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NYSPHSAA cuts approved; high school seasons are shortened

By Brian Hillabush

 

As many people feared, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association cuts that we wrote about earlier in the month were approved.

According to the NYSPHSAA Web site, there are going to be a lot of changes.

The biggest of which is the reduction in the number of regular season games that teams are allowed to play each season. Sports that currently play 24 games, will now only play 20. Sports that play 20 games will be cut to 18 and sports that play 18 games are now only going to play 16. 

The will be cuts in wrestling and football will be reduced from 10 to nine games. That means a team that makes sectionals and loses in the first round will not get a chance to go into Pool Play. 

The only way a football team can play 13 games is to play in the state finals.

The amount of scrimmages teams for all sports are allowed to play have also been reduced.

Centralized sites will be considered for state tournament games if it will save the state money. 

Here is the announcement on the NYSPHSAA Web site:

 

 

1. Support the use of telephone conference calls and video conferencing for NYSPHSAA meetings to reduce the travel reimbursements costs for the NYSPHSAA and Sections. APPROVED

2. Support the use of officials from the host Section at all NYSPHSAA regional contests, except when the Sections involved mutually agree to use neutral officials. Effective with the 2009-2010 season and continuing to 2010–2011 school year. APPROVED

3. Support a moratorium on the expansion of existing NYSPHSAA tournaments as it pertains to participation. APPROVED

4. Centralized sites should be considered as part of the bid process for state tournament site selection when it can be proven that cost savings outweighs other criteria. APPROVED

5. Support the reduction of the maximum number of contests permitted during the regular season. Sports with 24 contests will be reduced to 20, sports with 20 contests will be reduced to 18 and sports with 18 contests will be reduced to 16. Wrestling will be reduced to 20 points. Football will be reduced from 10 to 9. The 9th game is permitted, with section approval, for teams who do not qualify for sectional play. For the teams involved in the sectional tournament the maximum number of contests shall be 10. For the sections involved in the state championship three additional games are permitted for a total of 13 games for the season: 1 game for regionals, 1 game for semifinals, and 1 game for championships. Effective for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. APPROVED

6. Support the reduction of the number of classes and divisions in team and individual NYSPHSAA Championship competition. REFERRED TO CHAMPIONSHIP ADVISORY COMMITTEE

7. Support the reduction of participants in NYSPHSAA Championships in individual and combination (team/individual) sports. REFERRED TO CHAMPIONSHIP ADVISORY COMMITTEE

8. Support the reduction of tournaments (multi-school competition) for team and individual sports.NO ACTION

9. Support the establishment of a maximum number of scrimmages permitted by a team to: Varsity, JV and freshmen – 2 scrimmages and Modified – 1 scrimmage. NO ACTION

10. The Executive Committee will meet three times per year with one meeting at the site of the Central Committee meeting. APPROVED

11. Support the establishment of a team travel restriction for all member schools limiting out of state team travel to competition with bordering states only. NO ACTION

12. Support the establishment of a moratorium eliminating mandated attendance beginning with the 2009-2010 school year at the following NYSPHSAA workshops: Safety, Life of an Athlete, Sportsmanship and Chemical Health workshops. APPROVED

13. Support eliminating participation in the NFHS Student Leadership Conference. DENIED

 

HS boys highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

 Whatever was wrong with Oakfield-Alabama last week has been fixed.

The Hornets pounded Lyndonville 73-38 as Tim Smith and Noah Seward scored 20 points apiece, with Seward grabbing 11 rebounds.

Brad Riner had six points, nine dimes and seven steals. A.J. Kehlenbeck chipped in seven points.

Erik Van Wycke had 10 points for the Tigers (1-13).

O-A improves to 12-2.

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Kevin Francis had a huge game in Notre Dame's 60-40 win over Alexander.

The senior point guard scored 23 points, had 13 rebounds and handed out seven assists.

Vinny Zambito had 11 points and Greg Barr pitched in six.

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Josh Laureano nearly had a triple-double as Kendall downed Byron-Bergen 45-33.

Laureano had 10 points, 10 boards and eight assists to help the Eagles improve to 8-5.

Colt Tooley pitched in 11 points and five rebounds.

David Garnish led Byron-Bergen (3-10) with nine points and six rebounds.

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Le Roy is now above .500 as they whooped Pavilion 61-42.

Mike Humphrey had 16 points with five assists and four swipes, and Jordan Casper scored 11 points and pulled down 10 board for a double-double.

That makes the Oatkan Knights 8-7 on the season.

Gregg DeJesus had 13 points and Jack Jeffres had 11 points for the Golden Gophers (4-10).

