Press Release:

The second annual Genesee County Barn Dance is scheduled for Sept. 29 from 6 - 10 p.m. at Torrey’s barn at 7411 Oak Orchard Rd., Elba.

Tickets for the event that will benefit the Town of Batavia Republican Committee are $35 per person or $60 per couple and can be obtained by going to www.tobgop.com or by contacting Chad Zambito at chadzambito@gmail.com.

Attendees will be treated to a beef on weck dinner provided by T.F. Brown’s and music by Genesee Ted. Beer and wine will also be included, with a cash bar available. The event also will feature raffles and prizes.

The Town GOP committee is seeking corporate and individual sponsors of the dance, with full table sponsorships available. Sponsors thus far include Marchese Computer Products, Underhill Farms, Mountain Engineers, Assemblyman Steven Hawley and several individuals.

The Genesee County Planning Board unanimously approved two variances for the proposed Burger King drive-through at 301-305 West  Main St., Batavia during its Thursday evening meeting.

The applicant, Carrols LLC, represented by site engineer Peter Sorgi, requested two variances to allow for 26 parking spaces versus the required minimum of 32 spaces, and for a building height of 18.66 feet, which would be .66 8 inches more than the maximum allowable 18 feet.

The Planning Board deemed the variances as posing “no significant county-wide or inter-community impact.” 

The project has appeared on the table of the city’s Planning and Development Committee at least three times, each time returning with requested revisions to the design, including the addition of more green space in correlation to adjusting the size of the driveway and number of parking spots. The plan has also gone to the city's Zoning Board of Appeals. 

Although the County Planning Board approved this latest modification, Sorgi is expected to return to the group at least once more with a full site plan in October, Planning Board Director Felipe Oltramari said.

The project is also on the agenda for the next City Planning & Development Committee meeting on Tuesday to discuss the two variance issues of off-street parking and building height. It’s likely the committee will recommend that the applicant return to the ZBA again for review, according to the agenda. 

This Burger King will replace the current site on the opposite side of Main Street and will be at the corner of West Main and North Lyon streets.

Town of Batavia responded this evening to a fully involved tractor-trailer fire on the Thruway in the area of Genesee Community College.

Photo by Steve Ognibene.

Click here to purchase your tickets

Press Release: 

The Anna Ingalsbe Lovell chapter of the NSDAR is pleased to provide Patriotic material in celebration of Constitution Week September 17-23.  

Each bag includes color informative posters, a laminated copy of the Pledge of Allegiance in American Sign language, Braille, and a copy in tri-fold format, DAR membership information, pocket-size copies of the U.S. Constitution, and a packet of bookmarker “Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America”.  

Ryan Duffy, Director of the HLOM, is collaborating with the Anna Ingalsbe Lovell Chapter NSDAR to promote the US Constitution and its connection to the founding documents: Financier Robert Morris.

Alexander resident Cortni Quinn, a corrections officer at Attica Correctional Facility, provided these photos from Wednesday's Attica Prison Riot Memorial Ceremony.

Every year, on Sept. 13, there are two ceremonies on prison grounds in remembrance of the riot, which started on Sept. 9, 1971, and ended on Sept. 13, 1971. the first service focuses on victims and families of victims who died. The second is a state service remembering the riot.

This year was the 52nd anniversary.

The bagpiper is William Franz of Attica. The pictures include the Attica Honor Guard and the Attica CERT team members.

A semi-truck and car have reportedly collided on Route 63 at Starr Road in Pavilion.

The car is reportedly on fire.

The truck reportedly rolled over.

No word on injuries.

Pavilion Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: No fire.

Artist Dan Butler has worked on a variety of projects and mediums over the years, from murals on exterior brick walls, sunflowers on a silo, artwork on headstones, a propane tank, a Kitchen Aid mixer, wood barns, an American flag on the side of a garage, and the inside wall of a Harvester Avenue art project called The Harve.

Now he can add a labyrinth to his portfolio. 

Commissioned by Batavia First Presbyterian Church, it was much more of an undertaking than the Perry resident and business owner thought it would be.

“It was mainly figuring out what type of, like, I had no idea, and neither did Dr. Roula as far as what material that we needed to get, and we needed to find a source for it. And you know, we knew we wanted a big canvas, but what is it exactly called? How heavy is it? That kind of thing,” Butler said during an interview with The Batavian. “We eventually found a source and went with, I think, it was like a 13-pound duck cloth or something like that. And then, I had to come up with a design. We knew we wanted the seven-layer labyrinth design … when you actually see the labyrinth, it goes back on itself seven times. Well, there are seven rings anyway. And you can have all sorts of different things to it.”

