This is the fourth in our series of profiles of the 2014 Chamber of Commerce Award winners. The awards will be presented at a dinner at the Clarion Hotel on Saturday.

The Batavia office of Merrill Lynch isn’t your typical financial services firm. Sure, it has a passion for helping clients with their financial matters — a passion that makes it one of Merrill Lynch’s top-ranked offices. But it also has a passion for good corporate citizenship. It’s this passion for giving back — and in a big way — that makes it standout.

Merrill Lynch was named the 2014 Innovative Community Contribution of the Year Award by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, the key reason being that employees invest thousands of volunteer hours annually assisting local nonprofits and community groups. The employees freely give both their time and their financial expertise. Organizations like the Genesee Healthcare Foundation, the Batavia Area Jaycees, and the Salvation Army have all benefited from Merrill Lynch’s help.

Supporting the GLOW YMCA

Merrill Lynch’s relationship with the GLOW YMCA -- a nonprofit group in a four-county region comprised of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties -- is a fine example of how the Batavia office makes a difference in the community. Each year the local office supports the Y’s Camp Hough by sponsoring an annual golf tournament at the Silver Lake Country Club in Wyoming County. The 18-hole tournament kick-starts the sponsorship campaign to benefit the resident camp for kids in the GLOW Region. Last year’s tournament drew more than 90 golfers.

In 2013 the Batavia office organized and helped launch the first GLOW Corporate Cup 5K Race and AfterGLOW office party at Centennial Park in Batavia. Modeled after the Buffalo Corporate Challenge, the GLOW Corporate Cup encourages local businesses to form racing teams to compete in a fun atmosphere. The AfterGLOW party serves as a great networking event for local businesses.

A big hit with the community, the Corporate Cup is a great fundraiser for the Y. Last year the event had 24 teams and about 500 runners, which raised about $12,000 for its programs. This year’s race had more than 40 teams and about 800 runners, which generated upwards of $15,000 for the Y. In addition, 40-plus local businesses set up corporate tents -- a big jump from last year's 27 tents.

Filling a Void in Batavia

The Batavia office is one of four Merrill Lynch offices in Western New York. Housed in a first-class facility at 21 Masse Place, the office fills a void left by the departure of many competing financial services firms. Merrill Lynch, the wealth management division of Bank of America (BoA), saw an opportunity here. So it established the Batavia office in 2012, staffing it with financial people that had strong local ties to the community. Since then, the Batavia office has grown and prospered. It’s’ now among Merrill Lynch’s most productive locations.

The Batavia location offers in-depth financial expertise to meet its client’s diverse needs. It provides financial planning, commercial, retirement counseling, and wealth management services. Meanwhile, its team of financial consultants has over 200 years of combined experience working together in Western New York. They have clients in 36 states and seven countries. Each consultant has highly specialized financial skills. 

“Our clients get the best of both worlds from us,” says Josh Dent, who manages the Batavia office and spearheads one of the office’s financial advisory teams. “Thanks to our heritage, we’re able to provide clients with the banking convenience afforded by BoA and the investment insights of Merrill Lynch — the world’s largest brokerage firm. Our passion at this office is helping clients identify, pursue, and realize financial and personal goals at every stage of their lives.”

The Pembroke Lady Dragons beat Sodus in a first-round Section V Class C1 playoff game Wednesday night in Pembroke, 69-45.

They took a 46-21 lead into the half.

Olvia Kohorst had 16 points to lead the Dragons. Hannah Duttweiler, 14 and Rylee Moser, 13. 

For Sodus, Jackie Barclay scored 15 and Alexis Jackson 14.

Pembroke (11-9) plays at 2 p.m., Saturday, against East Rochester (18-1) in East Rochester.

Photo and game information submitted by Aaron Burch, athletic director, Pembroke Central Schools.

The Notre Dame girls basketball team won its first Section V Class C1 playoff game of 2015 with a rout over Williamson, 55-29.

The Fighting Irish took a commanding 31-4 lead into the half.

Shea Norton (#44) hit three threes and had 17 points on the night. Becca Krenzer had 12 and Emma Francis had 11, including a trio of threes.

For Williamson, Kiki Hall had 11 and Maddie Thornson finished with 10.

Next up for Notre Dame (16-4), Byron-Bergen (16-3), at 2 p.m., Saturday at Byron-Bergen.

