Le Roy

To keep a local ambulance service, and the perception, if not the reality, of quicker response times to medical calls, Le Roy residents may be asked to consider a tax increase.

The tax increase has become known, after a meeting Saturday where the issue was discussed, as the "price of a pizza" question.

The comparison comes from an observation by John Condidorio, who deduced that with the average assessed value of a property in Le Roy at $100,000, an increase of 17 cents per thousand comes to another $17 a year on local property tax bills.

That, he said, is the price of a pizza. A small price to pay, he suggested, for local service.

"Stuff happens," said Condidorio, a detective with Le Roy PD. "Stuff happens quick. It happens significantly and, believe it or not, it may happen to you, so that $17 a year may be the saving grace so you're not laying out on that ice for 20 minutes. You may only have to lay on that ice for five minutes, because you slip and fell and broke your hip or broke your ankle, or whatever. It's a long, long time waiting for that ambulance. I've been there, I've seen it, I've done it, and it sucks. Really."

His boss, Chief Chris Hayward recalled that 45 years ago the entire reason the Le Roy Ambulance Service was created was concern over response times.

The central question still hasn't changed, he said.

Back then, the two hospitals in Batavia maintained ambulance services and rigs were based in Batavia. It would take 15 to 20 minutes for an ambulance to reach Le Roy.

At least one person's death in 1970 was attributed to the slow response time, Hayward said.

These days, there are private ambulance services available, such as the nonprofit Mercy EMS and for-profit Rural Metro, among others, that could provide a lower cost alternative for the residents of Le Roy.

Bill Schutt, general manager for Mercy EMS, and Gene Chisholm, from Rural Metro, were at Saturday's meeting.

Both said if the Le Roy service went away, they would be able to base an ambulance at the Tountas Avenue LAS location and provide a similar level of service for Le Roy.

That sounded pretty good to Bryan Monacelli, who suggested the town open up a request-for-proposal process so companies could bid on a contract to be the ambulance provider for Le Roy.

"I sympathize that Le Roy Ambulance has a strong local history, but if private industry could come in and provide a better or comparable service for less money, as a taxpayer, as somebody with kids here, that's what I would do," Monacelli said.

There would be some nuances of difference between what LAS offers and what others might offer.

The current service owns two ambulances and a fly car. Except in rare circumstances, the ambulances respond only to calls within the town. There are transports to Rochester hospitals at times, and to UMMC, but usually one LAS ambulance is always in Le Roy.

Schutt said if Mercy were serving Le Roy, it would park an ambulance at Tountas Avenue, but that ambulance would respond to other calls on the eastern side of the county. If it did leave Le Roy, another ambulance would be dispatched from Batavia to backfill.

Le Roy Ambulance serves 8,500 residents and responded to 1,200 calls in 2014.

The cost of the service has increased over the years and currently the service operates at annual loss of $20,000 to $45,000 a year.

The town has been bridging some of the shortfall, but can't continue to pick up the slack without a tax increase. The suggested increase would raise $60,000 for the service.

There's no certainty, in the current healthcare climate, that costs won't continue to escalate, which would mean tax increases.

Lloyd Hogle pointed out that if local residents decided to eliminate the ambulance service, there would be no bringing it back if they later changed their minds.

Bill Kettle, who led the discussion, said community leaders are trying to collect as much input and feedback from Le Roy residents as possible before there's a decision on what to do about ambulance service in Le Roy.

Eric Raymond Westermeier, 27, of Alleghany Road, Darien, is charged with felony driving while ability impaired by combined drugs and alcohol, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and unlawful possession of marijuana. Westermeier was arrested following an investigation by Deputy Chad Cummings into a vehicle off the road at 10:11 p.m. Sunday on Erie Street, Darien Center.

Timothy O. Lee, 34, of Erie Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and speeding. Lee was arrested following a traffic stop in the Village of Le Roy. He was allegedly found in possession of cocaine.

