genesee county

If Genesee County legislators approve a law to allow firefighters to opt-in to tax exemptions, it could mean an average yearly savings of $134 for every volunteer firefighter, Deputy Treasurer Kevin Andrews says.

There are a few caveats to the law, however. Firefighters must choose between taking the current tax credit or the new option of a property tax exemption. These may be offered in towns, villages, schools, fire districts and counties, but those taxing entities don’t have to participate.

City of Batavia firefighters and city residents cannot take part in the exemption, even if they’re a volunteer at another fire department, he said. And if someone rents, that’s disqualified as well.

To qualify, volunteer firefighters have to live within the fire district that they serve. They also need at least two to five years of service to participate or can apply for a lifetime exemption with more than 20 years of service. They cannot claim both the tax credit and exemption. The higher the property assessment, the more the savings, Andrews said.

Ideally, one would want to stack a town, school and the county for the maximum 10 percent exemption, he said.

“On average, just the county by itself isn’t enough to receive it,” he said.

He estimated that if every volunteer firefighter took advantage of the exemption, it would mean a two-cent increase on the tax rate, and every taxpayer would pay $3.30 more in yearly taxes.

“The levy would stay the same, but it would get shifted to others,” he said.

That didn’t sit well with Legislator Marianne Clattenburg.

“I'm very concerned about this cost shift because, you know, we have mutual aid. And I'm going to speak for the city constituents. Again, we pay a hefty price for professional fire service, which we want in the city of Batavia. This exemption is gonna get shifted onto an already burdened city resident. So I want to know what this shift is."

With 585 volunteers saving an average of $134, that adds up to $78,000 a year, Andrews said.

"So if we're willing to talk about taking x amount of sales tax money or something along that line to close the hole in the budget to compensate for that, then I would be okay with that. But I don't want it shifted to others," Clattenburg said.

Legislator Christian Yunker asked if this is a real recruiting tool.

“I think it's more every day, we're looking at it as a retention tool. How do you take care of the people that have been here and done the service for so many years, to keep those people engaged because every organization has got such a small group of people that are working there. And there's really nothing to incentivize them for staying, so like this, New York State Fire is talking about incentive programs for new recruits taking training, if you complete your first basic level, you're going to get $1,000. If you go to the next level, it's $1,000. But they're not doing anything for any of the people that are already in the system,” Emergency Management Services Deputy Coordinator Gary Patnode said.

He added, “You know, for a young firefighter that doesn't own their home, this isn't going to benefit them. But for me, being a taxpayer in town, this would certainly be attractive. Right now, they didn't really want to entertain this unless all parties were going to be involved. They wanted to get to school districts, fire districts, villages, you know, town, county, anybody that can go in, so they're getting the best bang for their buck. Otherwise, right now, it's, it's better for everybody to take the $200 tax credit."

He wasn’t sure if schools have even been part of the conversation yet, and pointed to the aspect of involving all volunteers, no matter their job duties. Some go out in the field to combat a blaze, while others maintain headquarters, answer phones, and do the bookkeeping.

“The nonactive is just as important as the active firefighters,” he said.

Clattenburg wants to see more active volunteers, which are those that go out when the bell rings.

“That’s the problem, there are not enough people to go out,” she said.

If the law passes, the earliest it would be adopted is in 2024. Volunteers would then have to apply by March 1.

“There are a lot of questions,” Legislator Gary Maha said. “Thanks for the information, there’s a lot more work to go through.”

Firefighters will have to understand which municipalities and schools are involved before signing up for either the exemption or tax credit, County Manager Matt Landers said.

"Right now, Tim Yaeger is going to be going to GAM and trying to get an understanding between the towns and the villages, getting an understanding from fire districts, and also probably the school districts, to be able to report back to the Legislature: What's the consensus out there? Is there a willingness from our local municipalities and schools to sign up for these exemptions?” Landers said. “Because if the county doesn't have this willingness from our municipalities, then from what I listened to today, it sounds like our legislature would not want to go it alone, it's not worthwhile for our firefighters just to have the county go along on this.”

File Photo of volunteer firefighters during training in 2021, by Howard Owens.

Resiliency is a great attribute for anyone or any place, however, there’s a difference between concept and reality.

New York State and Genesee County officials announced this week a plan to boost the county and its multiple municipalities, including the city’s Centennial Park, with a 454-page resiliency plan. The three-phase strategy for Centennial Park is estimated to cost more than $300,00 once fully completed, plus ongoing maintenance.

“Like with all planning documents, funding is key,” City Manager Rachael Tabelski said. “Otherwise, they sit on a shelf and collect dust.”

The Batavian asked Tabelski about details for the plan, which was unveiled by the state and nonprofit NY Green, and paid for with a $250,000 grant, this week at the base of Centennial Park.

City officials were present but not part of the news conference, though “we did provide information to the consultants about the flood plain and gave permission to Genesee County Planning for the Centennial Park proposed concept, with input from the parkside neighborhood,” Tabelski said.

The proposed concept is a lofty one, aiming to tear out 60 trees, mostly silver maples, and plant 400 new trees and shrubs of more compatible species for a warming environment. Depending on the species, it can take new trees from 15 to 30 years to fully mature.

State Deputy Secretary Kisha Santiago-Martinez said the plan presents a “comprehensive, holistic approach to addressing and preparing for the many challenges we confront in the face of more frequent and severe storm events.”

“By developing and implementing this plan, you are proactively helping to ensure that the county, its municipalities, residents and businesses are better prepared to confront and recover from natural disasters,” she said.

The plan for Centennial, situated in the heart of the city between Ellicott Avenue and State Street, also calls for regrooved pathways and raking autumn leaves up around trees instead of mulching them with a mower. The idea was to reinforce the historic patterns of the park through the use of vegetation, pathways and tree species more akin to this area able to withstand future warming, said David Beatty, an integrally involved Batavia resident who was on the committee to flesh out a park plan.

While Tabelski had no critiques of the plan itself, it comes down to the question, as with most everything: how is it going to be paid for?

Back up to about six years ago, when former City Manager Jason Molino led the formation of a City of Batavia Tree Master Plan in 2017. Consultant Urban Forest Analytics LLC performed the study after several meetings with Public Works, the Bureau of Maintenance, and parks staff. Extensive fieldwork was completed to identify and locate trees as part of the master plan, then-DPW Director Matt Worth said in a memo to Molino.

It was a project of years in the making that included training for proper tree care techniques, risk assessments, maintaining a database, detailed forecasts and strategies, Worth had said.

That plan is followed as funding allows each year for tree removal, planting and pruning throughout the city, including in parks, Tabelski said.

“Trees are an integral part of our city landscape, and fabric of our neighborhoods, not to mention the positive emotional and recreation enhancement trees offer,” she said. “Over the past several years, I have fielded more requests for increased tree planting than any other single request from citizens of the city.”

Highlights of the Tree Master Plan include:

• The number of street trees could increase by 50 percent
• 7 percent of street trees are ash and need to come down (250 trees)
• 15 percent of park trees are in poor condition 
• 8 percent of park trees are ash and need to come down (54 trees)
• 38 percent of Batavia has canopy cover

Even though this week’s debuted plan may have seemed to be a given, it is not a mandate, Tabelski said.

“The Genesee County Resiliency Plan includes towns, villages and the city and is purely a road map that communities can choose to follow to make improvements and access grant funds if they so choose,” she said.

