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New Cases

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received four new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 161 positive cases.
    • Two of the positive cases reside in Batavia, one resides in Bethany, and one resides in Alabama.
    • Two individuals are in their 30s, one individual is in their 40s, and one individual is in their 50s.
    • Three of the newly positive individuals were on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Two of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Five of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
  • Orleans County received 15 new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 124 positive cases.
    • One of the new positive cases resides in Yates, one resides in Shelby, one resides in Albion, one resides in Gaines and one of the new positive cases resides in Kendall.
    • Ten positive cases reside at The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center.
    • The newly positive cases has two individuals in their 30s, one individual in their 50s, four individuals in their 60s, three individuals in their 70s, five individuals in their 80s, and one individual in their 90s.
    • One of the community newly positive individuals was on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Eight of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
    • “We are reporting that an individual (over 65 years of age and who had underlying health conditions) who lived in the community, who had tested positive for COVID-19 has passed away,” said Paul Pettit, director of the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments. “We have also had an individual who lived in The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center pass away. Due to privacy issues, we are not releasing further details about either of these individuals. I would like to express my sincerest sympathy for these individuals’ family and friends.”

Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans counties' online map of confirmed cases.

Mary Sage, a longtime nurse at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia with two “retirement” dates on her resume, said she didn’t blink an eye when hospital officials summoned her back into duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They called me out of the blue. I didn’t expect it but I never hesitated. I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll come back; not a problem,’ ” Sage said today during a Zoom videoconference set up by the Rochester Regional Health public information department.

Sage has been assigned to the medical surgery floor, located on the second floor’s new wing, and is taking care of a variety of patients, including those infected with the coronavirus.

She said she is tapping into her vast experience and knowledge gained over 30 years in the profession to provide just what is needed during what she calls a “very frightening” time.

“I am a better nurse today and a better person today because I’m older (she’s 72) and as you age, you certainly get wiser,” Sage said. “I’ve had to take care of a sick husband, I’ve been a patient myself, and I do believe that makes me a better nurse …”

She said that she has dealt with all kinds of illness, but nothing like the coronavirus that has swept through the world.

“I had a patient last week who they all of a sudden put her on COVID restrictions. It’s very frightening for them. I didn’t hesitate. I garbed up and did what I do,” she said. “But I realized very quickly that the patients are very frightened because they don’t understand what’s happening. You have to go through a lot of explanation – there’s a lot of testing, a lot of this and a lot of that. We have to garb, they have to put the mask on – and it’s just very frightening. But I think with a lot of reassurance, they get through it.”

Sage, who has held several positions at UMMC including supervisory roles, said she recalled the time many years ago when an infection control specialist came to the hospital and taught the nursing staff about pandemics.

“We kind of laughed, but I’m not laughing today … this is the real deal. It’s scary for everybody,” she said, adding that the woman patient with the virus was retested and fortunately the results came back negative.

Since coming back for another stint at UMMC, Sage said that learning the computer has been a “big-time change but it has been fun.”

“I understand that we’re in the information age, however I am a bedside nurse,” she said proudly. “You come into this facility and I’m going to take care of you. So, for me, the computer is secondary but it’s still important. Nursing at the bedside and taking care of your every need is more important to me.”

Sage, who also has volunteered in the surgical waiting area at UMMC since 2011 – racking up 728 volunteer hours through 2019, said she is currently working on a per diem basis. She retired as a full-time nurse for the first time in 2010 and then again in 2016.

“I have been working a couple days since I came back trying to gear up – orientation, learning the computer, getting back in gear,” she said. “It just depends … if we have another surge in the fall, I may work sporadically through the summer and come back in the fall – and I’m perfectly willing to do that.”

Her willingness to jump back into the fray exemplifies the caring nature of nurses and casts a bright light on the profession, which is celebrating National Nurses Week through May 12^th, which happens to be the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

“I remember that when I was very young, this was something I always wanted to do,” said Sage, who grew up in Wyoming County and now lives in Clarence. “Unfortunately, … my parents didn’t see education as very important in those days. But I was still determined. I worked for a year, I saved my money and came to Catherine McAuley School of Practical Nursing here in Batavia that was associated with St. Jerome Hospital. That’s where I got my initial training – in 1967.”

A graduate of Genesee Community College and Daemen College in Buffalo, Sage explained just how far nursing has progressed.

“We carried our meds on a little tray, we gave enemas and passed a few aspirin. The doctors did everything else. When the physicians came into the nurses’ station, you stood up and gave them your chair,” she said. “The information age has certainly enhanced nursing, but once you’re a bedside nurse, you’re always a bedside nurse."

Sage said as she matured she “changed her MO” as far as taking care of patients – shedding a task-oriented approach – and finding satisfaction in knowing she is helping another person.

“I probably would have come back here for nothing because I like doing what I’m doing,” she said. “… that’s what I love the most, that I can go into a patient’s room, I need some basic information and pick up right away. That’s what I care about the most.”

Her children have followed her into the medical field.

