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More than 3,000 National Grid customers spread out over more than 15 locations in Genesee County had power outages following heavy winds that swept through the region late this morning and afternoon.

The outages include:

• Le Roy and Bergen (centered in the Village of Le Roy), two outages affecting 2,435 customers. A crew has been assigned and it is accessing conditions.
• Bethany, one outage along Bethany Center Road just south of Ellicott Street Road, 20 customers. A crew has been assigned.
• Alexander, two outages, both just north of the village, affecting 75 and 81 customers. A crew assigned to the southern of the two outages but not yet to the other outage. A third outage, affecting fewer than five customers is reported near Attica.
• A small outage is reported just south of Darien Center. No crew assigned.
• Basom, two outages on the reservation along the county line with one crossing the county line. One outage, 774 customs, a crew assigned. Another, 731 customers, a crew is assigned. Another, more to the eastern side of the reservation, 105 customers. There are also two smaller outages with crews assigned.
• Alabama, one outage along Lewiston Road, 21 customers, no crew assigned.
• Village of Oakfield, multiple outages affecting 821 customers, a crew is assigned.
• Elba, just east of the village, north of Route 262, 22 customers, no crew assigned.
• Batavia, there were two outages but both appear to have been cleared.

Scanner traffic was heavy for awhile late this morning and early afternoon. As for what fire crews responded to, here's what we know:

• Downed lines at 73 W. Main St. in Le Roy prompted the closure on Main at Gilbert and East Bethany - Le Roy roads. National Grid responded to the scene
• Also in Le Roy, a tree and/or wires were down in the roadway blocking traffic on south Route 19 near Washington Street.
• Wires in the roadway at Dodgeson and Hickox roads in Alexander.
• A tree, wires, and power lines were reported down in the 6800 block of Norton Road in Elba.

Press release:

Plug Power Inc.’s development of North America’s largest green hydrogen production facility at the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) received final approval from the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Board of Directors at its March 25 meeting.

Plug Power Inc. plans to build the $232.7 million green energy technology facility at a 29.884-acre site at STAMP, with a proposed initial operation creating 68 new jobs at an average salary of approximately $70,000.

Plug Power Inc. also will invest $55 million to help build a 345/115KV electric substation in partnership with the New York Power Authority and National Grid. The substation will support future expansion and growth opportunities at STAMP’s 1,250-acre mega-site.

“The investments by Plug Power Inc. will advance our region’s expanding green hydrogen economy, create good jobs aligned with our county’s workforce training programs, and advance major infrastructure that is accessible to future projects,” said GCEDC President & CEO Steve Hyde.

“This project by Plug Power, along with the team effort by the GCEDC Board of Directors, the Empire State Development, the New York Power Authority, and National Grid, show our capacity to advance regionally significant projects at STAMP.”

Under the incentives application approved by the GCEDC Board, Plug Power Inc. will contribute approximately $2.3 million annually to support local municipalities and infrastructure development under a 20-year agreement.

In addition to Plug Power, the GCEDC Board also approved or accepted applications from five projects totaling another $420 million of capital investment in Genesee County.

The GCEDC Board approved final incentives for Forefront Power LLC (Elba Solar) for a $9.7 million community solar project on Norton Road in the Town of Elba. The project will generate 5MW of power and generate approximately $518,803 in new revenue to Genesee County, the Town of Elba, and the Elba Central School District over the proposed 15-year agreement.

The board also approved final incentives for Solar Liberty for community solar projects on Tesnow Road in the Town of Pembroke at a capital investment of $7.7 million. The projects will generate 4MW and 5MW of power and will generate approximately $856,024 in new revenue to Genesee County, the Town of Pembroke, and the Akron Central School District over the proposed 15-year agreement.

Finally, the GCEDC Board of Directors accepted initial applications for two other projects:

• Excelsior Energy LLC is proposing to invest $345.55 million in a utility-scale solar project on multiple properties in the Town of Byron. The project will generate 280 MW of power. Excelsior has negotiated a 20-year tax and community host agreements, including payments of $6,500 per MW, with a 2-percent annual escalator, to Genesee County, the Town of Byron, and the Byron-Bergen School District.
• DePaul Special Needs Apartments LP is proposing to invest $3.75 million to expand by 20 living units an existing special needs housing campus in the City of Batavia. The project would increase annual PILOT payments by approximately $6,000 per year for the remainder of the facility’s existing PILOT schedule.

UPDATE: We asked Jim Krencik, marketing director for GCEDC, to clarify the tax abatements for these projects. He provided the following. The "Property Tax Payments" followed by tax savings is the PILOT on the project (payments in lieu of taxes). The sales tax exemption is an exemption on sales tax for materials used in construction.