Though that may have seemed the tough part, it was the easier task, compared to actually working on the project, he said. He had to find a space large enough to accommodate the fabric — 18 feet tall by 18 feet wide, and it had to lay flat for him to paint, and then dry and remain there while he continued with the creation.

You may have seen a labyrinth outdoors, with a combination of paths or passages for one to navigate and focus on from entry to exit. These exist in parks and gardens as a series of mazes, though they can also serve as a spiritual or meditative journey to walk around the circles from beginning to end and back again.

Butler’s understanding of the labyrinth is that it’s a tool to help the participant to focus while walking from step to step — or in this case, painted brick by brick — which can be meditative and draw one’s focus to a central point. These tools are said to be metaphors for personal journeys into the self and back into the world. 

Butler designed the labyrinth in keeping with a church theme, using gray rustic bricks — “stone bricks, kind of like the old school cathedral kind of thing,” he said — for the path, and four stained glass designs, one for each corner. 

The church leadership had selected four words for those designs: faith, peace, trust and love. A colorful heart represents the love. 

“But the hardest part to all of this was finding a space big enough to work on it. So I ended up doing it out in the field at my sister-in-law’s and primed it that way. Like we did like three coats of white, just because it's like a duck cloth. It's just like a beige canvas,” he said. “Then I tried doing a projector to try to line up the artwork to it, but I couldn't get it right in everything.”

So he had to get a little more creative, and he moved the project over to his very newly purchased business site, Image Out Graphics in Perry. Purchased in July, he’s just getting his feet wet at the property and has ample space to spread out and work on his designs and hand-painted craft. 

If it seems simple enough to draw and paint seven circles and four corner designs, everything had to be aligned with the right width out from the center, and each stone properly placed for feet to walk it. Upon completion, Butler tested it out to make sure it worked.

“I walked it plenty of times,” he said. “You’re focusing on trying to make sure you’re following the path correctly. You’re so focused on the path, you don’t think about anything else. It kind of resets you.”

He used acrylic paints and a sealant to preserve his hard labor, about 40 hours total. In hindsight, it was “definitely not that easy,” he said, and took longer than he had estimated. 

With his new business, Butler, 47, now has two full-time jobs, he said. He also works for GLOW Creatives as a visual artist for the Arts Councils of Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming and Livingston counties. That involves him in drawing caricatures at a farmers market, leading a regular drink and draw at a Perry brewery, organizing activities at Medina’s Day of the Dead, and “all sorts of visual media,” he said. 

He has painted a mural outside of the GO Art! building in Batavia, and inside the kitchen for a culinary program, as well as participated in The Harve’s Mad Hatter, large baby, caterpillar, and Cheshire cat displays at 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia. 

That’s how he obtained this gig — GO Art! Executive Director Gregory Hallock recommended him to First Presbyterian Church, Butler said. He had no prior experience with labyrinths, but he can now chalk up another medium and type of project under his belt as being done. 

The Rev. Roula Alkhouri said the church will be celebrating the work, “which we hope to use in community events to help people pray or meditate through walking,” she said. “Dan did a great job with this project.”

There will be a blessing ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the church, 300 East Main St., Batavia. Everyone is welcome to attend, and “join us in thanking artist Dan Butler for the fabric labyrinth he created for our community,” Alkhouri said. “You will also have the chance to walk the labyrinth.” 

A first-time Family Festival will follow at 5:30 p.m.

Submitted photos.

Now that school has begun, some local organizations are throwing a celebratory event to kick off the season right, with an evening of art, food, fun activities, and music, organizers say.

Batavia First Presbyterian Church will be hosting the event in collaboration with St. James Episcopal Church, GO Art! and Genesee County Youth Bureau.

“We have put a lot of thought into how to create a fun and engaging atmosphere for families and children," Genesee County Youth Bureau Director Daniel Calkins said. “Although the church has done these types of events before, this is the first time this particular event will be taking place. Pastor Roula and her congregation have been very open about wanting to give back to the community, and this event is an extension of that."

The event is set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church, 300 East Main St., Batavia.

“This is a free event for anybody that would like to come and enjoy the activities provided in an intentional showing of communal love,” Calkins said. “The Youth Bureau is excited to continue to grow through these events and partnerships. We are continually invested into showing Genesee County residents that we care about them and their families and want them to have fun and be provided for.”

