Batavia’s downtown Business Improvement District members would like to spend some of their more than $220,000 capital account to enhance the downtown area, and because that will take a city amendment to do so, a public hearing is necessary.

The BID’s current agreement with the city requires the amendment to “add language for improvements in the district that will be allowable under their capital account,” City Manager Rachael Tabelski said. Tabelski explained the need for the amendment and set a public hearing during this week’s council meeting.

“The BID has requested that we update a very specific portion of the plan in relation to the capital infrastructure fund. They currently have $222,000 designated to be used for projects. And they asked to amend the list we had previously to include capital purchases, enhancements in the district of decorations, banners, planters, light poles and accessories, signs, wayfinding, decorative trash bins and potential sidewalk improvements,” Tabelski said. “So they'd like the ability to do these types of projects within the plan and to spend this funding on those projects. So by modifying the plan, you'd give permission for them to undertake these types of activities with this funding. This is a local law change. So it will need to go through the public hearing process.” 

The BID currently has $222,470.50 in its capital account and has requested to make multiple purchases to enhance the district.

Because a substantial portion of the Management Association’s activities are funded by a special assessment levied by the city and its activities are important to the economic health and vitality of the city, it is necessary that the business of the Management Association be performed in an open and public manner, according to city code. 

This provides for the residents and businesses in the community to be fully aware of and able to observe the activities of the Management Association Board of Directors, as well as attend and listen to the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of BID policy. 

In addition, providing access to meeting minutes allows residents and businesses to observe the decision-making process by the Board and to review the documents leading to those determinations.

Tabelski recommended that the same Local Law No. 3 be amended for the BID plan to include these latest requested improvements and to also include a related public hearing.

That hearing will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 27 in Council Chambers at City Hall.

The Batavian contacted BID President Derek Geib for comment since the matter was going to be part of a public hearing. He did not want to provide comment and instead referred The Batavian to BID Executive Director Shannon Maute, who also did not want to offer a comment.

A little background about the BID may be in order. A local law was adopted on Nov. 24, 1997, outlined in Chapter 58 of the city’s code, to establish the district, which is comprised of several streets from Liberty Street west to Court Street and Ellicott Street north to Washington Avenue. 

The local law was amended on June 27, 2005, to include the Ellicott Street business area. It was later further amended on Aug. 6, 2016, and again on March 12, 2018, all of which required public hearings due to the properties within the district being in the public’s interest. 

Under General Municipal Law 980-a ... the Batavia City Council requires that the Management Association Board of Directors comply, conform and abide by the State of New York Open Meetings and Public Information laws. This will apply to all Management Association and sub-committee meetings, including executive committee meetings. The Management Association will further post all by-laws, board and committee meeting minutes, annual budgets, audited financial statements and annual reports on the Management Association’s website for public viewing.

The Batavian contacted Tabelski about this requirement, since the BID has not had an active website for several months. The Batavian asked where the reports were being posted and who was responsible for ensuring that they were being posted as mandated by municipal law. 

Tabelski did not directly respond to those questions, however, she said that the website was discussed during BID’s meeting on Tuesday and that it was being redeveloped and “should relaunch soon.” 

There are two sources for funding the activities of the BID, according to related city documents: the BID assessment and the City of Batavia. The BID assessment for each property is calculated by multiplying the assessed valuation of the property by the BID assessment rate, which was $1.81 per $1,000 of assessed value as of Jan. 18, 2021. 

A vehicle has reportedly crashed into a house at 7824 South Lake Road, Le Roy.

No word on injuries.

Le Roy Fire, Le Roy Ambulance, and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: A chief on scene reports the vehicle struck a porch and not the house.  Bergen had also been dispatched and is now back in service.

UPDATE 5:26 p.m.: No injuries.

Last year's successful Downtown trick-or-treat is returning to the business district again on Saturday.

Organized by Michael Marsh of Edward Jones and sponsored by YNGodess, this is the second year in a row that children have been invited to get into their Halloween costumes and visit participating local businesses for tricks or treats (probably treats).