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Sonny Giuliano and Phil Ostroski both had big games as Elba took care of Holley 56-48.

Ostroski led the team in scoring with 16 points and Giuliano had 14 points and 11 assists, helping the Lancers improve to 8-6.

Dan Ramsey had eight points with Max Torrey and Theo Tomczak getting six points apiece.

John Wharram led the Hawks with 12 points.

Brian Mitchell and Chad Barhydt had 11 points apiece for Holley, now 4-11.

HS girls highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

With just two seconds left, Liz Geandreau dropped in a jump shot to give Notre Dame a 48-47 win over Alexander Friday.

Geandreau finished with seven points to lead the state ranked Fighting Irish (10-3).

Nichole Hart led the scoring for Notre Dame with 18 points and Brittany Morelli pitched in 16. 

Alexander had a huge fourth quarter, beating ND 14-6.

But, they wound up with the loss and fall to 9-4, with two losses coming to Elba and Notre Dame, the two GR powerhouses.

Rachel Pettys had six points, seven boards and three steals with Anni Lehtola adding 10 points for the Trojans.

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Elba really spread out the scoring in beating host Holley 43-32.

Chelsie Pangrazio and Missy Call led the team with seven points, with Cassy Engle and Sarah Schwartzmeyer scoring six apiece.

Julie Brooks had 17 points for the Hawks (4-9).

Elba is now 13-2.

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Pembroke improved to 8-6 with a 56-34 crushing of Wheatland-Chili, with several girls contributing.

Laura Moser had 13 points, six boards, seven steals and three dimes with Danielle Kelsey scored 11 points.

Nicole Sharick led all scorers with 16 points.

Lindsey Hall had 19 points for the Wildcats.

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Brittani Reis and Samantha D'Agostino combined to score all 10 of Kendall's overtime points in a 42-37 win over Byron-Bergen.

Reis had four points in OT and finished with 10 and D'Agostino wound up scoring 16 points. Meghan Fahy had eight points for the Eagles (5-8).

Rori Partridge had 14 points for the Bees (7-7).

 

Batavia basketball tops Mendon in overtime after a 10-point deficit in the fourth

By Brian Hillabush

 With less than 15 seconds remaining, Rob Hoy was facing a huge challenge. The Batavia basketball team was down by 10 points going into the fourth quarter and had chipped away and was trailing Pittsford Mendon by 3 points.

Hoy - who scored a career-high 20 points in the game - was fouled putting up a 3-pointer, and had to hit all three shots to send the game to overtime.

He did it, sending the crowd into a frenzy and sending the game into overtime, where Batavia ended up winning 75-69.

The Vikings owned the game through the first three periods as shots were not falling for the Blue Devils, they were fighting a losing battle in the paint and were turning the ball over.

But coach Buddy Brasky switched up defenses in the fourth quarter, allowing for the comeback. 

Andrew Hoy handled the scoring right away in the fourth quarter. Rob also hit one early on. He scored a basket and hit a 3-pointer in the first three minutes. Then Marcus Hoy got a bucket and Andrew nailed another trifecta, making the score 56-53.

Nick Billow hit a pair of free throws for Mendon, before the dramatic closing minute.

Marcus Hoy got to the foul line and hit both before Robert Hoy's three foul shots.

You can't ask for a better start to an overtime than what Batavia had as the scored the first nine points. Joe Schlossel scored the first six points on two baskets and two free throws.

Then, Andrew Hoy drained a 3-pointer.

Mendon scored four points before Schlossel got to the line again, hitting both foul shots.

Then Billow hit a 3-pointer and scored a basket to make the score 69-67 with less than 30 seconds left.

Andrew Hoy was fouled and hit two foul shots and that was followed up with two from Vikings forward Atif Mustafa. Andrew Hoy hit two more free throws and Marcus Hoy hit two to ice the win.

The victory puts Batavia at 12-2. Andrew Hoy led the way with 24 points, with Robert Hoy scoring 20, Schlossel scoring 13 and Marcus Hoy pitching in 10.

Marcus Hoy also had eight assists.

Billow led the way for Mendon, scoring 24 points.

 

City department heads slated for raises tied to scheduled union raises

By Philip Anselmo

Batavians can take some comfort in the fact that the City Council recently whittled down the proposed tax increase of 3.6 percent down to 2.17 percent, without really sacrificing any city services—the jury is still out on whether the ambulance flap will help or hinder us in the long run.

