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UPDATED: Closures due to winter storm Christmas weekend

By Joanne Beck

This post will be anchored at the top of the home page for the next day or two.  Scroll down for additional news items.

Please send closures and cancellations to news@thebatavian.com

The following places have made closure announcements due to the impending storm:

  • Batavia City School District will be closed Friday due to the forecasted weather conditions, Superintendent Jason Smith said.  Schools will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. 
  • City of Batavia and Genesee County offices and buildings will be closed on Friday. They will reopen on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
  • Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union in Batavia will be closed Friday.
  • Cornell Cooperative Extension and Genesee and Leadership Genesee offices will be closed Friday, December 23, 2022, due to the severe weather forecast.  The offices will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 27, 2022.
  • Due to the projected inclement weather, Pavilion Central School will be closed tomorrow December 23rd and through the weekend. All afternoon and evening activities for today are still scheduled.
  • The Town of Batavia Offices will be closed Friday, Dec. 23, 2022, due to the severe weather forecast. The Department of Public Works and Essential personnel will be available. The Town Office will re-open Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022, at 8:30 a.m.
  • County Court and City Court will operate on an "emergency operations" basis on Friday.  Click here for details and court contact information.
  • Hollwedel Memorial Library will be closed on Friday.
  • Morganville United Church of Christ in Stafford has canceled services for Saturday and Sunday.
  • Community Action of Orleans and Genesee will be closed on Friday due to the anticipated storm and on Monday in observance of the Christmas holiday. 
  • UMMC is closing non-emergency, non-essential services. For details, click here.
  • Elba Central is closed due to the winter storm on Friday, Dec 23rd, including all extracurricular and athletic events. We look forward to seeing our Lancer family on January 3, 2023! 
  • Mental Health Association of Genesee & Orleans Counties is closing both our Batavia and Albion offices Friday and will reopen Tuesday.
  • Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced they will be closed on Friday beginning at 11:30 a.m. The hotel will remain open for those that are already staying or who have reservations tonight.  We urge everyone to please be safe and obey all travel advisories. A decision on whether Batavia Downs will reopen on Saturday will be posted on our social media pages and website in the morning.
  • UR is closing its building in Batavia, which includes: Primary Care, Urology, Hematology and Oncology, ENT, Neurosurgery
  • Batavia First Presbyterian has canceled tonight's Eve of Christmas Eve service.
  • The LeRoy and Batavia offices of Village Physical Therapy will be closing at 1 p.m. today. Village Fitness in LeRoy will also be closing at 1 p.m. today, will remain closed Saturday & Sunday, and will reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday.
  • All VA Outpatient Patient Clinics in Buffalo and Batavia
  • North Darien Bible Church is canceling our Christmas Eve Service, but we will have our Christmas Day service at 10 a.m.
  • Le Roy Federal Credit is closing today at 2 p.m.
  • Tops is closed until Monday morning.
  • A travel ban has been issued for Genesee, Erie, Niagara and Orleans Counties. All Masses at Ascension Parish are canceled for Saturday and  Sunday. There will be no livestream of Mass.
  • Perry Veterinary Clinic is closed Saturday.
  • Everpresent Church Christmas service is rescheduled for 7 p.m. on Sunday evening. 
  • Walmart is closed until Monday morning.

This list will be updated as new information is received. To submit your closure announcement, send to news@thebatavian.com

City and county offices will be closed Friday

By Press Release

Press Release

City of Batavia and Genesee County offices and buildings will be closed on Friday due to the severe weather forecast.

The City and County are committed to ensuring the safety of their workforce and citizens and therefore are taking this precautionary measure. With the predicted drop in temperature, rain turning to ice, snow and high winds, travel should be avoided.

Both City of Batavia and County offices are scheduled to re-open Tuesday, Dec. 27.
 

Gala celebrates 25 years of Crossroads House

By Joanne Beck

What better way to celebrate your 25th anniversary than a red carpet affair?

That’s exactly what Crossroads House organizers thought. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Jan. 28 at Batavia Downs Park Place Entertainment Center, Park Road, Batavia.

“We’re going to do a lot of celebrating,” Director of Development Vicki Johnson said. “There will be a memorabilia table and photos, and the auctions.”

For musical entertainment, Dueling Pianos International will be performing in a fun, light-hearted style, she said. Patrons can offer tips for a pianist to play a particular song, or to stop playing one, she said.

Going along with that musical theme, the reverse auction includes a piano pin with a flashing light to indicate who is still in during the drawing. Once a number is pulled, the light goes out.

A buffet dinner with cash bar will begin at 6 p.m. The evening will include several auctions in the form of a live one — maybe you’d like to bid on four tickets to see comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, a comfy recliner, or an overnight getaway — silent auctions of various gift packages and a reverse auction with a cash prize.

Never heard of a reverse auction? It works completely opposite of most raffle drawings, in which participants are eliminated as their numbers are drawn, dwindling down to a final winner. Or perhaps the last two remaining participants will opt to split the cash pot.

Star tributes may be purchased for $25 to honor or memorialize someone special, because, after all, this is a time to recognize the stars in one’s life, organizers said. Past and present employees, volunteers, board members and families served are invited to join in the celebration.

The first resident’s name was Jean, and she moved into Crossroads House on Jan. 7, 1998. A process that took two years and many hands — of staff, volunteers, board and community members — has established a comfort care home for 575 residents, Johnson said. (For the full story, click HERE.)

Future goals are to continue educating the community about the fragile topic of death and to open a second home.