As for who will pay for that road map, “the plan that included Centennial Park could be used to apply to grant funds for tree removal and planting, along with the city’s Tree Management Plan.”

“It is a tool to help make informed decisions,” she said. “It is my understanding that the DEC does, periodically, have these types of grants available.  The other options are fundraising in the community, corporate sponsors, or through the city’s operating funds. 

“This is a planning tool that can help City Council and City Management make future decisions, just like the Tree Management Plan,” she said.  “We consult these plans during grant review and budgeting.”

This year’s pending 2023-24 budget for the City of Batavia includes annual tree removal (20 trees) for $26,000, stump removal for $5,500 and tree purchase and replanting (one for one) for $11,600.

 Projected costs of future maintenance, if the park plan is completed per the resiliency plan, have not yet been reviewed or evaluated, Tabelski said.

Go here for prior Resiliency Plan coverage.

File Photos of spring, top, and summer, at Centennial Park in Batavia, by Howard Owens.

Every county in the state — including Genesee — has jumped on board to appeal a part of the governor’s budget that will take away funds meant to be shared with each county for Medicaid and healthcare costs.

Genesee County is looking at losing some $188,000 this year alone if the state budget is passed as is. The county Legislature voted a week ago to send a letter opposing the move, and the state Association of Counties (NYSAC) passed a resolution Tuesday during its three-day conference to do the same, Assistant County Manager Tammy Ferringer said.

“All counties unanimously voted to bring forth the resolution, the take-back of eFMAPs. So they're hoping that that will be impactful, and then it won't go away,” Ferringer said Wednesday. “Generally, just before the budget goes through, the commissioner of Social Services will receive notice that the weekly shares have changed or that this is your amount for federal participation. So it won't be until March, the end of the month. Unless the budget doesn't pass, and then it could be April and prolonged even longer.”

EFMAPs are enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage funds. Counties have been receiving funding for Medicaid costs, and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed 2023-24 budget would eliminate that allowance from the upcoming fiscal year.  Earlier in February, NYSAC President Michael E. Zurlo called the governor's removal of the eFMAP funds an "unprecedented shift" that will saddle local taxpayers with up to $1 billion in new Medicaid costs with the state pocketing those medical assistance funds instead. 

"Not only does this proposal harm New York's local taxpayers, but it also subverts Congress' intent that eFMAP be shared with local governments that contribute to the Medicaid program. In March of 2020, New York Senator Charles Schumer championed that 'Enhanced FMAP funds are so important because they are immediate and flexible. The state – which gets billions and the most of any state in the nation – and counties use the money they save on whatever they want,'" Zurlo said in a news release.

"At a time when New York is facing an affordability crisis, the last thing the Governor should do is burden local taxpayers with more costs that will drive up the cost of homeownership and rent, increase business expenses and make New York more unaffordable," he said.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney has also sounded the alarm, stating that up to $1 billion in eFMAP funds could be diverted to state coffers.

“This will force counties to further raise property taxes on local taxpayers to cover the difference,” Tenney said in a news release. “This resolution clarifies that it was Congress’ intent for eFMAP funds to be shared directly with the county and local governments that cover the associated costs.”

Congress delivers federal funds directly to states to cover a share of their Medicaid programs and other healthcare initiatives. Congress intended eFMAP funds to be shared with the New York counties and local governments that sustain the Medicaid program.

“Governor Kathy Hochul’s state budget proposal amounts to an egregious theft of taxpayer dollars. She proposes that Albany Democrats steal federal funds that Congress intended to go directly to our counties. This absolutely reckless proposal will lead to a tax hike on working families across New York,” Tenney said. “Our counties shoulder a significant portion of our state’s Medicaid share, and they should therefore receive federal reimbursement. If Kathy Hochul and Albany Democrats think they are entitled to these federal funds, they should shift the burden of funding Medicaid from our counties back to our state’s capital, as every other state in the country does. New York is the only state that demands local governments cover half of the Medicaid share. It is deeply unfair, and it must end.”

The resolution put forth by Genesee County Manager Matt Landers would reverse the governor’s plan that would also increase payments to healthcare providers and require the 57 counties to cumulatively spend at least $280 million more in the 2024 budget year, he said.

That additional $188,000 for Genesee County is for this year, and that number could likely change next year, Ferringer said. Are county officials hopeful that the governor’s budget will omit the eMAP portion? It’s possible.

“But the likelihood of that doesn't seem like it's probable,” Ferringer said. “We'll probably come to a real solution before that.”

File Photo of Tammy Ferringer by Joanne Beck.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory, to be in effect until midnight.

Total snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches are expected. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph in Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Northern Erie counties. Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening commute. Periods of snow will result in snow covered roads and limited visibilities. Slow down and use caution while driving.

 

Valentine’s Day may be over, but Genesee County is feeling the love, at least for sharing its excess 2022 revenues with the city, towns and villages.

County Manager Matt Landers has proposed the distribution of sharing unanticipated and unbudgeted revenue growth as a voluntary payment of between $12,090 and $392,465 to the county municipalities for a total $2 million distribution payment.

The county Legislature is to vote on the proposal during its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Old Courthouse. The measure has already been approved by the Ways & Means Committee.

Payments include:

• City of Batavia: $392,465
• Town of Alabama: $64,844
• Village of Alexander: $12,090
• Town of Alexander $66,697
• Town of Batavia: $284,446
• Village of Bergen: $31,528
• Town of Bergen: $80,599
• Town of Bethany: $65,573
• Town of Byron: $73,009
• Village of Corfu: $23,300
• Town of Darien: $146,589
• Village of Elba: $17,248
• Town of Elba: $57,522
• Village of LeRoy: $114,300
• Town of LeRoy: $130,530
• Village of Oakfield: $32,178
• Town of Oakfield: $48,190
• Town of Pavilion: $86,458
• Town of Pembroke: $173,282
• Town of Stafford:  $99,152
• Total Distribution $2,000,000

The Batavian asked City Manager Rachael Tabelski if this money could be used to offset the city's proposed tax levy of $6.6 million, which will require a tax cap override, or how it would otherwise be used. She said it would go toward current expenses.

“This is a one-time revenue of $392,464 that will be distributed in this fiscal year (22/23).  This revenue distribution is above and beyond the current sales tax agreement, and we are grateful to the County for the distribution payment,” Tabelski said Tuesday. “The funding will help us with current capital projects, including the police station, the fire and (Bureau of Maintenance) project, the City Centre Project, as well as vehicle replacement reserve funds.

“I would not recommend using this in next year’s budget on operational items as it is not a guaranteed revenue that we can count on to support operations,” she said. 

Landers has also proposed a resolution to counter the state’s 2024 budget proposal to end the Affordable Care Act enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, a measure to keep all of the federal savings from now on and use them to cover further expansions of Medicaid eligibility and benefits.

This change would also increase payments to healthcare providers and require the 57 counties to spend at least $280 million more in the 2024 budget year, Landers said. Ways & Means has already approved the resolution, and it will go onto the Legislature to approve that “Genesee County calls on the State to continue to share these federal funds with counties as has been precedent for over 20 years” and that copies of the resolution be sent to Inter-County Association of Western New York, the Governor of the State of New York, the New York State Legislature representative, the New York State Congressional representative, and all others deemed necessary and proper.

