All schools hold open houses. In Pavilion, the high school hosts the Gopher Gathering, a chance for the school community to come together to enjoy good food, live music, and games, and also learn about academic opportunities available at the school.
Along with a food truck rodeo, there is face painting, a petting zoo, and a dunk tank.
"It's a community thing where people can meet and greet teachers," Principal Charles Martelle said Thursday at the school grounds.
Besides learning about classes they might have overlooked, it's a chance for students and parents to learn about campus activities, including clubs students might join.
"Mostly, it's about coming out and meeting teachers, meeting people at the school, and getting a feel for the place, and having a good time," Martelle said. "Then, if they can learn something about the courses, about the clubs, and some different opportunities, then that's kind of the bonus."
Photos by Howard Owens.
Deputy Trevor Sherwood, Pavilion's new school resource officer, in the dunk tank.
One person was injured when a passenger vehicle and a semi-truck hauling retail merchandise collided at Ellicott Street Road and Starr Road shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Seven hours later, workers were still removing the merchandise from the truck and loading it into another trailer.
The State Police released the names of the drivers without stating which vehicle each driver was operating and which driver was injured.
The driver of the first vehicle was Syed A. Rizvi, 36, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, and of the second, Francisco A. Gomez Arias, 42, of Hazle Township, Pa.
The State Police did not release any information related to the events leading to the accident.
Alexander resident Cortni Quinn, a corrections officer at Attica Correctional Facility, provided these photos from Wednesday's Attica Prison Riot Memorial Ceremony.
Every year, on Sept. 13, there are two ceremonies on prison grounds in remembrance of the riot, which started on Sept. 9, 1971, and ended on Sept. 13, 1971. the first service focuses on victims and families of victims who died. The second is a state service remembering the riot.
This year was the 52nd anniversary.
The bagpiper is William Franz of Attica. The pictures include the Attica Honor Guard and the Attica CERT team members.
A number of concerns have been raised about the impacts of the construction of an underground pipeline that would discharge treated water from businesses at STAMP into Oak Orchard Creek.
These are concerns that we have taken very seriously and addressed. Multiple engineering studies and peer engineering and environmental regulatory reviews have been conducted to assess potential impacts of discharging this treated water into the Creek. This process is similar to how municipalities treat water before it is discharged into local waterways.
While existing businesses at STAMP, including Plug Power and Edwards, would discharge approximately 50,000 gallons per day of treated water into Oak Orchard Creek, the studies and peer reviews assessed the impacts of the potential for a maximum of 6 million gallons per day as if STAMP was at full build-out.
The various studies and peer reviews conducted by engineering professionals took that maximum level into account and determined that the increased flow from the STAMP discharge will not have a noticeable impact on the 100-year flood elevations downstream, nor will it impact stream velocity, water levels, water quality impairments and/or area-wide erosion.
Concerns also have been raised about potentially impacting the capacity at water treatment facilities in neighboring communities, which could negatively impact bringing new businesses and/or assist business expansion because of a lack of capacity.
Again, citing these same studies and peer reviews for the potential for a maximum of 6 million gallons per day if STAMP was at full build-out, it was determined that:
The increase in surface water elevations in Oak Orchard Creek during a 10-year storm event would be approximately 1/8” to 1/4”, with STAMP discharging at the maximum expected level of 6 MGD.
Given the above, the Medina water treatment plant, which currently operates with a maximum permitted level of treating 4.5 MGD, could expand by another 10 MGD in order to accommodate new capacity for business growth and/or expansion without impact from STAMP’s maximum expected 6 MGD discharge.
An adjoining dam to Oak Orchard Creek could absorb the 6 MGD into its storage capacity without modification to the dam’s operations.
We want to support our partners in economic development to assist any we can to enhance investment in the GLOW region. We would not advocate for something that would be detrimental to our partners, as we all are working collaboratively to bring prosperity to our region.
Finally, we want to thank the approximately 38 landowners who agreed to temporary and permanent easements on their properties to allow the underground pipeline to be constructed. We appreciate their understanding of the temporary and permanent need to use their properties for this critically important regional economic development initiative.
