The Genesee County Legislature presented local Americorp volunteers with a proclamation Wednesday night recognizing their volunteer efforts for the community. 

Don Read was kind  enough to show me around the County Clerk's office today. When I arranged the tour, I didn't expect to find a mini-Lincoln museum.  Read has been collecting Lincoln memorabilia since he was a teenager, he said. What you see in the picture is only portion of the items on display at the clerk's office.  Read has also topped a line of file cabinets along one wall with a collection of Lincoln books.  Among The display alone is worth a trip to the clerk's office. After work today, Read was off to another auction where he heard there were a number of Lincoln-related items available.

Students of Genesee County College should be relieved to know there will be no tuition increase for the 2009-2010 school year.

The board of trustees announced the proposed budget Monday. The county legislature will now be asked to approve the spending plan.

The $32.6 million budget holds full-time tuition at $1,700 per semester while part-time students will continue to pay $140 per hour.

The budget includes plans to open a new campus in Lima this fall as well as moving the college's school of nursing to a new Med Tech Park that will be constructed on the south side of Hawley Drive.

Most of the $1.8 million in additional costs in the budget are due to increases in energy cost, insurance, telecommunications and state-mandated increases in faculty and staff retirement contributions, as well as normal salary changes.

The full press release from the college after the jump:

BATAVIA, NY -- Genesee Community College's Board of Trustees announced Monday evening that the College will not increase tuition during the 2009-2010 academic year. Under the 2009-2010 budget adopted that evening, tuition for full-time students will remain $1,700 per semester. Part-time students will continue to pay $140 per credit hour. The Board met at the Batavia Campus for its regular monthly meeting.

The $32.6 million spending plan will now be submitted to the Genesee County Legislature for approval. Genesee County is the College's sponsor.

Trustees wanted to keep college costs to students and parents as low as possible during these economically challenging times, according to Board of Trustees Chair Laurie J. Miller.

The 2009-2010 budget includes the cost of opening of a new campus center in Lima this fall, as well as relocating the College's recently-expanded School of Nursing to the new Med Tech Park slated for construction on the south side of Hawley Drive across from the Batavia Campus. The College expanded its nursing program from 72 incoming students to 120 incoming students last year, and now offers the full range of nursing courses during the fall and spring semesters. The relocated nursing facility will also accommodate the College's growing LPN-to-RN program, which allows licensed practical nurses to complete the course of study necessary for a nursing degree and registered nurse status.

Most of the $1.8 million in additional costs in the new budget is due to significant increases in the costs of energy, general insurance, health insurance, telecommunications, state-mandated increases in faculty and staff retirement contributions, and ordinary salary and wage adjustments. Despite the College's record-breaking enrollment during the 2008-2009 year, the budget calls for a net increase of only one faculty position - the Board added four new positions and eliminated three positions as the result of retirements and discontinued programs. The College is moving a half-time admissions counselor to full-time status to help serve the rapidly growing number of applicants, President Stuart Steiner said. The College is also planning to add a career coach who can help students in area high schools with educational and job planning. The College posted record enrollment of 6,672 during this year's fall census. Another record-breaking spike is possible this fall, Dr. Stein! er said.

At the request of the Student Government Association, trustees voted to increase the student activity fee by $14 per semester for full-time students, to $118, and $7 per semester for part-time students, to $22. Student fees cover the cost of student clubs and organizations, out-of-class activities, and bus service between the Batavia Campus and bus stops throughout the Batavia area.

The budget also includes a request to Genesee County to increase the County's college appropriation by $50,000, to $1,936,374. Even with the adoption of this increase, Genesee County would still have the second-lowest level of community college sponsor support in the entire State University of New York.

Dr. Steiner called the 2009-2010 budget "thoughtful and prudent."  "We are maintaining our longstanding record of fiscally conservative spending, while protecting the academic programs that have boosted our reputation across the United States." Dr. Steiner noted that Genesee's cost per student, of just over $7,100, is among the lowest in the SUNY system and about 20% below the SUNY average.