In the meantime, the Red Carpet Gala is an occasion to celebrate the accomplishments and lives that have been touched by Crossroads House.

Tickets are $75 each, which includes dinner, entertainment, auctions, free 5X7 photos for each couple or group, and $15 Free Play. A VIP sponsorship is $1,000 for a table of eight, and also includes an hour of open bar at 4 p.m., special seating and advertising throughout the evening.

“We’re lining our red carpet with stars in memory or honor of someone,” Johnson said. “The board is hosting it, and the goal was really to celebrate.”

Go here for tickets.  Seating is limited to 350, and Johnson recommends reserving your spot soon. Stars may be purchased up to the date of the event.

Photo: Vicki Johnson, director of development, Kathy Panepento, founder and director of resident care and doula services, and former nurse Betty James reminisce with a scrapbook of history about Crossroads House. Photo by Joanne Beck.

People, stories, community support and nurturing have been part of Crossroads House for 25 years

By Joanne Beck

Memories began as a trickle, and soon they were gushing as Kathy Panepento and Betty James recalled the early days of Crossroads House.

There were certainly recollections of how the comfort care home became a fixture in Batavia, but perhaps even more special were the people that filled the beds over the last two and a half decades.

Like the gentleman who had three wishes to not die at his residence, have a beer and watch the Buffalo Bills game scheduled for later that day, Panepento said. He moved into Crossroads, and she went home to get him a beer; however, he died in a short six hours, before the game came on.

“But he got two wishes,” she said.

Crossroads House will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a Red Carpet Gala on Jan. 28 at Batavia Downs. (See related article for details.)

Panepento has been the face of Crossroads as a registered nurse in the hospice field and eventual founder of the site in January 1998. She has worked at Buffalo Hospice and helped to get a hospice for Genesee, and Wyoming County certified, training volunteers and continuously learning about the needs of the community.

She had gone from the OB-GYN field to hospice because “I fell in love with it.”

“You know, it’s such a personal approach,” Panepento said. “So then I got involved with the planning committee with them starting hospice with JD LeSeur and Father Scheider. And I was the first paid employee and training the hospice volunteers … and then getting it to certification and getting it approved by the State Department of Health.”

Filling a need
That was for the two-county hospice program. Panepento observed something about how the medical system was working: people weren’t dying quickly enough, which meant they couldn’t go to a hospital, yet also couldn't safely remain at their own residence, and instead were transferred to a nursing home.

“And a lot of times, they died before the transfer or in an ambulance on the way to the nursing home. So it's like, man, we're missing something. Even though Hospice is a great organization, they're limited in what they can give. So we just need something to fill in that crack there,” she said. “So I had the dream in ’95, my husband will recall: he said, ‘Oh no. What is it now?’ And I said we need to open up a comfort-care home. Batavia does not have an inpatient unit. They don't have a palliative care unit. There's only three beds in Genesee County for people that are dying.”

James, also a registered nurse who lives in Perry, became involved by way of Florida. One of her favorite aunts had been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, and James and husband Tom went to Florida to see her. Her aunt was in hospice care at home. And her uncle was “just on edge.”

“There was a knock on the door, and a hospice nurse entered. I could see a visible relaxation of him, and I thought it was just a wonderful thing,” James said. “When I came back, I talked it up. That didn’t go anywhere.”

Then she saw an ad for a nurse at the Hospice of Genesee and Wyoming County and became Panepento’s first hire.

“She had to teach me a lot; you’re going into people’s homes. They’re hurting; it’s more symptom control management,” James said. “God ordained me to this field. You get to know the person and their disease process.”

Panepento had to insert a story about James and a male patient with a king-sized bed. Part of the job is to assist people where they’re at and not move them, so James attempted to care for him. She admitted that she had never seen a bed that big, so it was a challenge to reach him.

“And she fell into bed with him,” Panepento said as she and James broke into a laugh.

“You have to have a sense of humor,” James said, recalling the reaction of her and the man. “We laughed.”

What's in a name?
The name Crossroads came during what the women believe was a divine moment. A group of them was having lunch — a routine event at the Red Osier — and had been trying to come up with a name for this comfort care home in Batavia. James was sitting next to a nurse at one end of the table.

“I said, ‘Oh, that sounds wonderful.’ She said, ‘what, I didn't say anything.’ And I heard it: Crossroads House. And she said, ‘that's it,’” James said. “That was heavenly ordained because I remember there was a God wink. Yes, I like that term.”

Panepento began to cite a Jeremiah verse: “Thus says the Lord: Stop at the crossroads and look around you. Ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. You will find rest for your souls.”

“I believe that God led us to bring it to reality,” James said.

And over these more than two dozen years, there have been people who came — not to die but to live — out their remaining days at the home on Liberty Street. There have also been families of those 575 residents that settled in to support, and spend time, laugh and cry, and often reconcile old hurts with, a loved one.

There was an older gentleman who was there with his wife. And they were just so tight, James said.

“He was here every morning and he'd sit by her side. Every Thursday, he knew I was working. This is about the connection you get. And he'd come with a bag of (items) for the house. And after she passed, I think he just needed to keep the connection here for a while. Every Thursday, he’d bring things like paper towels … it's just one of the thousand things in my head about this place.”

Over the years, there have been countless stories, and many events, including baptisms, weddings, birthday parties and showers.

Panepento added that families do come back after a loved one has died, “because we nurture them.”