The event runs from 1 to 3 p.m.

Trick-or-Treat Stops:

• Edward Jones
• Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle
• YNGodess
• My Cut Barbershop
• Valle Jewelers
• HUNT Real Estate ERA
• Creamy Creation
• GOArt!
• Eli Fish Brewing Company
• Center Street Smokehouse
• Bourbon & Burger Co.
• Charles Men's Shop
• The Coffee Press
• Cinquino's Pizza
• Eden Café
• Roman's
• Geico Batavia – Zachary Korzelius
• The Spa at Artemis
• Iburi Photography
• Batavia Bootery
• WBTA Radio
• Main St Pizza Company
• O'Lacy's Irish Pub
• Foxprowl Collectables

The following are in/around the City Centre:

• Main St 56 Theater – City Centre
• Releve Dancewear Boutique – City Centre
• LeBeau Salon – City Centre
• Everybody Eats – City Centre

Remember to Trick or Treat responsibly, organizers remind families.

In Trisha Allen’s eyes, the need to help men and women returning to the community after being incarcerated far outweighs her job title at UConnectCare’s Reentry Program.

The Lyndonville resident recently was promoted by the agency, formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, for her efforts over the past 2 ½ years to develop and solidify the program that provides case management and peer recovery services to those who have been in jail or prison.

A five-year employee at UConnectCare, Allen (photo at right) has moved up from coordinator to project director -- with expanded duties that include overseeing seven full- and part-time employees and communicating directly with the officer of the Offender Reentry Program grant from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that funds the local initiative.

Allen said the Reentry Program has helped numerous men and women get their lives back on track.

She said the men and women who utilized the services that are offered and “did the work” are the ones that have made a successful transition from incarceration.

“In the end, it’s a matter of ‘what you put into the program is what you get out of it,’” she said.

Chester Shivers, a key member of the UConnectCare Reentry Program team since 2020, said he can relate to what people are going through as he advanced through a reentry program at another location.

“It has helped me to learn patience and to make healthy decisions,” he said. “I take one day at a time and wish to share the same hope that was given to me to others.”

Currently, the program is serving more than 90 participants in the Genesee and Orleans counties, with some of those people living in transitional housing provided by UConnectCare.

The Reentry Program helps connect participants with the following services: substance use disorder treatment, mental health treatment, housing, food, clothing, employment and/or job training, childcare, transportation and medical care. Direct case management and housing services are not billed through insurance, enabling participants to avoid those expenses.

Initially, individuals with a history of substance use who were sentenced to jail for a minimum of three months were eligible to qualify for the program. Today, eligibility is not as restrictive.

“We’re now able to serve people that were sentenced to a minimum of 30 days and have served that sentence,” Allen said. “Government is noticing … especially with changes in bail laws that people are not incarcerated as much and for shorter durations.”

Allen said she would like to see the program expanded to include those who haven’t been formally sentenced but served some time through pre-trial release or have had their case diverted through Genesee Justice or Drug Court. She said she also is an advocate for Medication Assisted Treatment for those in recovery.

Since May of this year, Allen has served as the jail counselor in both counties. She said that role ties in nicely with her job with the Reentry Program.

“We’ve been able to get nine or 10 new clients from the counseling sessions,” she said, adding that she visits the Genesee County Jail on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the Orleans County Jail on Wednesdays and Fridays.

A graduate of Genesee Community College, where she received an associate degree in Human Services, Allen also has certification as a peer advocate and is working toward become a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor.

For more information about the Reentry Program, send an email to reentry@uconnectcare.org or call 585-813-6570.

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for UConnectCare.

The Town of Pembroke is considering the construction of a 25,000-square-foot solar farm on land at the back of Town Park.

The location is behind and to the east of the 18-hole disc golf course and would not be visible to visitors of the park.

The solar farm would be built by Buffalo Solar, based in Depew.

