The Batavia Girls track team proved their dominance once again. After wrapping up an undefeated regular season in Monroe county competition (5-0) and winning three local track invitational meets (Attica Invite, Alexander Invite, Batavia Invite), Batavia scored 185 points at the class B1 sectional championships to win the title for the third consecutive year. Batavia was led by the following stellar performances...
Campbell Riley dominated on the track winning the 2000m Steeple (7:31.01), winning the 800m (2:21.81), getting 2nd in the 1500m (5:05.73) and then anchoring the winning 4x400m relay team along with teammates Jadyn Boyce, Ava Anderson, and Karizma Wescott.
Ava Wierda continued her dominance in the throws by winning both Shot (33 feet 8.25inches) and Disc (118feet)
Ava Anderson won the 400 hurdles (68.86) and placed 2nd in the 100m hurdles (17.5).
Madeline Smith won the 100 hurdles (15.74) and placed 6th in the 400m hurdles (73.58)
Karizma Wescott won the 400m (58.81), was on the winning 4x4 mentioned above as well as the winning 4x1 relay team along with teammates Ady O'Donnell, Ella Radley, and Ella Shamp. (49.59)
Ella Shamp also placed 2nd in LJ (16'6.5"), 3rd in HJ (4-10), and 5th in the 200m (27.06).
Anna Varland won the pentathlon for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW scoring 2445 points!
Jaimin MacDonald placed 2nd in the shot (32'6")
The 4x8 relay team consisting of Jadyn Boyce, Mallory Boyce, Helaina Staley, and Maddie Bellamy placed 2nd with a time of 10:29.83.
I am extremely proud of this group of girls for their hard work and dedication throughout the spring. Many of them are juggling multiple commitments but have always found the time to put in the work that they need to in order to achieve this goal. I am especially happy for our group of seniors (Jadyn Boyce, Anna Varland, Isa Walsh, Kaelee Kelso, Sophie Moore, and Ella Radley) many of whom have been on the team since they were in 7th or 8th grade and have been instrumental in returning this team to its current state of success. As a direct result of their mental and physical toughness and their leadership, they end their career as 3-time sectional champs!!!!
The driver of a 2012 Ford Focus involved in a collision with a tractor-trailer on May 17 at Ellicott Street and Jackson Street in Batavia, has a received traffic citation following an investigation by Batavia PD.
Emma Durnham, 24, of Avon, was cited for allegedly passing a red traffic light.
Durham and a passenger, not identified by police, were seriously injured in the accident, but both have been released from the hospital and are expected to make full recoveries, according to police.
The truck driver, Michael Johnson, 48, of North Tonawanda, was not cited and was not injured in the collision.
The accident was reported at 9:30 p.m. on May 17, and Batavia PD, along with City Fire, Oakfield Fire, Town of Batavia Fire, and Mercy EMS. Due to a shortage or of ambulances at the time, volunteer crews from Byron and Darien responded to the city to assist with other calls.
The Ford Focus was reportedly southbound on Jackson Street and allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Ellicott Street and was struck by a southbound tractor-trailer (note: Jackson runs north and south, Ellicott Street (Route 63 is considered a north-south road).
The Ford Focus came to rest in the gas lane (but did not strike a pump) of the Kwik Fill at 99 Jackson St., and firefighters had to extricate both occupants.
The Sheriff's Office Crash Management Team assisted with the accident investigation.
The Batavia Boys Track and Field team won its eighth sectional championship on Friday with 148.5 points in the Class B1 division, beating out Honeoye Falls/Lima, the runner-up with 131 points.
4x100m (Zailen Griffin, Parris Price, Trevor Tryon, Isaac Varland) 44.41
4x400m (Trevor Tryon, Parris Price, Isaac Varland, Cameron Garofalo (3:30.73)
4x800m (Nate Kinsey, Grant Gahagan, E'Nhazje Carter, Donavin Solis (8:53.84)
"This was a very tough and competitive meet, and Batavia Track and Field really rose to the occasion," said Coach Nick Burk. We had many personal best performances, and our athletes never gave up. We certainly represented our school positively and demonstrated resilience throughout the competition. I was also very glad that our relays performed so well, with many athletes needing to step up in order for us to win. Including Indoor and Outdoor track, this is our program's 44th Sectional championship."
