If City Council Member John Canale has his way, there is no way Batavia’s youth programming will be cut.

Canale, attempting to allay the concerns of City Youth Board representatives David Twichell and Paula Fischer, said he sees the city’s youth program as “an invaluable gem” and said he would do everything in his power to continue or expand offerings to its young residents.

Speaking at Monday night’s City Council Business Meeting at the City Centre Council Board Room, Canale responded to public comments by Twichell, Fischer and Fischer’s son, Andrew, who are troubled about a proposal to contract with the Genesee Area Family YMCA for city youth services.

Currently, the city has a contract with Genesee County to partially a fund a youth bureau executive director, Jocelyn Sikorski, but a resolution – currently placed on hold by the County Legislature – would dissolve that agreement and compel City Council to devise a new plan for youth services.

“Much like Paula, (who) spoke about the youth programs in the city, I grew up every day of my life as a kid at MacArthur Park on Monday through Friday, all day there except for lunch because when I was a kid, they didn’t provide lunch,” Canale said. “The youth bureau is an invaluable gem that we have here in the city, and I have no intention of decreasing the services the bureau offers.”

Canale said the cost to run the youth programs in the city “is miniscule in the whole budget picture.”

“So, I can assure anybody that is here tonight that is concerned about Council doing away with the youth bureau or doing away with the services that we provide our local youth, I can guarantee if any of my Council colleagues brought that up, I would definitely be dead set against it,” he said. “And I don’t think there is anybody here tonight that is against that.”

He then warned people about reacting solely from what they read on social media as well as The Batavian and another local news outlet.

“Don’t believe everything that you read, number one, and try not to formulate your opinion as to what the City Council’s actions are going to be based upon what you're reading on social media,” he offered.

Canale: No Discussion about Cutting Services

Canale said he didn’t recall any discussion pertaining to doing away with the youth bureau or cutting any services.

“Correct me if I’m wrong. Maybe I misunderstood or missed something, Rachael,” he said, looking at Interim City Manager Rachael Tabelski. “Did Jocelyn not come to us as a county employee contracted with the city to share services? Did she not come to us and request that we cut that contract out?”

Tabelski replied, “That is correct.”

Canale responded that “for some reason, it seems like the public is under the impression that we in the city want to cut that out.”

“And the county manager (Matt Landers) also made public comment that I read that they were going to kind of leave it in our lap first to see what move we made first. I want the public to realize that this was the county that came to the city … and requested that maybe we could discontinue that contract.”

Canale said no decision has been made on the status of the contract with the county, stating that it is at the discussion stage.

“We’re looking at all possibilities and Rachael is looking into other possibilities as well as she approached the YMCA to see what they might be able to do to offer as good of services, if not better services,” he said.

He then aimed his remarks at Twichell and Fischer.

Advisory Board will be Involved

“For whatever reasons, the (Youth) board has not been in the communication circle yet, but I would only assume that at some point when the decisions are going to be made, that we would go to our advisory board and say that these are some of our thoughts (and) what do you guys think?” he said.

Canale urged people to not have a “knee-jerk reaction” to the situation based on social media or news accounts.

“This is all still in the talking stages. Nothing has happened. No programs have been cut,” he said.

The city’s youth center – the Liberty Center for Youth on City Church’s St. Anthony’s campus on Liberty Street – has been closed due to COVID-19 and because the city doesn’t have any youth services employees at this time.

“Maybe, like (Council Member) Rose Mary (Christian) said, 'maybe it’s time to look at that,' ” Canale said. “I don’t know. That should be part of the discussion as well. As things start to open up, we could look at that. Or now, obviously on the rise again with COVID, maybe this isn’t a good time to look at that, I don’t know.”

Youth Programming: More than Meets the Eye

Fischer, a member of the City of Batavia Youth Board for 10 years, said she has “fond memories” of the city parks’ program having attended Kibbe and Pringle parks. She is the director of school-based health programs for the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.

She said she has volunteered during city youth events, providing oral health education and giving out hundreds of toothbrushes and toothpaste to kids and families. She called Batavia a great place to raise a family due, in part, to the services it offers to its young people.

Fischer emphasized that the youth bureau “is more than just the summer rec program -- although the rec program is well-known, serving hundreds of children every summer, providing safe, fun and educational programming – including lunch, which is a big help to many families.”

She mentioned several other events and programs under the city youth bureau, including:

• The community garden;
• National Night Out in conjunction with the city police;
• The Liberty Center for Youth with services provided in conjunction with the YMCA;
• Programs run by City Church at the St. Anthony’s campus;
• A partnership with the Batavia City School District for busing to the youth center;
• Summer safe carnival open to the community;
• Youth and volunteer awards banquet at Terry Hills Restaurant;
• A partnership with the Arc of Genesee Orleans for Saturday programs;
• Visitation at nursing homes and the Senior Center;
• Open gym nights and grants for summer recreation tennis programs.

“All of these programs provide a sense of pride in the community to the city residents,” she said.

Fischer said she was asking City Council to work with the advisory board to address budgetary issues and “come together to see if there’s a way we can be mindful of the city budget without decimating youth services.”

“A reduced level of service may be appropriate at this time with time to rebuild in the future,” she said.

Youth Board is ‘Open, Willing to Cooperate’

Twichell, the City Youth Board president, extended an invitation to all City Council members “that we are open and we are willing to cooperate with the city, and we are willing as an advisory board to help guide the process.”

“We know … with these COVID restrictions and the tough economic times we’re facing, we know the city is facing great challenges,” he said. “But there are times when we feel that there is somewhat of a disconnect between the board and the City Council.

"I’m here tonight to open and maybe knock down some of those barriers, and tomorrow I will be putting together an email for each and every one of you that will list all of our contact information.”

He then urged Council members to reach out to the advisory board if they have any questions about youth services.