Please visit www.informationaboutstamp.com to review the various engineering studies and peer-reviewed documents related to this project.
Sincerely,
Peter Zeliff Chairman Genesee County Economic Development Center
A 17-year-old from Aberdeen, Scotland, was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle in the area of 5186 Clinton Street Road, Batavia, shortly before 1:30 a.m.
Ethan R. Walker is believed to be a student at Genesee Community College.
According to the Sheriff's Office, he was apparently a passenger in a 2007 Chevy Suburban that was eastbound on Route 33. For some reason, Walker got out of the vehicle, crossed the roadway on foot and entered the westbound lane.
He was struck by a grey 2008 Toyota RAV4 driven by Garrett R. Mercurio, 18, of Batavia.
Mercurio and witnesses called 9-1-1.
Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS arrived on scene and provided Walker with medical care. Walker was transported by ground ambulance from the scene and later flown by Mercy EMS to ECMC, where he is currently in the trauma unit.
The incident is being investigated by the Sheriff's Office, including members of the Crash Management Team.
Randy Starr, a fifth-generation family farmer, bailing hay on his farm in Pavlion in 2011. Photo by Howard Owens.
J. Randolf "Randy" Starr, 73, a fifth-generation farmer in Pavilion with an affection for running his family farm in some old-time ways, using older equipment, passed away on Sunday.
The Batavian wrote about Starr in 2011, and he explained his preference for older equipment (not that he rejected everything new) and taking a common-sense approach to farming.
"I always thought the old-timers knew what they were doing, Starr said. "Work hard, keep your nose clean, and you’ll be all right. This is just the way we go. It’s the way we do it. I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody else in the world, but it seems to work for us all right.”
Starr was born in Batavia in 1949, the son of George and Isabelle Rudgers Starr.
The Starr Farm on Starr Road in Pavilion celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2018.
The farm was started by Noah Starr, Randy's great-great-great grandfather, a Dutch immigrant who bought 270 acres in Pavilion from the Holland Land Office in 1818. He built a log cabin on the property when he first settled it. His son started construction on the first part of the current Starr home in 1890.
Randy was born to be a farmer.
After graduating from Pavilion High School, as did his wife, Cindy, he attended Alfred College in order to earn a degree in agriculture.
"For some foolish reason, I wanted to be a farmer all my life, and now here I am." Starr said in 2011. "I’m 61 years old. Was that the right move or not? Who knows?"
At the time of the article in 2011, Starr farmed 125 acres, growing wheat, barley, hay, oats and black beans. He also raised about 80 head of cattle.
Starr said he found the older equipment less of a hassle than a lot of modern equipment farmers use.
"My tractor breaks down, and their tractor breaks down; theirs is maybe a $50,000 fix, and mine is a piece of baling wire and something I can keep it going with."
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Cindy Wellman Starr; his children, Christopher Starr and Sarah (Timothy) Kingdon; grandchildren, Evan and Collin Kingdon; sisters-in-law, Debbie Starr, Ann (Duane) Stehlar; special friends, Judd (Janet) Ewell, along with many nieces, nephews and dear friends.
Both teams scored all their points in the first half.
Jay Antinore was 7-19 passing for 111 yards with one TD reception. Gabe Castro gained 49 yards on the ground on 14 carries. Jaden Sherwood scored a TD on four receptions for 73 yards.
Oakfield-Alabama/Elba dominated York/Pavilion on Saturday for a 41-6 win in football.
Bodie Hyde ran 17 times for 219 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, he had eight tackles.
Shaun Alexander rushed for 42 yards on five carries and scored a TD.
Avery Watterson rushed 10 times for 102 yards and scored a TD. He had an interception on defense.
Gavin Armbrewter tossed a 15-yard pass to Carson Warner for a score.