Plug Power

• Approved Property Tax Payments
  • $2.3 million / year
  • $46 million / 20 years
• Estimated Savings
  • $117.7 million property tax savings / 20 years if assessed at cost of construction ($232.7 million)
• Anticipated assessment is much more likely to be $60-90 million
  • ·        $2.3 million / year = 0 percent abatement on a $65 million assessment
• $1.1 million sales tax exemptions

Excelsior Solar

• Proposed Property Tax Payments
  • $1.8 million / year 1, increases by 2 percent annually
  • Based on $6,500 / megawatt
  • $44 million / 20 years
• Estimated Savings
  • $21.4 million property tax savings / 20 years
  • On solar panels only, land with panels on them are assessed separately
  • $11.2 million sales tax exemption

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is renewing his call for the governor’s impeachment following a bombshell report that the governor secured state-administered COVID-19 tests for himself, members of his family and those with close political and personal ties to him.

This was during a period in the coronavirus pandemic in which government labs only had the capacity to process several hundred tests each day. State police resources were also reportedly used to transport these tests to state labs for faster processing.

“It has become abundantly clear the governor is willing to take actions that benefit himself and those close to him at the public’s expense,” Hawley said. “Somebody with such misguided convictions has no place continuing as our governor, and we need to move forward with impeachment proceedings as quickly as possible. Of course, he could still do the right thing and resign.”         

Scanner: City police are dispatched to "South Main and Roosevelt for a trampoline rollin' around in the roadway." Drivers beware.

UPDATE 12:13 p.m.: A resident put the tumblin' trampoline back in the yard.

Data Update – 

• Genesee County reporting 24 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke)
    • Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) 
    • East Region (Bergen, Byron, Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford)
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. 
• Ten of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
• Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. 
• Three of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Genesee County Jail. 

Orleans County reporting seven new positive cases of COVID-19.​

• The positive cases reside in the:
  • Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre)
  • East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon)
• The individuals are in their, 0-19s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
• Three of the new positive individuals were under quarantine prior to testing positive.
• Two of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been removed from the isolation list.
• One of the new positive individuals is an inmate at Albion Correctional Facility.
• Zero of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

Thanks to the Class of 1964, the three Notre Dame High School graduates who died in the Vietnam War finally got a plaque memorializing them placed in the foyer of the school more than 50 years later.

Fashioned by VP Graphics, the display remembering Donald Judd ('61) , and Daniel Bermingham and Thomas Welker ('64) can now be seen immediately as you go in the main entrance of the school at 73 Union St. in the City of Batavia.

The story of how the memorial came to be evolved over the past several years.

Dave Reilly and Jim Heatherman, who had attended Saint Mary's Elementary School, Notre Dame ('64) and Saint John Fisher College together reconnected after not seeing each other for almost 50 years. Heatherman had become a lieutenant in the Marine Corps and served in Vietnam while Reilly had gone on to a long teaching career.

Over the course of a number of conversations, Heatherman expressed regret that he had survived Vietnam and had gotten to have a large and loving family, but his classmates Bermingham and Welker did not. Reilly, who had been writing nostalgic articles about growing up locally for The Batavian, encouraged Heatherman to express his feelings by writing his own story.

Heatherman's article* appeared in The Batavian in August 2019. It was read with interest by another '64 classmate, Jim Fix. For many years, Fix had led local tour groups on tours of Washington, D.C., for First Choice Travel, which always included a trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. At "the Wall," designed by Maya Ying Lin, Fix would highlight his classmates and include Judd, too, who also was killed in the Southeast Asian war.

A highlight of the group's time at the Wall was when Fix would have the tour members make stenciled grave rubbings of the names of Judd, Bermingham and Welker as keepsakes to remember them by.

So when Heatherman's article appeared the proverbial light went on in Fix's head. His thoughts were that his classmates and Judd had long deserved to be remembered at their high school (There had been a Donald Judd Memorial Trophy that Notre Dame and Le Roy played for in football in the late 1960s and early 1970s.). So, combining the idea of a plaque with the design of the rubbings from the Vietnam Wall, Jim Fix put a plan in motion.

In the meantime, last Memorial Day Reilly carried out a request by Heatherman, who lives in Oklahoma, to place a Marine Flag on Welker's grave in Attica -- even though Welker was a Navy Corpsman, he was caring for Marines as their beloved “Doc” when he was killed -- and a Navy flag on Bermingham's grave in Batavia. He wrote an article detailing this with photos for The Batavian. This further made up Fix's mind to get the plaque project accomplished.

After consulting with Heatherman (who asked only that “Doc” be placed by Welker's name), Fix sent out an email to his 1964 former classmates asking for donations. As you might expect, the response was overwhelming and more than enough funds were raised.

Working with VP Graphics utilizing his grave rubbing stencils and photos and descriptions from the Notre Dame Mater Dei yearbooks, Fix persevered through the COVID-19 roadblocks and completed his “mission,” so to speak, with full cooperation from the current Notre Dame administration.