Fischer’s son, Andrew, a former youth board vice president, said he worked for the summer rec program for five years during his summer breaks from Canisius College, where he earned an MBA in Accounting.

“A lot of our youth programs, specifically summer rec, are great ways for youth in our community to interact with one another and interact with the rec leaders,” he said. “It instilled in me a sense of leadership and a sense of empathy toward some of the kids, who obviously were from tougher situations.”

He said it didn’t “sit right” with him when he heard about youth services possibly changing, and noted that he looked at past city budgets on the website and saw that the summer recreation came in below budget last year.

McGinnis Objects to Sending Letter

Prior to Canale’s comments, Council Member Al McGinnis, the city’s liaison to the youth board, said he didn’t get a copy of a letter sent by the youth board to the media last week – a letter that objected to the resolution to terminate the city/county agreement and expressed the viewpoint that contracting with the YMCA instead was a done deal. (Fischer said that McGinnis and the other Council members did receive the letter).

“If you’re an elected or public official and you’re on a board, it is incumbent upon you to make sure that everyone on the board, whether they agree or disagree, knows that correspondence is going out to the public,” McGinnis said. “If not, the public gets confused when they hear two different sets of a thing. When you do it unilaterally, and basically conduct a rogue operation, without informing everyone, it looks bad for everyone concerned.”

He added, “At the time, the board members could have spoken to us at the meeting and said 'here are our points of view – we’d like to make sure that this is heard by the public.' No one is going to censure or stop a report … We owe it to the public to speak with a unified voice, or at least if it’s not unified, everyone gets a chance to say their piece.”

Christian asked how many kids attend the youth center on Liberty Street and if the city had any youth bureau employees at the center.

Tabelski said attendance ranged between 30 and 50 – “sometimes as low as five” – and that the city had no youth program employees, other than Sikorski, who directs city, Genesee and Orleans county youth activities.

“I look down the street and I see tons of kids out there,” Christian said, referring to the Liberty Center for Youth. She also asked about costs should the YMCA get involved.

Tabelski said that, pre-COVID-19, the city and the YMCA each supplied three or four staff members at the center, depending upon the number of children there, and that the YMCA did not charge the city for those employees,

She also mentioned that the city’s program coordinator, Lydia Schauf, recently took another job with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Could Youth Center Have Stayed Open?

Christian then questioned why the center has been closed for so long while school is in session.

“It was supposed to be because of COVID," she said. "I see people at Walmart, I see people downtown. I see them at the grocery store, I see people here. I see people everywhere in the city. Those kids could wear a mask like anyone else in the city and they, I’m quite sure, would stop anyone from coming in without a mask.

"And I’m quite sure they would be disinfecting that facility for the kids over there. And they’re playing basketball on Tuesday nights and I haven’t heard of a soul from that center who has COVID.”

After Tabelski explained that the city was unable to hire part-timers (due to a hiring freeze) and, as a result, she contacted YMCA leadership to see if that organization could provide youth services in an attempt to cut costs and “also provide the same level of service.”

“I engaged in a discussion with the YMCA if they could staff the center and until we come to any preliminary contract terms, you’ll have nothing (in the form of a resolution) in front of you,” Tabelski said. “At such point, you would have a presentation by the YMCA on the programming that they can provide for us that is the same or better than what we’re providing today at a lower cost to the residents.”

Christian’s response indicated that she wasn’t buying that explanation.

“Yeah, it was mentioned on The Batavian that we have to think of the taxpayers,” she said. “We sure as hell don’t think about the taxpayers when it comes to lights for Ellicott Street over there for the trail, especially when at 4:30 at night it’s going to be dark in the winter time and the summer time around 9 o’clock. We don’t think about salary increases either, now do we?”

At that point, Paul Viele, who was presiding over the meeting in place of City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr., who was out of town, cut Christian off.

Tabelski: Let’s Give it Another Try

Minutes later, Tabelski directed her comments to Twichell and Fischer, stating that she came to them during an Oct. 27 meeting in “good faith with ideas on our situation and our strategy.”

“And when you attended the meeting, you sat there, you listened to what I had to say, you listened to my ideas, we had great dialogue. And I am willing to continue that dialogue with you. But I prefer we did it in a committee setting and not go around the committee setting with emails and letters outside of the people on that committee and to the media, so we can really achieve something,” she said.

Tabelski credited the youth board for its commitment to the cause, but said “we have to think differently about this.”

“I am willing to come back and sit with you guys. And this time at the meeting, please speak up because when I left that (previous) meeting, everyone was in agreement to the strategy that I was going to look into and bring to Council.”

After she finished, Fischer attempted to present a “rebuttal,” but was told that she was not allowed to do that. 

“Then I will give my rebuttal to the media and you can read it there,” Fischer said.

Following the meeting, Fischer repeated the youth board’s claim that Tabelski had indicated to them that the decision to dissolve the city/county contract had already been made, and that Sikorski had obtained a grant to direct a Safe Harbor program and “wrote herself into that and changed her job description.”

Fischer also said there is someone who was employed by the city at the youth center who is willing to return to work there.

“When Lydia resigned, they didn’t feel like they had to go back and readdress this,” Fischer said. “They said, ‘OK, great, everybody is gone, and now we can really go and outsource youth services.' ”

She said the youth board is “leery about that.”

“They outsourced the county youth director, and look where we are,” she said. “And I don’t think we’re going to have the same quality of services – and it was our feeling that we had to let the community know.”

Photo: City Youth Board members David Twichell and Paula Fischer speaking to the media following Monday night's City Council meeting. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Two local reporters, including The Batavian's Mike Pettinella, detected unusual odors at City Hall this evening just as Monday's City Council meeting was about to start.

The reporters alerted the firefighters in the hallway who were there to check the temperatures of people entering the meeting and the firefighters agreed the odors were suspicous.