The current recession ironically helped the Board of Trustees meet its flat-tuition goal. A growing number of students are seeking affordable college education, and these students bring added tuition revenue to the College, Dr. Steiner noted. Also, despite worries that state aid to community colleges might be cut this year, the State Legislature and Governor decided to use federal economic stimulus money to maintain state funding at current levels. "Every budget we develop is a challenge, but overall we are pleased with the outcome of our budget preparation this year," Dr. Steiner said.

In other business Monday evening, the Board of Trustees:

• Promoted six members of the faculty:  Kathleen A. Kimber, from Associate Professor of Spanish, to Professor of Spanish; Christine Belongia, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, to Associate Professor of Teacher Education; Michelle D. Abdella, Instructor of Mathematics, to Assistant Professor of Mathematics; Elise C. Banfield, Instructor of Psychology, to Assistant Professor of Psychology; Cheryl A. Corke, Instructor of Accounting, to Assistant Professor of Accounting; and Patricia J. Kendall-Cargill, Instructor of Nursing, to Assistant Professor of Nursing.

• Authorized President Stuart Steiner to negotiate and execute a new three-year contract with AVI Foodsystems, Inc. to operate the College's food service and vending operations, upon the recommendation of an ad-hoc Food Service Committee.  AVI currently provides these services, and the company's current contract expires June 30. Under the new contract, AVI Foodsystems has committed $108,000 in capital improvements to the kitchen and cafeteria area.

• Authorized President Steiner to negotiate and execute a new five-year contract with SunGard Higher Education Managed Services, Inc. to provide technology services to the College.  The current SunGard contract expires August 31.  SunGard has been the College's technology partner since 1979, and manages the College's computer and telecommunications infrastructure. The new $1.75 million annual contract will add computer help desk support for all students, and expand the help desk to a 24/7 operation.  This will result in considerable savings to the College, while providing more services to students, Dr. Steiner said.

• Approved a "Negative Declaration" for the upcoming athletic fields and gymnasium capital projects. The "Negative Declaration," made under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, reflects the Board's conclusion that the projects will have no significant effect on the environment and no major adverse impact on the environment.

• Heard Board Chair Laurie J. Miller appoint a three-person Nominating Committee to recommend board officers for the 2009-2010 year. Appointed to the Nominating Committee were Melvin J. Wentland, Glenn R. Morton, and Marcia H. Noonan. Board officers will be elected at the Board's annual meeting in July.

• Presented "Certificates of Completion" to eight students from earthquake-ravaged Sichuan Province of China, recognizing the year they spent at Genesee.  The eight students were among the "China 150" group invited by the State University of New York to attend a year of college at SUNY campuses.  All of the students will continue their studies in China, and have made public service commitments to help rebuild their communities.  Professor of English Charley Boyd and Director of Human Services Programs Connie Boyd, who spent much time with the Chinese students over the last year, showed video clips of the students to the Board.

• Heard President Stuart Steiner report that James Goodwin has been appointed Director of Curriculum and Review. Mr. Goodwin has served as Instructor of Mathematics and Chemistry since 2006. Mr. Goodwin has been developing curricula for a new Veterinary Technology Program the College hopes to establish in the next several years. He is a native of Australia. Dr. Steiner also noted that Yolonda Johnson will join the staff as Project Coordinator of the Finger Lakes WIRED grant program. She has been a training specialist with the Catholic Youth Organization, a probation assistant with the Monroe County Probation and Corrections Department, and a department director for the Advocacy Center in Rochester. She has also been a member of Rochester Institute of Technology's adjunct faculty.  She holds an A.S. degree from Monroe Community College, and B.A. and M.P.A. degrees from SUNY College at Brockport.

• Heard Vice President for Student and Enrollment Services Dr. Virginia M. Taylor report that 2,680 individuals have applied to Genesee for admission as full-time students during the fall 2009 semester as of May 5, up 10.2% from the 2,430 individuals who had applied one year ago. Two hundred thirty nine individuals had applied for admission as part-time students, up 5.6% from the 226 individuals who had applied a year ago. President Stuart Steiner said that the summer semester and fall semester enrollment will probably once again break records. Summer course registrations are running 8 ½% over last year's registrations, while fall registrations are running 11 ½ percent over last year's.