Sunset has expanded to 5:45 p.m. now, have you noticed? And local organizers are taking every minute of daylight for inspiration to plan beer walks, cookouts, an outreach, trail run, and music in the parks.

First up is Febrewary — no, that’s not a typo, though the computer keeps wanting to edit. With 21 stops throughout downtown Batavia, this event promises a nice sampling of craft brews, ciders and meads, according to Shannon Maute, executive director the Business Improvement District-sponsored event.

The event, set for 4 to 8 p.m. Feb. 25, was just picking up steam for a few years when COVID hit, and it was derailed in 2021, resuming the crafty beer fun walk last year.

A close replica to the BID’s popular fall wine walk, Febrewary features tastings at various downtown merchants, many of which will have specials, drawings, and giveaways, Maute said.

Of the featured brewmeisters, 810 Meadworks of Medina, Windy Brew from Sheldon and OSB Ciderworks from Buffalo have been confirmed. Not familiar with a mead? This libation is made with honey, and dates back to Biblical times as “probably the first fermented beverage,” the company’s website states.

“More versatile than liquor, wine, or beer, mead can taste like a refreshing summer shandy, a hoppy IPA, a full-bodied Cabernet, or a fine dessert wine,” it states.

Windy Brew is a Wyoming County-based brewery of craft beers, and OSB’s lineup of ciders will be featuring anything from the crispy bite of homegrown concord grapes from along the Finger Lakes, and Intergalactic Raspberry combined with hibiscus flower, to the Scotch Bonnet Bomber, described as “apple forward with a throat chop of spicy.”

Of course, brewmasters such as Eli Fish of Batavia are also expected to participate, as Maute is seeking out a sour, Belgian witbier, stout, lager and other varieties of craft brew.

General admission tickets are $30 and include a collectible snifter glass, snacks along the way, raffles and giveaways and tastings. VIP tickets are $40 and include all of the regular features plus an extra hour, from 4 to 8 p.m., an exclusive tasting and a food station.

Designated drivers will be able to partake of the specials, raffles, snacks and non-alcoholic tastings for $10.

There were a total of 600 tickets available and 25 for designated drivers. They may be purchased at Event Brite, and there will be a limited number of paper tickets available at Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle shop on Center Street and Yngodess on Main Street, Batavia. For more information, go to BID Febrewary.     

Care-A-Van Ministries is planning to have a series of cookouts at 5 p.m. every Thursday at Austin Park in Batavia. The event, led by Paul Ohlson, is set to run in June, July and August, and include a cookout of hotdogs, hamburgers, a variety of sides and live music each week. This is event is free to the public.

Living Waters Apostolic Ministries has also mapped out an event at Austin Park, to run from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 16. Organized by Pastor Timothy Young, the community outreach is to include games, food, music, a sermon, prayer, and “showing love to the community.” This event is free to the public.

Beginning the last Wednesday in June, music lovers will find live music at Centennial Park for several Wednesdays throughout the summer. Batavia Concert Band is set to take the grassy stage at 7 p.m. on June 28; July 5, 12, 19, and 25; and Aug. 2 and 9. These concerts are free and open to the public. Patrons are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and or blanket.

The Association for Conservation Of Recreational and Natural Spaces (better known as the ACORNS), a county parks volunteer organization, is planning its third annual music in the park event, however, has requested to use DeWitt Park this year to make it more accessible to folks. Batavia Concert Band is slated for a performance on Aug. 5 at the park on Cedar Street, Batavia. 

The ACORNS have also asked to use the Genesee County Park and Forest for its 11th annual 5K/10K trail run and walk fundraiser, set for Oct. 1. The event is expected to be approved by the county Legislature at a future meeting.

File Photo of Acorn run at Genesee County Park by Howard Owens.

When Peggy Grayson was hired more than a quarter century ago, she was told she’d be the “last man standing.”

Multi-county agencies have been disappearing, and this one — GLOW Solid Waste Management Recycling --  has remained in the capable hands of its Administrator, Grayson, for going on 26 years.

And she plans not to be the last one standing, but, in fact, to hand the torch to a temporary administrator to train as she winds down her time. Grayson is set to retire on June 30.

During Monday’s Public Services meeting, Grayson asked for an amendment to the 2023 management salary schedule to create a temporary full-time recycling administrator position to help with the transition of her retirement. The amendment would allow for shared services costs of $28,426 to pay the position from April 10 to Aug. 11.

Legislator John Deleo credited Grayson before making his own request.

“She’s got the knowledge and the passion, and if there’s a way I can refuse her request,” he said, his voice trailing off to laughter.

Fellow Legislator Marianne Clattenburg disagreed with Deleo, adding that "she deserves it," and all legislators thanked Grayson for her years of service.

The GLOW Committee was created in 1987 as a cooperative effort between the Counties of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming, whose purpose was to develop strategies for the management of solid waste in the region. Orleans County ended its affiliation at the end of 2003.

Efforts have included a household hazardous waste collection program, composting and recycling programs, the Don’t Throw That Away Recycling Game, a waste reduction and recycling display at Picnic in the Park, a recycling hotline, and backyard composting.

The future retiree said she’s seen “a lot of changes over the years.”

“I can spew so much off the top of my head,” she said. “Some people appreciate it, others not so much.”

Her steadfast dedication has shown through her willingness to be a lone worker — for the most part working alone for 19 of her 26 years, she said. She promised to still volunteer at the household waste collection, and spoke about the paint collection, which will book some 400 people in June, she said.

The committee agreed to the budget amendment, which has to be approved by the county Legislature at a future meeting.

While at least one City Councilman has expressed concern about ambulance response times in the city of Batavia, Genesee County officials are mulling similar issues elsewhere, Manager Matt Landers says.

“My understanding is that Mercy Flight has a good response time. But there's going to be isolated incidents that inevitably happen because there could be a call for service somewhere else that happens to pull ambulances out. So my concern, honestly, is more of a response time in our rural areas in the county, where response times are greater than the nine minutes that are currently being experienced in the city of Batavia,” Landers said to The Batavian Wednesday. “So that is something that this Legislature and myself are aware of, and that there's a lot of issues out there that we're trying to tackle and work on.”

Landers clarified the current arrangement with Mercy Flight and Mercy EMS. The county provides “a minimum contract of $12,500 on an annual basis to go towards their Mercy Flight air, that's, the contract that we have in place with Mercy Flight currently,” he said, and there is no official contract for ambulance service. An article published Tuesday stated that there was a countywide contract for ambulance service.

“There was a county RFP issued but it wasn't for a county contract. It was something that was for individual towns, so they could contract specifically the Mercy Flights. Some did, some didn’t,” he said. “But Mercy Flight has built a base of operations here at Genesee County, they are here to stay, they are an asset to our community. But there is no current contract with Genesee County for any kind of ambulance service.”

The topic of ambulance response times came up during city budget talks Tuesday evening at City Hall. Councilman Paul Viele raised concern after hearing about a child getting stung by a bee last summer. After reportedly lengthy response time from Mercy EMS, city police ended up taking the child to the hospital for medical treatment, Viele said.

During the conversation, Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. added that there’s been a countywide struggle to accommodate the need.

County officials are working with Mercy Flight to try and remedy the situation, especially in Genesee’s outskirts, Landers said Wednesday.