City fire was dispatched for the smell of natural gas.

Capt. Bob Fix said firefighters determined the odors were a combination burning leaves nearby and a cleaning solution being used in the adjacent dental office. There was no natural gas detected in City Centre by meters used to detect the gas.

Photos by Mike Pettinella.

Press release:

New Cases – As of 2 p.m.

• Genesee County received 43 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • Due to the volume of positives, further information will be updated tomorrow.
  • Staff are working on contact tracing.
  • The Genesee County Health Department was notified of two positive teachers at Jackson Primary School. The individuals have been placed under mandatory isolation where they will remain until they have recovered. Contact tracing is in process to identify close contacts. Out of an abundance of caution, Jackson Primary School will be 100-percent remote virtual learning until Monday, Nov. 30.
• Orleans County received 18 new positives case of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in Albion, Yates, Shelby, Barre, Gaines, Clarendon, Murray, Kendall and Ridgeway.
  • The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.
  • Three of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Six of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been removed from the isolation list.
  • The Health Department has been notified of a positive student at Lyndonville High School and a positive student at Medina High School. The students were not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive. The individuals are on mandatory isolation until they recover. Contact tracing is in process for those who are considered close contacts and will be placed on mandatory quarantine for 14 days from the last contact with the positive individual.
  • We are deeply saddened to report we have had an Orleans County community member pass away due to COVID-19. The individual was over 65 years old. Out of respect for the family, we will not release any further details about this individual. We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this person and encourage our community members to be respectful of the family’s time of grieving.

Today’s map will not be updated due to limited data.

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

A reminder the numbers listed as positive/active are current community cases. The recovered numbers are only for community cases and do not include non-county regulated facilities. The total positive cases includes community active/positive, community recovered and all those from non-county regulated facilities.

A pedestrian who was struck while crossing East Main Street on Friday night has been identified by Batavia PD as 45-year-old Casey Nutting, of Batavia.

Nutting, according to witnesses, was running across the street, about 50 yards east of Liberty Street, from south to north when he was struck by a minivan.

The driver of the minivan, whose identity has not been released, has not been charged and police said no charges are anticipated.

Previously: Car vs. pedestrian accident reported in the city at East Main and Summit

The treasurer of the Genesee Country Farmers’ Market, which recently concluded its 46^th season providing locally grown produce and other food items, today said that Batavia City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. has reached out to her to set up a meeting in the near future.

“That’s a start,” said Sharon Brent, speaking by telephone from her Middleport home. “Mr. Jankowski said that (Interim City Manager) Rachael (Tabelski) would be contacting me.”

Brent is owner of Schwab Farm Market in Gasport and has been involved with the farmers’ market since its inception.

The future location of the public market is unclear in light of the fact that the city is looking at the Alva Place parking lot as the desired site for a new headquarters for the Batavia Police Department.

The farmers’ market has operated at that location since 2016, when it entered into an agreement with the Batavia Downtown Business Improvement District to have one large market at one location – instead of two or more sites in and around the city.

Prior to that, the market was located at the Kmart parking lot for about a decade before moving to a lot at Batavia Downs from 2006 through 2015.

Previous reports that the market moved 11 times in 15 years referred to its early years, not recently, Brent said.

“We originally started in front of Super Duper, where the (Tonawanda Valley Federal) credit union is now and we used to be right where Wendy’s is, in the Angotti’s (Beverage Corp.) parking lot and way behind the (former) Engine House Restaurant – near a skating place on some gravel,” Brent said. “That was the reason we left the city and went out to Kmart and the Downs, because we wanted a stable location.”

Brent said the only reason the market returned to the city is because the BID requested a consolidation – with the stipulation that there would be just one market at one location.

“The BID used to run the farmers’ market that was on Thursday at Angotti’s and then they moved to Alva Place, and it was run by volunteers,” Brent recalled. “(Former BID Director) Don Burkel approached us and proposed Downtown Batavia Public Market in one location. He said we can’t be at the Downs and at Alva Place.”

So, the area vendors hit the road to Batavia on three days (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays) instead of the two they spent at Batavia Downs, Brent said.

She said that after a couple years, BID officials asked the GCFM to “run all aspects of the farmers’ market as it was getting difficult to find volunteers.”

“Of all the locations over the 40 some years, that (Alva Place) still has been the best place as far as ability for people to get to,” she said. “It has anything that you as a business owner would like in a location and it fit all of those things.”

Brent said that five years ago, there never was a discussion about a police station going there.

“That was never brought up,” she said.

Things have changed since then, however, as the city has enlisted Architecture Unlimited LLC, of Williamsville, to conduct a feasibility study into the construction of a new police facility on the lot north of Alva Place and west of Bank Street.

Brent said the GCFM board of directors is “definitely open to other options” and welcomes the opportunity to provide input to city officials.

“It is what it is. I’ve done well. I run a good business and have done well no matter where I’ve been,” she said. “But, as far as the residents of the city, to me they should have a voice in what they would want.”

Business Improvement District representatives said their organization continues to support the farmers’ market and they understand why Brent and her colleagues wish to stay at the Alva Place lot.

“We see the value in it and we support the public market,” BID President Don Brown said. “To us, it is an event Downtown that brings people Downtown, but it’s not a BID event. They’re their own entity.”

Brown called the Alva Place site “a fabulous location and they’d be crazy not to want that.”

“My perception of the situation is that this has been a long-term plan for the police station – it has been going on for several years here," he said. "They’ve had all kinds of studies and votes, and all kinds of ideas of where to put it and why to put it.

"The public market was never going to be there permanently from what I recall, unless they were going to build a building …if they got the DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) money and the BID wanted to bond something like that.”

Brown said the BID spent $25,000 on a feasibility study in an unsuccessful application for a DRI award.

