Photo of Stephanie Ortel, courtesy of Genesee Community College
Genesee Community College is excited to announce the appointment of Stephanie Ortel, LVT as the new director of Veterinary Technology. With a proven track record of leadership and expertise in the field, Stephanie brings a wealth of experience that will contribute to the continued growth and success of the college's Veterinary Technology program.
Stephanie is a Western New York native. She graduated from Medaille College with an AS in Veterinary Technology in 1999 and a BS in Veterinary Technology in 2005. Throughout her career her area of veterinary medicine has focused on pain management and physical rehab therapy for dogs and cats.
Stephanie earned a MS in Adult Education from Buffalo State College in 2018. She started as an adjunct instructor at GCC in 2016 and then became a full-time instructor in 2021.
Stephanie expressed her excitement about joining Genesee Community College,stating, "As program director, I hope to continue the tradition passed from Dr. Carrie Caccamise of a highly regarded vet tech program. The Vet Tech department is committed to producing quality graduates ready to enter the workforce."
Photo courtesy the American Dairy Association North East.
Press release:
More than 800 pounds of butter has arrived at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., as construction of one of Central New York’s best-kept secrets and most beloved attractions gets underway – the 55th Annual American Dairy Association North East Butter Sculpture, sponsored by Wegmans.
Over the weekend, sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton began to create the annual sculpture, a process that will take approximately 11 days on-site to complete.
“For 55 years, the butter sculpture has been an iconic, can’t-miss attraction that has entertained millions of fairgoers,” says John Chrisman, CEO of the American Dairy Association North East. “This unique tradition pays tribute to our hardworking dairy farm families who work 365 days a year to sustainably and responsibly produce milk.”
The butter used for the sculpture comes from Batavia-based producer O-AT-KA Milk Products and is out of specification for retail sale for a variety of reasons, so American Dairy Association North East works with the sculptors to put it to good use by creating a beautiful piece of art.
Following its 13-day stint at The Fair, the butter will return to Western New York, where it will be recycled into renewable energy at Noblehurst Farms, a dairy farm in Pavilion, N.Y. Noblehurst Farm’s vast recycling program turns over 500 tons of food waste from supermarkets, universities and schools each month into enough energy to power the farm and over 300 local homes. The recycling program not only reduces the farm’s carbon footprint, it diverts all of that food waste from landfills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Last year’s butter sculpture was “Refuel Her Greatness,” and it celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Title IX.
American Dairy Association North East will unveil the 55th Annual Butter Sculpture to the media on Tuesday, August 22nd, the day before The Fair officially opens.
The tax rate in the Pavilion Central School District for 2023-24 is final, and the numbers are in alignment with budget projects from earlier this year, Donald Childs, school business official, told the Board of Education on Monday.
The board approved the tax warrants for the academic year.
The tax rate in the Town of Pavilion will be $16.68 per $1,000 of assessed value, a decrease from $16.73 this school year.
The rate for Bethany will be $19.06, up from 18.19; for Stafford, $16.34, down from $16.73; and, in Le Roy, $20.93, up from $20.16.
Outside of Genesee County, the towns of Covington, Middlebury, Caledonia, Leicester, and York also all contribute to the total tax levy.
The total tax levy is $5,788,283, which is a $85,396 over 2022-23.
The total assessed value of property in the district is $324,875,934.
The total spending plan for the 2023-24 academic year is $18,869,393, which voters approved in May. The approved budget is 3.18 percent higher than 2022-23, for a total increase in spending of $582,042.
At the time of the budget vote, district finance officers can only estimate the tax rate because town assessments are not always final. Once the total assessed value within the district is known, school districts can finalize the tax rates.
Work crews and contractors for the NYS Department of Transportation began dismantling the former Louie's Barber Shop at 229 Ellicott Street (Route 63) today.
The building sits on a state highway right of way, and the state allowed the barber shop to continue operation so long as owner Rich Lamkin continued remained active in the business. Lamkin retired earlier this year. The barber shop was originally owned by Louie Fanara.