Junior RB Jack Cianfrini - 5 Rushes, 65 Yards
On defense:
Ashton Bezon - nine tackles, four for a loss
Angelo Penna - seven tackles, two for a loss
Austin Pangrazio - six tackles, two for a loss
"Total team effort on all three sides of the ball from our squad today," said Head Coach Tyler Winter. "We were thankful York/Pavilion presented moments of adversity throughout the game, as we are still looking to see what we are going to do as a team when those moments happen."
The WNY Gas and Steam Engine Association is hosting its 56th annual Rally, better known as the Steam Show, at his property off Gillate Road in Alexander this weekend.
Batavia takes the lead with 3.8 seconds left in the second quarter, making 20-14 at halftime Photo by Steve Ognibene
In the closing seconds of the first half, the Batavia Blue Devils scored a go-ahead TD over Wayne Central to regain a lead the team wouldn't relinquish the rest of the way, leading to a 33-14 win.
It was the team's home opener and made the Blue Devils 2-0 under new head coach Alex Veltz.
Bronx Buchholz was 7-11 passing for 59 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also gained 130 yards on the ground on 15 carries, scoring twice.
Cole Graz snagged our receptions for 18 yards and a TD. He also had an inception on defense.
Carter Mullen had one reception for an 8-yard TD.
Mekhi Fortes, 14 carries, 85 yards, 5.5.
Zailen Griffin, nine rushes for 82 yards and a TD.
The Blue Devils take on Honeoye Falls-Lima this Friday in HFL. Game time is 7 p.m.
Cole Grazioplene scores the first touchdown for Batavia in the first quarter. Photo by Steve Ognibene
If you want to make sparks fly, there are some folks at Graham Manufacturing in Batavia who want to talk with you.
Graham makes big things out of big pieces of metal, and that means welding. Graham invests a lot of money in training the people it hires so they learn to become world-class welders.
"We've got a welding school now where we're training our own welders," said Don Fonda, plant supervisor at Graham. "We partnered with Arc and Flame in Rochester. We're paying for people to take classes there. They're actually Graham employees, and we pay them to go to classes. Those are 12-week classes. If they do well, they come here. If they do so-so, we send them for another 12 weeks."
Plant Operations Manager/Commercial Randy Franklin said the welding work Graham needs is specialized and requires a great deal of skill.
"We have really high-quality standards here," Franklin said.
He explained, "We're not just building widgets. It's not the same every single time. We like people who can solve problems. There's a variability in the workflow. It's a good place to work. I mean, it's been around for over 80 years, so it's been a pretty decent place as a bedrock or just providing an opportunity for people in the area."
When Graham, which has always been based in Batavia, was a smaller company, BOCES provided three or four young welders a year that Graham could hire, but now, with 300 employees locally and $150 million in annual revenue, there's a bigger demand for welders, as well as other manufacturing specialties, at Graham, so hiring has become more of a challenge.
Alfred State has a solid welding program, and it is a source of new hires for Graham, but as Fonda explained, if the graduates are not already from the GLOW region, they're likely not coming to Batavia for a job.
So he and Franklin want to get the word out to more local residents looking for a rewarding career -- good pay and solid benefits -- that Graham might be a good fit.
"I think there's a perception that all of this type of equipment is being built elsewhere in the world," Franklin said. "We haven't done a really good job of broadcasting where Graham is and what we do. So we wanted to try to get some more eyeballs on the type of equipment that we build and the opportunities for people in the area."
Graham's longstanding specialty has been equipment used in the oil and gas industries, extracting and refining fuels, but in recent years, Graham has fulfilled contracts for the Department of Defense, fabricating equipment for aircraft carriers and submarines.
"Oil and gas is very cyclical -- demand follows, essentially, the value of a barrel of oil," Franklin said. "The executives, like 10 to 12 years ago, they wanted to be able to even that out because no one enjoys layoffs. They wanted to find a nice baseline, so they went after the Department of Defense."
But the folks at Graham are clearly proud of that shipment. There's a picture of it on a wall in one of the plant buildings. It's the largest load of the year -- 225 long, 17 feet wide, with a gross vehicle weight of 486,000 pounds.