"It's basically a small-scale solar project that would basically cover the electricity usage of the town buildings, and then provide a little bit of revenue stream from it," said Supervisor Thomas Schneider, Jr.

"NYSERDA has been pushing towns and villages to do these projects that helps offset the power," Schneider said. "It would save us between $12,000 and $15,000 a year on our electric bills and then generate a little bit of revenue on the side. It's proposed in the section of Town Park that is just wooded and is not likely to be developed, honestly, ever."

A grain bin fire is reported at 6902 Ivison Road, Byron.

Byron and South Byron fire departments dispatched, along with Bergen's ladder truck and an engine from Elba.

A 2018 decision by the Genesee County Legislature to reduce the amount of sales tax shared with other municipalities in the county is making it harder and harder for the Town of Pembroke to meet its financial obligations, said Supervisor Thomas Schneider, Jr.

The town board reviewed the proposed 2024 budget on Wednesday, scheduling a vote for its Nov. 9 meeting on the proposed spending plan, which doesn't raise taxes, but it does raise the tax levy over the state's allowed two percent.

On Wednesday, the board voted to override the tax cap.

The proposed levy is $410,000, which is $30,000 higher than in 2023.

The larger levy is due to the increased assessed value of property in the Town of Pembroke.

"The county cut us out of the sales tax agreement, like they did five, six years ago, which is why every town is struggling the same as we are with funding now," Schneider said.  "We were blessed not to have a town tax for all those many years that we didn't have a town tax. Other towns were still getting the county sales tax money and still had town taxes on top of that."

The proposed budget is $2,621,299.

Schneider said that's the bare minimum needed to keep the town operational. At the same time, the Town is looking at the need to spend $6 million to replace the highway garage.

The money has to come from somewhere, Schneider said.  They've looked at increasing building permit fees, and fees have grown because of increased development, and some of that revenue has been shifted to the general fund.  But it's not enough.  The loss of sales tax revenue is really hurting, Schneider said.

He provided that shows that in 2017, the town received $1,322,812 in sales tax from the county.  In 2024, the town will receive $1.06 million.  If not for the cuts, accounting for economic growth, under the old agreement, the town would receive more than $1.7 million.  The difference is a loss of $646,388.

In 2018, the City of Batavia and County reached a new 40-year sales tax agreement, subsequently approved by the state. By law, the county and city must reach a sales tax agreement, but the county is under no obligation to share sales tax with towns and villages.  The towns and villages had no say in the 2018 agreement.

The county shifted sales tax from the towns and villages to help fund a new $60 million jail.

The state levies a four percent sales tax, and the county levies a four percent sales tax, making the local sales tax 8 percent.

From 2004 to 2020, Pembroke had no town property tax. After the new sales tax agreement and the cut in Pembroke's share of sales tax, the town instituted a 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value property tax. The current tax rate, which will not change in 2024, is $1.20 per thousand of assessed value.

"It's hard to know how much sales tax is generated in the Town of Pembroke, but I'll guarantee it's a hell of a lot more than we're getting between all these truckstops, gas stations and the East Pembroke gas station on the thruway," Schneider said. "We should all share in the benefits of sales tax in this county, and we still do, but not where we would have been if that agreement was never basically deep-sixed all those many years ago."

There was one upside to being one of the few men at the Pink Hatters & Friends annual dinner this year, comedian Dan Viola says.

No line at the restroom. Ta-dum-dum.

While humor might seem out of place for something as potentially sobering as an event to celebrate cancer survivors and remember those who have died from the awful disease, this event was a mix of light-hearted laughter and thoughtful recognition.

Viola was in the program line-up after a survivor recognition of those who have survived significant milestones of one year and beyond, and that followed guest speaker Dr. Lori Medeiros, who specializes in breast diseases and breast surgery. 

The key importance of having the event is to “celebrate our community’s survivors and continue to fundraise funds for our local community,” nurse manager Olivia Barren said. 