“We are in talks with Mercy Flight, and how potentially we can help,” Landers said. “I understand why people would think there might be a contract … we understand as a county that response times is a countywide issue. So Legislature and myself are exploring the issue currently and seeing what we could do to help improve those response times, primarily in our rural corners of the county. Less so in the city of Batavia.”

From plowing roads and driveways, digging out stranded motorists, transporting people to safer locations, getting food and medical care to those in need and extending a warm and friendly hand of hope to people who had quite literally felt their lives were in danger, Genesee County officials and emergency responders took some moments this week to celebrate bravery, extraordinary efforts and well-deserved kudos for their ongoing work during Blizzard Elliott in late December.

County legislators read proclamations honoring each district within the county, as emergency responders gathered in camaraderie to share highlights of that three-day ordeal. The breadth and scope of the rescues, though attempted through stories, news reports and online posts, have still probably missed some of the myriad elements involved during those blindingly snow-blanketed days.

Once Elliott blew through the northwest corner of the county, “raging its fury on the Town of Alabama and surrounding areas, causing life-threatening circumstances to many travelers and farm animals,” the proclamation begins, “and Blizzard Elliott debilitated this district in a very short time, causing roadways to be unpassable. With the quick action of so many, it is easy to say we have heroes amongst us.”

Genesee County assisted more than 700 travelers, with dispatch taking 1,021 service calls and first responders rescuing 125 people. Approximately 240 cars and 60 tractor-trailers were stuck in drifts as high as 10-feet, county officials said, and 12 warming shelters were opened in surrounding areas. Hundreds of vehicles were pulled out of ditches by tow trucks, farmers, firefighters and good Samaritans.

“The Genesee County Legislature recognizes and admires our dedicated law enforcement, firefighters, emergency management, highway, elected leaders, food banks, schools, churches, tow truck operators, snowmobile clubs, local businesses and citizens who all rose to the occasion when others needed help,” the proclamation states. “Now, therefore, be it resolved the Genesee County Legislature would like to thank you ALL for the available forces of manpower, equipment and community helping hands that came together. The goal of preserving life was focused on and achieved. Volunteers who left their families to search for and save visitors are our most valued community members.

“Thank you to the warming shelters for providing safety, food and care to stranded visitors, thus demonstrating the high level of dedication we have for humankind in Genesee County. We extend our gratitude and respect for your community response to Elliott,” it states.

Likewise, Sheriff William Sheron, Emergency Management Services Coordinator Tim Yaeger and County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens shared about the high level of cooperation and collaboration amongst the county’s emergency service and highway providers, and how that made such a difference in the results during that winter storm. There were no fatalities.

“Thank you for the service we have here in Genesee County,” Sheron said. “Undoubtedly, you have saved lives. We wouldn’t be able to survive without you guys. What a team effort. I can’t thank you enough, from the bottom of our hearts.”

Hens also thanked everyone and said he was proud to represent the town and village highway superintendents and city public works. Everyone “put aside barriers” and got the job done to ensure that roads were cleared when possible.

“I want to recognize their efforts. They all came to the call,” he said. “It’s truly remarkable how our community comes together.”

A nod of thanks and appreciation was also given to County Manager Matt Landers, who worked throughout that Christmas weekend helping to rally friends for food donations and, with his daughter as sidekick helper, drove around to pick up items and get them to the staging area of the city fire station.

Photos by Howard Owens  Top Photo of Emergency Management Services Coordinator Tim Yaeger at the podium as Sheriff William Sheron looks on during the proclamation ceremony.

County Legislators John Deleo and Marianne Clattenburg watch a video about Winter Storm Elliott that was produced by the Town of Alabama Highway Department.

Legislator Marianne Clattenburg with (not in order) Gary Patnode, Alabama Fire Chief, David Boyle, Village of Oakfield, Nate Fix and Anthony Johnston of SnoPackers, Sean Downing, Oakfield Fire Chief, and Oakfield Assistant Fire Chief Chad Williams; 

Legislator Christian Yunker with (not in order) Vito Muoio, South Byron Fire, Jeremy Rassel, South Byron Fire, Garett Dean, Bergen Fire, Robert Mruczek, Byron Fire Chief, Nick Esten, Elba Fire Chief, and Gretchen Rosales, superintendent of Elba School District. 

Legislator Gordon Dibble with LuAnne Mileham, Ed Mileham, Indian Falls/Pembroke Assistant Fire Chief, Greg Lang, Corfu Fire Chief, and Jeff Luker, Darien Fire Chief.

Legislator Brooks Hawley with (not in order) Christopher Scopano, LeRoy Ambulance, Tim Eckdahl, Stafford Fire Chief, Craig Johnson, LeRoy Fire Chief, and Paul Dibble, Town of Batavia Fire Chief.

Legislator Gregg Torrey with Jeff Fluker, Bethany Fire Chief, left, Carl Hyde Jr., Bethany Town Supervisor, right.

Legislator John Deleo, Euguene Jankowski Jr., City Council President,  Jeffrey Bartz, Grace Baptist Church,  Bob Fix, City of Batavia Fire, and Christopher Camp, Batavia City Assistant Police Chief.

Legislator Gary Maha, with (not in order) Pam McCarthy, Mercy EMS, Sheriff William Sheron, Undersheriff Bradley Mazur,  Sgt. Kyle Krzemien, Deputy Jonathan Dimming, Deputy Jacob Kipler, Highway Superintendent Tim Hens,  Superintendent, Tim Yaeger, Emergency Management Services Coordinator, Frank Riccobono, Communications Director,  Scott Hultz, NYSDOT Resident Engineer for Genesee & Orleans Counties, and  Jeff Braley, NYSDOT Resident Engineer for Genesee & Orleans Counties.

Sheriff William Sheron.

County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens

For anyone with strong Batavia roots, the Engine House conjures up dining memories of corned beef sandwiches for $2.10 and a champagne Sunday brunch for less than six bucks. Now the longstanding historical icon earmarked as a capital project has some much higher dollar figures attached.

The county Legislature is expected to vote soon on the $1.86 million project, to be offset by a $892,610 grant and sales tax proceeds of $975,990. Since the funding was from 2022, it’s considered a 2022 capital project.

County Manager Matt Landers laid out the explanation during Wednesday’s Ways & Means meeting.

“And the reasoning behind this is that we're running out of space. We have run out of space with public defenders. So that's why there's already four over there in the engine house. And we're putting two more over there,” Landers said. “This is utilizing outside funding, outside of the county, to be able to put an elevator into the building. That is in our long-term plans now, based out of necessity, because the courts facility was not built large enough. It's an access issue to be able to access that building properly.”

The courts facility — a complex built for city, county, and family court, children’s services, the district attorney and various other legal professionals — is now unable to accommodate all county personnel.

Landers credited Public Defender Jerry Ader for securing the grant of nearly $893,000. Part of the expense includes an amount not to exceed $150,600 for the renovation design for SWBR of Rochester.

Plans include an elevator, since it has been difficult to reach the upper floors of the building, Landers said. As it is, the public and county employees cannot access the space, he said. Legislator Marianne Clattenburg believed it was there for a reason.

“It’s a historic space, and it’s not going anywhere,” she said. “So, we might as well use it, right?”

The design may not be completed until 2024, Landers, said, and there will be flexibility in the plan.