Another poster on the same wall notes that Graham has shipped 2,584 pieces of equipment with a gross weight of 5,980,587 pounds.
For all the success of Graham, and the company's reputation as a place where people work long careers, it's hard finding the right people in Batavia, Franklin acknowledged. And it's getting hard.
"It's tough being in Batavia," Franklin said. "You know, it's in between two cities in New York State, so that makes it difficult. In those higher population areas, obviously, it's easier to pull in people, and then, to top it off, the state doesn't make it very easy to maintain a business and hire people."
The rapid growth of the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, the growth of WNY STAMP and the related business growth in Pembroke is also making the job market more competitive, Franklin agreed. All of that growth is driven by incentives offered by GCEDC and the state's economic development packages.
"I don't know if our politicians really truly understand that the decisions that they make have ripple effects," Franklin said. "It's hard to be a competitive business when other new businesses are receiving tax breaks. We just have to try to be flexible and figure out different ways to be competitive with them."
As an example, he said this past summer, a benefit Graham offered was allowing employees to work four nine-hour shifts during the week so they get a half-day off on Friday, and hence a longer weekend to stay at home or take a brief vacation.
Franklin said Graham is looking at other creative ways to offer benefits to Graham employees.
"But regardless of where you are in the country, or even the world, hiring people is a challenge," Franklin added. "In that way, it's not like we're unique to this area."
There are currently 35 openings at Graham in a variety of jobs -- welders, of course, but also engineers, CNC machine operators, buyers, and more -- and Fonda said Graham might be a hidden little gem for area residents who are looking for a career.
"I don't think a lot of people would even know we're here," Fonda said. "We're kind of tucked back on a little street. You might see us a little bit from Main Street, and maybe a bit behind Miss Batavia, but for the most part, I don't think a lot of people know we're here. And I'm not sure a lot of people know we're hiring."
Don Fonda, plant supervisor, and Randy Franklin, operations manager/commercial, at Graham Manufacturing in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens.
Photo by Howard Owens
The Sequoia Project. Graham built four U-tube freeze condensers that will be installed at a facility in Thailand to support Lactide alcohol distillation. Randy Franklin said this is a whole new industry that Graham is supporting to make and market low-carb, renewable biomaterials that will revolutionize the sustainability and safety of packaging product materials used in everyday lives. The polymers could produce 3D printed materials, compostable coffee capsules, tea bags, flexible packaging, and food service ware. Photo by Howard Owens.
Graham is providing equipment for a Houston-based refinery, supplying large-scale replacement parts for existing equipment installed at facilities around the world. This is a tube bundle that allows the customer to restore the performance of their equipment after years of coating on the tubing, which reduces its capability to condense fluids, thus reducing the amount of product refined and revenue. Photo by Howard Owens.
Photo by Howard Owens.
Photo by Howard Owens.
Both India and China are growth markets for Graham. For India, Graham is supplying a large-scale vacuum system to increase India's overall refining capacity. Graham now has an office in India to better help the company meet market demands there. In China, Graham is fabricating parts for existing refineries as well as new refineries. Photo by Howard Owens.
The following arrests were announced by the Sheriff's Office on Wednesday in connection with the Odesza Concert on Sept. 1 at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.
Kaylee N. Laird, 24, of Chapel Street, Canandaigua, is charged with criminal trespass 3rd after allegedly reentering the venue area after being told she could not enter.
Peter M. J. Karrkos, 24, of Seneca Drive, Canandaigua, is charged with criminal trespass 3rd after allegedly reentering the venue area after being told he could not enter.
Nicholas T. Ortiz, 18, of Hamlin Parma Townline Road, Hilton, is charged with criminal trespass 3rd and disorderly conduct after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return and then knocking over a section of fencing while leaving.
Anthony Lawrence Corsaro, 33, of Park Hill Drive, Dansville, is charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration 2nd, driving while impaired by drugs, following too close, and moving from lane unsafely. Corsaro was arrested by Deputy Zachary Hoy on Aug. 30 in connection with a traffic complaint reported at 6:50 p.m. on June 29 on Route 63 in Pavilion. Corsaro was issued traffic tickets and released.