The evening will include hamburgers, hotdogs, and chips, and ice cream from the Ice Cream and Chill truck. The Youth Bureau will have a tent outside with a cotton candy machine and all its sticky sweetness, plus there will be a bounce house for children to enjoy, a T-shirt tie-dye station offered by GO ART!, and BDC rock painting.

After the kids get creative painting rocks, they will be placed around town, and then whoever finds 20 of them and takes pictures to post on social media (tagged on the back of the rocks), will get a gift card as a prize. 

Other activities will include an art spinning paint station, yard games, including corn hole, ring toss, basketball, and colorful chalks for kids to use in the church parking lot. Children will have the opportunity to create their own art, which will be framed and displayed at the church for the next month. 

There will also be live music throughout the evening during this family-friendly event, the Rev. Roula Alkhouri said.

“We are really excited to help families celebrate the beginning of the school year and hope that families will enjoy a fun community evening,” Alkhouri said.

The event is free and open to the public.

See also: Orleans County files suit over WNY STAMP sewer line

Press release:

A number of concerns have been raised about the impacts of the construction of an underground pipeline that would discharge treated water from businesses at STAMP into Oak Orchard Creek.

These are concerns that we have taken very seriously and addressed.  Multiple engineering studies and peer engineering and environmental regulatory reviews have been conducted to assess potential impacts of discharging this treated water into the Creek.  This process is similar to how municipalities treat water before it is discharged into local waterways.

While existing businesses at STAMP, including Plug Power and Edwards, would discharge approximately 50,000 gallons per day of treated water into Oak Orchard Creek, the studies and peer reviews assessed the impacts of the potential for a maximum of 6 million gallons per day as if STAMP was at full build-out.

The various studies and peer reviews conducted by engineering professionals took that maximum level into account and determined that the increased flow from the STAMP discharge will not have a noticeable impact on the 100-year flood elevations downstream, nor will it impact stream velocity, water levels, water quality impairments and/or area-wide erosion.

Concerns also have been raised about potentially impacting the capacity at water treatment facilities in neighboring communities, which could negatively impact bringing new businesses and/or assist business expansion because of a lack of capacity.

Again, citing these same studies and peer reviews for the potential for a maximum of 6 million gallons per day if STAMP was at full build-out, it was determined that:

• The increase in surface water elevations in Oak Orchard Creek during a 10-year storm event would be approximately 1/8” to 1/4”, with STAMP discharging at the maximum expected level of 6 MGD. 
• Given the above, the Medina water treatment plant, which currently operates with a maximum permitted level of treating 4.5 MGD, could expand by another 10 MGD in order to accommodate new capacity for business growth and/or expansion without impact from STAMP’s maximum expected 6 MGD discharge.  
• An adjoining dam to Oak Orchard Creek could absorb the 6 MGD into its storage capacity without modification to the dam’s operations.  

We want to support our partners in economic development to assist any we can to enhance investment in the GLOW region.  We would not advocate for something that would be detrimental to our partners, as we all are working collaboratively to bring prosperity to our region.

Finally, we want to thank the approximately 38 landowners who agreed to temporary and permanent easements on their properties to allow the underground pipeline to be constructed.  We appreciate their understanding of the temporary and permanent need to use their properties for this critically important regional economic development initiative.

Please visit www.informationaboutstamp.com to review the various engineering studies and peer-reviewed documents related to this project.

Sincerely,

Peter Zeliff
Chairman
Genesee County Economic Development Center

Story courtesy OrleansHub.com

Orleans County is suing its neighbor to try to stop a sewer line from coming into the Town of Shelby and depositing up to 6 million gallons of what Orleans says is “contaminated” water into the Oak Orchard Creek.

The county on Monday filed an Article 78 complaint in State Supreme Court, seeking to halt placement of a sewer line from the STAMP site to the Oak Orchard Creek, a 9.5-mile long pipe along Route 63 that has been under construction since Aug. 3.

Orleans is asking for a temporary restraining order to stop construction so the arguments can be heard in court without the pipeline getting built in Orleans County.

See also: GCEDC board chair releases open letter to community in response to Orleans County lawsuit

The court action from Orleans County is called a “frivolous and politicized attack” in a court response from Craig A. Leslie, attorney for GCEDC and others named in the suit.

Orleans County officials contend the county never gave its permission for the project, and the Genesee County Economic Development Center formed a “sham corporation” – STAMP Sewer Works – to make the project happen.