Nevertheless, some rumors are going around that the Council has instituted raises for all of the city department heads. We put the question to Council President Charlie Mallow this morning in an e-mail. He told us that "all city employees have mandated cost of living increases based on union contracts except seven administrative people." Mallow feels that it's unfair for those seven people not to receive the same sort of "increases"—he never used the word "raise"—as the rest of the union-backed employees.

His words:

There is a sense of right and wrong here. I do not believe non-union employees should be punished for not being part of a collective barging unit. Keep in mind that our administrative people have worked hand in hand with council to eliminate close to a $3 million dollar spending deficit in the last two years. The hard work of these administrative people reduced the size of city government. Some people out of sheer ignorance would like to single these people out; I think the rest of the community understands how far we have come and who helped us along the way.

Here are some of the budgeted figures listed under "personnel services"—does not include overtime, social security, supplies, etc.—for a few of the city's top offices (2008 and 2009):

• City Manager's Office: $103,629 (2008), $106,140 (2009)
• Bureau of Finance: $35,639 (2008), $39,040 (2009)
• Bureau of City Assessment: $33,624 (2008), $34,590 (2009)
• Bureau of Inspection: $138,246 (2008); $195,860 (2009)

Strangely, the "Bureau of the Clerk-Treasure" is scheduled for a reduction in its budget for personnel services in 2009. That office was listed at $64,212 in 2008; $60,790 has been listed for 2009.

Since the budget does not break down each city employee's salary into a tidy, comprehensible format, we asked Mallow if the Council had a document illustrating all of the changes that were effected. He replied: "A list of budget changes does not exist; it was a very fluid process." We then asked if the city could provide a list of every employee's salary for 2008 and the proposed salary for 2009. We're waiting on that.

More from Mallow:

The single most important thing behind this budget was planning for the future with a series of contingency funds. These funds will allow the city to save for future equipment purchases. Doing this will allow us to have a stable tax rate in the future and be less prone to large swings like we have seen in the past. People should understand that we have taken on the practices that businesses use every day. We plan, we have goals and we live within our budget.

Notre Dame joins Elba in Class D state rankings

By Brian Hillabush

 It has been a few weeks since we've had more than one local girls basketball team ranked in the state, but we finally have two.

Both are in Class D and the two teams are the biggest rivalry in GR girls hoops. 

Elba bumped up a notch from No. 10 to No. 9 in this weeks state rankings and is joined in Class D by Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were not ranked last week but is ranked No. 20 this week, tied with Canaseraga.

Batavia Man Gives Laundry Business “A Spin”

By Philip Anselmo

From chaZam marketing:

“I’m not quite cleaning up, but I’m not losing my shirt either,” jokes Chad Zambito, the new co-owner and operator of Grammy O’s Laundry located in the Valu Plaza in Batavia.  All joking aside, Zambito admits the Laundromat business is difficult, not very glamorous and nothing like his day job.  

Zambito, currently the VP of Marketing and Community Development for the Genesee County Economic Development Center, purchased the facility in March of 2008 after several conversations with his then fiancée Jennifer.  “I’ve always wanted to own my own business,” said Zambito, “And when the opportunity presented its self, Jen and I jumped on it.”  It turned out to be a big year for the couple; they were also married on October 18th. 

The Zambitos purchased the facility from Jeremy Sabatino, a local small businessman, and have been hard at work ever since.   “I really feel more like a janitor than a business owner,” added Zambito.  “Keeping the place clean is important but a bit tedious”.

Zambito, who also served as a Marketing Manager at Batavia Downs Casino, is drawing on his gaming promotions background to give the business an edge.  He has kicked off a promotion in which customers have a chance to win $100 if they can find the “Golden Quarter” at the facility.  “It’s been a big hit and I knew from my experience at The Downs how popular cash giveaways can be, plus I know its something that would bring me in to do my wash.”

The facility is named after Zambito’s mother whom passed away in 2005.  “My son called her Grammy O and we knew that was the perfect name.  Every time I clean I think; would I be ashamed to let my mother see the place like this?  If the answer is yes, I keep cleaning.”  The logo was created by Mrs. Zambito’s cousin, Batavia graduate Aaron Long of Rochester with help from another cousin, Stephanie Borgal of Batavia, an Oakfield-Alabama grad. 

With the economy taking a down turn, the couple has had to be creative to keep business steady.  They are introducing “Bargain Alley”, an area of washers that cost just $1.50 and dryers that cost $1.25. 