“As soon as we have the design done and a full cost estimate out there, if it is on target like we thought it would be, then we would increase the budget, increase the project for the vendor space and then award the contracts for doing the construction work,” he said. “If it comes in too high, then we simply would pull back our funding and reallocate that sales tax into our reserve and for future purposes. This really is a building that's underutilized now … And the best part of this is it's right next door to the courthouse, right where their work is, and we have the ownership of that, and we should make good use of it.”

This isn't the first time the county has mulled the use of the Engine House. In 2017, there were discussions of giving it up or opting to renovate the site to accommodate a growing number of public defenders and make the second-floor handicap accessible. Those discussions got as far as setting a public hearing, which was canceled in lieu of tabling any definite action.

According to former county Historian Susan Conklin, the site at 3 West Main St., Batavia, had been built in the late 1800s — first as a sawmill, and later as a two-room brick shelter that housed water pumps. City leaders decided in 1948 to convert the building into a fire station, giving it the name that has stuck for the next several decades — even when purchased in the 1980s to operate as a restaurant.

The Engine House bar and restaurant closed in 1991, and it took eight years before Buildings and Grounds began to convert it into a county department. In July of 1998, the History Department was relocated into the front section of the property.

Top Photo of a more recent version of the brick Engine House, and above, former buildings, including one that was partially collapsed from an explosion. Photos from the county's History Department archives.

Workers’ Compensation is hardly a sexy topic, but it’s becoming a vital component of Genesee County’s offerings, Assistant County Manager Tammy Ferringer says.

After a four-month search, Ferringer found and hired the county’s first health and safety coordinator who will serve as executive secretary for a cooperative Workers' Comp program of most every taxing entity in the county, including schools, towns and villages.

Up to recently, the participating entities haven’t shown much interest in training offered related to on-the-job safety issues, Ferringer said.

“Participants weren’t interested in training until this past year,” she said. “It was exciting to see a lot of attendance.”

Participants of the Workers’ Comp program pay a premium to be a member of the plan, and trainings are one of the perks that also help them to keep employees safe at work and reduce insurance claims, injuries and related absenteeism.

Workers' compensation is insurance that provides cash benefits and/or medical care for workers who are injured or become ill as a direct result of their job.

The new position was born out of the budget process this past year, Ferringer said after Kathy Jasinski had announced that she was going to be retiring at the end of the year.

“And so that prompted us to try and reenvision the gaps of the plan as it exists,” she said. “And we just wanted to enhance the services that are available to the plan participants ... the worker's comp plan that's administered by Genesee County, and towns, villages, school districts, any taxing entity in Genesee County can opt into the plan. And currently, there's a large list of them.”

Enter Dustin Watterson, a lifelong Oakfield resident who is now the full-time health and safety coordinator. He will be taking on administrative tasks, serving as safety officer for the county and going out on the road to meet plan participants.

“Dustin is going to be charged with the administrative piece of acting as executive secretary to the workers' comp plan. And he'll work with me on the administrative tasks necessary to make sure that it’s efficiently run," she said. "And then we are going to take this safety approach in-house, and he is going to go out on the road, and he is going to garner relationships with our participants and make sure that they know what's available to them.

“It keeps our workers safe, that’s the most important thing for everyone,” she said.

She added that if claims are contained, then costs will be reduced as well, which is also beneficial to any business operation.

Watterson has a decade of experience working in the security business via sales and consulting and is familiar with OSHA compliance, and items such as ADA railings, ramps, and rooftop fall protection, he said. Not only is the financial piece important, but also the morale of an employee who can otherwise be spared those days spent home recovering from an accident at work, he said.

Although Workers' Comp is one large umbrella, it covers multitudes of jobs and careers, Ferringer said.

“Our plan has so many different industries or types of workers, from law enforcement to nurses to just regular office staffs and highway workers and construction. There's such a diverse group of workers, we’re trying to make sure that we capture all of their needs,” Ferringer said. “But also, by working together with them … we’re just allowing them enhancement to help keep this community safe.”

During Wednesday’s Ways & Means meeting, County Manager Matt Landers introduced Watterson with confidence in his new role working with plan participants.

“I think he can help them with their safety plans,” Landers said.

Dustin Watterson, Genesee County's new health and safety coordinator, and Assistant County Manager Tammy Ferringer talk about the expanded and safety aspects of Workers' Comp Wednesday. Photo by Joanne Beck.

Changes to the original $70 million new county jail plans have included about $90,000 in structural, product and utility revisions, senior project manager Carl York says.

York gave the latest review of the project on West Main Street Road during Genesee County’s Human Services Committee meeting Tuesday.

“Some of these were items that just weren’t on the drawings. And so there’s a supplemental instruction that came out in the contract … so again, changes that are happening on the project. So far, we’ve had 46 instructions,” York said. “That’s about where I would expect it to be. None of these were huge changes. Some of them are just things that weren’t picked up on their original set of documents. And they have to be done. There’s been no issues so far from the Commission of Corrections.”

Having to add some precast, revising the type of flooring, making structural revisions to a pod and also to plumbing and gas provisions made for processing nearly $90,000 of change orders in December, York said.

All of the extras are not a concern, he said, as there is plenty of contingency funding for such needs. The first jail cell was delivered to the jail site this past week, and installed on Friday, Jan. 13. During the next two months or so, a total of about 100 cells will be installed at the property adjacent to County Building #2 and the Animal Shelter.

County Legislative Chairwoman Shelley Stein asked if those changes were above and beyond the $70 million project cost, and York said no.  In fact, the cost is at “.4 percent, not even .5 percent of your entire project cost,” he said.

“You’re doing fabulous,” he said.

Stein wanted that fact to be emphasized, given the possibility that some legislators had thought recent change orders were piling up to mean a larger price tag for the jail, a big ticket item not readily accepted by everyone in the county as it is.

“Good, that should just be made really clear to all of our legislators here, because we certainly did hear some conversation after the last approval that … now it's 70 million plus,” Stein said.

York assured her that “It is not $70 million-plus.”

During the transport phase of the jail cell last week, County Manager Matt Landers said that he's pleased the project is so far coming in under budget.

The Department of Corrections has contacted The Pike Company, lead for the project, and a meeting is being set up for later this week to review jail plans, York said.

File Photo of Carl York, senior project manager, of The Pike Company, by Joanne Beck.

With a choice of building from scratch from the ground up or using prefabricated units, county management is confident that the right choice was made for the new jail facility on West Main Street Road in Batavia.

The first jail cell was delivered to the site Wednesday and installed on Friday. It will be one of about 100 such cells to be slowly and carefully transported by flatbed truck, an effort that Assistant County Engineer Laura Wadhams believes is well worth it.

“These units come to us completely finished on the inside, and once set into place, will be bolted together, and all of the electrical, HVAC and plumbing already installed will be connected to the rest of the building,” Wadhams said to The Batavian Thursday. “This is a cost-effective way of constructing these cells, as the other option would be to construct the cells out of (concrete masonry unit) block, which, as you could imagine, would be a very labor-intensive process.”

General contractor LeChase Construction Services has subcontracted with PennStress, a precast cell manufacturer that installs the remade cell units all over the eastern side of the country, she said.

“We do get a good product this way as well since these are manufactured in a factory with a rigorous quality control process,” she said.

