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LEGAL NOTICE: 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TOWN OF BETHANY: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing pursuant to Town Law § 193 will be held by the Town Board of the Town of Bethany at the Town Hall located at 10510 Bethany Center Road, East Bethany, New York on the 7th day of February, 2024, commencing at 7:00  p.m. to give citizens the opportunity to discuss the proposed Town of Bethany Water District No. 5 project. 

Specific discussion will be relative to the proposed Water District No. 5, which will include a total of approximately 154,000 linear feet of 8-inch water main. The water main will be installed along portions of Ellicott Street Road (NYS RT 63), Bethany Center Road (C.R. 15), Broadway Road (NYS RT 20), Brown Road, Cackner Road, Clapsaddle Road, East Road (C.R. 35) East Bethany-LeRoy Road, Francis Road (C.R. 38), Fargo Road (C.R. 198), Jerico Road, Little Canada Road, Marsh Road, Mayne Road, McLennon Road, Sweetland Road, Silver Road, Paradise Road, and Paul Road. Note: portions of the project will be installed in the Town of Batavia, as that will be the primary water supply for the project. 

LEGAL NOTICE continues after the jump (click here)

Press Release:

Registration is now available for kindergarten and prekindergarten students in the Byron-Bergen School District. The District plans to once again offer a half-day universal prekindergarten (UPK) program at the Byron- Bergen Elementary School. 

The UPK program is focused on socialization, learning through play, and self-exploration. Children learn through a hands-on learning environment that includes activities, learning centers, concrete materials, and manipulatives. Students learn through a nurturing environment that is enriching, challenging, and developmentally appropriate. 

Students must turn four years of age by December 1, 2024 to be eligible for the program. If you have a child eligible and are interested in having him/her attend our UPK program, please complete this Google form which is also available on the Student Registration page of the Byron-Bergen website. The form requires the student’s name, parents’ name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth. This electronic Google form is due by Thursday, Feb. 22. Parents who have already contacted the Elementary School by phone will still need to complete the form. If you are having difficulty completing the form, please call the Elementary School office for support.

Please note that if the District receives more applications than the allowed capacity, a lottery will be held to select students. This year's lottery drawing will be held on Friday, March 1, via Zoom. Student-specific lottery numbers and the Zoom link will be shared with everyone who completes the form before the February 22 deadline. Once the lottery is complete, if your child was selected, you need to complete the full registration packet, which can be found on the Byron-Bergen website, and submit it to the Elementary School Office. 

Children who will be five years of age, on or before December 1, 2024, are eligible for entrance to Kindergarten in September of 2024. New families in the school district should notify the school if they have a child who will enter Kindergarten in September of 2024. Parents may contact the Byron-Bergen Elementary School Office by calling 494-1220, ext. 1301. 

Information may also be sent to the Byron-Bergen Elementary School, 6971 West Bergen Road, Bergen, New York 14416. Please send all information for kindergarten screening by June 1, 2024.  All children registered for kindergarten will be scheduled for a screening appointment this summer. The results of this screening will be used to plan for the 2024-2025 kindergarten program. 

The following items are necessary to complete the registration process: the child’s birth certificate; certificate of immunization; proof of residency; and completed registration packet. Additional information and registration packets are available at http://www.bbschools.org/StudentRegistration.aspx.

Batavia Winterguard’s 24th annual Fantastic Visions competition will begin at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 at Batavia High School, 260 State St., Batavia. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. 

Organizers invite you to "please come and enjoy 25 winterguards from Western New York and Canada. Batavia’s own Cadet and IA Winterguards will also be performing."

Tickets are $10 adults, ages 8 and older, 7 and under are free.

Press Release:

The Haxton Memorial Library Board of Trustees will hold their monthly Board Meeting for February 2024 on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the library. The public is invited to attend.

The Haxton Memorial Library located at 3 North Pearl Street in Oakfield provides residents with a variety of programs, events, and materials that are listed on the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org.

The Batavia City Schools' board approved five-year contracts Monday with Student Transportation of America for transportation from home to school, field and sports trips and during the summer worth more than $11 million that will be part of this year’s budget vote in May.

Business Administrator Andrew Lang explained, in a memo to the board, that the district engaged in a bid process this past November to procure student transportation services for the next five years. Prior to this, he said, the district had extended a previously awarded contract with STA for a period of five years. 

The bid process included a detailed specification outlining the district’s transportation program and current transportation needs. The bid included five separate contracts for home-to-school, special needs and homeless, field and sports trips, summer special needs and homeless, and summer home-to-school.

There was only one bid, which came from STA, and only for three contracts of home-to-school, field and sports trips, and summer home-to-school, Lang said. 

“As this is a multi-year contract, voter approval is required,” he said. “This is done by noting the estimated five-year contract cost in the 2024-25 public budget document.”

He recommended that the board award the bids to STA for the designated amounts as follows:

• Home-to-school transportation for a total five-year cost, including bus monitor/attendant, of $8,438,451.10. Rates range from up to three hours at $360 in this school year up to $437.58 in 2028-29, and $386.45 for four hours plus $74.28 per hour after that, up to $469.73 plus $90.29.
• Field and sports trip transportation for a total five-year cost, plus bus monitor, for $2,099,470.78. Driving rates are $98 for this school year, up to $119.12 in 2028-29 for in-district, plus an extra cost of $1.58 per mile this year, up to $1.92 in 2028-29 for out-of-district trips.
• Summer home-to-school and bus monitor/attendant total five-year cost of $607,982.44. Prices are the same as regular home-to-school until after four hours, when rates change to $405.02 for 4.5 hours for 2024-25 up to $492.30 in 2028-29 and $423.59 for five hours up to $514.88, with $74.28 per hour after that, up to $90.29 during the fifth year of the contract.
• Bus monitor/attendant rates are the same for all contracts, at $34.93 per hour in 2024-25 up to $42.46 in 2028-29.