Apparently the entrepunerial spirit that Zambito is exposed to everyday at the GCEDC is rubbing off.  He has also launched a line of T-shirts called Father Mucker’s.  Its a funny play on words with slogans like, “My Father RAN AMUCK for a living”, which is almost true for the Elba native.  Zambito’s grandfather, Paul “Zeke” Zambito, was a muck farmer who produced potatoes and onions as part of “Five Brothers Farms”.  Zambito is donating a portion of the sales to muck land preservation.  Muck land is rich farm land that is produced when wetlands are drained and are prevalent in Genesee and Orleans Counties.  Recent media efforts have highlighted the ongoing erosion of the precious farmland.  Zambito hopes to turn the idea into a restaurant that would highlight the local farming industry.  “First I’ve got to raise the cash and then I have to convince my wife,” Zambito said with a laugh.  “I’m not sure which one will be more difficult.”  Father Mucker’s T-shirts are available on ebay or by contacting Zambito directly.

Conversation on the stimulus bill: Where does it go from here?

By Philip Anselmo

We were glad to see so many folks getting into the discussion yesterday about the national stimulus package that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week. That bill, already proving quite controversial, will go to the Senate next week for round two.

There were some clear divisions among opinion, yet both sides made strong cases. Some of you expressed a general yet cautious support for the stimulus bill on the grounds that it would "right the ship of state," as Russ Stresing put it so eloquently. Others among you decried the attempt to try to "buy our way out of debt," and called for a reining in of spending.

What is the next step in the conversation when both sides of the argument—because, for now at least, this argument is restricted to only two sides (the classic: for and against)—make valid claims? Neither is wrong. Surely, the nation will have to make "strategic investments" at some point to dress our wounds. It's not unlike a fellow who finds himself unemployed and unable to secure a new job. Perhaps an investment in a new suit, a new haircut or even a credited business course at a local community college could give him that edge. On the other hand, any such investments are based on hypothetical situations: 'If I make this happen, then this could happen...' And funds that could have went toward the perennial costs of food and shelter will have been wasted on a hoped for conclusion that may never come to pass.

Furthermore, accusations that this or that side is playing politics are also all true. One of our readers yesterday commented that the president sought the votes of the House Republicans on the stimulus bill so that said Republicans—none of whom voted in favor of the bill—could not use their unified dissent as a political weapon in the future. Well, doesn't that indict both sides? Democrats are threatening to push through the bill to flex their majority muscle. While Republicans are all too content in playing the foil.

President Barack Obama spoke a lot about "change" during the campaign, but if you ask me, this seems to be a whole lot of politics as usual. In the meantime, while we're trying to figure all that out, Howard passed along this article from a site called Good, that pieces together some of the arguments against a stimulus. Very informative. The author sums up his stance, in this way:

And there you have it. In my mind, economics seems to be a mostly made-up “science,” and I am pretty sure nothing the government does will have as much effect as other events (see: Great Depression and World War II, for instance). That said, doing nothing (or just lowering taxes) does not really seem like a viable move for a government, politically if not also economically. So, if we can get another round of the equivalent of WPA posters and CCC National Park trails out of this, maybe that’s all we need until whatever is really going to cure the recession comes along. But, in the meantime, it’s important to look at all sides.

Batavia wrestler Ryan Darch still perfect, state title is his goal

By Brian Hillabush

 

 Ryan Darch is perfect on the mat this season, and he hopes to keep it that way.

Darch has compiled a 30-0 record this season, including 10 pins and four technical fall victories, as he heads into Friday and Saturday's Monroe County League tournament.

He is the top ranked wrestler at 160 pounds in the small school division of Section 5 by armdrag.com.

 Darch's love of wrestling started at a young age, thanks to his father Ken.

Ken had been a star wrestler in high school and college and started teaching Ryan and placing him in tournaments - at the age of five.

Ryan had continued to wrestle but finally started taking it serious after his freshman season when he lost early on in sectionals. Darch realized his season was over and hated it. So he dedicated himself to learning the sport and lifting weights.

He became a student of the game, as his father puts it.

Ryan's hard work paid off as he had a solid sophomore season, advancing all the way to the Section 5 SuperSectionals, where he lost to John-Martin Cannon of Brockport, getting pinned in 2:25.

That was the last match that Ryan - now a junior - lost.

Batavia (17-5) has the Monroe County League tournament this weekend, then a match at Greece Olympia and the Ken-Ton Invitational tournament left before sectionals.

Darch is a top seed as is Troy Ireland. Josh Mase and Nick Lazarony are second seeds while Anthony D'Aurizio is a fourth seed in a very tough 189 pound weight class.

The Blue Devils will be wrestling in Class BBBB on Feb. 13 and 14. After that is SuperSectionals and then the state tournament.

Check out this interview with Ryan and Ken Darch:

 

Batavia, Oakfield-Alabama and Notre Dame all drop in boys State rankings

By Brian Hillabush

 The state rankings for boys basketball was released today and they are very disappointing for local teams.