The City of Batavia's Water Department is making repairs to a broken water main in the area of Treadeasy Drive this morning. Water service is interrupted on Industrial Boulevard and Treadeasy Drive, primarily south of the railroad tracks.

The VA Hospital in Batavia has a new NCO Club on the third floor thanks to the efforts of residents, staff and several area veterans groups who donated money and material to make it possible. The club will be a place for veterans to gather and socialize while at the VA.

The new club, a converted storage room, was dedicated today with speeches and a ribbon cutting.

CORRECTION: We posted the wrong time for today's presentation at GCC by marketing and social media expert David Steel. It was scheduled to start at 12 not 2.

The Batavian regrets the error and any inconvenience this caused.

Thankfully, GCC videotaped the whole thing and if you'd like to view his presentation "Be Heard: Influence Marketing -- Locating, Engaging & Motivating Customers Online" simply send an e-mail to:

Marcom@genesee.edu

Subject: David Steel

And they will supply a link with which to view the presentation with Steele's permission.

Steel is the chief viral officer of Sneeze.it, a digital marketing agency, a division of The Steel Method. He is the author of "The Care and Feeding of Highly Aggressive Sales People" and also the soon-to-be-released, "Sneeze.it." A renowned keynote speaker, author, motivator and marketing strategist, Steel is widely recognized for his ability to help organizations monetize their social networks.

At Sneeze.it, he teaches company executives the fundamentals of utilizing social media channels to attract prospects, build a lead pipeline and convert those leads into paying customers. He has a proven track record of turning business owners from social media novices into savvy social media marketers.

Here's a list of the properties to be auctioned off to the highest bidder by Genesee County as part of a tax lien auction at 10 a.m., March 14, at Bontrager's on Wortendyke Road. For more on the auction, which includes City of Batavia tax foreclosures as well, visit bontragerauction.com

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) today criticized Gov. Cuomo’s budget negotiation tactic of tying funding for New York’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to passage of the DREAM Act. Hawley said we shouldn’t play politics with college students’ education and it is wrong to link such a vital higher education program to the passage of a politically tumultuous initiative.  

“It would be wrong to jeopardize TAP funding, which hundreds of thousands of college students rely on every year because the governor wants to pass a politically controversial initiative,” Hawley said. “With the cost of college and university tuition continuing to rise and student loan debt at an all time high, it is insulting to hold this funding hostage in exchange for providing illegal aliens access to taxpayer-funded tuition assistance. The average TAP award per student is upwards of $2,500 which, if not available next year, could lead to hundreds of thousands of students being unable to attend a New York college or university.”

Hawley’s comments come after Gov. Cuomo released his 30-day amendments, which link passage of TAP funding to several education initiatives, including the DREAM Act. The 2015-16 Executive Budget proposal includes an additional $27 million in TAP funding for the DREAM Act.

Anthony W. Janda, 37, of Gasport, is charged with DWI, speed unreasonable, failure to use designated lane and driving across hazardous markings. Janda's vehicle left the south shoulder of Route 5 in Pembroke and struck a snow embankment. Upon a trooper's arrival, Janda was in a Mercy EMS ambulance. The trooper said he detected "an overwhelming odor of an alcoholic beverage." The trooper administered two field sobriety tests and a breath test, which indicated alcohol consumption. Janda was transported to ECMC as a precaution and reportedly refused a blood test for the trooper, though the hospital had already drawn blood.

Vanessa Lynn Silvernail, 29, of Meadow Farm North, North Chili, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, moving from lane unsafely and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Silvernail was arrested following an investigation into a one-vehicle accident in which the vehicle left the roadway on North Road, Town of Le Roy, and went into a ditch at 12:30 a.m. The accident was investigated by Deputy Joseph Loftus.

Annie E. Johnson, 86, of Milbank Street, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an overnight parking ticket in the city. Johnson turned herself in and was released on $100 bail.

Christina M. Sanchez-Anderson, 26, of Bank Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a possession of stolen property, 5th, charge. Sanchez-Anderson turned herself in, was arraigned in City Court and released on her own recognizance.

Lee Edward Richeson, 53, of 8th Street, Canisteo, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes. Richeson was stopped at 11:50 a.m. Tuesday on Route 77, Pembroke, for an alleged traffic violation by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Heading into the 2015 legislative session, the top priority for the New York Farm Bureau is immigration reform, said Dean Norton, bureau president, during a media conference call this morning.

