Press release:

Melissa Sawyer went 3-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and a stolen base to lead Alexander at the plate as they beat Pembroke 9-2 Wednesday evening.  

Faith Goodenbury went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base.  Madison Boyce went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored. While Ella Felski went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

One the bump for Alexander was Emily Pietrzykowski, who went the distance to earn the win. Pietrzykowski pitched sevening innings while surrendering five hits, two earned runs, issued two walks and struck out eight Dragons.

For Pembroke, Aleena went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs.  Lefty hurler Jayden took the loss while striking out five Trojans.

"We keep gaining momentum, and we are starting to play ball as we know we can," said Coach John Goodenbury. "Our pitchers are hitting their spots and gaining confidence. Our hitters are continuing to find holes in the defense, and the weather is helping us get consistent games in.  We have more work to do, but it was nice to start the second half of the season with a solid game and earn our fourth consecutive win.  Tomorrow we host Pembroke at 5 p.m. and we are excited to get back at it."

Submitted photos.

Press release:

Otis Thomas, a member of Notre Dame High School Class of 1997, has been named Head Varsity Football Coach at his alma mater. 

A lifelong resident of Batavia, he attended St. Anthony's parochial school before graduating from Notre Dame, where he excelled in Football, Baseball, Basketball and Track and field. 

Otis won the prestigious Nick Salvador Football MVP award twice. His basketball teams played in three sectional finals, winning in 1995 and 1997 when they won the Western Regional title, which advanced them to the NYSPHSAA Final Four. In Baseball, he was on Sectional winning teams in 1996 and 1997. His excellence as an athlete earned him recognition as ND’s Co-Athlete of the Year in 1997 and also led to his induction into the Notre Dame Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021

Mr. Thomas has held a variety of coaching positions at Notre Dame since 2009. His Football coaching experience includes being the head JV Football coach, a JV Football Assistant, a Varsity Assistant, and most recently, the varsity football defensive coordinator. 

Otis has also been both the Boys' and girls' basketball JV Head Coach and a Varsity assistant for the past 8 seasons while also serving as ND’s varsity softball coach for 6 years, winning a sectional title last year.

When asked to comment on his hiring, Otis said, “ I believe in this school and everything about it. Notre Dame, my coaches, my classmates and their families, along with my own family, have made me into the man I am today. I was coached by two legendary coaches, Mike Rapone and the late Bill Sutherland, both of whom had an impact on me and are a big part of why I got into coaching. I always wanted to be the head football coach of my alma mater and consider myself blessed to have this opportunity. I will work hard from day 1 to maintain the standard and teach the culture built by those who have preceded me. Go IRISH!!

Mr. Thomas is currently employed by Aerosafe Global in Rochester as a manufacturing supervisor. He and his wife Nicole live on Otis Street in Batavia with their three children: Teagyn, Nya, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2021 and Gunnar, who is currently a seventh-grade student at Notre Dame.

A revised remedial plan was issued for work completed at the Batavia Iron Metal facility in Batavia due to the amount of PCBs and other contaminants and wetlands discovered at the Bank Street site, Project Manager Lisa Gorton says.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued the revision Wednesday now that all work has been completed for the project at the defunct metals processing plant next to Dwyer Stadium. 

"So, initially, those smaller areas that were identified were going to be removed and remediated. However, after our full investigation and design, we ended up removing much more waste than expected. So we essentially just cleaned the site up to a restricted residential use and commercial use standard, so it was much more protective than originally designed or issued under the decision,” Gorton said to The Batavian. “There were a few thousand tons scheduled to move off-site. But ultimately, I think we took 60,000 tons of topsoil off-site. So the work was considerably more than what was initially intended.”

She said all of the PCBs have been removed to an unrestricted use, and wetlands—a new element to the project—were identified and restored. 

“There’s no environmental easement that will be associated with it. It’s not a full unrestricted use only because the unoccupied building there stays in place, so if someone should buy the property and want to repurpose that building, there are some site management elements that go along with that piece of it,” she said. However, aside from that, the remainder of the site can be used in accordance with the zoning right now. So, it was much more protective than we originally had planned on in the decision only because we initially thought it might be used as commercial and would be more restricted under an easement. But just the way the PCBs were present on site and had to meet those regulations, the federal regulation for EPA and PCB removal became much more than we expected, but more protected, in a more protective way.”

The DEC continues to monitor the groundwater, which has tested to be safe, she said. 

