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The Pavilion boys volley team picked up two victories yesterday, first over Keshequa and then over Eastridge.

In game one, Pavilion won in three sets, 25-10, 25-12, and 25-16.

• Josh Van Alstine with four kills and three digs
• Alex Stalica with three digs and two aces
• Cameron Milligan with 20 kills, eight digs, and 11 aces
• Cole Tillotson with 20 assists and four kills

In game two, Pavilion/York beat Eastridge 3 sets to 1, 26-24, 25-14, 27-29, 25-15.

• Cameron Milligan with 39 kills and nine blocks
• Cole Tillotson with 38 assists, four kills and four blocks
• Dan Nichols with 13 digs and two aces
• Charlie Urbanczyk with seven digs

Pictures and info by Ryan Paddock.

Top photo: #11 Cameron Milligan with a kill between Eastridge blockers​.

#8 Cole Tillotson makes a leaping save in the second set against Eastridge.

#6 Ty Heineman with a kill.

#17 Dan Nichols serves to Keshequa in the second set.

Press release:

This week Beth Parlato, Republican candidate for Congress in New York’s 27^th Congressional District, signed U.S. Term Limits’ pledge to support legislation limiting the number of terms a member can serve in Congress.

The former judge and first-time candidate made the news public in a Facebook video in which she proudly declared her support for term limits, differentiating herself from Washington career politicians.

“I’m all for term limits. We need to keep Congress moving and finally get something done,” said Parlato on signing the pledge. “We have members preaching socialism on the left and need more people fighting back from a place of sanity. We can’t elect somebody afraid to rock the status quo. That’s why I’m running.”

“Beth’s support of term limits shows that there are individuals who are willing to put self-interest aside to follow the will of the people. America needs a Congress that will be served by citizen legislators, not career politicians,” said U.S. Term Limits President Philip Blumel.

Parlato, the only political newcomer in the race, made waves with her impressive first fundraising quarter when she raised more than $270,000 with no fundraising consultants or outside help. Now she is using the momentum of her campaign as a platform to advocate for the serious reforms needed to rid Congress of corruption.

County legislators decided Wednesday to take a little more time on deciding whether to add information to property tax bills about how much of the county's property tax levy goes to funding state-mandated services.

The proposal brought to the Ways and Means Committee included line items for:

• Social Services (including Medicaid)
• Jail
• Probation
• Early Intervention
• PHC Preschool
• Mental Health
• Public Defender
• Assigned Counsel
• Community College Tuition (excluding GCC sponsor share)
• District Attorney Salary

Members of the committee were not entirely comfortable with the entire list, or even whether the information disclosure should be included on the tax bill at all, which only goes to property owners whose taxes are not paid by mortgage holders.

Those services eat up $23 million, or 76 percent of the county's tax levy. 

New York State mandated services -- services that the state requires the county to provide, or services the county would provide anyway but the state mandates that they be delivered in a specific way and at a specific cost -- are a long-standing complaint of local legislators.

The proposal, some legislators think, would help inform local taxpayers that the county's elected officials have little say in how their money is spent.

Legislator Andrew Young seemed the most uncomfortable with including the information at all on the tax bills.

"It just seems like whining to me," Young said. "It’s just like when I ask Steve Hawley (about Albany), ‘well, we’re stuck. It’s somebody else’s fault.’ What do we really get out of it? I’m not sure we’re really sharing any information that anybody understands, so we’re really just feeling better … I don’t know, it just feels like whining to me.”

Committee Chair Marianne Clattenburg thought it important that taxpayers understand how Albany constrains county government but wasn't sure the list entirely accomplished that goal since some of the items are functions of government the county would provide without state mandates, but perhaps not in the way or at the price tag the state dictates.

Young noted that the county also receives a lot of grant money for things like roads and bridges from the state; perhaps that evens out the mandated expenses.

"It’s really about control, right?" Young said. "Let’s just assume it’s even. It just means they get to control us."

Clattenburg responded, "It’s about what a local government decides to do and how to do it. That is really what most of the budget is. It’s about how New York City does things and we’re not New York City, so it’s really frustrating.”

She said she did think it's important for citizens to understand how the local government spends property tax revenue.

"Maybe if we kept (the list) to just mandates we really struggle with, Medicaid, early childhood, all these mandates associated with law enforcement, the district attorney, assigned council, and all of that -- the things that we are required to do, that if we could do them ourselves we might design a different way," Clattenburg said.