Terry L. Travis Jr., 32, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest, criminal obstruction of breathing, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful imprisonment. Travis was allegedly involved in a domestic incident at 11:30 p.m. Saturday. He was jailed on $3,000 bail.

Jessica L. Ford, 24, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Ford allegedly violated an order of protection by contacting the protected party. Ford was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Dale E. Banfield, 53, of Chestnut Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal tampering and resisting arrest. During a supervised property exchange, Banfield allegedly became verbally abusive toward the other party and grabbed the drawer from a nightstand and threw the contents across the room. As officers attempted to arrest Banfield, he allegedly pushed the officers and attempted to tackle one of them. After a brief struggle, Banfield was subdued and taken into custody. He was jailed on $5,000 cash bail or $1,000 bond.

Donna Marie Kroft, 61, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Kroft allegedly stole groceries and other items from Tops Market by concealing the items in her purse and inside her coat.

Michael L. Williams, 35, no permanent address, is charged with criminal contempt, assault, 3rd, and aggravated criminal contempt. Williams was arrested on a warrant for the listed charges. He was reportedly found by Batavia PD officers hiding in a stairwell at a residence on Jackson Street, Batavia. He was jailed without bail.

Linda B. Gratton, 66, of Downer Street, Baldwinsville, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, charge. Gratton turned herself in. She posted $500 police bail.

Kristen S. Buchholz, 32, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and disorderly conduct. Buchholz was allegedly involved in a verbal dispute with administrators at Batavia Middle School. She was jailed on $100 bail.

Marcos A. Torres, 32, of Cherry Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful imprisonment, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Torres was allegedly involved in a domestic incident. He was jailed on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Cheryl A. Kowalik, 54, of Alexander Road, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an issuing a bad check charge. Kowalik turned herself in to Batavia PD and posted $500 bail.

Bradley W. Howard, 24, of Honeysette Road, Mayville, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a DWI charge. Howard turned himself in to Batavia PD and was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Stephen Gary Hall, 69, of Murray Street, Mt. Morris, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes. Hall was stopped for an alleged traffic violation at 11:16 a.m. Friday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Also charged were Bernard Leonard Brock, 65, of Hopkins Street, Mt. Morris, and Edith May Donohue, 74, of Columbus Avenue, Mt. Morris.

Victoria Joanne Supple, 42, of Stroh Road, Attica, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, refusal to take breath test and failure to keep right. Supple was stopped at 2:03 a.m. Saturday on Buffalo Street, Alexander, by Deputy Andrew Hale.

Darien Lamont Anderson, 20, of Egret Drive, Henrietta, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Anderson was charged following an investigation by Deputy Chad Commings at 7:11 p.m. Saturday into a vehicle pulled off the road on Route 33, Bergen.

Lauren E. Scalzo, 19, of Bergen, and two 17-year-olds, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The arrests were made by State Police at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on Sumner Road, Darien.

Marco A. Hernandez, 21, of Stafford, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and unlawful possession of marijuana. Hernandez was stopped at 6:28 p.m. Sunday on Route 98, Batavia, by State Police.

Here's some photos from a Pinewood Derby this past weekend submitted by Eric Friedhaber. I didn't get a chance to post them sooner, but they're too good not to share. It's Cub Scout Pack 23 in Le Roy at Our Lady of Mercy.

A one-vehicle rollover accident, unknown injuries, is reported on the westbound Thruway at mile marker 383.8. Le Roy fire and ambulance responding.

UPDATE 2:02 p.m.: A responder reports the vehicle is on the shoulder of the roadway.

UPDATE 2:04 p.m.: This will be a sign-off. The driver is out of the vehicle.

UPDATE 2:24 p.m.: A state trooper is on scene. The Le Roy assignment is back in service.