The board approved a motion as part of the consent agenda during Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

The contract runs from the 2024-25 school year through 2028-29.

Press Release:

The Board of Assessment Review currently has one position to fill. The term is a five-year term and will expire on September 2028. The Batavia City Council is seeking a City resident who is interested in volunteering as a member of this committee and has knowledge of property values.

Residents interested in applying for this position can obtain a Committee/Board Volunteer Application from either the City Clerk’s Office or on the website at www.batavianewyork.com, Find It Fast. The deadline to submit applications to the City Clerk’s Office is April 22. 

For further information, please contact the City Bureau of Assessment at 345-6301. 

Press Release:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) introduced H.Res. 965, a resolution calling for the immediate release of Ryan Corbett, a United States citizen, who was wrongfully detained by the Taliban on August 10, 2022, and condemning the wrongful detention of Americans by the Taliban.

Additional cosponsors of the resolution include House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Representatives Dan Meuser (R-PA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), French Hill (R-AR), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Jim Costa (D-CA), Michael Waltz (R-FL), Daniel Goldman (D-NY), Brandon Williams (R-NY), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Marc Molinaro (R-NY), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), and Pete Stauber (R-MN).

Ryan Corbett, a husband, father, and Western New Yorker has been held without charge by the Taliban in Afghanistan since August 10, 2022. Ryan is being held in a basement cell without regular access to a bathroom, sunlight, or medical care. Other Westerners who have been released from the prison where Ryan is being held report that he is in deteriorating health. Ryan’s family has been fighting for his release in silence but decided to go public because of fears for his life.

Since meeting with the Corbett family and hearing their story, Congresswoman Tenney has led the charge in fighting for Ryan’s release and well-being. This includes working to get Ryan officially designated as a wrongful detainee by the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2023.

"When I first heard of Ryan Corbett’s detention and the brutal conditions of his captivity from his wife Anna, I was heartbroken," said Congresswoman Tenney. "Inspired by Anna, his children, and his loved ones who have been bravely advocating for his release, today I introduced a bipartisan resolution, reiterating that Congress will not stand idly while an innocent American is wrongfully detained and suffers under harsh captivity at the hands of the Taliban. The strong bipartisan support for this resolution calling for Ryan Corbett’s release shows that Congress stands united in calling for Ryan’s release and condemning the Taliban’s wrongful detention of Americans. We will work tirelessly to bring attention to Ryan Corbett's case and advocate for his immediate release to bring him home to his family."

"I am grateful for the strong bipartisan support that my family has received, in particular from our Congresswoman, Claudia Tenney," said Anna Corbett. "Ending the wrongful detention of Americans abroad should be in the interest of all Americans, and I am hopeful that these continued efforts to highlight Ryan's plight will help us bring him home without delay."

View the text of the resolution here.

Batavia PD has issued another call for public assistance in locating Nathan L. Royse, who has been on the police department's wanted list since late August.

Crime Stoppers WNY is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest of Royse.

Royce is wanted on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.  Police warn he should be considered armed and dangerous.

He is also wanted on a parole warrant.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 716-867-6161 

If you’re a city employee in certain departments, it pays to be physically fit —- literally. 

Members of the International Association of Fire Fighters will have that option as part of a contract agreement approved by City Council Monday evening. 

Over the past several months, the city and union representatives have been negotiating terms for a new agreement. On December 29, 2023, a tentative agreement was reached with the IAFF union. It will be a five-year agreement, a salary increase of 3 percent for three years, 2.65 percent for years four and five, an increase in the health care premium to 32.5 percent,” City Manager Rachael Tabelski said during council’s conference session at City Hall. “IAFF members will now participate in the annual physical fitness incentive program. The holiday of Juneteenth is added as a paid holiday. Some of you may know that police and fire don't actually get holidays, however, they get holiday pay for those holidays because they work 24/7. We added two additional longevity payments for years five and years 15, a one-time payment of $500 to each member from the ARPA, a $500 signing bonus for each member, and other miscellaneous language changes.”

Those $500 payments will be coming from the American Rescue Plan Act that came out of the pandemic to help restore municipal losses and was passed down from federal funds. Longevity payments of $500 for five years and $900 for 15 years were added. 

Councilman Bob Bialkowski asked about the physical fitness payment.

If they pass and meet all of the required qualifications of the test, based on measurements such as running, push-ups, sit-ups, and meeting certain milestones per age and gender, firefighters are paid $855, Human Resources Director Rebecca McGee said. Members of the city police department have this same option as well, she said.

“I'm really actually excited about the physical fitness incentive because if you've ever been to a fire scene, they climb ladders, they pull very heavy hoses, they use axes, and the more physically fit you are, the less workers comp injuries we're going to have and the more we'll save in the long run,” Tabelski said.

Bialkowski wanted to clarify that the raises were concurrent, meaning that they would be on top of one another each year, and Tabelski confirmed that “they’re no different than any other contract,” as once employees receive a raise to their base pay, then that becomes their base pay for the next year, and so on. 

The cost of the contract is $490,272, she said.

