Borrowing the title track of Bob Dylan’s 1979 album, there’s a “Slow Train Coming” to the Town of Byron in the form of a 280-megawatt, 1,600-acre, New York State-supported solar energy system that seemingly can’t be derailed.

Despite the dim prospect of preventing a significant amount of the town’s farmland from becoming a sea of solar panels, longtime Ivison Road resident Jim Lamkin said he isn’t giving up.

Lamkin has led the charge for the opposition group known as the Byron Association Against Solar by rallying community members to sign petitions, fill out surveys and, generally speaking, express their feelings to the Byron Town Board and to project developer Excelsior Energy Center, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC.

“We sent out a questionnaire and 319 of them came back opposed to this,” Lamkin, 74, said. “We feel that it is important for the Town Board to hold a meeting to get a sense of what everyone wants – even if they have to take a straw vote. They haven’t done that up to now.”

The Excelsior Solar Project is one of more than 50 solar or wind proposals currently moving forward under Article 10 of the New York State Public Service Law.

Article 10 makes it tougher for municipalities to restrict solar projects larger than 25 megawatts since it gives the NYS Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment much power over construction and operation.

Lamkin said he and other BAAS members are well aware of this.

“Basically, our hands and the Town Board’s hands are tied, without any say as to where the project is located, setbacks, how much land is used or any other conditions,” Lamkin said.

VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE IS TODAY

Byron residents on both sides of the issue can learn more about the project, which also comes with 20 megawatts of energy storage, at a Virtual Open House today. Two one-hour sessions (with the same format) are scheduled for noon and 6 p.m.

According to information from Excelsior Energy, company officials will provide an update and answer questions.

Citizens can tap in to the meeting(s) either by phone -- call 1-866-807-9684 and ask to “join the Excelsior Energy Project call” -- or to view online, click here, fill out the contact information, then click on the “Join Webcast” link.

Lamkin said he is upset over the fact that plans call for a solar array to be placed directly across the street from his home. However, he said that his concerns reach well beyond his property.

 “Even if I weren’t directly affected, I would be against this,” he said. “It will change our town forever by wasting valuable farmland. Solar panels will be put adjacent to their properties and those homeowners won’t receive any tangible benefits.”

SEVERAL LANDOWNERS ARE ON BOARD

According to a map provided by Excelsior Energy Center, solar panel arrays will be spread along and near several roads, including Transit, Bank Street, Walkers Corners, Starowitz, Cockram, Batavia-Byron, Caswell, Ivison, Gillette, Tower Hill, Swamp and Bird, as well as Route 262, Route 237 and West Shore Trail.

Lamkin said that farms signing lease agreements with Excelsior Energy include Brooke-Lea, Call Lanes, Richard Colby, CY Properties, L-Brooke Farms, Lea-View Farms, Legacy Lanes, Charles Sackett and Star Growers.

Electricity generated by the system will be moved via transmission lines to Downstate locations.

When mentioned that landowners have the right to sell or lease their property, Lamkin said, “I understand that it’s their land and they do to a point.”

“But zoning laws are made to protect property owners from something not compatible with the surroundings. This Article 10 trumps over all zoning laws, and the solar company has offered the landowners so much money.”

CONFLICT OF INTEREST -- OR NOT

He said he also has issues with Town Board members who are relinquishing their land to Excelsior Energy. While no specific dollar amount has been disclosed, Lamkin believes landowners are being offered $1,000 an acre or more.

Town Councilwoman Suzanne Fuller said she was hoping to provide a 16-acre parcel on Caswell Road, but apparently it has been deemed unacceptable for the project.

“We (she said that Town Councilman Josh Kent’s family is leasing land) have obtained legal advice and it has been determined that we can vote on the project,” she said. “It is not a conflict of interest.”

Fuller said she wants to see the town benefit as well as the landowners.

“The town can really use the money,” she said. “The PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the county, school district and town will lower our tax rate. Otherwise, the income just isn’t here.”

Lamkin said he hopes the second and final ad-hoc member seat on the Siting Board is filled by a Byron resident.  Previously, Genesee County appointed Norman Pawlak of Bergen.