“We've held them up. And you know, they come back, and it's like reunion time,” she said. “We always tell our families, you're gonna adopt the Crossroads House family, but we're gonna adopt you too. You’re family.”

Community support
That nurturing has also come from a supportive community — First Presbyterian agreed to rent a vacant property for $1 a month when nobody knew where and how a home would be established, and well-attended fundraisers and donations have helped to float the nonprofit all these years while it charged nothing for the service.

“What a blessing! Now we had a home that needed extensive repairs, and with no money to start the renovations. Then came more blessings. On two different occasions, we were able to get prisoners to help with the remodeling process. The community came through for us, and area businesses donated building supplies and equipment. We even got volunteers to provide the manual labor,” Panepento said. “Staff was hired, volunteers were trained, the house was named Crossroads House, marketing was begun, and we fund-raised until we knew we had enough operating capital to open our doors and provide our services.”

Organizers themselves also “dug into our own pocketbooks,” James said. It took $7,000 just to get incorporated. As the house furnishings — donations seemed to miraculously fill the void when needed. Learning that a new furnace requiring $800 down was soon followed by a donation of $800. Needs of furniture and appliances often happened the same way. It was as though their needs — often seemingly out of reach — were somehow met time and time again.

Panepento looked up from the sitting room, recalling a huge hole in the roof over the kitchen. It got repaired, and they just carried on, focusing on providing services of care, comfort, and genuine love. More recently, the donation of a handicap-accessible van has furthered the offerings to include outings with residents.

Living at Crossroads
They took in the first resident, Jean, on Jan. 7, 1998. She was a good friend, nurse and mentor whose husband came with their dog and stayed there with her. Jean even helped to train volunteers, giving nuggets of advice such as how to move someone properly. There are even committee meetings conducted in her room to keep her involved.

“So we brought that to her bedside, and she did life,” James said. “And that's when we say you're not here to die. You're here to live until you take that final breath, whenever that may be.”

Top Photo: Kathy Panepento and Betty James look at a scrapbook of Crossroads House history at the comfort care home on Liberty Street, Batavia. Photos by Joanne Beck.

Photos: Country Christmas lights

By Howard B. Owens

Our friend Paul Saskowski asked us to take a look at his impressive Christmas light display in Darien, at Harlow and Sumner roads.  Some of his lights came from the light display the DiSalvos used to put up on Fargo Road, so The Batavian made the road trip last night, stopping along the way to take pictures of the lights of other homes.

A country drive on a snow-covered December evening is good entertainment.  Christmas lights aren't just for city folks.  There's a particularly nice stretch along Alexander Road in Batavia where nearly every home on both sides of the road are lit up, and it's almost magical to drive through. A photo couldn't do the stretch justice.

The first four photos are of the light display of the Saskowski homestead.

Pearl Street Road.

Sumner Road

Sumner Road

Fargo Road, Darien

Route 5, Corfu

Route 5, Batavia

Sentencing to be consolidated for Batavia man who admits to crime committed after prior conviction

By Howard B. Owens

A Batavia man accused of possessing a handgun during an incident in the area of Ellicott Street and Court Street on Sept.30 entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge on Tuesday.

Terrance Y. Williams, 23, had sought a new attorney at a previous court appearance because he thought a new attorney could get him a better deal after he committed a crime while awaiting sentencing on a drug possession conviction.

As part of his plea deal, the cases were consolidated so he could be sentenced on both convictions simultaneously, but by law, whatever sentence he gets will be on both convictions, which will be served consecutively.   

He faces up to seven years in prison on the weapons charge. He can also be placed on parole for seven years and fined up to $5,000.  He's also eligible for probation.  The full range of sentencing options are open to Judge Melissa Cianfrini.

He was originally going to be sentenced on Tuesday afternoon, but because of a timing conflict with an ongoing, unrelated trial, Williams will be sentenced on a later date.

He entered a guilty plea to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony.

In August, Williams entered a guilty plea to a count of attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.

Law and Order: Duo from Buffalo accused of stealing 'felony amount' of merchandise from Dick's

By Howard B. Owens

Jaszandra M. Davis, 27, of Wade Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with grand larceny 4th, criminal possession of stolen property 4th, and possession of burglary tools, and Kai F. Morris, 19, of Shirley Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with grand larceny 4th, criminal possession of stolen property 4th, possession of burglary tools, and obstruction of governmental administration. Sheriff's deputies received a report of a possible theft in progress at Dick's Sporting Goods on Dec. 20, and when patrols arrived, they observed two individuals pushing a cart full of merchandise out of the store. Davis and Morris are accused of removing the merchandise from the store without paying for it. The cash value of the merchandise was not released, but the Sheriff's Office characterized it as "a felony amount" of stolen items. During the investigation, Davis and Morris were allegedly found in possession of stolen merchandise from multiple stores in the Buffalo area. Davis and Morris were released on an appearance ticket and ordered to appear in Town of Batavia Court at 10 a.m. on Jan. 4.  Assisting in the investigation were Sgt. Kyle Krzemien, Sgt. Mathew Clor, Investigator Kevin Forsyth, Deputy Nicholas Chamoun and Deputy Morgan Ewert.

Thomas Daniel Santos, 40, of West Ridge Road, Spencerport, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation 1st, driving while ability impaired by drugs, and failure to dim headlights. Santos was stopped on Dec. 3 at 12:06 a.m. on Route 33 in Bergen by Deputy Jonathan Dimming. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Shawn Richard Wisniewski, 33, of Medina, is charged with promoting prison contraband 1st. Wisnieski was allegedly found in possession of Suboxone while confined to the Genesee County Jail on Dec. 20 at 9:54 p.m. He was arraigned in City Court today.

