genesee county

From left: Iris Hatcher, Jessica Polk, Jessica Simmons and Kenyetta Reese.

Leave it to a group of mothers to figure out what their community needs, and then to do something about it.

Pictured are the four founding members of "Mothers Supporting Children and Families" (MSCF), a new nonprofit designed to "provide inspirational support and positive direction to children of all ages" and "empower children and families" (per their mission statement.)

Polk, the WSCF president, said she conceived the idea during a dinner party at her Batavia home.

"There were a bunch of us mothers there," she said. "We got to talking -- Jessica (Simmons) had had the idea for a long time about doing something for the youth in the community to get them off the streets and doing something productive."

Polk and her friends were concerned about what appeared to be an increase in instances of local youth getting in trouble -- "and at a younger age" -- in recent years.

In order to help address this problem, she and her fellow MSCF moms are joining forces with Care-A-Van Ministries, a local Christian street ministry.

"They were extremely instrumental in giving us spiritual guidance from the very start," Polk said.  "They've taken us under their wing, and they've given us advice on how to start a nonprofit. We ask for their advice all the time."

Elsewhere in their mission statement, they name an important aspect of how they intend to address the problem of troubled youth: "MSCF lends a helping hand to the community so there are fewer children in unhealthy home dynamics."

Ways of positive self-expression, adult role models, and trusted adults that kids can come to with their concerns if, for whatever reason, they cannot go to their parents or legal guardians, are among what they seek to offer young people.

"And I hope that we, as an organization, will be able to show them the different resources available to them that they may not know of," Hatcher said." We want to guide them into whatever they need to relieve that pressure that is causing them to get into trouble."

But their mission is not limited to kids; rather, it is founded on "the concept of parents helping parents" and "promotes positive parenting, and healthy families."

MSCF is open to all families in Genesee County. Despite the group's name, Polk wanted to make it clear that men are welcome to be involved as well (they just cannot be official members).

Hatcher said that eventually, they would like to be able to arrange for situations in which families and children can get together for fun and socialization.

"We just have to get on our feet first and get our name out there," she said.

For more information on MSCF:

Web site: www.mscfmothers.wix.com/mscf-
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MSCFMOTHERS
Facebook: M.S.C.F. Mothers
Email: mscfmothers@yahoo.com

People can also contact Polk at 300-3804.

Photo submitted by Jessica Polk.

The morning in Batavia started out kind of gloomy, but by the afternoon, the skies had cleared a bit and it was another beautiful day in Genesee County.

Above, a tree and barn off Selden Road, Le Roy.

A barn on Thwing Road, Stafford.

The view from Clinton Street Road, Stafford.

And below, three shots of Richard Oderkirk's sunflowers in Stafford.

The lowest price isn't always the best deal, but awarding public works contracts to the lowest bidder has been the law for Genesee County for some time.

The Legislature is considering a change in local law that would allow the county to consider such things as differences in warranty, materials used and quality of workmanship.

"Sometimes the better value is not just the lowest cost," County Attorney Chuck Zambito said during a meeting of the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday. "But there is a process to go through to approve a bid. You can't just do it."

Among the requirements, the request for proposal must specify the criteria for awarding a bid, the contractor must specify value-added aspects of the bid and department heads and purchasing agents must review and make recommendations to the Legislature based on these specifications.

A public hearing on the proposed change to local law is set for 5:30 p.m., Sept. 10.

Two things that don't change under the proposed change -- giving preference to local vendors (barred by state law) and the county can still eliminate from considerations vendors that don't measure up to "responsible" (business reputation matters).

New York is one of the last states to change the law to allow local governments to change its own rules governing contracts and accept "best value" bids.

The specific criteria that could be considered for "best value" bids are:

• Lowest cost of maintenance for goods or services;
• Durability of goods or services;
• Higher quality of goods or services;
• Longer product life of goods or services.

"As long s you protect the interest of the taxpayer then you're going to be OK (awarding bids on these criteria)," Zambito said.

New York will finally pay off some of their IOUs to the county.