“We didn’t get it; so, the BID definitely decided that they didn’t want to bond it," he said. "It was too much and they couldn’t tell us how much traffic the market was going to bring or whether the market was going to quadruple. So, why create another tax for something that we’re unsure of. That was the long side of that.”

BID Executive Director Beth Kemp, who sits on the GCFM board, noted that her agency is not as involved as it was in the past, but “we definitely support them as with any event that happens in the downtown.”

“We understand the vitality that a public market brings to the Downtown, and we’re here to assist in any way,” she said. “We don’t want to see the public market go away from Downtown, and we’re eager to come up with other options if that’s the way it has to go. I know that our board has tried to generate a couple of alternative ideas, but so far nothing substantial.”

Kemp said the consensus of GCFM directors is that they wish they could stay put.

“Yes, ideally they love that location, they love the demographics that they serve which has increased since they’ve been there and the walkability,” she said. “Out of all their locations, that is the most ideal; that is the one they love the most.”

File photo of Genesee Country Farmers' Market by Howard Owens.

Jason Ray Anderson, 39, of Batavia (no address provided), is charged with petit larceny, possession of burglar tools, and endangering the welfare of a child. Anderson was arrested on Nov. 7 after allegedly stealing items from Kohl's department store on Veterans Memorial Drive. He is accused of fleeing the scene on a bicycle while having a 6-year-old child flee with him on a separate bicycle. He was issued a ticket to be in Batavia Town Court on Dec. 3. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Austin Heberlein, assisted by Deputy Jacob Gauthier.

Shawn Philip Wolcott, 38, of South Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with second-degree menacing and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. On Nov. 7 at 1:19 p.m. on South Main Street Road, Wolcott was arrested after allegedly possessing a curved knife blade and menacing a victim, causing fear of physical injury. He was held in Genesee County jail until his arraignment at 7 p.m. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jacob Gauthier.

Salvatore Paul Scarlata, 36, of Ladue Road, Sweden, is charged with disobeying a court mandate. He was arrested Nov. 5 on an arrest warrant for second-degree criminal contempt. It is alleged that at 11:55 a.m. on Oct. 10 on Main Road in Stafford that Scarlata violated an order of protection. The defendant is accused of fleeing the scene before responding patrols arrived, and an arrest warrant was issued. He was arraigned then given a return date of Nov. 12 for Stafford Town Court. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush.

Tyler John Griffin, 20, of Amherst, is charged with: driving while intoxicated, with a BAC of .08 percent or more; DWI -- first offense; moving from lane unsafely; and speed not reasonable and prudent. Griffin was arrested following a rollover acccident on East Road in the Town of Bethany at 12:06 a.m. on Nov. 7. Griffin was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Bethany Court on Nov. 17. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Austin Heberlein, assisted by Deputy David Moore.

Lawrence Donnell Williams Sr., 60, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a Class D felony. On Oct. 6, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office received a report of a counterfeit $100 bill at a store on Veterans Memorial Drive. Following an investigation, it is alleged that Williams knowingly presented the money as if it were real U.S. currency to pay for a transaction at the store at 12:12 p.m. on Oct. 4. He was arrested, arraigned virtually in Genesee County Court, then released on his own recognizance. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Sheriff's Investigator Kevin Forsyth.

Katherine Jeanne Briggs, 41, of South Main Street, Batavia is charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree and possession of switched license plates. At 12:49 p.m. on Nov. 6, a Genesee County Sheriff's patrol car equipped with a license plate reader received an alert of a stolen license plate. The status of the suspected stolen plate was allegedly confirmed through a registration check and the motor vehicle was stopped on Route 33 in the Town of Stafford. Briggs was identified as the operator of the vehicle. She was transported to Genesee County jail for processing and photographs and released with a ticket to appear in Stafford Town Court on Dec. 2. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Deputy Robert Henning.

Benjamin Gobe Evans IV, 32, of Federal Drive, Batavia, is charged with third-degree criminal trespass. At 4:35 p.m. on Nov. 6 on Federal Drive, Evans was arrested after allegedly going to a gas station where he is no longer allowed. He was released with a ticket to be in Batavia Town Court on Dec. 17. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien, assisted by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun.

Joey Aaron Evans, 30, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with third-degree criminal trespass. At 4:35 p.m. on Nov. 6 on Park Road, Batavia, Evans was arrested after allegedly going to the Citgo gas station where he is no longer allowed. He was released with a ticket to be in Batavia Town Court on Dec. 17. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas Chamoun, assisted by Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Press release:

Effective today, Monday Nov. 9, all City facilities and meeting rooms will be closed to the public in light of increased in COVID-19 positive cases in Genesee County.  

Facilities that will remain open for public business include the following:

• City Clerk’s Office
• DPW Administration/ Inspection Bureau 
• Yard Waste Station

At this time, City Council meetings, Planning & Development Committee meetings and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings will remain as in-person meetings held in the Council Chamber with minimal City staff attending. The meeting will remain open to the media and public.

Anyone attending the meeting will be subject to enhanced screening protocol.

• The City Fire Department will screen all persons entering the facility.  
• Screening will be conducted on the second floor of City Hall in the Community Room.
• Anyone who does not pass the temperature and symptom screening, or refuses to screen will not be allowed to enter the Council Chamber. 
• All members of the public, and the media, need to remain masked at all times. 
• Enhanced cleaning will continue to take place. 

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation as we all work together to keep Batavia safe.

Press release:

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo is now accepting applications for the 2021 Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Funds competitive grant process.

The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation established endowment funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo to provide annual support for programs and initiatives that reflect the personal passions of Wilson. Grants will support the following areas of interest:

Caregivers

Support caregivers –whether paid, voluntary or family – of persons who are unable to fully care for themselves and are part of an underserved community. Preference will be given to organizations or projects that provide support to caregivers of older adults. 