Legislators Shelly Stein and Gregg Torrey both spoke in favor of including information about mandates expenses on the tax bill.

Stein said she knows people who look at their tax bills and will be interested in information on the back about how the money is spent.

In order for the county to start including such information, local law will need to be amended. To do that, the Legislature would need to pass a resolution in November and hold a public hearing in December and vote for the change before January in order for the July tax bills to carry the information.

That isn't likely to happen since Ways and Means tabled the resolution Wednesday.

"I think we have to decide what’s going to be on the list and I think everybody needs input into that and I would like to hear every legislator, not just the committee," Clattenburg said.

A car has reportedly hit a tree while exiting the Thruway from the eastbound lane in Batavia.

Unknown injuries.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:01 p.m.: A Batavia chief on scene says all Batavia equipment can standby in quarters.

Tim Martin, born and raised in Batavia and a 2014 graduate of Batavia High School, is now in the Marine Corps and a tool he invented to assist in maintenance on the brakes of MV-22 Ospreys is getting the attention of even some of the highest-ranking generals in the Corps, thanks to its ability to reduce maintenance time and save money.

Martin's tool is now patent-pending and being deployed throughout the Corps for use on Ospreys, a type of multi-use aircraft that can take off and land both vertically (like a helicopter) and then fly like a fixed-wing plane.

After graduation from BHS, where he took several advanced-placement classes, Martin started college in an engineering program but decided he didn't like college life much so he joined the Marine Corps. He's now an aviation mechanic. 

In his email to us, Martin said, "I have loved my time in the Corps since the day I joined, and wish for everyone to seek out what they are truly called to do. I never thought in my life that I would drop out of college as an engineering student and go on to be patent-pending on a tool I invented a few years later. The opportunities in life are endless. Once you find your calling everything else falls into place."

A slightly revised lease for property owned by the City of Batavia in the mall for Batavia Players got a renewed objection by Councilman Bob Bialkowski and as was the case in February of 2018, Bialkowski was the lone dissenting vote to approve the lease.

Bialkowski objected to the lease at Tuesday night's council meeting, he said, because it didn't address issues he said were typically in commercial leases -- such as provision for a dumpster, snow removal, parking, after-hour usage, and utilities.

He said the lack of clarity on these issues could lead to a lawsuit against the city and that since it is the first of what may be more leases of city property in the mall, the right precedent needs to be set.

"In my opinion, a good lease makes for good business," Bialkowski said.

He made a motion to rewrite the lease but it failed for lack of a second.

City Attorney George Van Ness said the only change in the lease was an extension of the term in order to meet state requirements for Downtown Revitalization Funds.

The proposal by Batavia Players to move the Harvester 56 Theater on Harvester Avenue to 35 City Centre -- the former Dent Neurological Clinic office, between Genesee Dental and The Insurance Center -- at a total cost of $901,750, was approved by the governor's office as part of the $10 million DRI award to the City of Batavia last year. The state grant will cover $701,750 of the construction costs.

Van Ness said if the city renegotiated the lease to the degree Bialkowski proposed, the past year's worth of work with the state to get final approval for the project would be lost and the process would start from the beginning.

"This is a standard commercial lease," Van Ness said. "It's been used in the past for other properties. It's been approved by Dent counsel. It's been reviewed and approved by counsel for Batavia Players as well as the Department of State.

"So respectfully, it's a standard lease in terms and received prior approval by the council on February 12th, 2018. Many of these same questions were asked and answered at that point in time. They were addressed and council voted at that point seven to one in favor of the lease."

Councilman Paul Viele, a contractor and commercial property owner, told his fellow council members that the lease is a standard "triple net."

A triple net lease means the tenant assumes responsibility for not just the rent, but also all other property expenses such as property tax, insurance, maintenance and utilities.

"I don't think anyone understands that they (Batavia Players) are responsible for most of everything that Bob raises as an issue," Viele said.

The council approved the lease on a 7-1 vote, with Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian absent.

There's been enough talk about the deer problem in Batavia, Councilman John Canale said during Tuesday's Batavia City Council meeting after a local resident said he's been chased by a buck in his own yard during public comments.

"Forming another committee isn't going to do anything," Canale said. "We've done this before. We form a committee and the committee studies the issue and makes a recommendation and then there's no action."