Danny D. Williams, Sr., 34, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Williams was arrested on Aug. 24 after an investigation into a disturbance on Harvester Avenue on Aug. 21, where he allegedly violated an order of protection. Williams was arraigned in City Court and held without bail.
Bradley R. Jordan, 30, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant issued by City Court. Jordan was initially arrested on Jan. 20 after a disturbance. He was charged with aggravated family offense, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal mischief 4th. A warrant was issued on Feb. 4 after he allegedly failed to appear in court. He was arrested on Aug. 28. He was additionally charged with bail jumping 2nd. Jordan was arraigned and remanded to the Genesee County Jail.
Bleyke Z. Culver, 27, of Batavia, is charged with aggravated family offense and criminal contempt 2nd. The arrest on Aug. 25 is the result of an investigation into an incident where Culver was found inside a residence on Walnut Street in violation of an order of protection. Culver was arraigned and remanded to the Genesee County Jail on $200 cash bail, $1,500 bond, or $1,500 partially secured bond.
Victoria L. Jacques, 53, of Batavia, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and harassment 2nd. Jacques was arrested on Aug. 27 following an investigation into a disturbance where Jacques allegedly struck another person and grabbed the person by the neck. She was arraigned and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice.
Justin M. Witherspoon, 37, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. It’s alleged that Witherspoon damaged property on Aug. 27 during a dispute with a neighbor. Witherspoon was issued an appearance ticket.
Hailee N. Callicutt, 22, of Albion, was arrested on Aug. 29 on a warrant. Callicutt was initially arrested on Jan. 1, 2022, on charges of obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest, as well as numerous traffic violations. The warrant was issued on Sept. 20 after Callicutt allegedly failed to appear in court. She was arraigned and released.
Patrick Dale Blackwell, 68, of Rochester, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, and dazzling headlights. Blackwell was stopped at 12:02 a.m. on Aug. 31, on Park Road, Batavia, by Deputy Jeremiah Gechell.
Cynthia Marie Gosler, 38, of Wakefield Avenue, Buffalo, and Rashawn Lamont Gosier, 44, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, are charged with petit larceny and conspiracy 6th. Gosler and Gosier are accused of stealing merchandise from Target in Batavia on Aug. 25 at 11:06 a.m. Gosler was held pending arraignment. Gosier was held pending arraignment on an NYS Parole warrant.
Nicholas Joseph Breau, 31, of Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Breau allegedly through an item at another person during a disturbance reported at 12:20 p.m. on Aug. 31 at a location on Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia.
Amy Meredith Gambino, 32, of French Road, Cheektowaga, is charged with criminal contempt 1st, criminal contempt 2nd, endangering the welfare of a child, and harassment 2nd. Gambino is accused of striking two children under the age of 17 and an adult, causing that person alarm during a disturbance in the Town of Darien at 3 p.m. on Aug. 28.
Alana M. Diefendorf, 26, of Bergen, is charged with obstruction of governmental administration 2nd and endangering the welfare of a child. Diefendorf was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported in the Town of Bergen at 8:49 p.m. on Sept. 5. The State Police did not release a summary of what led to the charges. Diefendorf was issued an appearance ticket.
A semi-truck loaded with 20,000 pounds of potash flipped on its side, spilling its contents, at the Four Corners (Main Road and Route 237) in Stafford shortly before 1:50 p.m. on Tuesday.
First Assistant Chief Mark Dougherty said it appeared the truck took the turn at the intersection a little too fast.
Employees with Carolina Eastern responded to the scene to help with the clean-up effort.
Dougherty said it was important to get the spill cleaned up quickly, before it started to rain, so the fertilizer wouldn't flow into nearby Black Creek.
Officers with the Department of Environmental Conservation were responding to the scene to advise on the clean-up effort.
There was a minor spill of diesel fuel and hydraulics that was easily contained, Dougherty said.