The cell was installed at the facility with a crane on Friday, overseen by the construction company, workers, County Manager Matt Landers and Sheriff William Sheron. There’s a long way to go, Landers said, but this is “just one more step in the process.”

“It’s a milestone to mark the setting, it’s a good step in the process,” he said. “But it’s just one step along the way.”

Likening the building process akin to how Legos snap into place with one another, the prefabricated units are very secure, Sheron said. He has enjoyed observing the vision coming to life.

“It’s exciting, to go from the plans on paper to actually see things coming out of the ground,” he said. “It’s all coming together now that we can actually picture it.”

That picture includes a 184-bed facility to house men and women inmates. With a price tag of $70 million, it’s not something that Landers wants to do again in a long time, he said.

“Certainly, it is a milestone, we don’t plan on building out our jail for hopefully 100 years, which is why we’re trying to get it right this time, and building a jail as appropriate for our community for the next 100 years,” Landers said. “So I think we’ve done a good job of that … and it’s been a great process working with the sheriff and seeing where we are today.”

The plan is to get a substantial amount completed by the first quarter of next year, and to begin moving inmates in around June or July, Sheron said. It will then join the majority of other jails in New York State that house female inmates, and by keeping those inmates more locally to their homes, their families will be able to visit them more frequently and remain connected, he said.

“It’s a matter of the county manager, the county Legislature, all of us coming together and recognizing that we are well overdue. I would say that we’re working at a facility that was built in 1902. That was built at that time to take care of the population that they had then. And things have changed tremendously since then,” Sheron said. “I know it’s a substantial cost, but it’s one of those necessary evils. Unfortunately, in society, we have individuals that can get the following rules and regulations and laws. And I think it’s extremely important that we have a location to put those individuals that is not only safe for them but also safe for the officers that are involved with it.”

Top Photo of a prefabricated jail cell being lifted over to its designated place during the install phase on Friday; photos of the cell's interior, a crane lifting the container, Sheriff William Sheron, left, on scene, workers getting the cell into proper place, and relaxing after a job well done. Photos by Howard Owens.

Press release from Genesee County:

Over the Christmas weekend, our community was ravaged by a historic blizzard that challenged locals with lake effect snow, strong wind and wind chills from -10 to -25 degrees.

Holiday travelers from near and far found their vehicles in ditches, snow banks or in the driveway of a stranger. Essential services provided by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, the Genesee County Emergency Dispatcher Center, Genesee County Emergency Management Services, and the Genesee County Highway Department were at the ready to ensure all travelers were protected and safe.

Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr. was incredibly grateful and proud.

“Thank God for the dedicated first responders of Genesee County," Sheron said. "Undoubtedly, dozens of lives were saved due to the heroic actions of all of our first responders who put their lives on the line during this historic blizzard of 2022. They worked around the clock, days on end, answering and responding to 9-1-1 calls to ensure that our community was safe and no one’s loved one became a statistic.”

Sheriff Sheron went on to say, “I am extremely proud of the men and women of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office along with all Genesee County’s agencies and volunteer fire services. These are dedicated, passionate residents that give everything to their community. There’s truth to the saying, ‘When bad things happen, first responders are there, 24/7, through all types of weather and circumstances; no questions asked.’

"Should you see a first responder, please take the opportunity to thank them for their unwavering dedication," Sheron added. I would also like to thank all the community members that stepped up and provided safe warming shelters for hundreds of individuals that were stranded by the storm. To those businesses and individuals that dropped off food and bottled water, you provided much-needed supplies for our employees that hadn’t eaten in several hours. Thank you all!”

Tim Yaeger, Genesee County Emergency Management Services Coordinator, called attention to the importance of first responders in our community. 

“It was an extremely stressful and dangerous event for the dispatchers, law enforcement, fire and Emergency Medical Services," Yaeger said. "The dispatchers had far more calls for help than available resources. Law enforcement and fire service would not give up or stop until every person was accounted for. They are all heroes in my book! They risked their lives for over 24 hours to rescue every person. Community leaders, individuals and business owners demonstrated generosity, blind trust and compassion by opening their homes, businesses, and warming shelters to ensure 700 travelers were out of harm’s way. Volunteer fire and EMS, church, and local businesses spent three days away from their families to care for complete strangers. The stories of compassion and dedication to never stop helping others in need of rescue is what makes the first responders of Genesee County our most cherished resource.”

Genesee County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens was astonished by the heroism he experienced.

“I'm struck by the commitment, dedication, loyalty, and humanity of all of the rescuers," Hens said. "Whether paid professionals or volunteers, people literally putting their lives at risk over and over to save mostly people they've never met and will most likely never see again.

"It was frustrating to not make progress at times," he added, "getting turned back over and over by impassible roads, insurmountable drifts, but everyone was trying to make a difference. No one gave up, they just tried another route. People opened their houses. People opened their businesses. Everyone worked together even though it was confusing and stressful. ”

Genesee County Manager Matt Landers wanted to recognize the people of this community and county officials who helped navigate this storm.

“There are so many people to thank from the community that stepped under difficult circumstances to save lives," Landers said. "First, I want to recognize and thank Sheriff Sheron, Tim Yaeger and Tim Hens for their leadership during the storm. Each of their respective operations played critical roles throughout the storm, and the way in which all three operations worked together was impressive. Next, I want to thank all of the law enforcement professionals, first responders, dispatchers, volunteer firefighters and snow plow operators that all worked tirelessly to save lives.”

He went on to say, “Thank you to all of the local and surrounding municipalities that helped with resources, equipment and manpower, including the City of Batavia, Orleans County and Livingston County. While there are so many people that stepped up to help, it’s impossible to list them all by name. However, I want to give a special shout-out to Nate Fix, Tony Johnston and members of the Genesee SnoPackers organization that came out with their ‘Tucker’ vehicle, which proved to be instrumental in saving lives by reaching people that other vehicles couldn’t get to.

"Thank you to the volunteers at the various warming shelters," he added, "the people who opened up their homes to strangers and the people that opened up their kitchens and cupboards with donated food for those stranded. While this storm will be remembered for the impressive winds and snowfall, I will always remember this storm by the bravery exhibited and the community coming together to care for one another. I am so proud to say I am from Genesee County!”

Shelley Stein, Chair of the Genesee County Legislature, could not be more thankful for her community.

“Bravery, courage, dedication, and compassion - all characteristics demonstrated by our community members, volunteers, and leaders during this past weekend," Stein said. "Genesee County is well known for our cooperative spirit and creativity in getting the work accomplished together. Our community, once again, jumped into action and shared their skills and talents to save lives and provide comfort to many. Our volunteer fire service members are our backbone of public safety in events like Storm Elliott. Untold hours, risks, and determination prevented deaths in our county. THANK YOU, simple and sincere from a grateful Genesee County Community.” 

Submitted photos.

As city and county officials tallied the weekend’s figures — numbers of staff on overtime duty, and total costs for manpower, equipment and related expenses — their gratitude for community support will extend to federal aid as well now that FEMA has announced financial assistance for New York State, and in particular, Genesee County.