She and fellow nurse managers from United Memorial Medical Center’s maternity department came together to put the event together, she said. There were nearly 300 people in attendance, made up of about 50 percent cancer survivors, plus their family, friends, and hospital staff.

“We’ve had really good success with fundraising. And I think at the end of the day, just getting everyone together and being able to celebrate the success, and all the hard work that we put into it, and everyone's survivor’s story, it’s really great,” she said. “We start with the basket raffle. That's our primary source of fundraising. We did a dessert dash, which we were able to raise just under $2,000 with the dessert dash, which I'd never even heard of before. Each table fundraised just within their dinner table, and they put money in an envelope …  We had all the way up to $147 was our winning table, and they got to go first. So we raised a lot of money in a very short amount of time with that, so they get to go and pick desserts first. And then the second highest envelope, and next and then so on and so forth.”

Thanks to donations from local bakeries and restaurants, those tables with the highest contributions then dashed to select one of 37 desserts of their choice, she said. It made for a fun ending to dinner and a good way to raise more money for the cause. 

Aside from the fundraising aspect, Barren has a deeply personal reason for her passion: “My mom is actually a breast cancer survivor,” she said.

“And so it’s very meaningful to me,” she said. “I’m the OB Department nurse manager, so we do a lot of education for obstetric patients about breast cancer and early screening. And it just hits home, mostly because of my mom.” 

The basket raffle, featuring themed baskets of various items, involved contributions from hospital workers and members of the community, she said. 

While attendees still wear pink attire and many wear colorful fun pink hats, the main theme of breast cancer awareness for the month of October has expanded to include colon cancer as well.  

“All of us wear pink hats to honor breast cancer. But this year, we're talking a lot about — our keynote speaker is actually a survivor of colon cancer,” Barren said. “So not just breast cancer, anybody with cancer stories. But we do focus a lot on the breast cancer side of things.

“I really love being super involved. I love getting together with a community. I love getting together with my friends outside of work to really network and hang out in a low-stresson  environment compared to being in the hospital every day where we're dealing with life and death.,” she said. “Here, we get to have fun, eat wonderful food and raise money for our community.”

Pembroke Primary School hosted a trunk or treat for children at the school. The event included activities in the gym.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Voters in the Pembroke Central School District on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved two measures that will authorize the district to make more than $37.5 million in improvements to school facilities.

• Proposition 1 passed 356 yes to 130 no.
• Proposition 2 passed 269 yes to 208 no.

Here is a summary of what voters approved.

Prop 1: $35,995,000.  No additional tax impact. The local share is $6.8 million and will be covered by capital reserves.  The balance of the spending plan will be covered by state aid and paying off existing debt.

Prop 1 will: 

• Enhance the auditorium with new house lighting and new theatre lighting 
• Enhance the band room with acoustics, instrument storage and sink
• Install a light pole by the band entrance
• Renovate the pool and construct a spectator seating addition
• Renovate the existing gymnasium and surrounding corridors
• Renovate/relocate the locker rooms and fitness centers
• Regrade baseball field and install proper drainage, with SOD and infield mix
• Add/reconfigure bleachers at the main athletic field 
• Repave the teacher lot and  front circle
• Install a blue light system 
• Replace PA/phone system
• Upgrade the business office mechanical equipment 
• Construct two permanent walls in Classrooms (500 wing)

The plan includes expanding the gym, which will address the current facility's limited seating capacity and eliminate front-row spectators from having their feet on the court during sporting events.  The upgrade will also include installing a divider curtain, adding concessions, and an upgraded scoreboard.

At the elementary school, the playground will be updated. The current playground was installed in 1995 and has lasted longer than expected, according to district documentation.

The district states:

However, the maintenance required to keep it as safe as possible has become more and more challenging over time. At the end of this past school year, we had limited access to the playground. Then, over the summer, our maintenance department made a number of repairs and alterations to address concerns that were identified by a certified playground inspector. As a result of their hard work, the playground is accessible to students this fall, with the understanding that splinters are an ongoing issue. The repairs were only a short-term fix, so it is time to assess how to repair and/or upgrade the playground more significantly to make it last another 25-30 years.

