A large bonfire is reported in the city that is close to a house or garage in the area of 14 Raymond Ave. City fire and police are responding.

A large snapping turtle is reported in the roadway at 12 Church St. in Le Roy. Village police are responding.

My life in the teen years growing up in Batavia in the late 1950s and early 1960s was a mix of trying to please my parents and teachers while also attempting to be more independent. Of course, this is true of young teens pretty much anywhere at any time.

My friends and what they thought and did became all-consuming it seemed.

When I was 10 and going into the fifth grade, we moved from the Thomas/Ellicott Avenue area across town to North Spruce Street. After some begging and whining (and maybe some fake crying) my parents agreed to let me continue at St. Mary's School on Woodrow Road, even though it would involve solving some transportation issues.

Most of my friends still lived on the west side of town and at first, I didn't see as much of them except during school.

The exception was Charlie, my partner in shenanigans, whose parents built a big house on East Avenue. Their basement was so big at one time they considered putting a bowling alley down there. They also installed a fountain in their front yard, which featured spraying water that changed colors. Older teens used to park in front and make out until the police shooed them away.

So, Charlie was right down the street and then as we got more toward 12 or 13 years old my friends' and my parents allowed us further range on our bikes and the gang was back together again.

A huge kid advantage to living on North Spruce was having lots more outdoor room to play and horse around. At that time, we were the last house on the northeast side of the street. North Street ended at our corner. All around us were woods, which today is the Narramore and Allanview Drive area.

Charlie vs. Dave

We had a big back yard and Charlie and I would spend hours out there playing whiffle ball. He was the New York Yankees and I was the Milwaukee Braves. We'd designate certain areas for singles, doubles, triples and home runs and we'd play entire nine-inning games, even to the point of writing down lineups and batting orders.

We had some epic games and even a couple fights because Charlie was not a good loser.

The Braves moved to Atlanta in the '60s and I've not had a favorite baseball team since.

A number of years ago I started collecting 1957 Milwaukee Braves memorabilia and I now possess all the Topps baseball cards from that team as well as signed baseballs from the four Hall of Famers who played for them that year: Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Red Schoendienst.

Into the Woods

Our house became a popular gathering spot with my friends because what kid doesn't want a woods to mess around in? Especially in the summer, we'd spend a lot of time out there. We'd play chase and someone had built an awesome tree house and we'd actually have “wars” where we threw rocks at each other. My friend Ray got clonked in the head one time and as my mother bandaged him up her comment was, “You guys already have rocks in your head.”

Fort Reilly

Right on the edge of the woods and our property we built a “fort."

Constructed of an old piece of plywood, some 2x4s, and a bunch of old sheets and bedspreads, it was place to hang out and sneak cigarettes.

Most of our parents smoked like chimneys, but it was "Do as I say, not as I do.”

We used to play poker for smokes, but most of the time the cigs we gambled with were ones we pilfered from our parents.

As we got a little older our parents agreed to let us occasionally “sleep out” in the fort. Of course, very little sleeping took place.

A really bad incident that happened out there involved my younger brother Dan. I had already gone into the house (again) and was sound asleep.

Apparently, when the other guys woke up, they decided to start a fire in a pit we had dug. They couldn't get it going so little brother went in the garage to get some gas.

You can predict what happened next: the gas caught fire as he poured it and in trying to jump away, it spread to his face.

I woke up to screaming. I ran to the kitchen along with my parents and there was Dan with his head in the sink splashing cold water on his face.

My father, dressed in his nighttime attire of tank top undershirt and boxers, tried to go get dressed, but my mother literally pushed him out the door to go to the hospital. He was lucky to get his pants on.

Fortunately, although he was in pain for a few weeks and had some nasty looking scabs, Dan recovered fully with little or no scarring.

Our fort was decommissioned by General Mom Reilly and we had to find somewhere else to hide out.

Tanks for the Memories

One of the things we used to do on our overnight “fort” escapades was go wander around the streets.

We weren't really doing anything bad like vandalism, but rather just looking for some excitement. For example, if we saw car headlights coming at 1 in the morning, more than likely it was a police car on patrol. So, we'd dive into the bushes like we had escaped from prison. If it turned out not to be the cops, we were disappointed because it just wasn't as thrilling.

At some point on one of these ventures we ended up on State Street by the National Guard Armory. Sitting there next to the building was a genuine military tank. It was not a World War II leftover like you would see in front of a V.F.W. or American Legion. I'm pretty sure it was a real working tank that they must have used for training purposes.

