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Deer are causing damage in Batavia and residents say the problem is as bad as they can ever remember it, but that doesn't mean a solution will be easy to find.

DEC Biologist Art Kirsch led a two-hour meeting on the issue Wednesday night, but offered no clear answers and said it could take years for Batavia to thin its deer herd to a less destructive level.

City Manager Jason Molino agreed.

"We've got the right folks at the state level to help us," Molino said. "We've just got to get the right folks in the community to participate and try to come up with a solution. Unfortunately, the solution isn't a cookie-cutter solution and I don't think the time frame is either. I don't think what anyone can predict what type of obstacles we might receive in the process."

Several residents told of the problems they face, including Gus Galliford.

"We're concerned about the deer just ravaging our property," Galliford said. "They're coming in numbers we've never seen before. I built my house 25 years ago and lived in the neighborhood all that time, but after this past spring, they're just destroying the whole thing."

The deer have cost his family thousands and thousands of dollars, Galliford said.

Kirsch said an overpopulation of deer are a problem on at least three levels: ecological damage, car accidents and transmission of disease.

His best suggestions for now: fencing, repellents, and fertility control.

Molino suggested the city may need to set up a committee to study the issue and recommend a solution.

Reporting for story provided by The Batavian's news partner, WBTA AM/FM.

Press release: 

Sarah Noble-Moag’s roots are deeply immersed in the business of agriculture. Her family tree spans across generations of farmers and thousands of acres of land. Although she is deeply immersed in her family business called Noblehurst Farms, she truly knows the value of giving back to the community.

Noble-Moag was recently honored with the Genesee Valley School Board Association’s Albert Hawk Award. This award is presented annually to a current or former school board member for outstanding contributions to public education and children in his or her own community.

Noble-Moag is modest about her accomplishments but the list of her contributions is long and noteworthy.

“I come from a family of educators. Becoming a board member was a natural extension of the stewardship that my family has supported for generations,” she said.

Noble-Moag serves on a number of local, regional and state boards including the Agricultural Affiliates Board of Directors, and the New York State Agricultural Society. In 2014, she was appointed to the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation Board of Directors.

She served for 11 years on the Pavilion School Board and held positions as trustee, vice president and president of the board of education. Her efforts for continued improvement resulted in the district being honored as a “Reward School” by New York state in 2007 and again in 2014. Noble-Moag was instrumental in the development of a new career and technical education program offered by the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership and Genesee Community College.

The Agri-Business Academy gives high school seniors the opportunity to explore careers in the agricultural field as they earn college credit. During her time as trustee, the Pavilion School Board was faced with difficult decisions especially when the district faced drastic budget cuts due to the Gap Elimination Adjustment. But some of her best moments were when she was able to witness students’ successes.

“After a capital improvement project was completed, I was at school for an event," Noble-Moag said. "I looked up and saw students on stage in the new auditorium. As I glanced around, I saw the."

Making those complicated decisions during challenging times can be difficult, said Ken Ellison, superintendent of Pavilion Central Schools. According to Ellison, Noble-Moag always kept the students’ best interests as the top priority.

He said: “During her board tenure, Sarah’s leadership contributed in so many powerful ways. Sarah was a valued partner during the merger/annexation study with Wyoming CS. A merger process can be an emotionally charged event and very divisive in the school communities involved.

"Sarah brought wisdom and perspective to a very challenging process. Sarah also served on the PCS Board during one of the most challenging fiscal periods ever faced by our school. At one point our Gap Elimination Adjustment was $1.6 million dollars. Sarah was a vital partner in developing strategies, and in some cases sacrifices, to keep the district on firm financial footing."

Education has always been a valued priority in her family hence the reason for her dedication to the Pavilion Central School District. Many generations of both the Noble and Moag families have graced the halls and walked the graduation stage at Pavilion Central. Noble-Moag’s mother was a home economics teacher and her mother-in-law worked in the library.

But what resounds deeply with Noble-Moag are words from her grandmother’s senior thesis from Cortland written in 1926.

“Just now there is fraud in business, humbug in politics, back biting, slander and deceit in social intercourse. Do you want your children to repair to such practices as a standard of conduct? We must give them an education, which will lift them infinitely above the moral and intellectual level of life outside the school, today. We must teach them to aspire to be all they can.” -- Written by Rella Smith in 1926.