A portion of the Pok-A-Dot is also on the state's right of way, and there is an agreement in place between the business and the DOT to allow the restaurant to occupy that space.
Workers were outside City Church, 210-212 East Main St., Batavia, on Wednesday afternoon installing the church's new sign on the former theater marquee.
The church is replacing the old-style hand-lettered movie theater marquee with a modern electronic sign at a cost of $300,000.
Electronic Cigarettes (E-Cigarettes), better known as vapes, have become a widely used product for teens and young adults. Vaping is the action of inhaling vapor created by an E-Cigarette device. The devices can look like flash drives and come in many different flavors, sizes, and brands. The vape device works by heating an oily liquid until it becomes vapor. The liquid in the device, also known as vape juice, contains chemicals and can contain marijuana distillate or oil. The liquid also contains some mix of flavorings, aromatic additives that could smell and taste fruity or minty, depending on the flavor of the device.
Is Vaping Bad For You?
“There are still many unknowns about vaping and its long-term effects, including the vape liquid contents,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “Although vapes have been advertised as a way to quit smoking regular cigarettes, vapes still contain nicotine, the same addictive chemical in cigarettes. They also contain chemicals that have the potential to damage the lungs and there are no real regulations on how much nicotine and other chemicals are added.”
Vaping Associated Risks
Our lungs are not built to take in chemicals and oils over time. According to John Hopkins Medicine, the oily liquid from vape devices could have the ability to coat the lungs and cause chronic lung diseases such as lipoid pneumonia, a form of lung inflammation. A National Library of Medicine research review article discussed that nicotine can lead to brain development risks and may cause anxiety. Nicotine also raises blood pressure and spikes adrenaline. The heart rate then increases, increasing the risk of heart attack. The risk of becoming a regular cigarette smoker and or developing other addictions is high. Reasons for quitting not only involve the health risks, it is also financially expensive and sports performance can dwindle as vaping may lead to lung irritation.
Tips on Quitting
Pick a day on a calendar when you plan on quitting, and let friends or family know.
Download an app that helps you track your sober days, build new healthier habits, and provide motivation– visit SmokeFree.gov for free apps to download.
Get rid of all vaping devices.
Understand what the withdrawal symptoms are such as headaches, hunger, trouble sleeping, and concentrating are just a few.
Feeling the urge to vape? Try these instead:
Chewing gum or drinking water
Exercise
Yoga or meditation
Keeping your hands busy
The sooner one quits, the quicker the body rebounds and repairs itself. For more help or information, contact your healthcare provider. You can also text, chat or call the New York State Smokers’ Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) or visit the New York State Department of Health website.
For more information on GO Health programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org or call your respective health department at:
Genesee County: 585-344-2580 ext. 5555
Orleans County: 585-589-3278
Follow GO Health on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at GOHealthNY.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) released her American Values and Second Amendment Plans to highlight her commitment to supporting conservative and family ideals in Congress on behalf of New York’s 24th District.
Tenney, a long-time champion of upholding the Second Amendment, introduced the Protecting Hunting and Archery in Schools Act to protect hunting, archery, and shooting sports programs in schools. Her three-pillar Second Amendment plan builds upon the progress achieved by NYSRPA v. Bruen and shows her vision for safeguarding our Second Amendment rights. She also released her comprehensive plan to preserve American Values, such as equality of opportunity. Tenney would do this by ending anti-American racist policies such as Critical Race Theory and DEI, and protecting the rights of the unborn. Tenney has also been a fearless leader in promoting legislation that protects equal opportunity for women and girls to compete and succeed in athletics.
“As the voice of New York’s 24th District in Congress, I will always be a steadfast advocate for American Values and Second Amendment rights,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Today, I demonstrated my commitment by unveiling two three-pillar plans on how I will continue to strengthen American Values and defend our Second Amendment rights in Washington. I am dedicated to ensuring a future for our country that is anchored in liberty, equality of opportunity, and freedom while embracing the enduring principles that have defined our nation for centuries."
To view Tenney’s full Second Amendment plan, click here.
To view Tenney’s full American Values plan, click here.
