batavia

A new proposal was brought before the Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday for an I Love New York selfie sign on the lawn outside the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center at 8276 Park Road, Batavia.

It's one of the most recognizable logos of New York State. The iconic “I Love New York” letters and bright red heart are frequently seen on tourist souvenirs and apparel.

But its $47,000 price tag raised eyebrows at the meeting.

It would be paid for with bed tax reserves -- not by local taxpayers, according to Chamber President Tom Turnbull, who presented the preliminary design of the selfie sign to the Ways & Means Committee.

He sought the initial reactions of committee members as he spoke about the proposed I Love New York sign, which would showcase the logo with a semi-transparent background and backlighting.

The goal of the selfie sign is to attract visitors to Genesee County and draw tourists to the Visitor Center once they stop for a photo opportunity next to the sign. Similar selfie signs are currently featured at popular destinations like the Finger Lakes and the Adirondacks.

“We think this will be a big hit for people … People are into taking pictures at places like that. We hope it will attract people to come inside our visitor center,” Turnbull said.

The chamber worked with Batavia-based companies like smartDESIGN Architecture and John’s Studio in the engineering and design processes.

The price includes design, construction and installation costs.

The bed tax revenue that would pay for it comes from a 5-percent administrative fee that is added to the price of a hotel room in Genesee County and collected annually by the county Treasurer’s Office.

Each year, bed tax revenue is capped at $420,000, and surplus funds are placed in a reserve.

The expected surplus total for 2019 is approximately $100,000, and $47,000 for the proposed sign would come from this surplus.

“The money is there," Turnbull said. "It’s dedicated for tourism, and we think this is a good use of some of that money. We can spruce up our property a little bit more and attract even more tourism to Genesee County.”

Legislators Andrew Young and Shelly Stein opined that $47,000 is a high price for this potential investment. Stein questioned the life expectancy of both the selfie-sign trend and the durability of the design in winter weather.

Turnbull said he is confident that the sign and its popularity will last well into the future.

Legislator Marianne Clattenburg said that the sign would most likely see a good amount of traffic in that area due to hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and Batavia Downs casino.

“I think we’ve got the funds," Clattenburg said to Turnbull. "And if your board is saying that this is something that is advantageous and you’ll see results from it, then I would support it."

The Chamber of Commerce received tentative permission from NYS Empire State Development to use its trademark logo. Approval of the project can occur once a finalized design has been agreed upon by the chamber and the legislature.

Now the chamber has a better sense of the legislators' thoughts on the project before it drafts a resolution asking for a portion of bed tax money to pay for it.

The Batavia Muckdogs finished a rain-delayed game against the Auburn Doubledays and then the two teams played a seven-inning game.

Batavia won the first game with timely hitting from Igor Baez, a two-out homer in the ninth, Dalvy Rosario and a game-winning single by Albert Guaimaro.

They lost the nightcap 5-0, moving the Batavia record to 3-3 on the season and giving Auburn its first win of the season.

After the game, we spoke with Milton Smith Jr., who grew up in Laurel, Miss., a small city of 18,000. He said being in Batavia feels like home. A 22nd-round draft choice in 2018 out of Merdian Community College, Smith hit .362 in his first professional season and is off to a .467 start with Batavia.

Angel Ivan Carrasquillo, 43, of Lake Avenue, Rochester is charged with: third-degree burglary; third-degree criminal mischief; attempted grand larceny in the fourth degree; and petit larceny. Following an investigation into a burglary that occurred on Clinton Street Road in the Town of Stafford at 2:27 a.m. on May 2, Carrasquillo was arrested and arraigned in Batavia Town Court. He is currently being held in Genesee County Jail on a separate matter. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Forsyth, assisted by Deputy Andrew Mullen. Also assisting were Sgt. John Baiocco, investigators Chris Parker and Chad Minuto, and members of the NYS Police.

Jay W. Schafer, 26, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a firearm. He was arrested at 2:15 a.m. on June 19 after an incident at his residence. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and jailed in lieu of $1,500 cash bail or $3,000 bond. He is due back in city court at a later date. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.