Daughter, Barbara, an Elba resident, is a registered nurse at UMMC in charge of the surgical associates’ office, and her son, Jeff, whose home in Akron is not far from his mom’s house, is an athletic trainer at Daemen College in Buffalo.

Asked if it was a good thing that her son is nearby, Sage said it usually is but not at the moment because of the social distancing mandates.

“I can’t see the grandkids right now, so on my way home I’m going to stop and do a dance outside their window,” she said, noting she also enjoys gardening. “You gotta keep moving.”

Photos at top: Mary Sage, taken while speaking via Zoom videoconferencing service earlier today with Stacey Pastuszynski of Rochester Regional Health public information office in background; Sage, second from left, on the UMMC medical surgical floor; Sage and her nursing colleagues.

Joshua Stanley Martaus, 36, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 7th degree. At 3:07 p.m. on May 5, a motor vehicle was stopped on Route 33 in the Town of Batavia following the alleged observation of a vehicle and traffic violation. The operator, Darlene Martaus, was driving while her privilege to do so is allegedly suspended in New York. Her passenger, Joshua Martaus, allegedly possessed crack cocaine at the time. Both were issued tickets to appear in Town of Batavia Court on June 8. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Deputy Andrew Mullen.

David E. Brege Jr., 33, of West Center Street, Medina, was arrested May 5 by the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force. He is charged with: unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation; and possession of a hypodermic instrument, a misdemeanor. His arrest followed a complaint investigated by the City of Batavia Police Department wherein he was allegedly found in possession of marijuana and hypodermic needles on West Main Street in Batavia. Brege was issued a computer-generated appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court at a later date. Additional charges are possible pending results from the Monroe County Crime Lab. In addition to city police, this investigation was assisted by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and the Genesee County District Attorney's Office.

Genesee County legislators are making it clear to their constituents that there is “no joy in Mudville” after having to strike out previously approved revenue distribution payments to towns and villages due to the financial devastation caused by COVID-19.

The Ways & Means Committee today, via Zoom videoconferencing, supported a new resolution that immediately rescinds measures passed in 2018 and 2019 that authorized the county treasurer to make annual payments – in quarterly amounts – to the towns and villages.

It will now be forwarded to the full legislature for voting, likely at its May 13^th meeting.

“The members of the legislature do not take this move lightly,” Committee Chair Marianne Clattenburg said. “These circumstances are really something that nobody could have foreseen. Hopefully, they’ll be limited in scope and we’ll get through this and we won’t have a go-around again, but we don’t even know if that’s the case right now.”

Clattenburg emphasized that legislators will stay in contact with town and village officials, adding that “when we are able to get back to them with some more revenue sharing, we will certainly have those conversations.”

The resolution refers to the sacrifices the county has had to make through this crisis, including: the elimination of multiple capital projects and asset acquisitions; instituting a hiring freeze; furloughing many (currently 48) employees; and cutting contracts and agreements with outside agencies.

Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein said they have no choice but to stop the payments until further notice in light of the uncertainty surrounding any aid from the federal or state government.

“Our responsibility is to stay abreast of the situation of where the revenue is coming from,” she said. “The county treasurer has been authorized to make these payments without any further action from the county legislature, and that is the purpose for rescinding these – to remove that authority from the treasurer. We understand that the COVID impact could be with us until 2024 and I think that we’re being generous with that timeframe right now.”

County Manager Jay Gsell cited a report released today by the New York State Association of Counties that, he says, points to “very severe and drastic prospects in the loss of sales tax and state aid.”

The report, Gsell said, predicts that Genesee County could lose from $4.2 million to $9.9 million in sales tax and from $3.3 million to $8.4 million in state aid depending upon the gravity of the economic condition at the state level.

“This is truly not a good 'new normal' but it is something we’re going to have to deal with,” Gsell said. “One of the small glimmers may or may not be federal stimulus 4.0. The U.S. Congress and the President effectuating what we know at the moment does include resources for state, counties, cities, towns and villages -- and that our state senators are solidly behind -- (would help to alleviate the local situation).”

Legislators John Hilchey and John Deleo agreed with the latest action.

“In light of the pandemic now, we can’t fulfill our obligations to those two resolutions of 2018 and 2019 and this gives us a chance to reset with us rescinding until further notice,” Hilchey said. “It’s something we have to do to get out from the obligations of those prior resolutions.”

Deleo said dealing with the potential cuts along with state mandates is discouraging.

“The thing is, we’ve always been very thrifty and frugal, and this is definitely unforeseen and this is going to hurt,” he said. “Now to have this thrusted upon us. With all the mandates that New York State kept throwing on us and now they’re going to cut even more, this is going to be one hell of a ride.”

Clattenburg said that municipalities have entered an “age of austerity … that needs to be across every level of government.”

“I think it needs to be in school districts, our towns and villages and in city budget. The recognition (must be realized) that for a lot of people life has changed dramatically. People are losing jobs and they might not get back those same jobs.”

