, Zeliff said there were issues with having all of the sponsored and VIP tents on the west end of the event venue, and some of them will be moved to the east end, along with some local bands, to spread out the foot traffic and layout on the ground.
“We will split it up this time,” Zeliff said. “And we will also have a Kids Zone on the east end. As far as traffic, I don’t think it could have gone any better.”
Some gates were apparently not open, which didn’t allow for some handicapped parking that will be available this year, he said.
“Can you have a wheelchair zone, for wheelchair access?" Legislator Marianne Clattenburg said.
“Yes,” Zeliff said.
Legislators wanted to know how performers responded to the show hosted in Genesee County.
“They said it was the best show they’ve ever done in the United States,” Zeliff said.
Organizers booked 73 rooms for them at Batavia Downs, and 50 rooms elsewhere, some of them that would accommodate guests with pets, he said. They have already booked many performers for this year, including the same pyrotechnics show, and they have sold 1,200 tickets already, he said, a testimony that “the community is very much behind” the air show.
Legislator John Deleo, who works at Batavia Downs, shared some of what he heard during that weekend.
"They were really appreciative, and they were really nice people. And they said you've got some top entertainment here. And you've got some top entertainment from all over," Deleo said. "So I was very excited to hear that."
Legislators agreed that the air show committee, volunteers, and sponsors for the first-year made it “a tremendous success” and that the event brought in a lot of people from out of town, which spurred additional economic activity.
With all of that in mind, the committee members voted to push the resolution for vote by the full Legislature “to grant permission to the Wings over Batavia Foundation LLC to use the Genesee County Airport to host the Wings over Batavia Air Show from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, 2024, in accordance with the Rules and Regulations adopted for the Genesee County Airport.” The county support costs total are estimated at $19,500, which are covered by the Air Show through Memorandum of Understanding with the Sheriff and local EMS operations.
There is no added cost for the current airport liability policy. There will be increased revenues for the airport during the event for additional fuel sales, tie downs and rentals, the resolution states. The county will also see increased sales tax because of the air show. The 2023 show generated over $6,000 in profit from fuel sales. The estimated increase in sales tax and bed tax related to the event is to be approximately $40,000.
As for Wing Ding, the downtown city street festival that many people seemed to be looking forward to for decades past, that will not be turning after all. City officials had formed a committee last year to resurrect Wing Ding along with the air show, as it once happened some 25 years ago. However, that was put on hold in lieu of needing more planning to fully prepare and gather volunteers for the effort, Assistant City Manager Erik Fix had said at the time.
The Batavian confirmed with City Manager Rachael Tabelski that Wing Ding will not be happening this year either, due to not having enough staff to organize or execute the event.
File Photo of a volunteer and occupant at Genesee County Animal Shelter. Photo by Howard Owens.
County legislators gave a thumbs up and fingers crossed Tuesday for a grant application to make mandated and costly upgrades to Genesee County Animal Shelter per recently passed state legislation requiring at least two sets of ventilation systems, isolation areas, treatment rooms, washing facilities and other amenities at the Route 5 facility.
Undersheriff Bradley Mazur made the request during the Public Service Committee meeting, as Deputy Highway Superintendent Paul Osborn helped to explain the need for funding. Gov. Hochul recently signed the Companion Animal Care Standards Act, prompting New York State shelters to ramp up their to-do lists to meet new compliance orders.
Osborn reviewed some of the physical aspects of those tasks, including the need for a new HVAC system that keeps the air temperature between 60 and 80 degrees, separate ventilation systems -- three, Osborn said -- for the adoption and stray side of the shelter, larger kennels for both dogs and cats, isolation rooms for sick dogs and cats, treatment rooms for dogs and cats, separate washing facilities for both dogs and cats, additional wash sinks for volunteers, and daylighting for diurnal lighting.
The upside, county Manager Matt Landers said, is that the building footprint itself won't have to be enlarged, as the work can be done -- with necessary reconfiguring of rooms, an added wall, and such -- within the current site.