Coach Matt Shay providing shooting instruction during basketball camp in 2022. FIle photo by Howard Owens.
Press Release:
Basketball enthusiasts seeking to enhance their skills and elevate their game are invited to participate in the annual Three Season Basketball Training Camp. Led by renowned coaches, the camp offers comprehensive instruction aimed at honing fundamental skills and tactical understanding.
Value & Repetition Distinguished by its commitment to excellence, Three Season Basketball Training Camp provides campers with over 30 hours of intensive basketball instruction spread across a 5-week period. This extended duration allows for a focused approach to skill development, in contrast to the brief, condensed schedules typical of other camps, which often span only 3-4 consecutive days.
Dates and Cost The camp will run from July 8 through August 9, offering participants an extensive opportunity to refine their abilities under expert guidance. Enrollment is $350, with a discounted rate of $175 available for additional siblings. Teams seeking group discounts are encouraged to contact Coach Brasky directly.
Directed by Coach Buddy Brasky Under the tutelage of Coach Buddy Brasky, the Batavia basketball program has enjoyed a remarkable record of success over the past two decades. With 13 league titles, 6 sectional championships, and multiple appearances in the state semifinals, Coach Brasky's leadership has consistently propelled his teams to excellence. Recognized as Section V Coach of the Year on seven occasions, as well as earning numerous other coaching accolades, Coach Brasky's track record speaks volumes about his coaching prowess and commitment to player development.
Assistant Director: Coach Matt Shay Coach Brasky is assisted by Coach Matt Shay, whose tenure at Pembroke High School has seen significant achievements, including multiple division titles and sectional final appearances. Coach Shay's dedication to his craft has been acknowledged through multiple Coach of the Year awards, reflecting his impact on the basketball landscape within the region.
Notable Camp Alumni The Three Season Basketball Training Camp boasts an impressive roster of alumni who have gone on to achieve success both on and off the court. Among them are standout players like Tyson Totten, Cole Harding, Cayden Pfalzer, and Jeff Redband whose accomplishments serve as a testament to the camp's ability to nurture talent and foster growth.
Session Details The camp is divided into two sessions catering to different age groups and skill levels:
Session 1 (Starts July 8): Boys entering 10th-12th grade
Session 2 (Starts July 9): Boys entering 7th-9th grade
Sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 12:30 pm, with an additional session on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. for Session 1 and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for Session 2.
Three Season Basketball Training Camp represents an unparalleled opportunity for aspiring basketball players to refine their skills, learn from accomplished coaches, and take their game to the next level. Join us this summer and embark on a journey of growth, excellence, and camaraderie on the court.
As part of Memorial Day ceremonies in Alexander, the Alexander Volunteer Fire Department dedicated three new flag poles at the department's Rec Hall on Monday. The flag poles were erected as an Eagle Scout project for Nate Foss (kneeling, center). Photo by Heidi McPhee
Tyler Angora, HLOM curator receives a check from DAR member Robin Ettinger in front of a Revolutionary War drum. Photo by Howard Owens.
The men from Genesee County who fought in the War of 1812, the Civil War, and the wars of the 20th Century are well represented in the Holland Land Office Museum.
The men who served the cause of freedom starting in 1776 are less well represented, and the HLOM, with the help of the Anna Ingalsbe Lovell Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, hopes to provide visitors to the museum information on those men who fight for liberty and then helped settle Western New York.
On Saturday, DAR members presented Tyler Angora, HLOM curator, with a check for $700 -- a $500 grant from DAR and $200 from the local chapter -- to create a display honoring the patriots who settled present-day Genesee County and immediately contiguous towns.
"There are a lot of people buried here but why did they come here? What did they do to help found our county?" said DAR member Robin Ettinger. "This is what our project is about."
In the past, DAR members identified all the patriots who purchased property from the land office and those names are already listed in a book in the research room. There are also men who acquired land in the county before the Holland Land Office started selling plots.
Western New York was not part of the colonies at the start of the Revolution.
The Senecas did not cede control of Western New York until the Treaty of the Big Tree in 1797. In the treaty, the Senecas agreed to establish residences on reservations in the territory and receive $100,000 (about $1.8 million today) for 3.75 million acres of land.
The Holland Land Company participated in the negotiations after acquiring rights a portion of the territory from Robert Morris in 1792.