For Stein, it’s a matter of the legislature living up to its obligations in the most effective fashion.

“We are sharing everything we that we know and being honest and transparent,” she said. “Our responsibility in the county is to provide public health and public safety and emergency operations here, and we are taking care of those responsibilities on behalf of the entire population and communities of Genesee County.”

Daily Briefing:

New Cases

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received three new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 157 positive cases.
    • Two of the positive cases reside in Pembroke and one resides in Batavia.
    • One individual is in their 20s and two of the individuals are in their 30s.
    • Two of the newly positive individuals were on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Zero of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Five of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
    • We have removed a "positive / recovered" individual that was determined to be a false-positive result. Therefore, the total positive case number will be one less and has been adjusted in our data. No further information will be shared.
  • Orleans County received four new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 109 positive cases.
    • Two of the new positive cases reside in Ridgeway and one of the new positive cases resides in Shelby.
    • One positive case resides at The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center.
    • The newly positive cases has one individual in their 40s, two individuals in their 50s and one individual in their 80s and older.
    • None of the community newly positive individuals were on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Eight of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
    • We have also received word of another death of an individual who lived at The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center. Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this individual at this very sad time.

Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans counties' online map of confirmed cases.

Looking to cut through the red tape, the New York State Department of Labor is starting what Commissioner Roberta Reardon terms a “streamlined process” to allow those who missed unemployment benefits because the certification process was not completed.

Reardon, addressing the news media by telephone this afternoon, said the agency is taking steps to get benefits to nearly a half million New York residents who failed to submit the federally mandated certifications along with the applications.

“Today, I am announcing that we will be launching a streamlined process for New Yorkers to submit previous week certifications online,” she said. “As part of this new process, we will directly email New Yorkers with missing certification from previous weeks to inform them of the situation and we will include in that email a secure form that they can use to submit their information – which we will verify, process and pay.”

The commissioner said the DOL has identified more than 470,000 New Yorkers with “completed, processed and payable unemployment benefit applications who did not submit certifications in previous weeks, effectively leaving their money on the table.”

This amounted to more than 697,000 missed certifications, she said, that, if received, would have totaled approximately $480 million in benefits.

“No one should miss out on their benefits because of red tape, including these federally mandated weekly certifications,” she said.

Reardon said the agency previously emailed 90,000 New Yorkers who had completed and processed claims but did not received funds due to an accompanying certification. Those with no email address would receive a phone call or, as a last resort, a letter in the mail.

She said that going forward, the fastest way to file is online by going to www.labor.ny.gov/signin.

Reardon also said the DOL will be releasing a “fact sheet” to inform people of their claim status.

“Many people have seen 'pending' as their status for far too long and I understand the anxiety that this can cause,” she said. “When you don’t know where you are in the process or why you are there, you feel powerless. This new resource will outline the main reasons why someone’s claim may be pending, so you can have a better sense of the work we are doing to process your application.”

Statistically, more than 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance since the COVID-19 crisis began, including 1.6 million New Yorkers, Reardon said. As of today, the NYS DOL has paid $5.8 billion in unemployment benefits as a result of the pandemic.

“For context, we paid out $2.14 billion in unemployment benefits during the entirety of 2019,” she said. “That means in just two months we have paid out nearly three times the total level of benefits that we paid all last year.”

For nearly eight weeks, the nation’s economy has been ravaged by the coronavirus, making the phrase “business as usual” a thing of the past, at least for the foreseeable future.

Governmental leaders are facing momentous decisions pertaining to expenditures -- weighing what is absolutely necessary against what can wait until the smoke clears.

And business sectors such as furniture, gasoline, clothing, sporting goods, department stores and food service are experiencing sales decreases of 25 percent and more.

As New York State inches closer to the first of four phases to reopen the economy, The Batavian reached out to Genesee County Manager Jay Gsell today with five important questions – a “Q&A with Jay,” if you will – to provide readers with the current state of affairs at the local level.

What is Genesee County doing to prepare for town and village reopening?

The towns and villages and city and county are under the same general 50/50 essential workforce everybody else is pretty much either working from home or at home and so we've been working on that basis. Certain parts of our workforce and some of the other communities like the City and the Village of Le Roy, we have law enforcement and those kind of things, our health department and our EMS department. None of them have been, quote, unquote, not working.

Overall, the goal was to have the 50/50 proposition almost right out of the gate as far as the state was concerned. We've all been following that. Now, as we're starting to prepare for May 15th, every Saturday morning we have a conference call with all of the local elected officials, the City, towns and villages, county legislators and (Assistant Manager) Matt (Landers) and myself, (Health Director) Paul Pettit and (Emergency Management Services Coordinator) Tim Yaeger to just get a status report on what's going on. That's starting to focus on what kind of return to work guidance is there. It really doesn't seem to differ except for those of us who have highway departments because we can bring them back now anyway because they're considered both essential and also construction activity kind of projects.