The new Jersey Mike's franchise opened this morning with a "ribbon" (in this case, a strip of sandwich paper wrap) cutting.
The location on Lewiston Road is in the parking lot of the former Kmart store. The new shop's neighbors are Starbucks and Tropical Smoothie. Those businesses have not yet opened.
Pictured are Jonathan Duque, Marlon Duque, Brooklyn Zeier, Kayla Sexton, Evan Mayer, Town of Batavia board member Patti Michalak, and Betsy Mihm, representing Special Olympics.
Mayer is the franchise owner. Mayer and his staff in the photo are all from New Jersey. The beachballs are meant to represent the Jersey Shore.
The Kmart property is being developed by Florida-based Benderson Development. The company is also planning a second building for similar businesses in the parking lot. No plans have been announced yet for the former Kmart building itself.
Whatever you do, don’t call “Brightside,” the Lumineers’ fourth and latest studio effort, a COVID-19 album, even though the band started tracking its nine songs in March 2021.
While founding member Wesley Schultz acknowledges the pair of two-and-a-half week sessions occurred during the pandemic time frame as the 40-year-old New Jersey native was hunkering down with his family in Denver, he feels this latest outing is its own thing.
“We kept saying it was like the post-COVID-19 record,” Schultz explained in a recent phone interview. “To me, it was not consciously trying to float above that while still observing that. In a lot of ways, we were trying to make a record that we’d want to hear in 10 years and it would still make sense…Part of the goal of the record, at least subconsciously, is to try to write an album that describes the pain without getting so caught in the weeds in using the words quarantine or pandemic. It was bigger than that.”
Like many-a-music act, when touring was paused in March 2020, the Lumineers’ time on the road came to an abrupt halt. Schultz went through what he felt like was a quasi-grieving process.
“You go through your confusion, anger and then acceptance,” he said. “I felt pretty stifled and down. I was out of my element for a while there. I think the writing helped dig me out of the hole and find a purpose again and maybe channel some of the stuff I was really feeling in a healthier way versus drinking every day or doing something that was going to distract me.”
And adding a baby girl to a brood that already included his toddler son helped give him perspective during this unprecedented time. “The way touring goes, you say yes to a hell of a lot more things than you say no, so I was forced to be grounded and to see my son and spend real time with him,” Schultz said.
“You’re like a workaholic in some ways because you’re hustling for so many years that it was a gift to be told that you have to stay still for a little while. Even though that was painful, I felt like what do I do with myself now? I felt useless. You crawl out of that and get a lot of beautiful time out of it. I feel way, way closer to my son than I probably would have had we been on the road.”
For the past decade, the duo of Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites have been the constants in The Lumineers (cellist/vocalist Neyla Pekarek was in the band from 2010-18), carving out a niche as one of the premier folk-rock/Americana acts through what is now the group’s fourth album.
The band’s breakthrough single was the 2012 Top 5 hit “Ho Hey.” Its simplicity taps into an organic vibe that has come to define much of the Lumineers’ work that Schultz has found to be lacking in a lot of pop music.
That straightforward simplicity comes across in spades on “Brightside,” whether it’s the opening title track that uses a cadence reminiscent of Tom Petty’s “Don’t Come Around Here No More” while Schultz implores that, “I’ll be your brightside, baby, tonight” or providing reassurances during uncertain times amid bare-bones piano accompaniment and just a hint of strings amid the optimistic vibe of “Where We Are.” Both songs have provided a degree of comfort to the band’s fan base, who have shared their feelings on social media.
“Ironically, a lot of parents, whether it’s people I don’t know that are posting it or parents that I know personally, so many have sent me images of their kids singing ‘Where We Are’ or ‘Brightside,’” Schultz shared. “But particularly ‘Where We Are’ and they’re singing, ‘Where we are/I don’t know where we are’ and it’s these little kids, most of whom don’t even know words yet and they’re mouthing these words. That for me is very exciting to see. It’s like tapping into some kind of universal power.”