Carrianne M. Rozbicki, 40, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Rozbicki is accused of stealing $69.27 in merchandise from Walmart on Dec. 17. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Chamber announces 2023 Home Show in April

By Press Release

Press release:

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the 2023 Home Show has been scheduled for April 14, 15 & 16, 2023. The Show will be held at the David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena, 22 Evans Street, Batavia.

Vendor applications are being accepted at this time. Applications can be downloaded from the Chamber’s website at https://geneseeny.com/chamber- signature-events/ and are available at the Chamber’s office, 8276 Park Road. Space is limited and on a first-come basis.

Any questions regarding the Show, please feel free to contact Kelly J. Bermingham at kbermingham@geneseeny.com or 585-343-7440, ext. 1026. 

Photo: File photo by Howard Owens. Guy Clark of Cedar Street Sales and Rentals shows off a riding mower for a young customer at this year's show.

Boys Basketball: Batavia falls to Sutherland 60-58

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia played another close game in Boys Basketball but, this time, came up just shy of a win, losing to Sutherland 60-58.

For Batavia, Sayer Siverling scored 16 points. Rasheed Christie, Estavon Lovett, Mickey McKenzie, and Carter McFollins each scored seven points.  Ja'Vin McFollins scored six, and Aiden Bellevia scored five.

Law and Order: Convicted child sex predator accused of possessing control substance in jail

By Howard B. Owens

Melvin Andre Huntley, 41, of Wilkenson Road, Batavia, is charged with promoting prison contraband 1st, promoting prison contraband 2nd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Huntley was accused of possessing and bringing a controlled substance into the Genesee County Jail at 7:35 p.m. Nov. 16. He was arraigned in City Court and released back into the custody of the jail. Previously: Child sex predator convicted by jury, faces possible life in prison

Brett M. Holt, 32, of West Center Street, Medina, and Kelly M. Holt, 46, of West Center Street, Medina, are each charged with petit larceny. On Dec. 12 at 5:20 p.m., dispatchers received a report of a theft in progress at Sally Beauty Supply on Veterans Memorial Drive. Patrols eventually located two individuals matching the description of the suspects inside of Kohl's Department Store. The suspects were returned to Sally's, where a witness identified them as the individuals suspected of stealing $400 in products. Both suspects were processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on appearance tickets.

Dustin Travis Forkell, 31, of Hulberton Road, Holley, is charged with falsifying business records, 1st, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, and criminal impersonation 2nd. Forkell is accused of possessing narcotics while being arrested on separate offenses in the City of Batavia on Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. He is accused of attempting to conceal his true identity while being processed at the Genesee County Jail. Forkell was released on an appearance ticket.

Alyssa Michele Harnish, 34, of Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Harnish was arrested on Dec. 14 as the result of an incident reported on Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. at a location on West Main Street Road, Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Stephanie Lynn Salcido, 33, of Ellicott Street Road, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, moving from lane unsafely, uninspected motor vehicle, unregistered motor vehicle, and aggravated unlicensed operation. Salcido was stopped on Dec. 15 at 2:38 a.m. on Lake Street Road, Le Roy, by Sgt. Matthew Clor. She is also accused of driving without a required interlock device. Salcido was issued an appearance ticket.

Kevin Quinn Widzinski, 29, of Hubbard Drive, Chili, is charged with DWI, moving from lane unsafely, and speed not reasonable and prudent. Widzinski was arrested by Deputy Zachary Hoy following the report of a motor vehicle accident on Dec. 15 at 7:24 p.m. on Warsaw Road in Le Roy. Widzinski was released on an appearance ticket.

Micahel Gilbert Hoskins, 50, of Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving an uninspected vehicle, and driving with an open alcohol container. Hoskins was stopped on Dec. 4 at 12:10 a.m. on Seven Springs Road, Stafford, by Deputy Ryan Mullen. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Tatiana Makarevic, 55, of Maple Road, Alabama, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and moving from lane unsafely. Makarevic was stopped on Dec. 15 at 8:48 p.m. on Alleghany Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Jacob Kipler. Makarevic was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on an appearance ticket.     

Karrie Ann Morrow, 40, of Alexander Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Morrow on Dec. 14 in connection with a theft reported at 2 a.m., Oct. 11 on Genesee Street, Pembroke. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Arthur James Brown, 48, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with sex offender failure to register a change of address. Brown is to report a change of address within the required 10 days for a registered sex offender. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held without bail.

Bryan D. McEwan, 36, of Darien, is charged with criminal mischief 4th and endangering the welfare of a child. McEwan was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 10:10 p.m. on Dec. 18 at a location in Darien. McEwan was released to a third party. No further information released.

Aging in place is not impossible, but answers should be in place as well

By Joanne Beck

You’re getting older, feeling those achy joints a bit more, cursing the stairs each time you need to use them, and wishing that perhaps you had better equipped the house to accommodate the future you.    

An unlikely scenario, you say? Not for countless senior citizens locally and across New York State, according to Rebecca Preve, executive director of the Association on Aging in New York.

