batavia

Press release:

RTS Genesee announced today that it will begin testing a pilot bus route in January that will connect Genesee Community College’s (GCC) College Village to the business district. The pilot route will also connect the Walden Estates and Woodstock Gardens apartment complexes to businesses on the west side of town. RTS Genesee has aligned this service with local business hours to connect customers with retail, entertainment and dining destinations.

The pilot route will operate approximately from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Friday that GCC is in session, between Jan. 22 and May 13. The pilot route will not be in service when GCC students are on break. The standard fare of $1 for a one-way ride will apply.

“This pilot route is a result of input from our customers and conversations with GCC and the business improvement district,” said James Mott, regional manager of RTS Genesee. “GCC and the people of Genesee County have been valued partners of RTS for many years and it’s our hope this pilot route becomes popular enough to make it a permanent addition.”

More information, including the pilot route schedule will be available later this year.

For all other information, visit www.myRTS.com/Genesee.

Tom Murphy, a professional MMA fighter and an Ultimate Fighting Champion, brought his anti-bullying presention, Sweethearts and Heroes, to Batavia High School on Wednesday afternoon. Murphy's program is aimed at giving students tools for combating bullying, not just a pep talk about why bullying is wrong.

“Just talking about awareness doesn’t fix anything,” said Murphy, who lives in Glen Falls and was a wrestler in college at Brockport. “What separates us from other anti-bullying presentations and projects is that we have the plan to curb, and even stop, bullying in your school, or wherever it exists for you.”

His special guest Wednesday was Rick Yarosh and his companion dog Amos. Yarosh is an Iraq War vet whose Bradley armored vehicle was incinerated by an IED, leaving Yarosh badly burned. He also lost a leg. Yarosh spoke about battling against hopelessness to live a life of purpose and optimism.  

There will be an internal investigation into why a door to a roof was left open at 400 Towers, apparently contributing to the death of a resident of the facility, said Brooks Hawley, a member of the Batavia Housing Authority Board of Directors.

Yesterday morning a 91-year-old man with dementia was found dead on the roof, apparently the victim of exposure after wandering onto the roof and seemingly unable to find his way back into the building.

The name of the man has not yet been released.

Hawley, who is also president of the City Council, called the incident "unfortunate."

"We will be doing an internal investigation to find out what went wrong and whose responsibility it was," Hawley said. "I believe something slipped through the cracks and unfortunately the door to the roof was left open and we need to investigate that and find out why."

This is the second death of questionable circumstances in the past six months at 400 Towers, but Hawley said the two incidents are totally unrelated.

In the prior incident, a resident apparently died of natural causes in his apartment, but his death wasn't discovered for at least two weeks.

"The only reason he was not found is because he didn't have any friends and there are liability issues for just entering somebody's apartment unless there's a cause."

UPDATE: Here's a press release about the incident from Batavia PD:

The Batavia Police Department is currently investigating the death of a 91-year old -male that occurred sometime overnight, Oct. 12 – 13, at 400 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia.

Officers responded at approximately 8:36 a.m. for a missing person report at that location. The call was placed by a caregiver who had stopped to check on the deceased early that morning. After a brief search the man was located on the roof of 400 E. Main St. deceased. Video recovered from the premises shows the man wandering the halls until approximately 1:40 a.m., he appeared to be disoriented. He is last seen going into a stairwell leading to the roof where he was later found.

The Police Department is working closely with the Housing Authority as the investigation proceeds. The body was sent to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Further details of the investigation will be available pending the results of the autopsy. 

Previously: Resident of 400 Towers reportedly dies of exposure after wandering to roof during the night

Our news partner, WBTA, conducted the interview with Hawley.

For the second time within six months a resident at 400 Towers has died under questionable circumstances.

Yesterday morning a 91-year-old man who reportedly suffered from mild dementia was found dead on the roof of the west wing of 400 Towers. He apparently died of exposure.

Chief Shawn Heubusch, Batavia PD, confirmed last night the death and that the man was found on the roof, but officials have yet to release the man's name.

