Business

For nearly a decade, local journalist and bowling expert Mike Pettinella has produced a bi-weekly bowling column for the local print newspaper, but on Sept. 1, Pettinella’s column moves into the 21st Century, going all digital.

Pettinella has agreed to move the column, Pin Points, to the region’s most popular source for online news, The Batavian.

With the reach of The Batavian, the Wyoming County Free Press and promotional help from WBTA AM/FM and the online-only news sites in Orleans and Livingston counties, Pettinella’s Pin Points will reach a bigger audience than ever.

“We’re honored that Mike has chosen The Batavian for his column’s new home,” said Howard Owens, publisher of The Batavian. “Mike has a large and loyal following of bowling enthusiasts, so combine that with the popularity of The Batavian and it’s a move that is great for bowlers in the area and the sponsors who have long supported Pin Points.”

Pettinella is a Genesee Region USBC Hall of Fame bowler and writer who has written professionally about the sport of bowling continuously since 1977, when he began employment as Sports Editor of The Batavia Daily News.

Bowling has been a major part of Pettinella’s career since 1992, when he took the managerial position at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia. After an 11-year stint there, he was hired by the Empire State USBC Association as its manager in 2010, and continues to serve as association manager of the New York State USBC, a position he has held since 2011.

Earlier this month, Pettinella accepted the position as association manager of the Genesee Region USBC, which services league and tournament bowlers in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties. He also covers local government in Genesee County and other local news for The Batavian.

His bowling columns have appeared in the Daily News and the Genesee Valley PennySaver, and he has also had articles published in several bowling publications, including Spares & Strikes and the CNY Striker. For the past nine years, his Pin Points column on The Bowling Page was a regular feature of The Batavia Daily News.

Pettinella has been involved in bowling since the late 1960s, and rolled a certified 300 game as a high school junior in 1971.

A former collegiate standout bowler, he has a high series of 816, has four Batavia Bowling Association/GRUSBC Senior Masters titles, and anchored the Turnbull Heating team to the NYS Open Championships title in 2010. Last season, he rolled two 300 games at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen.

Mike and his wife, Wendy, have four grown daughters and five grandchildren.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) today announced $184,871 in federal funding from the Federal Aviation Administration for the Genesee County Airport, located in Batavia. The grant will assist the Genesee County Airport in funding the full reconstruction and rehabilitation of 3,400 feet of existing runway.

“Utilizing grant funding to support our local governments is a smart investment and a responsible use of federal tax dollars,” said Congressman Collins. “Investing in infrastructure projects like the Genesee County Airport’s runway rehabilitation will significantly improve the quality, efficiency and safety of its daily operations. These efforts will allow the Genesee County Airport to continue to grow and positively impact our local economy for years to come.”

“This important federal funding will help ensure the future of the Genesee County Airport,” said Ray Cianfrini, chairman of the Genesee County Legislature. “The grant will fund the full depth reconstruction of 3,400 feet of the existing runway 10/28 pavement that has reached the end of its useful life. We look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Collins to improve local transportation infrastructure and support job growth throughout Genesee County.”

The Congressman’s office remains available to assist any local government pursuing a federal grant.

Mitchell Bryan started working for Shell Mouery when he was 14. Now, at 24, he owns what used to be known as the Stafford Trading Post, but has renamed it Shell's Post in honor of his former boss, who passed away in March.

He said he thought the name change an appropriate way to honor Mouery's memory.

The business passed to Mouery's son, John Macan, who now lives in Texas, and Bryan and Macan worked out an arrangement for Bryan to take over the location.

"It took me one night to think about it," Bryan said. "The next day, I just went for it."

Bryan hasn't changed much about the business, which is a community drink and snack store and deli and pizza parlor.

"It's a rewarding business," Bryan said. "The customers are great, loyal customers, and you're doing something different every day, I'm not stuck in a cubicle. It’s fun. I just enjoy it."

The tourism division of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce wants to help local poke hunting to go well, so to assist trainers, the Chamber has established a special group on Facebook: Pokémon Go in Genesee County, NY.

Anybody can join and post their local pokemon hunting tips and suggestions, including any pokestops or gyms they think people should know about.

Press release:

Empire Access has received a $3.4 million grant award from the New NY Broadband Program.  The New NY Broadband Program was developed to help fund the expansion of high-speed broadband Internet service in New York State, with an ultimate goal of ensuring that all New Yorkers have high-speed broadband access by the end of 2018.