The total cost of Prop 2 is $1,535,000.  The local share is nearly 100 percent of the projected cost. State aid will cover less than one percent.

According to the district, the tax impact breaks down this way:

• Senior/STAR, $19 ($1.58 a month)
• Basic STAR, $30 ($2.50 a month)
• No STAR, $37 ($3.08 a month).

For more details on the projects, click here.

Oakfield-Alabama lost Tuesday to Williamson 4-1 in the Class C1 semifinal in Girls Soccer.

The Hornets entered the game as the #3 seed against #2 Williamson.

There is one local team left in the Girls Soccer Sectionals, Byron-Bergen, who will play for the C2 championship on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Gates-Chili against Keshequa.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

For the first time in several months, the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. board of directors had a quorum at today’s meeting at Batavia Downs Gaming and was able to conduct a bit of business.

Initially, the board elected Dennis Bassett (City of Rochester) as the temporary chair to cover just this meeting, but later on (following several minutes of discussion about other matters), decided to keep him in that position through the November planning meeting.

The unattended resolutions have been piling up, with WROTB President Henry Wojtaszek informing the board that up to 70 resolutions will need to be considered before the end of the year.

With that being said, it was incumbent upon the board to have a chair in place, Wojtaszek noted.

A motion was made to elect Bassett as the permanent chair, but that failed to pass due to the board’s weighted voting system. All board members eligible to vote, except Erie County’s Jennifer Hibit, supported Bassett. However, since Erie County’s vote has more strength, based on population, the motion was defeated. City of Buffalo director Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney apparently was not eligible to vote as she is waiting for licensing from the New York State Gaming Commission.

Subsequently, other motions were brought forward to elect Bassett temporarily – first for October and then into November – and they carried unanimously.

The board did pass a pair of resolutions pertaining to sales of former WROTB branches in Phoenix, Oswego County, and West Ridge Road, Monroe County.

WROTB sold the Phoenix parlor for $750,000 to CM Family Trust and the West Ridge Road branch to Michael J. Cerone for $500,000.

Wojtaszek said he, with assistance from attorneys and procurement staff, did their best to maximize the sale prices.

Chief Financial Officer Jacquelyne Leach said the proceeds from the West Ridge Road sale will count toward the public benefit corporation’s bottom line as distributions in a normal sale but would not have an impact on distributions to municipalities for 2023.

She did say that the Phoenix sale has the “potential” to increase funds to the 15 counties and two major cities.

While admitting that mistakes have been made, the City of Rochester representative on the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. bristled when “alleged corruption” was brought up during his talk with the media following today’s directors meeting at Batavia Downs Gaming on Park Road.

City of Rochester representative Dennis Bassett – who was elected as the temporary board chair through November -- took exception to a Buffalo-based reporter’s query about whether the revamped board was intent “on instituting some reforms and cleaning up alleged corruption.”

“Well, we've got not only (new directors) from Erie (County) and (the City of) Buffalo, but we got a new member from Monroe County, which based upon the way the vote goes, that’s pretty good,” Bassett said, referring to the weighted voting system that was put in by New York State mandate last May. “I’d like to say we've got new board members from Erie, from Buffalo, from Monroe County that add new blood.

“And I think corruption is a is a very strong term. I've been on this board, as I said 14 years, and I don't see corruption. We’ve seen some honest procedural mistakes … and we should be held accountable for that. I'd like to say we did everything perfectly, but we haven't. But I think we -- with good intentions – made mistakes.”

Bassett said the board has addressed the problems such as the use of sporting event tickets, the way mileage is reimbursed and health insurance for board members.

“There's been some stubbing of the toes. And yes, I'd like to say we have done … everything right, but we haven’t,” he offered. “We’ve stubbed our toe. But I can also say that in those areas where we’ve had problems, we have corrected them. And that’s the key thing. We’ve listened. We’ve made some very – I would call it -- enthusiastic decisions, whether it be mileage, whether it be our entertainment, whether it be the things that we can control.”

