For the second year in a row, students at Batavia High School are putting on a Mr. Batavia contest aimed at building relationships between the high school and the community, particularly local nonprofits.

There are 10 contestants this year representing 10 different charities. Money raised will go to the winner's charity.

"We weren't sure how it was going to go last year and we raised $1,700, so we're hoping to exceed that this year," said Lisa Robinson, one of the faculty advisers for student government.

Along with the 10 boys competing, 15 girls are putting together the show (not everybody participating was available for a picture late this afternoon).

The contestants begin the show with a group dance, followed by a lip-sync contest, a talent contest, a swimsuit portion and then the boys come out in tuxedos donated by Charle's Mens Shop for a question-and-answer period.

Nine of the 10 charities have committed to having displays set up in the cafeteria for the evening.

The show starts at 7 p.m., Friday, March 21. Tickets are $7, $5 for students.

Press release:

This year marks the 175^th anniversary of the Genesee County Fair! It takes place at the county fairgrounds July 15-19. There are many changes and exciting events planned.

We hope to make 2014 a memorable year and we would like to extend a personal invitation to become a volunteer and or a sponsor of the fair. Volunteers are needed not only during fair week, but also the week before and the week after the fair. Many hands make light work! Becoming a sponsor of the fair is a great way to promote your business to thousands of fairgoers who live and work in Genesee County and visit the fair every year.

If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a sponsor of the fair, go to the fair’s Web site gcfair.com to download all of the forms and to obtain contact information.

Among the changes will be a new midway. Midway Rides of Utica will provide fairgoers with quality rides, games and food to enhance your fair experience. The rides will be open Tuesday through Saturday.

Also note:

Tuesday

The Grand Parade is moving to Tuesday and the Monster Truck & Thrill Show is on Tuesday evening.

Greece Alley Paint Clowns will stroll the fairgrounds, bringing smiles to faces of all ages making balloon animals and creating works of art on your face.

The two-day Fair Queen Pageant begins on Tuesday with the talent portion.

Karaoke at night!

Wednesday

It's Children's Day and rides will be operating during the day.

There will be a draft horse show in the horse ring all day.

Again, the Greece Alley Paint Clowns will stroll the fairgrounds, bringing smiles to faces of all ages making balloon animals and creating works of art on your face.

The Fair Queen Pageant concludes with the crowning.

 "Genesee's Got Talent" Talent Show.

Thursday

Magic John will be ambling around on stilts -- juggling, making balloon animals and entertaining fairgoers all day long!

Thursday includes special Raceway 5 Stock Car Racing.

Step right up for the 4-H meat animal auction.

We are pleased to welcome back by popular demand Barnstorm on Thursday night.

Friday

Magic John will be ambling around on stilts -- juggling, making balloon animals and entertaining fairgoers all day long!

The Grand Demolition Derby will take place.

Paul Cummings & Friends will be performing at night.

Saturday

Magic John will be ambling around on stilts -- juggling, making balloon animals and entertaining fairgoers all day long!

There will be ESP Tractor Pulls.

Savage Cabbage will take the stage and keep you rockin’ all night long!

As always, there will be bands under our redesigned beer tent!

Don’t forget to check out the 4-H animal exhibits, the air sculpture experience and Kid’s Corner taking place all day every day of the fair!

*All Times/Dates/Events are Subject to Change*

Once again this year, admission to the fair is only $5 per carload. For a complete listing of events during fair week, visit gcfair.com

Destro will do just about anything to get permission for a minute or two of play time while on the job -- sit and stay, chase a bad guy, search for a human scent, bark at a cornered criminal, find some dope.

If he were in the wild, it would be like any dog catching a rabbit and having a bit of fun with it before it became a snack. That's what dogs do, Deputy Chris Erion explained to a group of seventh- and eighth-grade students during a seminar on law enforcement at the 26th annual Genesee County Youth Conference at GCC.

Erion put Destro through his paces demonstrating common dog tricks such as sit, down and stay, and then had Destro chase after him a few feet and then bark at him as if he were a fleeing criminal suspect. Destro then found a marijuana sample hidden in the room.

After each task, Destro got to play with a tug with a small rubber ball attached, or he got to chew on his favorite toy -- an old piece of fire hose.

Erion recounted one of Destro's greatest law enforcement feats yet, finding a post-it note that had been used in an alleged armed robbery. The job well done really demonstrates Destro's ability to pick up human scents, Erion told the students.