The city of Batavia no longer owns the property, and as of November 2023, when remediation was still in progress, the plan was to move on foreclosure and devise a re-use strategy once this project was complete, City Manager Rachael Tabelski had said.

“Re-use of the site will be dependent on the level of clean-up.  If the site has been cleaned to unrestricted, residential and/or commercial activities would be allowed there,” Tabelski said. 

Cost Comparison
The price of this project jumped about $5 million due to “natural inflation from 2013 to 2023, and the increase in volume — approximately three times of material excavated (15,500 cubic yards projected versus 50,500 cubic yards actual) and disposed off site” the DEC report stated. That took the original cost of $8,177,000 up to about $13 million.

In much more expanded language, here are the steps and revisions of the original plan, which can also be found in its entirety on the DEC site (pdf)

Implementation of pre-design investigations and remedial activities described above identified the following new information that differs from the 2013 record of decision (ROD).

Additional impacted material off-site at 299 Bank Street was not identified in the ROD. These areas were identified and remediated during the investigation and remediation of the on-site debris piles at (AOC-3). 

Additional impacted material on-site (AOC-2) after removal of the waste piles. Impacted soil extended throughout the property boundaries, not only in the north and west portions of the site, as indicated in the ROD. 

Based on pre-design investigations for AOC-2, after remediation of AOC-3, neither VOCs or SVOCs were identified as primary contaminants of concern for soil. There were discrete exceedances of residential SCOs for each, but the locations were within the confines of the metals and PCB impacts and were therefore removed during implementation. 

Based on groundwater samples collected following the implementation of AOC-2, GA groundwater standards for VOCs are not currently exceeded. VOCs and AOCs are contaminants.

Sub-slab soil vapor samples collected beneath the on-site building had some detections of select VOCs. However, soil and groundwater beneath the building did not indicate any exceedances of VOC standards. Additional vapor intrusion investigation and mitigation if necessary, would need to be conducted if the building or the building’s footprint is reoccupied or redeveloped with an occupied building. 

Based on this new information and information obtained during the implementation of the IRM and Remedial Action the elements of the ROD are being modified as described further below: 

Record of Decision Design
ROD Element 1 is being modified to align the proposed design elements with the actual remedial action design prepared and executed in 2023. The design phase and remediation included re-delineating the wetland areas, fully characterizing the wetlands, remediating, and restoring the wetlands including additional wetland restoration at 299 Bank Street. The original Element 1 specified excavating contaminated sediment found in the wetland above the ecological SCO. The wetland impacts were fully delineated, remediated and restored, including installation of a 50-foot wetland buffer area. Green Remediation techniques were used as feasible during the 2023 remedial action, including reusing treated construction water from excavation dewatering for dust control, obtaining restoration materials (backfill, topsoil and trees) from nearby sources to reduce truck emissions, using onsite power instead of mobile generators, to lower greenhouse gas emissions and tracking greenhouse emissions during the remedial action to evaluate the green remediation techniques. 

Record of Decision Excavation 
Excavation of approximately 300 Cubic Yards (CY) from AOC #1 (PCB and pesticide impacted fill adjacent to the site building), 11,000 CY from AOC #2 (PCB and metals impacted soil/fill in north and western portion of the site), 4,100 CY from AOC #3 (Solid waste present throughout the site), and AOC #4 (Metals impacted soil at off-site 303 Bank St.).

The Remedial Action conducted in 2023 excavated 67,000 tons (≈(40,000 cubic yards) of impacted soil from AOC #2 and included the removal of the remaining impacted material west of the Site at 299 Bank St. and the remaining impacts from AOC #1. 

Record of Decision Enhanced Bioremediation 
ROD Element 3 included in-situ enhanced bioremediation to be employed to treat VOCs in groundwater in the area down gradient of AOC #2. During pre-investigation activities no VOC source areas were identified, additionally soil impacted with VOCs and SVOCs were co-located with metals and PCB impacted soil and therefore were removed as part of the excavations conducted as part of the 2017 IRM and 2023 Remedial Action. Six new monitoring wells and two temporary wells were installed onsite after excavation was completed in 2023. 

Record of Decision Institutional Controls 
ROD Element 5 included the imposition of Institutional Controls via an Environmental Easement, which included the restriction of groundwater use at the site as a source of potable or processed water, restricting future development for commercial and industrial use and compliance with a Site Management Plan. Based on the post-excavation sample results, the soil conditions generally meet the residential SCOs, and groundwater impacts are minimal. A Site Management Plan (SMP) will still be required to allow for inspection and minor repairs of the restored wetlands for five years after the final restoration is complete in the Spring of 2024 per the requirements of the United States Army Corp of Engineer (USACE) permit and for proper soil handling and disposal for soil under the building should the building be removed in the future. 