The unbelievable thing was that they left the tank unsecured.

We would climb up, open the hatch and go inside. We would look through the slit visors and I seem to recall a periscope we would play with. Hopefully, the guns weren't loaded or operational because I don't even want to think how that could have ended.

Today, there is a fence around the Armory and most likely lots of security cameras to identify any surreptitious anarchist types who might be up to no good. Not to mention goofy teenagers.

What put an end to these early teen hijinks? Three things: summer jobs, getting driving permits, and interest in girls. You can't really leave work at the hot dog stand at 2 a.m. and head over to climb around on an Army tank.

But teenage mistakes kept getting made.

On my very first real date with a girl I took her to see Alfred Hitchcock's “The Birds,” one of the scariest movies ever. I think it was a coincidence, but soon after that she moved out of state.

I guess it's a good thing to grow up and mature (although some never do). But those teen years certainly provided me with some good stories to tell when I got old.

Batavia celebrated Pride Month in a big way this weekend. Events started on Thursday and continue through Sunday. GLOW OUT in conjunction with GO ART! hosted today's festivities that included a parade, a Drag Show, and a baseball game of “Celebrities” vs. the Drag Queens.  

The Pride Parade celebrates individual freedom to be who you want to be without being bullied, repressed or ostracized for who you are. Many marching in today's parade were family members showing unity and support for loved ones and families who are part of the LGBTQ community. 

GLOW OUT is hoping to raise money to hire a part-time director to help the LGBTQ community connect to the resources they may need including financial, shelter, health, and moral support. 

For more information on or to donate to GLOW OUT please go to this website here.

For more pictures of today's events go to jimburns.org.

Genesee County Manager Matt Landers on Friday applauded the New York State Legislature for passing measures that will give county leaders across the state additional flexibility – leading to a lessening of the tax burden upon its residents.

“The legislation that recently passed the Assembly and Senate are definite wins for counties throughout New York and the citizens of Genesee County and New York State,” Landers said. “We are hopeful the governor will sign the legislation.”

When and if they are signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, these pieces of legislation will touch on several areas that directly affect how counties run their operations, Landers said.

He singled out three of the bills that passed both houses of the legislature in the final days of the 2021 session:

• Expands Investment Options for Counties to provide similar options as those available to New York City under current law and help maximize returns for taxpayers.

“This passed legislation will allow counties to maximize their monies in reserve by earning a higher rate of interest,” Landers said.

• Creates an AIM Redesign Task Force to analyze and recommend available alternatives to the current AIM formula and allocations, including models from other states.

“The creation of an Aid and Incentives for Municipalities design task force is certainly welcome, because simply shifting the state’s responsibility to fund local governments onto counties is not working and is not sustainable,” Landers said.

• Extends the Countywide Shared Services Initiative for an additional three years and enhances flexibility within the program to encourage more participation.

“This legislation providing for an additional three years of incentives for shared service initiatives is very welcome news in Genesee County as we are always looking for ways to partner with local governments to deliver services in more efficient ways,” Landers offered.

Other county priorities that were passed by the Assembly and Senate were the creation of an early intervention covered lives assessment fee on commercial insurance to help fund services for infants with special needs, and raising of the age of juvenile delinquent offenses from 7 to 12, keeping very young children out of the criminal justice system.

The latter, according to the New York State Association of Counties, helps to address racial disparities in the justice system, and allows tax dollars to be better spent on programs that are developmentally appropriate for young children.

NYSAC President Jack Marren commended lawmakers for being sensitive to what county governments have gone through.

“Over the last year we’ve seen how vital it is to have strong local governments that can respond to unforeseen emergencies and provide essential services to residents when it matters most,” Marren said. “Counties applaud Speaker Heastie, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and the state lawmakers who fought to provide counties with the resources and flexibility we need to support the programs at the local level.”

NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario called upon Cuomo to put his signature to the paper.

“I’m hopeful that we can build on the progress made during this session and carry that momentum into next year, but first we need Governor Cuomo to sign these bills into law so that counties can get to work building effective and sustainable local governments.”

Press release:

At some points this season, it seems like the Muckdogs just haven’t been able to catch a break.

With the game hanging in the balance heading into the bottom of the ninth, Batavia trailed the Geneva Red Wings 7-5. Pinch hitter Caden Walton was beaned in the elbow on the first pitch he saw, and Cameron Conley also reached base after being walked on four pitches.