The STAMP site is 1,250 acres and is considered a top priority for economic development officials in the region. It is targeted for advanced manufacturing – semiconductors and renewables manufacturing.

Plug Power is currently building a $290 million facility at STAMP for a green hydrogen production facility that includes an electric substation. The new facility will produce 45 metric tons of green liquid hydrogen daily when fully operational, making it the largest green hydrogen production facility in North America. Plug will employ 60 people.

Another company, Edwards Vacuum, announced last November it would build a $319 million “factory of the future” at STAMP in a project serving the semiconductor industry. Edwards plans to employ 600 high-skill professionals at the semiconductor dry pump manufacturing facility.

The commitments from the two companies follow a 20-year effort to develop STAMP in a rural area of Genesee County, only a few miles south of the Orleans County border. STAMP has been pushed by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo.

But Orleans County officials say the Genesee County Economic Development Center has been driving the contracts for the project, including engineering and construction – and that is illegal because an economic development agency can’t fund and push projects outside its own county unless it has permission from the other municipalities, Jennifer Persico, an attorney representing Orleans County, wrote in the complaint filed in State Supreme Court in Orleans County.

In the court filing, she said Orleans “strenuously objects” to the sewer project.

Genesee County EDC is illegally funding a project outside its jurisdiction, Orleans contends in its complaint. The EDC paid for easements to allow for temporary construction, including all but two in Shelby. Orleans County secured two easements in Shelby with the stipulation no sewer line can be constructed.

Orleans officials contend the sewer discharge could limit the county’s efforts to develop its own business park in Medina, and the water may cause flooding and hurt the county’s $30 million annual fishing industry at the Oak Orchard, which is world renowned for salmon and trout fishing.

GCEDC, on March 25, 2021, awarded a $9,777,000 contract to G. DeVincentis & Son Construction Company for the 20-inch sewer main, which goes from the northern refuge boundary to the north of Shelby Center. GCEDC accepted a low bid from Highlander for construction at $5,193,445 and approved a $900,000 contract and a $560,000 contract to Clark Patterson Lee for engineering services for the sewer project. GCEDC approved the bids without the consent of Orleans County.

The request for bids shows GCEDC contemplated construction in Orleans County without the consent of Orleans, Persico said.

GCEDC also has purchased 18 temporary easements in Orleans County to allow for construction of the sewer line, without consent of Orleans, a violation of general municipal law, according to the complaint.

Orleans, in the complaint, also faults Genesee County EDC for improperly forming STAMP Sewer Works, for illegally funding and noticing the eminent domain hearing at the Alabama fire hall on July 27.

Orleans seeks to have the Supreme Court annul the easements. The county also seeks to stop the GCEDC-backed project in Orleans without the county support. That includes efforts from the GCEDC-affiliated Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation and STAMP Sewer Works.

Leslie, attorney for GCEDC, asked the judge, Frank Caruso, not to approve a temporary restraining order on the project. Leslie said the sewer line construction has received all of the needed environmental and right-of-way permits from the state Department of Transportation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to cross the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Leslie said Orleans County shouldn’t be granted a temporary restraining order because the project is still weeks and even months from getting into Orleans. Persico wrote in her court filing the project was likely a matter of hours or days until it started in Orleans. The contractor is currently installing the sewer line in the refuge in Genesee County, Leslie wrote.

Orleans is beyond its authority and is seeking to stop all sewer line construction when the project is currently solely in Genesee County.

Leslie, the GCEDC attorney, said the claim that GCEDC is using its own money is false because the funding is part of $33 million awarded for STAMP development by Empire State Development, a state entity “which fully supports the STAMP project,” Leslie wrote.

He responded that the Town of Shelby gave its consent to the sewer line project, and so did the Orleans County Department of Health.

He asked the judge to deny the Orleans request for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order.

“Orleans County will sustain no injury by the continued construction of the Force Main, particularly in Genesee County, while this matter is appropriately determined by this Court,” Leslie wrote to Judge Caruso. “Meanwhile, STAMP Sewer will be irreparably harmed if the overbroad and unreasonable order requested by Orleans County is granted.”

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Batavian sought additional comment from GCEDC, and a spokesman referred us to a website that has been set up to address the issues raised by the lawsuit. 

An "adorable kitten" showed up at the doorstep of Bob and Jane Balbick on the northwest side of Batavia Tuesday, hungry and wet.  

"He is very friendly and obviously came from a home where he was well taken care of," the couple said in an email. 

If this looks like your cat, please contact them at 585-343-5078.