Council also approved a contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union that, as with the IAFF, will expire on March 31, 2024. The city and AFSCME came to a tentative agreement on Dec. 7, and the union membership ratified the terms on Jan. 11, Tabelski said.

The four-year agreement includes a 3.5 percent salary increase for the first three years, followed by a 2 percent increase in year four. The healthcare premium will increase between 30 and 35 percent, and there will be a shift change of four 10-hour days during the summer, from June to August, similar to how Genesee County employees operate, she said.

Additional perks include an additional floating holiday, pay for additional licenses acquired, such as for a commercial driver’s license or handling pesticides, a tool allowance increase of up to $1,000, and a $500 bonus payment per employee.

“So not everyone will have these licenses, it's up to the department head. But when we do have these licenses, it actually saves the city money in the long run, especially the pesticide license, because you can not apply pesticide without a license in New York State,” she said.

There are other benefits to having employees licensed for pesticide use, Public Works Director Brett Frank said. That would give the city better and more effective control over invaders such as weeds.

“We know we'd be looking more weed control that we currently outsource for a considerable amount per year, and take control of that as opposed to having a company come in, and basically be on a gator and kind of spray everything,” Frank said. “We could have somebody that could take ownership of it, we think we could do a better job overall and save money in the long run … we also know we could get a much better product by our employees taking care of that and having that license.” 

The cost of this four-year contract is approximately $323,522, Tabelski said. 

UPDATE: The Woodward Memorial Library is open today (Tuesday, Jan. 23).

CLARIFICATION: The term "heat pump" was not used in the discussion, just "pumps."  In non-boiler, home heating, "heat pump" refers to the heating system itself.  The school district uses a boiler system with a pump that pumps heat to the library. In the story, we didn't use the term "heat pump" but for the sake of a shorter headline, used it in the headline.

Libraries should be a quiet place.

But you shouldn't need to bundle up to read a book or a magazine, surf the net, or browse through the stacks.

For five-and-half-days, the Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy has been quiet, frigid, and, as a result, closed. 

The lack of heat is the result of an apparent miscommunication between a vendor, a designer, and an installer who last year was tasked with upgrades to the boiler systems that delivers heat to Wolcott Street School and the library.  The upgrades were an add-on to the Le Roy Central School District 2022-23, $12.1 million capital improvement project, which was possible after other expenses came in lower than estimated.

The district owns the library building but does not operate the library. The boilers for the library's heating system are in the elementary school.

The failure of the heating system wasn't apparent in the spring when the work was completed, over the summer, or during the unusually warm weather in the first part of this winter.

Now that temperatures have dropped drastically, district officials have discovered the boilers used to generate heat for Woodward have pumps on them that are incapable of pushing enough heat from Wolcott Street School to the library building.

Superintendent Merritt Holly told the Board of Education on Monday that there was an issue with the design specifications, an issue with the installer not communicating the proper information about the system back to the designer, and there is concern about the pumps themselves and whether they are working at specification.

The pumps are supposed to provide enough heat -- leaving Wolcott Street School at 140 degrees -- to heat the building, the loading dock, and the pedestrian sidewalk leading up to the building.

Holly said he anticipated a question from board members: Who is going to pay for the mistake?

"If everything checks out (on the design and installation), then we go back to really what should be a warranty issue, the motor not being right or if there's a defect," Holly said. "That's a very small percentage. If that's the case, I think it's going to come down to how the communication between the designer and the installer designer."

In other words, Holly expects either a manufacturer's warranty to cover the cost of both a temporary fix and a long-term solution, or for the designer or installer, or both, to pay those costs.

New motors for the pumps -- which would provide only a temporary fix -- are in stock in Buffalo, Holly said he was told Monday morning, so it's a matter of getting a crew from the installer to Wolcott Street School to replace the motors.  That should be soon, but Holly doesn't have a firm commitment yet on a date.

"Remember, this is a band-aid fix until we get off heating season (so a longer-term replacement system can be installed)," Holly said.

In the meantime, he's hoping temperatures rise a bit for a few days, which would enable the current system to get the library's interior temperature up to 65 degrees so the library could reopen.

The ineffective pumps are only on the boilers for the library. The school is not affected. Those boilers have new, appropriate pumps and motors.

"The best case scenario is that tomorrow, I get an answer that our installer has a crew within the next couple of days, and the motors for the pumps are where they say they are in Buffalo," Holly said. "When we get our hands on that, we can put together a timetable because, remember, (the library) is going to be closed down on that day."

She may be a bit biased, but City Manager Rachael Tabelski has confidence in the level of Batavia’s bang for its buck.

She compared the city’s proposed property tax rate of $8.96 to other cities — one of the lowest is Canandaigua at $7.67, North Tonawanda at $15.13, Geneva at $17.25, Dunkirk is $18.12, Jamestown is at $23.60 —  during the first collective budget session of the year Monday.

“So it's my opinion Batavia does extremely well, holding the tax rate to a low level while trying to find innovative ways to provide services that residents want,” she said. “And I feel like Council always gets hammered for ‘too much taxes, too much taxes.’ But we're only taking a quarter of those taxes. And where every single city resident utilizes our services, not every resident may utilize services of the school.”

She introduced a slide during her presentation that compared a breakdown of the city’s 25 percent representation of local taxes for benefits that “all city residents enjoy,” versus the city school district’s 52 percent of taxes that only some city residents enjoy the benefits of.

“The school taxes are a disgrace, it’s a joke,” Councilman Paul Viele said. 