Kyle Couchman, who was hired as an independent contractor to help care for the gentleman, called police yesterday morning after he found the man was missing from his room.

Couchman said the man would occasionally get up in the middle of the night and be confused about where he was and would wander off. Typically, when that happened, he would first move things around his room, so when Couchman arrived in the morning and found his room in a bit of disarray he knew the man had another wandering episode.

He tried calling the man's cell phone and began searching the stairwell to see if he might have stopped to rest or fallen. On the sixth floor, in a walkway outside the stairwell, he found the man's phone, wallet and towels from the man's room.  

It was now after 8:30 a.m., he said, and the 400 Towers Office was open for the day and he asked if surveillance video could be reviewed and he said he was told he would have to wait until the maintenance supervisor was available, or he could call police for assistance, so he called police.

A short time after Officer Frank Klimjack arrived on scene, the maintenance supervisor found the gentleman's body on the roof. 

A county coroner pronounced the man dead at the scene, Couchman said.

Couchman speculated that the man wandered up to the roof, became confused, and couldn't relocate the doorway that would lead him back into the building.

"He was in a common sleeping position for him when I would come in and wake him up in the morning," Couchman said.

According to Couchman, there was a magnetic lock on the door leading to the roof that was left unsecure, perhaps after fire maintenance work on Friday. The lock is supposed to be secure at all times, Couchman said, and only open during a fire alarm.

In June, a resident apparently died in his room and was left unattended or unchecked upon for two weeks.

A phone call to the Batavia Housing Authority placed this morning seeking comment has not yet been returned. We will continue to update this story or post new stories as additional information becomes available.

A vibrant and prosperous urban core in Batavia is vital to all of the economic development projects the Genesee County Economic Development Center is working to bring to fruition, said CEO Steve Hyde, during a presentation Monday night during Batavia's City Council meeting.

Hyde joined the discussion Monday about a projected called Batavia Path to Prosperity, or BP^2. The project is being set up to take some of the fees paid by developers in future projects in the city that receive PILOTS (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) from the GCEDC and allocate half of those funds to a pool of money that can help spur development of blighted properties, properties that are part of the city's Brownfield Opportunity Area.

"My passion all along has been about growth in our community," Hyde said. "How can we build economic growth outside so it will flow back into the inside. This is an opportunity to shine a bright light on troubled areas in our community so that we have a multifaceted redevelopment strategy so that we have a path of growth for our kids."

City Manager Jason Molino kicked off the discussion by saying the program can help address poverty in the city's most economically distressed neighborhoods, increase employment opportunities nad expand the city's tax base.

In the three census tracks considered distressed, the poverty rate is 30 percent (it need be only 20 percent to be considered distressed) and the unemployment rate in excess of 7 percent is more than 2 percentage points higher than the rest of the community.

Hyde, Molino noted, is fond of saying that economic development isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. But dealing with brownfield areas, Molino said, isn't a marathon. It's a triathlon, because the issues to deal with are so big and so complex.

Often brownfield properties need a great deal of environmental remediation, which substantially increases the cost of redevelopment and scares off those who might otherwise sink their investment dollars into a commercial or mixed-use project.

BP² will help address that issue by providing funds that can help with brownfield cleanup.

Hyde said he's seen attempts at creating other such projects around the state, but they never get off the ground because of infighting among the various taxing jurisdictions. He's encouraged by the cooperation so far from the city, county and school district.

At Monday's meeting, nary a negative question or comment came from council members, who will be asked at a future meeting to pass a resolution authorizing the city's participation in the project. Similar resolutions will need to be passed by the County Legislature and the Board of Trustees for Batavia City Schools.

Only projects within the city limits that are approved by GCEDC for PILOTs would contribute to the funds, and only brownfield projects in the three census tracks that make up the BOA could receive funds from the pool.

Under state law, development projects in all six census tracts in the city are eligible for PILOTs, even retail and commercial development, which are normally excluded, because of the highly distressed nature of three central census tracts.