Suffice it to say that the creative restlessness that defined so much of how “Brightside” came out will be a driving force of what the Lumineers will bring to the stage on this summer’s tour.
“We have four albums out and we have to cut songs now and that’s a good feeling,” Schultz said. “We can actually put on a show that has no fat. As a band, we’re most excited to play. Not pulling a rabbit out of our hat, but having, from start to finish, moments [fans] won’t want to leave, grab a beer or take a leak. You want to just be there. I got to see Tom Petty during his “Wildflowers” tour and I forgot how many songs he wrote. I would never compare us to him, but in that feeling, I want people to leave hopefully saying, ‘I forgot how many songs they wrote,’ even just four albums in.”
Lumineers will be playing at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Tuesday.
Mary Kate Hoffman, superintendent of Pavilion Central School District. Photo by Howard Owens.
Pavilion Central School District is looking at spending nearly $69,000 on a consultant who would visit district schools and assess their security vulnerabilities.
Most, if not all, of the expense, could be covered by state aid to school districts.
The Board of Education voted on Monday to table the proposal in order to first talk with the consultant, Don Shomette, via Zoom during its Aug. 28 meeting.
A couple of board members called the fee "pricey."
According to Superintendent Mary Kate Hoffman, Shomette has previously worked for Oakfield-Alabama Central School District and Geneseo School District.
"This is something we've talked about for five years, ever since we first started the SRO program, and I think about as I'm reading through (the proposal) it's like it's got to be better than some contractor coming in and saying, 'oh, you should do the windows' or 'you should do this, or you should do that,' you know. I know it's pricey, but for me, I was ok with it," said Board Vice President Jeff Finch.
When Hoffman asked if he would like to have a meeting with Shomette, Finch said yes.
"Because we can ask him straight up, why is this so pricey?" Finch said. "I mean, obviously, he must have had that question before, so let's do that."
Hoffman described Shomette as a school violence prevention expert with 30 years of experience. She said that he would visit the school campuses -- at a price of $29,500 each -- and "really take a look at every lock, every door, the windows, check every entrance of our schools."
He would then produce a report with specific recommendations about how to improve school safety.
The proposal also includes a $9,875 fee for staff development training.
"His ultimate goal as part of this," she said, apparently quoting him, "is to 'keep away fear, anxiety and threat of violence so students and teachers can direct their efforts on classroom success instead of personal safety. By doing so, students, teachers and parents will achieve a richer experience and higher levels of physical growth.'
"Now, that sounds very interesting," Hoffman said. "His message is, 'School safety is more than a locked door, a locked window, a procedure for lockdown. It is the relationships you build between your staff and your students.'"
NOTE: The Batavian promised a follow-up story on the appointment of Deputy Trevor Sherwood to the position of school resource officer in Pavilion. We anticipated receiving a copy of the memorandum of understanding between the school district and the Sheriff's Office, which was approved by the board on Monday, and is public record, but Hoffman declined to provide it today. We also made written and telephone requests for an interview on Tuesday, which we anticipated getting, but we were unable to get that interview with Hoffman. So we have no follow-up story at this time.
Derek Geib, left, a member of the city's Planning & Development Committee, discusses a new Burger King location with Real Estate Manager Doug Beachel and site engineer Patrick Mahoney during the committee's meeting Tuesday at City Hall. Photo by Joanne Beck.
After making additional tweaks to their blueprint of a new Burger King location on the city’s southwest side, site engineer Peter Sorgi and his team were encouraged Tuesday by the progress being made in Carrols Corporation’s incremental steps toward approval, he says.
“We reduced some of the pavements and some of the drive aisles, which increased the landscaping, and we also reduced some parking, which increased the landscaping, which is a direct result of the comments of this board. So, more green space, less pavement,” Sorgi said after the city’s Planning and Development Committee meeting. “And the other change I made was a right in or right out on Main Street, no left either way. And our initial plan had left both ways. So, again, it was working with the board to get that understanding. We have (the Zoning Board of Appeals) for two variances and then back here for site plan. We've been very happy with the comments. It's a better plan than it was when we started, and that's the process.”