It took a very long time, but thanks to some hard work and dedication by their schoolmates the three Notre Dame graduates who in the words of Abraham Lincoln,”...gave the last full measure of their devotion,” will now be remembered by those who visit Notre Dame High School.

Photos courtesy of Dave Reilly.

Previously: Memorial Day 2020: Belated thanks to a Seabee and a 'Doc'

Previously: Marine vet wishes he had 'do-over' to get to know two fallen comrades who were Notre Dame schoolmates

Below, Dave Reilly drove to Batavia Tuesday (March 23) to check out the new Vietnam Memorial for fallen members of Notre Dame High School's classes of '61 and '64.

Press release:

Hospitality icon Russell J. Salvatore made a SURPRISE donation to the Pembroke High School Dragons Varsity Girls Basketball team, their Coach Ronald Funke, and “Shoot For The Cure” event organizer and Special Education teacher Michael Wilson Thursday, March 25th at 11 a.m.

Salvatore presented a check for $6,000, bringing the “Shooting For A Cure!” to their 10-year goal of $200,000, supporting research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The Pembroke Girls Basketball Team recently hosted their 10th Annual charity “Shooting For A Cure!” -- called the “Pink Game”-- on Friday, March 5th at Pembroke High School.

The game and fundraising efforts this year totaled more than $42,000, despite the coronavirus pandemic. Over the past 10 seasons, the games have raised over $194,000. Organizers however had hoped to eclipse the $200,000 mark by April 1st. Broadcast and social media have been supportive of the team, the cause, and the community.  

Event organizer Michael Wilson said, “This is just unbelievable! We are so thankful to Mr. Salvatore for stepping up in support of the team, and Roswell. These girls, and the players before them, play their hearts out. The 'Shooting For A Cure' has been bringing people together in our community for such a good cause."

Salvatore said, “To see the excitement on the faces of the team, and everyone involved in helping Roswell Park, is very special. I am so glad to be able to support these fine young people who have done so much for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.”

The gift Salvatore was made at Russell's Steaks, Chops, and More & Salvatore's Grand Hotel and restaurant.

Others in attendance included: Pembroke School Superintendent, Matt Calderon; Athletic Director, Ryan Winchip; Basketball Coach, Ron Funke with his wife, Toni Funke (who was the inspiration for the “Pink Game"); teacher Aaron Brown; Mike Wilson's wife, Jennifer Wilson; Mike's mother, Kathy Wittman; with daughters, Cameron and Ava Wilson; Roswell Park fundraising manager, MacKenzie Giancarlo; Roswell Park fundraising coordinator Mary Russell; and the Pembroke High School Girls Basketball Team -- Emily Peters; Serene Calderón (who spoke to media); Nicole von Kramer; Allie Schwerthoffer ( who spoke at the podium); Sydney Johnson; Ally Dubois-Rider' Ariel Moss; Isabel Breeden; and Karli Houseknecht.

A child of immigrant parents, Salvatore started in the restaurant business at his father's East Delevan Avenue location in the 1930s. He served in the Army in the 1950s. In 1967, Salvatore sold his home and purchased a small pizza business that would later become Salvatore's Italian Gardens for just $40,000. After leaving that business at age 75, he decided he was not done and opened Russell's Steaks, Chops, and More and Salvatore's Grand Hotel in 2008. Russell's has been honored as the top Steakhouse in New York State.

Through the years, Russell has always given back to the community in so many ways. He has purchased tens of thousands of Buffalo Bills tickets so blacked-out games could air on television, and those less fortunate could attend. This list of hometown organizations Salvatore has touched is almost too many to count.

They include Trocaire College School of Hospitality; Erie County Medical Center “Free to Patient” flatscreen TVs, Orthopedic Rehabilitation Floor and Atrium Lobby, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Oishei Children's Hospital, Sister's Hospital, and St. Joe's Hospital “Free to Patient” flatscreen TV's; Red Cross, new mobile Blood Drive Vans; Kevin Guest House; Russell J. Salvatore Hospitality House & Bone Marrow Rehabilitation Center; Buffalo State College, Russell J. Salvatore Demonstration Kitchen; 10 veterans transportation vans; Brothers of Mercy Rehabilitation Center, Shea's Center for the Performing Arts; Lancaster Year-Round Indoor Baseball Facility; Boys and Girls ClubsLancaster re-build after a fire; Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center; UB Medical New Student Center Downtown Campus; Gospa House Respite Home for unwed Mothers; Niagara University Russell J. Salvatore Student Commons construction; Mathewson McCarthy Baseball Field Batting House & Field Restoration; Miracle League of Grand Island Special Needs Baseball Diamond and Park; are just some of the organizations Salvatore has supported as a philanthropist.

Submitted photo and press release:

St. Paul Lutheran School in Batavia will hold an Open House for prospective families with students of 3-year-old preschoolers through sixth grade* on Friday, March 26 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Registrations are now being accepted for the 2021-2022 school year.

Registration forms are available on the website or by calling the school office at (585) 343-0488.