The fund could be used, Molino said, to: mitigate the extraordinary cost related to hazardous material cleanup; demolish buildings that contribute to blight; rehabilitate buildings that can and should be saved; modernize infrastructure;  install broadband/WiFi downtown to support economic growth initiatives; and to advance the planning and engineering of the Ellicott Trail, which will run right through the heart of the BOA, and help secure more project capital for the BOA.

Within the BOA there are five critical, strategic sites:

• Creekside, behind the Falleti Ice Arena
• The Dellapenna building on Ellicott Street
• City Centre
• The medical corridor, particularly around where the old Elks Lodge used to be
• The Harvester Center

"If over the next five years we really spent some time trying to redevelop these areas, it could have a tremendous impact on our community," Molino said.

Hyde is optimistic about our community's future, reversing the trend that has seen Genesee County go from 5,000 manufacturing jobs in 1990 to 3,500 today.

"We're on the cusp of great growth here, especially in light of last week's announcement (the new project in STAMP)," Hyde said. "The state and feds are investing in the innovation economy, especially up and down the I-90 corridor, and we've now got the largest project in the state right along that corridor."

Batavia needs to be ready for that growth and strengthening the urban core is vital to benefitting from economic development elsewhere in the county. 

For every high-tech job, studies show there are five additional jobs created along the economic chain, Hyde said. Those jobs only come to Batavia if Batavia is ready for the opportunity. That means upgrading the housing, increasing office space, fixing infrastructure and "making this place as beautiful as the people who live here."

The Zonta Club of Batavia-Genesee County is assembling personal care packages for victims of domestic violence and is working with the YWCA to distribute 500 bags.

The club is seeking donations to assist in the project. If you could contribute one or more items from the list below, it would be greatly appreciated!

• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Dental floss
• Mouthwash
• Lotion
• Hairbrushes/combs/hair accessories
• Shaving cream
• Disposable razors
• Deodorant
• Journals/pens/pencils
• Feminine hygiene products
• Cotton balls
• Q-Tips
• Socks
• Loofahs
• Emery boards
• Nail polish remover

***Volunteers will be assembling the bags at the Dibble Family Center in Batavia from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 21.

You could also opt to make a tax-deductable donation of $50/$100/$150/$200 to help purchase items needed.

Checks can be made payable to:

Zonta Club of Batavia-Genesee County

And mailed to:

Zonta Club of Batavia-Genesee County

C/O Beth Kemp

ZONTA Domestic Violence Bag Project

3977 W. Main Street Road

Batavia NY 14020

For more information or to drop off items, contact Beth at 993-7747 or e-mail at  billing@myTshirtsEtc.com

About Zonta International

The nonprofit organization has been empowering women through service and advocacy since its founding in 1919. It seeks to empower women worldwide by improving their legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status at both local and global levels.

We think of dogs who bite, lunge, snarl and bark as aggressive, but that isn't necessarily the case, according to Tori Ganino, co-owner of Calling All Dogs, on Harvester Avenue.

Those behaviors are often a response born of fear, Ganino said, and dogs can be taught to be less fearful in situations they find stressful.

"What we do is train them that these situations aren't so bad, that you don't have to be afraid, you don't have to bite to make the person or thing go away,"  Ganino said. "Instead, we're going to help you feel better about it. So we change their emotional responses from a fearful one to a good one so that when I they see this person coming along, it's not such a bad thing. It's a good thing."

Ganino is a certified animal behavioralist, certified by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, the only such certified consultant in Genesee County.

The certification process includes more than 400 hours of coursework, 500 hours of work with clients and a 12-part, essay-based exam. Certification also requires ongoing training and keeping abreast of the latest research-based behavior and training techniques.

Ganino started on the path toward certification after becoming the owner of a dog who had become fearful after a bad experience with a man in a pet store where the dog had been available for adoption. Ganino said in certain situations, the dog would just shake with fear. She wanted to help her pup handle fearful situations better so she sought some training.

