Public Notice

Though the City of Batavia Planning and Development Committee will be holding its June meeting, as per executive orders regarding COVID-19, face-to-face public hearings are still not allowed. It meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16.

Here a PDF link of the agenda.

Any person wishing to comment on the following proposals, should submit an email to:   drandall@batavianewyork.com, or call (585) 345-6327 prior to June 16. Comments may also be placed in the drop box hanging on the wall to the right of the outside doors at City Hall.

1. DePaul Apartments -- 555 E. Main St., Paul Schreiner, PE, agent for DePaul Apartments – Special Use Permit for the construction of a 20,100-square-foot, two story, 20 dwelling-unit addition to an existing 49,786-square-foot 42 dwelling-unit “large-scale multifamily development” building.

2. Clinton Gardens Subdivision -- 387 Garden Drive Rear, Robert Pidanick, senior project manager for Nussbaumer & Clarke – Major subdivision of this property into six separate parcels.

For questions, please call the Bureau of Inspection at (585) 345-6345.

Chamber of Commerce Seminar with Public Health Director Paul Pettit on Phase 3 reopening

Press release:

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received two new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 201 positive cases.
    • The positive individuals reside in Batavia.
    • One of the new positive individuals is in their 20s and one of the new positive individuals is in their 30s.
    • The new positive cases were not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
    • Two of the previous community positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Zero of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
  • Orleans County received two new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 246 positive cases.
    • One of the new positive individuals lives in Carlton and one of the new positive individuals lives in Murray
    • One of the new positive individuals is in their 20s and one of the new positive individuals is in their 50s.
    • Neither of the new positive cases were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
    • Two of the previous community positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Fifteen of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.

Ice cream, ice cream, we all scream for ice cream.

While they didn’t shout it out, Genesee County legislators made it clear that they missed enjoying the frozen dairy treats that are distributed once a year by the Genesee County Dairy Princess Court during the ceremony designating June as “Dairy Month.”

The reading of the proclamation by Legislator Gregg Torrey kicked off this afternoon's legislature meeting, which took place via Zoom videoconferencing.

In part, the decree stated that the “Dairy Industry has contributed to the development and prosperity of our community since the earliest formation of Genesee County … and that dairy farmers and farmworkers strive to produce wholesome dairy milk, which is used to make delicious dairy products … that provide health benefits and valuable nutritional benefit to residents locally, regionally and globally.”

Natasha (Stein) Sutherland, co-owner of Stein Farms and a member of Genesee County Farm Bureau, said the honor holds a special meaning for rural counties such as Genesee.

“It is well-earned and it happened at a perfect moment (where) we can stop and say ‘thank you, Dairy’ but also thank you to each other during this time when support is so needed and the industry is finally reopening,” she said.

After that, Dairy Princess Miah Werth, a junior at Elba Central School, pointed to dairy’s nutritional value as she thanked the legislature for recognizing the industry.

“Dairy is extremely important for our health as it provides a unique variety of nutrients that our body needs,” she said, noting that milk and cheese contain high percentages of essential vitamins and protein.

Werth said the Genesee County Dairy Court’s No. 1 goal is to educate the public on “how hard dairy farmers work every day.”

“It is important for us to continue to support them as they have always been the heart and backbone of our county,” she said.

She then introduced the members of this year’s Dairy Court:

Dairy Ambassadors -- Amelia Brewer, Jillian Brewer, Georgia Luft, Carolyn Sybertz and Maggie Winspear.

Dairy Maids -- Chloe Lamb, Claire Lamb, Caroline Luft and Annalise Sybertz.

Legislator Marianne Clattenburg thanked the young ladies for their efforts, and left them with a reminder of past years.

“I wish we could be with you because we’re really missing our ice cream,” she quipped.

Near the end of a hot day, Cassandra Wroblewski was bored so she decided to draw flowers on the sidewalk outside her apartment on Ellicott Street in Batavia.

Wroblewski said she is a crafter and an artist who is busy every day with her creations but decided she needed to go outside to be creative for a change.

Press release:

Following his continuous calls for reforms to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced the unanimous Senate passage of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act.

This bipartisan bill makes critical changes to PPP, including expanding the loan forgiveness period from eight to 24 weeks, allowing small businesses greater flexibility in the use of funds for non-payroll expenses like rent and utilities. It also sets a new rehiring deadline -- by the end of the year -- to allow small businesses to receive full forgiveness of their loan.