The Elba resident is in Washington, D.C., this week meeting with members of New York's congressional delegation to represent farmers' interests.

"We need a stable, legal, reliable workforce," Norton said. "What we have now is broken. A stable workforce on our farms means a stable rural economy."

The Farm Bureau is calling on Washington to create a visa program or temporary worker program that will make it easier for farmers to hire and retain farm workers and not worry about all of their workers being taken away by immigration officials without notice.

"Everybody (in Washington) understands there's a problem, but neither side trusts and has faith in the other side to deal fairly," Norton said. "Both sides want to hold immigration as a political football."

The Farm Bureau is also looking for clarification from the FDA on food safety rules and there's been some progress on that front, Norton said.

Until recently, a small dairy farm with gross revenue of $500,000 that also grows a few strawberries for a fruit stand would face reams of regulations for the strawberry operation, but the FDA will start to apply those rules to $500,000 per crop, so the strawberry operation would not be covered in that circumstance.

Still a top priority for the Farm Bureau is the EPA's proposed rule change on what constitutes navigable waters. Farmers remain concerned that rule changes would bring into regulation small --- even very small -- bodies of water on farms.

"We continue to push the EPA for a clarification on the rules," Norton said. "Of the comments sent in by individuals, 58 percent of the comments ask the EPA to start over and become better partners with agriculture and come up with rules that are better for everybody."

Also on today's conferance call was Elisabeth Walters, director of national affairs, who said the Farm Bureau is paying close attention to the implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill, and is pushing for trade reform and reforms in tax structure to encourage more farmers to donate crops to local food pantries.

Norton said farmers want greater access to foreign markets, which means trade agreements, and the president should have greater authority to reach trade deals. 

Rep. Chris Collins has publicly opposed the idea, and Norton said he would be meeting with Collins today to discuss the issue with him.

"The reason we're in favor of it is that our trading partners want to deal with one person, not negotiate with 365," Norton said.

Law enforcement is being dispatched to Batavia Elba Townline Road near Pekin after a highway worker reported he had a confrontation with a resident who is blowing snow in the road.

The worker said this isn't the first time the issue has come up.

"He gave it to me and I gave it right back to him," the worker told dispatchers.

The worker said the resident videotaped the encounter.

"He's putting the hazard right back in the road," the worker said.

Two teams, evenly matched, made for action-packed basketball at Byron-Bergen Tuesday night, but a 14-2 run in the second quarter made all the difference for Pembroke as the Dragons pulled out a 51-45 win in a first-round Section V playoff game.

Byron-Bergen and Pembroke came into the game as the #8 and #9 seeds, both with 7-12 records and having split their two regular season contests.

"We know everything that they're running," said Chad Smith, Bees head coach. "I mean, he had to change up his pace and we were able to adjust to it. We figured it out. We did a great job. He knows pretty much what we're doing. We worked them down to five seconds on the shot clock a lot throughout the night, but they had guys come up big."

Smith and Pembroke Coach Matt Shay agreed that the turning point was the second quarter, when shots stopped dropping for the Bees and the Dragons got hot.

"We really locked down defensively and that was huge because they made some shots in the first quarter and I told the guys after the first quarter, I thought we were playing solid defense, but they were just making tough, good shots, good offensive plays. I told the guys, 'stick with it.' I think the defense looked pretty good and eventually those percentages even themselves out."

The game wasn't really decided into the closing second, but Byron-Bergen wasn't able to run its plays to get some scores.

Smith realizes he has a young team and he's eager to start off-season work with his returning players with an eye toward a stronger 2015-16.

"We've got a great group of kids," Smith said. "They work their tails off for me. I knew it was going to be a fight. They weren't going to give up at all until the end. I'm very proud of our guys.
I think we're moving in the right direction."

For Pembroke, Ryan Cansdale had 16 points, Zack Von Kramer, 10, and Kyle Ludwig hit three triples on his way to a 10-point game.

For the Bees, Steele Truax had 11, and Brandon Burke and Adam Strassner had 10 each.

Next up for Pembroke at 7 p.m., Friday, is #1 seed Mynderse (15-4). 

Shay knows it's going to be a tough game for his young team.