Requests must address at least one of the following objectives:

• Increase opportunities for caregivers to take advantage of resources.
• Support operating expense of the applicant organization. 

Community Assets

Support significant cultural and historic assets and/or increase access to long-term arts instruction for youth. 

Requests must address one of the following objectives: 

• Increase access to long term arts instruction for children and youth living in under-resourced communities. 
• Restore and leverage significant historic buildings and architectural landmarks, with a preference for sites that promote cultural tourism.
• Support operating expenses of the applicant organization. 

Design and Access

Support enhancement of community access to spaces and programs that support healthy living. Requests must address one of the following objectives: 

• Support for preplanning, development and/or construction. This may include projects related to increasing the walkability and bikeability of local communities, and improving waterways, greenways and recreation corridors. 
• Support operating expenses of the applicant organization. 

It is a preference but not a requirement that these projects: 

• Incorporate green design to be environmentally sustainable.
• Incorporate universal access design to serve people of all abilities.
• Please note: Large sports facilities are not of interest.

Youth Sports

• Provide opportunities for all children to be active through sport. Requests to build collaborations among organizations are encouraged. Requests for projects should include the following objectives from the State of Play WNY Report:

1. Ask kids what they want.

2. Reintroduce free play.

3. Encourage sport sampling.

4. Revitalize in-town leagues.

5. Think small.

6. Design for development.

7. Train all coaches.

8. Emphasize prevention. 

Grant requests should range between $10,000 and $25,000 for Caregivers, Community Assets and Youth Sports. Design and Access requests should range between $10,000 and $50,000.

Funds will be released after grant requirements and obligations have been signed and returned. 

For Caregivers, Design and Access, and Youth Sports, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that meet the guidelines described above and reside in Western New York may apply for a grant. Western New York is defined as Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties. For Caregivers, Design and Access and Youth Sports, government agencies also may apply. For Community Assets, only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that reside in Erie County may apply.

Applications are due Dec. 4, at 4 p.m. Decisions will be made in May.

A virtual information session for all areas of interest will be held from 12 to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Additionally, there will be an evening virtual session for Youth Sports first-time applicants from 7 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9.

To register for information sessions, learn more about deadlines and eligibility, and to apply, please click here.

Photo: Aaron Leone, right, practices his welding skills on the Miller LiveArc machine, as welding instructor Andrew Geyer, guides him.

Submitted photo and press release:

When Graham Corporation and the Genesee County Economic Development Center approached the executive principal of the Genesee Valley BOCES Batavia Campus about donating a welding simulator, Jon Sanfratello knew that this was a huge bonus for the Metal Trades Program.

“When businesses invest in our programs, our students are the true benefactors," Sanfratello said. "This welding simulator, that Graham Corporation has so generously donated,will provide our students with an additional training tool to test their skills.

"One of our top priorities here at GV BOCES is the integration of both applied and practical skills into curriculumso our students are college and career-ready. This training tool is another means of achieving our goal. We are so very appreciative of Graham’s investment in our program and students.”

At the end of the 2019-2020 school year, Graham Corp. provided them a Miller LiveArc Welding System. It provides a simulation scenario for a student to practice welds in a live-arc training mode.

Andrew Geyer is the welding instructor at the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center.

“The Miller LiveArc has cameras and infrared sensors that will read students’ welds and grade them accordingly based upon the parameters that are set,” Geyer said. “It is our hope that representatives from Graham can spend some time with us and program the machine with industry-based welds, so students can get a better understanding of what is expected in industry.” 

Geyer and Metal Trades students recently met with Graham Corp. representatives and Chris Suozzi, GCEDC vice president of Business & Workforce Development, via Zoom. During this online meeting, students asked many questions about employment opportunities at Graham Corporation.

Graham Corp. is well known for being a major employer in the region as well as a big supporter of schools especially, Genesee Valley BOCES. Graham has gifted other materials used in the Metal Trades Program at the GV BOCES Batavia Campus, too.

“The Welding Program at the Batavia CTE Center is very important to Graham Corporation and to our community," said Alan Smith, general manager of Graham Corp. "As Graham continues to grow, access to skilled welders is vital. Welders make up approximately 50 percent of Graham's skilled workforce.

"Graham has a long history of supporting the welding program at the Batavia CTE Center with donations of plate steel and weld wire. Graham's latest donation of the weld simulator will enable students to learn proper welding techniques by providing immediate feedback while saving the expensive cost of weld wire.”

Graham Corporation also has a track record of hiring welding students from the Batavia CTE Center and from other BOCES around New York State. Don Fonda, superintendent at Graham Corp., says this partnership goes back decades.

“We have close to 75 employees who went to a BOCES program, and add in some recent new hires, the total is over 80 employees," Fonda said. "We have 53 employees who came to Graham from the Batavia GV BOCES program.

“From what I could find out the Graham/Batavia GV BOCES connection goes back to the 1970s when GV BOCES was next to the industrial center. Bob Torrey was one of the first co-op students at Graham. He started at Graham working three days and Saturdays in January of 1974 while he was in school. He was hired full time in June 1974, 46 years ago.”

Suozzi says partnerships like this benefit the community.

"The Genesee County Economic Development Center applauds Graham Corporation for investing in equipment and experiences that will benefit every 11th- and 12th-grade student learning in GV BOCES' welding lab," Suozzi said. "This partnership strengthens the skills of our students for the great careers at Graham Corporation.”

Press release:

Get the first leg up on your career ladder with a summer 2021 internship at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). As part of the federal Pathways Program, USDA offers paid federal internships at USDA agencies and offices around the country.

USDA is hiring interns from high school to graduate level for a broad range of occupational fields, from veterinary science, to engineering, to natural resources management, and finance.

This developmental program gives students experience to enhance their educational goals and shape their career choices. USDA internships involve on-the-job experience, mentorship, and training tailored to the student’s education, experience and interests.