First off, Batavia took a huge drop after losing to Pittsford Sutherland for the second time this season.

The Blue Devils were ranked No. 12 in Class A last week and have dipped all the way into a tie for 25th in the state, tied with Elmira Southside of Section 4.

Notre Dame took it on the chin against Prattsburgh this week and fell from No. 6 to No. 9 in Class D. Prattsburgh moved up from No. 15 to No. 6.

Oakfield-Alabama nearly lost to Kendall and was shocked by Elba last week. The Hornets dropped from No. 12 to totally off the chart in Class C.

Batavia track stars doing well at Albany

By Brian Hillabush

 Two former Batavia High track stars are doing very well at the University of Albany, especially senior Jenn Gurrant, who was just named an America East Conference track Player of the Week.

Gurrant has an impressive resume at Albany. The senior has done many big things on the track as a sprinter and jumper. But just as important, she has been named to the All-Academic team the past two years.

Freshman Jen Adams is a sprinter and jumper as well and is learning from the experienced Albany roster.

Here is the press release from the school about Gurrant's Player of the Week honor:

Albany’s Fey Adaramola, Jenn Gurrant and Nasim Siddeeq have been selected as the America East Conference male and
female indoor track and field performers of the week, as announced on Tuesday, Jan. 27 by the conference office. The trio helped the men’s
and women’s programs sweep the team titles for the first time at the seventh annual Great Dane Classic over the weekend.
            Adaramola, who was named the conference’s track athlete of the week for the first time, accounted for two school records and met three ECAC qualifying standards in the sprinting events. She finished
fifth in the 200-meter dash in 24.80 seconds, which barely eclipsed the standard of 24.81 set by Ellakisha Williamson in 1998. Adaramola was also fourth in the 55-meter dash, crossing the line in 7.14. The junior transfer from Central Florida accounted for a second school record as a member of the 4x400-meter relay which finished second overall in 3:51.44. Furthermore, all three times are America East highs this winter.
            Gurrant, who broke the school record in the long jump at the New York City Gotham Cup on Jan. 16, earned her second consecutive women’s field athlete of the award for her performance in the triple jump at the Great Dane Classic. She recorded a winning leap of 42 feet,
3-1/4 inches to become the first America East student-athlete to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championship in any field event.
            Siddeeq, a junior transfer from Robert Morris where he shares the school and Northeast Conference championship meet records in the triple jump, was honored as the men’s field athlete of the week.
He broke UAlbany’s program standard in the triple jump with a winning mark of 51-7.25, surpassing teammate Mike McCadney’s record of 50-11 set in 2007 and 2008. He also became the second student-athlete at an America East school to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Championship
in a field event after UAlbany pole vaulter Luke Schoen.

Walking around the city during the storm

By Brian Hillabush

After getting caught in the snow four times during our last blizzard, I figured driving was not an option. Who in their right mind is going to drive around in this?

Apparently a lot of people are doing just that as Main St. had its usual mid-day traffic and was cleaned up for the most part.

Well I decided to get all bundled up and go for a walk. Dumb idea.

I took a trip around my part of the city, walking around two different blocks, and it was brutal. The weather is 32-degrees right now, so it wasn't the cold that was the problem. It was the snow coming down in such a burdensome manner. 

I'm guessing that if you get outside of the city and are driving on Rt. 63 or 19, you are in for a lot of whiteout conditions as there is a slight wind in the city, which means when you get out you are in trouble.

This isn't that light snow that is nice to see once in a while. This is the big flake, heavy, pain in the butt type of snow.  I am so happy that my neighbor has a big snow plow and is a good guy or I would be in trouble today. I still can't lift heavy stuff after the carpal tunnel surgeries over the summer and I have a feeling that it would kill me to have to clear that stuff out on my own.

So I noticed a few things on my walk. First is that moving during the winter sucks. I found a guy moving in on Montclair Ave. and let's just say these aren't the ideal conditions. 

In fact, he tried to move the moving truck so that the plow could get down the street, and the battery had died. He found somebody and was getting a jump as I decided to head towards Main St.

I understand the sidewalks on the side streets being bad because people are at work. I just walked down the road. But I watched the mail carrier walking through big piles of snow and struggling just to get to people's mail boxes.

And then I got to Main St. and the sidewalks were just as bad.

I made a left and walked towards Burger King and Arby's - which were both pretty slow for a mid-afternoon on a work day - and the sidewalks were clear in some places and not even touched in others. I thought the city owned some big machine that is supposed to drive around and clear of sidewalks?