Brandon L. Lucas, 35, of Manhatten Square, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree and unlawful possession of marijuana. Lucas was arrested at 6:58 p.m. June 18 on Main Street following a traffic stop. He was found to be driving while his driver's license was suspended. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or bond. He was due to return to city court on June 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer James DeFreze.

From Dan McComb:

The Batavia 24U Baseball Team beat North Buffalo in a rematch Tuesday 11-1 to remain unbeaten at 4-0.

Batavia trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the third, but erupted for 10 runs.

With the bases loaded and one out, Casey Radka laid down a bunt which was mishandled by the pitcher who threw wildly, scoring three runs.

With the bases loaded and four runs in already, AJ Marcello drilled a two-run single to make it 6-0.

Josh Baptiste followed with a single to make it 7-0, and Josh Bradley and Tristan Aldinger also delivered RBI hits.

Every batter for Batavia scored a run in that decisive third inning.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Zeke Lynn drew a walk and Luke McComb singled. Baptiste followed with an RBI single to place the 11^thrun.

The game was stopped after four and a half innings due to the 10-run rule.

Zeke Lynn started on the mound and went three innings, allowing one run.

Radka relieved in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and escaped without allowing a run.

Jerry Reinhardt took over in the fifth inning and had a 1-2-3 inning.

Batavia’s next game is at home against Lockport at 6 p.m. this Sunday, June 23, at Genesee Community College.

Lockport had the best regular season record last year.

Press release:

Join the Genesee County Parks along with the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club and try out fishing at DeWitt Recreation Area from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 29th.

Kids up to age 16 can join the fun and get the chance to win a prize with the Kendra Haacke Memorial Fishing Derby, sponsored by the Oakfield-Alabama Lions Club. Prize includes fishing gear donated by Cabela’s of Cheektowaga.

No fishing license required, this is part of the NYSDEC’s Free Fishing Weekend. Perfect for beginners!

Program meets at Pavilion 3. Friendly guides will be on hand to assist you.

Fishing gear provided or bring your own. Bait provided through a generous donation by Walmart of Batavia.

Call 585-344-1122 register or walk-ins also welcome.

For more information visit the parks' website here, or contact Shannon Lyaski at Shannon.Lyaski@co.genesee.ny.us or (585) 344-1122.

A friend of turtles removed a large snapping turtle from the roadway on River Street. An officer confirmed this for dispatch and the animal control officer was informed.

Don't know the location on River that the turtle was found.

In a 12U girls fastpitch softball game played at Kibbe Park on Tuesday, a team comprised of players from Batavia, Le Roy, and Elba, beat a team comprised of players from Alexander, Lyndonville, Perry 10-9.

Katie Landers had three hits, three RBIs, and scored two runs for the Batavia team.

Loretta Sorochty allowed two runs and four hits over three innings. She had seven Ks.

Karissa Kendall gave up one run and one hit over two innings.

Emily Pietrzykowski, of Alexander, had two hits.

As the school year comes to a close for Batavia students, administrators await new beginnings. Batavia City School District named Scott Bischoping its interim superintendent as Superintendent Christopher Dailey transitions to Greece Chili next month.

Dailey was appointed as the superintendent of Gates Chili Central School District in April. BSCD announced that from July 1, 2019, to Jan. 1, 2020, Bischoping, the deputy superintendent of Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES, will step into Dailey’s role.

Bischoping began his career in education more than three decades ago as a teacher at Livonia Central School District. He most recently served in an advisory role to the superintendent of BOCES in Newark. The Board of Education expressed its confidence in the leadership and experience Bischoping will bring to this position.

In the interim, Board of Education members and consultants will conduct a six-month search to determine the best candidate for the permanent appointment.

Dailey was awarded the BCSD Foundation Apple Award at the board meeting Tuesday in recognition of his support for students and families since he began as superintendent in 2013. Parents thanked Dailey for his involvement in the lives of their students and wished him luck at his new school district.

During his last board meeting at Batavia, Dailey spoke about his gratitude to the Board of Education, the community and faculty and staff for the opportunity to make BCSD a top place to work.