The school is located at 31 Washington Ave. in the City of Batavia.

Why St. Paul?

• Five days of in-class learning.
• Outdoor recess every day.
• Small class sizes that allow for individual attention.
• Small school creates close family atmosphere.
• Three or five day option for 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers.
• Chapel Service each Monday and religion lessons daily in classrooms.

For more information, visit the school’s website at stpaulbatavia.org.

*The school curricula is expanded to include grade six for the first time this upcoming academic year.

Above: the Culinary Arts team -- from left Alexa Wolcott, Isaiah Merrell and Sara Logsdon -- answers questions from the judges.

Submitted photos and press release:

In mid-March, three Culinary Arts students from the Batavia Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center participated in the national NASA HUNCH* Culinary Challenge.

According to the judges’ feedback, Isaiah Merrell, Alexa Wolcott, and Sara Logsdon hit a home run with their creation called "Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie"! Isaiah is a senior from Byron-Bergen High School, and Alexa and Sara are both juniors from Pavilion High School.

During the Challenge, this team prepped, prepared and served their recipe to a panel of judges, who scored their recipe based upon taste, texture, aroma and appearance. The scores from the competition were sent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and will be scored against 26 teams from around the United States.

The teams with the top 10 scores move onto the final round of the competition which will be held in the spring at NASA in Houston. If chosen, their recipe could be sent to the International Space Station for astronauts to enjoy. 

Chef Tracy Burgio is the Culinary Arts instructor at the Genesee Valley BOCES Batavia Campus. She shared how this team of students collaborated and were persistent in creating their recipe.

“This was a process of trial, error, reformulating and much tasting! Isaiah, Alexa, and Sara were determined to make this recipe the absolute best it could be," Burgio said. "They did an amazing job preparing, cooking and presenting their recipe. I’m so very proud of all their efforts."

The panel of judges asked many questions of the team, which the students answered confidently. Isaiah shared how the team arrived at their recipe.

“We were given the food category and guidelines from NASA HUNCH," Isaiah said. "We brainstormed and came up with the idea of Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie."

The recipe process took weeks to perfect.

“I can’t even count how many times we made this recipe and changed ingredients," Isaiah added. "Even the day before this judging, we added two other ingredients to boost the flavor."

When asked about why some of the ingredients were used, Culinary Challenge team member Sara explained.

“The theme this year is comfort foods and we interpreted this recipe to have subtle flavors, but we did add garlic!” Sara said.

She also noted that only certain ingredients could be used in the recipe due to the recipe’s need to be processed and packaged for space travel and for astronaut consumption onboard the International Space Station.

Overall, the judges’ feedback was positive. 

Pauly Guglielmo, the owner of Guglielmo’s Sauce, a food development company, was one of the judges. Over the last few years, Guglielmo’s company has launched a number of new products.

“It’s very difficult to work with these nutritional restraints set by NASA -- I understand!” he told the students.

Jon Sanfratello is the Executive Principal of the GV BOCES Batavia Campus. He noted how this program provides new and unique learning opportunities for the participating students. 

“The students participating in this challenge had a great opportunity to learn about NASA, what astronauts can eat in space, why recipes need to be made a certain way, as well as, all of the nutritional values that need to be tracked while living on the International Space Station," Sanfratello said.

"Over the years, NASA has been a great partner with our programs and has provided many students many learning opportunities.”

The list of judges included: Bill Hayes, Turnbull HVAC; Tom Turnbull, president, Genesee Chamber of Commerce; Eve Hens, Genesee County; Jorden Strapp, GV BOCES; Ann Valento, GCC; Pauly Guglielmo, Guglielmo Sauce; Denise Newman, Artesano Bakery Manager, Rochester Institute of Technology; Christine Grout, senior development officer, St. Ann's Community; Maggie Poray, GV BOCES; Chef Jason Ball, Main Street Pizza Co.

*NASA HUNCH (High schools United with NASA to Create Hardware) was founded as a means of giving high school students new educational experiences by producing many needed elements for the International Space Station. The NASA Culinary HUNCH program gives high school students the opportunity to develop food items for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Each year a new theme is developed. Students create new dishes considering food processing procedures and nutritional requirements in order to meet the standards of the NASA Johnson Space Center Food Lab.

Recipe for Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie (photo above)

Yield: 1 Serving

Calories: 329

Total Fat: 10.1 Grams Saturated Fat: 0.6 Grams Sodium: 163 Grams

Dietary Fibers: 7.1 Grams Sugar: 6.1 Grams

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. Sweet Potato
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Pepper
• 1/2 tsp. Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Onion
• 1/4 lb. Ground Turkey Meat
• 1 1/2 tsp. Tomato Paste
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic
• 1/2 tsp. Fresh Oregano
• 1/8 cup Frozen Peas
• 1/4 cup Frozen Corn
• 1/4 cup Carrots
• 3/4 tsp. Fresh Basil
• 3/4 tsp. Rosemary
• 1/2 cup Low Sodium Turkey Broth
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/4 tsp. Thyme
• 1/8 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
• 3/4 tsp. Butter

Procedure

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2 - Place sweet potatoes in a large pot with boiling water. Cook the potatoes until tender.