Press Release:

The main number to the Genesee County Jail  -- 585-343-0838 -- is back in service. We apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused.

Press Release:

School is in session, and we remind all teachers, parents, and caregivers to remember to talk with your child(ren) about potential poisons at school. New routines can mean new distractions which could result in unintentional or intentional poisoning. 

"When it comes to potential poisons in the school environment, it's crucial for parents, educators, and students to remain vigilant. From cleaning supplies to medications, there are various substances that can pose risks,” says Jeanna Marraffa, the clinical director of the Upstate New York Poison Center. 

“It's our collective responsibility to educate ourselves and our children about the dangers and preventive measures. By staying informed, we can ensure a safer and healthier school experience for everyone. Save our number, before you need us, 1-800-222-1222.”

During the 2022-2023 school year, we saw an increase in calls for children and teens who were unintentionally poisoned by pain medicines (i.e., ibuprofen and acetaminophen). The child could have been given an unintentional extra dose, maybe the child found the medicine themselves and took it, or the child took the wrong kind/strength. Don’t forget to double-check the exact dose depending on your child’s weight and use caution when using combination products or taking more than one product as it may contain the same ingredients.

For all children under 12, the top three calls from a parent or caregiver we handled last school year were for household cleaning products, pain medicines, and cosmetics/personal care products. For teens 13 – 19, the top three were pain medicines, household cleaning products, and antihistamines.

A scary trend we saw last school year was cannabis exposure at school. Last school year of the 165 calls we received for cannabis edibles, in 32 of the calls the child was exposed to cannabis at a school! Talk to your children about cannabis and its dangers.

SAFETY TIPS THIS SCHOOL YEAR: 

• MEDICATIONS: Teach children to never take medicine meant for someone else, it could be a deadly mistake. Keep all medicines up & away from children. Carefully read and follow directions and warnings on all labels before taking or giving medicine. Schools have medication policies, so be sure to find out what they are and discuss them with your child. Consider buying a medication lock box.
• CANNABIS: Store cannabis & cannabis-containing products up high and out of reach and sight of children. If you can, in a medication lock box. Children exposed to cannabis may experience trouble walking, sleepiness, difficulty waking up, and trouble breathing. 
• PLAYGROUNDS: Playgrounds can be a breeding ground for poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms. It is hard to tell the difference. Teach children to never pick a mushroom. If they do, wash their hands, and then call us.
• SCHOOL LUNCH: Keep hot food hot and cold food cold to prevent food poisoning. Pack appropriate lunch items, like ice packs, to prevent food from spoiling. Washing fruits and vegetables beforehand helps remove dirt, bacteria, and pesticides. Encourage children to wash their hands every time before eating.

Press Release: 

Thursday, September 28, in the Stuart Steiner Theatre from 6 - 7 p.m. Musician and Educator Haley Moore will present a lecture and play Appalachian music from the 1920s. The presentation and performance are based on Jeannette Walls novel "Hang the Moon." 

Listen to music that was popular during the time and hear all about the story of an indomitable young woman in prohibition-era Virginia. The presentation will be both educational and entertaining and is free and open to the public.

Richmond Reads is a community one-book program designed for the Richmond Memorial Library community. Each year, a committee selects a book and builds programs around the selection, culminating with a visit from the author. The 2023 selection is "Hang the Moon," the latest publication from New York Times bestselling author Jeannette Walls. This year's events include historical programs, book discussions, a film screening, and more. 

The library is excited to partner with Genesee Community College and Batavia High School as they incorporate "Hang the Moon" into their curriculum and participate in a student book review contest. Richmond Reads is generously sponsored by The Friends of Richmond Memorial Library. 

To learn more about attending events or supporting the Richmond Reads program, visit the library or batavialibrary.org/richmond-reads. Live Stream link: https://vimeo.com/event/3701652. For more information please contact: Kathleen Klaiber at kmklaiber@genesee.edu.

Submitted information and photo.

The Batavia Boys Varsity Soccer team won its second game of the season on Tuesday evening against Greece Odyssey, 6-3.  

It was an outstanding effort by all players in a contentious game, said Head Coach Graham Halpin.

Rylan Bohn (#9) had four goals, and Owen Halpin (#11) had two goals and oneassist. Finn Halpin (#2) recorded two assists. There were also assists by Patrick Suozzi (#5), Will Fulton (#24), and Devin Hughes (#20). 

Ben Stone (#19) made many excellent saves in goal while the defensive line worked tirelessly to contain Odyssey's attack.