City general fund budget expenses go toward tangible outcomes, those things that citizens look for, such as street and sidewalk improvements, police and fire protection, public works maintenance of roads (snowplowing in winter, picking up leaves in the fall), summer parks programs and paved parking lots. 

Expenses also include Workers Comp costs, which have an $86,000 increase this next year, insurance and retirement payments, reserve savings, purchase of two marked police vehicles at a total cost of $130,000 from reserves, software, personnel salaries and benefits — typically the largest portion of a budget — building repairs and maintenance, and future projects, such as repair of the Main St. 56 Theater roof at City Centre, which is earmarked for a $310,000 use of reserve funds. 

As Assistant City Manager Erik Fix sees it, residents —- or, more specifically, property owners — get all of those things for the price of “a cup of coffee a day.” The property tax rate is slated to increase by two pennies per $1,000 assessed value, or $2 a year for a home assessed at $100,000. (See previous budget story HERE.)

City Council has options, however, Tabelski said, pointing to another slide that shows the levy of $6,710,000 and total assessment of $748,497 currently for the $8.96, and scenarios for how the rate would change if the levy or future assessments were increased. 

The decision was made in July not to increase this year’s assessment, Tabelski said, but if it was raised in the future, say, up to $800,000 while the levy also was raised to $7,168,000, and the tax rate remained the same, the city could increase services by $450,000, she said. 

The other side of that would be true: if the levy remained the same and the assessment went up, the tax rate would decrease to $8.38, and services would also remain flat, she said.

All of the options were talking points to demonstrate how levy, assessment and tax rate are related, she said. None of them were actual proposals outside of what she has already proposed: a $6.7 million levy and an $8.96 tax rate that keeps services status quo.

 “As you know, we hear from residents about cutting. And when we go through some of the statistics about our city growing and the reduction in poverty we have in our city, we're actually doing quite well. And with that comes more services wanted by residents, needed by residents, and it strained all of our departments and our resources,” she said. “So this year, while I did only ask for departments to come in with 2 percent increases in their entire budget, I did have them put together a list of items that aren't being funded so that council has a full picture of things that we probably do need to address in the future. And my hope is through this process, and through the revenue workgroup, we'll find solutions to address these items.”

The city’s population, contrary to once predicted to shrink in size, increased from 2010 to 2020 from 15,464 to 15,600, she said. And there are people uncounted in that total, meaning an even higher population, she said. 

“Many, many people want to live in the city of Batavia. Houses that are on the market between $150,000 and $190,000 sell in less than 23 days. All houses in our market, which is still very hot right now, typically sell within 47 days,” Tabelski said. 

What are people looking for, and why in Batavia?

“I think it's always good to think about our mission, why we're here for the residents of our city, what we want the city to be. I want the city to be a safe place, a family-friendly place where I'm comfortable walking down the streets with my kids, any hour, night and day. I do not want to live in a city as large and maybe as unsafe as Rochester or Buffalo,” Tabelski said. “And I feel very fortunate to be here, to be selected as your manager, to be able to try to continue to implement safety measures for our city. I want our neighborhoods to thrive. I want good neighborhoods and community participation. We've had more volunteers for our boards in the last year or so than we've had in a very long time. And I think it's a good sign that there still are people interested in government.”

Current projects being designed are the ice rink chiller, the Bank Streetscape, Cohocton/Walnut Water main, Maple and Mill sanitary sewer, Pearl Street water main, wastewater treatment plant pond sludge removal, various street and sidewalk upgrades, paving of the Bureau of Maintenance parking lot, resurfacing courts at Kibbe Park for pickleball, replacing the playground at Austin Park and distributing a $350,000 housing grant for single family home rehabilitations, capital project and flood program planning and zoning ordinance updates.

The list of work always coincides with an ability to pay for it, she said. 

“We're finishing up projects at the fire station and BOM facility project. Any council member that would like to tour to see the improvements that were made, that started out as a $1.1 million project, and through COVID and inflationary prices, I believe it rose to $1.76 million. Overall, we had to use ARPA money for that project. And we still haven't finished major improvements at the BOM facility. They're still on this sheet of things that did not make the budget or the capital plan. There are still windows, office replacement, bathrooms, HVAC, air handlers, and doors,” she said. “So again, it's always a struggle to find the revenue to pay for these projects and to keep our facilities updated and running appropriately.” 

As for a source of potential revenue, Tabelski raised the issue of asking property owners who make payments in lieu of taxes to pay a fire and police fee. Towns do that, she said, but the city has not been able to since tax-exempt properties pay no property taxes, which include city services. 

It’s “definitely something we would like to look into,” she said. 

Press Release:

Join in to celebrate Matthew’s birthday and bring a “Plus One” with you to give blood and help patients in need celebrate more birthdays with their loved ones. The event includes a t-shirt sale and basket raffle with all proceeds for the Matthew Kota Scholarship Fund for students at Notre Dame High School and Byron-Bergen Jr./ Sr. High School. 

At a very young age, Matthew Kota, of Byron, knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up - a doctor. But sadly, his dreams were cut short. In memory of Matthew for his birthday, the Batavia community and surrounding areas are encouraged to give the gift of life and donate blood at the largest annual American Red Cross blood drive in Genesee County on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Northgate Church South Campus in Batavia. 

“Matthew never waited for anything to happen, he made things happen,” said Jason Kota, Matthew’s father. “He was truly one of a kind and I’ve yet to meet anyone else on this earth like him.” Matthew, the eldest of four children, was just 17 years old when he passed away in 2008 from complications of brain surgery.