After the demonstration, Erion shared information about a new Facebook page set up by the children of Deputy Brian Thompson to help raise funds to support the K-9 program.

"The care and maintenance for a police K-9 is above what it typically is for a household pet," Erion said. "Their teeth have to be regularly maintained. Often they break teeth -- he's broken a couple of teeth already that had to be fixed -- care, feeding, all those sorts of things go into the K-9 fund to support the dog."

There isn't a specific budget amount the K-9 fund is trying to raise. The goal is to maintain an ongoing source of revenue to help take care of Destro and Pharoah, who retires in October, when Thompson retires, though Erion believes it would be a good idea to maintain a fund balance of $5,000 to $10,000.

"Then, if something were to happen, we could handle that immediately," Erion said. "We could put a new dog and handler into the field immediately."

The Facebook page was set up by Thompson's daughters Olivia and Sophia. They also came up with the idea of an envelope fundraiser. People can send a message through Facebook requesting an available envelope -- once a numbered envelope is taken and returned, it's counted as "filled," so you'll need to pick a different number -- and they will receive the requested envelope to fill with a donation and return.

The goal is to raise $10,000. According to the page, $2,000 has already been raised.

"If you think about it, the only life (Thompson's) children have known is life with a police K-9," Erion said. "He's worked K-9 his entire career with the Sheriff's Office and before that. It's part of their life, just having a police K-9 in the house, and they came up with an idea for a fundraiser. I just think it speaks volumes about their character and Brian's character to have that thought to do that."

Since becoming a K-9 officer, Erion said he's really learned a lot about the generosity of the Genesee County community.

"This assignment has opened my eyes to a lot of good things in our community," Erion said. "There's a school right now (where) the whole school is working on a K-9 fundraiser and I've had other people approach me to find out how to go about raising funds."

Visit the Facebook page Genesee County NY K-9 Support and click "Like"

Above, Kyle Mott gets a chance to pet Destro.

Click the graphic or click here to enter. Must complete registration form to be eligible for prize.

A one-vehicle rollover, unknown injuries, is reported at 7213 Quinlan Road. Le Roy Fire Department and Ambulance Service responding.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: The Le Roy assignment is back in service.

Village living conditions were of the greatest concern to residents at a candidates' forum in Le Roy on Monday night.

Property upkeep by landlords and homeowners, vacant and abandoned properties, the care for the village demonstrated by downtown business owners, and the condition of streets and sidewalks were all touched on by residents at some point.

Meanwhile, the candidates talked of their love for Le Roy and desire to make the village a place where people want to live and raise families.

"We choose to live here," said Jennifer Keys. "We're not lifelong residents. We're here because it's a great community. You can walk down the street after dark and be safe. I love the architecture. The community. These are things we can sell to get other people to come here."

Keys, who won her first term on the village council four years ago, is seeking reelection along with incumbent Robert Taylor. There are two four-year terms up for election and joining the fray in the March 18 election are John Mangefrida and William Kettle.

Keys opened the forum in the dining room of the Greens of Le Roy by talking about her first bid for election four years ago. She campaigned on the pool, the comprehensive plan, working better with the town, and the matter of blighted houses. She said she was able to work with others to help get the pool reopened, which now serves record numbers of patrons, communications with the town have improved, and the council is still working on the comprehensive plan. Blighted houses, she said, remain an issue.

Kettle noted his dedication to the village as a Main Street property and business owner.

"If you're going to be in the game, you've got to be able to step up to the plate and I'm willing to do that," Kettle said. "I'm committed to Le Roy. I'm invested. I'm vested. I love Le Roy, as everybody here on the board does."

Mangefrida, whose been a trustee before, said he decided to run again because he loves the village. He recalled that during his military duty he knew he could count on the people of the community to help watch over and care for his family.

"It isn't about policies," Mangefrida said. "It's about maintaining the quality of life in Le Roy. We need to take care of our infrastructure and take care of the things that have gotten us here. If elected, I'm going to listen to everyone and make informed decisions and represent the people of Le Roy."

Taylor noted that except for the years he was away in college, he's lived his entire 72 years in Le Roy.

"We do this because we all love the community, and that's the only reason," Taylor said. "Without a good foundation, nothing lasts forever, and we've lasted a long time because Le Roy has a good foundation."