Declaration should mean federal help
“There's a process that FEMA takes based on filing the emergency declaration that allows us to expend funds to deal with life safety, whether it's infrastructure, or housing and rescuing people, and then they'll evaluate damages, and overall cost affiliated with the storm,” County Emergency Management Services Director Tim Yeager said Tuesday. “And then they'll look at a declaration that will allow for reimbursement of expenses. So it takes about two weeks. Because then the data and the costs are accumulated and then sent to the state, they gather that and then send it to FEMA, and then they make a decision based on matrixes that they have on thresholds of cost. They're going to pay, typically, the federal reimbursement rate of 75 percent of the cost.”

That remaining 25 percent is sometimes paid by the state, he said, or it would go to the local municipality.

Both city and county management are still in the accounting phase of determining final numbers and associated costs of Winter Storm Elliott.

“At this time, there is not a complete accounting of the OT that was expended due to the storm, but we will be finalizing the reporting and submitting it to the County as part of their storm disaster relief accounting and potential FEMA reimbursement," City Manager Rachael Tabelski said Tuesday.

What goes into the accounting? 
City of Batavia personnel, including the Public Works, Water Plant, Wastewater Plant, Police and Fire departments, “stepped up during the storm to ensure that the city remained passable,” Tabelski said. All departments continued to operate and assist the county staff with storm response throughout the Christmas weekend, she said.

Some staff members spent the night at the Water and Wastewater Plant to ensure continuity of operations. The Police Emergency Response Team was called in Friday and Saturday to help with search and rescue with the city’s MRAP, she said. An acronym bandied about lately -- an MRAP is a military light tactical (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle that’s as heavy-duty and dependable as it sounds.    

The city’s Fire Station became a makeshift central distribution point for food, water, and supplies for those stranded or displaced by the storm, and firefighters and city staff worked to get supplies out to the 11 warming shelters throughout the county, including one at Grace Baptist Church in Batavia. 

"The City of Batavia workforce is a dedicated group of people who show up and get the job done, day in and day out,” Tabelski said. “And I am very proud to get to work with such a great group of individuals.”

Substantial overtime
County Manager Matt Landers, likewise, did not have specific numbers, adding that “it is hard to quantify how many staff actually participated” and thought he could pull together something more definite in the next day or two. “We are still calculating the OT,” he said Monday night, but he knows that it was “certainly substantial.”

He planned to submit a claim once the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declared the storm a federal emergency, which it did on Tuesday.

“I would essentially say that everyone in the Sheriff's road patrol, every dispatcher, everyone in the Sheriff's Administration, all of Emergency Management, Highway Administration, all county plow operators” were involved, he said. “The community response to this storm was nothing short of amazing. So many people stepped up to help in so many different ways.  The heroic efforts by our law enforcement, volunteer and professional firefighters, first responders, dispatchers and snow plow operators undoubtedly saved lives.

“In addition to these brave individuals saving lives, it was wonderful to see the rest of the community step up by sheltering stranded individuals, whether it was at a warming center or people that opened their personal homes up to stranded motorists,” he said. “The outpouring of food and supplies from the community to those in need was wonderful to witness!”

The weekend — which began early on Friday and built into a full-blown, three-day disaster management exercise — had affected not only hundreds of motorists diverted off the Thruway, but also those in command of alleviating the storm’s effects.

A scary Disney ride
“The experience for me was like a roller coaster, with fears of having stranded motorists in our county succumb to the elements to the amazing news that our first responders had cleared all of the vehicles with no fatalities.  I was in constant communication with our Sheriff, Highway Superintendent and Emergency Management Coordinator, keeping up to date on how the storm was tracking and how the road conditions were deteriorating,” Landers said. “Their advice, plus the input of county departments that care for our vulnerable populations, along with discussions with the city manager and chair of our Legislature, made my decision to close county offices for Friday the clear choice.”

Close communication with those people also helped him to make another decision, to implement a countywide State of Emergency and travel ban, he said. Along with the hard work came amazing stories, he said, of everyday people stepping up with heroic actions to help save lives. 

“I hope many of these stories get out in the press in the following days so the rest of the county can learn about the heroes walking among them,” he said.

Tabelski had a “very good idea” of how to organize the food and get it delivered to the shelters and emergency responders, while Landers and his wife Melissa reached out to friends and colleagues in Batavia to appeal for donations. Landers and his daughter Katie then drove around picking up the many homemade dishes and snack and beverage items.

“I still have to get these dishes back to the families that donated, which will hopefully happen in the next couple of days, but I am sure some won't make it back.  It was nice to see over 20 people that we had messaged step up and donate food items,” he said. “I want to give a huge shout-out to John Spryopoulos from Settlers Restaurant, who donated seven full pans of food and eight half pans of food.  He opened up his kitchen with a couple of helpers Saturday morning and had the food ready by early afternoon.”

Recovery here, ongoing rescues a county over
Yaeger took a few minutes to look back and appreciate all of the efforts that went into weekend rescues, though his work was not quite done. The last of the stranded motorists emptied out of warming shelters by 9 p.m. Monday, he said, and they were back on their way home — whether directly by a vehicle on side roads due to a still closed Thruway, or after checking into a local hotel to get more rest before their trip.

He, on the other hand, was still in full rescue mode, helping to coordinate vehicles — MRAPs borrowed from Orleans and Livingston counties and utility task vehicles (UTVs) — for arrival in Erie County. Many of those vehicles were needed to transport patients ready for check-out at hospitals so that additional patients could be treated, Yaeger said.

As one of the many folks in this area to know about the infamous blizzard of 45 years ago, this latest one tops everything so far, he said.

"I think the onset was far faster than I think anyone expected it to be. And I think it was just typically the lake effect snow does not set up over Genesee County for that extended period of time. Basically, the heaviest lake effect was in that northwest quadrant, west side of the county. Pretty much the whole west side of the county that was the kind of that heavy, heavy, heavy snow and wind, and that's what caused all those problems,” he said. “I've never experienced that type of snow event and wind event. I mean, obviously I was a child when Blizzard of ’77 occurred. And that was a different dynamic because of the snow buildup on Lake Erie. We didn't have that to deal with. We just have heavy, heavy lake effect and the strong winds causing the low visibility, and then the people just can't clean the roads fast enough.”

He was a central point of operations and also walked the walk, joining a team on the roads Saturday night. Danger aside, “there wasn’t a lot of convincing needed,” he said about the responders eager to help out. They all agreed with similar sentiment that “we should not be out there," he said, and yet they all went.

“The internal fortitude of the first responders, both law enforcement, fire and EMS, not to give up and, they just keep pushing and pushing, and we obviously brought in more resources, but that took time to get those resources here,” Yaeger said. “But when you're in the storm, you're risking, obviously, their lives … risking the lives of the first responders out there. So, there'll be conversations, what do we do better? I know, from the state level, down to the local level, how can we do a better job of keeping cars off the road? They had plenty of warning, I can assure you that everyone knew it was coming.”

Lessons and thankfulness in hindsight
Landers also said that there will be a countywide discussion about learning from hindsight and preparing as much as possible for any future Elliotts that may blow into town. Tucked into the questions and concerns has been an element of gratitude for what Yaeger described as a “heroic effort that I witnessed” during at least a continuous 48 hours of responding to a nature-inspired emergency.

“All the way from the dispatchers to tow truck operators, and snow removal, highway workers and the volunteer fire and law enforcement of both Sheriff's Office, State Police, city PD, just never stopping until everyone they knew everyone was safe,” Yaeger said. “And it was absolutely, when you talk about heroes, those guys are heroes, and girls. Absolutely heroic effort, and then the sheltering of the public and the municipal leaders and businesses locally, from the churches, to schools to private restaurants, private residences.