Matthew enjoyed the outdoors and had a smile that would light up a room, but it was his humanitarian spirit that friends and family say was contagious. Matthew had a desire to help people, and that’s one of the reasons why he became a blood donor and volunteered with the Red Cross. He had hoped to join the Gallon Donor Club and even though he did not achieve that goal, his family and friends are now carrying out his wishes by holding blood drives in his memory. He was posthumously awarded the 10-gallon milestone from donors on his behalf in 2021. “Matthew was our son, a friend, leader and now our Angel,” Jason Kota said. 

Family and friends say hosting this blood drive is a unique way to memorialize what Matthew stood for - helping others. They are now giving back by turning their heartbreak into hope for other families in need. At this point, the Kota family has now collected 906 units - and counting - in their 15 years of hosting the blood drive. 

How to Sign Up

Schedule your appointment by visiting RedCrossBlood.org and entering the sponsor code bataviany or zipcode 14020.  Walk-ins are welcome around appointments. 

 Donate at the 16th Matthew Kota Memorial Blood Drive on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Northgate Church South Campus – Community Room located at 350 Bank St. Batavia.

Press Release:

The Grange is a fraternal organization based on agricultural principles with a long history of grassroots activism which has opportunities for the whole family. There are four levels of Grange: Subordinate (local), Pomona (county), State, and National. Within those levels, there are 7 degrees. The highest degree a Granger can receive is the 7th degree, which is presented at the National Convention. This year the National Convention was held in Niagara Falls. 

Nine members of the Genesee County Pomona Grange earned the 7th degree. Six members from Corfu; Don Koepf, Corrine Koepf, Karen Bridge, Jan Bencic, Becky Perry, and Aurilla Putney. Three members from East Pembroke; Julie, Alexandria (Jomni), and Colton Tarbell. Jomni, East Pembroke Junior Grange Leader, also received the Agricultural Awareness Award. 

For more information about the Genesee County local Granges, contact Joan Phelps, Pomona President, at 585-762-8503.

There are volunteers throughout the county who remain on their department's active rolls after 50, 60, or even 70 years of service. But they aren't typically responding to calls any more.

At 88 years old, after 70 years of service to the Corfu Volunteer Fire Department, Jim Mallory still attends Monday evening training sessions, turns out to emergency calls, sometimes drives a rescue truck, and remains a member of the fire district's board of commissioners.

Mallory is still there, setting an example and sharing his experience and knowledge with younger members. 

Chief Greg Lang said that's impressive.

"He brings in all the young people," Lang said. "He's educational. He's got a brain like you wouldn't believe. He educates us. He helps keep members in the fire department because they would like to come up to his standards, you know what I'm saying? The younger guys love it.  I've learned so much from him throughout the years, it's not even funny." 

Mallory was recognized on Saturday evening for his service at the Corfu Village Hall during the department's annual installation dinner.

Mallory started to hear the siren call of the fire service as a child living near the fire hall.  The alarms would sound, and he would go to the hall to find out where the trucks were going and watch them leave.  

"I was fascinated by fire trucks," Mallory told The Batavian.

As soon as he turned 18, he signed up for service.

Since then, he's served not just as a firefighter, but on several truck committees, as fire chief, and as a commissioner.

"There was always another truck to buy," Mallory noted, and that helped keep his interest up.

And it was fun.

"I enjoyed the classes we went through," Mallory said. "I liked learning about firefighting, and I liked helping people out. If there was a call and I was able to be there, I'd be there to help out. I just enjoy helping people."

Mallory was also a successful local businessman, opening a gas station at the corner of Main and Alleghany before taking on co-owners to open a convenience store that the location, which is now Crosby's. He operated the business for 45 years.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley read a proclamation honoring Mallory.

"It is a privilege to recognize and pay tribute to individuals who have displayed a deep commitment to enhancing their communities and improving the state of New York," Hawley said before noting his 70 years of service to the Corfu Hook and Ladder Company Number One.

"James has become a model firefighter and a positive example for his community," Hawley said.

Also honored on Saturday was Kathy Skeet, as Firefighter of the Year. Skeet responded to 109 calls in 2023.

"On some of the calls, she is the chief there," Lang said. "She is the EMT. She is the fire police there. She's the only one there sometimes."

He also noted she puts in a lot of volunteer hours for department events.

"She's got 34 years of service," Lang said. "She's in charge of the Sunshine Committee. And, I can say, she's the best mother-in-law."

The department received 199 calls for service in 2023, and members provided 773 manhours of response time. There were eight fire calls, 130 EMS calls, four hazardous conditions, 15 good intention calls, and 18 false alarms.

Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Yaeger administered the oath of office to the 2024 slate of officers, which are: Chiefs Greg Lang, Dean Eck, and Dan Smith; Captains Tyler Lang and Jim Hale; EMS Captain Dillon Hale; Fire Police Captain MattLenhard; Safety Officer Justin Rodland; and Lieutenants Megan Stiles, Jacob Stiles, and Krista Hale.

 South Byron Volunteer Fire Company’s 48th annual banquet was one of celebration and remembrance.

The fire company, which is 104 years old, began the evening with a welcome and introduction of guests by emcee Fred Klycek.

After a prayer by the Rev. Harold Coller, a buffet dinner was served by Fred Hamilton and his crew.

Town of Stafford Justice of the Peace Bob Mattice swore in officers of the fire company, auxiliary, and fire police.