Record of Decision Site Management Plan 
Element 6 required an SMP to monitor the institutional controls from Element 5, provide a soil management plan, provide monitoring program to assess the performance and effectiveness of the remedy and provide an Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Plan for in-place treatment systems. Based on the changes noted above, the Enhanced Bioremediation (Element 4) is being removed from the ROD. Due to the increased volume of impacted soil removed from the Site and the post-excavation soil results and post-remediation groundwater sampling results, continuing monitoring of the performance and effectiveness of the remedy is not required. Additionally, no in-place treatment system is required; therefore, an O&M Plan for an in-place treatment system is not needed. 

A Site Management Plan will be required to provide monitoring and maintenance of the wetland and wetland buffer areas for five years, provide a soil management plan to handle material under the existing building and  require a soil vapor intrusion evaluation in the event that the on-site building is reoccupied or the site is redeveloped with an occupied building and periodic groundwater sampling. Element 6 is being modified to include these revised requirements for the SMP.

Site History 
The Batavia Iron and Metal Company, Inc. Site (formerly Batavia Waste Material Co.) is located at 301 Bank St. in the City of Batavia, Genesee County, New York, and is approximately 6.8 acres. The Site operated as a metal recycling facility from 1951 to 1999. Batavia Iron and Metal also purchased and handled electrical transformers on the property. Two furnaces operated at the facility from the early 1970s until 1994 for the purpose of reclaiming wire and smelting white metals. Before using the furnaces, the facility utilized open burning in dumpsters in the yard to remove insulation from the wiring.

Remedial investigations began in 2006 and found surface and subsurface soils were impacted with PCBs and metals, and other pesticides on the immediate and adjacent properties. In 2014, 17 55-gallon drums of debris and waste materials were removed from the building, and a 1,000-gallon underground storage tank was removed from the site. During this time, interim remedial measures were conducted to remove impacted soil at the adjacent properties. Work has continued in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and was completed in April 2023 with the implementation of an on-site remedial action plan approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

While larger city fairs are struggling and even shutting down due to poor attendance, the one on Route 5 in Genesee County only gets better with an expanded schedule, Agricultural Society Treasurer Norm Pimm says.

“There’s very few that grow in attendance, and a lot that are hurting. Probably about four years ago, we went from a five-day fair to a seven-day period and then to an eight-day fair. And really, we’re almost a nine-day fair because now we’re starting the Friday night with the draft horses, because we just tried it, we can’t fit everything in the schedule we have, which is a great problem to have,” Pimm said during his annual report to legislators this week. “A lot of fairs now are actually either shrinking down their days or are, some of them just aren’t having them. So we’ve gotten the county support from you guys, the businesses and the attendees. That means a lot to us because that’s what we can use to keep running forward.”

Those larger areas on either side of this county, including Erie and Monroe, don’t seem as agriculturally focused — cue the more than 1,500 animals, 12 six-horse hitch teams from throughout the country, rating it the second largest show in New York State, 170 4-H youth participants aged 8 to 18 and another 35 ages 5 to 7 — and that seems a big draw from in and outside the county, Pimm said.

They were on track to meet or beat the prior year’s record attendance of 70,000; however, Mother Nature really showed up in full force for a first-time Enduro race, causing organizers to cancel that event. 

“We were going to do $5 admission all day, just to try and make it family friendly, the kids come in, you know, bring a family member and have a good day for 20 bucks. And then we had the rain,” he said. “So the sad part is, we had a ton of messages and phone calls on Friday and Saturday from people, like more than any other event, so we held off as long as we could. But we finally said we gotta cancel that. So that put us back a little bit. But we still had about 64,000, which is the year before it was 70, which was the biggest year ever by far.” 

Unlike in past years, when many outgoing calls had to be made to secure vendors and entertainers, he said many of them are requesting to come back this year. Musical groups, including an Eaglez tribute band and BB Dang, will be returning, and the draft horse show “continues to be really huge.”

“I’m not a horse person, so I don’t understand all of it, but they said our footing is the best around,” he said. “They want to be the biggest show in New York State. But it's the second biggest for now. We just don't have any more room to store any of those big, huge horses. They take a lot of space, so we're working on that. We had 122 of them last year, those big, big horses, which was every pen we had.” 