The program is available to students who are currently enrolled in qualifying educational programs or institutions from high school to graduate level.

In 2020, USDA hosted thousands of in-person and virtual internships around the country, many of which were through the federal Pathways Program.

Next summer, USDA will hire Pathways interns in hundreds of locations in nearly every state in the country for the following occupational fields:

• Administration and Office Support
• Biological Science
• Business and Industry
• Engineering and Architecture
• Financial Management
• Information Technology
• Veterinary Science

It’s easy to apply for a OneUSDA Pathways internship. Visit www.usda.gov/internships, choose your area of interest and the link will send you to a USAJobs posting where you can apply and choose your preferred location.

The deadline for summer 2021 internship applications is Monday, Nov. 16. Application review will begin immediately. For more information on the program and eligibility, visit www.usda.gov/internships or email internship@usda.gov.

Educators, youth-serving organizations, and students can find more USDA resources to foster the next generation of agricultural professionals at www.usda.gov/youth.

A caller to dispatch says a neighbor at an apartment on Chestnut Street in the city intentionally locked cats out of the house, leaving them stranded on the roof. A police officer is responding.

UPDATE 1:39 p.m.: The Chestnut Street resident was home when a police officer and an animal control officer arrived. The resident, who has two cats, says one of them likes to go out on the roof over a room on the first floor. That's why the screenless window is left open on sunny, pleasant days such as this so the feline can survey all and bask in sunlight. The cat can mosey back inside at any point. One of the officers asked the resident if they could bring the cat inside since someone has concerns about it and the resident acquiesced.

Press release:

The successful GLOW With Your Hands career exploration project hit a major milestone Nov. 2 with the launch of a new virtual platform to benefit all students in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming County (GLOW) Region.

A year after engaging with more than 800 students in hands-on experiences, GLOW With Your Hands Virtual (glowwithyourhandsvirtual.com) expands the experience with innovative, on-demand exploration of 34 careers across four growing sections of the regional economy.

“After seeing the direct impact GLOW With Your Hands produced in a single-day event in 2019, we are excited to bring careers in agriculture, food processing, advanced manufacturing and skilled trades directly to even more students,” said Karyn Winters, director of the Genesee County BEA, who led the project with Angela Grouse, director of Education to Employment Initiatives at the Livingston County Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Students who swung a hammer, laid a concrete walkway, practiced welding and dozens of other activities at GLOW With Your Hands 2019 can now have an even deeper connection to explore these careers,” Grouse said. “GLOW With Your Hands Virtual takes those experiences into the production facilities, job sites and farms, with meaningful results.”

Schools received early access to the GLOW With Your Hands Virtual website a week ago. The full website encourages the public, students, parents and educators to immerse themselves in the platform.

Careers highlighted include assembly and fabrication, welding, concrete and masonry, project manager, food packaging, veterinary technician, animal nutritionist, and drivers with commercial driver's licenses (CDL).

“Each career page includes an extensive ‘day in the life’ profile of professionals at great companies in the GLOW region, and an outline of the general duties, earnings and educational requirements,” Grouse said.

“Most importantly, students are shown a pathway of classes, clubs, volunteer opportunities and local training programs that they can pursue during middle and high school and beyond with training programs and post-secondary opportunities.”

In addition to the Genesee County BEA and Livingston County Area Chamber of Commerce, volunteers from all participated in generating career information, filming and editing of videos with companies across all four counties, and preparing the website.

“We are already planning how to grow GLOW With Your Hands for the future,” Winters said. “In addition to continuing to expand the Virtual platform, all of our organizations are ready to assist our students, educators and businesses.”

GLOW With Your Hands Virtual was made possible by generous 2020 sponsors, led by Platinum Sponsor Genesee Construction; Gold Sponsors Clark Patterson Lee, O-AT-KA Milk Products, National Grid and Livingston Associates; Silver Sponsor USG Oakfield; Bronze Sponsors Batavia Rotary, Cargill, CY Farms, Koike Aronson, Pfisterer Lapp, Torrey Farms and the Workforce Development Institute; and General Sponsors Ed Hulme General Contracting and Stein Farms.

“The support that our volunteers, businesses, schools and sponsors all brought to our inaugural event continued throughout the past year and throughout the development of the GLOW With Your Hands Virtual project under Karyn and Angela’s leadership,” said Jay Lazarony and Chris Suozzi, GLOW With Your Hands cochairs, in a statement.

“The entire GLOW With Your Hands team invites you to explore glowwithyourhandsvirtual.com, and we look forward to seeing everyone in person very soon for the next hands-on event.”

Here are a few links to explore:

• Machine Technician (LINK)
• Project Manager (LINK)
• Machine Operator (LINK)
• Green House Labor Director (LINK)

The Genesee County Legislature has decided to conduct business remotely in response to a recent surge in the number of positive COVID-19 cases.

Legislative Clerk Pam LaGrou this morning issued a media advisory stating that “due to a resurgence of positive COVID-19 cases and caution for all citizens, the Genesee County Legislature will meet remotely until further notice.”

The next meeting of the legislature is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, but instead of meeting at the Old County Courthouse, participants will be admitted via Zoom videoconferencing.

“This decision is being made given the increased number of COVID-19 cases in not only Genesee County, but the region and state as a whole,” County Manager Matt Landers said. “This is a proactive measure taken by the legislature to try and do everything possible to limit the spread further.”

Public Health Director Paul Pettit said the supports the board’s decision.

“We have seen a significant increase in cases and activity over the past couple weeks, with many of these cases and exposures being driven by nonessential gatherings without masking and social distancing by those present,” Pettit said. “The other driver is folks working while symptomatic.”

Pettit advised that this time of the year presents a higher level of challenges because colds and other seasonal ailments have similar symptoms to COVID-19.