"We're definitely the underdog, which is OK with us because we've been an underdog team for most the season," Shay said. "I don't try to focus too much on the other team. We will get focused on what we do and execute on what we do rather than concentrate on what they do."

To purchase prints, click here.

This is the third in our series of profiles of the 2014 Chamber of Commerce Award winners. The awards will be presented at a dinner at the Clarion Hotel on Saturday.

When a manufacturer impacts a region economically like Muller Quaker Dairy has, that’s a big boost for the area. When that manufacturer also turns out to be an outstanding corporate citizen, then it should be recognized. And it has been. The Genesee Chamber of Commerce named Muller Quaker Business of the Year for 2014.

Muller Quaker Diary is the biggest dairy manufacturing plant to open in Genesee County in 55 years. It’s provided a huge boost economically to the region. It pumps as much as $150 million annually into the local dairy and fruit farms. That’s on top of the $206 million capital investment Muller Quaker made to build the giant production plant in the Ag Park location. Plus, Muller Quaker sources all milk for its yogurt locally.

Muller Quaker Boosts Local Economy

The facility also provided about 160 new jobs — all of which are at the computerized facility. With a new production line starting in the fall, Muller Quaker expects to add as many as 20 to 30 additional jobs to the plant’s payroll. This is in addition many jobs the facility has created in the community’s agriculture, hospitality, and business services sector.

“We have much more room to expand the plant,” says Kevin Williams (pictured), supply chain vice president, who has been with the company about three years. “We built facility so it could grow with our business. And we continue to innovate new and delicious products so we can do just that." 

The facility sits on 82 acres of land in the Ag Park and has three production lines that can produce more than 120,000 cups of yogurt per hour. It can accommodate up to eight production lines with room for future expansion. The Muller Quaker Dairy plant is the largest LEED-certified dairy manufacturing plant in the world.

Makes Impact in Community

In addition to stimulating the area's economy, Muller Quaker makes an impact in the community. Employees invest hundreds of hours annually in community activities, like participating in food drives and supporting the Salvation Army at Christmastime. Muller Quaker also supports local educational projects and gives facility tours for kids and residents.

“We’re involved in numerous community projects,” says Williams. “In fact, we encourage employees to go out into the community and contribute. Put simply, we get involved. And it’s our absolute pleasure to do so. It’s the way we like to operate.”

From a marketing standpoint, the production facility helps Muller Quaker compete in the $6.2 billion U.S. yogurt marketplace. It serves as the national production and distribution center for the Muller brand, which launched in select regional markets in 2012. Its products include Muller Corner®, Muller Greek Corner®, and Muller FruitUp™ varieties. 

The facility’s yogurt helps satisfy the increased demand for value-added dairy products in America, where per capita consumption of yogurt is generally less than half that of Europe. Per capita consumption in the United States has more than doubled in the past decade, according to an article in Food Business News. Retail sales in the United States are expected to approach $9.3 billion by 2017.

Joins Two Powerhouses

The Muller Quaker Dairy joins the complementary strengths of two powerhouse global companies. The Quaker Oats Company, a subdivision of PepsiCo, is among the world’s most recognized and trusted brands. The Theo Muller Group is one of Germany’s largest privately held dairy businesses. It’s also among Europe’s top yogurt producers, making yogurt and other products for more than 100 years.

The Muller Quaker Dairy stands poised to help its parent company dominate the growing yogurt market in the States. By boosting the region’s economy and helping out in the community, it’s increased the region’s optimism -- ample reason to name Muller Quaker the Business of the Year for 2014.

Ella, Mrs. Shuknecht’s First Grade
My Snowman
My snowman’s name is Krystal. She is fancy and happy.  She likes to wear bows and a hat. Her favorite food is ice cream cake. When it is cold outside she likes to have snowball fights and go snowboarding. 

Parris, Mrs. Bigsby’s First Grade
My Grandma’s House
I went to my grandma’s house. It was a special place. First, I ate dinner with my grandpa and grandma. It was good. I had turkey and mashed potatoes with them. Next, I played at the park with my friend, Emma. We played on the monkey bars. Last, I went to feed the ducks. I fed them bread.  I had a great time at my grandma’s. I hope I can visit them again soon. 