The first training class used what's known as "flooding," which is repeated exposure to the fearful situation until the dog learns not to fear the stimulus any longer, usually by just emotionally shutting down. Ganino didn't feel good about that technique for her dog, so she sought out alternatives and discovered animal behavior training.

"I wanted to find a way to help him feel better about the situation and not put him in a situation he couldn't handle," Ganino said.

Unlike techniques that rely on punishment or dominance, behavioral training is about positive reinforcement for correct behavior.

If a dog snarls and lunges at certain people, the owner shouldn't scold, but rather divert the dog's attention, elicit the desired response and then reward the dog for the correct behavior.

"If he's in a situation where he's growling, he's over the point where he's comfortable with what's going on, so you need to take him away from it so can get him at a place where he's comfortable and then start the training," Ganino said. "That's where the behavior work really starts. You can't reinforce the emotion. You can make changes to get him to feel better, but at the time that he's seeing that person and thinking, 'I'm upset and I'm getting yelled at, too,' he learns that it validates his concerns. He's feeling a threat. It's not a good situation and he's getting yelled at."

Dogs look to their owners for leadership and an owner who is upset in a bad situation is telling a dog "This is a situation where you should be upset."

"With behavior work, we don't say, 'I don't want you to bark at this person,' " Ganino said. "Instead, we say, 'Why don't you look at me. Why don't we go over here and do this.' because 'no' just means stop, but you're not helping him understand what he's supposed to do. When he's lunging at another person, back him up and work with him so he realizes, 'I can look at that person, but what am I supposed to do when I look at him? I'll look back at mom and dad and they'll guide me through it. We'll play. We'll get rewards for it and then we'll go on our way.' "

Ganino owns Calling All Dogs with her husband, Rich, and while Ganino specializes in working with fearful and aggressive dogs, Calling All Dogs offers a range of obedience classes and personal training sessions as well as doggie day care.

A typical six-week class is $99, but on a space-available basis, owners of foster dogs can sign up for free classes.

Well-behaved dogs are socialized, get plenty of exercise and ample mental stimulation. They know what's expected of them and can count on their owners to provide a stable routine. Obedience classes are as much about training the owners as training the dogs, and it helps the owners understand how to avoid situations that maybe their dogs can't handle and then raising the fear factor.

"Any dog can have that emotional change to 'I'm upset and I'm scared,' " Ganino said. "A lot of times biting is a response to 'I'm afraid.' We can help a dog feel better, but it's up to the owners not to put them in situations they're not ready to handle."

Nancy Gilmartin shared this photo with us today.

The flag of the Six Nations should have been part of the flags flying in the International Peace Garden from the beginning, several speakers at a ceremony raising the flag today acknowledged, but for various reasons, with no blame cast, that didn't happen, the speakers said.

Now that it's part of the display, it will always be part of the display, at least as long as she has a say in it, said Paula Savage.

Speakers noted that the Peace Garden commemorates the War of 1812, a very bad era for our region's indigenous people, people who had been on this land long before then, long before "Columbus sailed the ocean blue" in 1492, and perhaps going back as far as ancient mammals like the mastodons. The people of the Six Nations have suffered many hardships, but remain proud.

"We are strong and we're still here, which is why we wanted a flag in Batavia," said Melissa Smith, president of the Tonawanda Historical Society.

Al White spoke of the need to protect the land and called on the young Native Americans in the audience to set aside their video games and the trappings of commercialized America and embrace their people's relationship with the Creator.

"All of our land used to look like this little garden here," White said. "It was our land and we took care of it because our Creator told us it was our duty to take care of it. It is our sacred duty. I'm grateful for this flag over here, but my flag is all around me because my flag is the land of the Creator."

Jeanne Taradena

Al White

Kathrine Sike and Al Parker raise the flag.

The Seneca Singers

Frank Panepento plays the melody for "Amazing Grace." (The song sung by the Seneca Singers was the same melody with words in the Seneca language.)

Areas in urban communities known as brownfields can sometimes be expensive to redevelop because of the environmental cleanup costs, and that cost drives away potential developers because projects that might turn a profit without the cleanup quickly become unprofitable. 