Schumer explained that these reforms were absolutely necessary because the impact of the coronavirus crisis is long lasting and requires a program that recognizes the realities faced by small businesses that have a long road ahead to full recovery.

“These changes to the PPP program provide desperately needed flexibility and relief to countless small businesses in Upstate New York,” Senator Schumer said. “We worked day and night to pressure and persuade senators on the other side of the aisle to urgently get this done, and not wait to provide relief.

"This deal gives small businesses a more discretion and a realistic timeline to deploy the assistance they received to bring back employees and keep the lights on.”

The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act is especially important for New York, Schumer explained, because New York State tends to have higher rent and utility costs compared to the rest of the country.

The senator also stressed that the bill would not solve every problem in PPP and that more must be done to promote access for rural and minority-owned businesses and nonprofits struggling to get the help they need.

Legislation like the HEROES Act, Schumer said, is still urgently needed to provide additional help not only for small businesses, but also for homeowners, renter, essential workers, medical facilities, local and state governments, and more.

The bill previously passed the House of Representatives 417-1 and following Senate passage was signed by President Trump last week.

Details on some of the main reforms in the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act are provided below:

First, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act expands the loan forgiveness period from eight weeks to 24 weeks. Currently, workers may be brought back for the eight weeks, but then face a cliff after that short period and may be laid off again.

Second, the legislation removes the 25-percent restriction imposed by the Trump administration on the use of loans for fixed costs, like rent, mortgage, and utilities, and replaces it with a new 60-40 payroll to non-payroll breakdown in the use of the loan, allowing more flexibility for helping small businesses and nonprofits with all expenses to survive this crisis, which is essential to the long-term employment prospect of the workers.

Third, the proposal makes Dec. 31st the deadline to rehire workers in order to get full forgiveness on the loan, a more realistic timeline given the expected length of this public health and economic crisis.

Fourth, the proposal extends the terms of the loan from two years to at least five years for any part of the loan that is not forgiven, helping to ensure small businesses and nonprofits are not saddled with quick repayment while recovering from this crisis.

Albany – Every year more than 1,000 Americans are killed or seriously injured when they engage in unsafe behavior at railroad crossings.

New York Operation Lifesaver works to eliminate these preventable incidents and educate the public about all aspects of train safety.

On Thursday, June 11, in honor of International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD), New York Operation Lifesaver will place ads throughout New York State urging people to be patient and safe at railroad crossings.

For 12 years, ILCAD has focused attention on the preventable incidents that occur at railroad crossings throughout the world. “Operation Lifesaver Inc. the national organization which New York Operation Lifesaver is affiliated with, has celebrated ILCAD since it began in 2009.

We are proud to join the ILCAD outreach with our #StayPatientStayAlive statewide campaign,” said New York Operation Lifesaver Board President Daniel Bates.

During June 11, 2020 as part of the #StayPatientStayAlive campaign, New Yorkers will see ads like the sample below when they go online or use apps on their phones.

The campaign, called #StayPatientStayAlive, seeks to get New Yorkers to be slow down and stay safe at railroad crossings.

“Our goal with #StayPatientStayAlive, campaign is to save lives,” Bates said. “That’s the goal of Operation Lifesaver organizations throughout the U.S. and the globe.”

From Jocelyn Sikorski, executive director, Genesee County Youth Bureau:

The City of Batavia and Genesee County Youth Boards hold a Youth Recognition Banquet annually to recognize those youth and adults who continuously go above and beyond for our community. The Youth Recognition Awards are presented to youth who are positive role models, have performed outstanding service for their community, and/or have assumed extraordinary roles within their families.

The Adult Youth Worker Award is presented to a paid professional who emulates dedication and service to youth and families above and beyond their paid position.  The Adult Volunteer Award honors an individual who is a role model for the youth of today and gives of themselves to better the life of children.  

Even though the banquet scheduled to take place this spring was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Youth Boards wanted to share and celebrate these individuals.

We would like to recognize the 20 youth and two adults who would have had a night to celebrate their contributions with their nominators, family and friends by sharing a brief bio about each of them and why they were selected by the boards to receive the awards in 2020.

They are all in receipt of their awards at this time, which include Commendations from Genesee County Legislature, City Council, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and Senator Michael Ranzenhofer. They also received T-shirts and a certificate from the two Youth Boards.