Step 3 - Drain the potatoes and mash. Season with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Step 4 - Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Mix in the onions and sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes. Then add garlic and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.

Step 5 - Add ground turkey and water, crumbling the turkey into small pieces. Cook until all meat is brown.

Step 6 - Stir in tomato paste, carrots, peas, corn, chicken broth, fresh basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes to allow liquid to reduce.

Step 7 - Spread mixture into cast-iron skillets. Top with mashed sweet potatoes. Put in the oven.

Step 8 - Bake for 10-15 Minutes.

Step 9 - Place in a broiler to crisp up the sweet potatoes for 1-2 minutes.

Step 10 - Garnish with thyme and serve.

Photo below: Culinary Challenge judge Pauly Guglielmo, owner of Guglielmo Sauce, rates the students’ culinary creation. 

About the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center

It is a program of the Genesee Valley BOCES. GV BOCES operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York State.

Press release:

The Genesee County Youth Bureau will host the 18th annual Family Game Night in celebration of National County Government Month. The event will take place on Thursday, April 29th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at County Building 2, 3837 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Family Game Night will be a “Grab 'n' Go” style event. Families will drive up to the main entrance of County Building 2 and staff will greet them with a family tote that will consist of information about the services provided by the Genesee County Departments as well as prizes and activities.

Each bag will also have snacks, beverages and of course a brand new board game for families to start their own “Family Game Night” at home.

The theme for this year’s County Government Month is “Counties Matter.” Many county residents aren’t aware of the many important services provided by County Government. Each County department will provide information that showcases their roles and responsibilities to our residents.

As we know, counties are on the front lines protecting our communities. Now more than ever, Genesee County residents are seeing firsthand the essential functions counties perform. The County provides critical services to all our residents, beginning at birth and spanning throughout their entire lives.

There is no cost for this event. Adults must be accompanied by a child to receive the board game. Please call the Youth Bureau for more information or to register at 344-3960. Registration is required by April 9^th and is only open for the first 30 families to RSVP.

• We Need Trees – April 7th / 8:30 to 10 a.m. A look at the growing need for trees for conservation projects and what can be done to satisfy that need. Additionally, the carbon sequestration implications will be discussed.
• What’s Going On? – April 14th / 8:30 to 10 a.m. A review of past, present and future water quality improvement projects developed and implemented by Genesee RiverWatch in partnership with various basin stakeholders.
• Got Access? – May 5th / 8:30 to 10 a.m. Presenters will discuss current improvement plans for car-top boat access to the Genesee River basin followed by questions and answers with a panel.
• Let’s Plan a Canoe/Kayak Trip - May 12th / 8:30 to 10 a.m. Basin outfitters and stakeholder groups will provide guidance and tips on how to plan your next trip on the river.

To register, click here.

Press release:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health departments have two Pfizer vaccination clinics with appointments available for residents in Genesee and Orleans counties. 

Whichever COVID-19 vaccine is available is the right vaccine to get now! All approved vaccines are effective and saves lives. We encourage anyone that is currently eligible to register for an upcoming clinic.

Vaccine is now available for people age 50 and older along with the existing priority groups (http://bit.ly/NYSPriorityGroups). Pfizer is a two-series dose series, 21 days apart (three weeks), and is recommended for people aged 16 and older.

It is important to note that you must be able to return for the second dose 21 days after the first dose at the location you received your initial vaccination. You will be making that appointment after you are vaccinated. If you cannot make that date, please do not make an appointment for a two-dose series until you can make both appointments.  

Visit the vaccination web page at: https://bit.ly/GOHealthVaccine

Direct links to the first-dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination clinics are:

Genesee clinic at Genesee Community College, Batavia: https://bit.ly/GCCPfizer

Orleans clinic at Ridgeway Fire Hall, Medina: http://bit.ly/OrleansPfizer

Orleans Community Health – Medina Memorial Hospital also has three clinics planned at 200 Ohio St., Medina:

• 03/26/21Clinic: http://bit.ly/OCH032621; 
• 03/30/21 Clinic:http://bit.ly/OCH033021;  
• 04/01/21Clinic: http://bit.ly/OCH040121

If you are interested in making an appointment to get your COVID-19 vaccination, now is the time to do it locally!

Directors of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. this morning voted in favor of paying the Town of Batavia up to $395,000 for property enhancements as part of the Park Road Reconstruction Project that is scheduled to commence construction this fall.

Following the approval at the board’s monthly meeting at Batavia Downs Gaming, WROTB President/CEO Henry Wojtaszek said he was impressed with Town officials’ diligence in making the $3 million street reconstruction a reality and is eager to see the finished product.