“They just opened their doors and let complete strangers in,” he said. “It’s just absolutely amazing.”

Tabelski provided an updated donor list that was part of the “hundreds of volunteers in the city and across the county (that) stepped up to assist during this storm.” To view, see HERE. 

Top Photo: If you cannot see this scene very clearly, that's exactly what it was like for motorists on Friday and Saturday in the western part of Genesee County. Photo by Steve Grice. Above, a safer view of the cleared road, properties and an oncoming car Tuesday after massive cleanup efforts took place during the weekend. Photo by Howard Owens.

With a high degree of concern for people trapped in their cars in the area of Route 77 and Judge Road, County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, along with three county highway personnel driving three heavy loaders/plow trucks, are leaving Batavia in an attempt to rescue them.

No other emergency personnel in fire trucks, rescue trucks, or patrol cars have been able to reach them.

"I've got three highway guys putting their lives at risk, my life at risk, to try and save them, but I would feel bad if we didn't try," Hens said.

Hens was just leaving the City of Batavia, driving behind the highway trucks and said visibility was already down to nearly zero. He passed a semi-truck stuck in the snow in front of Tops.  There was about a foot of snow in that location.

Deputies have reported drifts of snow as high as five feet surrounding the cars that are stuck in Alabama.

"We have a pretty high level of concern," Hens said. "Some people have been out there nine, 10 hours. I know there are people who are hypothermic at this point.  I'm not sure we will be able to reach them.  It's just such bad visibility. I'm not even sure we will be able to get there, to be honest."

There has been a heavy, large lake-effect snow band stretching from Lake Erie into Alabama and Oakfield all day.  The National Weather Service reports it is likely to be in place until at least midnight.

"It might be there until midnight tomorrow," Hens said. "This storm is going to revival '77 in its intensity.  It's maybe not as wide or as broad but for people under the snow band, it will be."

Photo: File photo of Tim Hens from 2018 at Genesee County Legislature meeting.

UPDATE: here's a four-second video from Tim Hens showing conditions on the road to Alabama.

Press Release

City of Batavia and Genesee County offices and buildings will be closed on Friday due to the severe weather forecast.

The City and County are committed to ensuring the safety of their workforce and citizens and therefore are taking this precautionary measure. With the predicted drop in temperature, rain turning to ice, snow and high winds, travel should be avoided.

Both City of Batavia and County offices are scheduled to re-open Tuesday, Dec. 27.
 

Press release:

Genesee County officials have recently been notified of the naming of this community as a Clean Energy Community by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and an awarded eligibility of a $5000 Designation Grant.

The Genesee County Planning Department in collaboration with the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council recently completed four high-impact actions under NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Community program which allowed for the designation. This program is for local governments across NYS who are striving to create a healthy and sustainable environment by investing in future-focused clean energy solutions for their community, while at the same time facing unprecedented societal and financial challenges. 

From the study of diseases and visiting people where they're at, to finding families that have been exposed to toxic levels of lead, it would seem that the Health Department of Genesee Orleans is taking health on the road. 

The Health Department would like to set up a mobile clinic to provide various services, such as health checks and vaccines, and had issued a request for proposals. Only one bid came in — for a 25-foot and a 30-foot recreational vehicle from Don Brown Bus Sales, Inc. of Johnstown, Public Health Director Paul Pettit said during Monday’s Human Services meeting. 

Pettit asked that the county reject the bid in lieu of finding something for a smaller price tag.

“We've been working on trying to get a mobile RV in place with some of the COVID money. We could have utilized one of these to do things through all of the last couple years with our testing clinic and also the vaccines,” Pettit said. “Unfortunately, when we put it out, all things came in over our price point. So I'm working with Jeff to modify that and put it back out again, and hopefully get something that's within the budget. So we have to reject this one.”

The bid would have been about $40,000, which is several thousand more than what’s available, he said. When asked for other uses of the mobile van, Pettit pointed to migrant outreach.

“So we do go to the farms and different things, we take it out to different clinical activities in the evening. And it’s available for other departments, essentially a mobile vaccination clinic,” he said. “But if we use it for other purposes, we're also looking to get a sprinter van, and they are in Orleans County. So we'll have different types of approaches and so forth … and to have it available, again for, hopefully, we don't have to use the word pandemic again, but for a similar situation.”

Pettit proposed an inter-municipal agreement for a shared position of director of health promotions and epidemiology coordinator to the current agreement between Genesee and Orleans counties. The annual stipend for shared administrative staff listed in this agreement will increase to $8,500 annually, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

A year from then, effective Jan. 1, 2024, the contract would include a 2 percent cost of living increase. Related expenses to this move are eligible for state aid, the resolution states.

Epidemiology is the study of the presence or absence of diseases, including the frequency and origins of diseases that occur in different groups of people.

Human Services Committee members were also asked for preliminary approval of a grant from the Housing and Urban Development agency to support a lead removal effort in Genesee, Orleans, Livingston and Wyoming counties.

The total grant of $2,455,000 would help minimize hazards, especially from older homes that may contain higher levels of lead in paint.

“So you're dealing with homes with younger kids, typically. We obviously are going to get their blood level tested when they want to do it, and if it's elevated, that's where we get involved. But there's probably a lot of scenarios where these homes just don't have the kids anymore, and you're not getting blood tests,” he said. So the XRF machines (considered the gold standard in lead paint testing) are pretty amazing. And they literally — you could shoot this wall and it can tell you all the layers of paint. They literally can read it right through a textbook. Yeah, I mean, it's pretty amazing.”

The committee agreed to pass the resolution on to the Ways & Means Committee, and then on for a final vote by the Legislature. The $2.455 million grant would be for related lead detection and treatment through December 2026.

Genesee County Legislature acted on a final 2023 budget proposal on Monday that won’t be exactly as county Manager Matt Landers initially promised.

There was a slight amendment made last week that will affect the tax rate, albeit slightly.

“I just received word a half hour ago that the assessments changed the tax rate by a penny,” Landers had said to the Ways & Means Committee.

Although legislators would have liked the penny difference to at least go the other way, it will increase the tax rate to $8.45. The total levy — money to be raised through property taxes —  is unchanged at $32,080,762, which reflects a 2 percent levy increase. That levy increase is within the state-mandated levy limit, or tax cap, Landers said.

How will that affect county taxpayers? The rate will be $8.45 per $1,000 assessed value versus $8.44 as initially declared. That will be a decrease of 73 cents per $1,000 assessed property value compared to the current rate of $9.18. To determine your total tax rate, multiply the property value in 1,000 increments (for example, 90 for a $90,000 home) by the tax rate.

Because property assessments have increased for many folks, it’s not a fair comparison to use a typical assessment by each the former and current tax rate for the difference in tax payments from this year. So if your property value was increased, you may not see a decreased total due to that larger number multiplied by the lower tax rate.

For example, a home assessed at $90,000 at the current rate of $9.18 is $826.20. If that home's value has been raised to $100,000 at the lower rate of $8.45, the total will be $845.

To read prior coverage: Genesee County proposes budget with 2 percent levy increase

File photo of Genesee County Manager Matt Landers, by Joanne Beck.