Our county highway department came back full force this week, our facilities management people also -- half of them were staying home, week on week off -- the towns and villages and City are starting to look at changing that also and again following all the protocol. So that's why all of our conference calls on Saturday start with the public health director and with the emergency management people -- Do they need resources? Do they need masks and face coverings? Do they need PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and gloves and things like that? We try to do what we can to get that stuff in their hands -- distributing massive quantities of that kind of stuff to the extent that it's available.

And we also have to follow all the state guidelines with regard to social distancing, protective equipment, washing hands, not touching face. Even as we start to bring and plan for our office people and DSS (Department of Social Services) and Mental Health people, starting to bring them back in much greater numbers, we all have to have a plan to protect them and to deal with our clients and the customers.

At this point (furloughed employees) will not return for the first 30 days -- and that's presuming that May 15th is the date. Even the recovery restart, even in a region like Finger Lakes, could take upwards of a month just to get through the phases that they've outlined as to which businesses can or can't come back. We are putting together our internal plan ... for both our workforce and the public will deal with each other going forward.

How is Genesee County supporting the work of the City, neighboring counties?

I have daily conversations with (City Manager) Marty Moore and our department people communicate with each other – Human Resources, assistant county and assistant city manager, people like that -- and also with the counties and the whole statewide association, NYSAC (New York State Association of Counties), which has been very engaged. There's at least one or two or sometimes three phone calls a week with regard to what the rest of us are doing.

Sharing plans, sharing information -- we do that ad nauseum. It's not academia so plagiarism is not really a concern. If somebody's got a good plan, we just do it -- take from each other and those kind of things. So, we've been doing that consistently right from the get-go. Our friends from NYSAC from a statewide standpoint and us have interacted and interfaced with the governor's office and his executive staff that are out at this end of the state ... and in Albany, there's a daily COVID-19 conference call and it's been that way for the last five or six weeks.

That gives us information but also allows us to ask questions -- could you check this out and could you dispel this myth? -- things of that nature. When we get clarity, we pass that on to others of us who are of that (mindset) "inquiring minds want to know."

As specifically as possible, what is the fiscal impact of the pandemic upon Genesee County?

That's a really big unknown ... Right now, it has been suggested by our NYSAC colleagues that we can see anywhere from a 5 to a 25 percent reduction in sales tax, starting probably in the reporting period that covers the month of April going forward, but we don't know that yet. So, that could be anywhere from $3.6 million to $11 million in potential lost revenue just in 2020 in the county for sales tax.

Then we've lost DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) revenue -- already probably about $80,000 of what we get to keep from the hundreds of thousands of dollars that we normally process on a monthly basis just in the first three months since this started. Mental Health has lost about $96,000 in billable hours of service. Now, they're still doing tele-health and in some emergency cases, they're still dealing directly with clients, but there has been a significant loss as far as contact, in terms of therapies and other things that, again, has been quantified to the tune of about $96,000 year to date from March 1st.

Same thing, I know the county treasurer in regard to what he has invested. There have obviously been lost earning opportunities with our investment portfolio through the three+one program that (County Treasurer) Scott (German) has been using for the past couple years. And there are other fees and charges such as health department fees for events like the Rotary pancake breakfast where charges for permits are incurred. Events that have been cancelled will mean a loss of revenue there; we haven't quantified that yet because really the start hasn't happened.

Even park reservations -- that's a really big thing. We'd like to think that after May 15th we'll see some pick up there, but again with all the conditions and the protocols, it will not likely be what it's been in years past as far as the number of reservations and the finances that go with that.

How is Genesee County bracing for cuts in revenue and state reimbursement?

We have put on hold or rolled over to another year probably about a million dollars’ worth in the county highway department, basically capital projects and activities that (County Highway Director) Tim (Hens) and company were going to be engaged in during this 2020 calendar year.

The uncertainty there -- in addition to that and including some airport construction -- is how much of the CHIPS (Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program) funding and the extreme weather funding that was in the New York State budget that was adopted on April 1^st, how much if any of that gets reduced when the governor and the budget director come out -- probably this week -- with their first hit. Loss of state revenue means loss of state aid to everybody else. That's a really big unknown.

Plus, we’ve got 48 people approximately on furlough and we have another 44 positions on the strategic hiring freeze; together those things represent about $200,000 a month in expenses we're not incurring. And we're also looking at what else we can do to rein in other expenses.

It's on multiple fronts and this is just to get through the next 30, 60, 90 days. Then when we start putting together a 2021 budget, things may carry on from here right into that process and throughout that year.

How important is the need for federal funding for Genesee and other counties in New York State?

That's for all local governments because there is a palpable loss of revenue. The way that the (federal stimulus) 4.0 is apparently being structured, there will be the opportunity for New York State county governments, city governments, and town and village governments who are not part of the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) entitlement program in this next round of stimulus funding to actually receive direct aid -- not going through the State of New York, but direct aid because of the fed stim 4.