To address that issue, local agencies, including the City of Batavia, have come together with a plan to help reduce the expense for developers who wish to complete projects on brownfield sites.

They're calling it the Batavia Prosperity Project, or BP², and the City Council will get a presentation on the proposal tomorrow.

"This is really a partnership, an example of cooperation among all the parties, city, county and schools, that recognizes the common interest in a revitalized urban core," said City Manager Jason Molino. "We can focus on this together because we recognize there is a greater reward for everybody concerned."

The program would take fees paid by developers on future projects in the city -- brownfield or otherwise -- that qualify for PILOTs (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) from each of the taxing jurisdictions and pool those fees in a common fund that could be tapped down the road by brownfield opportunity area (BOA) developers to help offset environmental remediation costs.

Such PILOTs would need to be approved by the Genesee County Economic Development Center and Steve Hyde, the CEO, will be at Tuesday's meeting to help explain how the program will work and the benefits for the community.

The program, as proposed, is the first of its kind on a citywide basis in the state.

"This could help us clean up contaminated sites, increase our tax base and increase employment opportunities," Molino said.

The city's three BOAs are all in what are identified as low-income, blighted neighborhoods, which means under New York State law, they are eligible for tax breaks for retail projects, which expands the redevelopment opportunities. And since under the law, census tracts next to low-income, blighted neighborhoods are also eligible for those same tax breaks, every census track in the city is eligible for such projects.

Molino isn't predicting that because of that big retailers are going to swoop in and build new stores, but that "isn't necessarily a bad thing," he said.

It's all up to the free market.

"I think the market is going to dictate what comes in here, and what can and what cannot work," Molino said.

Market studies show that what the urban core needs more of are restaurants, medical offices, office space, housing and warehouse space, so those are the kind of projects most likely to be attracted to development, brownfield or otherwise, in the city.

"There is an increased demand from people who want to live Downtown," Molino said. "I think mixed use is where we're going to see an increase in development."

The STAMP project recently announced -- solar company 1366 Technologies -- creates an opportunity for Batavia.

"We want to capture some of that overflow," Molino said. "This policy is another tool for dealing with development of our urban core."

The properties in the BOA have generated a good deal of interest, Molino said, ever since a development forum hosted by the city in 2013. There may be a project coming soon, but the city also needs another tool to help make development in the city more attractive to investors.

The City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.

A year ago, the problems on Summit Street included drugs and public domestic disputes and a general sense that the bad guys were winning, so a couple of neighbors started talking about how they might solve the problem.

Det. Rich Schauf got involved along with other members of Batavia PD. Leanna Di Risio from Vibrant Batavia was brought in. Residents started holding monthly meetings. Police started communicating more directly with residents. People started looking out for their street. Things changed.

This week, the biggest concern on Summit Street is a few skunks who have been wandering around the neighborhood.

"When the police issues identified come down to that, that obviously says a lot," Di Risio said during a neighborhood pizza party on Saturday. "I think when people see that neighbors are coming together, and they have that bond and they're looking out for each other, it makes for a better neighborhood."

Don Hirons, his wife Pam, and another neighbor got the ball rolling about a year ago, and soon they were talking with a couple of other longtime residents, including Richard Beatty, and that led to direct communication with law enforcement about what could be done. Word of the conversations reached City Manager Jason Molino who thought this was a perfect project for Vibrant Batavia. Together, they started holding monthly meetings at City Hall, with attendance at the most recent meeting attended by 20 residents of Summit Street.

"Rather than just sitting still and letting things happen, we thought maybe we need to do something," Hirons said. "We can't just sit back. We've lived on the street 35 years. That's a big investment of time. We've seen a lot of people come and go. There's a lot of homeowners who are not with us anymore and some of those homes have been turned into rentals. We've got folks we see come and go, so I guess what I'm saying is we didn't want to see this street -- we've seen it when it was a place where you didn't mind bringing your kids out -- to one where you had to be more careful. Both my wife and I saw that happening and we felt it was important to make sure to preserve the integrity of the street."