The deadline for applying for a maximum award of $500,000 is Jan. 29, and work must be done by December 2025. Osborn said estimated expenses for those mandates would easily meet or surpass half a million dollars, which prompted Legislator Marianne Clattenburg to ask who pays if they go over cost.
“We do,” Landers said.
The Batavian asked him what would happen if the county couldn’t pay the tab and didn’t make the required upgrades. Could the shelter get shut down?
“I am confident we will find a solution that is cost-effective and meets the new requirements from NYS Ag & Markets,” Landers said. “The State has stated it is not their goal to close down shelters.”
“The county is confident that between the next couple of NYS budget years that it will secure necessary grant funds to largely offset the required improvements,” he said.
The Batavian wanted to clarify Clattenburg’s comment made during the meeting about whether the shelter should even be where it is. Would she like to see it shut down?
She didn’t mean that, she said.
File Photo of Legislator Marianne Clattenburg Photo by Joanne Beck
“No, not closing it. But, you know, reimagining it. Maybe shared services with other counties, maybe a different location and a better building, you know, something along those lines, because it's going to be very expensive to retrofit where it is now,” she said. “And so, I was just thinking along those lines. We're always looking for shared services models, and maybe, if the state wants better ventilation and better cages, better everything, then maybe it's time to look at regionalizing, that was my thought.”
The Batavian also asked Landers his thoughts about a future shared animal shelter facility, per Clattenburg’s comment, to save on costs.
“Legislator Clattenburg is a huge proponent for sharing services when it makes sense. We will always examine when a shared service model may work and save municipal resources,” he said. “At this point, our focus is on securing state funds for the required upgrades, but we will always keep an open mind for opportunities to share services with other municipal partners.”
Legislators had no problem with the grant application and passed it onto the Ways & Means Committee and the Legislature to authorize the submission of the proposal for a maximum of $500,000 award, with a 10 percent county match for required upgrades at the shelter. Other provisions in the new law include changes to animal bedding, transportation, behavioral record keeping and mandatory training.
File photo of Genesee County Manager Matt Landers, with Assistant County Manager Tammi Ferringer behind to his right, during a county meeting. Photo by Joanne Beck
After what he considered to be an extensive search for funding of unserved county Broadband customers, County Manager Matt Landers put forth a resolution Tuesday to move forward with a two-year, $6.6 million plan to fulfill more than 700 “address points” and close the gap of internet service across Genesee County.
A contract for high-speed internet access could alleviate issues for everything from, according to legislators, students when relegated to doing homework by computer in cyber dead zones, to entrepreneurs trying to make a living conducting business at home.
“I’m still negotiating and having discussions with state officials trying to find outside pots of money that we could access even after contract award. Local representative for the governor's office, J.W. Cook, has been working with me recently, trying to find possibilities for additional funding,” Landers said during the county Public Service meeting that was postponed due to Monday's holiday. “But at this point in time, I think we've exhausted all of our attempts to find outside resources. Our office does get relatively quite a few calls, asking where we stand. So I think that we're at the point now to move forward with the 24-month contract, from start to finish. And this will be before you today for consideration.“
Legislator Gary Maha was in favor of the move, especially after hearing about how students struggled to do homework during COVID and the resulting pandemic when forced to do use whatever technology they had at home during school shutdowns, he said.
“I think it’s very important that we proceed with this,” Maha said.
Fellow legislator Christian Yunker agreed: “Just like many of us, many of us field a lot of calls, especially in the rural areas. There's a lot of holes in the kind of units sold on that access.”
“A couple of years ago, we started talking about this. We said we will fill all the address points. This is something that I think we've all talked about. This is a two-year process. It's time to start construction,” he said. “So with that, if we sign this now … when do they say construction will begin?"
Landers said that, potentially, it could be two to three months, up to six months, for the installation to begin. Once completed, “we would cover all addresses in the county.”
“We would be covering every single address,” he said. Residents can hook up to it if they choose, “it’s not obligating anyone,” Landers said.