“We have been waiting since January to have the other member assigned and to date there has been no action by the state or the governor,” he said. “When our case eventually goes before the Siting Board, our lack of community representation puts us at a significant disadvantage.”

CALLING OUT THE TOWN BOARD

The Town Board can do more to determine the pulse of its residents on this matter, Lamkin said.

“I cannot believe that if a significant portion of the town residents were against it, and the board got behind them, that this project could not be stopped,” he said. “Statements like the one made by (Supervisor) Pete Yasses that ‘there’s no stopping it’ and the apathy of the community will allow Excelsior to force this project into the town.

“I, along with many in the community, voted for Mr. Yasses on his promise that he would work to stop this project. He has not listened to the people but instead has been influenced by the potential windfall to the town.”

Yasses said he has been listening, holding Zoom meetings every month – “COVID-19 has really hurt us,” he noted – and making himself available for public comments.

“Other than the BAAS group (which Lamkin says has about 270 members), we haven’t heard any opposition,” Yasses said. “This is being shoved down our throat. If Jim has to be mad at anybody, he should be mad at (Governor) Andy Cuomo.”

He added that revenue to the town from the project could reduce the tax rate and provide the funds needed to build a new Town Hall and highway garage.

CERTAINLY A ‘DIVISIVE ISSUE’

Lamkin said that BAAS has been unable to make any headway with Keddy Chandran, project manager for NextEra Energy Resources.

“We try to explain our views, but with him it’s all lip service,” he said. “All you hear from him is that everything is perfect, everybody is going to be happy and this is such a wonderful thing. He’s a master of overcoming objections.”

In the end, Lamkin said the solar project will “destroy the community – removing valuable farmland, costing agriculture jobs and decreasing property values. What’s that going to do for the image of Byron?”

Matthew Lamb, co-owner of Oakfield Corners Dairy which has been operating for more than 50 years, called solar a “divisive issue,” adding that he can’t pay anywhere near what the solar company is paying for land that he rents to feed his cows and also to spread the manure.

“Prime farmland being converted to solar -- while the economics are strong for the individual who gets to do that, it creates hard feelings,” he said. “If you can find the marginal farmland, I think it is an easier argument to make.”

Genesee County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, speaking as a private citizen, said the Article 10 proposal flies in the face of recent comprehensive planning.

“Our county was one of the first counties to have a Smart Growth Plan and it has always been a leader in protecting farms. Now about 20 percent of the Town of Byron is being turned into a ‘glass field’ and several thousand acres of prime farmlands are being taken out of service,” Hens said.

“I think once folks realize the magnitude and appearance of this project they will be shocked and upset. Pretty soon this area will just be one big battery for New York City.”

Click here for a related story -- solar farm proposal in the Town of Florida (NY).

Top photo -- Jim Lamkin stands across the street from his Ivison Road, Byron home, in front of a field designated for solar panels. Bottom photo -- Lamkin holds the map of the Excelsior Solar Project. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

“My views are somewhat conflicted because of our involvement in it, but it is a good project. It is renewable energy,” Yunker said. “And it is a win for the taxpayers in Byron, the county and the Byron-Bergen school district. If you look at the economy in Byron, it is a strong ag economy but there’s no sales tax generated by the town, for all intents and purposes. This is a revenue source.”

Yunker is a managing partner of the Elba-based CY Farms, a 6,000-plus-acre crop farm, and owns Batavia Turf, a turf farming operation in Batavia, and CY Heifers, a 4,000-head replacement heifer business that raises calves for local dairy farms.

Well-known in the community, Yunker, since 2014, has sat on the board of directors of the Genesee County Economic Development Center – the agency that is negotiating with Excelsior Energy Center on a payment in lieu of taxes agreement that would benefit the three taxing jurisdictions: Town of Byron, Byron-Bergen Central School District and Genesee County.

“Everybody from the town is going to benefit from the PILOT revenue – and it will be a lot of money,” Yunker said, adding that he has recused himself from voting on any and all matters pertaining to the solar project. “Negotiations are going on now.”

Yunker explained that Excelsior Energy would be tax exempt but under the PILOT they would make payments in lieu of taxes.