So, what that could mean, obviously is, to a certain extent based on the figures we just talked about, some part of those would be potentially backdropped (to local governments) by virtue of this federal stimulus money. The problem is ... we have a range of options. You can go from just getting a crew cut in terms of revenue loss to a literal beheading -- and right now the beheading looks a lot more probable than the crew cut with regard to state aid, state reimbursement, loss of sales tax and what may or may not be coming out of the federal stimulus program. That's something that hopefully we will know by the end of the month of May.

But even today as you look at the back and forth between the federal government and the House versus the Senate, and in some cases, the governors, it's very partisan and quite ugly with regard as to where do we fit in to what is supposed to be a revenue replacement program coming out of fed stim 4.

To summarize, there are significant cautions and concerns out there, and there are a few opportunities and hopeful horizons. We are planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

A 51-year-old Rochester man was arrested Monday on drug charges following a traffic stop on Route 98 in Batavia by members of the Local Drug Task Force.

Roy L. Watson is charged with:

• Criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd;
• Criminal possession of a controlled substance, 4th;
• Driver's view obstructed;
• Unauthorized sticker;
• Possession of an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Watson was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine.

Following arraignment in Batavia City Court, Watson was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

The Drug Task Force was assisted by State Police, the Sheriff's Office, Deputy Chris Erion and K-9 "Frankie," and the District Attorney's Office.

The Batavia City School District Board of Education tonight postponed adopting the 2020-21 budget for two weeks in anticipation of receiving word from Albany on the amount of state aid it will receive.

Over the past few weeks, district officials have had to take drastic measures to close a $1.6 million budget gap, most notably the elimination of about 30 jobs across the district. They still were about $47,000 short of reaching what is a “negative” tax cap (minus .38 percent) before making some more changes earlier today.

Those adjustments determined the tenure status of five elementary teachers who also are certified to teach reading, at a cost of $130,382, and scaled back three BOCES programs – alternative education, Instructional Support Services and model schools -- resulting in a savings of $177,649.

This enabled the district to hit the desired target, which unfortunately has been a moving target. However, with the state aid situation in flux, further financial modifications may have to be made.

Subsequently, Business Administrator Scott Rozanski recommended that the board wait until news of additional state aid adjustments and call another meeting to adopt the $51.4 million budget on May 19, two days before the deadline.

Board President Patrick Burk, mindful that district residents and media were watching the proceedings, explained how the board has reached this point.

“The current budget shows the decrease in state aid … through the budget that has been proposed to the state, which is $453,327, on top of the flat expenditure from the governor’s budget, and we have had a couple of questions that can be explained a little bit further,” he said.

Burk said the board was informed that the district would be getting an increase of $800,000 in state aid, based on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s first abstract of the budget.

“Since then … state aid is actually minus $453,327 as opposed to a plus $800,000,” he said. “On top of that, we were working with an unknown tax cap that, rightly or wrongly, the assumption in the past has at least given us some leeway in letting us raise some increase in taxation, although in our past years, it’s been relatively modest.”

He added that by the time the district’s tax cap was determined, the board “realized we were at a negative tax cap, and there goes some revenue that could possibly have been raised through the tax cap – and we ended up with a minus between $7,500 and $8,000 tax cap.”

Burk said he expects further state aid reductions that will affect the 2019-20 district budget – the first of the state’s four specified “measurement periods” is set for this month – but has not received word if any current year reductions would carry over to 2020-21. Any cuts in 2019-20 state aid would have to be made up by tapping into reserves, he said.

After that, Burk recommended that the board push the budget adoption meeting to May 19 “so we can know what the reduction will be for the current year and whether or not that is going to impact the 2020-21 year.”

His suggestion was accepted by the board.

Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. said he agreed with the decision, adding that conversations are taking place with state education officials this week, which leads him to believe actual monetary amounts will be revealed soon.

He also mentioned the “political posturing” that is going on between the governor and President Trump in regard to the possibility of a federal stimulus bill to support states and localities.

“The hope is that we get something, but I just want everyone to be reminded that when the new budget was proposed, there was already a pandemic adjustment line in there that literally washed itself out … if we do get a bailout, I don’t necessarily think it will help us, I hope it will,” Soler said. “But I think they already have preplanned a lot of this stuff and we’re caught in some of that political posturing that goes on.”

In other developments:

-- The board tabled decisions on a $618,000 capital project to construct an age-appropriate playground at Jackson Primary School and a singular $100,000 capital outlay project at either Jackson, Batavia High School or Batavia Middle School.

Burk said that the current playground at Jackson is for intermediate or elementary pupils, not primary, and that capital project funds can't be transferred into the general fund.

Rozanski said that the capital outlay proposal comes with a 90 percent aid appropriation, reducing the district’s final cost to $10,000. He also noted that the capital outlay program, in its fifth year, identifies one location and is completed by a general contractor.

Eventually, the board will decide on one of these three options:

-- Jackson Primary: New restroom in the gymnasium;
-- Batavia High: New stage floor and new clocks;
-- Batavia Middle: Exterior doors and landscaping.