When asked about the former board, which was dominated by Republicans, he said, “Well, you know, to the victor goes the spoils.”

“I'm a Democrat, registered Democrat, and most of the board members during my time were Republicans. And guess what? I never once felt slighted.  I will continue to say on this board, we make business decisions. We owe the municipalities and the two cities to make the best business decisions we can so we can put money in their coffers.

“We don’t stand and say this is a Republican decision or this is a Democrat (decision). Is it a good business decision? And that has been our mantra since I’ve been on the board.”

When he was asked whether spending hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past two years on lawyers and lobbyists was a good business decision, Bassett said the board didn’t have “the skill set” to ascertain the correct answers.

“We've had to hire counsel because of some of the things – whether it be the Nolan lawsuit (a wrongful termination suit by former WROTB executive Michael Nolan) … and the (FBI) investigations, sadly to say we had to do some of those things because we didn’t have the skill set to answer the questions that were proposed. But I think we’ve weathered that storm, and I don’t think we’ve got to continue down that path,” he said.

Bassett said he sees the “new blood” as a positive for the board. Actually, six new directors joined the board after the shakeup that terminated the previous board – Jennifer Hibit (Erie County), Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney (Buffalo), James Wilmot (Monroe County), Terrance Baxter (Cayuga County), Paul Bartow (Schuyler County) and Charles Zambito (Genesee County).

“I think it’s good,” Bassett said. “And just the new change we made with having people who are really younger and working, for us to be able to Zoom committee meetings so people can take advantage of getting their ideas (out there) is a big step,”

During this morning’s meeting, the board agreed to give directors the option of attending future committee meetings via Zoom videoconferencing.

It also will be looking into a suggestion from Hibit to livestream the board meetings to, as she said, “make the board more transparent and accessible to the public.”

Bassett emphasized that there will be more transparency going forward and talked about having a strategic plan in place beyond one or two years.

“I've shared with the team that we're on top of the world now,” he said. “We're making good profits. We’re having good numbers. But we need to put together a strategic plan so that we can look out for more than one year, and look at more than several months. How do we look in three and four or five years?

“The world is not going to be the same two and three years from now? So how are we planning? How are we getting ourselves ready for some of the things that may happen that cause us not to be having these record earnings.”

There's no doubt that it was a team effort, but Jack Farner was a standout in Byron-Bergen's sectional semifinal win over Addison in Geneseo on Wednesday, scoring four goals.

The Bees won 6-1.

In a regular season match in September, Addison beat Byron-Bergen 3-2 so the Bees went into the game knowing they had to beat a tough opponent if they wanted to advance in the Class C1 tournament. 

"Addison is a very good team," said the Bees' head coach, Kenneth Rogoyski. "The score is not a reflection of the game. Possession was maybe a tiny bit in our favor, but it was pretty even. They played the ball in our half as much as we played the ball in they're half. The score is not a reflection, but rather, we just did better things with the ball. We handled the ball and managed the ball better."

As part of the offensive onslaught, Colin Martin had two goals and two assists, Jesus Aragon, two assists, and Braedyn Chambry, one assist.

"Jack Farner, a junior on our team, had his best game," Rogoyski. "He's been phenomenal this season. And today, he wants to take it to another level."

Farner's success was made possible, Rogoyski noted, by the players around him.

"Every great forward has some great playmakers and we were feeding him some great balls, Rogoyski said. "That's 

every great forward has some great playmakers, and we were feeding him some great balls. That's the credit to our midfielder, Colin (Martin)."

With a record now of 15-2-1, Byron Bergen, the #2 seed, faces East Rochester, the #1 seed, for the sectional title in a match to be played at Avon High School on Saturday at 2 p.m.

"I'm excited," Rogoyski said. "I can't wait. I can't wait for Saturday. It's gonna be tough to have to wait three days. I want to play a doubleheader tonight. We're ready."