“This will be a beautiful entry to our facility,” Wojtaszek said. “We’re talking about sidewalks, a promenade, tree-lined area, street and parking lot lighting, landscaping, road work, valet improvements for hotel purposes and some infrastructure work.

“We had a great meeting with them (town officials). They were very well prepared and they had excellent documents.”

Wojtaszek said that “every bit of the project is very well thought out,” noting that work will be done on one side of the street at a time to keep traffic moving – although at a slower pace. “The town is going to improve the speed bumps that we have, and that will help, also.”

Last June, WROTB granted the town three easements – small parcels to help facilitate drainage, utilities and sidewalk installation.

The major rehabilitation of the road will take place from Lewiston Road (Route 63) to Oak Street (Route 98).

Work will include new pavement, curbs and curbing from Lewiston Road to Richmond Avenue with sidewalks on both sides of Park Road, while pavement will be overlaid and sidewalks installed on one side of the road from Richmond Avenue to Route 98. The project also calls for new water lines and street lights on Park Road between Route 63 and Richmond Avenue.

Town Engineer Steve Mountain said WROTB’s request for “betterments” is typical of road projects in urban areas.

“If somebody wants additional streetscape and improvements to enhance the functionality of their facility – such as Batavia Downs – than oftentimes betterment improvements are performed,” Mountain said. “Things like additional lighting, surface treatments, walkways, landscaping and trees. They’re kind of above and beyond what we would normally do.”

Mountain said that the state-funded project is in its design phase and that the town is hoping to solicit bids in August.

“We’re waiting on our grant application for the water main,” he said. “Depending upon the results of that, replacement of the water main is out ahead of the road project.”

Last month, the Batavia Town Board approved a resolution to apply for a state Community Development Block Grant for around $900,000 to replace a 5,300-foot stretch of water main on Park Road.

Mountain said the plan is to remove the 50-year-old asbestos water main under the roadway that serves Batavia Downs Gaming and other commercial enterprises. The pipe runs along the length of Park Road from Route 63 to the gas station on Park Road, not far from Route 98.

In other developments:

• Chief Financial Officer Jacquelyne Leach reported that the corporation will distribute $66,500 in surcharge to member municipalities for February, despite an operating loss of about $115,000 for the month.

Branch operations declined by about $73,000 in February. As of March 16, however, revenue was up by more than $900,000 compared to that time in 2020, which happened to be the first week of the COVID-19 shutdown.

Batavia Bets, the corporation’s interactive online platform, had a handle of $1.4 million in February, up $354,000, and through March 21, revenue is up by $383,000. Year to date, Batavia Bets’ proceeds are $4 million, a 50 percent increase.

• Directors approved four other spending measures:

$400,000 to Bally’s Casino Marketplace for the installation of a video lottery gaming player tracker and update of related hardware and software;

$55,000 to Kim Crawford for consulting services in respect to the resurfacing and maintenance of the harness horse racing track;

$16,500 to the William Ryan Group, Inc., for an application (app) that will alert gaming personnel when a machine or patron needs assistance;

$21,350 to United Tote Company for a horse racing ticket cashing kiosk.

• Marketing Director Ryan Hasenauer announced that Batavia Downs Gaming is attempting to bring in two more concerts outside of the nine-concert Rockin’ the Downs series. Hasenauer said a first-rate tribute band is likely to perform on May 22, followed by a nationally-known artist sometime in July.

Press release:

As with all things this year, everything is different because of COVID-19. Some activities cannot currently run and those that can happen look much different than in past years.

Although many aspects of a live stage performance had to be adjusted, we were very excited to still be able to provide this opportunity for our students. In an attempt to remain as healthy and safe as possible, while also following the regulations, we were able to get our students on stage (and on screen) using masks and as much social distancing as possible while interacting with each other.

We, unfortunately, had to make decisions to have a smaller cast, have our ensemble prerecorded, and scale down much of our sets and props to less than normal. However, it allowed our actors and actresses to focus more on their emotions and character portrayal in order to bring this touching musical to both our live audience and our supporters online.

It has been amazing to work with our students this year – to see their passion and joy, to take them beyond what they thought was possible, and to have them shine on stage. It is truly wonderful to still be able to create opportunities and live performances with our talented students.

Our cast and crew put on three amazing performances. And although most of the general public could not attend the performances in person, there is still an opportunity to catch these outstanding performers.

The performance has been uploaded online and is available to watch through April 18th. You can purchase access to the performance by going to www.OACSDramaClub.weebly.com and following the link on our homepage. From there you can either purchase single viewer access for $10 or access for the entire household for $25.

All money helps to offset the cost of rentals and royalties for producing the musical. You can purchase the access at any time before April 18th, an email link will be sent to you, and once you hit play you will have 48 hours to view the entire performance before your access runs out. Please sit back and enjoy the show from the comfort of your home.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) was joined by Congressmembers Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Claudia Tenney (NY-22), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), and Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) in calling on New York State Assembly Speaker Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins to eliminate proposals to raise state taxes for the new fiscal year.  