Luis A. Castro Maldonado, 21, of 27 E. Main St., Le Roy, is charged with assault, 2nd. During the early morning hours, Sunday, Le Roy PD was dispatched on two separate occasions to an excessive noise complaint at 27 E. Main St., Le Roy. Later, police were dispatched to investigate an alleged assault. Castro Maldonado is accused of hitting a person in the face with a snow shovel. The alleged victim suffered cuts and was treated at the scene by Le Roy Ambulance. Castro Maldonado was arraigned and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Allysa L. Castro, 22, of 91 S. Main St., Perry, is charged with harassment, 2nd. During the incident reported above, Castro allegedly struck another person in the hand and then punched that person in the face.

Gerald L. Barber, 40, of 143 Jackson St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, refusal to take breath test, driver's view obstructed and side window/rear window not transparent. Barber was stopped by Le Roy PD on an alleged tinted window violation. He was jailed on $250 bail.

A 16-year-old resident of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, 5th, unlawful possession of marijuana, endangering the welfare of a child, obstructing governmental administration and aggravated DWI/drugs with a child in the vehicle. Police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle on Washington Avenue at 6 p.m., Thursday. When approached, all occupants attempted to flee. The driver was apprehended and found allegedly impaired by marijuana and in possession of marijuana. There was a 14-year-old youth allegedly in the vehicle. All of the other occupants have been identified. (Name of the youth withheld by Batavia PD).

A 16-year-old resident of Dellinger Avenue is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, 5th, and endangering the welfare of a child. The youth was allegedly involved in the incident above (name withheld by Batavia PD).

Rene N. Brochu, 31, of Lewiston Road, Oakfield, is charged with failure to appear. Brochu allegedly failed to appear on a traffic ticket issued Jan. 14. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Joshua E. Blue, 28, of McKinley Avenue, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. Batavia PD responded at 1:55 a.m. Sunday to a report of a large fight at 345 W. Main St., Batavia, and Blue allegedly tried to physically interfere with an officer making an arrest of another person. Blue was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Tabatha Holly Clark, 29, of Telephone Road, Le Roy, is charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol and drugs. Clark was arrested based on the return of a toxicology report just completed that stemmed from a police response at 12:30 a.m. Dec. 12 to a report of a woman sleeping in a running vehicle on Willow Street for two hours.

Alexandra R. Lasky, 24, of Seven Springs Road, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, charge. Lasky turned himself in to Batavia PD and posted $200 police bail.

Kirk D. Baker, 27, of Center Street, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, reckless driving, no headlights and failure to keep right. Police received two complaints of a possible DWI at 7:59 p.m. Thursday. Baker's vehicle was stopped on Ellicott Street by officer Devon Pahuta. He was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Marquis D. Flowers, 22, of Frost Avenue, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle charge. He was held in jail pending his next court appearance.

Sarah M. Wilson, 30, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Wilson was arrested on a report received by police at 1:27 a.m. Feb. 5. No further details released.

Destiny N. Green, 18, of Walnut Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a trespass charge. Green was arrested at her residence. She posted $100 bail.

Richard Allen Townley, 38, of Francis Road, Bethany, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to stop at stop sign and no/inadequate directional signals. Townley was stopped at 1:23 a.m. Sunday on Francis Road, Bethany, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Chandler James Wingling, 18, of Ellicott Street, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Wingling was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a traffic stop at 4:01 p.m. Feb. 20 on Route 77, Darien, by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Jessica Lynn Hoff, 35, of Knapp Road, Akron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, no front license plate, broken windshield and insufficient tail lamps. Hoff was stopped at 1:34 a.m. Thursday on Route 77, Darien, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Thomas Michael Kunes, 45, of Lewiston Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, unlawful possession of marijuana and no/inadequate headlights. Kunes was stopped at 7:27 p.m. Saturday on Lewiston Road, Batavia, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Jacob Wendell Cole, 30, of Wiscoy Road, Portageville, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes and driver's view obstructed. Cole was stopped at 1:27 p.m. Feb. 25 on Route 77, Pembroke, for alleged traffic violations by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Cole was allegedly found in possession of 1,400 untaxed cigarettes.

Jovenia Ann Corcoran, 52, of River Street, Hornell, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes and speeding (59 mph in 40 mph zone). Corcoran was stopped at 11:53 a.m. Wednesday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Corcoran was allegedly found in possession of 3,400 untaxed cigarettes.

