Dead fish at DeWitt Pond in Batavia. Photo submitted by Jennifer Marie Reed
Observant visitors of DeWitt Recreation Area and the adjacent pond have noticed an unusually large number of fish this year, however, instead of swimming around, they were dead.
The Genesee County Health Department receives funding from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to carry out the Healthy Neighborhoods Program (HNP). Residents in the Town and City of Batavia are eligible to participate.
The program offers free home evaluations for asthma triggers, indoor air quality
By Genesee County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
Check out these highlights of Al Fresco dining locations in Genesee County. Whether it’s a quick bite between stops or a fine waterfront evening, there's a restaurant with outdoor seating for every palate. From cozy country diners to romantic dinners for two, delicious is the name of the game in
Frank Joe Vernon, age 91, passed away at home on June 30, 2024 , after bravely battling congestive heart failure and stage 4 kidney disease.
Joe was born February 22, 1933 in Lake City, Arkansas to Pearl Edgar (Slim) Vernon and Ona Louise Shoemaker.
He is survived by his daughter Lee Ann Patterson, (husband Robert) and his sister Mary Alice Boyer (husband Larry), their children and many nieces and nephews.
He is predeceased by his loving wife Cynthia May, his brothers, James Crawford, Edward and sister Betty.
Joe came from humble beginnings and went to school in a one-room schoolhouse in Dyess, Arkansas. His first job at age seven was water boy; riding a blind mule to the cotton fields by himself to provide drinking water to the cotton pickers. Joe made a personal decision as a young adult to escape the brutal poverty in Arkansas and make something of himself. He enlisted in the Air Force and served from 1951-1955 during the Korean War. His military training began in Tillamook, Oregon for Airplane Mechanic; then Rocket Propulsion Training in Chanute, IL and then at Cape Canaveral, FL for the First Pilotless Squadron. He was a member of NATO and was stationed in Florence, Italy and Frankfort, Germany. When airplanes needed parts or repair, he and his crew would fly to those locations in Morocco, Libya, Greece, Turkey, Yugoslavia, France & more. The barracks where he was stationed in Italy was in an ancient 50-room villa that is still standing today. He told many exciting stories including one time when the captain asked him to pilot the plane (a C119-Flying Boxcar) to Belgium and land it on a tiny grass airstrip. That was the only time he piloted a plane.
After his service he attended college at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He met his beautiful wife Cynthia when she roomed with his sister Betty and they married in Mississippi on August 11, 1955. He had two job offers upon graduation, one with U.S. Gypsum in Oakfield, NY and the second in Seattle, Washington. He chose U.S. Gypsum and they moved to Oakfield. He became Superintendent of the Paper Mill and implemented many designs for better production and then went on to be Superintendent of the Board Plant. Toward the end of his career, he took the position of Quality Control Supervisor with U.S. Gypsum for the Northeast U.S., Canada and South America. The job required a lot of traveling troubleshooting issues for commercial and residential. He loved his career and certainly knew everything there was to know about papermaking and wallboard.
He was always worked with his hands and when he was first married, he made most of their furniture. Upon buying their home in Elba he and his wife maintained two huge gardens growing all their own vegetables. They both were very frugal and heated their home with wood we either got out of the forest behind the house or sometimes he had a semi-truck deliver logs which he chain sawed and split by himself to heat the home.
As a hobby, he enjoyed fine woodworking and started building dollhouses for his daughter. They became more intricate over time and he started to make dollhouses from actual house plans, reducing the plans from a foot to half an inch. Overall he has made about 20 dollhouses (all with custom- made furniture) including a full-scale replica of the homestead in Elba. After retirement he put a ship model kit together and that became his real passion. He started to make them from scratch (you know just glue some wood together and start sawing anything away that doesn’t look like a ship.) He has made about 50 sailing ships over the years, which are of museum quality. He had a showing at Go-Art several years ago and the Batavian produced a you-tube video titled “Joe Vernon Sailing Model Ship Building” of which he was very proud of. He showed photos of his ships and spoke of the video to just about every Dr. who took care of him at the Veterans Administration.
He loved unique and fancy vehicles and owned many over the years. He had an Izetta (made by BMW) when they lived in TN which drew a lot of attention. His latest sports car was the BMW Z3 5-speed convertible, which he bought for his wife. He loved driving it and even drove it to kidney dialysis last summer.
He was a remarkable, intelligent and gentle man who will be sorely missed. There are no prior calling hours and services will be private. He will be laid to rest alongside his wife of 63 years.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home, Batavia. Please leave a condolence, share a story, or light a candle at www.bataviafuneralhomes.com.
May 3, 2022, the groundbreaking for Ellicott Station. Photo by Howard Owens.
What is mixed-income housing? Workforce housing? Low-income housing? Affordable housing? Market-rate housing?
These terms appear frequently in thousands of documents obtained from government agencies by The Batavian for an investigation into how the 55-unit apartment building under construction at Ellicott Station transformed from “luxury” units to apartments eligible for Section 8 rental vouchers.
How did this once promising project go from a complex where all tenants hold down jobs to one where potentially as few as 36 percent of the potential tenants are gainfully employed, and finally, one where the project's actual completion is in doubt?
GO Health is pleased to announce that it has been awarded national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). Established in 2007, PHAB is the nonprofit organization that administers the national accreditation program, which aims to advance and transform public health practice by championing performance improvement, strong
Independent Living of the Genesee Region is now offering Drop-In hours for young adults (ages 18 to 24) every Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. No registration is needed.
If you are looking for a calm place to play a game or make some art, an
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) reintroduced the People and Animals Well-being (PAW) Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code Section 213(d) to include veterinary care expenses under tax-advantaged health care spending accounts, specifically Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).
In the face of unknown repercussions from possible cuts to, or the total elimination of, the U.S. Education Department, Batavia City School District leaders are pushing forward with a $63.3 million budget calling for a $3 million increase and a 2.22% tax levy increase, Superintendent Jason Smith says.
Batavia's new city Water and Wastewater Superintendent Bailey Groth catches some cold breeze Wednesday at the edge of a lagoon. Photo by Joanne Beck
You could say that Bailey Groth has had a fluid career so far.
At the age of 27, she has already worked for Genesee County, New York State and now the city of Batavia, and all in ways having to do with that substance none of us can live without: water. Groth began her city career as superintendent of Batavia Water and Wastewater in December.