-- The board did approve taking $55,720 from the district’s repair reserve fund (which was at $173,782) to replace the gymnasium floor at the high school, a move that followed a public hearing at which no public comments were submitted.

Rozanski said the work will level the gym floor and eliminate the “dead spots.”

-- Burk said the budget vote and school board election will be done totally by a mail-in ballot, with postage paid envelopes to be mailed to district residents after May 19^th and before June 9^th.

Burk said it will cost $1.16 for every ballot – possibly as much as $32,000 total – since law prohibits electronic balloting. He said that the Richmond Memorial Library ballots will be included with the school’s ballots.

The board meeting took place via videoconference on the board’s website YouTube channel -- www.bataviacsd.org.

Daily Briefing:

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19. for a total of 155 positive cases.
    • The positive case resides in Darien.
    • The positive case is in their 80s.
    • The newly positive individual was not on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Three of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Five of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received three new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 105 positive cases.
  • The three positive cases reside at The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center.
  • The newly positive cases has one individual in their 70’s and one individual in their 80’s and one individual in their 90s and older.
  • Six of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.

Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans counties online map of confirmed cases.

The local public health director on Monday said he is a bit wary about how Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s regional approach to reopening the economy will affect Genesee County.

“I do have some concerns around the regional approach here as we’re going to be able to move forward and (or) get stuck on pause based on what our entire region (Finger Lakes) does, and if you look at the metrics, it’s going to be driven by data,” said Paul Pettit, director of the Genesee and Orleans Health Departments.

Speaking at the Human Services Committee meeting of the Genesee County Legislature, Pettit said the region is “lining up a little bit more now” with the hospitalization rates that are part of the equation leading toward increased business activity.

“It’s based on 100,000 residents, so look at our Finger Lakes Region,” he said. “I think we’re around 1.3 million, maybe a little less, and we have to meet certain data points.”

On Monday, the governor stated that the Finger Lakes Region meets five of the seven metrics needed to reopen safely: decline in hospitalizations; decline in hospital deaths; new hospitalizations; percentage of hospital beds available; and percentage of ICU beds available.

The region does not meet requirements dealing with the number of residents tested monthly and the number of contract tracers, the governor said.

Pettit acknowledged that the governor's latest press conference provided more clarity in his four-phase approach to reopening by sharing the “different metrics we need to go through in order to progress.”

“We’ve been asking for weeks now exactly what this is going to look like, so it’s starting to shape up a little bit,” he said.

He said the county’s plan is to send information to businesses and other organizations with some guidance so, “hopefully when we get to Phase 1 here and we get to launch on May 15^th – which we’re optimistic will happen – all of our essential businesses that will be added in, mainly around construction, manufacturing and some retailers, etc., will be ready to go.”

County Manager Jay Gsell indicated that the Finger Lakes Region is one of the five regions that on May 15^th will be able to enter Phase 1.

“If our metrics and our data still continue to look positive, we should be able to look at the phasing of reopening of the Finger Lakes Region, which Genesee County is part of. That’s one small sliver of good news, at least this afternoon around 4:25,” he said.

Pettit was asked about antibody testing in Genesee County, and said that it is not widely available in this region.

“Unfortunately, just like the testing, we seem to be lagging behind,” he said. “We are getting some results in from antibody testing. We have not had anybody as of last Friday that had shown they had antibodies. There are some Genesee County residents that have been tested (for antibodies) at random sites the state has or health care workers.”

He said antibody testing reveals a “level of exposure to the virus … helping us understand how much of our community has been exposed, but it doesn’t really tell us much beyond that about protection and immunity … it’s still too new.”

The Human Services Committee passed a resolution accepting an additional $4,726 in funding from the New York Department of Health to cover increased workload costs in connection with early intervention administration as it pertains to referrals of children showing signs of lead poisoning.

In other developments, the committee voted in favor of four contracts pertaining to the Office for the Aging:

-- Increasing the amount of an agreement with ARC of Genesee Orleans by $40,000 for meal service preparation as demand has risen due to COVID-19. The original amount for the period of July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 was $223,927.

Office for the Aging Director Diana Fox said the additional expense is covered by federal stimulus funds and other funding streams that were directed to the agency. She also said that serving congregate meals has given way to home-delivered meals at this time.

-- Extending an agreement with the National Council on Aging Inc., to provide Aging in Mastery Program sessions through the end of the year -- beyond the previously approved May 2020.

The program offers interactive classes for adults 55 and older that promote behaviors that improve health, economic security, self-esteem and social activity.

-- Renewing a RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) grant of $47,500 through March 31, 2021 from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The grant, which was included in the 2020 county budget, enables the agency to utilize the network of local volunteers to assist older citizens in various areas, including coping skills, veterans’ support, environmental stewardship, reducing food insecurity, emergency preparedness and opioid awareness.

-- Renewing a contract with Willcare Inc., to oversee consumer-directed in-home services from June 1, 2020 through May 31, 2021 at hourly rates ranging from $20.51 to $23.11 per hour, for a total not to exceed $25,792 for the specified year.