“If they were assessed full value on a commercial basis – once it changes from farmland to commercial the assessment will go up – the project wouldn’t come here. It wouldn’t be economically feasible for NextEra (Energy Resources, parent company of Excelsior Energy),” he said. “But yet the taxing jurisdictions want them to come because there will be a lot more tax revenue than it would be if it was farmland.”

Exactly how much revenue is unknown at this point, but judging from the PILOTs approved earlier this year for Borrego Solar’s five community solar projects totaling just 22 megawatts in the Elba, Pembroke and Akron school districts, it likely will be in the several millions.

The GCEDC authorized $1,141,366 in revenues over 15 years for three Town of Batavia projects, broken down as follows:

• $390,041 in revenues to Genesee County;
• $433,033 in revenues to the Pembroke Central School District;
• $318,292 in revenues to the Elba Central School District.

And the GCEDC authorized $951,138 in revenues over 15 years for two Town of Pembroke projects, broken down as follows:

• $364,711 in revenues to Genesee County;
• $586,427 in revenues to the Akron Central School District.

Yunker said Byron has little industry other than Oxbo International, which builds sales tax-exempt farm machinery, and that all municipalities will be affected should Gov. Andrew Cuomo follow through on state aid cuts of 20 percent or more.

“If you had a bunch of businesses ready to come here and build factories and would pay full tax revenues, that would be better. But we don’t have those lining up to come here,” he said. “It’s about creating a revenue source so that the town can provide services to its residents and the school district can provide services to the residents without an unbearable property tax levy.”

As far as the landowners are concerned, Yunker acknowledged a “ballpark figure” of $1,000 to $1,500 an acre is being offered by Excelsior Energy. Payments would arrive on an annual basis. He said that CY Properties has contracted to lease land on Gillette Road and Ivison Road, but the exact number of acres has yet to be determined.

He also said he understood residents’ opposition to the project.

“Their arguments are that it is taking agricultural land out of production and it is going to change the visual nature of the town,” he said. “It won’t ruin the agricultural land. It will take it out of production for a period of time – 25 years – but it doesn’t ruin it.”

Yunker said if and when the solar company leaves, they would remove everything and the land would become farmland again.

“It’s not like you build a housing development and put in streets or build a factory; that’s gone forever,” he said. “This is a relatively temporary use of farmland and it doesn’t destroy the farmland.”

He addressed another concern of those against it -- the visual aspect of driving through farmland.

“People like the vista of farms and they prefer that vista over the solar panels. But I would point out that, currently, they don’t pay anything for the vista,” he offered. “If we were to let it grow to shrubs and weeds, not mow it, it wouldn’t be so pleasant to look at. But nobody is paying the farmers for that. There’s an external benefit that agriculture gives to the community at no charge.”

Ultimately, Yunker said, the landowners have a right to use their land “as long as they follow the rules.”

A Batavia woman whose previous antics have led to multiple criminal charges over the past decade, including a charge of adultery that made international headlines, has been accused of allowing prostitution at her home on Osterhout Avenue.

Suzanne M. Corona, 51, is charged with promoting prostitution, 4th (advance or profits from prostitution), and permitting prostitution on a premises.

It's alleged that on Aug. 19, Corona allowed prostitution to occur at her residence and agreed, in advance, to accept a fee for another person to engage in sexual activity while at the residence. 

Corona was released on an appearance ticket. 

There were two other people arrested as part of the incident, according to a police source, but those arrest reports have not yet been released.

Corona's name became familiar locally after her arrest in early June 2010 on an adultery charge for engaging in a sexual act with a man on a picnic table at Farrall Park. The adultery statute has rarely been used in New York and her arrest made headlines in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. The police department was surprised by the interest in the case. The adultery charge was eventually dropped by prosecutor Lawrence Friedman. She admitted to public lewdness.

Shortly after that case was closed, Corona was accused of trashing the buffet at the now-defunct South Beach Restaurant. Initially, owner Ken Mistler was going to have her carry a sign on Main Street that read "I Stole from South Beach." After a "sincere apology" and restitution, Mistler dropped his demand for the "walk of shame."