“Our state has suffered from decades of irresponsible and self-serving public policies, laws and regulations that have made living, working and running a business in New York incredibly expensive. The exodus from our state due to these flawed policies has only been exacerbated during the COVID crisis. Many of those individuals and businesses that are being taxed at high rates have a greater ability than ever before to move from New York and are doing so. Increasing taxes in the midst of our recovery from the pandemic would only accelerate that trend,” representatives Jacobs, Stefanik, Tenney, Zeldin and Garbarino wrote. 

Last week, both the NYS Senate and Assembly passed budget proposals that would increase taxes in New York State by roughly $6.5 billion – this through raising income and corporate franchise tax rates, as well as a new surcharge on income derived from capital gains.  

In addition to the $12 billion New York State received from the recently passed American Rescue Plan, New York has also received more than $7.5 billion in direct funding to the state and certain local governments, more than $50 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans to New York small businesses, and $8 billion to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from previous COVID-19 packages, among other additional funds. 

“Congress recently provided over $12 billion to New York State to relieve the financial burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding, along with other provisions, should be more than enough to balance the state’s budget without burdening New Yorkers with more tax increases,” the representatives wrote. “Instead of increasing taxes, New York State can improve its fiscal standing by undertaking meaningful reforms to improve the functioning of the state government and our economy.”  

Yesterday, 250 New York business executives also sent a letter regarding this proposal, stating that such increases would harm our economic recovery and force companies and residents out of the state in search of a lower cost of operating and living.

Full text of the letter can be found here:

Dear Speaker Heastie and Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins 

We write to urge you to resist increasing taxes on New Yorkers in the upcoming fiscal year. As you know, Congress recently provided over $12 billion to New York State to relieve the financial burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding, along with other provisions, should be more than enough to balance the State’s budget without burdening New Yorkers with more tax increases. 

While some of us were not members of the U.S. House of Representatives during the last Congress, Congress appropriated billions of dollars to New York last year through the passage of five bipartisan bills. Those laws included over $7.5 billion in direct funding to the state and certain local governments in New York, over $50 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans to New York small businesses, and $8 billion to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, among other important executive and legislative assistance from the federal government.  

Though we opposed the passage of the American Rescue Plan, many of us are on record supporting measured and targeted relief funding for New York State and local governments. We believe such funding is necessary given the challenges of the pandemic. We must also acknowledge, however, that our state has suffered from decades of irresponsible and self-serving public policies, laws, and regulations that have made living, working, and running a business in New York incredibly expensive. The exodus from our state due to these flawed policies has only been exacerbated during the COVID crisis. Many of those individuals and businesses that are being taxed at high rates have a greater ability than ever before to move from New York and are doing so. Increasing taxes in the midst of our recovery from the pandemic would only accelerate that trend.

Instead of increasing taxes, New York State can improve its fiscal standing by undertaking meaningful reforms to improve the functioning of the state government and our economy. This would be far more preferable than punishing New Yorkers for the state’s mismanagement.  

We appreciate your leadership and are always willing to work with you on the many challenges facing our state.

A caller reports hearing an explosion and seeing flames at a residence, or behind a residence, on Stanley Place near Wolcott Street in Le Roy.

A first responder reports seeing a lot of smoke but no flames.

Le Roy fire dispatched along with law enforcement.

UPDATE 9:42 p.m.: The assignment is being held to Le Roy Ladder 65, which can proceed nonemergency.

UPDATE 9:44 p.m.: Le Roy 65 can go back in service.

The Genesee County Legislature this afternoon revisited the possibility of adopting rules to cover videoconferencing of its meetings and -- while not coming to any binding decision – is on board with in-person attendance for the purposes of a committee quorum and voting, and allowing remote access for non-committee members to participate.

During a 38-minute Committee of the Whole discussion at the Old County Courthouse and via Zoom, legislators agreed to a “hybrid” approach to videoconferencing as proposed by Chair Rochelle Stein.

The debate followed up on a proposed resolution drafted last August that sought to place guidelines on videoconferencing, a practice necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent executive orders by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which suspended the Open Meetings Law to provide for remote participation in legislative and committee meetings.

That executive order continues in place, although it was reported during today’s meeting that it is set to expire in two days. Stein said Committee of the Whole discussion was called now “to be somewhat ahead of the game.”

County Attorney Kevin Earl emphasized that the “major issue” to achieve a quorum and to facilitate legal voting when videoconferencing is that “you can’t do it by telephone … the legislator has to be available to be seen and be seen by the other legislators to participate formally.”