When the Q&A started, much of the discussion focused on vacant and abandoned housing. It's a vexing problem because these are typically properties that the banks refuse to foreclose on because it's cheaper just to pay the taxes and any fines related to lack of upkeep.

There's also a problem with property owners -- both landlords and homeowners -- who let their property fall into disrepair to the point of them being a nuisance to neighbors and other residents.

 "We all have a right to live in a village that is kept up and if it takes a sharp stick, then we need code enforcement that does it," Kettle said.

These are tough problems, Taylor said.

"The amount of problems we have are not going to be fixed in 10 minutes, but they are being addressed," Taylor said.

One resident called for a full-time code enforcement officer.

Mangefrida took a realist tact to the question and said the money to pay for a full-time officer, rather than a shared part-time officer with the town, would have to come from somewhere.

"Do we hire a full-time code enforcement officer?" Mangefrida asked. "If we hire a full-time code enforcement officer with the current budget are we willing do without one of our part-time police officers? Because that's what it's coming down to in running a village in the State of New York."

Another residents probed candidates on how much they know about the comprehensive plan, which he suggested needed to be revised to meet changing times.

Keys said the plan was last revised in 2007 and has been under review during her time in office.

John Mangefrida

William Kettle

Robert Taylor

Jennifer Keys

The chance for city firefighters to train and practice in an actual structure in the city is invaluable to the department, Chief Jim Maxwell said today while discussing an opportunity to use to houses on West Main Street this week.

Since the houses are slated for demolition, firefighters can cut, chop and smoke up the place ("cold smoke," as it's called, since it's not heat generated).

"From the new firefighter to the 20-year veteran, it's very valuable," Maxwell said. "It's a controlled situation, but they get to go in and practice what they would do in a normal fire."

The houses are being provided to the department for training by the owners of Castilone Chrysler, Steve Castilone and Greg Strauss, and are located at 310 and 312 W. Main St., Batavia.

Castilone and Strauss are expanding their dealership (rather than move it out of the city) and they acquired the neighboring properties for that purpose.

Maxwell said having structures in the city for training really cuts down on overtime. Rather than requiring firefighters to come in during typical off-duty hours and train at the Fire Training Center on Bank Street Road, on-duty firefighters can train in the city so they're still available for calls as needed.

"We're able to get all of the platoons through without getting into an overtime situation, so it's very valuable to use," Maxwell said.

Training includes ventilation (cutting holes in the roofs), search and rescue (artificial smoke is generated). There will be more training over the next few days, weather permitting, and it will be squeezed in with hazmat training taking place this week at the fire station.

There won't, however, be any live fire training at the two houses, Maxwell said. It's just too risky to do in the city.

Photos submitted by Frank Capuano

A vehicle is on fire at 8419 Indian Falls Road. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 1:56 p.m.: East Pembroke commands reports the fire is under control.

A bountiful basket raffle is under way to benefit Independent Living of Genesee Region, which provides services to people with mental and physical disabilities. The nonprofit organization helps them continue, or begin, living on their own instead of having to go into assisted living or another type of facility.

The baskets are on display now at 113 Main St., #5, in the City of Batavia. Tickets are $1 each, or three for $2, or 15 for $5. The drawing will be held on March 27.

Contact Donna Baker for information or donations at 815-8501, ext. 411.

Baskets and raffle options include:

• Spring Basket -- Ceramic tea light holder, Subway gift certificate
• Pizza Basket -- Gift certificates for: Big Pauly's, Batavia's Original, Main Street, Mark's, Ficarella's
• Pamper Yourself -- Two bottles of wine, Steve's Styles gift certificate and products, Bourbon & Burger Co. gift certificate
• Lunch Bunch -- Gift certificates for City Slickers, Southside Deli, Subway, T.F. Brown's
• Down Time -- Scarf, bottle of wine, Mane Attraction gift certificate, Family Video gift certificate
• Guys' Basket -- Charles Men's Shop gift certificate, Valu Home Center gift certificate, Family Video gift certificate, T-shirt, wooden car
• Ladies' Basket -- Maurice's coupons and goodies, T-shirt, Family Video coupons, scarf
• Handmade Bowl
• Wine & Dine -- Scarf, two bottles of wine, Larry's Steakhouse gift certificate
• Easter Basket
• Indulge
• Family Night -- Gift certificates for Big Pauly's, Denny's, Family Video, Walmart
• Shop & Wear -- Two T-shirts, Family Video, Kmart, Target
• Random -- Two T-shirts, gift certificates for Alberty's Drug Store, Mark's Pizzeria, Southside Deli

A car and pedestrian accident is reported at 1 Center St. in the city, and a second accident also has occurred at that same location, according to dispatch. City fire and Mercy medics responding along with police.