The Genesee County Fair’s midway is also popular and something not to be taken for granted, he said. 

“Midways are going away; it’s hard to do business in New York State,” he said. 

Although organizers would have liked a full week from Saturday to Saturday, this year’s midway will operate from Tuesday to Saturday, he said, per the company’s schedule. To fill in the first weekend of Saturday, Sunday and Monday, there will be bounce houses, roaming entertainment, and other activities, he said. 

The youth livestock auction will also return, competing with 2023’s record year intake of $340,000 of local support that went right back to the kids and to support youth programs, he said. 

Admission will remain the same at $10 per carload “even though expenses have been up by 20% the last two years,” he said. “We’re trying our best to keep it at that as long as we can,” he said. 

By comparison, Erie County charges $22.60 a person, he said.

The stage will feature new entertainment with Nerds Gone Wild and a fun 80s tribute band that has already attracted a Batavia High School class reunion requesting a piece of the action under the yellow tent.

This year’s fair—set for July 20 to 27—will also include remote-controlled race cars free for kids, an 80s night—come dressed in 80s attire—with discounted prices such as a $2 hotdog, entertainment slated for every night of the fair, two nights of fireworks, karaoke, a demolition derby, truck pull, small tractor pull and figure eight racing, plus, of course, the Chuck Wagon and other midway goodies and treats, games and activities. 

He said it takes large amounts of money to operate the fairgrounds year-round and pay for electrical maintenance—"our electric bill has gone up dramatically," he said—and on-site projects are always in the works.

“People don’t realize what it costs to run the fairgrounds for the year. I mean, it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep that place going, and us being a nonprofit and all-volunteer, nobody’s paid, but we do it obviously because it’s been here forever and wants to keep it going,” he said. “We do a lot outside of the fair. So camping does help when we have these livestock shows and horse shows. Those are good moneymakers for us. The food truck rodeos and the horse shows are booked almost every weekend in the summer between the horse show and the livestock show. And then besides, we have the racetrack that we lease that runs almost every weekend as well.”

Legislative Chairwoman Shelley Stein encouraged him to appeal to the county for more funds, given all that the Society members do and the community participation involved. The county increased its funding by $1,000, he said.

The group reviewed and approved a resolution for $12,000 in funding, $1,000 more than in 2023. The resolution will go to the full Legislature for final approval on May 8.

Press Release:

This year Mr. Batavia 2024 raised a total of $5,200. Since 2013, the annual event has raised more than $43,000 for local organizations. 

$2,600 went to Mr. Batavia Elijah Abdella, whose chosen charity was Genesee Cancer Assistance.

$1,300 went to runner-up Harry Southall's chosen charity, which was Batavia VA.

$1,300 went to runner-up Brian Calderon's chosen charity, Suicide Prevention of Genesee County.

Submitted photos.

Press Release:

The 24th Annual Batavia Rotary Club High School Baseball Tournament will take place on Saturday, May 4 at Dwyer Stadium.

Oakfield-Alabama and Notre Dame will play in the first game at 11 a.m. followed by Le Roy vs Batavia at 1:30 p.m. The Consolation Game will be at 4 p.m. with the Championship Game at 7 p.m.

An All-Day Admission Pass is $5 for an adult and $3 for a student or senior. Cash, Venmo, or credit card will be accepted for payment. All proceeds from the tournament will help benefit Batavia Rotary Club charities.

New this year:

• We will be having the Batavia High Baseball Team’s “Senior Night” prior to the 1:30 p.m. game.
• Youths age 12 and under will get in free if they wear their baseball or softball uniforms to any of the games and attend with a parent/adult family member.
• Any Challenger Sports athletes and Unified Sports athletes will get in free if they wear their uniform or tee-shirt, and come with a parent/adult family member or adult caregiver.
• Tickets for the Rotary Club’s Fly-In Breakfast on Father’s Day will be available for purchase.

We look forward to seeing the community come out to cheer on our local athletes!

Press Release:

GO ART! is running a 4 week Saturday morning kids Culinary class starting May 4.

This class is tailored to students in grades 1-6. Each week we will be baking, cooking or learning about proper safety in the kitchen. All supplies will be included. 

For more informations go to https://goart.org/programming/exlporeart/exlporeart-children/, call (585) 343-9313, or
email Jodi at jfisher@goart.org.