Abner Benitez kept his hitting streak alive as he laid down a bunt against southpaw reliever Ryan Gassler after first baseman Noah Reichman fielded the bunt and tried to get the lead runner Walton at third, but Walton reached before the throw.

Spencer Marcus stepped up to the plate down two runs with based loaded and no outs in what felt like a perfect scenario. Gassler hit Marcus in the foot with a breaking ball to cut the deficit to just one as the Muckdogs were in a prime position to win on Batavia Blue Devil Night.

Cleanup hitter Daniel Burroway struck out for the first out of the inning, but star outfielder/pitcher Blair Frederick was due up next in a great spot to have a walk-off in his first game as a Muckdog. In a 1-1 count, Frederick ripped a ball up the middle, and Gassler made an athletic play to catch the line drive and throw the ball over to third to complete the double play. And just like that, the game was over.

Batavia had the opportunity to cash in runners throughout the ballgame as well, leaving 12 runners left on base and the Muckdogs continue to struggle in that category. Starting Pitcher Nathan Hinkley was credited with the loss after going 5.2 innings, allowing 11 hits and six earned runs.

Catcher Joey Battaglia and third basemen Jerry Reinhart had great nights at the plate, scoring two runs apiece and having base hits in the three-run fourth inning for the Dogs.

The Muckdogs will now travel to Sal Maglie Stadium to square off against the Niagara Power for their first meeting of 2021. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Batavia will be back home for a 4:05 p.m. game Sunday against the Newark Pilots.

Today’s game can be viewed on YouTube Live by subscribing to BataviaMuckdogBaseball. Make sure to follow our Twitter @BataviaMuckdogs and liking our Facebook Page, “BataviaMuckdogBaseball.”

The Rockin' The Downs concert series opened Friday evening with a performance by the Queen tribute band, Almost Queen.

Photos by Philip Casper.

Press release:

The Elba/OA Lancers Golf Team completed the perfect season Friday, winning their third Section V Class C Golf Team Championship in the last five golf seasons.

In the new Sectional format, the Lancers started their day at Caledonia Country Club defeating the Kendall Eagles by a score of 173-238. CJ Gottler, the 2021 Individual Sectional Champion, was the medalist with a three-over round of 38 on the par 35 front 9. Brayden Smith (43), Jake Walczak (45), and Travis Wiedrich (47) were the other scoring golfers for the Lancers. Lilly Tobin was the Eagles low golfer.

As the Lancers stayed loose following their semifinal match, they awaited the winners of Byron-Bergen and Gananda. Byron-Bergen was able to knock off the top seeded Gananda by a score of 190-203.

The Lancers and the Bees then were set to square off in the all Genesee Region Class C Final. CJ Gottler and Travis Wiedrich dominated with a 1-under 36 and a 43, respectively, on the par 37 back 9. Brayden Smith (46) and Jake Walczak (47) rounded out the scoring group for the Lancers, while Peyton Yasses and Cooper Colantonio also shot well with tying scores of 52.

The Lancers finished the season at a perfect 13-0 overall (10-0 League) while winning their fourth Genesee Region Division Title in five years and their third sectional title in that same time frame. CJ Gottler was also back to back individual Section V Class C champion.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.

The gas-starter fireplace is perfect for cozy winters by the fire. The spacious kitchen is fully updated, including quartz countertops, oak cabinets, and a deep pantry. The staircases are extra wide and the flooring throughout the house has been updated. The septic system is brand new as of May 2021.

This house is a perfect balance of country living but conveniently located within 10 minutes of all amenities! Click here for more information & photos.

Press release:

The Avenue of Flags is something National cemeteries display during Memorial Day. National cemeteries can either put small flags up at each marker or display an Avenue of Flags for Memorial Day. 

The Western New York National Cemetery has been recently approved to display the Avenue of Flags annually from Armed Forces Day (Third Saturday in May) to the Saturday after Veterans Day (Nov. 11).

Each flag that is flown along the Avenue has either draped a veteran's casket or accompanied a veteran's urn to their final resting place. These are known as interment flags.

Each flag has been presented to the next of kin of the veteran on behalf of the President of the United States and the branch of service the veteran served. Families donate their veterans interment flags to fly along the Avenue to represent their service and sacrifice to the country.     

The WNYNC Memorial Council is responsible for the maintenance of the flags as well as collecting the donated flags. The WNYNC Memorial Council is a newly developed council, begun within the last year to support the WNYNC.  

Photos by Howard Owens.

