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Batavia Town planners debate pros, cons of solar farm projects

By Mike Pettinella

As Batavia Town planners moved a pair of solar farm projects ahead Tuesday night, they debated the ramifications of more of these ventures upon agricultural land in the future.

The planning board approved seeking lead agency status for state environmental quality review for 11-acre solar farms on properties owned by

Genesee County's oldest manufacturing company celebrates 140 years in business

By Howard B. Owens
chapin 140th anniversary
Tim Onello, on TV screen, delivers opening remarks on Saturday during a 140th Anniversary Celebration for Chapin International at the company's headquarters at 400 Ellicott Street, Batavia.
Photo by Howard Owens.

One hundred and forty years ago, homes didn't have electricity, and there were no amateur photographers.

That's right. In 1884, neither General Electric nor Eastman Kodak's founders had launched their history-making companies, nor had Nabisco or Coca-Cola product their game-changing products to market yet.

But a pair of young businessmen in Oakfield, Ralph E. Chapin and brother-in-law Frank Harris, had devised an idea for a better container to store kerosene for lamps and Chapin Manufacturing was born.

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