For more photos or to purchase prints, click here.

Press Release:

After years of relentless advocacy, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region has just won the prestigious federal Tech Hub designation he created in the CHIPS & Science Act, putting Upstate NY further on the road to becoming America’s semiconductor superhighway. 

Schumer pulled out all the stops to bolster the tri-city region to beat out hundreds of other applications in the nationwide competition. The proposal called the “NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub” will build on the historic investments Schumer delivered that have spurred a boom in semiconductor manufacturing and innovation across Upstate NY and with today’s designation, will now be in an exclusive group of only 31 regions in America to compete for potentially billions in federal funding to transform Upstate NY as a global hub for workforce training, innovation, and manufacturing of semiconductor technology.

“Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse are officially on the road to becoming America’s semiconductor superhighway. I created this program with Upstate NY in mind, and now three of our own cities that helped build America, have not only won the exclusive federal Tech Hub designation for semiconductors but also won a once-in-a-generation opportunity to write a new chapter for Upstate NY building our nation’s future. This 3 region Tech Hub will hit the gas on NY’s booming chips industry by attracting new companies, training our workforce for tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, and bringing manufacturing in this critical industry back from overseas to right here in Upstate NY,” said Senator Schumer. 

“I pulled out all the stops to land this Tech Hub Designation for my great home state – making the case that bringing together these three cities and giving them the resources to combine forces would create an unstoppable engine that will rev the region’s industries to life and make Upstate NY a global center for semiconductors. With this Tech Hubs Designation highlighting the region as one of only a few in the country primed to be the next Silicon Valley in critical technology, combined with federal funding now flooding this triple-threat region, America’s semiconductor manufacturing industry truly couldn’t be in better hands.”

Schumer originally proposed the Tech Hubs program years ago as part of the bipartisan Endless Frontier Act with Upstate NY in mind to help bring critical industries back from overseas in communities that have great potential to lead in new technologies and finally was able to create the Regional Tech Hubs competition in his CHIPS & Science Bill. 

Schumer has been a tireless advocate for the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region proposal, personally writing and calling Commerce Secretary Raimondo multiple times to make the case that Upstate NY is best suited to help drive forward the nation’s semiconductor and broader microelectronics industries.

Schumer said that the three-region consortium beat out hundreds of applications and was one of only 31 regions chosen for the Tech Hub designation. The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub proposal will now be able to compete for the next phase of the Tech Hubs Program that will invest between $50 and $75 million in each of 5 to 10 Designated Hubs.

Schumer secured an initial infusion of $500 million in last year’s spending bill to jumpstart the Tech Hubs competition, from which Phase 2 awards will be made. The CHIPS & Science Bill included a $10 billion authorization for the Tech Hubs program – meaning that designated Tech Hubs will be able to compete for significantly more investment based on future funding levels.

Schumer said that with this designation, the NY SMART I-Corridor will bring together the combined assets of Buffalo, Rochester,u and Syracuse to help the region become a globally recognized semiconductor manufacturing hub in the next decade, with innovation focused on improving the quality and quantity of semiconductor manufacturing and, along with it, amplifying the region’s microelectronics and microchip supply chain ecosystem.  The Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse consortium includes over 80 members from across the public sector, industry, higher-ed, economic and workforce development, and labor. This includes over 22 industry groups and firms, 20 economic development organizations, 8 labor & workforce training organizations, and 10 institutions of higher learning.  This application development process was led by three designated conveners, one from each region: The John R. Oishei Foundation in Buffalo, ROC2025 in Rochester, and CenterState CEO in Syracuse.

Specifically, the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub proposal seeks to propel the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse corridor by attracting new suppliers to the region, including onshoring companies from overseas, advancing research & development programs for the semiconductor industry, training the next generation of Upstate New York’s manufacturing workforce, and specifically helping ensure that underserved populations are connected to the tens thousands of good-paying jobs expected to be created in this growing industry in the region.