County Treasurer Scott German learned Tuesday that $4.1 million in funds meant to cover 2013 Nursing Home expenses will be transferred to the county Aug. 13.

That's the good news. We'll get to the bad news shortly.

The $4.1 million is what is known as an Inter-Governmental Transfer. It's money that originates with the federal government and sent to the states so the states can transfer it to county governments that run nursing homes. The money is meant to help offset the difference in reimbursement fees between Medicaid and Medicare (it's more complicated than that, but that's the easy explanation).

In June, the county received $4.3 million in back IGT payments from 2012.

Of the $8.4 million IGT received, the taxpayers of Genesee County paid an amount equal to 50 percent, or $4.2 million, as a local match.

But that isn't all of the bad news.

County Manager Jay Gsell said the feds are phasing out the IGT program. The Aug. 13 payment is probably one of the last two or three the county will ever receive.

No program has been announced to replace it.

Once there's no IGT -- and if there's no program to replace it -- the local share cost of running the Genesee County Nursing Home will likely be at least $3 million a year, and that figure is growing each year, German said. The operating deficit will need to be funded by local taxpayers.

Of the $4.3 million received in June, $2 million went into the general fund to pay off money the Nursing Home borrowed from the general fund.

Some of that IGT money will be used to pay off a $5.8 million Revenue Anticipation Note (RAN -- a short-term loan based on the promise of anticipated revenue).

The $4.1 million the county receives Aug. 13 should pay off the rest of the RAN, a loan that must be retired by November.

If for some reason, there is a shortfall, the county will either need money from the general fund or another loan, German said, to pay off this RAN.

But it's anticipated there will be a $200,000 surplus from the IGT payment, which will be gobbled up by Nursing Home expenses in short order. The county will then need to borrow more money to cover Nursing Home expenses with no guarantee the feds or the state will help with the expense at a later date.

The County Legislature met with an attorney today who is helping them explore options for dealing with the Nursing Home. The meeting was held in close session and was purely informational for the legislators, Gsell said.

A story in today's Buffalo News begins:

The decades-long brain drain among young people in the Buffalo Niagara region is turning into a brain gain.

There's some truth in the statement, according to data compiled by the University of Michigan, which created an online database tracking net migration rates on a county-by-county basis throughout the nation.

Erie County has been losing population in nearly all age groups going back to the 1960s, but Niagara County has had some success gaining population among adults 1990s and 2000s.

For us, the good news -- exploding a commonly held "brain drain" myth locally -- is that Genesee County has traditionally done well drawing in workers who are 25 years old and older, at least until people hit about 40 years old.

The chart below (larger version here) shows that for every decade since the 1950s, Genesee County has lost population in the teenage age group and college-age adults, but consistently seen gains in population for people in their 30s. Genesee County starts losing mid-career workers in their 40s (along with, apparently, their teenage children), suggesting -- if we can speculate on the point -- that there are insufficient job opportunities locally as people advance in their careers. In the past two decades, it looks like there is a trend toward retirees coming to Genesee County.

The chart reflects a gain or loss in an age bracket compared to that cohort a decade earlier. What it doesn't tell us is whether it's the same people coming or going from one decade to the next. For example, the thirtysomethings migrating to Genesee County may not have lived here in their younger years. Just as the data doesn't tell us where people are coming from, it also doesn't tell us where they're going to.

The chart for Erie County (larger version here) shows a much grimmer picture. Our neighbors to the west have been suffering population loss in all cohorts decade after decade since the close of the 1950s.

Niagara County (larger version here) has shown less decline than Erie County and some gains among people 35 to 50 in the 1990s and 2000s.

Wyoming and Orleans counties show migration patterns very similar to Genesee County.

Below are the results of the auction Saturday at Bontrager's of properties seized by Genesee County for non-payment of property taxes. Treasurer Scott German said the amount of taxes owed has been calculated not to include accrued interest, but the figure is still preliminary. The list of city properties sold is not yet available.