“With the numbers increasing, changes like moving meetings to remote/distance platforms are practical ways to continue the work while helping to reduce risk,” he said.

Pettit offered the following “reminder/education” points to consider:

• More people are having gatherings, but even at keeping them under the 50 people limit it still only takes one person to spread this virus. We are encouraging people to rethink their socialization to limit any nonessential gatherings of non-household members no matter what the size. Also, many of the gatherings are moving indoors which increases the potential for spreading the virus and can limit physical distancing.

• Limit time at any functions/gatherings. The longer people are in confined places or near non-household members the higher the chance of spreading the virus. It seems more people are attending gatherings and going to work while being symptomatic. The numbers are showing that people are gathering and some who are symptomatic are attending events, gatherings and work. People should be checking their baseline health...you know what is normal for you. If something feels a little off and different from what your norm is STAY HOME!

• Be diligent about keeping your distance from those who are non-household members of at least 6 feet ... more if you are engaging in physical activity, speaking loudly, singing, etc. 

• Wear your mask/face covering! The masks are to be used in conjunction with physical distancing.

• Wash/sanitize your hands and frequently shared items to decrease the transfer of germs. Washing hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water or using at least a 60-percent alcohol hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available helps.

• The Finger Lakes region is showing an increase in hospitalizations and admissions to ICU because people are not following the guidelines. Many people are saying they are "tired" of not being able to do what they want to and are being careless around other people who may have underlying health issues. For those who are diligent about following the guidelines, we appreciate their compassion and caring for those they don't even know.

News that a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine developed by Pfizer is 90-percent effective represents "light at the end of the tunnel," according to two doctors involved in vaccine trials at Rochester Regional Health. But there are many difficulties ahead before this or any other vaccine can be widely distributed they cautioned.

Participating in a virtual press conference this morning with reporters from throughout the region were Dr. Ed Walsh and Dr. Ann Falsey. Walsh is the leader of the study at RGH and head of Infectious Diseases at RRH and Falsey is an infectious disease specialist at RRH and URMC codirector of Vaccines Trial Unit.

UMMC in Batavia is part of the RRH network of hospitals and care providers.

Pfizer announced early-stage trial results this morning. The company has not been part of the Warp Speed initiative by the Federal government to develop and distribute a vaccine for COVID-19, nor has it received government grants for the development of a vaccine, according to a spokesperson for Pfizer.

"We need to be cautious but I think it's actually a reason for optimism that the vaccines will work," Dr. Falsey said. "And I guess what I would say to the public is, you know, maybe this is the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's even more reason to wear your masks and do social distancing because I worry that fatigue sets in -- pandemic fatigue. 'It's hopeless. We're never going to get out of this.' And people develop a sort of fatalistic attitude. But I think vaccines are on the horizon. It's going to take a little while yet. But I think this is very encouraging news. I was very happy to hear it."

A story by the medical news website Stat News suggests the early results provided by Pfizer are robust, but also notes there has been no peer-review and Pfizer hasn't released a paper, known as a pre-print, with more scientific analysis. 

There is a lot we don't know about the vaccine, Walsh and Falsey acknowledged, including how long it will confer immunity to the disease since today's news is based on only two months of data.

Pfizer's trial is based study of people who received the vaccine in which 94 people contracted the disease. Pfizer did not reveal how many of those 94 people received the vaccine or a placebo (neither the participants nor the doctors administering it would have any way of knowing which injection they received in a double-blind study). 

"The expectation (of the public) should be that this is an interim report, and I think we all saw this on the news as well,the current guideline for safety analysis requires a longer period of time following the receipt of the second dose of the vaccine in order to feel comfortable with safety," Walsh said. "This is just two months of safety data, which is a good thing, but a final report, obviously, and assessment will be made both on safety and efficacy as they go along."

So far, only minor side effects, such as aches and a fever, have been reported from the vaccine. 

Typically it takes 12 to 18 months to bring a vaccine to market but given the high fatality rate of COVID-19 and the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to spread rapidly in some circumstances, along with the dire economic consequences of the pandemic, scientists and government officials are moving quickly to find an effective and safe vaccine.

Walsh suggested that by the time the vaccine is ready for distribution -- if it ever is -- and at the earliest date distribution might start, meaning perhaps January, we will have greater confidence in its safety, especially balanced against the risk of the novel coronavirus.

"You're really weighing a risk-benefit issue," Walsh said. "We're looking at a pandemic that is potentially going to result in, if left unchecked, hundreds of thousands of more deaths in the U.S. and certainly millions worldwide. And so you try to make your best judgment as to what kind of side effects might you be missing in an early decision to deploy a vaccine. If it's been four months or five months, that's an encompassing period of time when you're generally going to see almost all of the side effects that might come from a vaccine and this type or of any type."

We're now in a period of increasing infection rates, hospitalizations, and deaths but the Pfizer results seem to have come from a period when there was a low prevalence of the disease and it's still possible SARS-CoV-2 doesn't spread as easily in warmer weather. Asked if that might skew the results of Pfizer's study Walsh said he hadn't yet thought of that question and would need some time to think about it.

If the vaccine is approved for the wider public, distribution will be a challenge.

The Pfizer vaccine must be administered in two doses three weeks apart. 

It also must be stored at -112 Fahrenheit. That makes production distribution a challenge, but it also means that the vaccine can only be stored and administered from locations that a freezer capable of maintaining such a frigid temperature. That means neither your local doctor nor the pharmacy is going to be able to provide the vaccine.

A spokeswoman for RRH said it's way too early to know if UMMC is a potential distribution location. If it isn't, people in Genesee County seeking the vaccine will likely need to visit a hospital in Rochester or Buffalo.

It will take time to ramp up production of the vaccine -- though Pfizer has reportedly already started production -- and distribution will take time, so the people eligible to receive the vaccine will be prioritized in tiers with front-line healthcare workers at the front of the line followed by elderly, vulnerable people.