Thomas James Rose, 19, of Ford Road, Elba, is charged with grand larceny, 4th, and petit larceny. Rose is accused of stealing checks and a debit card.

Pamela B. Crespo, 19, of Newark, N.J., is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Crespo was arrested by State Police at College Village.

Michael J. Maniscalco, 27, of Greece, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Maniscalco was arrested by State Police in the Town of Le Roy.

Dr. Joe Scanlan, a man with the steady, gentle temperament of a parish priest, is stepping away from a job he loves in a few months.

Appropriately enough, for the past 11 years, Scanlan has been principal of Notre Dame High School, the private Catholic school on Union Street in Batavia.

"It takes a lot of energy to do this job," Scanlan said. "I pretty much do everything here except business. And you wouldn't want me to be the business manager. Tommy Rapone does a nice job. In addition to being principal, you're talking admissions, recruitment, pubic relations, newsletter and all the rest of the stuff. It's time to give somebody else a chance."

Scanlan's tenure at Notre Dame caps a 47-year career in education, which includes 15 at Byron-Bergen as a history teacher, assistant principal and principal, and 11 years as principal at York Central School.

Scanlan has found it particularly rewarding to shepherd area teens through their preparatory education at his own alma mater.

"I love it here, especially the kids," Scanlan said. "It's a great group of kids here. There's great kids in every school, so it's not just Notre Dame, but the students here are special group. They're pretty gritty. They're competitive, but they're respectful."

There are 170 students in grades 9-12 at Notre Dame. When the seniors graduate this spring, it will be Scanlan's final graduation with the school, it will also be the 50th anniversary year of his own class's graduation.

It's tradition for classes to be invited back for the graduation ceremony on their 50th anniversary, so Scanlan is hoping he'll see a lot of his former classmates.

Scanlan said the school board already has a number of qualified candidates who have expressed interest in the job.

There is also a $5 million capital campaign under way at the school, so the next principal will have plenty to do from the first day on the job.

As for Scanlan's own plans he says, "right now the plan is to have no plan."

He has a son and granddaughter living in Cleveland and more time to travel will mean more time with his family.

He plans to continue living in Le Roy.

"Shrek: The Musical," based on the Dreamworks animated motion picture, is coming to Le Roy. Performances are at 7 p.m. March 5 and 6 and 4 p.m. March 7 at the Le Roy Junior Senior High School Auditorium. Tickets are $8 presale and $10 at the door.

The show is directed by Jacqueline McLean.

Photos from Thursday's rehearsal.

Zaid Amhad Alhariri, 47, of Dodge Street, Buffalo, is charged with possession of more than 4,600 untaxed cigarettes. Alhariri was stopped for alleged traffic violations at 12:23 p.m. Sunday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. He was allegedly found in possession of 4,600 untaxed cigarettes with a value of $1,055.

Cindy Lou Bush, 63, of Oak Orchard Road, Elba, is charged with five counts of criminal contempt, 2nd. Bush was allegedly involved in an incident at 7:30 p.m. Monday at a residence on Oak Orchard Road, Elba, with five other people, all who are the subject of a complete stay away order issued to Bush.

Annette Monique McMillian, 30, of Elmdorf Street, Rochester, is charged with scheme to defraud, 1st, petit larceny and issuing a bad check. McMillian was arrested on a warrant after turning herself in to Monroe County Probation. She was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and jailed on $1,000 bail.

A water main break is reported in the Village of Le Roy at 124 E. Main St. Le Roy fire and a public works crew are responding.

The young man reportedly behind the wheel of a pickup truck that took out a utility pole on Law Street early this morning, causing a power outage in the area, was charged with DWI.

Joseph P. Pratt, 20, of 70 Church St., Le Roy, and a passenger were transported to an area hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

According to police, Pratt failed to negotiate a curve on Law Street in the area of 2 Law St., Batavia.