Earl, with input from Legislature Clerk Pamela LaGrou and County Manager Matt Landers, wrote a seven-point amendment to the original resolution (which was not acted upon), with a key stipulation as follows:

“The videoconference shall be conducted in compliance with state law and ensure that all legislators and members of the public have the opportunity to see and hear a legislator videoconferencing and such videoconferencing legislator can see and hear the other members of the legislature.”

Earl said there aren’t a lot of cases concerning this matter but there are many opinions, including those of the attorneys connected to the Committee on Open Government, an organization that holds a lot of weight with judges.

The attorney also noted that if videoconferencing is used, the public notice of the meeting must inform the public as such, identify the locations for the meeting and state that the public has the right to attend the meeting at any of those locations.

Genesee County has been able to acquire the technology – legislators call it “the owl” – to be able to show all meeting participants on the Zoom call. This prompted Earl to say that he would support having legislators not on a particular committee to be able to call in and participate via Zoom as long as they weren’t going to vote or had no bearing on the required quorum.

Earl also proposed that the legislature could adopt a rule limiting the number of times a legislator could “attend” a meeting through videoconferencing, specifically three times in a calendar year.

Stein then said she understood that most of the legislators “would like to have the meetings in person for those that serve on the committees themselves and (for those not on the committee) to be able to participate through Zoom, and have that kind of hybrid opportunity."

“That’s where I come down on this question but right now our rules don’t allow even that to happen.”

At that point, the individual legislators gave their thoughts. They all stated that it was the responsibility of the committee member to be in the room unless it was an emergency, and also were open to permitting legislators not on the committee to follow along via Zoom.

“I would like to see everybody show up, except for some extreme situation … but I really think you have the responsibility to be here,” Gordon Dibble said, adding that he would support those not on the committee signing in remotely.

Christian Yunker said he was in favor of the hybrid model, noting that the opportunity for others to listen in and participate “probably is valuable enough that the rest of us should do that at least for the foreseeable future.”

Brooks Hawley said “if you’re on the committee, you should be here, but if you want to see what is going on and you have a prior engagement, such as work, family commitment or something like that, I think you should be able to do that (participate remotely).”

Earl advised that the legislature can’t prohibit videoconferencing but also isn’t required to implement guidelines on videoconferencing.

Gary Maha said he was OK with the hybrid approach, but added that “we’re elected to represent our constituents and if you could be here, you should be here."

Chad Klotzbach agreed, stating that videoconferencing “has created a platform for people to actually see what we’re doing.”

Marianne Clattenburg suggested postponing any formal vote until after the coronavirus pandemic.

“I have no problem with having people listening to the discussion remotely, but I think voting remotely, I’m against that and would hate to see that become a precedent,” Clattenburg said.

In closing, Stein summarized the points brought out through the discussion – in-person for a quorum and voting, remote participation for others, expanding the technology to include a laptop at the podium for public speakers, and providing additional technical support for the legislative clerk.

When the legislature does decide to act upon formalizing the rules and adopting the amended resolution, the matter would go to the Ways & Means Committee for further discussion and a vote.

Legislators agreed to wait until after the pandemic, with Maha suggesting “the simpler the better.”

With that, Stein said, “I hope the executive order is extended” and adjourned the meeting.

Grant Would Assess Broadband Situation

In another development, the legislature during its regular meeting approved applying for a $95,000 grant from the Northern Borders Regional Commission’s State Economic & Infrastructure Development Investment Program to subsidize a countywide broadband inventory/availability study and develop a subsequent business plan.

Landers said the county was informed of the grant by the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, which is currently being led by former Genesee County Manager Jay Gsell.

“This grant would provide a pretty comprehensive broadband study throughout the county,” Landers said. “The G/FLRPC is submitting this on our behalf and it’s a $95,000 grant with a 20-percent local match ($19,000). If we get it, we could find what our gaps are in broadband access in our community and it would also fund a survey of the homes to get a better understanding of where the gaps are and the level of residents’ desire for broadband access.”

Landers said two other counties may partner with Genesee to increase the odds of getting the grant.

“Federal funds are out there to help alleviate this, but we need to understand what our gaps really are before we can go after those bigger grants,” Landers said.

Landers Warns of 'Cluster Pop-up'

Landers reported that the COVID-19 positivity rate is down, the number of people receiving the vaccine is up and many restrictions have been lifted, but urges citizens to remain vigilant.

"It's easy to get cluster pop-ups," he said. "We had 20 to 25 cases (recently) that were linked to a few events -- a birthday party here and a couple of other events there."

Data Update – 

• Genesee County reporting 12 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in the:
    • Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) 
    • East Region (Bergen, Byron, Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford)
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 80s. 
• Nine of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
• Four of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. 
• Five of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Genesee County Jail. 

Orleans County reporting seven new positive cases of COVID-19.  

• The positive cases reside in the:
  • West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby)
  • Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre)
  • East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon)
• The individuals are in their, 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 50s and 60s.
• One of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been removed from the isolation list.
• One of the new positive individuals is an inmate at Albion Correctional Facility.
• Zero of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.