Today we're offering half-price gift certificates for T.F. Brown's and Main St. Pizza Company, as well as half-price tickets to see the Batavia Players perform The Lion in Winter.

Combine your purchases for a great night out this Friday or Saturday!

The T.F. Brown's and main St. Pizza Company gift certificates are worth $25 each, and they're available through The Batavian for $12.50.

The Lion and Winter Tickets are $10 and The Batavian is selling them for $5 each. Order as many as you like -- take your whole family! For more information on the play and picking up your tickets, click here.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  Gift certificates cannot be used, by state law, to purchase alcohol.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street before 5:00 p.m. to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

T. F. Brown's

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Main St. Pizza Company

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Batavia Players: The Lion in Winter

NOTE: Starting Friday, we'll start charging a $1 service fee on Deals of The Day. This is to cover the fee we're charged by PayPal to process the sale.

There’s been plenty of songbird activity around our home in recent days. The Northern Baltimore Oriole pictured here is nesting in the small woodlot next to our home, but each day makes numerous visits to our apple tree.

This mother robin is incubating her clutch of eggs in our mulberry tree

While the songbird nesting season is just getting underway, numerous waterfowl have already become new parents, as evidenced by a pair of geese keep a watchful eye on their brood of goslings.

Nominations are still being accepted for The eight annual Batavia Blue Devil Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner to be held October 17, at Terry Hills Restaurant. The Hall of Fame Committee is accepting applications through May 31. 

In honoring former athletes, coaches, administrators and various contributors, the Hall of Fame recognizes the great accomplishments and outstanding contributions of those associated with the Blue Devil’s athletic program. 

All nominations received by the committee, in addition to those already on file, will be taken into consideration.

The selection process includes the following criteria:                                            

1. In addition to outstanding athletes, coaches and administrators, the Hall of Fame will recognize outstanding contributors such as worthy booster club presidents, parent volunteers, team doctors, etc.   

2.  Athletes become eligible five years after graduation and coaches five years after retirement. Said time frame will also apply to contributors.

3. The nominee must have made an outstanding contribution to his or her sport, such as attaining all-league, all-county or all-state honors, all-time leading scorer, winning state championship, etc.

4. The nominee must be a positive role model, having displayed exemplary character while representing Batavia athletics and also in his or her life following graduation, worthy of being emulated by current and future students.

Nomination forms are available on the district web site at bataviacsd.org or by contacting the athletic director’s office at 343-2480, ext. 2003    

The City of Batavia Police Department is providing free firearm safety kits to local residents while supplies last.

The department in partnership with national Project SafeChild will distribute 1,000 kits, which include a gun lock.

The police headquarters is located at 10 W. Main St. and hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

"We encourage residents to pick up a Project SafeChild safety kit so that they can securely store their firearm," said Chief Randy Baker in a press release. "Each kit contains a safety curriculum and a cable-style gun lock.

"The lock fits on most types of handguns, rifles and shotguns. The goal is to prevent a child or any other unauthorized person from accessing a firearm in your home."

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the line up for the 2009 Summer Program. The program, for children 7 to 13 years old, consists of sixteen different sessions based on local history. The program is sponsored by The Bank of Castile and the Kiwanis Club of Batavia.

Registration is now open and available on the Museum’s website at www.hollandlandoffice.com or a flyer is available by calling the Museum at (585) 343-4727. The class will fill up fast, so sign your child up today!

Just outside the office of The Batavian, a red Cadillac rear ended a U.S. Postal Service delivery truck. There are no apparent injuries. The vehicles have just been moved from the intersection. I didn't see the accident, only heard it.

Rep. Chris Lee issued a statement today expressing support for bi-partisan legislation that supporters say will fix problems with currency exchange with China and help protect WNY jobs.

Lee called Chinese trade practices illegal.

The legislation is aimed at stopping Chinese manipulation of currency exchange, which may be leading to the yuan being undervalued by as much as 40 percent.