It's time for action, he said.

Councilman Paul Viele's suggestion: A controlled kill. It's time, he said, to start thinning the herds that encroach on the city.

Russell Nephew, a Bank Street resident, said there's a large herd that hangs out at that end of town, in the farm fields between Genesee Community College and the city line and enter on residential property, destroying landscaping and leaving their droppings in local yards, and perhaps carrying tics that are a danger to dogs and humans.

"Those things are disheartening and I’ve put up with them but now I’ve got chased through my backyard by a deer," Nephew said. "It reared up and I got away from it luckily. A couple of days later, my 70-year-old neighbor got ran into her apartment from a parking lot. At any one time, there can be from six to 10 deer that run through there."

A resident from Avon spoke up during the council discussion and said that in Avon they've instituted a bait-and-shoot program that has rules, is regulated, and is helping reduce the herd size.

Council President Eugene Jankowski pointed out that any deer killed would have the meat from the animal donated to a food pantry in the region to help feed low-income residents.

He also blamed the growing herd sizes on fewer hunters in New York. He said more people are giving up hunting as a protest against New York's increasingly restrictive gun laws.

While council members seemed to favor some culling effort, no specific plan was approved at Tuesday's meeting.

Here is the Genesee Symphony Orchestra during Monday's rehearsal performing Aaron Copland's "John Henry."

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra opens its 2019-20 season this Sunday at 4 p.m. with a concert in the auditorium of Pembroke High School.

The concert, "Symphonic Pictures I: Portraits" features "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" by Debussy, "John Henry," by Aaron Copland, "The Swan of Tuonela," by Sibelius, and "Pictures at an Exhibition," by Mussorgsky.

This is the fourth season S. Shade Zajac leads the orchestra.

For casual fans of orchestra music or those who have never been to see an orchestra perform, this is an excellent show. The pieces are largely modernist and fun. The Mussorgsky piece is particularly exciting (watch the video) and Aaron Copland is perhaps America's greatest composer.  

If you watch the video, you will likely want to attend this show.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and students (with ID) get in for free. Tickets are available at Roxy's Music Store, GO ART!, The YNGodess Shop, Bank of Castile in Le Roy and at geneseesymphony.com.

Pembroke High School is located at 8750 Alleghany Road (routes 5 and 77), Pembroke.

Previously: Video: GSO prepares for opening concert of the season, rehearsing 'Pictures at an Exhibition,' by Mussorgsky

With a senior planner leaving the Genesee County Planning Department for a private-sector job, Planning Director Felipe Oltramari said he sees it as an opportunity to reorganize his department in a way he thinks will be more efficient and help the county save some money.

Oltramari told members of the Public Service Committee on Tuesday that he would like to promote analyst Erin Pence to deputy planning director and create a position of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) clerk, thus eliminating the position of senior planner.

The reorganization, if approved by the Legislature during the budget process, would reduce costs in the department for 2020 by $4,000 and Oltramari said his five-year projection shows continued savings for at least that period of time.

In recent years, Oltramari's staff has consisted of a senior planner (a union-represented position) and an analyst (a non-union management position) and one assistant. The cost savings would be a result of reclassifying the senior planner position into an assistant position.

Oltramari said one of the things he learned after Derik Kane as senior planner for a position with LaBella and Associates is that one reason senior planners tend to stay in such county jobs -- and it's not just Genesee County -- is because the pay scale for the position tends to top out at about the six-year mark at which point, there are better private-sector opportunities.

And since Genesee County's pay scale for that position is about 25 percent less than the market rate, it makes it even harder to hire and retain qualified personnel. Oltramari said he understood why the pay for that position was set at the rate it is at; since it's a union position, raising pay to market rate would necessitate wage increases for personnel in other departments at the same current rate.

The reorganization will also help the planning department provide better service with GIS. Data entry and data management for GIS is time-intensive.

The county GIS map provides a lot of information to the community about tax parcels, jurisdictions, roads, streams and waterways, pipelines, fire hydrants, and a dozen or more other data points of interest.

The GIS system is also used by emergency dispatch, fire departments and local law enforcement for responding to incidents. The GIS system ties into CAD (Computer Assisted Dispatch system in every patrol car. The information can get pretty granular and is ever-changing.)  