Joseph Ellicott started surveying the land in 1798. Two years after Ellicott completed the survey, new settlers were able to buy plots of land in Genesee County (then, all of Western New York).
The project involved creating a slideshow of names and background information on the patriots to display on a flat-screen TV in the War Room.
"Right now, the only Revolutionary War piece that we have is the drum (acquired by a prior, now defunct DAR chapter)," Angora said. "We do talk about it on tours and stuff, but people don't actually get to see the men; they don't get to see their history. Ryan (Duffy, HLOM director) and I don't personally have the time to do that (put the display together). We're running the entire museum. We've wanted to expand this because the rest of the War Room has all the veterans listed except this part."
He said the TV will show a slide show of the men sharing their stories and showing their connections to this county and how they built this county, Angora said.
"We've researched them and we found a lot of men who purchased large plots, multiple plots in certain sections," Angora said. "Once the land office was here, they started flooding into this area to start farming because it was wilderness and it was a good opportunity for those patriots to come and build their lives here."
DAR members concentrate a lot on history and geology because in order to become a member, you must document that you have an ancestor who was either a patriot or supported a patriot at home.
Most of the patriots were farmers, but they were also mill owners, tavern owners, and shopkeepers.
"There's a lot of farmers and they just came out this way and had to have that tenacity to -- especially the women -- to say let's go out there and build log cabin. So the whole focus is what these guys did, who they were in the war, and they came out here and settled our area."
Reality Check advocates Sophia Biniaszewski, Trinnity Whatle and Judith Newton use a selfie frame to tell Big Tobacco what they think about their products and marketing. Submitted photo.
Press Release:
Last week, Abbi Leone and Judith Newton, both juniors at Batavia High School, as well as Attica High School ninth graders Sophia Biniaszewski and Trinnity Whatle, joined more than fifty youths and advocates from nine national organizations to protest Altria Group, Inc.’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
These advocates held a demonstration outside Altria’s Washington, D.C. office, while several youth activists had proxy tickets to directly address Altria’s executives and ask questions during the virtual shareholders’ meeting.
“I’m so proud of Abbi, Judith, Sophia, and Trinnity for fighting against the manipulative tactics the tobacco industry uses to target them,” said Brittany Bozzer, Youth Coordinator at Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming (TF-GOW). “Now that they have shared their voice in Washington, D.C., they plan to continue to address the challenges of tobacco use in their communities back home, as well as mobilize their peers to take action.”
This year marks the ninth consecutive year that Mobilize Against Tobacco Lies (MATL), a collaborative of youth programs and national partners, gathered to expose and fight back against the tobacco giant’s lies.
Reality Check youth from across New York State rallied with a coalition of tobacco control youth programs and national partners including Dover Youth to Youth of New Hampshire, Wisconsin FACT, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Traditional Tobacco Voices, American Indian Cancer Foundation, Corporate Accountability, Counter Tools, Center for Black Health and Equity and Truth Initiative.
Altria and its Philip Morris subsidiary sell the number one most popular cigarette brand among kids, Marlboro, and its John Middleton subsidiary sells one of the most popular cigar brands among kids, Black and Mild. Altria has a long history of targeting kids and other vulnerable groups with its products and invested in Juul at the height of the youth e-cigarette epidemic.
Altria claims to be “moving beyond smoking,” but the truth is that they make most of their revenue from cigarettes and fight real efforts to reduce smoking – such as bans on menthol cigarettes.
Despite Altria and the tobacco industry’s efforts, the United States has made great progress in reducing youth smoking. However, the latest government survey shows that 2.8 million U.S middle and high school students still use tobacco products, including 2.13 million who use e-cigarettes.
Reality Check is a teen-led, adult-run program that seeks to prevent and decrease tobacco use among young people throughout New York State.
For more information about Reality Check, visit realitycheckofny.org.
Madisonation, an annual golf tournament dedicated to raising awareness and funds for children battling cancer, announces its 13th annual tournament on Saturday, August 10, at the LeRoy Country Club located at 7759 E. Main Rd, LeRoy.