“We’ve accomplished so much together,” Dailey said. “When our 2020 Vision Capital project is finished in the fall, we’ll have state-of-the-art facilities that our community can be proud of. We’ll carry on our vision of continuing to lead, not follow, in our region.

“On a personal note, I have thoroughly enjoyed my 11 years at Batavia, starting as a high school principal, then deputy superintendent and eventually superintendent for the last six and a half years. I’d like to think that I have exemplified our ideal of ‘Take Care of BCSD.’ ”

Dailey congratulates Bischoping and trusts that the search committee will find a new superintendent who will continue the work being done in the district.

Board President Patrick Burke, who described Dailey as a “cheerleader” for staff, responded, “You have never, ever disappointed me in any way, shape or form … You’ve done an exemplary job for our students, all students, no matter what.

“You’ll be going to a bigger school district with other challenges and other students … You’ll have to make sure [staff members] take care of Gates Chili Central School District as well as you’ve taken care of the Batavia City School District. You’ll be really missed here.”

Batavia PD is conducting a burglary investigation and is asking members of the public to help identify the people in these photos.

Residents with information can contact Det. Matthew Wojtaszczyk at (585) 345-6357, or call the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.

Press release:

Are you looking for a fun program to get your children involved in this summer? Well, the 2019 Batavia Summer Recreation Program, operated by the Batavia Youth Bureau, is scheduled for July 1-Aug. 9 (no program on July 4).

This year a structured program will be run in four city parks and they are as follows: Farrell, Lambert, Lions and Williams. There will be NO John Kennedy site this year due to construction at the school.

This FREE program has something for everyone…sports, arts and crafts, educational activities, physical activity, creativity, socialization, fun, health and wellness, and much more. A FREE and nutritious lunch will also be available to those children who are registered.

Each park will be run by two to five recreation leaders who will have participated in a two-day training in the areas of: Basic First Aid; Child Abuse Indicators and Reporting Procedures; Working with Diverse Populations/Bullying; Crafts and Games; Youth Development; and the Importance of Recreation.

The recreation leaders will also have participated in basic CPR Training.

During the training, Youth Bureau staff continually stress the importance of safety. Keeping the young participants safe is of the utmost importance and is our number one concern. Each park will also be equipped with a cellular phone for emergency situations.

The Parks Program is offered to youngsters ages 6-14. It is a drop-in program that runs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. This program is for school-aged children and is not an appropriate daycare situation.

The recreation leaders at each park will be responsible for structuring their individual park and creating a schedule each week that will be sent home with each child.

The program will be primarily recreational in nature, but will also have an educational component. In addition to the activities offered directly at the park, we have scheduled swimming at the YMCA, Safe Summer Children’s Carnival, Muckdogs Camp, Trips to the Nature Center at the Genesee County Park, Community Service Day, Hula Hoop presentations and more!

The Youth Bureau will be offering an Open House from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26^th at Farrell Park, 100 James St., to preregister children for the program.

This is also an opportunity for parents to ask questions and become more familiar with each aspect of the program.

You can register your child for a park on any day that the program runs. You will be asked to complete a registration card for your child or children for emergency purposes and to sign a walking field trip permission slip. A separate registration card will need to be completed to participate in the lunch program.

Each child must be registered to attend a program at a park.

For more information about the 2019 Summer Recreation Program, call the Batavia Youth Bureau at 345-6420.

County officials can expect a state rebate for their energy-saving efforts that began last spring.

How much of a rebate remains to be seen, Deputy Highway Superintendent Paul Osborn told the Public Service Committee on Monday.

In the update, Osborn said his department is waiting to receive summary reports from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to show where savings have been made and where more savings can occur later on.

“NYSERDA still has to review all of it to make sure that the realization of the energy savings that they say that they were going to do initially is realized again as well,” Osborn said. “And then, if there is more realization in the savings, then they give us a rebate for that.

“We are not anticipating a significant rebate, but we are anticipating some rebate from them. So, we can take that rebate and put it into some of those facilities that they reviewed that may need some work.”