Keeping up with the information to ensure the database stays current is time-consuming, Oltramari said. 

Analyst Pence currently handles the data maintenance and has little time to pursue opportunities to expand the system's functionality.

In her new role, she would supervise the data management position and work on expanding GIS services for the public and county agencies. For example, Oltramari said, it would be useful to have GIS provide road-closure information.

As deputy planner, Pence would also take on the duties of a senior planner.

It's Make a Difference Day for Batavia High School seniors with students and teachers taking on several community projects, including cleanup at the Peace Garden despite the rain.

Top photo: Leah Wroten. Second photo, Wroten along with Carolena Williams, Gabrielle Lawrence, Andrea Kraus, Katie Metzler and Ethan DiLaura.

At the Batavia Agri-Business Child Development Center on Brooklyn Avenue, Ron Williams, Alesia Schmidt and Sherry Crumity.

Marcello Harris, Jacob Bondaruk and Joshua Wasiulewski clean toys at the Batavia Agri-Business Child Development Center.

Jacob Crimes cleaning a display case at the Holland Land Office Museum.

Charlie Burton and Ayden Dowd-Devay paint a door at HLOM, while in the background Eddie Goodenough vacuums. 

The Genesee Symphony Orchestra opens its 2019-20 season this Sunday at 4 p.m. with a concert in the auditorium of Pembroke High School.

The concert, "Symphonic Pictures I: Portraits" features "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" by Debussy, "John Henry," by Aaron Copland, "The Swan of Tuonela," by Sibelius, and "Pictures at an Exhibition," by Mussorgsky.

This is the fourth season S. Shade Zajac leads the orchestra.

For casual fans of orchestra music or those who have never been to see an orchestra perform, this is an excellent show. The pieces are largely modernist and fun. The Mussorgsky piece is particularly exciting (watch the video) and Aaron Copland is perhaps America's greatest composer.  

If you watch the video, you will likely want to attend this show.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and students (with ID) get in for free. Tickets are available at Roxy's Music Store, GO ART!, The YNGodess Shop, Bank of Castile in Le Roy and at geneseesymphony.com.

Pembroke High School is located at 8750 Alleghany Road (routes 5 and 77), Pembroke.

A driver is suspected of following another car too closely on Route 98 in Alexander on Sunday at 7:02 p.m. when it struck another car that was also traveling northbound near Dodgeson Road.

Possible charges are pending following a blood analysis, according to the accident report filed by Deputy Brock Cummings.

James J. Moscicki, 39, of Geise Road, Attica, was reportedly driving a 1991 Ford sedan when the car struck a 2005 Pontiac sedan on Alexander Road. The Pontiac was driven by Laqueasha M. Taylor, 26, of Bank Street, Batavia.

After being struck, Taylor's vehicle began to spin, heading in a northwest direction and came to a rest on the west side of the road facing south.  Moscicki's vehicle continued traveling northwest and struck a fire hydrant. It then came to rest on the west shoulder facing north.

Both Moscicki and Taylor were transported by Mercy EMS to UMMC for evaluation of complaints of pain in their arms and shoulders.

Athena M. Short, 28, a passenger in Moscicki's vehicle, was not injured.

Illustration: Accident report drawing of the accident scene.

Deep Blue played in Saturday's finale of the Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew Battle of the Bands contest and finished second but this video, if you ask me, came out really well. You should watch it. It's Deep Blue performing the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's "Born in Chicago."

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The John Payton Project won the 2019 Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew's Battle of the Bands on Saturday night. Here's JPP performing the third song of their set.

Click here for coverage of Saturday's event.

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Van Detta Stadium was filled with soccer players and soccer fans on Saturday for "Super Soccer Saturday" with five soccer games on the pitch, including an alumni soccer game in the afternoon (top photo).

Games: 

• JV boys (Batavia beat Pembroke 4-2)
• JV girls (Batavia beat Greece-Odyssey 2-0)
• Batavia Alumni (Members from 1991-2019 played. Evens beat odds 4-1)
• Varsity Girls Sr. Recognition Game (Batavia beat Greece-Odyssey 4-0. Piper Harloff scored one goal and Katie Moore scored three).
• Varsity Boys Sr. Recognition Game (Batavia beat Pembroke 3-0)

Photos and info submitted by Carolyn Della Penna.