The way police have patrolled Summit Street hasn't really changed, Schauf said, nor is it any different from streets facing similar issues, but what has changed is the communication, and that has made a huge difference. When arrests are made, and as cases make it through the legal system, the department communicates with a resident about what has happened and that information is shared neighbor-to-neighbor. That gives residents confidence that action is being taken, raises their awareness and encourages them to continue to report issues immediately as they arise.

"Our department has 30 sworn officers," Schauf said. "There are 15,000 people who live in the city and during the day, there could be between 25,000 or 30,000 people here, so you do the math. You're always outnumbered, so without eyes and ears, without generally good people, we'd have chaos. To have people with eyes and ears and willing to share information so we can react to it, whether it's anti-social behavior or it has to do with quality of life, we can deal with it quickly."

When neighbors look out for each other, Schauf said, it helps encourage people less interested in being good citizens to find different locations for their criminal activity.

"Crime prevention isn't about crime going away," Schauf said. "It's about crime moving, because if we could do away with crime, we would have done that by now, but we can't. So it's about pushing crime down the road. It's not at your house and you're protected and you're helping your neighbors, that's going to push crime out of your neighborhood."

The residents of Summit Street feel so good about what they've been able to accomplish, they've had two parties this summer and fall. Earlier in the year they had an ice cream social. They're talking about a block party next summer and shutting down Summit Street for the afternoon.

Di Risio said there's also a lot of interest in forming more of a neighborhood association, which would include a classic welcome wagon for new Summit Street residents, and signs on the streets -- but not the negative message of a "Neighborhood Watch," but something with a more positive spin about how residents care about each others' well being.

"The best part of this is you start getting to know people," Beatty said. "You know their situations and a little bit about their families. It's been very encouraging. It's been a positive experience the way it's been going. Before this started, I didn't know Don and Pam. I didn't know the folks down the street or the folks on the corner, or any of them, so it's been a very positive thing."

The fact that the biggest issue on Summit is skunks is a good thing, Schauf said, but that isn't the end of the story.

"I've done this long enough to know that problems come and go," Schauf said. "So, right now, I'm not saying, 'This is great, we've solved it. We're the best and the neighborhood is well on its way to no problems.' I think there could still be problems, but we can react to it not just as one person complaining, but as a group, and when a group looks out for each other, it makes them stronger."

City Fire and Batavia PD are dispatched to an address on Bank Street for a report of a person burning plywood in the backyard of a residence.

A two-car accident, unknown injuries, is reported at 5049 Ellicott Street Road. A telephone pole is involved and may be damaged. Traffic is not blocked. Town of Batavia fire and Mercy medics are responding,

Charting a Course to Prosperity! GCC’s The BEST Center and City of Batavia Offering Small Business Ownership Series.

Calling all aspiring entrepreneurs. Here’s your chance to find out if you have what it takes to achieve small business success. The BEST Center at Genesee Community College is partnering with the City of Batavia and the Batavia Development Corporation (BDC) to offer a three-part “Owning Your Own Business” program designed to inspire creativity, fine­ tune skills, and chart a true course to prosperity. Those interested will be able to explore, experience, and connect with resources that can help turn a dream into a reality.

The program, “Get Underway: Small Business Ownership Series,” begins with a series of one hour workshops where participants will explore business opportunities, assessing their personal readiness to own and operate a new business. Each session will run from noon ­- 1 p.m. in the second floor community room at Batavia City Hall. The following four sessions are planned and participants are encouraged to attend each one: 
Part I - begins Sept. 16th

• Wed., Sept. 16, Noon-1:00 pm -- Do I have what it takes to own a small business?
• Wed., Sept. 23, Noon-1:00 pm -- Can I earn a living through my passion? Why didn’t I think of THAT business?
• Wed., Sept. 30, Noon-1:00 pm -- How much money do I need to start a business?
• Wed., Oct.   7,  Noon-1:00 pm -- The Sniff Test, assessing your business idea!

The sessions are $5 each for those who pre­-register online at http://www.genesee.edu/best/, or $10 each at the door.

