batavia

The Genesee County Business/Education Alliance (BEA) is holding the first of what they hope will be an annual summer camp this year. It's called the "MST Explorer Camp," and will engage middle-schoolers in hands-on activities related to careers in math, science and technology.

This is a first for BEA, which hosts a "MASH (Medical Academy of Science and Health) Camp" and a "Culinary Camp" every summer (see last month's announcement for more details on these and for pictures).

BEA Coordinator Melinda Chamberlin started planning the MST camp in the spring, along with Debbie Dunlevy, who works with GCC's Tech Prep Program, and Bob Hollwedel, a technology instructor at Alexander Middle School.

Clay Maderer, a technology teacher at Batavia Middle School and a member of the MST camp's development team, said that the idea arose, in part, from the success and popularity of GCC'S Tech Wars.

"We wanted to see that type of activity carry over into the summer," Maderer said.

Current job market trends, both in the Western New York area and in the nation as a whole, were also a factor.

"We hope this brings home to students the relevance of these subjects in the real world," Chamberlin said. "We also hope it shows them that math, science and technology can be cool and interesting."

All of BEA's camps are geared toward middle-schoolers. According to Chamberlin, those students are at a stage of development at which they can start to become passionate about certain subjects and find out what they like.

"They're at an age where you can really start to influence their career interests," she said. "That doesn't mean forcing them into anything, it just means that we can, and should, help them to become more well-informed about career choices (before they spend a lot of money on college)."

Although the MST has not been done before, the MASH and Culinary camps have both gotten great responses from students.

"They love it," Chamberlin said. "Some of them will even go from one camp to another."

The MST camp will include presentations given by professionals in a variety of different fields, exposing the kids to specific math, science and technology-related careers. For instance, representatives from Time Warner Cable will do a session on how the company delivers information to the world.

Additionally, a middle-school-age race car driver (along with others) will be there to help teach them about aerodynamics.

But these "instructors" are not just going to be feeding kids information, like in a stereotypical classroom setting. All of the planned activities are hands-on, so the students will be able to learn by direct, personal engagement.

Charles "Chip" Malone of Cornell Cooperative Extension will be in charge of an energy exhibit where the kids will try to activate various appliances -- including cell phones, lights and kitchen appliances -- by peddling stationary bicycles (thus generating an air current)...

"...which is really cool," Malone said. "They'll have a lot of fun with that."

The idea, according to Hollwedel, is to help them gain an "appreciation of how much energy the things they own use."

The kids will also work at designing their own bridges, modifying/adapting CO2 cars to run more efficiently and racing them to find out whose is the best.

MST is a one-day camp. There will be two sessions -- one on July 20 for boys, and another on July 21 for girls. Both sessions will be at Batavia Middle School, at 96 Ross St. in Batavia, and last from 7:45 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The decision to devote one day to each gender group was based on the observations of middle-school teachers and made for the benefit of the kids.

"Girls tend to be resistant in technology class," Hollwedel said, "because boys are stereotypically more inclined toward technology, tools, etc. So with guys around, the girls can become intimidated and afraid to try things on their own."

"If the camp were co-ed, the girls would be more likely to just go along with what the guys say," said Samantha Lippman, a science teacher at Alexander Middle School and a member of the MST development team. "This way they can work independently, pitch in and come up with their own ideas. And with all the hands-on activities, they'll be able to see that they can do it."

"What we want to do for both boys and girls," Chamberlin said, "is give them an opportunity to excel and to work without having to worry about intimidation or pressure."

The MST Camp is open to all students in Genesee County who will be entering grades 7, 8 and 9 in the fall. There is room for 11 more students, and registrations will be accepted until July 2.

There is a $25 admission fee to cover operating expenses and lunch for the students.

For details, call Chamberlin at 343-7440, ext. 25, or e-mail mchamberlin@mail.geneseeny.com.

Polka is one of those musical styles that just unavoidably brings a smile to your face. It was an appropriate choice to kick off a fun concert season in Jackson Square on Friday evening. And the Bedrock Boys didn't disppoint.

For more on upcoming shows, check the Jackson Square ad on the right side of the page. The series includes blues, rock, country and jazz and continues through August.

More pictures after the jump:

This weekend, horses and riders from throughout Western New York again converged on Batavia Downs for a horse show and riding competition.

The show continues today and tomorrow.