“We all know that New York State is fourth in the nation in the over-60 population. In addition, census data indicate that the fastest-growing segment of the population is individuals over the age of 80. We know that the state's overall population is predicted to grow by 1.3 percent through 2040. But the 80-plus population will see growth of 42 percent,” Preve said during a Dec. 12 Senate hearing on aging-related needs. “Additionally, 70 percent of the older population will need some form of home care during their lifetime … The master plan on aging has instituted a division within the Department of Health for aging and long-term care. We are all enthusiastic about the opportunity to ensure we are looking at aging as a lifelong process, not just starting at the age of 60.”

Genesee County Office For the Aging Director Diana Fox and staff are working toward that end. The county Legislature just approved Fox’s request this past week to renew two grants with Caring Environments J&H, Inc. to assist older folks wanting to remain at home. The grant money helps seniors with expenses related to stair and vertical lifts, wheelchairs and bathroom modifications, such as revamping a bathtub into a shower. In fact, the last grant assisted six people this past year with that type of bathroom modification, she said.

A current contract with Caring Environments will extend the company's services as an installer at a cost of $140 per hour through March 11, 2024.

Your 'Future Self'
With the convergence of the largest age group to hit retirement age by 2030, issues of aging are right around the corner. And it’s about more than merely where to live, Fox said.

“It’s never too late to have those conversations, but what do you want it to look like as you age? To be able to think about where are you currently living? Where are you now to meet the needs of your future self?” she said. “How big are your doorways and hallways, can you get in and out? What is the lighting like, how do you get around, what will you need to get around? Talk to family members. Are there things you can plan for ahead of time?”

Other potential issues are maintaining the home and yard — will you need a landscaping service or at least someone to mow the lawn? Is your place too big; perhaps you need to downsize, she said. Are you near cultural, social and recreational sites to interact with the community? And last, but most importantly — are you taking care of yourself by making doctor visits, being socially connected, keeping active, eating well, and retaining healthy physical and mental well-being?

“We have staff available to have those conversations,” Fox said. “You want to have those conversations and be thinking about those things, ideally, before you hit a crisis.”

One such crisis could be the realization that those stairs are more a hindrance than a help. The grant money can go toward the related costs of a stair lift, or for a wheelchair, ramp, and bathroom modifications to, for example, install a shower when a bathtub is too difficult to use.

The Costs of Aging
The state’s masterplan needs to address the impacts of prevention, education, and accessibility,” Preve said.

“It also needs to ensure that all state government organizations are not working within silos to ensure we're an age-friendly state. As you are aware there's a rapidly growing aging population and, in conjunction with a significant rise in inflation, impacted older residents and increased demand for aging services by over 70 percent,” Preve said. “We continue to see significant waiting lists. For services, we're dealing with huge increases in the cost of raw materials, significant workforce shortages and increased customers.”

Those issues are also prevalent here, Fox said, with the home healthcare workforce being heavily dependent on a soft skill: they typically love what they do. Otherwise, the job usually requires anything from shopping and food prep to hands-on skills of dressing, toileting, eating, and such tasks to take care of one’s personal needs; strength to assist someone out of a chair or bed and when in the shower or bathroom; certification; and an acceptance of low pay in this field.

“I think you have to have a passion for the people,” Fox said. “I think our society doesn’t really value this; it is hard work you’re doing.”

And the Office For the Aging — which uses three different agencies for home health aides — can attest to the ongoing shortage of help, she said. Either there aren’t enough workers to begin with, or they are shuffled to fill in for another staffer who is sick or takes days off. Complaints about being unable to find someone has become constant murmurs in the community.

“They have trouble with being able to fulfill the requests. I hear that people are looking for someone,” she said. “Part of it is the pay; it has been historically low, and it has been something that there has been a lot of advocacy on to increase.

“We might authorize someone to have a personal aide come in for six hours a week. We might authorize it, but then there’s not someone to provide the care; they say all of their staff is full.”

Aging in Place
That’s why the “unmet needs” grants are so crucial, she said.

Genesee County is ripe with older, two-story homes that wreak havoc with inflamed knees and stability concerns. So the question is how are people going to live out those much-touted golden years? Can you renovate the home to accommodate physical needs, search for a one-story home or apartment, be able to hire a home health care aide, or purchase some equipment to make for easier access, such as stair lifts and wheelchairs?

“It really makes a difference for people to be able to stay in their homes,” she said. “To serve this aging population in order to serve the needs of people; it’s much cheaper to keep people in their homes. I feel like it’s something we in our country don’t particularly value.”

Preve also emphasized that point. Society looks at prevention measures within alcohol and substance abuse, but not so much when it comes to one’s long-term future and services such as Medicaid.

“We don't talk enough about preventing having people spend down to Medicaid or institutional care, and that's really what we want the master plan to focus on. Aging is a lifelong process. How can we make sure that we're targeting people in their 30s with high blood pressure because we know that that's going to impact Alzheimer's disease when they're in their later years?” Preve said. “So it really needs to be a cohesive thought process to ensure that we allow individuals to age in place and that we keep them off Medicaid because we know Medicaid is not sustainable at the current level.”

Mastering the Aging Process
To assist with aging in place, the OFA’s services include retirement planning seminars, tax help, and a Handyman Program, plus an Aging Mastery program twice a year — with the next one scheduled for February.

This program focuses on how to plan for getting older and living comfortably in one’s post-retirement years, Fox said.

“We spend a lot of time in our older years,” she said.

To learn more, sign up for the OFA’s newsletter by going HERE or calling 585-343-1611.

Top Photo of Rebecca (Becky) Preve, executive director of the Association on Aging in New York, from an online post; and File Photo of Diana Fox, director of Genesee County Office for the Aging, during a county meeting, by Joanne Beck.