Initiated by Kevin Muckle in 2011, Madisonation serves as a testament to the resilience and triumph over adversity, inspired by his daughter Madison Marie Muckle's battle with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia cancer. Madison, diagnosed just after her 3rd birthday in 2010, endured relentless treatments for 2 ½ years until her last chemotherapy session in April 2013. Now 16 years old and cancer-free, Madison seeks to extend a helping hand to others grappling with this relentless disease.
Madisonation, affectionately termed, embodies a community's collective effort in rallying behind those affected by childhood cancer. Over the past 12 years, the tournament has raised over $85,000 in donations, benefitting families and organizations dedicated to alleviating the burdens faced by cancer-stricken children.
Beneficiaries have included prominent institutions such as Golisano Children's Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, Make A Wish Foundation, and Michael Napoleone Foundation, as well as numerous families confronting the harsh realities of pediatric cancer.
This year, Madisonation pledges its support to the family of Ellie Porter, a brave soul battling Hepatoblastoma, a form of liver cancer. Diagnosed at the tender age of 2 in October 2023, Ellie's journey has been arduous, with the cancer spreading to her lungs necessitating urgent treatment and a liver transplant.
Madisonation aims to alleviate the financial strain on Ellie's family, led by her parents Jackie and Jeffrey, who have been tirelessly seeking treatment in Pittsburgh.
In a bid to raise funds, Madisonation appeals to the community for support through donations of signed memorabilia, tickets, items, or services for raffle during the tournament. Contributors will be duly acknowledged in the tournament brochure, website, and social media campaign.
For those interested in contributing or seeking further information, please contact Kevin Muckle at 585-300-7499. Donations can be mailed to Madisonation at 30 Lake St., LeRoy.
Madisonation stands as a beacon of hope, symbolizing solidarity in the fight against childhood cancer, underscoring the power of collective action in making a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected. Join us in our quest to turn adversity into triumph and support warriors like Madison and Ellie in their battle against cancer.
Ms. Zipkin with her award Photo courtesy of the Richmond Memorial Library.
Press Release:
Kathy Zipkin, the president of the Friends of the Richmond Memorial Library, was honored with the Norm Sinclair Award on Thursday, May 23 at the NIOGA Library System’s Annual Meeting at Wurlitzer’s in North Tonawanda.
“Kathy is the current president of the Friends of Richmond Memorial Library and has served on that board for many years,” shares Samantha Stryker, Community and Adult Services Librarian at RML. “She is unwavering in her support of the library and is a dynamic and dedicated leader. She routinely goes out of her way to discover the best ways the Friends can enhance the services and programs the library provides.”
In addition to countless hours spent preparing donations for the monthly book sale, Kathy has served as a Friends representative on hiring committees and regularly organizes lovely events to honor volunteers at the library. She is always willing to step up when volunteers are needed at the library for various programs or projects. She frequently takes the time to attend library programs to show her support.
Four GLOW area seniors have been named recipients of Arc GLOW’s 2024 Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship.
The $1,000 scholarship award winners — Katrelle Grover, Emma Millar, Claire Zehler, and Corina Dunn — are planning to pursue careers related to healthcare or working with people with disabilities.
Genesee County Winner:
Corina Dunn Submitted photo
Corina Dunn, a student at Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School hailing from Le Roy, plans to go to SUNY Geneseo for early childhood/special education.
“I have always wanted to be an early childhood teacher, but after working with other students who have disabilities through my high school career has made me realize I want to be dual certified in special education as well,” Dunn said. “I believe that the first years of a child’s life are the most important, and I want to ensure that children with disabilities are welcomed, accepted, and have the basic blocks to succeed in their futures.”
Dunn keeps busy inside and outside of school. Not only does she work as a cashier and customer service lead for Tops Friendly Markets, but she’s the vice president of her school’s National Honor Society and volunteers for the Le Roy Youth Soccer Association.
Dunn is active in Le Roy’s music council, student council, marching band, jazz band, musical pit orchestra, math team, success, basketball, track, and Unified Bowling.
Other winners include:
Katrelle Grover, a Warsaw Central School senior from Silver Springs
Emma Millar, a Caledonia-Mumford High School senior from Caledonia
Claire Zehler, an Attica High School senior from North Java
Now in its 19th year, the Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship is given out to area high school students planning to attend college to pursue a degree in human services, special education, or a field related to helping people with developmental disabilities.