She was arrested on a shoplifting charge in 2011, as well as being accused of shoplifting at Target while a K-9 and deputy were in the store for a public demo. In 2015, Corona admitted to a drug-dealing felony. That conviction lead to a year-and-a-half in prison, followed by probation, and until this most recent arrest, she had managed to avoid trouble with the law.

The prostitution case was investigated by Officer Arick Perkins along with officers Wesley Rissinger and Adam Tucker.

Deputies and firefighters responded at 11:23 p.m., Friday, to a report of a car colliding with a train to find the vehicle engulfed in flames and the driver missing.

Timothy Michael Brady, of Jerico Road, Bergen, is accused of fleeing the scene on foot.  

He is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, driving while intoxicated, refusal to take a breath test, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, and driving through, around or under a railroad barrier.

Brady was released on an appearance ticket with an order to appear in Bergen Town Court Oct. 8.

I recently spent a day at the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia and enjoyed the newest exhibits. Like most museums, it has various displays that take you back to a time when the artifacts you are looking at or reading about were used.

For example, they have a room that explains the history of the Holland Land Office building. Another room is the Land Office Room where Joseph Ellicott, founder of Batavia and Buffalo, sold land to our early settlers. There is the Colonial Kitchen depicting what it was like to cook from the flames and coals of a fireplace in the 1800s.

The West Wing is called the Military Room where you can learn about the famous men and women from Genesee County who fought for our country. The East Wing houses an exhibit on local businesses.  

I think of our minds as a museum, storing memories of artifacts we have used over our lifetimes. I guess I am speaking to the baby boomers (born 1946-64) for obvious reasons (because I am one). I have been thinking about some of the artifacts that have been on display in the past.

The old black and white Sylvania television set (once made in Batavia) takes me back to watching "The Beverly Hillbillies,"* my favorite show as a child. We were only allowed one TV show a week when school was in session.

The museum has an old Victrola. Children love to hear the history of our early records or big CDs as children often call them.

Another artifact is a vintage typewriter. Now there is something the children of today have never seen. Remember the carbon paper for the typewriter and if you made a mistake you had to use a correction tape? My roommate actually had a typewriter in the early ‘70s and I had a plastic portable record player.

You can’t forget the three-pound transistor radio that could only pick up three AM radio stations.

There are so many memories and so many artifacts.

I really loved my ball bearing roller skates that clipped onto my shoes, not my sneakers. I would wear the key on a string around my neck.

Can’t forget the balloon tires for our bicycles, a 3-speed English bike, penny loafers, high-top sneakers, madras clothing, long hair for boys and girls. We played outside, used the sewer and manhole covers as bases for kickball.

We played games such a Kick the Can, Red Rover, Freeze Tag, Cops and Robbers and an old favorite, Hide and Seek. 

I wonder if someday a merry-go-round, teeter-totter, metal slide and monkey bars will be on display in a museum or big cardboard boxes from Max Pies  (Furniture store) that were used to slide down the grassy overpass on South Jackson Street. 

Sandlot baseball was anyplace you could find an open field. The list could go on and on. These are our artifacts!

Now the artifacts are stored in our minds in a happy place.

Photo courtesy of Anne Marie Starowitz.

*Editor's Note: This YouTube link plays the second episode of season two of "The Beverly Hillbillies" called "Hair-raising Holiday." It's a hoot!

Press release:

Nate McMurray, Democratic congressional candidate in NY-27, released the following statement after his opponent attended Donald Trump’s acceptance speech for the Republican 2020 Presidential nomination:

“After his ‘no’ vote against NY-27’s postal workers last weekend, and after more than 180,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus, Chris Jacobs recklessly joined a crowd of more than 1,500 unmasked people, seated for hours cheek to jowl in a potentially unlawful gathering to lavish praise on Donald Trump.

"Will he self-quarantine for two weeks? He won’t, but he absolutely should. Not even Mitch McConnell was so cavalier about his own health, opting instead to stay thousands of miles away in Kentucky rather than risk attending what was little more than a garish coronation.