UPDATE 11 a.m.: This was at Center and Main. The pedestrian involved was a man in a motorized wheelchair. Howard, who is at the scene, says the man was not injured (he's a "sign-off") and his wheelchair does not appear to be damaged. The vehicles involved in the second accident have pulled into the parking lot of the Masonic Temple.

Depending on who you ask, the winter has been judged somewhat lengthy and at times harsh. While Old Man Winter threw us a curve ball or two, the aftermath was sometimes asthetically pleasing to the eye. And nowhere was this more evident than at the Genesee County Park & Forest.

A trail into the hardwoods. Claudia and I logged several hours at the park this winter, trying to cover every bit of the more than 12 miles of trail.

The hike was always exhilarating, even if the air was frigid at times. Even on the coldest of days, we ran into hikers, cross country skiers, snowshoers, and even two or three hearty souls who were jogging.

Of course we met a good number of people out exercising their dogs, like Batavians Dan and Debbie Barone pictured above.

A cross country skier glides along one of the well-maintained trails.  

Gotta love the Boy Scouts. The park is in great shape thanks to many volunteers.

Snow-covered spruce trees as seen from the Turtle Pond trail.

Surrounded by needled giants, this tiny spruce sees limited sunlight.

Reason Magazine: Actor Liam Neeson Wrangles With de Blasio Over Horse-Drawn Carriages

Batavia officially became a city on Jan. 1, 1915, after having been an incorporated village since 1823. The transition involved a progression through several steps during 1914. I will be acknowledging each of these events 100 years after their occurrence in 1914.

Last month, I reported on how the Village of Batavia Aldermen, the equivalent of today’s City Council, had become unhappy with the work of a Charter Revision Commission appointed several years earlier. As a result, the Aldermen wrote a competing proposal and presented it to the community on Feb. 4, 1914. Then the Aldermen announced that their proposal would be submitted to a straw vote in order to gauge community support. The ballot simply read, “Shall the charter as prepared by the Aldermen be sent to Albany?” When voters cast 488 “yes” votes versus 451 “no” votes, the Aldermen chose to see the results as a ringing endorsement of their proposal and sent it off to the State Senate and Assembly.

It was 100 years ago, March 10, 1914, that a joint committee from the Assembly and Senate met to hear the competing charter proposals. Edward Russell, chair of the Charter Revision Commission, spoke to the gathering. He asserted that: the straw vote on the Aldermen’s proposal had not been taken in a proper or legal manner; that ballots were pre-marked and passed out on the street to any who might wish to go in and vote; that the total vote was a small proportion of the eligible voters; and that persons had voted who were not eligible to do so. Furthermore, Russell said, the Aldermen had used misrepresentation and deceit to persuade “liquor interests” to pay for lobbyists to speak against the proposal of the Charter Revision Commission.

At this point, Batavia’s mayor, Louis Wiard, rose to speak against these charges. But before he could do so, Senator Thomas Cullen, who was chairing the hearing, expressed disbelief that a community like Batavia would conduct an irregular vote and gaveled the session to a close.

In two weeks, I’ll let you know what happened when the Senators and Assemblymen eventually voted on the two charter proposals.

Tonia M. Doell, 44, of 14 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with three counts of menacing, 2nd, one count of criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of attempted assault, 2nd. Doell is accused of requesting medical assistance at 2:21 p.m. and when Mercy EMS personnel arrived at her residence and attempted to enter, Doell allegedly threatened them with a kitchen knife. Doell was arraigned and jailed without bail.

Jason D. Lang, 27, and Ashley R. Keene, 26, both of 244 Liberty St., Batavia, are charged with grand larceny, 4th. Lang and Keene are accused of stealing 10 pairs of eyeglass frames valued at more than $1,600 from the Lencrafters location in Hamburg. Hamburg detectives received several calls identifying Lang and Keene as the suspects after police posted pictures of the shoplifting suspects on Facebook and Buffalo media outlets picked up the story. Upon further investigation, Lang and Keene were asked to appear at Hamburg PD and did so voluntarily. Hamburg detectives report that Lang and Keene confessed to the theft. They were issued appearance tickets.