The City and County Youth Boards congratulate all our 2020 recipients and thank you for your commitment and service to our youth and community!

This year’s recipients of the Youth Recognition Awards are: 

Amanda Bergman, 17, of Notre Dame High School has exceeded all expectations in regards to community service. She has contributed time to many organizations such as Challenger Sports, Interact Club, The Diocesan Youth Board, Stone’s Buddies and Crossroads House. During her work setting up events at her parish and working at the Crossroads House garage sale, Amanda has had many intergenerational conversations full of insight and advice. 

Justine Bloom, 17, of Byron-Bergen Central School, proactively participated in starting the Alliance for Equality Club, a club devoted to supporting the LGBTQ+ youth in her school and community. She went above and beyond with researching regulations and using proper delegation and chains of command to start the club. Justine holds many roles in Alliance for Equality, including cofounder, vice president and treasurer. Justine is also a member of GLOW OUT, an organization in Genesee County that provides education and awareness around the LGBTQ+ community. 

Shannon Breton, 16, of Alexander Central School, babysits during Parent-Teacher Association meetings and volunteers her time with the Big Buddy program, where she goes to the elementary building for 80 minutes every four days to mentor younger students. On top of her involvement in Student Council, Gay Straight Alliance and National Honor Society, she volunteers outside of school at the Salvation Army. Shannon has volunteered at steak dinners, Thanksgiving dinners and a shoe drive. 

Sydney Brown, 17, of Byron-Bergen Central School, has performed incredible community service for Genesee County by serving as a volunteer firefighter with the Elba Volunteer Fire Department, where she participated in 61 calls during 2019. She has recorded 87 state training hours as well. She is constantly seeking further training and has set a goal to become an EMT while continuing her work with the fire service. 

Emily Cerefin, 15, of Alexander Central School, has been volunteering her time to Challenger Sports since sixth grade. She helps participants play basketball, baseball and with swimming. Emily is also an integral part of the school’s SADD/Donate Life Club. She was planning Donate Life week, including a poster series and event to educate students and the community about the effects of drugs and alcohol. Emily has also started training for Purple Pony, an organization that provides individuals with special needs the opportunity to horseback ride. 

Elizabeth Clark, 15, of Batavia High School, has been volunteering four to six hours a week of her time at All Babies Cherished for approximately a year and a half. As a current 10th-grade student, she has already exceeded her graduation volunteer hours requirements. Elizabeth also volunteers for Meals on Wheels, Care-A-Van and for the Town Clerk of Ashford where she helps envelope tax slips and sorts them by numerical order. Elizabeth is a member of Z-Club at her school and has volunteered her time at the Zonta Holiday Festival and Jackson Primary Open House. 

Ally Flint, 17, of Le Roy Jr./Sr. High School, is a member of Rotary Interact and this year her group is working on a Butterfly Effect project and raising money to donate to support youth sports programs for underprivileged youth in the community. Ally regularly serves and prepares meals at her local community kitchen. She also provides company to the residents at the Le Roy Village Green where she plays card games and does puzzles with them. She is also a peer counselor to a group of seventh-grade students.

Tate Fonda, 16, of Batavia High School, has volunteered in many capacities on behalf of Zonta Club. She joined as a freshman and immediately jumped into leadership roles. The club as a whole depends on Tate as a dynamic member who helps with organization and brings new ideas to the group. In addition to Z-Club, Tate is active with many other school organizations such as Student Government, Model UN, Mock Trial and National Honor Society. 

Luke Geiger, 15, of Batavia High School, is a selfless young man who volunteers at many organizations, including the United Methodist Church, John Kennedy School and his own school. He has built horseshoe pits at his church, volunteered at multiple spaghetti dinners at John Kennedy School, and conducted a flag ceremony to helps raise funds for youth who would otherwise not be able to attend summer camp. Luke is also conducting an Eagle Scout project that consists of raising funds and supervising and participating with other scouts to build a hiking trail behind Northgate Free Methodist Church.

Sally LaDuke, 15, of Alexander Central School, has played an extraordinary role in the adjustment and transition of her younger siblings from developing countries into her family. Sally intrinsically knows and demonstrates an amazing array of nurturing techniques that help and guide her siblings. She is skillful at reading their nonverbal cues and is able to redirect, sidetrack, add humor and otherwise discretely help her siblings to regroup. 