Martha, Mrs. Bigsby’s First Grade
My Papa’s House
I went to my papa’s house and it was a special place. First, I ate dinner with my papa and my grandma. It was delicious. Next, we watched the Croods. It was a funny movie. Last, they took me to the park. I went on the swings. I had fun at the park. I had a great time at my papa’s house. I hope I can visit him again soon. 

Jay’lee, Mrs. Mattice’s Kindergarten
Penguins
Penguins can swim. 
Penguins have blubber. 
They have claws. 
They have beaks. 

Trey, Mrs. Wolff’s Kindergarten
Seasons
My favorite season is summer because I play baseball with my brother, mom and my dad.

Brandon, Mrs. Colvin’s First Grade
How to Build a Snowman
To make a snowman I would first roll three snowballs. One big, one medium and one small. Then, I would stack them. The biggest on the bottom, then the medium and finally the smallest on the top.  I would decorate. My arms would be sticks. My nose would be a carrot. My eyes would be coal.  My mouth would be rocks. I would do a scarf with a zigzag design. I would name my snowman Snowy and give him a hug. 

More after the jump:

Dominic, Mrs. Torrey’s First Grade
I Went to Our Cottage
I went to our cottage. It is a special place. I jumped in the pool and got all wet. We played ice buckets. We got dried off and went inside and watched T.V. I had a great time at the cottage. I hope I can go again. 

Sophie, Mrs. Colvin’s First Grade
How to Build a Snowman
To build a snowman I would first roll three snowballs. One big, one medium and one small. Then, I would stack them. The biggest one on the bottom, then the medium and finally the smallest on top.  Then, I would decorate my snowman. My arms are sticks. My nose is a carrot. The eyes are coal, my mouth is a banana, my hat is on him. Finally, I would name him Olaf and play with him. 

Payton, Mrs. Radley’s First Grade
How to Train a Dog
First, you give the dog a bath and you play with the dog. Next, you say sit, stay, lay and stay again. Then, you play with the dog and you sit in the house for a little bit. Last, I give the dog to the owner. 

Kyleigh, Mrs. Radley’s First Grade Class
How to Babysit
First, you play with the kids and if they cry rock them slowly. Next, you put them to bed. If they are bad you put them in time out. Then, the two kids that did not go to bed can go outside and play in the snow. Last, you have to take their snow clothes off and wake up the baby and give the kids to their mom. 

Xaviar, Mrs. Colvin’s First Grade
How to Build a Snowman
To make a snowman I would first roll three snowballs. One big, one medium, one small. Then, I would stack them. The biggest one on the bottom, then the medium and finally the smallest on top.  To decorate my snowman, my arms will be sticks. My nose will be rocks. My mouth will be rocks.  My eyes will be rocks. A hat with a zigzag pattern. Finally, I would dance with him. His name is Frosty. 

Lily, Mrs. Torrey’s First Grade
How to Build a Snowman
To make a snowman I would first, pack three snowballs and stack them up. Then, I would put buttons on her tummy. I would put a pink hat and pink mittens on her. Then, I would put two sticks for her arms. Then, I would give her a broom. Finally, I would give her a carrot for the nose and a watermelon for her mouth. Her name is Rosie. We would play Barbies together.

Zaid Amhad Alhariri, 47, of Dodge Street, Buffalo, is charged with possession of more than 4,600 untaxed cigarettes. Alhariri was stopped for alleged traffic violations at 12:23 p.m. Sunday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. He was allegedly found in possession of 4,600 untaxed cigarettes with a value of $1,055.

Cindy Lou Bush, 63, of Oak Orchard Road, Elba, is charged with five counts of criminal contempt, 2nd. Bush was allegedly involved in an incident at 7:30 p.m. Monday at a residence on Oak Orchard Road, Elba, with five other people, all who are the subject of a complete stay away order issued to Bush.

Annette Monique McMillian, 30, of Elmdorf Street, Rochester, is charged with scheme to defraud, 1st, petit larceny and issuing a bad check. McMillian was arrested on a warrant after turning herself in to Monroe County Probation. She was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and jailed on $1,000 bail.

Nina Kelso isn't sure she should have entered a guilty plea in October to one count of animal cruelty, the Batavia woman indicated in City Court today as she wiped away tears.

She told Judge Robert Balbick that she wanted a new attorney before being sentenced on the conviction.