Pamela Kristene Goerss, 43, of Oak Hill Road, Silver Springs, is charged with DWI, speed not reasonable and prudent, unlicensed operator, leaving the scene of an accident and parked in roadway. Goerss was reportedly operating a 2011 Volkswagan Jetta southbound on Perry Road at 3:16 a.m. Sunday when she was involved in an accident. The other vehicle left the scene. Goerss also allegedly tried to drive away from the scene, but her vehicle became disabled. The Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's assistance in identifying the other vehicle and driver. Anybody with information can contact Deputy Frank Bordonaro at (585) 343-5000. Goerss was jailed on $500 bail.

Brian Lee Smith, 52, of Colonial Boulevard, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and aggravated family offense, a felony. Smith is accused of yelling a vulgar word at the victim, who has an active order of protection in place, Smith allegedly yelled at the victim while she was in her own driveway. Smith was jailed on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond.

Bryan R. Bartholomew, 27, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Bartholomew allegedly violated an order of protection by being at the residence of the protected party. Bartholomew was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Matthew D. Derrick, 29, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Derrick is accused of being involved in a domestic incident March 6.

Dariel A. Giffith, 21, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Griffith is accused of striking another person in the hand during a dispute on South Swan Street at 4:56 p.m. March 6.

Jon David Vega, 48, of 78th Street, Howard Beach, was arrested on two bench warrants for alleged failure to appear. Vega was arrested upon his release from the Monroe County Jail on unrelated charges. He was arraigned in City Court and jailed on $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.

Christina M. Colantonio, 27, of Snipery Road, Corfu, is accused of failure to appear after appearance ticket served. Colantonio was located walking westbound on West Main Street near Union Street by Officer James DeFreze and she was arrested on an active warrant. Colantonio posted $500 bail and was released.

Heather Daffney Stone, 19, of Elwood Drive, Rochester, was arrested on a bench warrant related to a third-degree burglary charge. Stone was released from Monroe County Jail on an unrelated matter and taken into custody on the burglary charge. Stone was held without bail.

Johnny Uylesse Troche, 28, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with menacing, 2nd. Troche allegedly threatened another person with a knife at 9:26 p.m. Saturday.

Francisco Rodriguez, 37, of Portland Avenue, Rochester, is charged with possession of untaxed cigarettes. Rodriguez was stopped at 8:43 p.m. Saturday on Lewiston Road, Batavia, for alleged failure to dim high beams by Deputy Joseph Corona. Rodriguez was allegedly found in possession of more untaxed cigarettes than legally allowed.

Christina Sandra Baudanza, 37, no address given, was arrested on a Family Court warrant. Baudanza was arrested upon her release from the Wyoming County Hospital. She was arraigned in Family Court and released to a social service worker who took her to temporary housing.

Katie Lee Winnie, 20, of Exchange Street, Attica, was arrested on bench warrants related to charges of petit larceny and possession of marijuana. Winnie allegedly failed to appear for a court date in the Town of Batavia. She turned herself in and was jailed on $500 bail.

Eric X. Williams, 22, of Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Williams was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident reported at 10:46 p.m. on Feb. 24. No further details released.

Joshua J. Clark, 37, of Le Roy, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Clark was stopped at 1:50 a.m. Friday at the junction of routes 5 and 63 by State Police.

A brush fire is reported in the area of 6063 Transit Road, Byron.

Byron and South Byron were dispatched more than 10 minutes ago and are on scene.

A brush truck from Elba was just requested to the scene.

UPDATE 9:43 p.m.: Elba requested to fill in at Byron's hall.

UPDATE 9:54 p.m.: Mercy EMS requested to the scene. Unknown reason.

UPDATE 10:27 p.m.: Elba's tanker is back in service.

CORRECTION: It was the brush truck from Elba, not a Mercy ambulance requested to the scene.

Michele Ann Case, granted a second chance at a trial on fraud charges after her first conviction was overturned, is likely to get that trial starting July 7, Judge Robert C. Noonan said in County Court today.

Case will have until April 18 to accept any plea offer, if one is forthcoming, Noonan said.