Press Release:

Genesee County is upgrading essential infrastructure at County Building No. 1 and the Old County Courthouse to address water penetration concerns and ensure the safety of all occupants and visitors.

Project Details:

• May 3 - Protective enclosures will be installed around entrances to County Building No. 1 to ensure safety during roof and exterior masonry work.
• May 6 - Masonry work will commence on the parapet walls, followed by the roof recovery of County Building No. 1 and copper installation at the east entrance of the Old County Courthouse.
• During the project, all entrances will remain accessible.
• A protective enclosure for material storage will temporarily block off the central sidewalk, but access will still be available on both the east and west sides of the courtyard.
• The projects are expected to be completed by the end of June with a 2-week additional window for inclement weather.

Although minimal disruption to daily operations is expected, a safe working zone is of top priority, and the following safety measures have been implemented: 

• Designated areas for materials and equipment storage.
• Parking adjustments, including dumpsters in a street parking zone and coned-off contractor access to the lawn.
• Protective enclosures around entrances to County Building No. 1
• Please see the included staging plan for more details.

We appreciate the cooperation and understanding of all during this construction period.

Spring into action and mark your calendars for the 2024 Spring Consignment Auction starting May 1st and wrapping up on May 8th.

Get revved up to bid on an array of vehicles, equipment, trailers, farm implements, machinery, lawn & garden tools, power tools, building supplies, and much more! There are over 1000 lots on the auction block.

Don't miss out on the fun - hop online to bontragerauction.com to place your bids.

Swing by for a sneak peek at the auction on Saturday, May 4th, from 10 am to 12 pm. You'll find it at Bontrager's Auction Center, 8975 Wortendyke Rd, Batavia, NY.

Merchandise pick-up is scheduled from Thursday, May 9th through Saturday, May 11th.

You just never know when you’re going to make a difference in someone’s life, Sandy Wojtaszczyk says.

“We don’t always know what difference we make; no matter where you volunteer or what you do in your job, we never know. You never know what impact you have on anybody,” Wojtaszczyk said during this year’s Women of Inspiration Awards lunch at Batavia Downs. 

In her line of work in Social Services, with 15 out of 25 years as supervisor of the Child Protective unit, she had to do some of the hardest jobs by removing kids from their home situations and then wondering if she made a positive difference. 

She began her career at Genesee County Department of Social Services in 1998. In 2009, she became a department supervisor and was charged with training new workers in her unit regarding child abuse and the safety of children in Genesee County. In 2013, Wojtaszczyk received an award for her Outstanding Achievements in Law Enforcement. In 2021, she received the Leadership Genesee Outstanding Alumnus Award. 

During her career, she collaborated with many agencies, including YWCA, CASA, Juvenile Justice, Genesee County Family Courts, Genesee County schools, and law enforcement to ensure the safety of the children she served. 

“And I always hope that removing kids from a situation that's really, really bad. That is what can be done, knowing that I could have saved a child's life somewhere along the line. Will I ever know that? No,” she said. “I worked with teenagers for a period of time prior to being a supervisor. And I still am in contact with some of those girls. They sometimes call me, and they see me on the street … I still have Facebook friends, a lot of Facebook friends out there. 

“But you know, I look at that, and I don't think that I have an impact, but I did have an impact on their lives,” she said. “They were in foster care, and they didn't have good role models. And hopefully, that's what I was for them.”

She also talked about being involved in volunteer activities, from the early days of Jerry Lewis telethons and 4-H walkathons to current Salvation Army food drives to help out families at Christmas. 

It’s that giving spirit that she shares with the other recipients, including Judy Fuller, Susie Ott and Sue Gagne. 

Fuller volunteers many hours coordinating and managing My Sisters Closet for the YWCA of Genesee County. She has taken this on as her own and is always trying to come up with new ideas to help the program grow and reach more people in the community. The Closet supports and provides clothing to women in the nonprofit’s Domestic Violence program.

Fuller said that her primary role has been to help victims of domestic violence access clothing and other items “that they might not have,” she said.

“And anybody who hasn’t worked comes in for a job interview, and they get free clothes, so I help anybody who needs it,” she said. 

Ott is very active in the community, supporting many agencies and projects. She is currently the president of Batavia Rotary, chair of the United Way Day of Caring, treasurer of Batavia Job Development, board member of United Memorial Medical Center, and committee member of the Wings Over Batavia Air Show. 