How about getting that thing out on Main St.

I could hear the speaker at Ken Barrett's  calling for service, but none of the cars were cleared off and nobody was shopping for a car. I get it. There is no way to get a feel for a vehicle when you can't drive faster than like 15 miles per hour.

I really was surprised at the amount of people out there driving because it is nasty out and probably will be for the rest of the afternoon. 

I saw a few people out shoveling and plowing driveways, but most of those that work during the day looked like they went in because driveways were packed all over the place.

As I was walking down Oak St., I saw a guy riding a bicycle down the road. He wasn't moving very fast and I can't imagine it was a pleasurable trip. I've never understood those that ride bikes when the weather is like this.

Finally I got home. What would usually be a 45 minute trip around a couple blocks took nearly and hour and half, but I did stop and talk to a few folks out there clearing their driveways and walking places.

The most common complaint I heard was the lack of cleared out sidewalks. If anybody knows about how the city handles sidewalks, I'd love to hear it.

I finally got home and was able to sit down at my computer, after a change of clothing because I looked like a snowman.

Former O-A Little League treasurer sentenced to five years in prison

By Philip Anselmo

Richard Dunlap, former treasurer for the Oakfield-Alabama Little League, was sentenced to five years in prison today, the Buffalo News reports. Dunlap was accused of stealing as much as $30,000 from the organization during his time as treasurer. He was then alleged to have used the money to purchase, among other things, child pornography.

From the Buffalo News:

A tearful Richard L. Dunlap, 40, of Batavia, apologized for his crimes but was immediately remanded to the custody of prison officials by the judge.

Federal agents said Dunlap stole thousands of dollars from the Oakfield-Alabama Little League Association and used the money to buy child porn, adult pornography, a family vacation to Florida and other items.

Dunlap, 40, of 9 Irving Parkway, Batavia, plead guilty last September to the possession of child pornography, according to a Daily News article from October. Dunlap had also been granted a plea bargain for the theft charges and was ordered to pay $5,559 in restitution, funds that Little League officials found arbitrary.

Could Batavia learn about downtown development from Rochester?

By Philip Anselmo

Maybe this headline should read: How Batavia can save downtown by doing the opposite of what Rochester does... Allow me to explain. Most of us in the area remember the Fast Ferry flop. For Rochesterians, the very word ferry still stings like a jellyfish whip. In a poor attempt to promote cross-cultural relations between Rochester and Toronto, the city sunk millions into a ferry that would cart folks back and forth from the two cities. We all know where that went—nowhere.

Why? One reason that I'm guessing at, is that you're not going to boost your own city's cultural wealth by sending your residents elsewhere. Keep them here. One good way to do that is to offer low-rent studio space to artists in neighborhoods they can afford to live in. Rochester has done this on North Goodman Street, where the city's cultural center faces Village Gate, a quaint shopping center, and Anderson Alley, an old button factory turned into studio space. Ditto Artisan Works off of Winton Road.

Some of you may be wondering why we should give the artists a break. Look at New York City. Wherever artists flourish, along comes business: initially in the form of good eateries, but soon, small shops begin to pop up, followed by large banks. This, unfortunately, then leads to the phenomenon known as gentrification, when all the rich folks with a penchant for what the hipsters have built, simply move and take it over. Go to Brooklyn sometime if you don't believe me. Of course, artists alone do not create this environment. A lot of the appeal is based on a sort of myth of the authentic urban experience: a city block that looks, smells and feels like a city block should feel. It's got natives, it's eclectic, the people have roots there, and the place has a cultural vibe all its own. Again, this is the myth of the authentic urban experience. But as we know, myths are often rooted in actuality.

Rochester has much of this authenticity in many parts of the city. The idea being bandied about for Renaissance Square was designed—or so I believed—to provide a catalyst to further this sort of authentification downtown, which has unfortunately lost its flavor, its character, and, in many cases, its business. With that in mind, the city thought to build a big theater, a cultural mecca right downtown to draw folks in, rather than push them out. Flanking this theater would be a bus terminal, so people can get to and from the theater, and a satellite campus for Monroe Community College, so people can go there to learn, as well. That was the plan anyway.

From the Democrat & Chronicle:

A decision announced Monday to move ahead with the Renaissance Square project will allow federal funds to be spent on a bus station and a community college campus.

Funding for the third part of the project, a 2,800-seat theater, has not been secured and if the money isn't raised, the theater won't be built, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Sen. Charles Schumer said during a joint appearance in Rochester.