Families, community treated to holiday cheer this weekend in Batavia

By Joanne Beck

Despite some typical wintry weather Saturday, participants, including Patricia Hurd, above, bedecked their vehicles and took a drive through Batavia in memory of Bob Zeagler, who was the epitome of holiday spirit with his highly decorated vehicles and even himself.

After the small car parade, many families gathered inside of Batavia's First Presbyterian Church to enjoy some refreshments, a visit with Santa Claus and a special treat of a toy.

Founded by Jenn Noon and Cortney Dawson, the event organizers thanked the community, which included the church, organizations, emergency responders, Boy Scouts and various donors, including The Little Free Pantry and several local businesses, for making the event possible.

Top Photo by Howard Owens. Above from the Little Free Pantry's online post about the event.

Photos: Arc GLOW's annual Chili and Chowder Fest

By Howard B. Owens

There was more than Arc's famous chili and chowder being served up Saturday and Sunday at Arc GLOW's Woodrow Road campus. There was also grilled cheese.

And baked treats.

And basket raffles.

The event is one of Arc's more significant fundraisers in Genesee County.

Photos by Howard Owens


Coach who rebuilt winning tradition for Batavia football steps down after 11 seasons

By Howard B. Owens

Six sectional titles and two state semifinals isn't a bad legacy for most coaches who have been leading varsity football squads for a lot longer than Brennan Briggs coached in Batavia.

Briggs accomplished that feat -- along with a career record of 88-25 -- over 11 seasons. 

In reality, Briggs won six sectional titles over nine seasons because the football program he inherited in 2012 was in shambles.  After years of posting losing records, the Blue Devils needed a coach who could restore player development, discipline, vision, and a relentless drive to win.  It took a couple of seasons for Briggs to fully instill a new system and new attitude in Batavia.  Once he did, the Blue Devils were consistently formidable opponents year after year, game after game.

In 2014, the Blue Devils won the school's first football sectional title since 1991.

"As a fellow BHS grad like Brennan, I know the pride that existed in Blue Devil football when I was a BHS student, and over his successful coaching tenure, Brennan re-instilled that great pride and tradition for all of us Batavians," Superintendent Jason Smith said.

But the effort it takes to consistently win in varsity-level football takes its toll. The coaching doesn't just happen between the lines on Friday nights or during afternoon workouts. There are scouting trips, hours of film review, team meetings, meetings with coaches, meetings with players and parents, and nights just thinking about the next game. Planning and preparation are hard work.  And it is year-round work.

"Brennan is the kind of coach who would never be out-coached," Athletic Director Mike Bromley said. "But that kind of work wears you down."

That's why Briggs is stepping down as head coach of the Batavia football team, and it's what Briggs said in his resignation letter:

It has been an unbelievable journey, but It's time for me to focus on the things I lost sight of over the years, and that's being a good husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. I've been caught up in the ‘process’ for so long, and it is affecting the people who I love the most. In this position, if you’re doing it right, the hours are endless, late nights are a regular, and stress is the norm. Everyone talks about balance. Balance has never been a strength of mine. I’m all in or I’m out. Balance is great, but when you want to be on top, there’s no such thing as balance, and that’s part of why I need to step down. My family needs me to be all in with them, for the long haul. Unfortunately, with my family health history, I believe if I continue down this path, I won’t be around for the ones who need me the most when they need me the most.

It's that all-in character about Briggs that both Smith and Bromley mentioned in discussing the coach's decision to step away from football.

"I have known Brennan and his family over the course of my life through a family friendship, and actually taught Brennan swimming in the Red Cross backyard swimming program in the 80s and early 90s," Smith said. "He is a class act all around -- a humble and confident leader, and I congratulate him personally and professionally on his success.  His wife Justine and children are certainly more than deserving of having their husband and father around more in their lives, and I wish them great happiness."

Bromley said he and Briggs have been discussing the coach's eventual resignation for a couple of years and what a hard decision it was to make, but, in the end, Briggs put his health and his family first.

"He is doing the right thing," Bromley said.

Briggs -- who had himself been a football and hockey star for Batavia --  joined Batavia's football program right out of college, first as a modified coach, then he spent two seasons as JV coach (going undefeated his second year).  He will continue on as a hockey coach, Bromley said. He also remains in his teaching position at Batavia Middle School.

Briggs will continue to have a positive impact on academics and athletics in the Batavia City School District, Bromley said.

"Anything Brennan wants to do, he’s going to be successful at because of his high energy, his work ethic, his character, and people feed off of those things," Bromley said.

Because Briggs built such a robust program, Bromley isn't worried about maintaining the high standards Briggs set.  All of the coaches at all levels of the program are invested in the system and understand it, so whoever steps into the head coach role next, while he might have his own ideas to impart, will find the scaffolding already in place that can build championship teams, he said.

In the near term, the JV team has had three consecutive undefeated seasons, and the modified team lost only one game this past season.

"Brennan has put a program in place that can be sustainable," Bromley said.

Van Detta has been regularly filled to capacity on Friday nights for the past couple of seasons. Bromley doesn't expect that community spirit to fade now that Batavia has a winning program in place.

Bromley hopes to have the new coach hired by the end of January.

Smith said Briggs represented Batavia well as head football coach, and he and the Board of Education are grateful for the positive impact he had on the community as head football coach.