The second part of the program goes beyond the basics to help participants fully develop a business concept and transition into becoming a business manager. These five weekly Wednesday evening sessions are mandatory if participants want to access grant resources available through the City of Batavia Microenterprise Grant Program. The sessions run from 6 to 9 p.m. in Room T121 of the Conable Technology Building on GCC’s Batavia campus. They include: 
Part II - begins Oct. 14th

• Wed., Oct. 14, 6:00-9:00 pm — Trials, tribulations & skills of a successful business leader
• Wed., Oct. 21, 6:00-9:00 pm — Marketing strategies to increase sales
• Wed., Oct. 28, 6:00-9:00 pm — Using financial information to guide my business
• Wed., Nov.  4, 6:00-9:00 pm — Learning to “manage” a business
• Wed., Nov. 11, 6:00-9:00 pm — Business plan presentation and networking 

The five­-week course costs $125 and students will receive a certificate upon successful completion. Registration for this course is also available online at http://www.genesee.edu/best/.

The Small Business Ownership series is funded in part by the New York State Office of Community Renewal Community Development Block Grant.

For more information, contact Marketing Communications Associate Director Donna Rae Sutherland at (585) 343­-0055, ext. 6616, or via e-mail: dsutherland@genesee.edu

Ziebart, an auto service shop, held its ribbon cutting this morning to celebrate opening the new location. Franchise owner Tony Mattiacio holds the giant scissors. This is Mattiacio's fourth franchise location for the national chain of outlets that provide a variety of services including detailing, wraps and starters.

Photo from Greg Rada who said his father, Richard Rada, took it and is participating in the anti-abortion protest this morning outside the Planned Parenthood office on West Main Street, Batavia.

(Submitted photo of Rose Callahan.)

Press release:

What is dandyism? Its attributes have been passionately debated since the late 18th Century where it got its start in England and France. Among the definitions in Webster's New World Dictionary: dandy (dan'di) n. pl. dan·dies 1. A man who affects extreme elegance in clothes and manners; a fop. 2. Something very good and agreeable.

Rose Callahan, co-author of "I am Dandy: The Return of the Elegant Gentleman" has spent years exploring the fascinating phenomenon of dandyism and will visit Genesee Community College at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, for an afternoon that includes an hour-long presentation, a Q&A opportunity, an autograph session and a special Dress Like Dandy Contest.

Students, staff, faculty and the community-at-large are invited to "dress the part" or GCC's Dandy Day. The top five contestants deemed most elegant, stylish and sophisticated by a panel of GCC judges will win an autographed copy of Callahan's book.

While Callahan does not claim to have the last word on what exactly dandyism is, her collection portrays a very personal exploration of the art form.

"With each new portrait comes more curiosity, and the realization that a true dandy is a rare thing indeed," Callahan writes on her online blog, http://dandyportraits.blogspot.com/

Here, hundreds of Callahan's photos and dynamic portraits can be viewed, all under the title of her current project and obsession, "The Lives of Exquisite Gentlemen Today, The Dandy Portraits, Field Notes & Photos by Rose Callahan."

Callahan will be available for press interviews and photographs at 12:30 p.m. in the Rosalie "Roz" Steiner Art Gallery in the Genesee Center for the Arts 30 minutes prior to her presentation, which will be held at 1 p.m. in the Conable Technology Building room T102.

Callahan's visit is part of the annual Fall Fashion Speakers Series at GCC, which in recent years has featured David Zyla and Anya Ayoung-Chee.

With picture perfect and exquisite serendipity, the Fashion Business program at GCC has its own very special contribution to Dandy Day. The College is introducing the new, unique, GCC alumnus-designed plaid pattern, which embodies not only the institution's official color scheme, but also exemplifies GCC's spirit and the "Beyond Expectations" brand.

Last year, the Fashion Business program initiated a contest to design the GCC plaid that was open to students and alumni to create a pattern that would be distinctive, professional, sellable, and ultimately woven into scarfs, neck ties and bow ties. Under the guidance of Professor Donna Ehrhart, the results of this extraordinary project will be unveiled during Dandy Day.