She has received several awards for her volunteer work and community support, including the 2011 Leadership Genesee Outstanding Alumnus Award, the 2007 and 2022 Rotary Club Paul Harris Award, the 2015 Geneseean of the Year and the 2017 United Way Barber Conable Award.

Ott shared a quote that echoed Wojtaszczyk’s sentiments: Your impact on other people is bigger than you think. 

“Someone still giggles when they think of something funny that you said. Someone still smiles when they think of a compliment you gave them. Someone silently admires you. The advice you give has made a difference for people,” she said. “So I encourage everyone to continue giving back to the community and have fun while doing so. If you’re ever looking for ways to be involved, I have some ideas. And I’ll leave you with a quote by Les Brown: It’s in every day there are 1440 minutes. That means you have 1440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.”

Gagne has been a proactive human service advocate, volunteer and employee for decades. She has an extensive background in mental health, criminal justice and substance use disorders. 

Early in her career, she worked at ARC and as an assistant for the Genesee County Mental Health Association, later becoming a director. She volunteered on the board of directors for NAMI NYS, The GOW Opioid Task Force and the Suicide Prevention Task Force for GOW. She was instrumental in the founding of the GCASA Recovery Station and worked as coordinator of the Recovery Station through COVID.

Gagne is currently the assistant director of Adult Services at Wyoming County Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Coordinator for Genesee County. While working, she completed her degree in nursing at GCC and received the Leadership Award. She is now furthering her education at Brockport State College.

She shared a tip that she has learned from author and speaker John Maxwell about being an inspirational leader. It has to do with performing a daily habit that includes others throughout one’s day.

“He wakes up every morning, looks over his calendar and starts thinking about who he will see that day and how he can add value to them. He’d intentional about it,” Gagne said. “In the Bible, the book of Ephesians tells us that we are God’s handiwork, and if we think about that, you might be the answer to somebody’s prayer. Remember, you have a gift to give this world.

Her final words were to encourage others, especially if anyone struggles with knowing “how special and unique you are.”

“Get around good people,” she said. “My pastor continually tells us the person you will be in five years depends on the books you read and the friends you keep. So get around people who will encourage you, value and help you grow.”

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Press Release:

In recognition that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is hosting an Open House in our Reception Area from 9 - 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 16. It will take place at our office at 319 West Main Street in the Crickler Executive Business Center in Batavia.

The public is invited to stop by and learn how the Independent Living Center works with people who are facing mental health challenges.

For additional information, call Catherine DeMare at 585-815-8501, extension 400.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Press Release:

At the recent Solar Eclipse event “Total Eclipse of the Park”, the Oakfield Betterment Committee presented the Oakfield Fire Department with a co-branded pop-up event tent.

The volunteers of the Oakfield Fire Department not only sacrifice their time and efforts to protect our town, but they are also integral members of our community. 

Their members volunteer with many of our annual events and maintain a constant, on-site presence throughout our signature Labor Daze music and food festival.

Oakfield is truly a better place because of the dedicated men and women of the OFD and we are glad to bless them with an event tent for their fundraising, training, and to keep them shaded while on standby on Labor Day weekend.

Press Release:

The American Legion Auxiliary Unit #576 in Le Roy is proud to announce Abygale (Aby) Fernaays as our 2024 Poppy Girl. 

Aby is the daughter of Nathan Fernaays and Farrah Nolan, and the granddaughter of Michael and Cheryl Fernaays of Le Roy and Douglas and Marie Nolan of Ocala, FL. 

Aby and her family honor Memorial Day every year by remembering the sacrifice of the men and women who have given their lives for our country. 

We are excited to have Aby and her family participate in this year’s Poppy Program and in the Memorial Day Parade in Le Roy on Monday, May 27.

 The money raised by Aby and the Poppy Program will be used throughout the year to support our veterans in nursing homes and hospitals, along with assisting the color guard at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Pembroke. We appreciate your continued support.

Press Release:

The 3rd quarter High Honor and Honor Rolls have been released for Byron-Bergen Jr./Sr. High School by Principal Paul Hazard. Hazard and the Byron-Bergen Central School District staff offer their congratulations to these students.  