“These words resonate with me; my grandmother was a wise woman. It’s vital that we provide our children with the best education possible," Noble-Moag said. “By becoming involved with their school districts, parents can make a difference and have a voice in making decisions for their children and students."

Noble-Moag is a graduate of Cornell University. She resides in Pavilion with her husband, Timothy Moag. They are the parents of three grown children, Griffin, Rella (named for Noble-Moag’s grandmother) and Austin.

Press release:

Genesee County has once again been recognized as one of the fastest growing “food processing employment leaders” by "Business Facilities," a national site selection publication.

Business Facilities provides annual rankings of metro and global areas in various categories, including food processing and job growth, among others. Genesee County ranked at number seven in a list of top 10 mid-sized metro areas for food-processing growth, making this year the fifth time in 10 years that Genesee County has earned national ranking in this category.

The agricultural, food and beverage sectors in Genesee County employ approximately 1,500 people. The region’s employment numbers continue to increase as economic development focused on agri-business remains a top priority of the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Board of Directors.

“The growth of the food processing sector in our region reflects the positive economic climate here which has been significantly enhanced through the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, the first agri-business site of its kind in New York State,” said Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the GCEDC. “We are very pleased to be once again recognized by 'Business Facilities' as a leader in food processing employment and plan to continue expanding our efforts in this critically important economic sector.” 

The Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park encompasses 211 shovel ready, pre-permitted acres strategically located between Western New York and the Finger Lakes Region in Batavia, NY. 

The site provides access to a short and main line rail access to move products, and large capacity municipal sewer and water. Through the support of National Grid and National Fuel the site has an enhanced utility infrastructure.

Alpina Foods, LLC, a leading dairy producing company in Colombia and South America, opened its first specialty yogurt manufacturing plant at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in 2013. In 2013, PepsiCo, in a joint venture with German dairy company Theo Müller, opened a $206-million yogurt manufacturing facility, Muller Quaker Dairy.

Other key food processing and related companies in Genesee County include O-AT-KA Milk Products and Bonduelle USA, Inc.

For more information about the ranking in Business Facilities, please visit  http://businessfacilities.com/2015/07/metro-and-global-rankings/.

A caller to dispatch wants law enforcement to pay a visit to her neighbor's, where she says they are allowing their children to jump in and out of the pool during a thunderstorm.

"She does not want a confrontation with the parents, but she wants us to check because she's concerned about the welfare of the children."

The Spirit Halloween store's back room in the Batavia Commons on West Main Street is filling with smoke. The building is being evacuated. City fire is responding.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: Chief Jim Maxwell at the scene said that an employee started smelling something suspicious around 11 a.m., then later went into the back room and found it hazy. That's when the fire department was called. A thermal imaging camera reveals no heat source. They are continuing to investigate but think it may be that a ballast burned out.

Press release from the City of Batavia:

Genesee Valley Transportation (GVT) Rail Systems is replacing the at-grade railroad crossing on Liberty Street. In order to complete this work it will be necessary for GVT to close Liberty Street between School Street and Ellicott Street. The road closure is scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 24, and run through Friday, Sept. 4.

This closure impacts all traffic including emergency equipment.

A sold-out Chris Brown show at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center kept emergency responders busy for hours last night, but other than making for a long, tiring night, it wasn't that bad, said Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble, Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

There were no serious fights and there are no reports of serious injuries, and while there were 16 arrests at the show, they were mostly for run-of-the-mill offenses, from trespassing to unlawful possession of marijuana.

"Generally, it was a very pleasant crowd," Dibble said. "They were polite, for the most part, even when caught in traffic coming in, they mostly had a good attitude. Some of these people coming in waited a long time and for the most part they were very nice. They just wanted to get to the show like everybody else."

The traffic tie-ups were not unexpected, Dibble said. The traffic jams around the park were typical of a sold-out concert on a weekday night, when everybody gets off work and heads to the show instead of coming in over the course of the day, like on a Saturday or Sunday.

Traffic started to back up shortly after 5 p.m. and traffic jams slowed down concertgoers coming in from all directions. Three or four minor traffic accidents caused some blocked lanes and tollbooth workers at times had a hard time keeping up, causing traffic to back up on the Thruway.

"So many of the roads were built when that place was a swimming hole, a hot dog stand and a couple of lifeguards," Dibble said. "Those are the same roads then as they are today."

Dibble is aware there are still people who advocate for a return of private parking around the venue, but that's not the answer Dibble said. Those lots, he said, create more problems than they alleviate.

"I'm under the opinion after my many, many years out there that congestion on Sumner makes it worse," Dibble said. "You have masses of people walking on Sumner and mixing pedestrians and traffic isn't good. This is much safer. And then you had people pulling into private lots dickering with the people taking the money and backing up traffic. There's no way I want to go back. Darien Lake has the space available to handle the parking."

There's been talk for years about how to open up more entrances and exits to the lots, but there's no easy answer, Dibble said.

Colby Road isn't the answer because of the configuration of the roadway.

"Exiting, that would be good, but the topography of that road, the hills and blind spots, make that difficult and very dangerous," Dibble said.

Dibble noted that Cherry Hill Campground continues to accept concert parking and that doesn't really help matters.

"They get them in there and then abandon them there and that's a problem for us when it's time to leave," Dibble said.

Early in the evening, local emergency responders were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of medical calls, mostly for alcohol-related illnesses. That was a combination of the alcohol and the heat, Dibble said.

The county needed backup units from Erie and Orleans counties and patients were transported to multiple hospitals so no one hospital became overwhelmed.

Live Nation had two doctors in the venue, as is now standard practice for sold-out shows.

"There are a lot of things they're able to take care of right on property instead of transporting them," Dibble said.

Dibble didn't have a count yet on how many citations were issued for underage drinking, but they were numerous.

"Each band has its own personality and its own following and this particular band attracted a the type that was younger and there was a lot of underage drinking," Dibble said.

The early-evening enforcement of ABC violations helps cut down on problems later in the night, Dibble said.

"For the number of people there, it was really a good night, actually," Dibble said.

Employees of Home Depot engaged in a community project yesterday in Le Roy, replacing the roof, painting and making other repairs to the storage shed used by Le Roy Youth Football at Bunnell Park. TeamDepot is funded by the Home Depot Foundation and is dedicated to using Home Depot resources to help local communities.

Pictured are Chris Hodges (top photo), Eva Hamers and Zach Fay.

The following people were arrested by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department during the Chris Brown concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Wednesday.

Matthew J. Norton, 22, of South Main Street, Evan Mills, is charged with harassment, 2nd, after allegedly punching a security officer in the face. Norton was arraigned in Darien Court and jailed in lieu of $750 bail.

Ashley Ginter, 27, of East Main Street, Alleghany, is charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly causing a disturbance in the parking lot. Ginter was arraigned in Darien Court and jailed in lieu of $500 bail.

A 16-year-old of Kline Road, Niagara Falls, is charged with harassment, 2nd, after allegedly punching another patron in the face.

Curtis W. Brock, 19, of Hedgewood Drive, Williamsville, is charged with trespass after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

Katie A. Hamilton, 21, of Marvel Lead Drive, Greece, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

Brett M. Dechent, 23, of Hamburg Turnpike, Lackawana, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

Joshua B. Reed, 22, of Church Street, Medina, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly reentered the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

Haley L. Filippone, 19, of Salt Road, Clarence, is charged with trespass, criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly reentering the concert venue twice after being ejected and told not to return. Filippone allegedly provided another subjects identification on the initial trespass. Additional charges are pending.

Christopher F. Weber, 18, of Ransom Road, Lancaster, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected and told not to return.

A 16-year-old of Chili Avenue, Rochester, was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

Ronald J. Minni, 23, of Wheeldon Drive, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

Justin M. Ferraraccio, 19, of Chestnut Ridge, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of codeine and methylphenidate and marijuana.

Lisa R. Occhipinti, 20, of Balla Drive, North Tonawanda, arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

Sydney C. Pontzer, 18, of Shaffer Avenue, Ridgeway, Pa., arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

A 17-year-old of Francine Drive, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

Mark A. Donahue, 36, of Townline Road, Sanborn, is charged with harassment, 2nd, after allegedly punching another subject in the face with a closed fist.

Donna Rae Sutherland sent in these photos of what she describes as a sculpture built off Transit Road, south of Route 63, Bethany, that will be transported tomorrow to Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.

Burning Man, established in 1986, is a month-long festival of art, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance.

The location of the sculpture is Emerald Models, which we've written about before.

Bethany and Byron (fire, rescue, medical) personnel are asked to stand by in the Mercy Emergency Medical base facilities at 16 Bank St. in the City of Batavia in case they are needed. Bergen is asked to provide a crew to stage in its own quarters.

Medical responders are apparently stretched thin tonight with the Chris Brown concert in Darien, accidents and medical calls.

UPDATE: Orleans County has also been asked to send three ambulances to Darien Lake in case needed. The concert tonight is sold out. The most serious dispatch we've heard is for an unresponsive female, who was breathing, located at the Employee Entrance off Sumner Road.

UPDATE 8:33 p.m.: The majority of medical calls, according to dispatch, are for underage, highly intoxicated people. Medics tell UMMC that there are two more such individuals en route, and that thereafter such cases will be transported elsewhere. The implication is UMMC is overcrowded, though that wasn't stated.

UPDATE 9:24 p.m.: An ambulance from Lancaster is requested to Darien Lake. An ambulance from Alden was dispatched earlier.  

A motor-vehicle accident with minor injuries is reported at 8834 Alleghany Road. Corfu fire and Mercy medic #4 are responding. The traffic is heavy in the area due to the Chris Brown concert at Darien Lake Performing Art Center. There are "multiple more vehicle accidents" in the queue, says a dispatcher.

Members of the Town of Batavia Planning Board responded coolly to a proposed solar farm off of Bank Street Road at its monthly meeting Tuesday night.

Buffalo-based attorney Gregory P. Scholand, representing SunEdison, outlined the company's plan for 15 acres that are currently cultivated for peas.

The farm would produce two megawatts of electricity, which is enough energy for about 20 300 homes. (CORRECTION)

Scholand told board members he had to be honest -- the solar farm won't create jobs and any increase in assessed value, which means more tax revenue, will be delayed by state-backed incentives for solar installations.

"In other words," said Board Member Lou Paganello, "the only people who will benefit are the landowner, National Grid and SunEdison."

Paganello was one of the most vocal members of the board expressing concerns about the proposal, but he also said he was intrigued by it and doesn't want to just kill the idea without learning more.

He also suggested the town needs to develop a plan for dealing with solar farms since this is unlikely to be the last proposal the town is asked to consider.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to push New York toward a stronger solar future. He's committed $1 billion to NY-Sun with the goal of eventually generating three gigawatts of electricity from sunlight across the state. That would be the equivalent of taking 23,000 cars off the road. According to the project's Web site, that much installed capacity will make the solar industry self-sufficient in New York and subsidies will no longer be needed.

The initiative is the reason SolarCity, a company owned primarily by technology multi-billionaire Elon Musk, is building a manufacturing plant in Buffalo that is expected to create 1,460 jobs. 

Solar is coming on strong nationally, both because of the investments of Musk -- a hard-charging entrepreneur who made his initial fortune with two Internet startups, including PayPal, and who is also responsible for the all-electric Tesla luxury sports car and the Space X program -- and because China flooded the market a couple of years ago with inexpensive solar panels.

That, and greater efficiencies in installation and substantial tax breaks and government subsidies have helped reduce costs for power companies, businesses and homeowners.

It doesn't matter, though, to local planning boards that are being asked to back projects that potentially divert productive land to massive complexes of metal and glass.

In Genesee County, of course, that other productive use is farming, the kind of farming that produces grains, vegetables and milk. How much soil does the local area want to convert to solar panels?

"You open the door for one farm to do this then everyone is going to want to do it," said Board Member Jonathan Long.

Board members seemed unanimous in sharing this concern.

The proposition, put forward by Scholand, that solar farms help reduce an area's carbon footprint, was countered by Long.

"Peas are already taking a lot of carbon out of the air," he said.

The town needs a plan for dealing with solar and Scholand agreed. He said SunEdison fully supports local jurisdictions developing local ordinances to govern solar installations. 

SunEdison hasn't made a formal application yet, but when it does, the Planning Board will be asked to become the lead agency for the environmental review process.

Chairwoman Kathy Jasinski expressed some doubt about the board's willingness to take on that role when its members still know too little about solar energy, the impacts of such farms, how they might affect neighboring property owners and what the benefits might be for local residents. The board needs a quick education in these subjects, Jasinski suggested.

If the Town of Batavia was to reject the proposal, it would be the second time this year that a local government body turned down a solar farm in the county.

In January, SolarCity approached the County about building a solar farm next to County Building #2, but concerns about the viability of SolarCity, whether the subsidies that would help the county save $500,000 and what might eventually become of the infrastructure, led the Ways and Means Committee to reject the proposal.

Meanwhile, solar companies have started pitching subsidized solar installations to local residents. One company had a booth at Summer in the City.

A motor-vehicle accident is reported in front of Pembroke High School at 8750 Alleghany Road. Law enforcement on scene says one person may have a concussion. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding, along with Darien ambulance.

Terrance M. Schramm, Terrence D. Johnson, and Leonard A. Johnson III are indicted for the crime of first-degree gang assault, a Class B violent felony. On April 29 in the area of 27 Holland Ave., it is alleged that these three men, with intent to cause serious physical injury to another person, and when aided by two or more other persons actually present, caused serious physical injury to a third person. In count two, the defendants are accused of the same crime, by means of a dangerous instrument -- footwear and/or brass knuckles or some other handheld hard object.

Kerri Lynn Forsberg is indicted for the crime of second-degree attempted assault, a Class E felony. It is alleged that on July 6 at United Memorial Medical Center in the City of Batavia, Forsberg, with intent to cause physical injury to a registered nurse, attempted to cause such injury while the nurse was performing an assigned duty.

Eric R. Westermeier is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated as a Class D felony. He is accused of operating a 2004 Dodge on March 8 on Erie Street in the Town of Darien while intoxicated. In count two, he is accused of having a BAC of .08 or more at the time as shown by a breath analysis. In count three, he is accused of driving while his ability to do so was impaired by the combined influence of any drug or drugs and alcohol, as a Class D felony. In counts four and five, he is accused of first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation for knowing or having reason to know that his driver's license was suspended, revoked or otherwise withdrawn by authorities, and yet he was driving a motor vehicle and doing so under the influence of alcohol or a drug.

Brock T. Barry is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated, as a misdemeanor. He is accused of operating a 2013 Jeep on March 22 on Route 77 in the Town of Pembroke while intoxicated. In count two, he is accused of driving while intoxicated, per se, as a misdemeanor, for having a BAC of .08 or more at the time. In count three, Barry is accused of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, a Class E felony, for knowing or having reason to know that at the time his driver's license was suspended, revoked or otherwise withdrawn by authorities, and yet he was driving a motor vehicle and doing so under the influence of alcohol.

Press release:

Representatives from Batavia Downs announced today that there's a dearth of dachshunds to race in Sunday’s Family Fun Day Wiener Dog Race.

Each year 80 wiener dogs vie for glory after live racing is completed on Family Fun Day. Pony rides, face painting, sand art and other family activities take place from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23^rd with Wiener Dog Races beginning a little after 4 o'clock.

“With Family Fun Day being a little earlier than last year we’re hoping that last year’s racers and anyone new hoping to get in this year didn’t forget about it,“ said Ryan Hasenauer, director of Marketing at Batavia Downs.

“All entered dogs receive a Doggie Gift Bag courtesy of Genesee Feeds and the owners of all race winners, and the top three in the final race, receive free play for the gaming floor.

Dachshund owners wishing to participate should call Batavia Downs’ Wiener Dog Headquarters at 585-343-3750, ext. 437, and leave a message. Staff will call back to confirm.

Owned and operated by 15 Western New York counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo, Western Regional OTB is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia, NY. WROTB owns and operates 28 branches, as well as Batavia Downs Gaming, a standard bred racetrack and gaming facility.

Press release from City fire Lt. Jeff Whitcombe:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Thursday, Aug. 20, and Friday, Aug. 21, from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the general area South of West Main Street and West Jackson Street, including Walnut Street, Pearl Street and South Main Street. Homes and businesses nearby will be affected.

These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. If you do experience a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about five minutes or until clear.