Empire Access is a locally owned and operated fast-growing telecommunications company, offering high-speed Internet, digital television, phone and security services to homes and businesses – all enabled by Fiber Optic technology – to over 25 communities in Upstate New York and Northern Pennsylvania.

The New NY Broadband Program grant provides Empire Access with significant funding for the expansion of high-speed broadband services to more than 1900 homes and businesses in the Southern Tier region of New York, including Burdett, Lodi and Odessa. These specific areas were identified by the New York State Broadband Program Office as underserved or unserved in Phase I of a multi-phase grant process.

Empire will offer residents in the awarded areas super-fast Internet service with standard speeds of 100 Mbps download x 20 Mbps upload, along with an even faster 1 Gigabit per second option. High definition digital television, digital phone, security and smart home services will also be available. All services will utilize a state-of-the-art 100% Fiber Optic dedicated connection.                       

“Empire Access is excited to be part of the state’s broadband initiative to expand high-speed broadband services throughout New York,” said Jim Baase, Chief Operating Officer, Empire Access. “We’re looking forward to working with Governor Cuomo and the state of New York to accomplish this goal.”

Collin Mulcahy, 22, of Batavia, and representing Batavia Downs, finished well ahead of the rest of the 1,000-participant field in the 2016 GLOW Corporate Cup 5K at Centennial Park on Thursday.

Mulcahy's time in the 90-degree weather was 15:31.

The top woman runner (next photo) was Kim Mills, from Freed Maxic, with a time of 19:30.

The top team was Batavia City Schools.

We heard Darien Lake Theme Park is a real hot spot for Pokemon Go players, we suggested it as a story to our news partner, 13WHAM, and here's their report.

Autism has become less taboo in today's rather accepting culture; native Batavia resident and author Dan Crofts is leading the charge in developing an online learning tool for parents and teachers.

Crofts has Aspberger Syndrome himself, which is a mild autism spectrum disorder, and gives a firsthand view from the mind of the unknown. Crofts's website FormingHorizons.com mixed with his rather personal writing style gives you a true through-the-eyes view of how someone with a form of autism thinks.

"I want this to become a tool any parent, teacher, and eventually employer, can use to further understand this disorder," Crofts said.

He hopes this website grows and educates people on how autism or Asperger Syndrome can cause the person to think extraordinarily differently; something people without the disorder cannot easily understand.

Crofts wants to develop a community full of parents and teachers who deal with autistic kids on daily basis and help them better understand their thinking ways; doing so will help their elders teach them a more effective way to learn academically and help them function better in a broader social setting.

Crofts believes his philosophy for the website is what sets him apart from other autism websites.

"You have to see the person behind the diagnosis if you want to help the person with the diagnosis," Crofts said, "You have to start with the sensory issues."

Crofts considers himself "blessed" to be apart of the high-functioning autism group; it gives him a real way to communicate to people without this diagnosis. 

"I feel like I have a lot to offer on my experiences, especially to parents," Crofts said. 

FormingHorizons has been in development as a for-profit. Crofts hopes to bring in that profit through advertisements and affiliate links on his website. But for now he is concentrating on its content and structure.

Lucille DiSanto has helped Crofts in significant ways and has become a mentor to him; DiSanto met with Crofts to talk about the development of the website.

"I feel like my next step in life is to create an autism website ... to help people further understand," Crofts said. 

Croft officially bought his domain name http://forminghorizons.com in August of 2015. 

"I want to work on my substance first," he said.

Crofts has always excelled in academics and graduated from Brockport University with a master's degree in English Literature; Crofts started free-lance writing for The Batavian in November 2009 and stopped doing it so much in August of 2011. 

"I want to create a handbook like writing that people with this disability can use to excel in college, much like I have," Crofts said. "People with this diagnosis don't quite understand common sense." 

Common sense is defined in Webster's Dictonary as "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Crofts explained those common sense actions really aren't quite as simple as the definition; autistic people think differently. 

(Photo by Zach Lee of Dan Crofts from FormingHorizons.com.)

(Dan Croft's latest article.)

(FormingHorizons Forums) 

Making the deck.

Directly supervised, precision cutting of boards.