It is in honor of Mary Anne Graney, a special education teacher who died in 2004. The scholarship is funded by the Friends & Family 5K, scheduled this year for Sept. 16 in Elba. In all, 63 scholarships, including this year, have been awarded since 2006 to local high school students.
Anyone who has met Vito Gautieri may find it hard to believe that the distinguished Batavia businessman once chased a union rep off a job with a piece of timber, but he swears it’s true.
That was during his first big job — a commercial page-turner in the record books for VJ Gautieri Constructors to build Elba Fire Hall and municipal offices.
“I was in the trenches with the boys pouring concrete, and he tried to get my boys to join the union,” Gautieri said during an interview with The Batavian. “I shooed him off-site with a two-by-four. He left. He was trying all the time. And then there was a masons union guy, his name was Jesse James. He came to the job and asked, ‘Can I buy you a beer when you’re done working?’ I said of course. He told me ‘I’m going to let you finish this job, I’m not going to picket or anything. You’re young and very ambitious. I think you’re going to go places.’”
And he was right. Since Gautieri’s modest beginnings in 1954—working out of an office over his family’s garage on Liberty Street—he has continued to gain the trust of clients in his home territory of Genesee County with projects including City View Residences in downtown Batavia and to the west and east, just completing a $10 million, 188-unit apartment complex in Baldwinsville outside of Syracuse.
Of course, the way Gautieri tells it, there were a few different twists and turns his life could have taken had it not been for someone sort of guiding his path. Back when he was in the U.S. Army, freshly graduated from engineering school at Fort Belvoir, his paperwork had him going straight to the Korean War. When his mother found out, she raised a little fuss and informed the head honchos that he couldn’t go to war because she had already lost a boy, Vito’s brother Mike, to World War II.
It was determined that Vito couldn’t be sent to a battle zone, so he was stationed in Frankfort, Germany, for two years with the 142nd Signal Company. He wound up as a driver for Col. Hewitt, who took him to various maneuvers. Gautieri was discharged in 1954 and headed home.
Gautieri was preparing to attend college while contemplating a career with the FBI, and you either had to be a lawyer, which took six years, or an accountant, which took four, he said, so “I picked that.” But fate intervened, and Uncle Dominic brought him along to a job building a house for Lou DelPlato.
Gautieri worked with two or three carpenters from the Viele Company there, and “I loved it,” he said, admitting to being instantly attracted to the contracting work. He switched gears immediately.
“And then I came home and told my mother, she had a fit,” he said. “I said I was gonna go into construction, and that’s what I did.”
Before any ink was dry on the Elba deal, there were some council members not so certain that Gautieri had the chops for the job — he was young and inexperienced. Although he was the low bidder for the job, there was the next bidder up working hard to persuade the members to reconsider giving it to this Batavia guy.
The Elba mayor at the time, Anthony Garnish, went to Gautieri’s family home, and his mother brought him up to the garage office to show her son’s professionalism and how he treated the business. Perhaps it was fortunate that Gautieri wasn’t home at the time.
“She said ‘he knows what he’s doing,’ Gautieri said. “She took the mayor up the ladder to the second floor of our garage, that’s where I had my office and did all my estimating and stuff like that. So she took him up there, and she must have been very convincing because Mayor Garnish went back to the board … and he convinced them to give me a job. And that was my first commercial construction job.”
The mayor went back to those board members and confronted some of them about their own meager beginnings, reminding them that “didn’t you start out” with little experience? He got the job for what he recalled was for six figures, which was quite a nice contract back then. He ended up also getting the fire station demo while he was at it.
His later encounters with union reps were another hurdle he eventually realized he wouldn’t win. “You had to be union,” he said, even with another relentless mason rep named Jesse James. They ended up becoming friends, and Gautieri’s company remained unionized until the late 1980s, he said.
“Now we’re an open shop company, we could go union or open shop,” he said.
VJ Gautieri Constructors was part of Urban Renewal, like it or not, because even though a hapless part of Batavia’s history that phase of knock-down America was a lucrative step for local contractors. Gautieri got jobs for Salway, a few banks, Alexander’s clothing store — “we knocked down half of the buildings in Batavia” — and built other projects along the way.