Press release:

On the 80th anniversary of Russell E. Diethrick Park, the Jamestown Tarp Skunks picked up their fifth win of the season in a 9-0 victory against the Muckdogs Thursday night.

Not being able to drive in base runners in scoring position and minimizing errors in the field that create crooked numbers on the scoreboard was the difference in the ball game. Batavia was 0-7 with runners in scoring position and left double-digit runners stranded on the base paths.

The fifth inning has been cursed for the Muckdogs so far this season, as Jamestown added five more runs to their 2-0 lead. Three errors in the field played a large part in the blowup inning, with only two of the five runs scored were earned runs for starting pitcher Dathon McGrath.

For Batavia, Abner Benitez increased his hitting streak to six games after a single in the top of the fourth inning, as the Alabama State outfielder is hitting .414. Both Benitez and Daniel Burroway had two-hit performances for the Dogs, as they both had their hits in the fourth and ninth innings, respectively. Luis Rodriguez and Michael Florides had the two other hits for the Muckdogs.

The Muckdogs look to get back to their winning ways on Batavia Blue Devil night at Dwyer Stadium against the Geneva Red Wings tonight (June 11th). Geneva is second in the West Division with a 4-2 record. Last night the Red Wings lost to the Elmira Pioneers extra innings by a score of 5-4.

First pitch is scheduled for a 7:05 start Saturday night. Tomorrow’s game can be viewed on YouTube Live by subscribing to BataviaMuckdogBaseball. Make sure to follow our Twitter @BataviaMuckdogs and liking our Facebook Page, “BataviaMuckdogBaseball.”

Press release:

Genesee County reporting seven new positive cases of COVID-19.

• The individuals are in their 20s, 40s, 60s and 70s. 
• One of the current positive individuals is hospitalized.
• Seven of the previous positive individuals have completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

Orleans County reporting two new positive cases of COVID-19.  

• The individuals are in their 40s and 70s.
• Zero of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.
• Two of the previous positive individuals have completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

Today's COVID-19 update from the Health Department including the following notice:

Today is our last scheduled biweekly press briefing for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments due to the lower new COVID cases for both counties.

Although we will not be doing the biweekly media push, please note we will continue to report our numbers via our website at a minimum of twice per week (GOHealthNY.org), on our social media platforms, and via the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming COVID-19 Case and Vaccination Tracker (which updates Monday through Friday, except holidays).

For regular updates related to GO Health COVID-19 Data, please visit our GO Health website at www.GOHealthNY.org and choose Emerging Issues. There you will find: the data chart as on our regular briefing; links to the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming COVID Tracking Map; NY Forward for state updates; The Finger Lakes Vaccine Hub for updated data on GO Health vaccination; as well as links for vaccination and testing clinics.

Also keep an eye on our social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (GOHealthNY is our user name for all three) as we will regularly post updates.

Join us for the grand opening of Guler Cardiology & Wellness. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is sponsored by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and will be held on Wednesday, June 16, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Reception to follow.

We invite members of the community to visit our newly renovated office space and to tour our facility. 

In addition to the wide range of cardiology services, including diagnostic testing, we offer other services including Podiatry, Psychiatry and Reflexology. Our Weight Loss Clinic will be opening soon. Click here to visit our site.

Claudia Hoyser is a country music social media sensation whose career just keeps expanding.

Besides entertaining 354,000 followers on Facebook with weekly music videos along with 13,000 followers on YouTube, Hoyser has her own line of coffee being sold at Tops along with other retail outlets around the nation and now her name is on a new whiskey-coffee blend.

On June 25 she headlines a concert at The Ridge NY in Le Roy, which will also be a release party for her debut album (it's also her birthday).

The Rochester-based singer and songwriter said the endorsement deals for the coffee and whiskey are a one-thing-leads-to-another tale that involves fans loving her music and bringing her ideas.

"So the story of the coffee whiskey goes that we've been creating these videos every week and on Monday we put them out on Facebook, a classic country cover," she said. In the videos, we put a little vintage espresso pot in all of them. Coffee has always been one of my things. It's always been one of my manager's things. We never start the day without it at the studio. The videos went viral. We've had over 120 million views on the video series on my Facebook page."

At a show in Rochester, Hoyser could see her manager, Tony Gross, and the bar owner, Bucky Montrois, in the back of the room with their heads together like they were planning something. Hoyser said she was so curious about what they were scheming, it was hard to concentrate on the words of her songs. After the show, Montrois told her besides the bar, he owned a coffee business.

He asked if Hoyser would like her own brand of coffee.