Full press release after the jump:

ROCHESTER – Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26) appeared today at Precision Grinding and Manufacturing in Rochester to announce his support for major bipartisan legislation combating illegal Chinese trade practices that have contributed to the loss of good-paying jobs in Western New York.

The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act (CRFTA) of 2009 specifically takes aim at currency manipulation. A broad range of economists believe, for instance, that the Chinese yuan may be undervalued by as much as 40%. The practical impact of China intentionally lowering its currency's value is to make its goods cheaper. This means that when Chinese manufacturers export a product, they effectively receive a 40% subsidy on their exports, a nearly insurmountable advantage over U.S. producers.

“American workers can compete with anyone in the world, but free trade has to be fair in both directions,” Congressman Lee said. “The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act is an effective bipartisan solution that levels the playing field for American manufacturers and protects American jobs. It closes loopholes that allow currency manipulation to run afoul of international trade policies and gives our negotiators the tools they need to take a tougher stance on this issue without provoking a trade dispute. With our economy in crisis and our region hemorrhaging manufacturing jobs, we can no longer afford to delay action.” 

The lawmaker noted during the press conference that over the course of this decade, Western New York has lost more than 1 in 4 manufacturing jobs, while our nation’s trade deficit with China has more than tripled. 

Kevin Kelley, executive director of the Rochester Tooling and Machining Association (RTMA), added: “China’s manipulation of its currency continues to represent a significant threat to our region’s manufacturing jobs. We’ve seen plenty of talk on this issue, but not enough action. The legislation Congressman Lee is supporting would ensure a level playing field on which our businesses can compete in the global marketplace.”
The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act is set to be introduced in Congress this week, according to Congressman Lee, who added, “This is a smart proposal that ensures the United States remains faithful to its own international trade obligations.”

The Batavia Players will present The Lion in Winter this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Through a special arrangement with the Batavia Players, The Batavian is making available to its readers tickets to either show for half price. The normal $10 ticket is $5 when purchased online through The Batavian.

Use the PayPal button below to make your purchase.  To redeem your purchase, take your PayPal receipt to the box office.

Your receipt is redeemable for tickets on either night.

Here's more information about the show:

The Lion In Winter
written by James Goldman
 
A semi-historical and often amusing account on Christmas at the court of Henry II of England and his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Acquitaine.  Joining them are thier three living sons, Henry's mistree Princess Alais and Phillip, the young King of France.  The Lion In Winter is a tremendously popular play that was turned into a movie starring Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn.  Ms. Hepburn won the Oscar for her role as Eleanor of Acqutaine.
 
Friday, May 15 & Saturday, May 16
Batavia Middle School
7:30PM
 
Directed by E. Jane Burk
and Produced, Designed and Adapted for the Batavia Players Stage by Patrick D. Burk
 
Normal Ticket Cost is $10for General Admisssion
 
HERE IS THE CAST LIST:
 
Henry II of England              Kevin Partridge
Eleanor of Aquitaine             Lynda Hodgins
Prince Richard                    Jesse Conklin
Prince Geoffrey                   Anthony Giambrone
Prince John                        James Earl
Princess Alais of France      Rachel Oshlag
KIng Philip of France           Jared Morgan

Today's deal is a $25 gift certificate from Essence of Candles for $12.40 - Half Off!.

Essence of Candles is located at 201 Liberty St. and features a variety of handmade candles -- made right here in Batavia. Store hours are Tuesday through Friday, 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value.  People who have won a certificate in the past 30 days are not eligible to win a certificate from the same business as before.  Gift certificates cannot be used, by state law, to purchase alcohol.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street before 5:00 p.m. to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate. 

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

Merchants: If you would like your business featured in Deal of the Day, call Howard Owens at 260-6970.

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Leon C. Bloom, Jr., 27, who has no permanent address, was arrested last night at 11:40 p.m. for allegedly violating an order of protection. Bloom reportedly went to the residence of the protected person. Bloom is being held on $1,000 bail.

Chad D. Vanburen, Jr., 18, of Lockport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Vanburen was stopped for allegedly speeding in Pembroke when deputies reportedly found he had marijuana with him. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Illette Park in Stafford could soon benefit from a little sprucing up thanks to the quiet persistance of Jean Ianni, member of the Stafford Garden Club.