"The likelihood of federal or state funds being raised for the theater is unlikely for the foreseeable future, certainly for the next few years," Schumer said. "Given the economic situation, it's difficult to raise private funds, so moving forward with the community college and the bus terminal is very important. We don't want to hold things up any longer."

Some of you may be saying: "Big deal. No theater. Who cares." Rochesterians should care. What sort of "Renaissance" with a capital 'R' does Rochester hope to effect with a bus station and a satellite campus? How will these two components bring people downtown? Going ahead without the theater would mean, in my honest opinion, not going ahead at all, but just standing still, which Rochester has proved itself quite capable of doing over the past few decades.

So Batavia, take a lesson. Do not do what Rochester does. This does not mean sink all the tax money into expensive cultural projects. What it means is play up your strengths and appeal to the culture of your population by creating an atmosphere that is hospitable to making and performing the arts. The rest will follow.

Batavia already has the authentic urban experience on the Jackson Street block downtown: good eats at locally-owned restaurants, established shops that appeal to people's curiosity and the mall. Uh, wait a second. Scrap that last one. Literally: scrap that last one. Large-scale programs such as Summer in the City do a great job of attracting people to this part of the city. But it's a one-time, thanks for your patronage kind of event. What about micro-celebrations. How difficult would it be to close up a lane of parking across from Margueritas and the Jackson Street Grill, set up some tents, tables and chairs, and serve a summer evening outside. Maybe book a juggler or something to keep folks entertained. I'm sure there are better ideas out there.

Although technically not downtown, the Harvester Center and the many buildings around it, offers a perfect place to start incubating: businesses, artists, offices and public spaces. Maybe above all else: public spaces. Small courtyards where people can gather, grab a drink, listen to some live music, whatever. Maybe a violinist in the local philharmonic can be persuaded, via a modest monetary encouragement, to practice a few nights out in the open, outside a coffee shop that fronts a courtyard in the now verdant square that once was an indsutrial wastescape.

Whatever you do, Batavia, just don't do what Rochester does. No matter how pretty you paint it, you can't call a bus terminal a renaissance.

Batavia hockey gets win over Churchville-Chili

By Brian Hillabush

Will Mulcahy scored twice as the Batavia hockey team beat Churchville-Chili 3-1Tuesday at Scottsville.

Mulcahy has 10 goals and seven assists on the season.

Pat Finnell also scored for the Blue Devils (11-6-1). Finnell is seventh in all of the Monroe County League with 14 goals. He also has 20 assists and is the third leading scorer in the league.

Nick Gorino scored for Churchville-Chili and Adam Kurek had 11 saves for Batavia.

Players of the Week

By Brian Hillabush

 Notre Dame may have suffered a difficult loss, but guard Kevin Schildwaster was named Player of the Week for Genesee Region League Division II.

Schildwaster won two of three games this week, and has had a big week playing defense. He also had a season-high 13 points against Prattsburgh.

Byron-Bergen's 6-foot-6 forward David Garnish won the honor for Division I. He averaged 7.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and two blocks this past week.

Alexander's Rachel Pettys had a total of 18 points, 24 rebounds, eight assists, 12 steals and six blocked shots in a win over Lyndonville and a loss to Elba. She earned GR Player of the Week for Division I.

Kendall's Meghan Fahy scored 41 points and had 12 boards in two games last week. The Eagles lost to Oakfield-Alabama by just one point and her free throw shooting was a big reason why. Fahy hit 11-of-12 from the charity stripe.

Adam Brasky's King's College team 8-8

By Brian Hillabush

 Batavia grad Adam Brasky and his King's College basketball team fell to 8-8 after a 66-63 loss to FDU-Florham over the weekend.

The team is just 1-7 in the division, but has a 7-1 record out of the division.

Brasky - a sophomore guard -  has played in all 16 game while averaging 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

He is playing almost 18 minutes and has handed out 20 assists this season.

 

 

Voices united in the call for new management of the Falleti Ice Arena

By Philip Anselmo

Not much to report on this yet, but a half dozen people spoke at the City Council meeting tonight, asking the city to seek new management for the Falleti Ice Arena in Batavia. They spoke in pretty condemning terms, claiming that the arena is no longer "a family-based skating wrink." One speaker went as far as to say that under the new management: "We've had our right to skate taken away."

The central issue among all the complainants was the allegedly unceremonious banishing of skate instructor Joan Disbrow from the arena. According to the mother of one young skater, a member of the management crew, Firland Management, vociferously dismissed Disbrow from the premises while she was on the ice with one of her students.

Councilwoman Marianne Clattenburg spoke up after all of the comments had been made. She said she has heard from several families that have made similar claims. "I think we may have made the wrong mistake with Firland Management," she said.