Address Type Acres Assessed Taxes Sale Price 6550 Alleghany Road, Alabama Single Fam. .48 $73,300 $14,773 $30,000 2725 Attica Road, Alexander Single Fam. .48 $72,800 $10,721 $23,000 3366 Dodgeson Road, Alexander Single Fam. 1.3 $69,000 $17,611 $44,000 3457 West Main Street Road, Batavia Single Fam. 3.8 $90,600 $11,643 $70,000 East Main Street Road, Batavia Vacant .4545 $100 0 $300 7573 South Lake Road, Bergen Single Fam. .4386 $70,000 $11,799 $51,000 5785 E. Bethany-Le Roy Rd, Bethany Single Fam. .5 $111,600 $15,136 $47,000 10474 Bethany Center Road, Bethany Single Fam. .28 $75,700 $12,661 $64,000 County Line Road Vacant Lot 4.5 $20,300 $3,320 $12,500 6920 Transit Road, Elba Vacant Lot 2.08 $4,400 $1,400 $8,000 6616 Snyder Road, Elba Single Fam. 1.11 $15,000 $5,799 $9,000 4973 Barrville Road, Elba Single Fam. .4 $29,000 $3,390 $18,000 East Main Road, Le Roy Vacant Lot .54 $800 $1,036 $300 Meiser Road, Pembroke Vacant Lot .45 $20,000 $3,284 $4,000 Sliker Road, Pembroke Vacant Lot 1 $34,000 $4,977 $10,000 866 Gabbey Road, Pembroke Single Fam. .41 $55,200 $5,867 $15,000 Angling Road, Pembroke Vacant Lot 1 $15,000 $2,517 $3,100 5762 Route 5, Stafford Restaurant 4.36 $284,000 $42,263 $70,000 3321 Church St., Alexander 3 Fam. .99 $124,800 $20,769 $48,000 West Main Street, Le Roy Vacant Lot 44.4 $50,000 $938 $42,500 106 Lake St., Le Roy 2 Fam. .53 $87,200 $25,604 $35,000 86 Wolcott St., Le Roy Single Fam. .24 $39,000 $6,576 $18,000 21 Lathrop, Le Roy Single Fam. .1894 $68,200 $11,109 $41,000 12 Maple Ave., Oakfield Vacant Lot .2055 $15,300 $21,552 $1,800

 

Former County Legislator Richard M. Rudolph of District #3 was seriously injured in a two-vehicle accident this afternoon in Warsaw which left another person dead.

State Police responded to the accident, which occurred on Route 98 just south of the intersection with Lindsey Road in the Town of Attica, at about 2:30. They determined a vehicle operated by Terry J. O'Neill, 54, of Varysburg, was southbound, rounding a curve in the highway. The roadway was partially covered with windblown snow.

She lost control of her 1998 Buick LeSabre and went broadside, crossing into the northbound lane. A second vehicle operated by 88-year-old Rudolph, now of Akron, was northbound and could not take evasive action in time before striking O'Neill's vehicle directly broadside on the passenger side.

Both vehicles continued off the highway and came to rest in a field on the east shoulder.

Rudolph was transported by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center for treatment of chest abrasions and pain, but his injuries appear do not appear life threatening. O'Neill was transported to Wyoming County Community Hospital in Warsaw by Attica Ambulance, suffering from severe head trauma and she succumbed to her injuries at approximately 4 p.m.

Troop A Collision Reconstruction Unit responded to assist with the investigation, which is continuing. Troopers were assisted by Attica and Varysburg Fire and Rescue personnel, Wyoming County Medic 80 and the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office.

County personnel are in the midst of programming new Harris XG 25P radios for the new emergency communication system that is expected to begin operating by Feb. 12.

Each radio must be plugged into a computer and programmed to the proper frequencies. The programming takes seconds, the paperwork that goes with each radio takes a bit longer, said Keith Hunt.

Each radio is assigned its own IP address which must be documented. (An IP address is a numerical code used in Internet communications to identify computers on the network. The computer you're using now to read this story has an IP address.)

Russ Lang said there are 520 portable radios in this room, all of them earmarked for volunteer firefighters.