Under this plan, the control of homecare services is shifted from homecare agencies – which in many cases are unable to accommodate all requests -- to the consumer (or representative) for budgeting, care planning, decision-making and arranging for services and staffing.

Looking to literally buy some time while waiting to see if another round of federal stimulus funding transpires, the Genesee County Legislature’s Human Services Committee today tabled a pair of resolutions connected to Mercy Flight and the Genesee County Fair.

After hearing reports from Michael Gugliuzza, director of medical operations for Mercy Flight, and Amanda Gallo of the Genesee County Ag Society that touched upon lower revenues and uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 Pandemic, respectively, committee members voted to hold off on contracts that specified the amount of the county’s financial support for the two agencies.

The resolution for Mercy Flight funding calls for the county to contribute $12,825 to back air medical transfer service in the county for 2020. That amount is the same as what was provided in 2019.

The resolution for the Ag Society has the county’s sponsorship of 4-H Judging and Premiums during the 2020 Genesee County Fair at $11,000, which also mirrors last year’s support.

County Manager Jay Gsell informed the committee that Mercy EMS did receive money for Personal Protection Equipment and from the first round of federal stimulus because of its combined operations (ground and air service), but that wasn’t enough to make up for a drop-off in activity.

“You heard Mike talking about what the ground service and flight service have been experiencing – about a 40 percent drop in their actual service calls, and that’s really since the beginning of this year,” Gsell said. “They’re moving through it with regard to both the commitment that they have and obviously their significant presence here in the county, both at the County Airport and at Gateway II across Route 98 from the original county industrial park.”

The Genesee County Fair currently is scheduled for July 25-August 1, but those dates aren’t etched in stone due to the coronavirus and its impact upon the local business community.

“Once they have a fair date for certain, (funding is done) on a reimbursement basis – once the judging occurs,” Gsell said. “If they have it and they do the judging, then we make the payment based on the invoices, so we have a little bit of time there.”

Committee Chair Andrew Young, noting the lack of revenue and other factors, asked if this is something “that we can hold off on until we understand what’s going on with our revenue?”

To which Gsell responded: “We’d like to think that between the governor and Mr. (Robert) Mujica (Jr., NYS budget director) that they’ll fairly soon start telling us what they’re going to be doing with the state budget … and then we start looking at what that means to us in terms of general state aid and obviously sales tax – with sales tax being the really big driver.”

Gsell also said he hoped that another federal stimulus bill provides money to fund state and local governments by the end of the month, which would mean “another trillion-plus dollars is put into play across the country.”

Committee members Gregg Torrey and John Deleo along with alternate member Gordon Dibble joined Young in voting to table the resolutions, which likely will be placed on the group’s June 1 meeting agenda.

“We will wade through this,” Young said. “The funding through the next stimulus bill is really the wild card. I don’t know that we have a lot of other good news to look forward to … if it doesn’t happen, we’ll have to deal with it.”

Daily Briefing:

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 154 positive cases.
    • The positive case resides in Alabama.
    • The positive individual is in their 20s.
    • The newly positive individual was not on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • One of the previous positive cases has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Six of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received two new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 102 positive cases.
  • The positive case (community) resides in Ridgeway.
  • There was one new positive individual for The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center.
  • The new positive cases have one individual in their 40s and one individual in their 70s.
  • The community individual had not been on mandatory quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
  • Five of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Five of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.

Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans County online map of confirmed cases

Benjamin J. Dills, 27, of Ellicott Street Road, Pavilion, is charged with two misdemeanors: reckless endangerment in the second degree; and fourth-degree criminal mischief. At 3:40 p.m. on May 3, Dills was arrested in the 10000 block of West Bethany Road, Bethany, after a bullet struck a nearby residence when he was allegedly target shooting. The family was at home at the time. Dill was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Bethany Town Court on June 2. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy David Moore, assisted by Deputy Andrew Mullen, Dpeuty Mathew Clor, Deputy Kyle Krzemien, and Environmental Conservation Officer Fay Fuerch.

Robert Edward Gerlach II, 45, of Broadway Road, Alexander, was arrested on April 30 on Broadway Road in Alexander after Genesee County Sheriff's deputies responded to a complaint of dogs running at large. At 7:14 p.m., deputies responded to an animal complaint and following an investigation, determined Gerlach owns three dogs and was allegedly allowing them to run at large on other people's properties. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Alexander Court on July 14. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jonathan Dimmig, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

City of Batavia Public Works Director Matt Worth is hopeful that the City Centre roof alternations and replacement project will resume sooner rather than later.

“We’re just waiting for a little bit of clearance (from New York State regarding work guidelines) and a little bit of good weather for that to move forward,” Worth said, talking about a $664,080 contract the City forged with Grove Roofing Services Inc. of Buffalo.

Close to a year ago, City Council selected Grove Roofing to replace several sections of concourse roof and the skylights, a project that will encompass about 80 percent of the roof, Worth said.