Schumer has been preparing Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse for this opportunity, working relentlessly to boost Upstate New York as a global tech leader. Schumer’s tireless advocacy has resulted in billions in proposed investments from the semiconductor industry spurred by his Chips & Science Bill. In the Syracuse region alone, Micron has announced plans to invest an historic $100 billion to build a cutting-edge memory fab expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs. In Western NY, Edwards Vacuum will invest $300+ million to build a 600 job U.S. dry pump manufacturing facility to supply the semiconductor industry. With Schumer’s direct advocacy, Buffalo has already received $25 million for its growing tech industry through the American Recue Plan’s Build Back Better Challenge, laying the foundation for the Tech Hub designation they have now secured. In the Rochester region, Corning Incorporated, which manufactures glass critical to the microchip industry, has already invested  $139 million in Monroe County – creating over 270 new, good-paying jobs in the Finger Lakes region.

Members of the consortium include semiconductor manufacturers and supply chain business like Micron, INFICON, Corning, Optimax, AMD, TTM Technologies, Saab, Akoustis, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Edwards Vacuum, Linde, Lifatec and SRC; business organizations like NY Photonics with 120-member companies, Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association (RTMA) with 85-member companies, Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance (BNMA), and the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce; education and research institutions like University of Buffalo, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Monroe Community College, Syracuse University, Cornell , SUNY Oswego, SUNY ESF, SUNY EOC, and Onondaga Community College; workforce development partners like Centerstate CEO, Northland Workforce Training Center, RochesterWorks, RMAPI, UNiCON, WNY Area Labor Federation, Central-Northern New York Building and Construction Trades Council, IBEW Local 43, and many more.

Michael Burns is one of those guys who is often behind the scenes, making sure that all systems are working smoothly and nothing dastardly or mischievous gets into foul things up for Genesee County.

He takes his job seriously — so much, in fact, that he sends tester emails to colleagues to see if they will open them up. Every now and then, a county employee will comment that he or she was tempted to open an odd email but thought better of it, also thinking that maybe it was sent from Burns.

Of course, by now, everyone should know not to open up a strange, random or otherwise questionable email.

And Burns, who was hired as director of Information Technology in May 2021, has been beating that drum, along with sharing other important cybersecurity reminders, ever since he took the job. 

After all, “we are more wired than ever before,” he has said. 

On Wednesday, the county Legislature acknowledged the vital role of those like Burns and proclaimed the month of October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. 

Legislator Chad Klotzbach represented the group as information technology liaison for the state Association of Counties Information Technology Task Force. The proclamation states:

WHEREAS, in today’s world we are more interconnected that ever before yet for all of its

advantages, increased connectivity brings increased risk of theft, fraud and abuse, and

WHEREAS, as Genesee County and its citizens become more reliant on modern

technology we also become more vulnerable to cyberattacks such as security breaches,

spear phishing and social media fraud, and

WHEREAS, Genesee County Information Technology Department is responsible for

delivering secure, accurate, timely information and services to County departments, municipalities, residents and visitors effectively and efficiently, and

WHEREAS, Genesee County IT employees, consultants and vendors institute best practices and utilize available resources, and

WHEREAS, cybersecurity month provides an opportunity to increase public awareness and understanding of cyber threats while empowering employees and citizens to be safer and more secure online. Now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, the Genesee County Legislature does hereby proclaim the Month of October as Cybersecurity Month and encourages all citizens to recognize that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility in which we all have a role to play.

In addition to monitoring the county’s overall cybersecurity and other technology systems, Burns has also been involved in a project to install fiber cable from County Building 2 on Route 5 to Emergency Management Services on State Street Road and from County Building 2 to Genesee County Airport at 4701 East Saile Drive. 

The Information Technology website has several resources, from affordable Internet service providers to tips for password security, multi-factor authentication, dealing with ransomware, phishing awareness, how to keep kids safe online, and other topics. 

There’s even a Kids Safe Online poster contest.