“We know without a doubt that Trump lies to the American people, and that he will continue to re-write history in order to fit his false narrative for November. Over 3,600 Americans died over the four days of the RNC from the coronavirus. Nearly 30 million Americans are on unemployment after Trump failed to create a national strategy for combating COVID-19.

"Trump and Jacobs continue to support defunding Social Security, and their attempts to kill the Affordable Care Act and coverage for pre-existing conditions continue as well. These are indisputable facts.

“Donald Trump and Chris Jacobs desperately want you to be afraid of Joe Biden, but it is a sad attempt to distract you from the horrors of Donald Trump’s America today — where moral leadership is vacant, the President is above the law, dissent is punished by pepper spray or worse, and the reality that Americans are living each day is re-written to fit Trump's authoritarian narrative of ‘greatness.’

“We can do better, and we must. That begins with rejecting Jacobs and Trump on November 3rd. Then we do the hard work of implementing universal healthcare, achieving racial and social justice, rebuilding our infrastructure, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, combating climate change, and so much more.

“This November, don’t pull a Jacobs. Don’t let your vote be a mistake.”

Leaving the Sheriff's Office after 20 years and six months of service is bittersweet, said K-9 Officer Chris Erion as he finished out his final shift before retiring yesterday.

He not only leaves behind a job he said matured him, he leaves behind his partner "Frankie," who will be paired with a new partner in the coming weeks.

"I've had a lot of great experiences. I've met a lot of wonderful people," Erion said. "I've seen a side of humanity, both good and bad, that I never would have seen had I not worked this job and been through experiences that have matured me. It's overwhelming to think of everything and trying to take it all in and think back over 20 years."

Erion joined the Sheriff's Office in March 2000.

He hasn't decided yet what comes next.

"I'm going to take a week or two and I'm going to kind of decompress and try to get the weight of the profession off of my heart and off my shoulders a little bit and reconnect with my family," Erion said. "They've been tremendous in just keeping things together over the years and the stresses that you go through. And they've earned it, too. It's not my retirement. It's something that they've earned as well."

Erion has four children, all under the age of 16.

Being a K-9 officer is a tough job on anyone, especially a family man.

"You have to be available," Erion said. "When that phone rings at two, three, or four in the morning, you have to be ready to go and go quickly. That takes a toll on everybody at home as well. I'm not getting any younger and you strap yourself to a 70-pound animal and go off into the darkness to wherever they take you. So it is a very physical job and it wears on you, but it's been very rewarding."

He's retiring at the age of 45. He looks back at himself as a 24-year-old rookie as somebody really didn't know much about life when he started.

"I was 24 and I was just a kid," Erion said. "I'm looking back now and I wasn't even an adult when I started. This job grows you up quickly."

His advice to young officers today: Do things right and do them the right way.

"Check your ego, because that will get you in trouble faster than anything else," Erion said. "Listen to the people around you that have been through the experiences that you're trying to learn. Take their advice. That's the easiest way to learn."

The tough job has been made a lot easier by the support of the people in the community, Erion said. He praised community members for the way they stand behind local law enforcement.

"I love this community," he said. "They back us and we know it and we try to be worthy of it."

Photo by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service. Article based on a recorded interview by Alecia Kaus.

Previously:

Batavia High School Class of 2007 graduate James Lullo is living in L.A. these days, developing his entertainment and marketing career, via his company Beauty View Ranch.

He's producing a short film that begins production in late September and is seeking young local acting talent of any experience, specifically children.

The graduate of SUNY Brockport (Class of 2011) contacted The Batavian about a planned Buffalo casting call, date/time to be announced, for "Goldenrod." The plot was not revealed.

The production of the short film is a family affair in that his mother, Cecelia Lullo, is the Costume Designer, and his sister, Michal Lullo, currently a junior at Ithaca College, works as a Production Assistant. His cousin, Jonathon Lullo, has been "an invaluable consultant to the project," as he works in Hollywood at a development studio.

In addition, his brother, Joseph Lullo, also lives in Los Angeles and is on the crew as Transportation Supervisor. His father's insurance company, Marathon, is exploring the financing and insurance carrier sides of film production, and hopes to have a slate of products available this fall for locals as well as visiting productions.