All of the campers of the 2016 Camp Hard Hat, along with instructors.

Submitted photos and press release:

Fourteen rising eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders are building a bridge this week at Genesee County Park & Forest.

They are using math, process thinking skills, battery power tools, directly supervised use of cutting tools, and using all necessary safety equipment and the power of teamwork to do this.

Camp Hard Hat is live and in action Aug. 1-5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Interpretive Nature Center at Genesee County Park & Forest in East Bethany.

In a partnership with Business Education Alliance of Genesee County, Business Education Alliance of Livingston County, Business Education Council of Wyoming County, and GVEP Building Trades, instructors Rich Monroe and Jared Radesi teach campers principles of design, construction and safety.

Campers will complete the bridge late Thursday morning. The newly finished bridge will be placed on the Wetland Trail in Genesee County Park & Forest on Thursday afternoon. Campers come from Erie, Wyoming, and Genesee counties.

(Photos by Zach Lee.)

Whether you're looking for something to spice up your party or just a fresh new idea for a day out -- a new Pavilion business called Jade Pottery is a great choice.

It offers classes for all ages -- including clay, painting and henna; plus, it hosts parties of all sizes and kinds, including group readings, girls' night, couples' night, birthday parties, private parties, and more.

Their motto: "Creativity is contagious -- pass it on."

Located at 10115 Creek Road, it's a fun and creative place to have birthday parties. The "WHOLE SHA-BANG PARTY" package costs $160 and includes everything you need for eight kids balloons, cake, plates, forks and drinks (to host additional children, it's $14 per child).

"It's like a buffet of pottery here," said Sara Manurung, owner of Jade Pottery, who held her grand opening Saturday.

Manurung is hosting a summer camp this week that includes four sessions throughout four days, starting at 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sessions are $80 each. The camp features a giant paintbrush wall plaque, splatter and a real palette. 

August typically brings sticky hot temperatures and Jade Pottery is happy to make guests as comfortable as possible. 

"Popsicles and water balloons are in order," she said.

Jade Pottery's schedule is packed through Oct. 29, but they are always looking to add new faces to their lineup. If you are a crafter and would like to sell your unique items in the shop, give them a call at (585) 813-1838. 

"We are always looking for fresh new creative people to come in," Manurung said. 

Manurung hosts a "ya-ya night" -- where ladies play popular family games like "Bingo," "Family Feud," and "Let's Make a Deal."

"We have classes that aren't pottery," Manurung said.

Jade Pottery's event schedule can be found here, where you'll find exciting events, and even live music.  

Genesee County's unemployment rate remains at pre-recession levels, hitting 3.8 percent for the second month in a row, but there are still fewer people working locally than there were the last time it hit 3.8, in August 2007.

Then, according to NYS labor department statistics, there were 32,600 people with jobs in the county. In June 2016, the most current employment numbers, there were 29,700 people with jobs, a drop of more than 3,000 employed residents.

The labor force participation number has dropped over the same span from 33,900 to 30,800. The number in June 2015 was 31,200.

The labor force participation number reflects the total number of people either working or actively looking for employment. It does not include people who have stopped looking for work, nor does it include people who have voluntarily decided to retire (which as Baby Boomer age does account for at least some of decrease in workforce participation) or people who dropped out of the labor force because of disability.

From 2007 to 2015, Genesee County's population rose from 58,159 to 58,937.

The lowest number of employed local residents over the past 10 years was in January 2015, when 27,300 residents had jobs. The unemployment rate then was 6.8 percent.

Since 1990, the number of employed locally has hovered the range 27,000 and 31,000, and the labor force participation number has remained within a similar range.

These numbers reflect the job market for residents, as for the jobs currently filled within Genesee County, the June 2015 number is 24,000, which is exactly where it was a year ago for non-farm jobs.

It's been months and months of planning and work, but Jeff Price and Dawn Van Nostrand are ready to open their new coffee shop Monday morning at the corner of Seven Springs Road and Clinton Street Road.

Appropriately, it's called Corner Coffee.

Patrons will be able to enjoy coffee, smoothies and baked goods either to go or during a break in the sitting room, where they can connect to free Wi-Fi.

"We look forward to serving the public and enjoying the coffee," Price said.

As much as possible, what's served is from local sources, Price said. The baked goods come from Sweet Pea's and Harrington's. Sweet Peas is also making pints of homemade ice cream that will be available at Coffee Corner.