"His program, coaching staff, and student-athletes under his leadership took great pride in representing all of us at BCSD," Smith said. "All the wins and titles weren't too bad either!  On and off the field, Brennan demonstrated commitment, a second-to-none work ethic, and a passion for all that is Batavia."

Photo: Previously unpublished file photo of Brennan Briggs during football practice in 2013. Photo by Howard Owens.

Batavia beats Eastridge in OT, 52-49

By Howard B. Owens

Six makes in six tries from the free-throw line by Cam McClinic in overtime, along with two field goals by Aiden Bellavia, helped lift the Blue Devils over Eastridge on Friday to give Batavia its second win of the season in Boys Basketball.

In all, McClinic was 12-12 on free throws in the game.  He scored 16 points.

Bellavia scored 11, and Ja'Vin McFollins scored 10. He hit two three-point goals and Sawyer Siverling also hit a pair.

Batavia won 52-49.

Cordell Young scored 33 points for Eastridge.

Raw, personal and poetic: GO ART! staffers put themselves into exhibits

By Joanne Beck

Gregory Hallock hid his personal life for “a very long time,” before realizing that he needed to be a better role model for his children.

The GO ART! executive director and father of two stepped out from the shadows to display that it’s ok to be who you are.

“Coming out was hard for me. I prayed to God every day to make me not gay,” Hallock said of his life up to his mid-20s. “My then-husband and I decided that we have to be proud of who we are. And we want our children to be proud of who they are.”

That love and respect he has for himself, his family and his children — Augustus, 7, and 10-year-old Cattaleya — has been folded into a 15-piece exhibit of various artworks that tell “My Journey” at the Genesee Orleans Regional Arts Council, 201 East Main St., Batavia.

It was a colleague, Mary Jo Whitman, working as art coordinator for Genesee Community College, who prompted Hallock to submit his first piece in 2016.

“I was doing a piece for a charity auction. And I was selling that piece. And they were auctioning it off, and I bought it back because it didn’t go for what I thought it was worth. And Mary Jo … they were doing an alumni show, and she asked me to apply for the show. So I applied, thinking that I would be putting in that one piece. Only six artists got selected. And she's like, 'you got selected, now I need the rest of your collection,'” he said. “So I added to the collection, and I decided the initial piece was about love. I had taken two chairs that were exactly the same, I cut out half of the seats on both of them … and I combined them to make a bench. For us, we were two separate people that weren't allowed to be together because of being homosexual. And then we were allowed. So that was our love coming together. So from there, I decided to create a collection based on my journey through life.”

Now 42, Hallock has embraced his persona, which has been steeped in the performing arts, having gone to school for theater, acting and dancing. He was not one to give up easily, and in fact, is “very competitive,” even to the point of making sure to win every coloring contest as a kid.

"My first piece, “(I’m) Coming Out” is a collection of stories from all different people about moments in their life, that, upon looking back on, they realized they were literally 'born this way,'" he said. "I have attached them to a closet door in representation of my childhood and the moment I came out at age 24."  

His pieces use materials, such as the wooden chairs, that have been created from two separate pieces to meld into one unified bench. Even his children’s school work has been incorporated into his imagination through decoupage. The collection has been a gradual accumulation of work, much of which was found when a staffer was cleaning out his office. Much of the pieces are from objects found — literally in the street, he said — and fashioned into something meaningful, often weaving family into them.

“I love the arts, fine art is something I have not pursued, he said. “I did that collection to make people smile. In general, it just makes me smile. This is my now. There’s a meaning behind every piece. For photographs, I would make my whole family do a photo shoot with costumes.”

During his first adoption process, it went much quicker than expected, and before he knew it, Hallock and his former husband welcomed Augustus as part of the family. Then Jezebel the dog, a wheaten terrier, got pregnant and had seven puppies. His life had become wrapped up in pregnancies, and he loved every moment of it, he said.

Hallock then had the privilege of cutting Cattaleya’s umbilical cord during his second adoption, and it further strengthened his fatherhood — and personhood — experience, he said.

“And then came the biggest day of our lives: “Our Little Princess” (also one of his pieces) was born.  I remember swearing that I would never buy Disney clothes or in general be that Disney person,” he says in the exhibit statement. “Well, I failed. I am 100 percent that Disney person, but when you have a daughter how can you avoid it (excuse, lol).”

Fast forward six years, and his “now” has changed, he said, to having a 10-year-old daughter, seven-year-old son who was adopted at age four, plus five chickens, two dogs, two gerbils, one cat, one hedgehog, and one fish. He is "flying high" despite having encountered some bumps along the way.

"I have been working my dream job for nearly seven years, I have gone through a bout of cancer, a separation bought a house and am living life to its fullest," he said.

He credits his family for supporting everything in and about his life -- including dressing up in costumes for photos --- and his mom's handiwork of crocheted ornaments and stockings is included in the exhibit as well.

He has a tattoo that simply states where he’s at these days: “love for all, hate for none.”

Mary Jo Whitman always had an interest in art, she said, and pursued that by obtaining an associates, bachelor and master degree in fine and studio arts, sculpture, and finally, critical museum studies. Her goal was to become a professor, which she accomplished as an adjunct at GCC.

Whitman also wanted to get involved in an art gallery or museum, she said, and was art coordinator at GCC. She is currently at GO ART! as an educational statewide community regrant program director. Long titles aside, Whitman’s craft is short on boring — bringing multiple facets of images together as a completed visual.