Grade 7: 

High Honor Roll – Charlotte Bloom, Riley Boland, Evelyn Borycki, Madison Carson, Alyssa Chupp, June Dorman, Katherine Erion, Leland Fregoe, Olivia Galdun, Connor Hoopengardner, Isabella Kessler, Delilah Malin, Sophia Matthews, Jack Miller, Trevor O'Brien, Caleb Rassel, Lia Ray, Landon Starkweather, Contessa Vander Wyst, Benjamin Vargas, Kaylanah White, Teagan Williams, Dahlia Wolff 

Honor Roll - Faith Apley, Tristen Davidson, Aaiden Gaiser, Cruz Gilbert, Hunter Jarosinski, Emmarose Michaels, Riley Norman, Aleah Olander, Kelly Parsons, William Scharvogel, Miranda Stanton, Gunner Starowitz, Logan Zaleski

Grade 8:

High Honor Roll - Evan Bannister, Cole Carroll, Eala Coniglio, Samantha Copani, Brooklynn Culmo, Emily Diehl, William Duell, Zachary Gay, Cambria Goodenbery, Lila Graff, Ainsley Kent, Ruth Kuipers, Alexander Kuszlyk, Isabella Lewis, Levi McGrath, Lillian Meier, Liliana Moore, Laney Niedzwiecki, Evan Phillips, Alexandra Pocock, Natalie Randall, Jenna Redick, Audrey Rimmerman, Michael Rogoyski, Genevieve Smith, Madeline Smith, Xavier Vargas, Jillian Weaver, Carson Wells, Paige Winkler 

Honor Roll - Ryanna Armstrong, Mason Farner, Josiah Hiscutt, Taylor Louis, Annabella Madera, Parker Moore, Brook Pagels, Lucy Rea, Cooper Sandow, Miley Stalica

Grade 9: 

High Honor Roll - Zoey Bower, Rylee Burch, Emalyn Canfield, Cody Carlson, Gianna Cicatelli, Lauren Gartz, Isabella Gifford, Wyatt Lewis, Taylor Lundfelt, Ian MacMillen, Logan Marou, Emma Matthews, Hannah Riedmiller, Elliana Tanner, Bradley Tatar, Jack Walker, Rena Wilson 

Honor Roll - Tyler Barberio, Nataly Barrera Zuniga, Audrey Dorman, Brayden Gelsomino, Azaya Maid, Seth Prefontaine, Theodore Schelemanow, Brandon Schuck, Kyle Smith

Grade 10: 

High Honor Roll - Sara Bishop, Liam Boyle, Sarah Campbell, Adam Cardenas, Gianna Clark, Connor Copani, Addison Cummings, Justin Deleo, Gary Donofrio, Gianna Graff, Megan Jarkiewicz, Nial Johnson, Pearl Jolliff, Carter Kuipers, Malacai McGrath, Grace Mundell, Paige O'Brien, Evan Orto, Bradley Pocock, Allison Rimmerman, Katherine Rogoyski, Simone Scharvogel, Rayne Sheard, Solomon Smith, Hayden Starkweather, Elizabeth Starowitz, Aubrey Stein, Emma Wolfe 

Honor Roll - Katelyn Ball, Laura Curts, Logan Czachorowski, Grace DiQuattro, Ava Goff, Mia Gray, Logan LeSage, Maryn Meier, Colin Rea, Andrea White, Evan Williams

Grade 11:

High Honor Roll - Ryan Benstead, Jake Carlson, Deborah Catalino, Kendall Chase, Abigail Cook, Isabella Davidson, Logan Fregoe, Ava Gray, Rachel Hanel, Ella Lewis, Jackson Lundfelt, Anna McLaughlin, Ian Pulcini, Sydney Salmonds, Ashley Schlenker-Stephens, Roman Smith, Lily Stalica, Rose Wilson, Jade Wolff

Honor Roll - Aiden Barberio, Isabelle Best, Zachary Brookhart, Noah Clare, Craig DiQuattro, Lea Donofrio, Annabelle Erion, Chesney Fregoe, Haylee Gartz, Peyton Goodenbery, Samuel Hersom, Eli Kupfer, Martin Mac Connell, Arianne McLaughlin, Connor Moran, Meghan Muscarella, Kasey Pagels, Adam Piper, Trent Sheard, Mikayla Yohon

Grade 12: 

High Honor Roll - Emma Balduf, Carlee Barons, Brody Baubie, Jeffrey Borycki, Tyler Chapman, Chloe Gilbert, Gabrielle Graff, Autumn Hafner, Mackenzie Hagen, Makala Hoopengardner, Kaidance Kimble, Hanna Loewke, Lincoln McGrath, Stephanie Onderdonk, Jillian Peters, Novalee Pocock, Quintin Rich, Victoria Rogoyski, Travis Shallenberger, Riley Sharpe, Malachi Smith, Lukas Volkmar, Lydia Zaffrann

Honor Roll - HannahRae Amador, Braedyn Chambry, James Heick, Colin Martin, Dru Nowatchik, Brendan Pimm, Carter Prinzi, Andrew Smith, Connor Windhauser, Megan Zwerka

Sharon Kubiniec, a downtown property owner and spokesperson for a group of businesses affected by construction staging of the new City of Batavia police facility, said Tuesday that a two-phase plan to alleviate a lack of handicap parking is “a step into the right direction.”