It's Noonan's practice to set plea cut-off dates, after which point a defendant must either go to trial or plead guilty without any conditions.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman has not publicly stated whether there is any potential plea offer.

Case, 47, a home health care nurse, formerly from Bergen, is accused of bilking her former employer out of $14,000 by filing fraudulent financial records about her hours and travel.

For previous coverage, click here.

Story by Dan Fischer, WBTA:

By the slimmest of margins the Batavia City Council Monday night approved a budget for the coming fiscal year that includes the hiring of an assistant city manager.

The budget approval process nearly derailed when Ward 6 Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian withdrew her support of the budget and voiced opposition to the assistant manager’s position.

The budget was approved by a narrow 5-4 margin.

Joining her in opposition were Ward 5 Councilwoman Kathleen Brigs and Councilmen-at-large Eugene Jankowski and John DeLeo.

Christian said that after “dozens of telephone calls” she learned that the federal government would soon step in to address the rising cost of FEMA flood insurance.

The study of flood insurance, and how to control rising premiums, would be the primary responsibility of the new assistant, according to City Manager Jason Molino.

“We really don’t need an assistant now that the federal government is stepping in,” Christian said.

Molino took exception to Christian noting that federal intervention into the flood insurance issue was only a proposal and not a certainty.

Still, it was enough for Christian to change her vote and touch off a lengthy debate among council members to table the budget.

Councilman-at-large John DeLeo favored a delay in the budget vote and remove funding for the assistant’s position. “My constituents have told me ‘hell no’ on this assistant manager issue,” DeLeo declared.

When a vote to table the budget failed by a 5-4 vote it was clear the budget, with funds for the assistant manager, would pass.

Council President Brooks Hawley, who had stated his opposition to the assistant manager’s position in early budget debates, said his objection did not rise to the level of scuttling the entire budget. Hawley voted in favor the budget along with council members Kris Doeringer, Patti Pacino, Pier Cipollone and John Canale.

The $24-million budget calls for a reduction in the tax rate of 13-cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. A separate measure to increase water rates passed unanimously. The increase will cost the average city water customer another $10 per year.

CORRECTION: The tax rate is 13 cents less per thousand. The original store misstated the amount.

A Pavilion mother twice arrested under provisions of Leandra's Law will have to serve six months in jail after blowing a chance to avoid lockup given to her by Judge Robert C. Noonan a year ago.

Angela R. Kruse, 42, will also be on probation for five years.

Kruse was first arrested in Le Roy for driving drunk with her children in her car in June 2012. She was arrested again four months later in Wyoming County following a rollover accident.

Kruse appeared before Noonan last March after going through rehab and was told if she could stay out of trouble for 11 months she could have a chance to put her Genesee County charge behind her, but she violated the terms of her release and appeared before Noonan again today to answer for the lapse.

Owner Christine Crocker reported the alleged theft to police last weekend after confronting a person she believes took a bottle of booze from the store. Crocker chased the man down and recovered a bottle of alcohol, but the man then fled.

Crocker said she had refused to sell liquor to the man, citing state law, because she believed he was already intoxicated.

The man in the photos is wanted for questioning in connection with the incident.

The suspect is described as a white male, thinner build, with a shaved head and a goatee. He was said to be wearing a dark zip-up jacket and white and black Nike sneakers.

The anonymous tip line for BPD is (585) 345-6370.

Press release:

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has joined the growing opposition to the expansion of casino gaming in Western New York.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors has unanimously passed a resolution opposing any new proposed casino in New York west of Route 14 and specifically the location of a new tax-free, Las Vegas-style casino in Monroe County owned and operated by the Seneca Nation.

The addition of another casino located in Western New York would over-saturate the regional gaming marketplace and would have negative impact on Batavia Downs Gaming and its operations. Batavia Downs Gaming is located in Genesee County and has shown to be an outstanding partner in the community and is directly and indirectly responsible for thousands of jobs in our region.

An additional casino in such proximity to Batavia Downs will greatly jeopardize the livelihoods of those thousands of individuals who rely on the continued operation and success of Batavia Downs Gaming. Not only would Batavia Downs Gaming be affected, but the addition of a full Las Vegas-style casino has shown to have a negative impact on surrounding restaurant, hotel and other hospitality businesses as well.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has asked fellow business organizations in the region to join in opposition to expanding gaming in Monroe County and all other locations in New York west of Route 14.