“I’m very interested in human behavior and how we come to identify ourselves. So I believe that our identities are socially and culturally constructed. Meaning that every single aspect of your personality, your beliefs, everything that makes you a person has been influenced by someone or something else that you've come in contact with through your life,” Whitman said. “And taking that on the next level, as adults to really be successful in life, you really have to be able to assimilate to whatever situation you're presented with. I really got into what is the psychological impact … who are you at the very root of it.”

Although she answered that for herself through these pieces — there’s an image of Whitman in every photo — she’s reluctant to share that with the world. Considered “very personal,” she wants instead for viewers to interpret for themselves what each piece means, and how they feel when they see it.

Her 18 pieces, “Deconstructed and Raw,” include sculptures and digital photos culled over the last decade, with the last two years being devoted more to the digital realm.

“I’ve always had an interest in art, pretty much my entire life. I went to school for art. And I've always, within doing my art, I'm always experimenting with different mediums, trying different things. I decided, after taking some courses in digital art, I really enjoyed being able to manipulate images in Photoshop,” Whitman said. “I like the kind of freedom it gave you. Because you can't really make mistakes. You know, when you're doing a painting or something, if you make a mistake, it's hard to kind of rectify it where and when you're working in a digital capacity, it's easy; I could just undo whatever I just did.

“I dissect myself into different identities, and break them down,” she said of her “The Disillusioned” piece. “Once the work is shown publicly, it’s the audience’s responsibility to interpret.”

Whitman was doing her grad school research, being drawn heavily into the idea of identity construction, she said.

“And so, in looking at this, I really got interested in what is the psychological impact of knowing that your identity is constructed: who would you be if you had not been influenced by this specific thing, or that specific thing?” she said.

Backdrops are taken from obscure places, such as her gutted basement with pieces of dropped ceiling torn down. That construction material is shot in wide angle with other images positioned on top and merged.

"And when it was on the floor, I was just kind of, you know, enamored with this, these materials, it was all broken up and dusty. So I started taking photographs, I took these very low wide angle photos of it. And usually, when I'm doing one of these digital images, that's my first thing I go to, as I find the central background image of it, and it's usually something wide angle, you know, from an unusual perspective, so that was kind of fitting into it," she said. "And, you know, it was kind of telling through some things that I had going on, ... and I scanned in these incomplete drawings and manipulated them so tha they're overlaid of this image, and then there' an image of me ... And then just kind of put this like introspective silhouette kind of image of myself, it's like sitting amongst this rubble."

Whitman plans to have other exhibits in the next year, she said, depicting “that mode of anxiety of who am I right now? I enjoy the human behavior.”

"I attribute much of the success in my life to my ability to assume whatever identity is necessary to function within any social situation with which I am presented. My appearance, my clothing, my mannerisms, my vocabulary, and even the tone of my voice differ from situation to situation. I am the crazy hippie, dancing barefoot at a festival as my flowing skirt chases me. I am the curator, entertaining pretentious conversation in stilettos," Whitman said. "I am the smart-ass bartender, donning pigtails and a bowtie with a mischievous grin. I am the country girl in mud-covered, ripped-up jeans, destroying targets with a shotgun and riding four-wheelers. I am an artist, conceptualizing all my observations in an array of mediums, often in wax and plaster-covered clothing. I am a sister. I am a daughter. I am an aunt. I am a mom. The sheer size of my closet can attest to how many different people I can be and who I may need to be at any given moment.

"So, who am I beneath the fractured and fluid identity which has been constructed in accordance with societal expectations? The truth is, I am all of these identities… and none of them at the same time," she said in her artist statement.

How does Program Coordinator Jodi Fisher feel about her first exhibit, “Pictures and Prose?”

“It’s nerve-wracking,” she said.

Her 22 photographs of mostly color scenes focus on the outdoors, nature, and, really, “anything that’s interesting or out of the ordinary,” she said.

One muse she’s drawn to is the sky — she loves”I love taking pictures of the clouds and the infinite blues” — and gaze into Centennial Park.

“I’ve always been into art, and have never been able to draw,” she said. “I’ve always been into poems and poetry — m mom used to read poems to me every night.”

Now that she’s discovered a special lens for the iPhone — noted for capturing “amazing” photos by users these days — Fisher plans to home in on the fine details of close-ups, called “extreme detail photography.”

“I just see something beautiful,” she said. “I don’t necessarily see it as art, it speaks to me in some way or another. It sometimes tells a story about something, like an abandoned building.”

Her poem “Autumn” aptly describes a photo of those leafy trees:

Autumn

The sun peaking through 

The leftover autumn leaves

Casting shadows on the ground

Blue skies above the canopy

The sweet fragrance wafting up

From the forest floor

The sharp crunch with each step

As you trek across the uneven soil

You are transported back

To a time before the lands were spoiled

Before the trees were stripped 

And if only for a moment you are one with everything around you

You are Autumn

 

She began writing poetry, and “wanted to incorporate that with photos,” she said. “Poems and songs have always intrigued me. Those were my nighttime stories.”

The exhibits of Whitman and Fisher will be through Feb. 18.

Photos of GO ART! staff artists Gregory Hallock, top, Mary Jo Whitman and Jodi Fisher are featured in an exhibit at the facility at 201 East Main St., Batavia; various works on display; and Angie Dickson, above, who contributed some artwork to the exhibit. Photos by Howard Owens.

Sponsored post: New listing from Reliant Real Estate; 5399 Horseshoe Lake Road, Batavia

By Lisa Ace


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