New firematic officers are Chief Brian Hickey, Deputy Chief Scott Blossom, Assistant Chief Jim McKenzie, 1st Lieutenant Christopher Hilbert, 2nd Lieutenant Al Secash, and engineer Matthew Dougherty.

Administrative officers are President Reggie Macdonald, Vice President Robert Wilson, Treasurer Alfred Klycek, Secretary Elizabeth Penkszyk, membership chair, and Sunshine Chair Theresa Hammer.

Members of the auxiliary board are President Michelle Dougherty, Vice President Beth Wilson, Treasurer Rozanne Klycek, Secretary Melody Stone, and party chair and sunshine Chair Theresa Hammer.

Fire police officers are Captain Theresa Hammer, Sergeant Reggie Macdonald, and Corporal Fred Klycek.

In a moving presentation, Elizabeth Penkszyk paid tribute to the one member lost during 2023, her grandfather Allan “Sneakers” Blossom. Blossom was a 47-year member of the fire company, who was dedicated to its mission.

“He’s the reason why I joined the fire company, making me a third-generation member,” Penkszyk said.

Her father, Scott Blossom, is a second-generation family member of the department.

In concluding the memorial ceremony, Penkszyk and her grandmother Mariellen Blossom lit a candle in honor of “Sneakers,” while observing a moment of silence.

The fire company gained one new member last year, Aaron Lathrop, who is carrying on his grandfather’s legacy, as Penkszyk did, she said.

The next presentation was the Auxiliary’s gift to the fire company.

“We wanted to make sure our firefighters are safe and well-seen when they respond to a call,” said Michelle Dougherty, Auxiliary president.

She was assisted by Melody Stone, Auxiliary secretary, in presenting Reggie Macdonald with one of the lighted safety vests they purchased for the department.

Macdonald next announced donations and tips from the bar would be donated this year to Mercy Flight and to the South Byron Rescue Squad to help pay for their new ambulance. No one was present from Mercy Flight, but Brad Nickerson accepted the check for the Rescue Squad.

Scott Blossom gave a firematic report, saying they had responded to 60-some calls last year. Chief Brian Hickey was named top responder in those calls

The department logged 535 training hours, with Matt Dougherty accumulating the most.

Fireman of the Year and Member of the Year were awarded to the same individual – Fred Klycek. When Bob Wilson called him to the podium to accept the Fireman of the Year Award, he said he didn’t expect that, and he was speechless.

“I had no idea,” he said. “But it takes a whole crew, and they all deserve this award.”

When he was called back and named Member of the Year, Klycek said he was really flabbergasted.

Wilson said Klycek does a tremendous amount of work for the fire company, and has for years.

“Much of what he does wouldn’t get done if he didn’t do it,” Wilson said.

The evening concluded with the awarding of door prizes and a benediction by the Rev. Coller.

A tentative budget of $37 million calls for a 2-cent tax rate increase plus a 19-cent per 1,000 gallons water rate increase according to City Manager Rachael Tabelski’s proposed plan for 2024.

Tabelski laid out her estimated plan as part of a City Council agenda for this week, also keeping in mind that at least five budget workshops are scheduled to discuss city department wish lists and priorities before council votes on a final budget in February. 

The council conference session is set for 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, to be followed by a business meeting and the first budget workshop of the season. 

There is time allotted for public comments at the beginning of the conference meeting. 

The proposed property tax levy of $6,710,000 would be an increase of $110,000 and mean a property tax rate of $8.96 per $1,000 assessed value, Tabelski said in a memo to council. The $37 million total budget includes $1.37 million for street and sidewalk improvements and $1.13 million for vehicles, buildings and parking lots/sport court resurfacing, she said.

The sewer rate would remain the same, though the water rate is proposed to go up by 19 cents, to $6.46, per 1,000 gallons, she said. Tabelski estimates that to be a tab of $149 per quarter for a family of four per quarter, or about $600 a year. The two-cent property tax increase would add $2 a year to a home assessed at $100,000. 

This budget relies on $275,000 from the Water Fund and another $275,000 of unassigned fund balance, she said, and does not include any video lottery terminal aid or retirement reserves for the city’s annual retirement payment.

There are staffing and core services included in the budget, such as:

• A confidential secretary position or the police department; 
• Funding for another Neighborhood Enforcement Team officer that was added in July of 2023-24;
• Funding for a police officer position that was frozen during the pandemic;
• An additional firefighter position per a contract agreement executed in 2019; 
• Maintaining the full-time positions of parking and recycling officer; and
• Maintaining the full-time ordinance enforcement officer that was included in last year’s budget.

Bernice Yunker was more than a farmer's wife.

Born July 26, 1925 in Mineral City, Ohio, Yunker led an adventurous life -- once biking from Buffalo to and around Conesus Lake -- as a young woman before meeting her future husband, Carl, in Bennington at a small church where her father was pastor. They married in Attica in 1947.

After her time with her family in Buffalo, where her father had been a pastor, and before joining her parents in Bennington, Bernice studied art at Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, and then at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She worked part-time at the DuPont Plant in Rochester as director of graphics to help the war efforts on the home front.

When the Yunkers married, Carl was already a farmer but a short time later, they acquired 100-acres in Elba and established a home, where they would eventually raise seven children.

The Yunkers quickly established themselves in the community and became active in the Elba Presbyterian Church.  Bernice became the first woman to serve on the Elba Central School District Board of Education. She volunteered at church, with the Arc of Genesee County, the Genesee County Nursing Home, and the Hospice of Genesee.