More photos after the jump:

City Fire is being asked to investigate the smell of smoke in the area of Jackson and Maple streets, Batavia.

UPDATE 11:33 p.m.: Appears to be unfounded.

Theodore R. Cooper, 27, of  59 Spencer Ave., Oswego, was arrested at his home on a warrant issued by Batavia City Court following an investigation by Batavia City Police into a fraud complaint.

It is alleged that on Dec. 30, 2009 and on Feb. 3, 2010 Cooper went to the home of an elderly Batavia resident and claimed he was a roofing contractor and claimed she had a problem with her roof.

On both occasions Cooper was alleged to have been at the residence for about 15 minutes and charged the woman a total of $5,500. Inspection of the roof reveals that no repairs were done by Cooper. The roof had been put on new in 2008 by a local established roofing company and appeared in good condition.

Cooper was charged with one count of grand larceny, 3rd. He was arraigned by Judge Robert Balbick and remanded to the Genesee County Jail. No bail was set. He will appear in City Court again on Monday. The investigation was conducted by Detective Charles Dudek.

Here's a news release from a brand-new enterprise:

Local residents interested in expanding their fitness options will have a new choice to consider when En Garde: Batavia, a new fencing club, opens on July 1 in the Artisan Center on Harvester Avenue.

Several classes will be available for adults and children. No prior athletic experience is necessary.

Colin Dentino, a Batavia resident and lifelong fencing enthusiast, is the owner/lead instructor of En Garde: Batavia and believes that the benefits of the sport are far-reaching.

“Fencing is great because it allows anyone to be successful," he said. "Each fencer has his/her own style and technique so everyone you fence is a different puzzle to be solved."

Dentino first started fencing at the age of 4 under the guidance of Sir John Halasz, from the esteemed Hungarian fencing program.

“I’ve been trained more as a fencing coach than a fencer,” he notes.

Sport fencing is an interval-based sport with ties to martial arts and yoga. Interval-based physical activities burn 30 percent more calories than steady-state exercise. But beyond that, fencing is a sport that can be enjoyed by the entire family, for a lifetime.

“It can be great fun to come in as a family and get everyone involved,” Dentino said. “Because people with various fitness levels can be successful fencers, it can build confidence for those new to exercise.”

The benefits of fencing do not stop there; fencing is a game of analytical decision making and as such, can improve things like creative problem solving and long-term goal planning.

“Fencing is referred to as ‘physical chess’,” Dentino says, “It’s not always the case that the stronger, faster fencer wins.”

Hourly afternoon and evening classes meet twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays and also on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning July 1. Hours are 4 to 5, 5 to 6, 6 to 7, and 7 to 8.

Children and adults aged “5 to 95" who are interested in "health and mental wellness” are encouraged to attend. Monthly cost is a flat $50 per person, and includes all equipment. There are no long-term contracts, it's a month-to-month deal.

Weekly summer camp sessions for children aged 9 to 16 and up run from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. starting in mid-July and continuing until late August. Cost is $125 a week and includes all equipment. The schedule is as follows:

• July 12 – 16
• July 19 – 23
• July 26 – 30
• August 2 – 6
• August 9 – 13
• August 16 – 20
• August 23 - 27

For more information about En Garde: Batavia, contact Colin Dentino at 585-409-3993, email at engardebatavia@me.com, or visit www.engardebatavia.com.

Melissa Christine Schnitzer, 22, of Daunton Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 and failure to reduce speed. Schnitzer was stopped at 1:21 a.m., Friday, by Sgt. Brian Frieday in the area of 6734 Randall Road, Stafford.

Denise M. Groff, 33, of Highland Parkway, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and failure to keep right. Groff was stopped at 1:38 a.m., Friday, on Route 33, Stafford, by Sgt. Greg Walker.

Jeremy M. Denton, 24, of 481 Ladue Road, Brockport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and failure to keep right. Denton was stopped at 1:24 a.m., Friday, by Le Roy Police Sgt. Michael Hare on West Main Street, Le Roy.

James D. Holstein, 60, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny, grand larceny, 4th, grand larceny, 3rd. Holstein was taken into custody by State Police for an alleged incident on Jan. 12, 2009. No further details available.

