The Town of Bethany has declared a State of Emergency for water services during a year-end meeting on Thursday due to the town’s inability to provide water services to the affected parcels of approximately 100 residences and two dairy farms in the town.
Town board members in Bethany need to hear from town residents on an important topic: Do you want public water?
Eric Wies, senior associate for Clark Patterson Lee, repeated that message several times last night at a public meeting in Bethany attended by nearly 100 residents.
There will be a public information meeting for the proposed water district in Bethany at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 31 at the Bethany Town Hall. Residents of the following roads in the proposed water district are strongly encouraged to attend:
Transit Road to East Bethany - Le Roy Road
East Bethany - Le Roy Road to Route 63
Clipnock Road
Torrey Road
Little Canada Road and Little Canada Extension
Fargo Road
Clapsaddle Road
Route 63 from Clapsaddle to East Road
Old East Road
East Road from Route 63 to the corner of Jericho Road
Size and scope of the project along with other important items will be discussed. Again, it is very important those who live in this proposed water district make this meeting.
A tanker filled with 6,700 gallons of water arrives early Wednesday morning in Bethany. Photo submitted by Carl Hyde
All things considered, Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde was in fairly good spirits Tuesday evening after making phone calls to Bethany residents for three hours to, as he put it, serve as an early Grinch and rob them of their holiday.
Those people had been planning on celebrating Thanksgiving at the town’s Community Center because they didn’t have water in their own homes. On Tuesday morning, the Community Center went dry as well.
Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. would like all town of Bethany residents to know that there will be a first come-first served opportunity for them to fill up their 250 and 500-gallon totes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Bethany town residents will be able to fill their water totes for the last time from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the town hall, Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. says.
So far, only about 39 property owners within a proposed area for public water have contacted Town of Bethany officials to voice their opinion on the subject.
Carl Hyde, proponent of public water for that section of the Town of Bethany, said more people need to come forward if public
A donation of four pallets of drinking water by Eric Santos, second from left, of Casella Waste Systems, arrives at Bethany Town Hall Friday morning for residents who have been struggling without water. Submitted Photo
As town officials and residents work through a water shortage brought on by drought, all of them have said it has been the worst they have ever seen since living in Bethany, many of them for decades. Fill dates are being scheduled week by week from a tanker that was provided by the state Office of Emergency Management.
Santa came early again for a visit Friday morning in the form of a donation of four pallets of bottled water all ready to be distributed to residents, Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. said. Operations Manager Eric Santos of Casella Waste Systems had heard about Bethany's plight and showed up with his crew and the much-welcomed donation of water at town hall, Hyde said.
Robert Thomas Seager, 43, of East Main Road, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, failure to stop at stop sign, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle and refusal to take breath test. Seager was
Super sweet country ranch that’s meticulously maintained and move in ready! This solid home has so much to offer-great spacious layout, extra large eat in kitchen with tons of cupboards, cozy wood burning/coal fireplace, that leads out to fully windowed 3 season room that overlooks a beautiful park like
2023 File Photo of Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. reviewing the town's water districts, including the latest Water District 5, which will be a go, thanks to the $5 million WIIA grant awarded to the town. Photo by Howard Owens
Tuesday afternoon was unexpectedly busy and gleeful for Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr.
And while still being embroiled in town residents’ plight of dry wells and being in need of daily water supplies, he found something to smile about, he says.
“We’re on the list,” he said about the town’s placement on the state’s Water Infrastructure Improvement Award approvals. “My phone’s been ringing off the hook. I heard from Steve Hawley and J.W. Cook from the governor’s office. He called to say congratulations, you got your grant. I’m very happy.”
A fully involved structure fire is reported at 9778 Creek Road in Bethany. Bethany and Town of Batavia fire departments are responding. It is near Putnam Road.
UPDATE 11:07 p.m.: Mutual aid is called from Byron, Alexander, Pavilion, Stafford, the City Fast Team, and others.
Today we received a tanker of water from the NY State Office of Emergency Management to temporarily provide water to our residents experiencing dry wells.
For those residents affected, please call 585-343-1399, Ext. 202, and leave your full name, address and phone number. You will then be contacted
Due to the Federal Government partial shutdown, the Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District has temporarily been relocated to the Genesee County Park on Bethany Center Road in Bethany.
We are open for business, but do not have access to our regular staff e-mail, so you
Water donations kept coming to the Town of Bethany on Saturday, as 18 pallets of bottled drinking water were delivered by Food Link from Wegmans Food Markets and four pallets of drinking water came from Tops Friendly Markets to the town hall.
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The Old Bethany Town Hall, built in 1832, is fated for demolition. Photo by Howard Owens
Even many of Bethany's oldest residents, said Town Supervisor Carl Hyde, have come to accept the unpleasant but unavoidable and undeniable reality of the situation. The old Town Hall, built in 1832, must come down.
The town is currently accepting bids from demolition contractors.
Bethany Town Board member Timothy Embt helps out at the water tanker on Saturday at the town hall parking lot. Photo by Howard Owens
Jerry Kujawski had no trouble with Saturday’s rule of first-come, first-served to fill up his 300-gallon water tote. In fact, he made a return trip to fill it up a second time to help out a neighbor, and he was only the third or fourth person who had been at Bethany Town Hall to do so for the two-hour fill-up period.
When it seemed as though there would have been dozens of people clamoring for a go at the pump connected to a tanker of water to shore up their dried-up wells, the parking lot was empty most of the time.
Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. had put out the notice that anyone with no water could get their totes filled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at the town hall, and he and members of the Bethany town board and fire department stood at the tanker ready and waiting.
One’s lifestyle most definitely changes without running water, he said. You microwave your meals, eat on paper plates and use plastic cutlery. Showers are taken at obliging family members’ homes, and dirty clothes are taken care of at a laundromat.
There’s no turning on the tap, hopping in the shower or taking anything for granted when it comes to a steady stream of that liquid gold labeled H2O.