"I need somebody more suitable for somebody who attends mental health and needs more help with the case to be able to show their innocence and not be pretty scared into taking a plea," Kelso said.

Under no circumstances, Balbick told her, would she be allowed to withdraw her guilty plea, nor would he assign a new county-paid attorney to her, but he did give her two weeks to hire her own attorney.

In October, Kelso entered a guilty plea on an Alford basis, meaning she admits she would likely be found guilty by a jury, but did not admit to the facts of the case.

It's been a year since Kelso was first accused of mistreating her former dog, Fox'r. Fox'r was found by an animal control officer extremely malnourished at Kelso's residence.

Kelso maintained that Fox'r had eaten something that made him sick.

Today, Kelso said she felt pressured to enter a guilty plea because she said her attorney -- her second attorney on the case -- had told her if she didn't plead guilty, she would likely be found guilty by a jury and sent to jail once convicted.

Balbick reminded Kelso that when he accepted her plea, she questioned her about her understanding of the plea and her confidence in her attorney.

"If you had given any indication you were not making the plea voluntarily, I would not have taken the plea," Balbick said. "We went through the entire plea process very, very clearly."

The plea deal required Kelso to surrender ownership of Fox'r, who had been languishing in the animal shelter for eight months, so he could be adopted by a new family. It also came with a stipulation that Kelso would not be sent to jail.

Kelso is scheduled to reappear in City Court for sentencing in two weeks.

The city's tax lien auction list for 2015 includes 12 parcels, with five single-family homes and two commercial buildings.

City staff is also recommending the sale of three vacant homes in poor condition to Habitat for Humanity for rehabilitation and sale to a low-income family.

There's also a piece of vacant property on Law Street next to the city's current yard waste collection center -- the center is on leased land -- that may be suitable for a new yard waste facility.

These four properties aren't included on the list of properties slated to be auctioned off March 14 at Bontrager's on Wortendyke Road, Town of Batavia.

In a memo to City Council, City Manager Jason Molino noted that the city has previously sold seven single-family homes to Habitat for Humanity, and these homes have been successfully rehabilitated and occupied, increasing the average assessment by 38 percent.

The three properties to be offered to Habitat this year are:

• 54 Oak St., which has been vacant since March 2011, for $2,500
• 131 Pearl St., which has been vacant since August 2012, for $1,000
• 240 State St., whose owner died, for $2,500

The foreclosed properties slated for auction are:

As in previous years, buyers will be reviewed by city staff and the city reserves the right to reject a purchase a buyer it believes is not qualified to maintain the property.

So far, attorneys have been paid a combined $207,000 for the City of Batavia and the Mall Merchants Association to battle in court over who is responsible for what in the rapidly deteriorating structure.

There's a chance now the case may go to mediation, the City Council was informed Monday night.

After losing a motion for a summary judgement, City Manager Jason Molino said the MMA is willing to submit to mediation. 

A final agreement on mediation has not be completed.

The city and MMA have locked horns over responsibility for concourse maintenance, major repairs, ownership and governance.

In 2009, the MMA filed suit against the city.

Since then, the city has spent $104,199 on legal fees, while the suit has cost the mall merchants $103,317, according to Molino's memo.

"A thriving and healthy City Centre is critical to the City's downtown revitalization, and the City is very interested in an overall resolution that will best support long-term and prosperous solutions for all parties involved," Molino wrote.

A $200,000 federal grant could help create from five to 10 new businesses in Batavia, the City Council was told Monday night.

The "micro-enterprise" grant program is designed to help fund businesses with fewer than five employees either through a start-up or growth phase.

The minimum federal requirement for the program is that five business owners receive benefits and five new jobs are created.

Recipients would be required to attend classes at GCC's Best Center covering the fundamentals of owning and operating a business, including planning, legal issues, accounting and financing. 

The program would be supervised by the Batavia Development Corp. with the assistance of a grant administrator.

In total, $150,000 would be available for grants to small business owners, with $31,300 for program delivery, $10,000 for grant administration, and $8,700 for classroom instruction.

The money given out would be in the form of grants, not loans.

City Manager Jason Molino told council members that it's his understanding the federal government would require some sort of claw back for businesses that fail or move out of the city within the first three years after receiving the grant.

The City Council will vote on a resolution to accept the federal money at its March 9 meeting.