But she is perhaps best known in the community as a talented and creative artist and art teacher.  She was a member of the Genesee Arts Council and a founding member of the Batavia of Society of Artists.

In their home on Transit Road in Elba, Carl built an art studio for Bernice. In 2013, she told The Batavian that she was proud to call herself a farmer's wife, hence, the name of her studio -- Farmer's Wife Studio.

She often told her children, “Music and art are the frosting on the cake of life!”

Her husband and their children together built, from that initial 100-acre parcel, one of the largest farm operations -- CY Farms -- in Genesee County, growing crops, raising cattle, and notably operating Batavia Turf Farms.

Mrs. Bernice Dorothea Beisheim Yunker, 98, died peacefully at home with family at her side on January 15, 2024.

Carl Yunker, at age 97, died in 2021.

In her obituary, her family says, "Bernice was the best of moms and also cared for others in the community. She used her creative gift as a visual artist to serve others and honor God. During her 74 years in Elba, Bernice supported Carl, her family and the community with kindness, energy and frankly, a lot of art and art lessons!"

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 3 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Elba

Previously: 

• CY Farms grew from the good land
• Founder of CY Farms, who loved aviation and serving his community, dies at age 97

People began to nudge Greg Van Dussen in the direction of penning a book while he was writing book reviews and articles, but it wasn’t until he retired as a Methodist minister that he began to take them up on it.

“The minute I retired, in 2011, I started writing my first book — Richard Beatty saw me writing notes furiously on napkins — at (the former Coffee Culture) in Batavia,” Van Dussen said during an interview with The Batavian at his town of Batavia home. “One of the results of these books is the parishioners have said they feel like it’s helped them get in touch with their spiritual roots. That feels very fulfilling. My editor has said no one else is doing this kind of writing.”

His third in a trilogy series of “Circuit Rider Devotions,” has just come out, and they are part of several books on the same topic authored by D. Gregory Van Dussen, the long version, though his friends call him Greg. 

So what drove him to write not one but three voluminous tomes, each approaching 800 pages, about assorted characters from Methodist upbringings traveling to initiate the denomination’s movement across North America?

“I’ve been really fanatically interested in the subject, it was about early Methodist preachers. For my whole adult life, I've been collecting books. So I've got antique books all over the house, biographies, autobiographies, that sort of thing, hymn books. But what really got me into this was, a few years ago, I was asked to teach a workshop in Buffalo on this subject, and it was very well received. And as I was going home, I wondered if anybody would be interested in a book of devotions based on the lives of these people,” he said. “So I contacted four publishers, and they all turned the idea down. And the final one was accepted enthusiastically. And they've been printing all my books since.”

A native of the Rochester area with roots in the suburbs, including Brighton and Spencerport, Van Dussen has had to pick up and move many times as a minister of 39 years, landing in Batavia three separate times, currently living in the east part of town with wife Jackie. He has also been district superintendent for the 54 regional churches and has been an adjunct professor of worship and Celtic spirituality at Roberts Wesleyan and Irish and American history at Brockport State College.

A rather prolific writer, the 76-year-old has completed seven books with plans for more, even if it means obtaining help through Parkinson’s, a diagnosis he received in 2021.

Any outsider paying attention to the trials of circuit riders — bands of preachers traveling around in the crudest of conditions in the early pioneer days braving the elements of weather, poverty, their fellow man, wild animals and disease — can’t help but see a hint of similarity in the author’s own struggle with an illness that he admits has tested his spirits.

He was assisted with Volume 3 of “Circuit Rider Devotions” by a friend and editor, Duane W. Priset. He is receiving physical, occupational, and voice therapies, enduring time spent at home versus going out into the community in his usual affable way and traveling right now. But as any true circuit rider would have testified, Van Dussen is carrying forth his mission.

“I felt there was a message to get out,” he said. “It’s fulfilling a purpose in my life.”

In the foreword, Priset says that Van Dussen brings the reader “head-to-head and heart-to-heart” with widely-known and lesser-known evangelists, pioneer preachers and their spouses, local pastors, lifelong learners, founders, journalists, editors, bishops, university presidents, theologians, hymnists, and missionaries who, in diverse ways and settings, “refreshed the lives of the people throughout the vast and developing countryside of early North America.”

There are 366 entries, many of them about women — a fact that Van Dussen thought may surprise people, especially given the rough and tumble existence of a circuit rider. But women braved the adversities for Jesus Christ just as much as men did, he said. 

There was Julia A.J. Foote, for example, who was not only a woman but an African American, which added another layer of danger and complexity to her task. As with each entry, this one begins with a piece of scripture: "In peace, I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8.

Van Dussen explains that some people encouraged Foote “on the road of discovery and growth,” as others who often unknowingly sought to block her journey. One group seemed to hold her back, yet, ultimately made her stronger while the other pulled her forward, supplying her with a vision of what God could accomplish through her, he said. 

At one point, she shared her first attempts.

“To the glory of God, some did believe and were saved, but many were too wise to be taught by a child — too good to be made better. From this time, many, who had been my warmest friends, and seemed to think me a Christian, turned against me, saying I didn’t know what I was talking about — that there was no such thing as sanctification and holiness in this life — and that the devil had deluded me into self-righteousness. Many of them fought holiness with more zeal and vigor than they did sin.”

Anyone who has enjoyed a “mountain top” encounter with God knows how difficult it can be to relate to someone who has not experienced that, Van Dussen writes. Add to that the understandable incredulity so many have regarding a radical transformation of character, and the skepticism that surfaces when someone young speaks words of wisdom, and you can see what this young woman was up against.”