Batavia senior girls: Syd Della Penna, Maddie Taggart, Erica Flint, Azalea Wierda, Katie Moore, Liv Ells, Emily Janes, Bri Gutman.

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.64, down a penny since last week. One year ago, the price was $2.89. The New York State average is $2.70 – down 2 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $3.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.68 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.67 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.66 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.69 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Rome -- $2.70 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.58 (down 3 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.66 (down 2 cents since last week)

At the close of Friday’s formal trading session on the NYMEX, WTI increased by $1.15 to settle at $54.70. Crude prices increased after more tensions in the Middle East that could lead to a disruption in global crude supply.

Crude prices also increased based on reports that OPEC and its partners could deepen production cuts next year in an effort to reduce supply, which would lead to higher oil prices. This was not reflected in pump prices, which are down slightly over the past week.

In the Fifth Annual Battle of the Bands at the Smokin' Eagle BBQ & Brew in Le Roy, after a summer-long competition, the John Payton Project came out on top in the finalist pairing of the season on Saturday night.

Second place went to Deeper Blue.

Here's a video highlighting last night's event. We'll have full-song videos from each band over the next two days.

Notre Dame went on a romp Saturday afternoon against Canisteo-Greenwood gaining 526 rushing yards and scoring seven touchdowns to remain undefeated on the season with a 49-6 win over the Redskins.

Jed Reese scored three of the TDs on 12 carries for 237 yards. Gabe Macdonald rushed for two TDs. He carried the ball seven times for 149 yards. Alex Totten and Dylan Warner each had second-half touchdowns, with Totten gaining 80 yards on seven carries and Warner picking up 39 yards on four carries.

Canisteo managed only 178 total yards, 87 on the ground and 91 passing.

Dakota Sica led the defense with 12 tackles. Macdonald had 10 and Reese had eight. Reese also intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart a Redskins' drive.

Do you know who else is undefeated in Section V Class D? The Alexander Trojans.

The Trojans also had a big win this weekend, beating Cuba 56-7, setting up a big end-of-the-season showdown Friday night under the lights at Alexander High School. The two teams will be battling to become the number one seed in sectionals for Class D.

On Friday, the Trojans jumped to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and kept the ball rolling in the second quarter to go into the half up 42-7.

Dylan Busch was 15 for 20 passing for 287 yards and four touchdowns. He threw one interception. Kam Lyons caught six of those passes for 95 yards. Josh DeVries had two for 69, Ty Woods, three catches for 53 yards, and Connor Hollands had a big night at tight end, filling in for the injured Devin Dean, with two catches for 41 yards.

In the ground attack, Alexander spread the ball around with eight ball carriers picking up a total of 231 yards and scoring four TDs.

Hayden Walton led the team with 10 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Ty Woods had three carries for 45 yards and one TD. Jay Morrison had six carries for 50 yards and one TD. Josh DeVries had two carries for 41 yards.

Defensively, Ethan Heineman had eight tackles. Hayden Walton had six tackles. Ty Woods and Nolan Quackenbush each had fumble recoveries on defense.

The Trojans Sophomore kicker Eric Cline was once again perfect going eight for eight on the PATs.

Also on Saturday, Batavia lost to Greece Arcadia 26-7.

In eight-man football, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba beat Dundee 56-6. Joshua Cramer gained 147 yards on 19 carries and scored one touchdown.

Oakfield-Alabama's open house on Thursday night was capped off by the music department's annual cabaret show, which featured some of the students' favorite show tunes.

Sources say the legislation necessary to implement a new 40-year sales tax sharing agreement between Genesee County and the City of Batavia has been delivered to the desk of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

He now has 10 days to sign it or veto it or let the deadline pass (known as a pocket veto).

The bill incrementally shifts sales tax revenue previously shared with towns and villages with that revenue targeted to pay off bonds for a proposed $60 to $65 million jail and for water infrastructure projects.

As The Batavian reported exclusively two days ago, with the bill lingering in Albany, unsigned, the county was in danger of going without a sales tax agreement in 2020 and that County legislators felt it necessary to suspend the planning process for the new jail.

If the bill is signed, there will be a sales tax sharing agreement in 2020 and jail funding can be secured.

The state's Corrections Commission is requiring Genesee County to replace its substandard jail.

Previously: Plans for new $65 million jail put on hold while governor dawdles on sales tax legislation