Some cost savings will be realized with the completion of smaller projects like switching lighting in county buildings to more energy-efficient systems. More extensive projects include electrical panels, boilers, HVAC systems and breakers or air handlers.

So far, heating at County Building #1, ventilation and insulation work at the animal shelter and HVAC improvements to the highway garage have been underway.

Osborn said that once the NYSERDA report is released in late July, it will paint a clearer picture of where the funding can be allocated.

“Our biggest thing is we want to see the report — see where our idealized savings can be furthered,” Osborn said.

County Manager Jay Gsell added, “The Highway Department has one of our older buildings. [It] is also one that had probably the least internal changes made to it as with anything with HVAC and lighting and other things. So, this is one of those times, finally, let’s really make some significant improvements.”

The energy-savings projects are being conducted by Johnson Controls, which entered into a $4 million contract with the county last spring after the company conducted an energy consumption audit of county facilities in 2017.

The projected energy savings are expected to be nearly $4.3 million, for a potential net savings to the county of about $300,000.

There was debate about whether to hire Johnson Controls, but a key selling point was the claim that energy-saving projects will pay for themselves in 20 years.

Initially, legislators Gary Maha and Andrew Young approached the agreement with skepticism, while legislators Shelly Stein, Marianne Clattenburg and John Hilchey expressed their approval.

The Johnson Controls contract allows the county to undertake projects that are already part of the county's capital investment plans and save money on existing utilities. The money saved from lower energy costs will flow back into the capital project budget to cover additional upgrades.

Legislators seemed satisfied with the information contained in the energy-saving projects update and raised no objections.

Stein requested that Osborn return to the Public Service Committee in September to present the next update on Johnson Controls.

Press release:

Tops Friendly Markets Stars for Our Troops initiative is still underway until June 22.

The program welcomes the community to donate their worn and tattered American Flags at 33 select Tops Markets locations as well as their corporate office for proper retirement.

In Genesee County, the participating Tops location is the Batavia store on West Main Street.

In collaboration with partner veterans organizations, including Honor Flight and local VFWs, embroidered stars will be preserved and presented to local veterans who have defended our flag.

“The respect and gratitude we have for the people who serve and have served in the military is immeasurable, and for that we are forever grateful,” said Kathy Sautter, public and media relations manager for Tops.

"With the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, Tops wanted to offer the community this service to not only properly retire their flags, but also know they are in some small way extending their thanks and respect to a veteran through Stars for Our Troops."

Morgan Lee Cox Jr., 27, of Bates Road, Medina, is charged with aggravated harassment in the second degree. He was arrested on June 15 for allegedly threatening over the telephone at 2:20 a.m. on June 14 to burn another person's house down who lives on Pearl Street Road in Batavia. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia Town Court on June 24. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Nicole Jean Andrews, 37, of Boone Street, Buffalo, is charged with: third-degree burglary; possession of burglar tools; criminal tampering in the third degree; attempted petit larceny, and sixth-degree conspiracy. Jacquline M. Ross, no age or address provided, is charged with attempted petit larceny and sixth-degree conspiracy: At 3:04 p.m. on June 12, the GC Dispatch Center received a call of shoplifting in progress at a department store on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia. Following an investigation, the defendants were arrested. Andrews was arraigned in Batavia Town Court and jailed without bail. Ross was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia Town Court at a later date. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Sgt. Andrew Hale and Investigator Chris Parker.

Herbert B. Gennis, 25, of Raymond Avenue, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. He is arrested at 12:58 p.m. on June 15 on Holland Avenue in Batavia, incident details not provided, and issued appearance tickets for June 25 in Batavia City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Post.

Malik I. Ayala, 27, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested on June 14 for allegedly stealing items from a store on East Main Street in Batavia at 7:49 p.m. on April 9. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on June 25. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Alexandra R. Lasky, 29, of Seven Springs Road, Batavia, was arrested on a Batavia City Court warrant for failure to appear after she was located during a traffic stop in Monroe County on June 16. She was arraigned in Batavia City Court and jailed in lieu of $500 cash bail or bond. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider.