It has occurred to Dave Chase that when he agreed to become the new general manager of the Batavia Muckdogs after the New York-Penn League took over ownership of the venerable franchise, the situation at Dwyer Stadium is much worse than he anticipated.

Maybe, he thought, this isn't the right job at the right time.

“I have my moments when I wonder, 'is this the mission or not?' " Chase said during a tour for the media yesterday of the stadium. "The fans, the people I’ve talked to, have convinced me, it is an important mission. The fact is, I have 40 years, Brenden has 18 years, the ongoing theme is, we’re going to give this our best shot.”

Brenden is Brendan Kelly, who is experienced in baseball operations, including a nearly eight-year stint with the Buffalo Bisons, and whose wife is a schoolteacher in Batavia. He's the new assistant general manager for the Muckdogs, one of three recent full-time hires by Chase, who has had to rebuild the Muckdogs' staff after the Rochester Red Wings lost its contract to run the team.

The new management team comes into a situation that has them scrambling to get ready for the season, which opens June 18. The office was stripped of all useful equipment and furniture and what Chase first walked into was an office and clubhouses filled with broken chairs, tables, miscellaneous junk, no ticketing system, and disconnected phone lines.

"I’m blown away by how filthy it was," Chase said. There was trash everywhere, a lot of broken things. We discovered that if it has a plug on it and it’s still here, it’s broken."

The city has painted the offices and clubhouse and put down new carpet -- part of anticipated maintenance for Dwyer and included in the city's budget -- but everything else is up to the league to handle.

"It’s a good thing we open on June 18 instead of April 6, that’s for sure," Chase said.

The Batavian has received calls and emails over the past week or so from fans trying to find out when they can buy tickets. With the phone disconnected, they can't get through to the office; and the website, run by Minor League Baseball, hasn't been updated.  

Chase is still putting together the promotional calendar (firework nights will be on Saturdays this season, meaning eight shows, which Chase says is in response to fan feedback) and he's still looking for a sponsor for pocket calendars. He may need to get those printed without a sponsor, he said.

It's really only been the past four days that Muckdogs' office has been staffed but there has been a steady stream of fans coming in, Chase said. He said fans will need to be patient while staff gets operations reestablished.

"I say we’re starting (baseball operations) at zero and we started six months late," Chase said. "Someone else said, ‘you’re not starting at zero. You’re starting at minus three and six months late.’ So people need to be patient. If they want the same old routine, disorganized unprofessional approach, we could probably do that today, but we’re going to bring in better standards and a more professional approach to what we do and that takes time.”

Chase said he's received a lot of fan feedback that they were dissatisfied with the baseball experience at Dwyer, that things seemed disorganized and not focused on the in-game experience. That will change this season, Chase said.

“I want to change the mentality of the ballpark," Chase said. "When those gates open on June 18 at six o’clock, Brenden and I are going to be at the gate. When the game is over on the 18th, we’re going to be at the gate. I got a lot of complaints that in-game presentation was sloppy; (they) weren’t paying attention — there’s got to be a professional attitude and that’s what we’re going to bring here. I don’t think it’s been here in 10 or 20 years, by the way.”

Muckdogs staff probably won't be able to sell tickets until the beginning of May but the new, lower season ticket price is only $175 if paid before June 1.

That's the fan experience, but Chase also needs to be concerned about the player experience, and player safety, and the quality of the game the young professionals who walk onto the Dwyer field are able to perform.

As bad as things are on the operations side of Dwyer, the field is perhaps even worse, Chase said.

The pitcher's rubber and home plate are not aligned. If a pitcher used the rubber as a guide, a properly thrown pitch would zip five feet behind the back of a left-handed hitter. 

Second base is aligned with neither the rubber nor home plate.

The grass in front of the pitcher's mound was repaired before last season but the repair didn't take because it was right before opening day, according to Chase.

The infield isn't level -- the visual evidence during our tour is the large puddles of water on the first base side, and a person standing in the outfield can see a small rise in the dirt to the left of second base.

The lip of the back of the infield, where the grass meets the dirt, is higher than it should be, and the entire back of the infield slopes down into the outfield at an elevation of more than nine inches in places.

That just isn't acceptable on a professional field, Chase said. 

The outfield looks flat from the stands but when you stand on it, the small dips and raises in the sod are clearly visible. The grass itself is not suitable for baseball.

"It’s like walking on golf balls," Chase said. "Right now, if you were to hit a ball on this field, if it wasn’t muddy, if it wasn’t soft, you’re probably going to get it in the chops, and the whole outfield is that way."

Longtime groundskeeper Don Rock, who has publicly lobbied for his old job back after the league took over ownership, and has received fan support, won't be coming back, Chase said. He acknowledged that Rock was probably not given the proper equipment to do the job but said the league needs to bring in a grounds crew with more knowledge and experience.

The league and a consultant are assisting in the search for a new head groundskeeper.

As soon as the field is dry enough and when it looks like there will be at least a 10-day period of dry enough weather, work will begin to fix all the problems with the field, Chase said.

The infield dirt will be replaced with same dirt used at Marlins Park in Miami (the parent club of the Muckdogs). The lip will either be lowered or extended to make it level with the outfield. And the pitcher's rubber and second base will be aligned with home plate. The city is going to roll the outfield and the grass will be overseeded, which hopefully with make fielding groundballs a little less treacherous.

Sponsorship signage in the outfield, Chase also revealed, will be brought up to modern Minor League park standards.

Part of the city's scheduled maintenance for Dwyer has been the replacement of the roof of the front of the stadium and fixing the outfield scoreboard.

Although one problem for Chase with the scoreboard is there's no longer a computer with the proper software in the Wayne Fuller Press Box to run it. That's just one more thing he will need to figure out before opening day.

Chase just returned from a four-day meeting of NYPL executives, which was his chance to update them on the situation in Batavia.

"My mission there was really to get them to understand what’s going on here," Chase said. "For them, for everybody, it’s a weird situation, that the league owns the team. So when I tell them, ‘I have nothing.’ I don’t have a tape dispenser. I don’t have a stapler. I have nothing. I didn’t have a desk until a couple of days ago. They didn’t understand what is going on, so I was trying to get them up to speed, and then the punchline is, ‘I’m spending your money.’ They don’t like to hear that.”

For all the troubles that need attention at Dwyer, Chase said it's the response of the fans that make it all worthwhile.

"The community has been fantastic," Chase said. "The people that I’ve met are very nice. They’re cordial and they express an excitement about baseball. A lot of them have told me they’re relieved to know baseball is back. From that point of view, it’s great. The condition of the facility is shocking."

The case of Beniluis Ruiz, the former Pavilion resident whose sex abuse conviction was overturned on appeal, was continued until April 27 in Genesee County Court this morning. The continuation will give Ruiz time to decide whether he will hire a private attorney to represent him or ask the Public Defender's Office to handle his case.

Ruiz's 2015 conviction was overturned and a new trial ordered after an appeals court found that some parts of an expert witness's testimony was used in a way that implied guilt rather than simply explained the typical actions and responses of child sex abuse victims and perpetrators. 

Assistant District Attorney Kevin Finnell, who prosecuted Ruiz the first time around, told Judge Charles Zambito that if the case were to go to trial, the people are ready for trial.

When the appeals court overturned Ruiz's conviction, the court also ordered Ruiz be released from prison. He was serving the final few months of a four-year term imposed by then-Judge Robert C. Noonan. 

Prior to sentencing in 2015, Ruiz was out of jail under supervision of Genesee Justice. Today, Zambito returned Ruiz to the supervision of the agency and issued a new order of protection for the alleged victim in the case.

At his 2015 sentencing, Ruiz maintained he did not commit a crime.

Press release:

The Byron-Bergen chapter of the National Honor Society (NHS) welcomed 14 new student members to their distinguished company on March 28. The ceremony also honored the three latest inductees to the Byron-Bergen Alumni Hall of Fame: Jacqueline Mullen (1972), Michael List (1978), and Kimberly (Thompson) McLean (2000).

The event began with music from the school’s vocal group, the Singing Silhouettes; welcome and congratulations from District Superintendent Mickey Edwards and Principal Patrick McGee; then short addresses from all three alumni.

McLean, currently an award-winning math teacher, class advisor, and coach at Spencerport High School, challenged students to work hard and go places. She referenced the famous Dr. Seuss quote, “The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Former BBCSD Director of Facilities and active community member List spoke of the importance of family and faith, and the support students will find in them as they face hard times through their lives. He recently received certification as a Biblical Counselor and has four children and several grandchildren.

“Byron-Bergen was a very special place for me,” Mullen said. “I’m proud to say that it continues to offer wonderful opportunities and very special teachers, that you, too, will remember all your lives.”

Mullen has lived and worked in Puerto Rico for more than 39 years. She currently serves as vice chancellor of sponsored research and programs for Universidad del Turabo.

All of the honored alumni serve as inspirational role models to the youth of Byron-Bergen and epitomize the purpose of the Alumni Hall of Fame.

The traditional National Honor Society candle-lighting ceremony followed. It acknowledges the high standards students in NHS must exhibit in knowledge, character, leadership, service and scholarship and was performed by NHS Vice President Lauren Burke and Member Brendon Kendall.

New members were introduced by Lauren Burke, Jean Denson and Margaret Graney. They took the NHS pledge and were presented with their honor cords and certificates.

The celebration concluded with final words from NHS President Ben Chaback, and the Byron-Bergen Alma Mater, sung by the Singing Silhouettes with help from an enthusiastic audience.

2018 Inductees to the Byron-Bergen National Honor Society are: Justine Bloom, Alexander Brumsted, Siomara Caballero, Alexander Dean, Sara Fraser, Leah Gale, Cambria Kinkelaar, Jillian Menzie, MacKenzie Rosse, Chloe Shuskey, Garrett Swinter, Annabella Vurraro, Isabella Wilder and Nathan Zwerka.

Current Members of the Byron-Bergen National Honor Society are: Benjamin Chaback, president; Lauren Burke, vice-president; Leah Thompson, treasurer; Larissa Ashton, Sarah Bleiler, Cameron Brumsted, Lydia Campbell, Brionna DeMichel, Jean Denson, Adam Drake, Jared Fregoe, Emma Goodman, Margaret Graney, Justin Hannan, Annaliese Hersom, Brian Ireland, Daniel Jensen, William Johnson, Brendon Kendall, Hunter Leach, Payton Mackey, Makenzie Muoio, Erin Parnapy, Sabastian Pawlukewicz, Joshua Phelps, Brianna Shade and Dana VanValkenburg.

National Honor Society membership not only recognizes students for their accomplishments but also challenges them to develop further through active involvement in school activities and community service. The organization has chapters in all 50 states, Canada and beyond.

Top photo: Byron-Bergen senior Brendon Kendall lights the candles representing knowledge, character, leadership, service and scholarship.

Submitted photos.

Former BBCSD Director of Facilities and new Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Mike List (center) was welcomed back for the evening by friends and colleagues.

Class of 1972 graduate Jacqueline Mullen visited with former teachers and classmates before her induction to the Alumni Hall of Fame.

Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee Kimberly (Thompson) McLean (2000) with Principal Patrick McGee and District Superintendent Mickey Edwards.

Former BBCSD Director of Facilities and new Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee Mike List (center) was welcomed back for the evening by friends and colleagues.

Rev. Ruth Rosa Warner along with Boy Scouts from Troop 6006 are holding a Pasta Dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th, at the First United Methodist Church, 8221 Lewiston Road, Batavia.  Dinner includes pasta, meatballs, salad, bread, dessert, beverages.

Pre-sale tickets are two for $10 or $5 each if purchased by April 6th. Ticket locations are at Marchese Computer Products, 220 Ellicott St., Batavia, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; and Licata Chiropractic and Wellness Center during regular business hours.

Tickets can be purchased at the door: Adults $7 and children under 10, $5. A free delivery service will be offered to senior living homes in Batavia if ordered by April 6th.

Any questions please call Steve Ognibene 585-409-8358 or email sognibene@gmail.com

Members of Le Roy the American Legion Botts-Fiorito Post honored Vietnam War veterans at their Legion Hall on National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

More than 60 people attended the service, according to Adjunct Jerry Diskin.

Diskin noted the day honors veterans who generations ago were not necessarily given the respect they deserved upon their return from the war in which more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel served and where 58,200 U.S. servicemen and women lost their lives. U.S. involvement in Vietnam spanned five presidential administrations, from Eisenhower to Ford.

The last combat troops left Vietnam on March 29, 1973.

President Barack Obama proclaimed March 29 Vietnam Veterans Day in 2012. President Donald Trump signed the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017 last year marking March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. 

Photos by Joan Fernaays.

Carmen DelPlato shared this song written by his brother John DelPlato with us this morning to celebrate Easter.

A caller reports water is rising rapidly in the basement of Ascension Parish, 19 Osterhaut Ave., Batavia.

The caller is unsure where the water is coming from.

City fire dispatched.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) today commemorated the first National Vietnam War Veterans Day to recognize the brave individuals who served in our nation’s military during the Vietnam War years.

“Today is a very special day as we give our deepest thanks and recognize the admirable service of all Vietnam War veterans and their families,” Collins said.“These heroes hold a special place in our nation’s history and we are forever grateful to those who answered the call of duty. This is a long overdue honor as Americans unite to remember those who never came home and support those who did.”

During his first year in office, President Trump last year signed into law the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act that establishes each March 29 as a day to honor those veterans and their families for their service and sacrifices. Approximately 9 million Americans, 7 million living today, served in the military from Nov. 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975.

Congressman Collins’ office is distributing pins to Vietnam War veterans from The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration. Any veteran who served in Vietnam is eligible for one and should contact Alex Gould in the Congressman’s office at (716)634-2324 for more information on obtaining a pin.

Collins added: “There is no single action that gives Vietnam War Veterans the recognition and gratitude they deserve, but as we gather in our communities today I am thankful to know that Vietnam War Veterans Day will be an ongoing tradition to honor some of America’s bravest.”

If opening Farmer's Creekside Inn -- a restaurant and hotel spread out over four floors with two bars and multiple dining areas -- wasn't enough to keep Bill Farmer busy, he's had his businesses in Rochester (primarily Catenary Construction) to run, and he also acquired two additional properties in the Village of Le Roy that required some revitalization and restoration.

Both are still a work in progress.

In December 2016, he purchased the Bank of Le Roy building, which Bank of America vacated earlier in the year.

He started off 2017, before the Creekside even opened, with the purchase of one of Le Roy's legendary restaurants, the L.B. Grand, and its 150-year-old, two-story building.

The bank building, built in 1920, is nearly 12,000 square feet of commercial space. Farmer hasn't decided yet what to do with the first floor but thinks a brewery would be a natural fit. He has two tenants on the upper floors -- a recording studio and an artist/art teacher.

After the Creekside, the L.B. Grand restaurant and building have been a significant focus for Farmer since last spring.

"When we took over, we did immediately what we could do -- new chairs, new carpets, new lighting," Farmer said. "The kitchen has been a battle."

It's functional now, and up to code, but it still needs some work. The new chef, Bob Grant, got a new line right away -- new salamander, new grill, new ovens.

Grant revamped the menu but maintained the restaurant's focus on Italian favorites.

"It’s a classic place," Farmer said. "It’s really got a nice warm feel to it. We took a lot of the tchotchke stuff off the walls and put in some really cool antique light fixtures, and our guy, Bob Grant, our head chef there -- he works his fanny off and he does a great job -- I always hear positive things."

Upstairs, workers are just finishing the complete restoration of the four apartment units on the second floor. The units were completely gutted -- new walls, new doors, new windows, new kitchens. The large one-bedroom apartments will rent for $750 to $850 per month.

As for the Creekside (click here for our coverage going back to 2009), business is good, Farmer said. The deep winter months weren't as bad for business as he might have expected and the restaurant is getting about 65 percent of its business from outside the county, which is a good thing.

"We think we’ve got a strong connection with the Genesee Country Museum, with Letchworth, even the Finger Lakes Region, and not to mention Niagara Falls," Farmer said. "To me, and this has been part of my vision from day one, is that we want to attract people here. Geo-tourism, right? We want to bring people from all over the place and that means we have to have our profile high enough above the crowd that we stick out people say, ‘oh, yeah, let’s come here.’ ”

Farmer said the tourism staff of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has been vital to helping the Creekside reach travelers.

"I think they’re an incredible resource, an incredible resource," Farmer said. "We’ll see how the year plays out but we’re in their dining guide, we’re taking part in email blasts, and another thing we’ve done is rack cards. They sound kind of cheesy in a way but yet for a certain amount of money we can spread those from Syracuse to Buffalo so people traveling down the Thruway will see the rack card, pick it up and see we’re three and a half miles off Exit 47."

Farmer said he also keeps an eye on keeping the local clientele happy.

"Genesee County is our base, and given the way we are geographically located, that takes in a little bit of Wyoming, a little bit of Livingston, a little bit of Monroe (counties) -- that 10- to 15-mile radius is our base."

For that base, the restaurant is planning live music during the warm months to go along with other promotions.

This will be the Creekside's first full spring, summer, fall season since Farmer got it reopened after nearly 10 years of remodeling and repairs. Farmer acquired the property about four years after a fire in 2004 gutted much of it and destroyed other parts of it. 

Since reopening, there have been a few changes to the plan for the restaurant. The upstairs dining room, for example, was going to be dedicated to fine dining on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. 

That won't happen, at least not soon.

"We decided it's too complicated right now," Farmer said.

The room is working well, Farmer said, for hosting wine-pairing events, which sell out every time (there are events planned in April and either May or June) and hosting parties and other events for customers.

"The wine-pairing dinners offer some unique menu items and entrees and so far that suffices the creative needs of the culinary team and our wine director thrives on those events as well."

The Creekside is Farmer's first foray into the restaurant business and he admits that though there are moments of great happiness, it's far more stressful than he anticipated.

"It’s a learning experience," Farmer said. "I’ve always said a good day is when you learn something. Something should pop up on your radar screen every day that is, ‘geez, I didn’t know that.’ Well, it happens more and more with our restaurant businesses. It’s daily. It’s consistent, but there are even subtle things in construction that challenge and so that learning is constant. It’s good."

Photos by Howard Owens of the L.B. Grand and the second-floor apartments.

Press release:

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Alabama is hosting its 34^th annual Spring into Nature celebration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 28.

This year we welcome back spring with the theme "Your Backyard Refuge." Join us for a variety of nature-related exhibits, crafts, fishing demos, and games for the kids.

Bird feeder/nesting platform construction, viewing of live birds of prey, archery games, and face painting are among the returning favorites. Don’t forget to meet "Puddles," the blue goose mascot of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Food will be available for purchase and all activities are free.

Please contact Refuge staff at 585.948.5445, ext. 7037, or visit our website here for further information.

Iroquois NWR is located midway between Buffalo and Rochester, and is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Individuals with disabilities and any other person who may need special assistance to participate in this program should contact the Refuge at (585) 948-5445 or at the Federal Relay No. 1-800-877-8339.

About a year ago, after Brooks Hawley moved into a family home in the Town of Batavia, with the help of Brian Kemp, Kemp asked if there was anything on the old farm that might be suitable as bike racks for Downtown Batavia.

Two weeks later, Hawley showed up at Kemp's shop with four hog farrowing pens in his pickup truck.

Kemp, co-owner of T-Shirts Etc., is an artist who specializes in turning found objects into art and he thought the pens just might work.

Kemp started talking to anybody he could about helping out with the project. He knew he needed people who could work with metal and weld and had the equipment to do it.

"As with all of my projects, mention it to enough people and sure enough, someone will bite," Kemp said.

One day, Tim Gleba, a machine shop instructor at Batavia CTE (BOCES) came into Kemp's shop to pick monogrammed shirts and Kemp told him about the bike rack project.

Gleba immediately saw the potential for the school to get involved, so for the past several weeks, students in four different programs have been converting the pens into bike racks to be placed around downtown Batavia.

The project brings together students from the machine shop, welding, auto body, and conservation.

James Roggow, a student from Byron-Bergen, designed and fabricated finials to cap the bench arms, and other students are fabricating other parts for the racks and bench, including filigree end pieces for the bench (only one of the racks will have a park bench attached); welding is putting the pieces together; auto body students will paint the metal; and the conservation students logged a tree and made planks from it for the bench seat and back.

Auto body instructor Jeff Fronk saw the project as a perfect community contribution for his students.

"I thought it was cool," Fronk said. "These are going to be around the city for a long time. When these guys become young adults and have families of their own they can say, you know what, I did that. We did that in our class."

Fronk said he's really into color and what colors mean. He said he's always associated the color blue with Batavia, so the benches, he said, will be painted in a metallic blue that fades into a metallic orange.  Blue, because it symbolizes peace, harmony and unity, and orange because it symbolizes balance and warmth.

Kemp said he's looking forward to seeing the bike racks installed Downtown.

"I’m excited to see the progress of this project, along with the amount of collaboration it has taken to pull this together," Kemp said. "We are blessed to live in a community like this."

Graham Manufacturing is also assisting with the project.

Top photo: Three of the machine shop students who worked on the project with the first bench that is near completion, Arden Schadt, left, Evan Bartz, and James Roggow.

Below, one of the finials for the bench and a picture of the design on a computer.

This is what the pen looked like when it arrived at the machine shop (photo courtesy Tim Gleba).

Nicole R. Elmore, 29, of Jackson Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear. She was jailed on $500 bail.

Dilek Kahraman Mehmet, 42, of Meadowbrook Road, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on traffic tickets, including aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. He was jailed on $250 bail.

Anthony L. Vanelli, 40, of Thorpe Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear. He was ordered held on bail.

Javaris A. Owens, 24, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and speeding. Owens was stopped at 3:19 p.m. Monday on Route 33 in Stafford by State Police.

Genesee Region USBC Association Tournament produces numerous high scores. Click on Pin Points at the top of the page for Mike Pettinella's latest column.

-----------------------

Unity is a good thing, especially when it brings together students with development disabilities with same-aged, non-disabled students for competition on the bowling lanes.

For the first time, Medina Central School took part in the North Division of the Unified Bowling League – a Section 6 program that took place throughout the month of February.

The Medina team squared off against four schools – Newfane, Clarence, Sweet Home and Akron – winning all four matches, before taking first place in a season-ending tournament at Brad Angelo Lanes in Lockport against those schools plus Starpoint and Niagara Falls.

Each team had eight bowlers – four special education and four regular bowlers – who took part in two-man Baker style (where bowlers alternate frames) matches.

“It was a positive experience for everyone involved, including the coach,” said Rob Dennis, director of transportation for Medina schools who served as the team’s director and coach.

Dennis said the team had five special education students along with many student partners. Team members were Ian Wagner, Jessica Granchelli, Lydia Bataglia, Ian Joseph, Elissa Blount, Morgan Allis, William Brazwell, Alex Allis, Morgan Crossett, Brandie Carson, Jackson Touhey, Enzo Gulliani, Joe and Tom Biacelli, Gracie Cogovan and Steven Secore.

“We couldn’t have been successful without the support of Eric Greenlief, Jim Foss and Tom Allis from the bowling center along with proprietors Gerry Allen, Dr. David Stahl and Chris Bacon,” Dennis said. “My team practiced well over 80 games in this short season, and the lanes supported all our students in this new program.”

Dennis, who is a certified coach through the United States Bowling Congress and coordinator of Medina’s youth bowling program (with his wife, Tina), also thanked Athletic Director Eric Valley, Superintendent Mark Kruzynski and the Medina School Board for their support.

The Batavia City Council can expect the process of hiring a new city manager to take at least three months and it should be prepared to pay a salary of at least $110,000, according to a representative of the recruitment firm contracted by the municipality to find someone to replace former City Manager Jason Molino.

Six of the nine council members took part in a meeting at the City Centre conference room tonight with Catherine Tuck Parrish, executive search practice leader for The Novak Consulting Group, which is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tuck Parrish’s office is in Rockville, Md.

“The market for city managers is what it is … you’re not competing against nonprofits and the private sector,” Tuck Parrish said. “I’ve seen your salary, and you’re going to have a hard time (finding someone at that level).”

Molino ended a nearly 12-year association with the City on Jan. 26, and started his new job as Tompkins County administrator three days later. He left Batavia with a salary of about $94,000; his pay at his new position increased to around $130,000.

Tuck Parrish, during her 60-minute presentation, outlined her company’s proposed recruitment plan – touching on key points such as job postings and outreach, timeline, interview process, and confidentiality and public information. She also distributed a one-pager that set the qualifications for the optimal candidate.

“We’re looking at three deliverables,” she said, calling them a main document, working document and recruitment plan memo.

The main document is a recruitment brochure that “highlights the best of Batavia – the great things about your community,” she said. It also will include the requirements for the job, preferred qualities and how to apply for the position.

The working document is a list of 12- to 18-month goals that “helps me know what is most important to you (City Council) and helps the next manager to say ‘Here’s what I need to do.’ The manager can only focus on so many things and do them well, so this identifies your top priorities.”

The third document, a memo, is the basic recruitment plan that pinpoints where to post the jobs – such as the International City/County Management Association newsletters and the League of Women in Government website, for example – and the related costs, as well as the recruitment schedule and proposed interview process.

Tuck Parrish said her firm will use social media and links, and also “customizes” outreach for each position, including targeting particular individuals.

“If you have an individual or organization (in mind), let me know and instead of you recruiting them, let me handle it,” she said, speaking directly to the council members. “It is my job to protect you.”

As far as the schedule is concerned, Tuck Parrish said telephone interviews with council members, department heads and bureau chiefs were conducted prior to tonight’s briefing. She said she expects drafts of the recruitment plan, brochure and first-year goals to be submitted by April 3 with the board’s final comments on those three items due by April 10.

On April 17, the firm will post the position, place ads and begin outreach to prospective candidates, she said.

“From April 17^th through May 29^th, that time is our work,” she said, to which Council President Eugene Jankowski replied, “Our goal is to let you do your job and come back to us when you have some candidates.”

That could happen around the week of June 18 when Tuck Parrish will meet with City Council to review the top candidates and select those to be interviewed (in a session closed to the public).

She said that the process must be “completely confidential” to protect both City Council and prospective candidates who, likely, will be employed in similar jobs at the time.

“It’s not that you can’t share names and information during the process, but also after that as well,” she said. “It comes down to a code of silence forever.”

Council members present – John Canale, Rose Mary Christian and Paul Viele were absent – said they would leave it to the recruitment subcommittee of Jankowski, Robert Bialkowski, Adam Tabelski and HR Specialist Dawn Fairbanks to whittle a large field of candidates down to about three, and then the entire board would get involved.

The Novak Group personnel will conduct reference and background checks at the end of June, Tuck Parrish said, with the goal of City Council conducting interviews in early July.

The exact dates are up in the air due to Jankowski having to be in Texas from July 7-27 to film “Shot to the Heart TV,” a shooting competition show involving couples of which he is the host.

Tuck Parrish’s timeline calls for negotiation with the top finalist and approval of the employment agreement happening sometime after July 13, and for the new manager to begin his or her employment within 60 days after that.

Required qualifications include a bachelor’s degree, minimum of five years of local government experience in progressively responsible positions, and supervisor/executive level experience (including time as city/county manager or assistant manager or department director).

Preferred qualifications include a master’s degree, budget development/financial management, grants administration, labor relations, project management, economic revitalization, intergovernmental relations, business/community engagement, strategic planning and credentialed manager.

Tuck Parrish said City Council should expect the new manager to relocate to the City within a “reasonable time after appointment” and set the compensation package at $110,000 to $135,000 (depending upon qualifications), with an excellent benefit package.