That was something the county “should be proud” of, Yunker said.
“And there's probably not a lot of other counties out there can say that,” he said. “It's a service that we're providing to every resident. And I think it's something we should be proud of. It's a lot of money, but everybody knows how important it is, not only for residential people but also businesses.”
Legislature Chairwoman Shelley Stein added a kudos for Landers’ attempts to try and root out as much funding as possible while providing a needed service before pushing for a contract.
“I would just like to thank the unprecedented amount of time that Matt, and energy, research, commitment that you have put into the contract, and understanding that the need is real for these address points in our community,” Stein said. “And at the same time, you've been very judicious in safeguarding the actual cash that needs to go into this program. Thank you for valuing both sides of the equation.”
She also asked if any other municipalities were pursuing internet service for their residents, and “none of the towns are doing anything,” Landers said.“We’re only connecting unserved households,” he said of the 711 addresses to be covered.
“We were looking at a two-phase process, which would have decided which towns go first. We have done away with that to make this go as quickly as possible. So this is left in the hands of Charter (Communications) as far as their path. I can get updates as they go through the process to kind of get an idea of the direction. So I can sort of get an update and report back,” Landers said. “It's whatever is the quickest and most logical, economical for Charter to roll this out.”
The contract stems from a request for proposals issued in 2022 and an extensive process and input led by a committee that included three county legislators, IT Director Michael Burns, Richard Sutherland from Genesee Finger Lakes Planning, and Assistant County Manager Tammi Ferringer and other staff.
Funding will come from the American Rescue Plan Act and state shared services monies and county reserves, Landers said. The resolution must still go through the Ways & Means Committee and onto the full Legislature for a final vote.
The committee recommends that the award in the amount not to exceed $6,603,107 go the Spectrum Northeast, LLC, located in the State of Delaware, and the County of Genesee desires to obligate and use $2 million of its total ARPA allocation and $250,000 of shared services funding, plus $4.75 million of reserves for the project.
Looking for the rebound. Two Genesee County teams battle it out at Alexander High School. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Oakfield was held scoreless in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night, but was so dominant earlier in the game, including scoring 18 points in the third quarter, that they were able to hold onto a big lead and beat Alexander 39-29 in Girls Basketball.
Caitlin Ryan scored 13 points for the Hornets and Alea Geoff scored eight.
Batavia 54, Franklin 21. Anna Varland scored 16 points. Julia Clark scored eight, and Addy O'Donnell scored eight. Isabella Walsh scored five points and had seven rebounds, six steals, and four blocked shots.
Notre Dame beat Attica, 56-27. Leading the Lady Irish was Sofia Falleti with 17 points, 3 steals and 6 blocks. Emma Sisson recorded a double-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals. Gianna Falleti contributed 8 points, 3 steals and 5 rebounds.
Pembroke beat Lyndonville 55-46. Reagan Schneider had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Peyton Liss, 13 points. Jayden Hootman, 11 points and seven steals. Morgan Coniber, 10 points and 10 rebounds. Onolee Easterbrook, eight steals.
In Boys Basketball, Le Roy beat Batavia 65-51. Merritt Holly scored 21 points. Jake Higgins, 13 points. Jean Agosto, nine points and 13 rebounds. No stats were provided for Batavia.
The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 52nd Annual Awards Ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, March 2 at Batavia Downs Gaming, 8315 Park Road, Batavia. This is the County’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service and volunteerism. Tickets are $60.00 per person, or a table of 8 for $440.00.
The evening begins at 5 p.m. with Hors Oeuvres, Entrée Tables & Cash Bar (no formal sit-down dinner is to be served). The Award Program starts at 7 p.m. where dessert and coffee will be served.
This year’s honorees are:
Business of the Year: Alabama Hotel, LLC
Agricultural Business of the Year: Offhaus Farm, Inc.
Special Anniversary Recognition of the Year: Volunteers for Animals
Special Recognition of the Year: Holland Land Office Museum
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