Two other Brockport alums are also working on the film, Paul Overacker and Keenan Miller, and a fourth Brockport grad has graciously donated some film equipment, Kelvon Agee. Overacker has worked on the "Dr. Phil" show "foreeeeever," and Agee is a multi-Emmy winning cinematographer on the show "Deadliest Catch," among many others.

"There's a whole host of Batavians, WNYers, and local college graduates making big things happen in Hollywood," James Lullo says. "Another family with strong Batavia ties are the Beers. Tim Beers Jr. has been an invaluable asset to me here in Hollywood, and helped me gain some of my strongest experience to date."

Former BHS Basketball star Michael Chmielewicz has been spotted out there, too, working in the film industry!

So, if you're interested in acting in "Goldenrod," which is directed by Marjorie DeHey, here's more information about who they are looking for:

• Currently not a Screen Actors Guild production, but SAG members are encouraged to submit;
• Real family members and siblings are encouraged to submit;
• Black female lead, age 9 to 13 (playing age 9);
• Caucasian female lead, age 9 to 13 (playing age 9);
• Caucasian female lead, age 30;
• Caucasion male lead, age 30;
• Black supporting actor, age 30, male or female;
• Caucasian female supporting actor, age 13 to 17.

Send headshot, reel, résumé to:

GOLDENRODFILM@GMAIL.COM

Thanks to Covid-19, people are being forced to look at the benefits and drawbacks of the public-school systems and compare them to the relative safety of the homeschool options.

The school systems have been waffling over their ability to provide a safe environment. My fear is that parents in New York State will, sooner or later, begin to experience increased limitations on their ability to make educational decisions and soon will be limited to just making choices.

Our governments have created a massive, expensive and ineffective educational system.

Not only are students not receiving the education needed for today’s technological society, many are not even receiving the basic education needed to be functional in normal business.

If the educational system pursued a business quality standard for education, and achieved the business standard of Sigma 6, they would have just one person out of the last 100,000 students to pass through the school system not graduate with a functional high school education.

We are not coming anywhere close to that standard. 

The school systems, and our government, need to proactively promote efficiencies in education. They should be working to aggressively use and adopt the educational technologies and opportunities that private enterprise has developed and now offer.

They need to figure out how to stop consuming resources on old practices that have proven to be ineffective at producing a sigma six quality educational product. Because of the effectiveness and efficiencies involved, homeschooling will be commonplace in the future, much more so than it has been even in the recent past.

When elected to office, I will work:

• to remove the barriers to homeschooling;
• to eliminate funding inequalities between home-school and public-school;
• to create a functional educational environment that addresses our technological needs;
• to support efficiencies in education, and;
• toward the goal of ensuring taxes collected for education are used wisely.  

My ultimate objective is to eliminate the real-estate-based school tax.

Read More about my thoughts, research and positions on this and other subjects here.

Mark Glogowski, Ph.D.

Libertarian Candidate for NYS Assembly, 139^th Election District

Hamlin, NY

(Photo courtesy of Mark Glogowski.)

Laundry currently in basement but first-floor hookups are plumbed. Fantastic grounds w/ low-maintenance perenials and vegetables in abundance. Need room to run around? Home is directly across from 25 acre city park w/ easy access to the Ellicott Trail!

Detached two-car garage w/ automatic opener. Full basement with root cellar, painted concrete floor, and high ceilings make it great for an indoor flex space. Tons of storage throughout the home. Must be seen in person to be appreciated. Make your appointment today!

In the movie, Boseman portrayed future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall as a young attorney for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The film centered upon a pivotal case early in his career, the State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell.

Boseman earned industry fame in 2018 as the star of the groundbreaking film “Black Panther” and, prior to starring in “Marshall," he had the leading roles in box office releases about Jackie Robinson (“42”) and James Brown (“Get On Up”).

He had been battling colon cancer since 2016.

From May 23 through July 1 of that year, the cast and crew of “Marshall” -- which also included actress Kate Hudson -- rolled into Western New York, shooting scenes at various locations.