There's no guarantee the Pfizer vaccine will make the grade in its next phase trials but there are at least 11 other promising vaccines in development. Walsh said that's a good thing whether Pfizers proves ultimately effective or not because if there are more successful vaccines that will help supply and distribution.

The 90-percent efficacy rate for the Pfizer vaccine, if it holds up, is exceptional, Walsh said. Not all vaccines are as effective. He noted the measle vaccine is the most effective viral vaccine with an effective rate of 96 percent.

While there is much to learn yet about SARS-Cov-2 and how to vaccinate against it, both Walsh and Falsey struck upbeat notes about vaccines in general and the ability to find a vaccine to fight COVID-19.

The history of vaccines has been generally, and not universally but generally, extraordinarily successful," Walsh said. "The benefit of the vaccines that have been released over the years, over the many, many years of vaccines and going back to the 1950s, is the benefit has far outweighed any risks. I think there is that history to rely on though it is no guarantee, of course. But I think this is important, too, to recognize it and education will be important (to acceptance of the vaccine)."

Falsey added, "A lot of the vaccine hesitancy in recent years has been because vaccines have been so successful that they have nearly eradicated the terrible diseases. And so people don't understand the true impact of some of these infections and they start fixating on potential threats from a vaccine. I think with this pandemic, we can look around and see friends and family members who have been devastated.

"And so everything is risk-benefit. In addition to educating people about misinformation and the true side effects of vaccines, we can also ask them to think about risk-benefit ratios and that with 100,000 cases a day and a thousand deaths each day in the U.S., there's a significant risk to not getting vaccinated. So choosing to not accept the vaccine or not do anything is a decision, and that also carries significant risk."

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.11, down 2 cents from one week ago. One year ago, the price was $2.62. The New York State average is $2.22 – down 1 cent from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.70.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.18 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.18 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.18 (no change cent since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.22 (no change since last week)
• Rome -- $2.30 (no change since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.14 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.28. (down 1 cent since last week)

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that gas demand decreased again while total domestic stocks increased – pushing pump prices down. With demand remaining low, American drivers should expect pump prices to continue to decline.

Domestic crude prices fell last week due to market concern about increasing coronavirus infections worldwide, which could lower crude demand as countries impose new restrictions that will likely limit oil consumption. The drop in crude prices occurred despite EIA’s report showing that total domestic crude inventories dropped. Crude prices are up slightly this morning, so AAA will continue to monitor that activity.

From GasBuddy:

"As expected, previous weakness in oil has continued to translate into falling gasoline prices nearly nationwide as motorists cast their ballots last week, but the six-week trend could reverse on optimism that President-elect Biden may move quickly to get organized and Sen. Majority Leader McConnell has said stimulus is high on his agenda, aiding the economy and oil demand," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

"As of late Sunday, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up over 8 percent compared to just last Monday, a solid rally that may eventually halt the decline in gasoline prices, should the optimism continue even against a backdrop of a continued global rise in coronavirus cases.

"It remains challenging to predict how the Presidential transition may occur, and if it drags the economy down, I could see pessimism and lower prices return, but for now, it appears that a solid dose of optimism may soon drive prices up."

Press Release:

A pair of 298 games and a 788 series highlighted Genesee Region USBC league bowling action this past week at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia.

In the Antique World Tuesday Coed League, 22-year-old right-hander James Townsend continued his stellar bowling this season with 246-276-266 for 788 on lanes 17-18.

The Walmart automotive employee rolled nine strikes in game one, 10 in game two (including the first nine in a row) and the first eight strikes in game three. He needed two strikes in the 10th frame for an 800 series but fell short, getting nine spare and eight on his final ball.

Steve Krna of Alexander flirted with perfection, rolling the first 11 strikes before leaving two pins on his final ball for 298. He finished with a 703 series.

In the Toyota of Batavia Thursday League, Devon Leach posted 11 in a row before leaving the 4-9 split for a 298. He finished with a 686 series.

In the Mancuso Real Estate Monday Night League, Jeremy Vallance led the way with 753.

At Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen, Warsaw lefty Kevin Gray Jr. made it three straight 700 sets with 266--750 in the Thursday Owls League, while Rodney Jopson stayed in the groove with 256--725 in the Wednesday Night Handicap League.

For a list of high scores, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the page.

A fire with flames showing is reported at 3 Walnut St., between South Main Street and Walnut Place in the City of Batavia.

"Looks like a pretty good header in the air," says a first responder.

Flames showing from the second story of the two-story wooden residence.

It's gone to a second alarm.

City fire is responding along with mutual aid from Darien, Town of Batavia and Alexander fire, plus Mercy Medics.

"Engine #11 has water on the fire," a firefighter reports.

UPDATE 6:58 p.m.: "Fire knocked down," says command.

UPDATE 8:59 p.m.: City Engine #12 is responding.

UPDATE 9:01 p.m.: City Engine #12 is on scene.

UPDATE 9:07 p.m.: Alexander #101 on scene. City #17 en route to 3 Walnut. "Fire is out," reports command. "Overhauling."

UPDATE 9:10 pm.: City #17 is on scene. Darien is told to continune in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 10:11 p.m. (By Howard): The cause of the fire is still under investigation said Chief Stephen Napolitano. There were no injuries. All residents evacuated before firefighters were on scene. The upstairs apartment, where the fire started, was occupied by two adults and an infant. The downstairs apartment was occupied by one adult and a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old. One family can stay with friends or family; the other family will be assisted by the Red Cross. There is heavy smoke damage and the utilities to the building have been turned off. Video will be posted later.

UPDATE 10:34 p.m.: A police patrol has been asked to search the area of the Walnut Street footbridge for a beagle with a leash attached. The dog was last seen running from the fire in that direction.

Photo by Andrea Stasko.