"The next week he came out to the studio with beans from all over the world and we taste-tested different blends of different roasts," Hoyser said. "We came out with this for the country coffee, which I thought was going to be a short-lived product, you know, for the merch table. But it just went crazy and started shipping into 15 countries and selling Tops Markets took it in 120 Tops stores and a whole bunch of local retailers. Now it's on Amazon now and everything. So people just love the coffee."

That includes a couple of Hoyser's fans in Idaho who own a distillery. They suggested the whiskey-coffee blend.

Hoyser was at Mr. Wine and Liquor on Thursday to promote Hoyser Country Drunken Bean Classic Coffee Whiskey.  

"It has just taken off (since its release) four weeks ago," Hoyser said. "It's already in 125 retail locations and we've been out doing some sampling. These things are going really well. It's been fun."

For more about Claudia Hoyser, click here. For tickets to the concert at The Ridge, click here.

Hoyser at Mr. Wine and Liquor with Batavia resident Sally Bleier.

The video for Hoyser's first single off her new album, "Wicked."

Above, Jon Sanfratello, executive principal GV BOCES Batavia Campus, presents the First Place Charles Holowach Memorial Scholarship to Haylee Thornley (right), a Health Careers Academy student from Batavia CSD.

Submitted photos and press release:

The Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center is proud to announce the achievements of its seniors. They received recognition at an awards ceremont Thursday night.

The 20 award winners, their programs, home schools and scholarships received, are noted below.

James Burns -- Building Trades, Pavilion CSD, Livingston Associates Award

Travis Fagan -- Building Trades, Batavia CSD, Blakeslee Memorial Award

Zachary Friedhaber -- Electro-Mechanical Trades, Attica CSD, James P. Donnelly Award

Daniel Gersitz -- Metal Trades, Attica CSD, Charles Holowach Memorial Scholarship

Troy Helsdon -- Building Trades, Batavia CSD, Doug Dayton Memorial Award

Nicole Hume -- Metal Trades, Alexander CSD, Gene Haas Foundation Award, Master Manufacturing Scholarship, Student of the Year – Monday/Tuesday

Dontrell Jenkins -- Criminal Justice, Oakfield-Alabama CSD, Student of the Year – Thursday/Friday

Travis Kauffman -- Building Trades, Attica CSD, I. J. Radesi Memorial Award

Isaiah Merrell -- Culinary Arts, Batavia Academy/Byron-Bergen CSD, Chef Russell Bugbee Memorial Award, Josh Mouery Memorial Award

Chase Pangrazio -- Metal Trades, Batavia CSD, Batavia Rotary Scholarship

Emma Raines -- Health Careers Academy, Alexander CSD, School Related Personnel Award

Bryce Ratajczak -- Building Trades, Attica CSD, Paul Levins Memorial Award

Kaiel Robinson -- Electro-Mechanical Trades, Le Roy CSD, James P. Donnelly Award

Henry Schafer -- Electro-Mechanical Trades, Notre Dame High School/Batavia CSD, Roy H. Turnbull Memorial Award

Matthew Schroeder -- Electro-Mechanical Trades, Adult Student, Livingston Associates Award

Karly Smith -- Justice Academy, Oakfield-Alabama CSD, Charles Holowach Memorial Scholarship

Cole Sullivan -- Electro-Mechanical Trades, Le Roy CSD, Electro-Mechanical Trades Alumni Award

Haylee Thornley -- Health Careers Academy, Batavia CSD, Charles Holowach Memorial Scholarship

Timothy Walsh -- Building Trades, Batavia CSD, Pullinzi Family Scholarship

Justin Wight -- Building Trades, Oakfield-Alabama CSD, Batavia Rod & Gun Club Memorial Scholarship

Below, Chef Tracy Burgio (left) presents Isaiah Merrell with the Chef Russell Bugbee Memorial Award and Josh Mouery Memorial Award. He's a Culinary Arts student from Batavia Academy/Byron-Bergen CSD.

Below, Bethany Ricci (left), GV BOCES instructor, presents the Student of the Year Award -- Thursday and Friday to Dontrell Jenkins, a Criminal Justice student, Oakfield-Alabama CSD.

Below, Bethany Ricci (left), GV BOCES instructor, presents the Student of the Year Award -- Monday and Tuesday to Nicole Hume, a Metal Trades student from Alexander CSD. 

A statement from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

"This legislative session we passed the most bloated budget in our history, eviscerated Second Amendment rights, raised taxes and failed to gain any new information about the highly questionable actions of our governor.