The former Montgomery Ward, site of the current Save-A-Lot and City View Residences, was originally on a 20-year lease, and got out of that in eight years, leaving the building to just sit there. So Gautieri traveled back and forth from Batavia to Pittsburgh and Chicago putting together a deal, and he and other developers purchased the building. Since then, there have been four supermarkets that ended up bailing on Gautieri as landlord, and Save-A-Lot has remained a constant for the last several years.
Gautieri’s vision to renovate the upper floor for apartments came to fruition a year ago. Ten upscale units accessible by an elevator are fully rented and have a waiting list. Other surrounding office space is also occupied by nonprofits and businesses.
He remembers one of the more difficult land acquisitions, around 1980, when a City Council with members including Florence Gioia and Benny Potrzebowski were not in favor of him purchasing the land at Washington Avenue and State Street. It was a five-year tussle that ended when Potrzebowski came back to ask Gautieri to pursue the project.
“He kneels down in front of my desk and says, Vito, I got the votes, come on,” Gautieri said. “So we went here and everything was fine, we got the plans approved. This one guy who was against the project didn’t like the way we laid out the site. I said sir, are you an architect? He says no. I said, ‘I paid $150,000 in architect’s fees, and they’ve located the building the best way for the building. He was the one who voted no, but then I got seven out of nine votes. Then we started the project after five years.”
At the time, Ronald Reagan was an incoming president and was said to be against affordable housing, so the timing was fortuitous for Gautieri to establish his HUD-subsidized senior housing Washington Towers complex. He had a bulldozer quickly move onto the property “and push some dirt around, and we took some pictures, and we started building” just in case there were government changes coming.
Beyond the financial assistance it would give to local senior citizens, the materials used were of prestressed concrete, which “made me feel happy,” he said because if there was ever a fire, it would be a rugged warrior against flames to protect those residents. In fact, there have been a couple of fires there, but they’ve been isolated to a room without spreading, he said.
“When we were getting approval of the plans from Buffalo, they wanted me to do it like 400 Towers, just plain concrete on the outside. I said ‘no way.’ So I finally convinced them that it would be better in the long run for brick, and they approved it.”
They began the project in 1979, completed it in 1980 and filled the 130 units in about four or five months. Tenants pay 25% of their income with the government subsidizing the remainder.
“Affordable housing. I think we still need some more of that,” he said.
He tried to calculate quickly how many projects the company had completed in the city alone, surpassing more than a dozen.
“We have done at least 10 to 15 buildings in Batavia. We remodeled the county building, we had to scaffold it, and we did new roofs, windows, remodeled it,” he said. “We did not do the mall, when they gave the presentation, we took on Kings Plaza, we built and rented it.”
Not every transaction as smooth sailing, especially when it came to doing business with New York State, he said. Late or nonpayments have meant taking the state to court. By contrast, he eagerly worked with “Mr. Carr,” of C.L. Carr’s department store fame, who was as meticulous as he was dependable. There was an electrical engineer on the job with Gautieri’s men, and Carr’s brother was an architect in New York City. The contract was signed on a Sunday as a “cost-plus job,” which was low risk for the contractor, Gautieri said.
“You get better workmanship,” he said. “He was so meticulous, he wanted a second floor all moved back an inch and a half. My guy Charlie came and told me, and I said, do what he says, you do what the owner wants. He was a wonderful man, Mr. Carr. I’d give him the bill today, and he’d give me the check tomorrow. You don’t get that today. Things change, and change is good.”
Gautieri put in a bid for the Carr’s Reborn project but was not the lowest bidder and didn’t get the job. He does hope that “the Carr’s building is very successful,” he said.
Early on, the Gautieri company had its own workers, and time and experience have taught him that “when we see a company that can do a job safer and quicker, we sublet it out,” he said. For example, that job in Baldwinsville had subcontractors for carpentry, masonry, roofing, parking lots and blacktop.
Gautieri founded the first of many Gautieri companies in 1954. General construction was the organization's primary focus for the first decade. In the early 1960s, Gautieri diversified the organization and became involved with commercial real estate development while continuing the traditional contracting portion of the business.
Today the organization offers general contracting, construction management, design/build, property management and real estate brokerage services throughout the Western New York area.
The organization's day-to-day management is handled by a staff that includes his two sons, Victor and Vito Jr., and daughter Valerie. Preparing to celebrate his 93rd birthday in July, Vito participates in regular business meetings but doesn’t go to job sites anymore.