The roofers had delivered some materials and we’re just about to start the tear-off when the COVID-19 shutdown came.

“They tried to do some things that they could do safely – like putting up safety barriers and things like that, but held off getting into the project, in accordance with the (state) directives,” Worth said.

The project entails removing the existing insulation and roof material, installing new insulation and a new rubber membrane roof.

Worth said about 5 percent of the job will deal with replacing the metal roof deck beneath the roof “that we know is deteriorated – an area down by Sunny’s (Restaurant) and a wing down off of City Hall by Dr. Yaeger’s (office).”

The project is being paid for by funds taken from the City’s Facility Reserve.

In mid-April, Council voted to take $30,000 from the Facility Reserve (which was at $238,000) to cover unexpected construction costs.

A recent design change with the skylight roof covering resulted in an additional expense of $13,040. The remaining nearly $17,000 will be available in case of a condition change that needs to be addressed right away once the main roof construction work starts, Worth said.

Press release:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have received five more COVID-19 cases. Orleans has two new cases and Genesee has three. 

Contact tracing has been initiated and all who have had direct contact with the individual will be notified by Health Department staff. Both of the Orleans County individuals are residents of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center.

There is currently no further information to release on ages and locations. Mapping to include the positive cases from the weekend will be updated on Monday afternoon.

“We are also saddened to report one more death of an Orleans County resident from The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this individual during this very challenging time,” said Paul Pettit, Director of Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments.

We continue to encourage our residents to be vigilant about handwashing, cleaning frequently used surfaces, properly wearing cloth face coverings over the mouth and nose, keeping your hands away from your face, limiting time out in public and when you do need to go out for essentials you designate one person from your household, keep social distancing and stay home if you are sick.

A 77-year-old Darien resident was found yesterday afternoon by his daughter partially submerged in a pond on his property at 976 Broadway Road, according to State Police.

The victim could not be revived. State Police are refusing to release his name.

Emergency responders were dispatched to the residence at 12:30 p.m., yesterday.

A police source said investigators have yet to determine how he fell into the pond. The investigation is continuing into the cause of death.

Photo by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

Press release:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have received two more COVID-19 cases. Orleans has two new cases and Genesee has zero.

Contact tracing has been initiated and all who have had direct contact with the individual will be notified by Health Department staff. Both of the individuals are residents of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center.

There is currently no further information to release on ages and locations. Mapping to include the positive cases from the weekend will be updated on Monday afternoon.

We continue to encourage our residents to be vigilant about handwashing, cleaning frequently used surfaces, properly wearing cloth face coverings over the mouth and nose, keeping your hands away from your face, limiting time out in public and when you do need to go out for essentials you designate one person from your household, keep social distancing and stay home if you are sick.

Press release:

A free opioid overdose prevention online Narcan training is scheduled for May 13.

Hosted by the GOW Opioid Task Force and Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Prevention Department, the videoconference training offers two one-hour sessions -- 10 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.

Participants need to attend only one of the sessions to receive credit.

Topics to be covered include: the disease of addiction; a brief history of the opioid crisis; signs and symptoms of opioid use and overdose; the overdose reversal drug Narcan; the administration of Narcan; and where to obtain Narcan.

“After completing a registration form, an attendee will be sent a link for this online training. Once the training is complete, that person will receive a free Narcan nasal spray kit from a licensed provider,” said Christen Ferraro, task force coordinator.

To register, send an email requesting a registration form to:   cferraro@gcasa.org

For more information, visit www.gowopioidtaskforce.org.

Press release:

Officials at Western Regional Off-Track Betting / Batavia Downs Gaming (WROTB/BDG) today announced they have received funds via the Paycheck Protection Program which will provide critical financial relief for costs including payroll, health benefits, rent, and other expenses related to job retention.

The funds will cover the next two months of expenses and were awarded April 30.

“When PPP funding was announced last month, the Board of Directors and I made the decision almost immediately to apply for relief,” said Henry Wojtaszek, president and CEO of WROTB/BDG. “What was most important was continuing to financially support our staff and their families during these uncertain times.”

The gaming facility was closed on March 16th and employees were paid their full wages for a period of one month. On April 16th they were furloughed for a period of two weeks. Once the PPP loan was secured, employees were recalled to begin work again on the next pay week.

Throughout the temporary closure, there have been employees working onsite including security and surveillance. Others are working from home. As a potential reopening date comes closer there will be new health, safety, and security protocols put into place.

Employees will be trained and made aware of whatever new safety regulations are implemented well in advance of opening in order to provide a safe environment for employees and guests.

“Once we reopen, we will look to continue to deliver revenue to our partners in local government," Wojtaszek said. “Once given the go-ahead by state officials we hope that through the gaming floor, our concerts, and events we can provide much-needed monies to local governments in order to fund critical services from first responders to food banks. We know it will take a lot of preparation on our end to meet those standards, but our dedicated staff will ready to take on the task.”

Western Regional OTB and Batavia Downs employs more than 450 hardworking Western New Yorkers.