She said the expected hiring salary range will be included in the advertising pieces for the position and that she will collect salary information of the finalists.

The contract with The Novak Group calls for the City to pay $23,500 for the firm to "complete the city manager recruitment," plus $1,000-$1,500 for advertising, $175-$300 per top finalist for background checks, and travel costs for finalists to attend interviews in the City.

Photo at top -- Catherine Tuck Parrish, right, makes a point at tonight's city manager recruitment plan meeting; at left is Dawn Fairbanks, City of Batavia HR specialist. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

The point -- at least at first glance -- of the auto body shop at Batavia CTE (BOCES) is for students to learn how to repair dings and dents and apply primer and paint to fenders and doors.

On a short tour today, Instructor Jeff Fronk told The Batavian that the kids in his class learn more than just restoration and bodywork.

"I tell my kids in here that we are fix it, men and women," Fronk said. "What I mean by that is we can fix everything but a broken heart and a cobweb. We fix everything teachers and our customers bring to us. You name it, we've fixed it. It's more than just cars -- furniture, metal trade stuff, clear coating, we do fix it all."

Members of the class present today pose (top photo) with a 1953 Mercury owned by a Batavia resident who started the restoration project but then brought it to Jeff and his students when he needed more help. The class is pretty proud of the project, which is near completion.

Below, a photo of Fronk with a mailbox painted by a student.

Fronk loves colors and he loves painting stuff.

"Everything in the world is painted, right?" he said.

In another picture below, a student buffs a go-kart body with a Corvette design. Fronk said the body was rescued from a dumpster and was cracked and broken. He challenged the students to turn it into something special, something they could be proud of when they were done. Besides a shiny paint job, the colors of body change depending on what angle you view it from. He's already obtained another banged up go-kart body for the next group of seniors who come through the class.

Here is a list of students in the class. They all participated in the Mercury project. Not all were available today for the picture at the top of the story.

• John Achatz – Attica
• Adrien Anderson – Oakfield-Alabama
• Taigon Baker – Batavia City (absent)
• Arin Bannister – Attica
• David Boyce – Pembroke
• Hannah Cathcart – Batavia City
• Nathan Hamilton – Batavia City
• Jarod Kates – Attica
• Jeremy Kimanski -- Le Roy
• Trinity Liles – Batavia City (absent)
• Damin Rautenstrauch – Attica
• Connor Tracy-Graybeal – Attica
• Alyssa Virgilio – Batavia City
• Dylan Walker -- Adult

Press release:

Last Thursday, the Genesee Community College Pool was filled with 400 bright yellow rubber ducks each representing a donation to the eighth Annual United Way Campaign.

The Duck Derby is the single biggest initiative GCC developed to solicit donations for the campaign from faculty, staff and students. However events are scheduled throughout the campaign period.

This year the Duck Derby raised more than $400 for the United Way and the following participants won prizes: Katina Maher, John McGowan, Dave Hoover, Marguerite Badami, Kelly Sutcliff and Maureen Goodsell.

To champion the campaign efforts each year GCC establishes a United Way Committee. The 2018 committee includes:

• Courtney Andros, assistant director of HR Compliance
• Bethany Aradine, assistant director of HR
• Justine Briggs, TS Business training specialist
• John McGowan, director of Business and Employee Training Skills (BEST Center)
• Katherine Trombley, director of the Adult Education Opportunity Center (AEOC)
• Gina Weaver, associate vice president of HR
• Dolores Wilkin, HR Department secretary
• GCC's student athletes

The committee has set a donation goal of $16,000 for 2018, a 6-percent increase over 2017. Donations are accepted through payroll deductions, one-time gifts and of course, the purchase of ducks for the Duck Derby.

"The United Way does so much for so many organizations and individuals in our community," Campaign Coordinator Gina Weaver said. "Our campaign is our way of ensuring that good work can continue."

GCC faculty, students and staff are encouraged to make their contributions online at https://secure.uwrochester.org/epledge/crm/Start.jsp?accountNumber=53868.