“Yet when we look at relevant scriptures and read the faith and wisdom in her words, we also can feel the power of her testimony, and rejoice with her,” he writes. 

That passage ends with a small prayer in a soothing, formulaic set-up for each entry. 

Lord, take away from me both undue skepticism and gullibility as I hear people use words to convey that which is beyond words. Keep before me the truth in scripture and the teaching of your spirit, and grant me your life-giving wisdom as I seek to understand and teach in your church and anywhere else you lead me. Let me read in you, and bring peace wherever I go.

And one by one, stories are told, messages shared, prayers recited and scriptures put to practical use through the real lives of people like Julia Foote.  Van Dussen set it up that way to be “manageable chunks" of about a page or page and a half long.

“So that makes it easy for people to get into,” he said. “And I could dig out some of the most interesting parts of what they wrote or what they did, without trying to write full-scale biographies. This book is between the different groups of Methodists. So you might have a Free Methodist, Wesleyan and African Methodist, Episcopal, Canadian residents, whatever, and in the big Methodist church here, and might think they’re all separate and distinct, but they’re also very similar. So this tends to bring the family together, so to speak.”

Those riders would travel 20 miles per day for six to eight weeks at a time in one-year blocks across Canada and the United States, spreading a message, recruiting folks, and opening up Methodist churches. The system was “painfully difficult at times, and tremendously rewarding at other times, he said, while being “very effective in getting the word out and capturing their purpose.”

They developed ways to have connections with one another during the lonely stints on the road, including hosting camp meetings. The closest ones to this area were in a forest in Bergen, with some 16,000 people attending between the years 1850 and 1870, he said. 

Those meetings were rivaled as one of the biggest events only by a camp in the back woods of Kentucky, with no bathroom or cooking facilities, he said. That one drew from 20,000 to 40,000 people, and evoked “a lot of emotional response to the preaching.”

Why brave the real dangers of predatory animals and a conflict with native Indians and diseases such as the cholera epidemic of the early 1830s in the Wild West? It was a matter of faith and Biblical principles.

“They were very evangelistic. So they really felt that it was important to get the word out to everybody they could,” he said. “There were some others that were the Baptists were similar in that respect. And that's probably why in the 19th century, the Baptists and the Methodists were rivals to be the largest churches of the country.”

He cited examples of people who stick out in his mind for their impact, including Peter Cartwright, a circuit rider who stayed in a tavern one night when nothing else was available. A woman asked him to dance, and he agreed as long she would pray with him. On their knees, they prayed, and he was “so effective in marshaling the attention of that crowd, that the next day they formed the first Methodist church of that town of 31 people,” Van Dussen said. 

He obviously has a command of the material, citing the various real-life characters and situations throughout the book. He also has a passion for the craft, as he plans to pursue his next writing project and navigates the hurdles before him.

“We're pretty active, and I'm very active. And I think I've had to give up, at least temporarily. It’s hard. I can't get to church. I can't get to the coffee shop in the morning. I can't go to somebody's house. I haven't been out of this house since I got back from the hospital in the fall, late summer, August,” he said in his gentle whisper of a voice. “However, I'm determined to progress from this in a positive direction. I was actually in hospice care for a short time this fall, and I graduated from there or flunked out of the program. They said, ‘you’re making way too much progress to stay in our program.’”

He is moving onward to his next book about the relationships between the book characters and how they worked to help, teach and inspire one another. Despite their meager lifestyles while on the road, many of these people were brilliant and accomplished later on, having knowledge and insight to share, he said. 

His books are available at the Holland Land Office Museum and Amazon.com.

In his review of Van Dussen’s latest book, Elba author Bill Kauffman describes it as “a beautifully written and lovingly conceived daily devotional for ministers — though laypeople will also find it richly rewarding.” 

“I tried to bridge the general reader and the academic reader,” Van Dussen said. “People tell me that I lean more to the academic, and it's really true … but I have found that lots of people are able to grapple with this material and enjoy it.”

Press Release:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) today introduced the Unborn Child Support Act to enable expecting mothers to receive child support payments during pregnancy.

Additional cosponsors of the legislation include U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and U.S. Representatives Jim Banks (R-IN-03), Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), Ben Cline (R-VA-06), Bob Good (R-VA-05), Clay Higgins (R-LA-03), Nick Langworthy (R-NY-23), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13) and John Moolenaar (R-MI-02).

Specifically, this bill allows the courts, in consultation with the mother, to grant child support payments during the prenatal period, extending retroactively to the physician-determined point of conception. Additionally, it provides flexibility for mothers who seek to avoid the involvement of the father by offering discretion as to whether those mothers receive child support.

“Every human life is important, and expecting mothers should have the physical, emotional, and financial support they need to reflect that,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “The Unborn Child Support Act provides mothers with the opportunity to access child support payments during pregnancy while giving them the flexibility to deny these payments, should they choose. I am honored to lead this bicameral legislation in the House and will continue to work to ensure mothers and their unborn children have the support they deserve from conception.”

“New mothers and unborn children deserve care from conception, and child support should reflect this. Modifying child support laws to allow pregnant mothers to receive it is commonsense and long overdue,” said Senator Cramer. “Instead of imposing mandates, our bill empowers mothers by giving them the choice to receive pre-natal child support. Now, more than ever, there is a greater responsibility for Congress to pass legislation to protect and support mothers and children.”