Council members Kathy Briggs, Rose Mary Christian and Bill Cox all agreed.

"I'm concerned with the volume of complaints—all one-sided," said Cox. "We need to give citizens the right to have a good skate and enjoy their sport."

A representative of Firland Management, Jim Cain, was scheduled to speak at the meeting. He cancelled. City Manager Jason Molino said that Cain called earlier in the day to say that he was not feeling well and could not attend.

There was some mention, as well, about the unsatisfactory budget report provided by Firland for the city's consideration.

We will look into this story and see what more we can find out.

(UPDATED: Tuesday, 12:03pm): A Daily News article by Joanne Beck features some more details on this issue. Worth checking out.

City Council officially gets out of the ambulance business

By Philip Anselmo

It's official. Batavia's out of the ambulance business. City Council voted unanimously tonight not to continue funding and operating the county-wide ambulance service. True to the word of Council President Charlie Mallow, there was no discussion to be had by the city leaders. Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian was the only member to speak.

"It's a shame that the county hasn't come to the aid here," she said. "They're always passing the buck."

Further, despite the packed house—at least a couple dozen residents filled the audience—only two citizens spoke.

Hilly spends the day with Notre Dame on the trip to Prattsburgh

By Brian Hillabush

Saturday was quite an experience for me.

I've taken a bus ride with the Batavia basketball team before, but this one with Notre Dame was completely different and was a ton of fun, even though the team lost to Prattsburgh 70-64.

I live less than 10 minutes walking from Notre Dame, so I decided to walk to the school. As soon as I got in the building, coach Mike Rapone was doing a walk-through with his squad.

Prattsburgh and Notre Dame make trips each year to play together and their home courts and it is always a great game, with the home team usually winning.

We then got on the bus and it took exactly two hours to get to Prattsburgh, which is a great town that is old time. The buildings on the main street are from the way-back and the people there are just good folks.

The ride there was a lot of fun.

The kids from Notre Dame know how to bust each other's chops. There was the ribbing of Tommy Rapone on his Pokeman fetish, the gum wrapper belt put on Rick Lair when he fell asleep and just a lot of goofing off.

But when the Fighting Irish arrived at Prattsburgh, it was all business. I had some business to attend to, visiting friends from Notre Dame and Section 5 Talksback that made the trip.

I watched the jayvee game with the varsity squad for the third quarter, then midway through the fourth I went down with coach Rapone to hear his pregame speech. 

Rapone is not a yeller and not a big ra-ra coach. He's one of those guys that has been around long enough to know everything the other team is going to do and he ran through it with his kids. He knew what players on the Vikings did and what to do if they pressed or went box-and-1 on Kevin Francis.

Notre Dame jumped out to a quick 15-6 lead  in the first quarter. But Francis picked up his second foul and had to sit down, and that's when the flow of the game changed. Prattsburgh took advantage of arguably the Genesee Region League's best player being on the bench and wound up leading 34-27 at the half.

There was nobody on ND that could rebound in the second half and Prattsburgh was dropping 3-pointers like crazy. Patrick Wightman scored 21 points and hit five 3-pointers and Ryan Caron scored a game-high 29 points.

The crowd was totally into the game, with fans from both sides cheering when big things happened.

When the game ended and Notre Dame took it on the chin, Rapone gave his post game speech and basically told his team what they did wrong and hopes that they learn from the mistakes made in this game and become a better team from the loss.

Then the two teams, coaching staffs and all of the media and some locals that were there got together to enjoy pizza, subs and cookies together. It is a tradition that when the two teams play that they get together afterwards and enjoy and meal.

This is not done with any other rivalries as far as I know. Very cool.

As we loaded the bus to go home, I was expecting a depressing ride and kids sleeping. Yes, some were depressed and yes some slept, but it wound up being as much fun as the two hour ride there.

It started with Greg Barr leading a chorus singing songs from cartoon movies of the past. I could not stop laughing. 

Then those that were not sleeping, gathered around my seat to talk and hang out. The conversation was good and everybody got a preview of the video, seeing the footage I took on the bus ride up.

There is a sad point that I must end on. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association is attempting to cut the amount of games that a team can play in a season.

That would mean Notre Dame would play it's regular season games and then have three open slots. They aren't going to back out of the Lions Club tournament, which only allows them to play one extra non-league game. This very well might be the end of a great rivalry and tradition that has lasted for many years. Rapone and Prattsburgh coach Jim Burke are both over 500 career wins and good friends.

The kids enjoy playing each other and making the long trips.

But it looks like a great tradition is over.

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