City Manager Rachael Tabelski sent the business owners and media a four-page plan and maps that would eventually bring back a first row of parking as one step toward improving the parking situation. 

“The proposed changes will help restore our trust in city government. Going forward we would hope that communication between city planners and  business owners/tenants would be frequent and ongoing,” Kubiniec said to The Batavian. “For instance, we need a plan for snow removal, salting the sidewalks and plowing the sidewalks in a timely matter. We can only hope that as this ever changing situation continues, we are given a chance to be heard. We need some things in writing and we still have some concerns about the final layout.”

Dr. Adam Gregor, a dentist at 180 Washington Ave., said that Phase II “does offer nearby parking,” but that “it’s hard to say that’s an improvement.”

“But, it is the city doing what they originally said they would. And for that, I’m thankful,” Gregor said. “Phase I still has concerns to me. Phase I should only be temporary and will last until June, when the weather won’t have as much of an effect. But I still won’t have any nearby or handicap parking during that time.

“I would suggest one additional curb cut near my office to try to limit patients being dropped off far away or at a potentially dangerous intersection,” he said. “Likewise, I would suggest that multiple spaces near the new access ramp be reserved for handicap parking or patients with limited mobility — they are the ones that need the access ramp the most.” 

Batavia city management sent out a new parking plan Tuesday for the downtown police station staging area in the parking lot at Alva Place and Bank Street. 

A dozen business owners have been without parking adjacent to their offices on the south side alongside the parking lot for the last three weeks, and some have complained to city management, City Council, local media and through a petition circulating on change.org. Those owners have been losing patients and/or getting cancellations and no-show appointments due to the safety issues and inconvenience of parking, they have said.

"Over the past two weeks, City leadership has held several meetings with the construction team and its project representatives, to find options that will allow for use of a portion of the City owned lot on Alva and Bank streets for customers of the adjacent businesses, while still allowing for the Police Station building project to be completed to the scale and scope originally intended,” City Manager Rachael Tabelski said in a letter to Washington Avenue and State Street businesses. “Providing patients and customers access to local businesses is a key priority for the City. This past week, the City issued an emergency change directive to replace the current and proposed configuration of the safety fencing.

“Please encourage your staff to park in the JC Penney lot across Alva Place. We also encourage you to share this parking plan with your customers,” Tabelski said.  “We will keep you apprised as plans for both phases move forward. Thank you for your patience as the construction project proceeds.”

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Press release:

Chapin International would like to announce that Jim Campbell, longtime CEO and President of the company, will be retiring at the end of 2024. Jim has not just guided but rather propelled Chapin through tremendous growth over the last twenty years of management.  

Since assuming the reins as CEO, Chapin has experienced exponential growth of over 400%, broadening its footprint with facilities in four states and two foreign countries, all under his visionary leadership.

Chapin's product portfolio has expanded from a market scope solely focused on sprayers to a multitude of adjacent categories, including lawn and salt spreaders, bird food and accessories, water and irrigation products, and custom blow molding. Chapin continues to develop new product offerings and expand within the market today. 

When asked about retirement, Jim quickly acknowledges that his team and all the folks who work in Batavia and the outside businesses have been critical to Chapin's continued success. 

“All good things happen because people pull together and make things happen,” said Campbell. “I am really proud to have worked with the men and women at Chapin. It is hard to leave as these are some of the best friends I have in the world. As I prepare to retire and join all my friends who have gone before me, I feel good about leaving the company in a very strong financial position, much larger, more resilient, and more diverse than when I started many years ago.”

Jim has been named to the Buffalo Business First List of the Power 250, recognizing the most influential people in Western New York's business community, for the last three years running.

Jim will continue to assist at Chapin from “time to time” in between fishing and working on his orchard.

We wish Jim a long and enjoyable retirement, which he has certainly earned. We are deeply grateful for his leadership and the indelible mark he has left on Chapin International.