Some of the scenes were filmed on June 1, inside and on the steps of the Old County Courthouse at the intersection of routes 5 and 63 in Downtown Batavia.

Previously: 'Marshall' film that featured Old County Courthouse to open in theaters on Oct. 13

Previously: For a day, Old Courthouse transported to 1940s Oklahoma for filming of 'Marshall'

Press release:

New Cases – As of 2 p.m. 

• Genesee County received zero new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • One of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Zero new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states. 
     
• Orleans County received zero new positive case of COVID-19.
  • One new individual is on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

From the YMCA:

We are excited to announce the Y, located in Genesee County at 209 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia, will be reopening on Monday, Aug. 31^st! 

The GLOW YMCA will initially have modified hours. Branch hours will be Monday-Friday 7 a.m. - 12 p.m. & 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., Saturdays from 7 a.m. - 12 p.m. (We will be closed weekdays for four hours in the afternoon for sanitizing and cleaning purposes to ensure safety.)

The GLOW YMCA is reopening safely and slowly, and in a financially responsible way. To do that, we have decided to take a phased approach when it comes to reopening.

We want to ensure you that our staff will be trained on all new safety procedures; our facilities have been deep cleaned; and our equipment has been spaced out to ensure social distancing.

Phase 1: Helping you get prepared for reopening

As our facilities begin to open again, there will be numerous modifications in place to keep our members safe. Specifically, members should expect to see the following:

• Masks will be required to be worn at all times within the facility by staff and members;
• Bandanas and gators are not permitted. Masks must cover nose and mouth at all times;
• Modified operating hours at all open locations;
• Amenities suspended -- towel service, shower usage, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and coffee service will be suspended until further notice.
• Pools will be open for lap swim only and will operate on a limited reservation system.
• Limited Group Exercise classes will be offered with restrictions on space and capacity;
• Multiple hand sanitation stations throughout the facility;
• Members will be required to disinfect equipment before and after each use;
• YMCA members only will be permitted -- no guests -- until further notice. There will be no one-day passes available for purchase until further notice;
• Increased cleaning frequency;
• Members who choose to workout in our facilities are encouraged to bring their own workout towel and water bottle. Drinking fountains will not be available;
• Please note we will only be open to 33-percent capacity in each area of our buildings;
• At this time for contact tracing, Y members will be required to check in and check out of the building.
• A YMCA health screening will be required upon each visit to the facility. This can be done with this following link or in person when checking in.

Lastly, the YMCA will be extending all annual membership renewal dates by five months due to COVID-19 shutting our facility down for that duration of time. We will take care of this process internally for you.

We could not be more excited to welcome you back into our facilities after this time apart. Please know that through all of this, we have had the safety and health of you and your family in mind and will continue to do so in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Yours in Health,

Jeff Townsend

Executive Director

GLOW YMCA

“Henry has been exonerated on all fronts,” said Richard Bianchi prior to the public benefit company’s monthly board meeting at Batavia Downs Gaming. “He has done an outstanding job. Before the COVID hit, we had record revenues and record attendance.”

Wojtaszek (in photo), a former Niagara County Republican chairman and an attorney, has been on the receiving end of assertions of wrongdoing from former State Sen. George D. Maziarz (Niagara County) related to his WROTB position and past employment.

Directors looked into Maziarz claims, hiring noted Buffalo attorney Terry Connors to investigate accusations into wrongful spending and misuse of Buffalo Bills and Sabres tickets, a company car and cell phone.

While not disclosing details of Connors’ 380-page report, Bianchi said it is a dead issue.

“The car and the phone are gone,” he said, adding that Wojtaszek has “brought Batavia Downs Gaming to great places” since taking over for Michael Kane, who retired in 2016.

The board has increased Wojtaszek’s pay by about 50 percent since he became president/chief executive officer, approving a salary of $191,938 in December.

Prior to that, Wojtaszek served as WROTB’s general counsel for six years and formerly was a partner at the law firm of Harris Beach and city attorney for North Tonawanda from 1998-2004.

At Maziarz’s urging, in April of last year, the FBI reportedly investigated claims of improper spending, but no criminal charges were filed.