He expects to be attending the ZBA’s meeting in September and then back to the planning committee with “our whole engineered site plan and all the landscape plans” in November for the beginning of a formal site plan review. That would most likely leave construction for the spring of 2024, he said.
Sorgi and site engineer Patrick Mahoney reviewed those updated plans before a slightly different committee — alternate Jim Krencik sat in for Ed Flynn, who was absent. During the last meeting, Flynn raised concerns about the skewed ratio of pavement to landscaping, preferring and recommending to see more green space and taking issue with a 17-foot lane, which he said he felt was excessive.
“Right now, I may be the only one talking about the 17-foot excessive lane over here, but I want more landscaping along Lyon Street,” Flynn had said.
No one seemed to have a problem with the updated landscaping; however, member David Beatty questioned the right-turn exits.
"Have there been any traffic studies done … that would show how this actually works? In reality, I mean, you've got a situation where people get their food, and they're going to be either going out to West Main, right? Or they can go all the way around to Lyon Street. Are there any studies that would show you how many people would go one way or the other, for instance?” he said.
There haven’t been any such specific studies, Sorgi said. That would come up along with the state Department of Transportation environmental review, he said. Mahoney added that it’s not unusual to have both a side and front exit and to provide a sign, “which we would be willing to do, saying exit to south Lyon with an arrow direction.”
“I still think it is somewhat problematic,” Beatty said.
Code Enforcement Officer Doug Randall asked if they were expecting the trip count to change with the new Burger King location at the corner of South Lyon and West Main streets. Mahoney estimated that it could go up at least 10 percent with increased visibility. That being said, he also doesn’t believe that folks are going to bypass other Burger Kings just to visit this new one, he said.
Real Estate Manager Doug Beachel spoke on behalf of the company, representing “1,100 of these throughout the East Coast,” he said.
“Typically, we do cell phone analysis that shows a heat map in terms of where they're coming from in the city of this size,” he said. “You know, most of your business is within five miles, they’ll show us where your outliers are, and then it’ll kind of take the highs and lows … it’s really, you know, three to five miles max.”
Beachel was there as the new real estate manager and said that things have been moving too slowly up to now. He would be part of the process to ensure it would be more swift, he said.
Edwin Smart of Smart Design explains his process so far in attempting to get his property on Mix Place rezoned and his business included by rewording municipal code to include "and other similar professionals" during Tuesday's Planning & Development Committee meeting. Photo by Joanne Beck
A potential snag to proceed with rezoning a section of Mix Place was fairly quickly remedied during Tuesday’s Planning & Development Committee meeting.
Earlier this year, Edwin Smart had filed a petition to rezone his property at 4 Mix Place to allow him to convert the one-family dwelling into a professional architectural office building. Smart has requested that the words “and other similar professionals” be included in the permit that allows for offices for attorneys, physicians and/or dentists, not exceeding four offices in a single structure.
He would like to operate his Smart Design architecture firm on the premises, and he purchased the property with that goal in mind.
Smart had sent out a letter to the surrounding neighborhoods earlier this summer to introduce himself and his intentions and to offer residents the opportunity to call or email him with questions, comments and concerns.
He had previously said that he has only heard positive feedback; however, he and the committee discussed the lack of response from Mike Ognibene, the property owner of 1 Mix Place, which is listed on the petition for rezoning.
“One thing that we have outlined in the application, I think, is there is no negative impact to Mr. Ognibene and his properties. He hasn’t expressed an opinion either way. So my attorney, using the Whiting Law Firm out of Le Roy, they actually did get him on the phone. He was noncommittal,” Smart said. “And then we did send him information and asked for an affidavit. And he just never, after that initial conversation, he never responded. And we tried for several months, probably three months. And we actually tried to motivate him to do this by contacting his attorney in a very friendly way.
“This would actually bring his apartment building into compliance. And 1 Mix is a single-family residence originally back there as well,” he said.
That was a good point, Committee Chairman Duane Preston said.
“Why is 1 Mix being considered at this point? Why can’t we keep that R-1?” Preston said.