"The Majority gave over double what they did to small businesses to illegal immigrants, and stood silent as those small businesses were forced to close their doors because of the governor’s nonsensical restrictions, which they did not work to rescind.

"A focus on passing progressive, activist legislation has left the kitchen-table concerns of working families unaddressed, while pleasing only a small vocal minority of radicals that drown out the voices of everyday people. I only hope soon the Majority will realize the consequences of ignoring those voices."

The City of Batavia could be getting a third Tim Hortons.

A spokesman for the Quicklee’s convenience store chain Thursday night said the family-owned, Avon-based company is talking with Tim Hortons’ representatives about operating a drive-thru restaurant at the site of the former Bob Evans Restaurant at 204 Oak St. (Route 98).

Louis Terragnoli, director of real estate and development for Quicklee’s, was on the Zoom call of the meeting of the Genesee County Planning Board, which approved a site plan and area variances for a 2,771-square-foot convenience store with 1,000-square-foot drive-thru and a four-pump fuel station.

“We’re in negotiations with Tim Hortons right now and let’s keep our fingers crossed that it keeps going the right way,” Terragnoli said, adding that the company will be completely remodeling the interior and exterior of the building.

Quicklee’s is required to obtain variances since the service station is 165 feet from a church (less than the minimum 500 feet) and the proposed number of parking spaces is 40 (less than the minimum 68).

Terragnoli said he spoke with the Rev. Tom Tharp at Emmanuel Baptist Church, 190 Oak St., and said the pastor was in favor of the project.

As far as parking spaces, Terragnoli said the 40 spots in Quicklee’s plan are adequate.

“From a business perspective, we are overparked. Forty is fine. Sixty-eight is something we don’t have at any location,” he said. “There won’t be any congestion … we’ll have plenty of spots. We will be accessing the site from Noonan Drive. We have a report from the DOT (Department of Transportation) that says that is the best way to do it.”

He also said the company will add a landscaping buffer along the southern part of the property facing Noonan Drive.

“We want to shield the dispensers as much as we can from the church property, so we want to do the right thing for our neighbor,” he said.

Terragnoli added that they will install two handicap accessible curb cuts at the corner and put in a sidewalk “so pedestrians can safely ingress and egress from our site” and dumpsters will be relocated away from the Noonan Drive entrance area for safety purposes.

The Batavia location will be Quicklee’s 24^th and could be open by early fall.

Planners recommended approval of the site plan and area variances. The referral now will go before the City Planning & Development Committee at its meeting on Tuesday and then to the City Zoning Board of Appeals.

In other action, the planning board recommended approval of:

• A site plan for a 107,138-square-foot addition on the southwest corner of the existing plant for warehousing and manufacturing at Liberty Pumps, 7000 Apple Tree Ave., Bergen. Modifications include a stormwater prevention plan and archaeological impact study.

The project also will include a new entrance and exit from Route 19.

• Zoning text amendments from the Oakfield Town Board for the entire Town of Oakfield to allow major solar collection systems to the Land Conservation (LC) and Agricultural-Residential (AR) Districts and to add public and private utilities to the LC District.

County Planning Director Felipe Oltramari said the town wants to amend the zoning to help advance the Cider Solar Farm project of Hecate Energy – a 500-megawatt system being developed under the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting.

“As a state-sited project, they don’t necessarily need to follow the local zoning process, but it does make it easier for the company because they won’t have to go in front of a judge and argue why they can override the municipal zoning,” Oltramari said. “This makes it a little more friendly to that project.”

• A special use permit for Chad Downs, 1300 McVean Road, Darien, to place a pest control business in his home, which sits in a Low Density Residential (LDR) District.

The planning department recommends approval with the modification that the storage and disposal of herbicides, pesticides, and other hazardous materials must be conducted in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations.

Jan Smith, with the giant scissors, cuts the ribbon during the grand opening Thursday on her new wedding and events venue at 9149 Creek Road, Batavia, WoodSmith Estates.

The concept of WoodSmith Estates is the people rent the venue and hire their own caterer, DJ, photographer, and other vendors. Smith opens the venue, provides the chairs and tables, and cleanup after the event.

Smith said she decided to start the business because after COVID-19 hit, the venue that was going to host her son's wedding canceled the event. She tried to find a venue that could host the wedding but with the vendors she had already hired and found it nearly impossible to find such a location. She said that's when she saw a need for a place like WoodSmith Estates.