Wojtaszek said he and his wife, Niagara County District Attorney Caroline Wojtaszek, have been victims of a smear campaign by Maziarz, who reportedly spent $20,000 on campaign mailers earlier this year in an unsuccessful attempt to discredit Caroline Wojtaszek during her primary run for Niagara County Court Judge.

Henry Wojtaszek said that Maziarz lashed out after being indicted in 2017 on five felony counts connected to Republican campaigns in Niagara County. Before a trial took place, Maziarz was offered a plea deal – a misdemeanor for a single campaign violation – which he accepted and paid a $1,000 fine.

Last year, Maziarz also claimed that Henry Wojtaszek engaged in a bid-rigging scheme to help Four Points Communications win a Niagara County grant-writing contract in 2012. Wojtaszek later worked for Four Points, earning about $50,000 in fees for work related to grants.

According to a July 21 story published in The Niagara Reporter:

Maziarz claimed that “Wojtaszek improperly pressured county officials in 2014 to deliver the grant writing contract to Four Points.” His accusation, however, reportedly was dismissed by a special prosecutor called in to conduct an extensive investigation.

It also was reported that special prosecutor Monroe County DA Sandra Doorley “found no basis for prosecuting Wojtaszek over claims brought by Maziarz.”

“Doorley was appointed special prosecutor by Justice Paula L. Feroleto, administrative judge of the Eighth Judicial District of State Supreme Court, because Wojtaszek’s wife is the Niagara County district attorney and could not investigate a case involving her husband," according to the published report.

When asked on Thursday about all of this controversy, Henry Wojtaszek told The Batavian it is all because of an “unhinged, vengeful and disgraced politician (Maziarz) with an ax to grind.”

He also said he appreciates the board “taking the time to do an exhaustive investigation at Batavia Downs” and he and his officers are looking forward “to continuing to do the job on behalf of the corporation and the municipalities it serves.”

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) is releasing the following statement after attending President Trump’s acceptance speech for the Republican 2020 Presidential Nomination.

“I was truly honored to join many of my fellow Americans in DC last night to hear President Trump deliver his vision for America," Jacobs said. "I believe he drew a sharp contrast between himself and Joe Biden, highlighting that the Democrats have repeatedly focused on negativity, anger, and dividing our nation, and he called attention to failed radical left policies that Biden has espoused.

"In addition, the President offered his own uplifting message of American greatness and a bright and prosperous future for all Americans. The President built a historic economy, created record low unemployment, unleashed American manufacturing, and put America first on the world stage in his first term, and I have no doubt he has the ability to rebuild our nation from this unprecedented crisis and accomplish even more in his second. I am looking forward to fighting alongside him for a prosperous future for Western New York and America."

Press release:

New Cases – As of 2 p.m. 

• Genesee County received zero new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • One of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation
  • Three new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • One of the positive individuals is hospitalized.
     
• Orleans County received one new positive case of COVID-19.
  • The new positive case resides in Yates.
  • The positive individual is in their 30s.
  • The individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Zero new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

There's a Hazardous Weather Outlook in effect for portions of Western New York, including Genesee County with a severe thunderstorm watch in effect until 8 tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts of up to 60 mph reported, that could damage roofs, siding and trees.

"People and animals outdoors will be injured," according to an alert from AccuWeather.

First responders are out in force and traffic control is needed in several areas. There are several reports of localized flooding.

There've been reports of localized flooding in Le Roy and "ping-pong" sized hail in Pavilion and Le Roy. Some trees, wires and poles are down at Putnam and Francis roads, a tree is blocking a lane on Route 63.

A large tree limb in the 6900 block of Britt Road, Le Roy, is in danger of falling onto a home. At 9611 Creek Road in Alexander, a pole and wires are down on a tree, possibly a fallen tree, between two houses.

At 8990 South Lake Road in Corfu a tree is totally blocking the roadway, driver that struck tree is not injured however. Indian Falls and Pembroke fire departments are responding.

A tree and wires are down at 10595 S. Lake Road, Pavilion.

The storm is moving southeast at 40 mph.

Stormy weather is in the forecast through Wednesday.