Smart wasn’t sure why, only that “that’s what I was counseled to do.”
Smart’s request first went to City Council, and the recommendation from city management was to consider including 1 and 3 Mix, a single-family residence, and a two-building, eight-unit apartment building to bring them into the R-3 district for zoning compliance.
Code Enforcement Officer Doug Randall said that those addresses were on the paperwork “that we received from the applicant.” A committee member then suggested excluding some of that information.
“Absolutely, my recommendation would be to approve the application with the exception of 1 Mix Place,” Randall said.
Smart had no issue with that.
“I’m eager to get started,” he said, answering The Batavian after the meeting about what happens next. “So I'm not 100 percent certain yet. I think what they just voted on is to make a referral back to City Council, I believe this still has to go in front of the county after this stage, which I think is, it's very standard procedure. And I'm hoping that everybody is supportive and that the City Council votes for the zoning change.
“And then from there, it becomes a more typical building permit process. That's where I would take the drawings that we've come up with and submit them to the building department, and then we will have to go through a special use permit per the zoning law,” he said. “And that's where, again, we hope that language change includes us because, you know, I'm not a dentist or a doctor.”
The Village of Corfu hosted its National Night Out -- an event held in communities throughout the U.S. to bring together public safety officers and communities -- along with its weekly Farmers Market. The market is open each Monday evening, as it was yesterday.
Pavilion Central Schools Athletic Director Matt Roth addressing the Pavilion Board of Education on Monday evening. Photo by Howard Owens.
Serving as a high school sports coach takes a lot more than understanding where to put the Xs and Os if school districts are to abide by New York State regulations, a Matt Roth, athletic director in Pavilion, laid out for the Pavilion Board of Education on Monday night.
Non-teacher coaches have a multi-year program of classes they need to take and that total cost to the coach can exceed $700.
"This is for any coach who is board-approved," Roth said. "They have to have all of these classes. They can't just show up and help out anymore."
For the non-teacher coach, there are nine steps that must be completed at the time of application. It's about a two-month process to get the initial temporary coaching license, Roth said.
"When I came here two years ago, I kind of went through this with everybody, but I just wanted to give everybody a refresher on it," Roth told the board at the start of his report.
The candidate must submit evidence of an acceptable first aid and CPR course completion along with completion of a child abuse identification worship, a school violence and prevention and intervention worship, and training in dealing with harassment, bullying, cyber-bullying and discrimination in schools. The would-be couch must also submit fingerprints and be cleared through a database check.
Then they are eligible to coach for one or two years on a temporary license. They must pay a $50 fee for each sport they wish to coach.
In years three, four, and five, they must complete a fundamentals of coaching course, along with courses on contusions, protecting students from abuse, and a course on student cardiac arrest.
In the next level, they must complete courses in student mental health and suicide prevention, heat illness prevention, first aid for coaches, and a sport-specific course.
If the non-teacher coach is still going in year six, then the coach needs to apply for a professional coaching license.
At that point, the coach must complete course in bullying and hazing, strength and conditioning, teaching and modeling behavior, engaging effectively with parents, and sportsmanship.
The courses are offered online by the National Federation of High School Sports, and most are free, but some have fees ranging from $25 to $50.
The professional coach must reapply for a license every three years, which involves refresher courses in first aid and CPR, along with a positive evaluation from the athletic director.
"The teacher coaching requirements, they are a little bit easier because they've already taken some of the coursework," Roth said. "A teacher only needs to have first aid and CPR to get started in their first three years, and then they are supposed to complete the same courses that nonteacher coaches have at two years and complete levels one, two and three within five years of starting."
On Monday morning, Graham Corp. President and CEO Dan Thoren, accompanied by executive team members, rang the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange to commemorate the company's 55th anniversary as a publicly traded company.
In a statement, Thoren said, “We are proud to commemorate fifty-five years as a public company by participating in the opening bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. This is a tribute to every associate at Graham who worked hard this past year to bring us to record sales and orders. Their dedication to Graham and their deep engagement with their work for our valued customers and the security of our nation makes me excited for our future.”