Honored recently as the longest-serving member of the Alexander Volunteer Fire Department (he joined in 1960), Gautieri is also one of the remaining founders of the Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation, which honors the Italian heritage of many locals. There is a Vito J. Gautieri scholarship given out in his honor during the annual scholarship awards dinner, which is on June 4.
While he appreciates the women on the board who contribute and do good work, Gautieri would like to see more men serving on the board as well.
“I’m not happy with that, and I’m going to do something to help move that along,” he said.
Vito has been married to Marjorie (Marge) since 1979. His previous wife, Connie, died in 1977. He has two stepsons from Connie's previous marriage, Anthony Pullinzi Jr. and Michael Pullinzi. The Gautieri children are Victor (Julie) Gautieri, who has assumed the role of president at the company, Valerie (Bobby) Tidwell, Vinessa (Merle) Schreckengost and Vito Gautieri, Jr.
The Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation 40th Scholarship Awards Dinner will be held on Tuesday, June 4 at 6 p.m. The Foundation is excited to be able to celebrate their heritage together. It promises to be a wonderful evening of friendship, pride and of course, delicious Italian food being hosted at Batavia Downs. Tickets are $35.00 and may be purchased from Board members and Ben’s Appliance, East Main St. Rd. Batavia. The Foundation will also have tickets available to purchase for our Spring 50/50 Raffle which helps supports our Senior Scholarships.
The Foundation is pleased to dedicate the evening to one of our Foundation’s Founders, Vito Gautieri. Together, with the first board of directors worked diligently to create the Batavia chapter of the Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation. Through many fundraisers the Paolo Busti Park alongside the Holland Land Office Museum was created. A monument engraved with the founding founders can be visited.
Andrew Strollo is a student at Le Roy High School and is the son of Jeff and Jessica Strollo. He will graduate this spring Summa Cumm Laude. He is a member of the National Honor Society, Deca, Knight Media, and the Scholastic Bowl.
Andrew will be majoring in finance at the University of Rochester and will be playing football for the Yellow Jackets. Playing football at the collegiate level has been a dream since childhood.
Andrew participated in football, indoor track, outdoor track, and baseball. He has volunteered as a Pier Counselor and aided students in learning the skills of bowling and basketball. He has volunteered in the community kitchen, youth football, Little League Knights Closet, and Genesee County Fair as well.
Andrew received the Citizen Award for assisting students with Special Needs, Earth Science, Above and Beyond, Knowledgeable Knight Award, and Mock Trail.
"Growing up in an Italian household comes with faith," Andrew stated.
A bible verse he lives by is Proverbs Chapter 16 Verse 3 – “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and he will establish your plan.”
Andrew believes the values he has acquired in his 17 years will continue to guide him through College and adulthood. This will be the driving force in all that he does when raising a family, to keep memories and this beautiful Italian culture present and thriving.
Julia Clark Submitted photo
Julia Clark
Julia Clark is a graduating Senior at Batavia Senior High School and is the daughter of Paul and Patricia Clark. She plans to attend Mercyhurst University, with a double major in Business and Intelligence studies. Julia will also be playing softball for Mercyhurst.
A member of the National Honor Society, student government, National Art Honor Society, Key Club, Lend Crew, Genesee Youth Lead, and a hostess in the Mr. Batavia Challenge.
Julia has been awarded the Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas Award from the University of Rochester. She has also received Scholastic Scholarship Awards for all four years of High School, Athletic Awards in softball, basketball, flag football, travel baseball, and the Chic-fil-a Player of the Week for Flag football.
Community service is a big part of Julia’s life. She serves at the Soup Kitchen at Ascension Parish, Youth softball camp, the concession stand for football, and Genesee Youth Lead.
Julia states, "Growing up Italian American, one often acquires a rich tapestry of values that are deeply woven into the cultural fabric!"
She believes the family serves as the cornerstone of life. She expresses that the Italian American work ethics are often coupled with a zest for life embodies the Italian concept of “La Dolce Vita.”
HUGE sale thousands of items something for everyone lots of new stuff games toys housewares clothes collectibles kitchen items ect ect ect and much more rain or shine everything covered every Saturday June 1st -October 26 9-5 3657 galloway rd batavia