The location is next to Batavia Sign, a business owned by Price's brother-in-law.

Price and Van Nostrand said they liked the location because it's a good neighborhood, with good neighbors, close to Genesee Community College and on the route of many commuters heading to work in the Byron and Bergen area or to Rochester and Buffalo.

Over the winter, restoration work on the Creekside Inn resumed. The building was covered in protective plastic on the east side for much of the winter and when the plastic came off and the scaffolding came down, it revealed three levels of patios and decks and restored masonry.

Owner Bill Farmer expects work to be completed to have a restaurant and bar open by December.

Today he hosted a small gathering of invited guests to see the progress of the work.

Farmer gave me permission to take pictures of the decks, patio and interior. Sadly and unfortunately, as I was rushing out the door this evening to get to the fairgrounds for the tractor pulls, I hastily reformated the SD card in my camera, forgetting I had not yet transferred the pictures to my hard disk. Disk recovery didn't work and they're all lost.

All I can tell you is, Bill is doing a first-class job. This place, when it's done, will be stunning. The views will be beautiful. A couple of times this morning when he gave me a private tour, I was amazed by the work he's done on the place.

Farmer doesn't want to talk publicly about his plans at this point, but the revived Creekside Inn should be a great addition to Le Roy and Genesee County.

Press release:

Western New York Independent Living, Inc., (WNYIL), which has an office in Batavia, will be holding its third Biannual Summit on Aging and Independence: “Shaping Health and Wellness for the Future” on Sept. 29-30 at the Buffalo Convention Center, and they need knowledgeable people to share their expertise.

WNYIL is recruiting individuals who work with seniors, OR who are part of an organization, business or service providing support to individuals who are over 55 years old, OR are doing research specifically focused on the senior population, to participate as presenters, as plenary speakers, or in panels or interactive workshops. There is no charge to make a presentation, which is limited to 75-minutes long, and those accepted will be given breakfast or lunch.

The purpose of the Summit is to identify and reveal critical efforts, ideas, research and issues related to aging, independence, wellness and change, but it also affords participants a great opportunity to represent and exchange knowledge regarding concepts, programs, services, trends, etc., which can impact individuals who are in the 55+ group.

To be considered, would-be presenters should prepare a proposal that fits one of these categories: Practical and scholarly work on issues important to aging populations; Lecture-style presentations; Hands-on workshops or simulations; Presentations on or by community groups that interact with aging populations; Presentations by students on aging-related course assignments or volunteer work; Panel Discussions; and Interactive Workshops.

While proposals can involve any appropriate topic, some potential areas are: Health Care Provision; Managed Long-Term Care; Assistive Technology Advances; Gerontology; Care-giving; Research; Independent Living; Public Policy or Systems Advocacy; Healthy Lifestyles; Cultural Diversity; New Trends; or Outcomes. The Summit is divided into five tracks to appeal to the perspectives of different attendees: Service providers or advocates; healthcare professionals; consumers; caregivers; or researchers/educators.

The intended audience should be identified in the proposals, which will be scored by the Steering Committee based on how well they address the content area, plus clarity, objectives, method of presentation, likely interest to participants, and overall program balance.

For more information, and to request Proposal Guidelines and application forms, please call Heather at (716) 836-0822, ext. 146, or Katie at ext.166, and we will be happy to assist you! Applications are due by Aug. 15 to WNY Independent Living, Inc. – Summit on Aging, 3108 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14214, or to hmattiuzzo@wnyil.org. Those accepted will be notified by Sept. 1.

The Western New York Independent Living, Inc., family of agencies offer an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Representatives from onion companies from all over the world were in Genesee County today to see the world famous Elba Mucklands.

The tour is part of a convention of onion industry leaders hosted by the National Onion Association in Niagara County this week. The attendees had breakfast in Batavia and then toured the mucklands.

The visit included a presentation by Christy Hoepting, a researcher with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, who is studying the impact of weeds on onion growth and how best to control them in the field.

There was also a presentation on experimental onion varieties being grown in the muck.

There were people in the tour group from not only the United States, but also Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico.

"This is a beautiful and productive place," said Kim Reddin, director of public and industry relations for NOA. "Absolutely, it's unique and one of the main growing areas in the eastern part of the United States."