Julie Muntz, 16, of Oakfield-Alabama Central School, is involved in the Youth Court program where she does exceptionally well in her role as defense attorney. Julie went to Albany this past February on behalf of the Youth Bureau to help advocate for funding and speak about how the Youth Bureau programs have made such a positive impact on her. At school, Julie takes on a big role in Link Crew, which is an organization that mentors freshman. Julie rearranged her academic schedule to tutor a student who was struggling academically.

Eva Rhoads, 16, homeschooled, has volunteered at Purple Pony for the last two years. Purple Pony is a program that provides individuals with disabilities the opportunity to benefit from interacting with horses. Eva began her volunteer work as a side walker, keeping the riders safe and engaged. She quickly progressed to leading horses, which involves monitoring the horse’s demeanor to ensure the horse is calm and the rider is safe. Volunteers are a vital part of the Purple Pony program, as it is 100-percent volunteer based.

Kelsey Schlagenhauf, 16, of Oakfield-Alabama Central School, has far exceeded the expectation of her Advanced Placement English project. Kelsey chose to hold a Christmas Toy Drive to allow less fortunate families from our community to “shop” free of charge. After much hard work, organization and advertising, she turned her school cafeteria into a winter wonderland with 500 new and gently used toys that helped 25 families. Kelsey warmed the hearts of many and brought Christmas to families who may not have had a Christmas without her hard work and dedication.

Donovan Sherman, 17, of Elba Central School,is an integral part of a student-led club called 2impact (To Influence My Peers as a Christian Teen). This group was required to be student led and he stepped up to the plate. Donovan led a project to reach out to a family in dire need of encouragement as that family’s father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Posters were placed around the school asking to write notes of encouragement and kindness. The notes and a gift card were placed in a box and delivered to the family by Donovan. 

Madaline Spencer, 19, of Notre Dame High School, has volunteered many hours for the past two years at Vacation Bible School. In Madaline’s first year, she was an assistant group leader where she was partially in charge of a group of students. In her second year, she was promoted to leader for the activities station where she was responsible for teaching and supervising students. Over the past five years, she has also volunteered her time at multiple churches and The Salvation Army.

Montana Weidman, 18, of Notre Dame High School volunteers because she enjoys serving her community and bringing joy to the people around her. She utilizes her talents in sports and in working with people with special needs by doing partner work with special needs athletes with Genesee ARC. Every year, Montana volunteers time to the Annual Special Olympics by directing individuals to starting lines, completing paperwork and sometimes even running races with participants. She also spends time volunteering at the St. Joseph’s Penny Carnival, Tri County Flag Football, and Challenger Basketball. 

Lily Whiting, 17, of Batavia High School, spent her summer volunteering at GO ART!’s Summer Creative Arts Camp where students explore “all things artistic.” Lily is a peer leader for Source of Strength, a school program that raises awareness of suicide and combatting negative triggers. Lily has also volunteered in the community on behalf of the club at the Veteran’s Home. Lily is involved in band, chorus, orchestra, and school musicals. 

Isabella Wilder, 17, of Byron-Bergen Central School, brought the idea of starting a Gay Straight Alliance club to her school; she is currently the President of the club, Alliance for Equality. Isabella has assisted in school wide events, such as club fair, and participated in community events that bring local schools together to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride and awareness. Isabella is also involved with GLOW OUT, a GLOW region organization that helps provide the same pride and awareness at the community level. Isabella is also involved in music, volunteering at Girls Rock! And Queer Rock! in Rochester. 

Rachael Wight, 14, of Oakfield-Alabama Central School, has been a positive member of her community for many years. Rachael has been in many leadership positions, to include Spanish Club at her school, her church’s AWANA program, and the WNY Perinatal Bereavement Network. At her church, she has helped with Communion preparation, the church nursery and in the kitchen. She has also participated in ARC dance, Girl Scouts and marching band. For the ARC Dance, she was awarded the Lakin Pearce Award for helping with dance classes. 

Maxwell Whalen, 15, of Pavilion Central School, volunteers for the youth soccer program as a referee. He goes above and beyond to help the elementary students understand his calls and learn the game. Max is also active with Future Farmers of America and volunteers many hours to promote leadership and agriculture in his community. Most recently Max traveled to Albany to meet with state senators and Assembly members to discuss the importance of agriculture education in New York. Max also volunteers his time to Genesee County Youth Court. 