The county has already completed the installation of new radios in fire trucks and chiefs' vehicles -- 300 in all.

The countywide emergency communications upgrade is a more than $10 million expense, paid for largely by federal grants. It's part of a Homeland Security plan to have all communication systems in all counties on an interoperable emergency system.

The new system -- except for outgoing fire dispatch calls -- will be incompatible with any current scanners private citizens own. Uniden is releasing a new scanner this week that will be compatible with the new system. Locally, it can be purchased from G&G Communications in Le Roy.

County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens had a few items approved today by the Public Service Committee:

• The sale of surplus property, specifically a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1/2 ton 4x4 pickup truck.
• Authorizing the county to enter into a consultant agreement with C&S Engineering for the final design of a new terminal and maintenance hangar at the Genesee County Airport. The total design contract is $240,024, with $199,500 being previously approved. The increase includes $11,111 in new state aid and $29,913 in airport deferred revenue. 
• An agreement to work with the Town of Batavia on reconstruction of the intersection at Powers Road and Pratt Road. The project will eliminate a hill and fill in a dip, improving visibility for drivers approaching the intersection. The total cost of the project is $400,000 and will be covered in part by a 90 percent federal grant.
• Authorized purchase of a new 4x6 dump truck, wing, plow and harder sander for $205,918 from Beam Mack Sales in Rochester. The highway department runs six such trucks "nonstop" Hens said. The trucks haul snow, salt, dirt, tree stumps and other material that needs moved place to place. "These are workhorse vehicles," said County Manager Jay Gsell.
• Authorized the purchase of six Ford Fusions, a Ford Escape and a 12-passenger van from Van Bortel Ford, East Rochester, at a price not to exceed $165,360.

Press release:

After an extensive and time consuming national search that included 61 potential candidates. A short-list of 3 – 5 finalists was reviewed by County Management members and the best fit for both the County Manager’s Office and Genesee County government as we progress in this second decade of the 21st Century will be the appointment of Matthew Landers as the new Assistant County Manager effective February 1, 2014.

Matt, a native of Elba and presently a City of Batavia resident, brings his skills and enthusiasm and 10 years of experience as Deputy County Treasurer to his new role as a key operative in the Chief Administrative Office of Genesee County government and the recently revised duties and responsibilities of Assistant County Manager.

Matt is replacing Frank Ciaccia a 21+ year veteran of the Genesee County Manager’s Office who can now truly “retire” from active duty which he has very capably been doing since he announced his retirement in May 2012.

Matt and his wife, Melissa, are the proud parents of two children, Katie and Ben.

The transition from the County Treasurer’s Office to the County Manager’s Office has been and will be a joint collaboration between the two administrative arms of Genesee County government.
 

A year ago today, two volunteer firefighters responding to a fire in Webster were ambushed, shot and killed. It was an unspeakable tragedy that resonated throughout the communities of Western New York.

Our firefighters face enough risks and challenges without being senselessly targeted.

Last year, we published a slideshow of the year's worth of photos of Genesee County's heroes, and to keep the tradition going, here are some of the photos from 2013 of both career and volunteer firefighters working, training and serving our community.

To learn how you can become a local hero by becoming a volunteer with a local fire department, visit ReadyGenesee.com.

Ellicott Avenue snow

 

Many residents could be found digging out their driveways and clearing their cars of snow this morning.

After five straight days of snowfall, Genesee County will be getting a break today. There are no warnings, watches or advisories and temperatures will rise to the mid-20s. There is a chance of snow, but less than a half inch.

The seven-day forecast calls for rising temperatures and possibly 45 degrees by Friday.

Greg Lee uses his snowblower to clear his rental property on Richmond Avenue.

Pat Cavanaugh shovels out her driveway on Redfield Parkway.

Pat's neighbor gives her a hand.

After many days with temperatures below freezing, icicles have formed on Arby's front windows.

The McFollins brothers tried to go sledding at Centennial Park, but the snow was not good for sledding. So a snowball fight broke out on the way home. Pictured are Javin, 8, Ayden, 10, Mason, 12, and Carter, 8, of Batavia.