The successful plaid design was created by Michael Moultrup, of Batavia, who earned two degrees from GCC, Human Services, AAS in 1999, and Digital Art, AAS in 2011. The intricate pattern developed by Moultrup is a strong reflection of his skill as a designer and also his overall positive experiences as a GCC student in two very different fields. Interestingly, Moultrup actively uses the skills he developed in both programs in his everyday life.

He works as a private, home healthcare aide with Johnny's Angels, and also runs his own design business, A&M Dream Creations with his wife, Allana, whom he met at GCC.

The plaid design challenge was a welcomed opportunity to support his alma mater and fosters the team building skills that he learned and valued at GCC.

"I was happy to do something for the College," Moultrup said. "And if it helps the College make a little money, that's good."

Having designed Web sites, logos, wedding invitations and many other creative elements -- but never a plaid, Moultrup applied the lesson he learned from one of his favorite GCC professors, Pam Swarts. He went online to www.Lynda.com, a widely used video tutorial resource, and learned all about plaids and the plaid design process. His efforts were obviously well received, and he won the $100 prize award.

Professor Ehrhart and her team of current students took Moultrup's winning design and moved it along into a real-world, product development learning experience. They reviewed all aspects of creating 100-percent silk scarfs, neck and bow ties that are affordable, yet high quality, and they considered other aspects of production, such as child labor laws and environmentally sound dyes, weaving and manufacturing techniques. Future projects may involve working with a local weaver and exploring new uses for the GCC plaid design.

"GCC's Dandy Day is so exciting in so many ways," Professor Ehrhart said. "Just meeting Rose Callahan and hearing about her work and experiences gives our students a broad, worldwide and also historical perspective of dandyism. But then, we are able to tie-in – pun intended – the GCC experience that is personal, professional and continuously beyond expectations."

The new women's scarfs and men's neck and bow ties are now on sale for just $20 each by contacting GCC's Fashion Business office at 585-345-6830. In addition, approximately 40 Fashion Business students and faculty will be giving a few GCC scarfs and ties away as gifts to key fashion industry experts who are helping host their annual visit to New York City's fashion mecca over Columbus Day weekend.

Many of the hosts on next week's trip are GCC fashion program alumni. To read about their trip, go to GCC's blog at https://gcccampusblog.wordpress.com/

For further information contact Donna Rae Sutherland, GCC's Marketing Communications associate director at (585) 343-0055 ext. 6616, or via email: dsutherland@genesee.edu.

(Submitted photo below of GCC professors Rick Dudkowski and Donna Ehrhardt with alumnus Michael Moultrup.)

Eugene L Sumeriski is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated as a Class E felony. On Sept. 19 in the City of Batavia, Sumeriski allegedly drove a 2010 Kia while in an intoxicated condition. In count two, he is accused of driving while intoxicated, per se, as a Class E felony, and having a BAC of .08 or more at the time. In count three, he is accused of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, a Class E felony, for driving that day in an allegedly intoxicated condition while knowing or having reason to know that his driver's license was suspended, revoked or otherwise withdrawn by authorities. In Special Information accompanying this indictment, Sumeriski is accused of having been convicted of felony driving while intoxicated, per se, on Aug. 11, 2006, in Erie County. The conviction forms the basis for the suspension or revocation referred to in count three and together with an earlier revocation on Sept. 15, 2005, which was the basis for an earlier DWI conviction, indicates that Sumeriski knew or had reason to know of the prior convictions and that his driver's license was suspended or revoked as a result and that the suspension or revocation was still in effect.

Guru Kadel is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated, as a misdemeanor. He is accused of driving a 2010 Honda on the Thruway in Le Roy in an intoxicated condition on April 28. In count two, he is accused of the crime of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree for driving a vehicle while knowing or having reason to know that his driver's license was suspended pending prosecution on April 20, 2014, and at the time he was under the influence of alcohol or a drug.