July 2023 File Photo of an incident at an apartment complex in Batavia shows concerned neighbors watching as city police officers walk a suspect to the patrol car. City officials have decided to hire another police officer an re-establish the Neighborhood Enforcement Team in an effort to curb nuisance and gun violence issues throughout the city. Photo by Howard Owens.
Recent incidents of violence — four gun shootings in the last three months — have pushed city officials to put a quick thaw on a hiring freeze that was locked until March 2024.
Instead, City Manager Rachael Tabelski has suggested bringing one more police officer on board and providing training, vehicles, and additional equipment for the new and a current officer to become a more intense Neighborhood Enforcement Team (NET) to assist the city police department and detectives to “more efficiently, proactively keep the community safer.”
“Because I think it's critically important that we have our zone cars that are out on calls. They respond very quickly to people's homes, and they're very responsive. But we need a proactive team to be in the neighborhoods doing gun and drug interdiction, and I think it's very important,” Tabelski said Monday during City Council’s conference session at City Hall. “So we're gonna find a way to make it happen in the budget next year.”
During her presentation to City Council, Tabelski emphasized that when state changes to the legal system occurred — including what's coined as “catch and release” for a quick turnaround jail and bailout time — Chief Shawn Heubusch warned her that more manpower was going to be required.
“And in the beginning, the chief told me, ‘we're going to need more, we're going to need more, we're going to need more,’ and I said, there's no money, there's no money, there's no money. Now, we're at critical mass. We can't allow this to happen in our city,” she said. “I don't think anyone here on council wants that to occur. I certainly don't. So we're gonna find a way to make it work.”
Tabelski recommended using video lottery terminal money (typically a yearly amount that comes from Batavia Down Gaming revenues) in the amount of $272,000 to pay for the salaries and benefits for the two officers for eight months ($117,000), purchasing and fitting two police vehicles ($120,000) and for uniforms and equipment ($35,000).
Councilman Bob Bialkowski asked what if the city doesn’t get the VLT aid next year, and Tabelski said she isn’t planning to use that resource next year anyway. Sales tax has been doing very well, she said, and perhaps cannabis sales will be bringing in more sales tax and will be able to help offset the cost, she said.
“We need to find a way to make it happen next year,” she said.
As for the equipment, that would be a one-time expense, Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. added.
“I know it will work. It worked in the past,” he said.
The method for attacking the problem of gun violence, repeat offenders and nuisance neighbors is a team approach, Police Chief Shawn Heubusch said. “It’s a one-off,it’s a very effective format,” he said. “You get to saturate a neighborhood. This is not a new concept. We did staff this way back in the day, and it was very effective.”
Councilwoman Kathy Briggs was on board with the plan.
“I support this. We need this,” she said.
By a unanimous vote, council agreed to proceed with hiring an officer and using VLT money for the extra expense.
After the meeting, Jankowski, a retired lieutenant with the city police department, shared his thoughts about what may be happening in the city and how this approach can help.
“It worked in the past, which I hope it does in the future. When there were pockets of areas of maybe a drug house or some type of disruptive behavior in a neighborhood, we were able to send that team in there. And they were able to make observations, work with the community, work with the neighborhoods, and find a resolution to calm everything down and put it to rest. So if that works as well as it did last time, we have several hotspots we'd like to target, and we're going to want to use there and see how well it works,” he said. “And we're going to monitor it monthly to make sure that we are making gains. If it's not working out, then we're going to have to regroup and try something different. But we're pretty sure this will help.”
The Batavian asked Heubusch if there was already a list of potential candidates for the new officer and how long it would take to get one ready for this task.
“So we have a list that we've been working off of to hire our last round of hires. We'd have to take a look at that list and see who we can pick from it. We would have somebody in the background, we'd be able to put somebody in the background fairly quickly because we have a list that's already established, he said. “Police Academy for about five months and then field training for about four months after that. So it's a lengthy process unless we're lucky enough to find somebody that's willing to lateral to the department to fill the position then it's just field training.”
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