Ianni came to the Town Council meeting Monday night representing the club with no specific request for help from the town, but walked away with a promise of $250 to help plant either trees or bushes along the property line of the park.

When a council member asked Ianni what the garden club expected, what the plans were, how much money or help was needed, Ianni simply said, "We don't do anything until we get some help."

After some discussion about whether to plant trees or bushes, or maybe using some available paving stones to create a walkway, Highway Supervisor Steve Boldt looked over the budget for his department and said that between the maintenance for the part and weed removal, he might be able to free up $250 for the project.

That led more discussion on when to plant trees, if that was the plan.

"If you wait until Memorial Day, you will be water them all summer," said Councilman Ronald Panek. "The time to plant is now."

Soon, a motion was made, seconded and a unanimous vote cast to set aside $250 for the garden club to buy some plants for the park.

The Stafford Town Council approved the purchase of a John Deere Model 644 Loader Monday night for $98,000.

The piece of heavy machinery can serve a number of uses in the town, from earth movement to snow removal.

The full price is $166,000, but the town will get $68,000 trade in value for its current loader.

The winning bid was submitted by Five Star Equipment of Rochester. It was the only bid of four that met all of the criteria of the bid request, according to Highway Superintended Steve Boldt.

As a transplant to Western New York, my impression that WNY is a hotbed of anti-free-trade sentiment.

NAFTA is a dirty word in these parts.

Certainly, trade was a hot button issue in the 26th Congressional race last fall.

Yet, every time I drive past Wal-Mart or Target, or any of the other Big Boxes in Batavia, the parking lots are full.

I wonder how many people realize that Wal-Mart and its ilk are a bigger cause of good paying manufacturing jobs in the USA being shipped overseas than NAFTA?

Black and Decker, for example, started a process of closing factories in the U.S. in 2002 that lead over the next 24 months of 4,000 jobs lost. The tool maker was pressured by Home Depot and Lowes to lower prices and that could only happen by shifting manufacturing overseas. In 1990, Levi owned several factories in the U.S., which produced about 90 percent of the product sold under the brand. In an effort to meet the demands of Wal-Mart and Target for ever lower prices, Levi eventually shuttered all of it's U.S. plants and now out sources all of its manufacturing overseas. Twenty-five thousand people lost their jobs.

If you're anti-immigration, the next time you step into Wal-Mart, consider than some 40,000 jobs have been lost in Latin America since the mid-1990s as clothes making was shifted from those countries to China.

We all love low prices, but those prices come at a price (and Wal-Mart doesn't always have the lowest prices in town -- sometimes, the locally owned retailers meet or beat those prices).

I'm not sure we can reconcile being anti-free trade, and even anti-immigration, and do the majority of our shopping at big box stores.

Buying local keeps more local jobs in the local community and helps grow the local economy.  In current conditions, the big boxes can be unavoidable at times, but they should be a last resort.

Just overheard on the scanner (source unknown): "Gee, I guess you can't take a truck that's 14' 3" and put it under an awning that's 11' 6". "

Response: "Why's that?"

"Gee, I don't know."

Now, I have no idea what that was all about, but it sounds like something got crunched.

For residents looking for volunteer opportunities in the city, Batavia has five openings on four different boards/committees.

The Neighborhood Improvement Committee has an opening in Ward 1. The Planning & Development Committee has an opening in Ward 6. The Plumbing Board has an opening in Ward 6 for a master plumber. The Zoning Board of Appeals has an openings in Ward 2 and Ward 5.

From the City Clerk's press release:

Residents interested in applying can obtain an application from the City Clerk’s Office or can visit our website at www.batavianewyork.com and download a Committee/Board Application under Downloadable Forms.  The City is hoping to fill these vacancies as soon as possible.  Applications will be taken for any board to be kept on file for future use.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact:

Office of the City Clerk
One Batavia City Centre
Batavia, New York 14020
Phone:   (585) 345-6305
Fax:        (585) 343-9221
E-mail:   hparker@batavianewyork.com