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The next steps are yet to be determined.

That seems to be the ongoing response from city and county officials in the aftermath of an announcement by CEO Samuel Savarino that his company will be ceasing operations and laying off its employees.

Savarino is the developer of Ellicott Station, the four-story apartment complex touted as an economic lifesaver for downtown Batavia and for working individuals and families in need of an affordable, quality and safe place to live.

That economic vision was blurred earlier this year when the online rental application indicated income requirements of very low to low ranges, seemingly squelching the notion that the units would indeed be for workforce individuals. The Batavian had reached out to Savarino requesting details about a lottery that awarded rentals to 55 tenants. He wasn’t privy to such information, he had said at the time.

The Batavian was the first and only news source to report on the apparent requirements and changes in income at Ellicott Station. You can help community-minded local reporting continue by joining Early Access Pass.

After more than two years at the same job, Brittany Hausfelder still looks forward to it, from the camaraderie of her co-workers to the positive response of customers.

That’s not exactly what you might expect from a motor vehicles rep, given the atmospheres and reputations of those departments with long lines and staff with short tempers. 

Owners of H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home already knew they were committed to the business and taking care of customers, and being named as a Selected independent Funeral Homes member has solidified their belief that “we don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk,” co-owner Steven Johnson says.

While the honor may seem to place a narrow focus on the world of morticians and their industry, this is something that lets all prospective customers know who they can trust, Johnson said.

“I think why it's important to them is that our invitation to join Selected and Independent, and it truly is by invitation only sort of association, our membership can give the community that we serve, the families that we serve, the confidence that we are truly a cut above your average everyday run-of-the-mill funeral home,” Johnson said during an interview with The Batavian Friday.

As a nurse in long-term and outpatient family care, Joy Hammond has seen the need for more options when it comes to caring for terminally ill people, she says.

“I would say in general, the staff in hospitals and staff in long-term care do the best that they can. But the reality is, there's just not enough of them. It just simply is the fact of the matter. And you can have the biggest heart to the patient who, or the resident in that case, who is dying, but you cannot be at their bedside 24/7, which is not possible. And so to be able to have that option to have a comfort care situation where you can have a volunteer or paid staff be there and be focused on that patient, be focused on their family, that is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” Hammond said during a meeting Monday night at Stone Church in Bergen.