The 2010 Chevy Silverado hit the pole, which snapped in half.

Pratt was charged with DWI, speed unreasonable and prudent and refusal to take pre-screen breath test. Additional charges are pending. 

Power was restored to the area about 10:30 a.m.

(Initial Report)

UPDATE 8:40 p.m.: Photo added. National Grid crews are still on scene completing repairs to the broken pole.

A working chimney fire is reported at 8029 W. Bergen Road. The location is between Selden and Randall roads. Le Roy fire and ambulance are responding along with Bergen fire.

UPDATE 10:44 p.m.: The fire is out. A code enforcement officer is on scene. Le Roy ambulance is back in service.

Photo by Thomas Coveny, taken this morning. A plow truck pulls a school bus from a ditch on Bater Road near Route 5, Le Roy.

Article and photos submitted by Mary Margaret Ripley.

The tradition of Scout Sunday, a Sunday that has been set aside to celebrate the close connection between the ideals of the church and the goals of Boy Scouting, goes back to the fourth anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America on February 8, 1914.

Each year since, Boy Scouts from around the country have gathered on the second Sunday in February to worship God together. This year, Troop #6021 and its charter organization, the First Baptist Church of LeRoy, joined together to mark the 101st anniversary of Scout Sunday with a special worship service and reception held on February 8, 2015.

Pastor John Partise, himself an Eagle Scout, led a worship service entitled “Fly Like an Eagle” that focused on the virtue of reverence as the most important of the 12 points of the Scout Law. Together with being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, and clean, the Scout Law establishes the high ideals that every scout must do their best to aspire to.

“I find it interesting that those same 12 ideals are also what every follower of Christ should aspire to be,” said Pastor John in his sermon.

During the service, both the 2015 Charter and a surprise award for Highest Percent Attendance at Camp Dittmer, the Boy Scout Resident Camp, were presented to Scoutmaster Bryan Colton and Committee Chair Carol Colton by Pastor John and a delegation from the First Baptist Church.

Following the service, the church hosted a reception for the boys and their family members that included a hand-assembled display of 50 years’ worth of Boy Scout memorabilia.

“We really appreciate our charter organization. I believe First Baptist Church is a great fit for our troop,” said Carol Colton during the reception.

A one-car accident, unknown injuries, is reported at mile marker 0.2 on eastbound Route 490. It is not blocking traffic. Le Roy fire and ambulance, Bergen fire, and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: No injuries reported.

Jessica Lynn McGowan, 29, of Attridge Road, Churchville, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and unlicensed operator. McGowan was arrested following an investigation by Deputy Bradley Mazur into a situation on Route 19, Le Roy, at 9:44 a.m. Sunday. She was jailed on $500 bail.

Dana M. Faiello, 32, of East Avenue, Hemlock, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an overnight parking ticket. Faiello was taken into custody by State Police in Geneseo and turned over to Batavia PD. She paid $100 bail and was released.

James A. Chase, 35, no residence, Batavia, is charged with violation of sex offender registry. Chase was the subject of a warrant and following pubication of his status as a wanted person Friday, Chase turned himself in at Batavia PD headquarters. He was jailed without bail.

Stephen S. Bogle, 28, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Bogle was arrested after police responded to the parking lot of the Richmond Memorial Library to check on a reported suspicious vehicle.

Kevin Charles Greene, 60, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Greene allegedly stole $37.42 in merchandise from Walmart.

Pierre A. McMullen, 32, of Buffalo, Christopher A. McCullen, 43, of Buffalo, and Craig A. Elston, 30, of Buffalo, are all charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 4th. The three were arrested in an ongoing investigation into an incident reported at 11:55 a.m., Jan. 25. The investigation is being conducted by State Police. All three were held on cash bail. No further details released.

Robert P. Nowak, 57, of Pembroke, is charged with menacing, 2nd, criminal possession of a weapon, 4th, and making a terrorist threat. The alleged incident was reported at 3:30 a.m., Saturday. The case is being handled by State Police. No further information released.