Plows were out clearing and salting the roads and streets seemed to be in better shape than yesterday.

 

The National Weather Service out of Buffalo says the heavy lake effect snow hitting Genesee County will stay over the area for at least another hour.

The band will then move south and into Wyoming County and the Southtowns.

There have been several property damage accidents throughout the county, but motorists seem to be taking it slow on the drive home tonight.

According to the National Weather Service out of Buffalo, a burst of heavy lake effect snow is expected to develop in the next few hours.

Increased winds will result in some blowing and drifting snow, especially in open areas.

Snowfall rates may increase to one to two inches by early evening and travel conditions may deteriorate.

Emergency responders have been busy throughout the night and throughout the county with weather-related calls.

There have been wires down, cars off the roadways and accidents.

We don't have all the details on all of those incidents.

We can tell you that more than 700 National Grid customers are without power in more than a dozen different locations in Genesee County.

The largest outage is from Brookville Road down to Attica with 374 customers without power. No ETA on power restoration.

South of South Main Street Road, just west of Wortendyke Road is another outage with 89 customers affected. Power should be restored by 6:30 a.m.

Off Maple Road, Alabama, 68 customers affected. Power should be restored by 4:30 a.m.

Outages effecting about 35 customers each are reported off of Gulf Road, Le Roy, County Line Road, Darien, Harlow Road, Darien and just west of Darien Center.

There are also nine customers in Linden without power and 12 just west of Morganville.

There are two small outages reported in the city and another half-dozen or so small ones sprinkled throughout the county.

One large band of snow passed over the county in the 2 a.m. hour and radar shows another one heading our way in a couple of hours.

UPDATE 7:06 a.m.: There remains small, isolated power outages scattered all over the county. The two largest effects 200 customes on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation and 76 customers in Pavilion, just north of Route 20 in the South Street Road area. The National Weather Service reports that the heavy wet snow has passed through the area and is predicting patchy light snow the rest of the day. Caution is advised while traveling because of numerous low hanging and downed wires.

Local historians from throughout Genesee County were in County Building #2 today for the official ribbon cutting on the History Department's new home. Cutting the ribbon above are Legislator Esther Leadley and Legislature Chairwoman Mary Pat Hancock while County Historian Sue Conklin looks on.

Previously: Big task complete, history department settles into new digs at County Building #2

We live in an interesting time and place. Our county (Genesee, NY) consists of about 60,000 residents scattered around 13 towns, six villages, and the City of Batavia across about 500 square miles of largely agricultural space. Those 20 municipalities each have their own government structures with their own elections (surprisingly not all managed by the Genesee County Board of Elections) and their own net costs to taxpayers.

The City of Batavia consists of about 15,500 people (which is essentially a quarter of the total Genesee County population) who are represented by three elected County Legislators at the county level as well as nine elected representatives (one for each of the City's six wards and three additional at-large officials) on City Council. Genesee County Government alone employs more than 700 people -- those are government employees!

According to statistics published by Zoom Prospector, the government sector in all of Genesee County employs more than 6,000 people (those are all public-sector jobs and include teachers, law enforcement, et.al.)!  That's a lot of government for the 15,500 people in the City and the 60,000 people in the County. That also translates to a lot of non-wealth-generating expense for Genesee County taxpayers.

Contrast that with the City of Weston, Fla. Weston consists of about 67,700 people with an elected government of five people and a whopping nine additional employees. That's right, a total of 14 government employees manage the entire government for 67,700 people!

Now I realize this is an apples-to-oranges comparison on some levels, but even if county-provided services (e.g., Weston contracts the Broward County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement services -- yes, a county-run police force can effectively cover a city, in fact, multiple cities of substantial size) are included, Weston does not come anywhere near the County's 700 (more like 800-plus if you count all the municipalities in Genesee County) and certainly not 6,000 government employees for its 67,700 people. Yet Weston has streets, parks, sidewalks, businesses, homes, services, and everything else (except the same weather and state income taxes) we have in Genesee County.