Driving back from the Corfu fire, I spotted this green dune buggy in front of Pellegrino's Auto Sales. Turns out it's Joe's summer ride. It's a 1965 VW. Joe said he bought it out of state three years ago and it only has 69,000 original miles on it. It's not for sale.

Speaking of Bugs, I saw a Love Bug VW on Ellicott Street the other day, but couldn't get turned around to go back and get a picture.

Sitting on our deck this evening, I looked up, and there was the moon.

Noisy power tools and a smell like pesticides is reported at 16 N. Pearl St., Oakfield.

A firefighter reports that there is pesticide spraying and packing going on at the "old golf park."

The complaint was intitially called in by Department of Public Works employees.

The Downtown Public Market opened today.

Above, Salters Alston, proprietor of Alston's Bone Sucking BBQ Sauce, serves up a mound of his pulled pork.

Between Alston's and the Jackson Street Grill stand, the market is going to be a great place to stop for lunch on Thursdays.

And then you can pick yourself up a few big, plump tomatoes to take home.

Brian P. Demko, 32, of Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, failure to keep right, moved from lane unsafely, drove left of pavement markings, operating with unsafe tire. Demko was allegedly involved in a single-car accident at 10:20 p.m., Wednesday, in the area of 8094 Route 98, Batavia. Demko is accused of making a right-hand turn a little early and striking the guide wire of a utility pole, causing damage. Demko then allegedly drove from the scene with a flat tire. He was located at 4320 Commerce Drive, Batavia. The incident was investigated by Deputy Patrick Reeves. (Correction: This item previously used the incorrect first name of "Paul." The Batavian apologizes for the error.)

Michael A. Witkop, 18, of 249 Ross St., Batavia, is charged with sexual misconduct. Witkop is accused of having sex with a girl under the age of 17, who is deemed incapable of giving consent because of her age.

Jason Ross Graybill, 26, of Victor Lane, Hamlin, was arrested on a Monroe County bench warrant. Graybill was reportedly a passenger in a vehicle stopped for an alleged traffic violation when he was identified and the warrant was discovered.

Jason Molino can hit. He's no Mickey Hyde, who easily won the "home run" hitting contest at Dwyer Stadium tonight, but he looked good at the plate and hit some shots.

It was the "Pep Dog Rally" in preparation of the season opener on Saturday. The turn out was good, and the evening was a heck of a lot of fun.

After the contest, the players of the 2010 Muckdogs introduced themselves and then fans were invited onto the field to collect autographs.

The player in the center of this picture is Nick Longmire. He's a 5th-round draft pick of the Cardinals, which means he's a legitimate prospect. He's a center fielder who has some power. That's cool. But what's really cool: He's a graduate of my alma mater, Grossmont High School, La Mesa, Calif. His mother also graduated from GHS, in 1978, two years ahead of me. So guess who will be my favorite Muckdog this season? Go Foothillers!

More pictures after the jump:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley issued the following news release today after Albany passed its 11th "budget extender."

“After two and half months, and 11 emergency budget extenders, New Yorkers are still without a state budget. In that time, we’ve seen our schools, local governments, contractors, state parks, and small businesses left in jeopardy as their fates have been left in the hands of weekly budget extenders.

"Although the ‘good’ that has come out of these extenders includes the reopening of state parks, some contractual obligations being met, school districts receiving their state aid, and other essential state services remaining open, the ‘good’ has without a doubt come with plenty of ‘bad’ and ‘ugly’ costs.

“The bad consists of the simple fact that since April 1, the more than $9 billion budget gap has hardly been addressed. Instead, the most recent extenders have raised fees by nearly $4 million, raided $80 million from the Environmental Protection Fund, and introduced ‘savings,' rather than make the real cuts that are needed.

Additionally, this process does not allow schools, local governments, and businesses with state contracts to formulate their own budgets. Even uglier, because of the lack of a transparent budget process, the ‘three men in a room’ may close these budget shortfalls with more taxes, more state borrowing, and even more of the special-interest-driven backroom deals that put our state in this fiscal crisis to begin with.

“These budget extenders are simply laying the framework for another over-bloated state budget to be passed through a piecemeal process. I again voted against the budget extenders and ask that my colleagues in the Assembly and Senate majorities open up the budget process, allow needed input from rank-and-file members, and see to it that it is passed immediately.”

If people in the Town of Batavia want public water, they are going to have to let it be known and help lobby for grant money, according to town officials.

Government tests on private wells show there is contamination of varying degrees, which is, of course, unhealthy. The arduous process of getting loans and grants approved to extend public water lines calls for a united, consistent effort to make it happen, says Town Engineer Steve Mountain.

"We at the town can only do so much," Mountain said. "We are no further along than before but we have all the necessary information."

There are meetings planned with officials at all levels of government, regulatory agencies and scientists. Grant applications were sent to the USDA three months ago, but perhaps due to a backlog of applications in a sluggish economy, there's no word yet on the status.

Without grants, estimated annual water costs for residents would be:

• Creek/East Roads -- $1,190
• Pratt Road -- $1,982
• Wortendyke Road -- $2,230
• Batavia northeast of Rte. 98 -- $1,940
• Batavia northwest of Rte. 98 -- $1,667.

Estimated costs with grants would average of $750 per year per household in the water districts.

A Batavia Town Board Meeting is at 7 tonight and residents are encouraged to attend to learn more about the well contamination problem, what is being done about it and to let their wishes be known regarding establishing public water districts.

If they want to continue working to bring public water to the area, they need to step it up and if there's a lack of interest, say so, Mountain said.

To move ahead, a resident from each proposed water district will need to circulate a legal petition in order to proceed. The legal approval process can take anywhere from a few months to two years.

In addition, Mountain said he encourages residents to send letters to county, state and federal officials.

The short list would include Congressman Chris Lee, senators Mike Ransenhofer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Charles Schumer, Assemblyman Steve Hawley and the Genesee County Legislature.

The area of initial concern regarding well-water quality was State Street, Batavia-Elba Townline and Bank Street roads and tests in this area were funded by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Testing was eventually done on all private wells, and the additional testing was paid for the town.

Fourteen out of 38 well tested positive for bacteria and 12 out of 13 had elevated nitrate levels between 0.05 parts per million (ppm) and 9.99 ppm. One out of 13 had nitrate levels greater than or equal to 10 ppm.

Joshua John King, 21, of 42 Genesee St., Attica, is charged with harassment, 2nd. King is accused of using his account on Facebook to send threatening messages to another Facebook member.

William D. Hirsch III, 23, of 11025 Buckman Road, Bethany, is charged with burglary, 2nd, criminal contempt, 1st, and stalking, 4th. Hirsch is accused of showing up at the house of a protected person and entering and staying without permission with the intent to stalk that person. He's also accused of sending text messages to that person, whom he was ordered not to contact. He allegedly caused that person to fear for his or her safety. He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Philip M. Niccloy, 23 of 75 Summit St., Le Roy, is charged assault, 2nd. Niccloy allegedly punched another person in the face, causing extended pain, numbness and diminished eye sight and multiple fractions of the victim's facial bones. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Andre Leigh Little, 21, of Ham Road, Alabama, is charged with petit larceny. Little allegedly stole three pre-paid phone cards from the TA Travel Plaza.

Jasmine Lynn Oliver, 20, of Water Street, Attica, is charged with petit larceny. Oliver was taken into custody on a bench warrant out of Niagara County.

We're starting farmers market and road-side stand season, so good fresh fruits and vegetables will be bountiful (can't wait for the sweet corn to arrive). Yesterday, the farmers market at Batavia Downs opened. Tomorrow, the downtown public market at Center and Ellicott will open.

Sandra Cassandra sells a bag of cherries to David Hiscutt.

Do you know any of the men in this photo? Researcher and historian Teunis Schuurman from the Netherlands is trying to identify all the men, who were aboard a plan believed to have crashed in his hometown during World War II. He believes S/Sgt. Joseph Deffner, from Batavia, is in the front row, but isn't entirely sure which man he is. He's hoping for help in identifying him as well as finding out as much information about him as possible. Teunis can be reached at teun.pats@gmail.com.

When you attend a Batavia Muckdogs game at Dwyer Stadium, if you think you're there to watch a baseball game, you've missed at least 65 percent of the reason to be there on a warm summer night.

The main reason to be at Dwyer is the people the stands -- your neighbors, friends and family -- and if you don't know anybody, just start talking, you'll soon make a new friend.

Bill Kauffman writes a lovely tribute to his friend Dennis Bowler for the Front Porch Republic, St. Dennis of the Bleachers.

The home opener for the Muckdogs is Saturday.  I hope to see you there.