Maria Casper, recipient of the 2020 Adult Youth Worker Award, has been an employee at Elba Central School for the past 18 years. Casper is one of the founders of Elba School’s Threads & More store, where students can shop for new and gently used clothing, shoes, and outerwear, personal hygiene items, and school supplies. Casper was instrumental in putting the store together, from installing shelves, painting the room, organizing supplies and letting students shop privately. Aside from the store, Casper goes above and beyond to support students so they have the opportunity to be a kid. Faculty at Elba School recently joined together to purchase tickets for a student who the school thought would enjoy seeing a musical in Buffalo. The student was thrilled to be given the opportunity; however, faculty soon learned that the student did not have transportation to the event. Casper stepped in and graciously provided transportation and lunch for the student. Casper is the type of employee who wants all children to feel loved and special and that is exactly what she does.

Michael Wilson, recipient of the 2020 Adult Volunteer Award, is employed with Pembroke Jr./Sr. High School. Aside from his employment, the volunteer work he does for the students and community of Pembroke is nothing short of a miracle. For the past nine years, Wilson has led the Shooting for a Cure event at the school. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research at Roswell Park in Buffalo. This event was started to benefit Toni Funke, the varsity basketball coach’s wife. Wilson has spent numerous hours seeking donations from local businesses and community members by writing letters and making phone calls on behalf of the event. What is truly inspiring to see is how Wilson’s students get involved in participating in the event; giving back is not only something that he teaches, but models for his students. He has also led a trip for the girls’ basketball team to deliver the check from the fundraiser directly to Roswell Park to see firsthand the impact they are making. Shooting for a Cure has raised more than $120,000 for Roswell Park, all of which is directly attributed to the efforts and selflessness of Wilson.

Press release:

“Last night, Western New Yorkers saw two vastly different candidates with two vastly different views of America and the choice is clear. Chris Jacobs will support our law enforcement, secure our borders, and fight for our small businesses to grow the economy. Nate McMurray's socialist proposals would raise taxes, make our cities and towns less safe, and threaten the constitutional rights of every New Yorker. Western New Yorkers who want to ensure President Trump has an ally in Congress and our region need to get out and vote for Chris Jacobs on June 23rd.”

-- Christian Chase, Communications Director -- Jacobs for Congress

NOTE: Libertarian Party Candidate Duane Whitmer was excluded from the debate.

A physical altercation is reported in the front parking lot of the Flying J Travel Center, 8484 Alleghany Road, Pembroke. Law enforcement is called to respond.

A clerk subsequently reported one subject, believed to be the victim, driving a Perry's Ice Cream truck, had left the front lot and was driving elsewhere on the premises.

An operator(s) of a red Volvo "Two Brothers" truck was reportedly the aggressor -- "ninja kicking" the operator of the Perry's vehicle at the time of the call.

A working barn fire is reported in Bergen at 7181 W. Bergen Road. It's gone to a second alarm. Bergen Fire Department is responding, along with mutual aid from Byron, Elba, and the Town of Batavia.

UPDATE 12:07 a.m.: The barn fire is out. The cause is under investigation.

Press release:

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 199 positive cases.
    • The new positive individual resides in Batavia.
    • The person is in their 60s.
    • The new positive case was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
    • Three of the previous community positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Zero of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
  • Orleans County received zero new positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 244 positive cases.
    • Seventeen of the total active positive cases are hospitalized. Please note those in the hospital may be from the community or a state-regulated facility. We do not separate them out to protect their privacy.
    • We are truly saddened to report we have lost three of our county residents to COVID-19. All three of the individuals were residents of Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Our deepest condolences to each of these individual’s family and friends during this very difficult time.

Press release:

As it has always supported the right of people with disabilities to be able to privately cast their votes, the Western New York Independent Living Inc. Family of Agencies (WNYIL) applauds the success of five disability rights organizations in settling a March 22, 2020 lawsuit with the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBOE) to ensure that people with disabilities have the right to an accessible absentee ballot.

Reached just last week, the agreement requires that eligible individuals must apply to their County Boards of Elections (BOEs) by Tuesday June 16th for a ballot to vote in the June 23^rd Primary Election or a special election being held on June 23 to fill a vacancy in the 27th Congressional District (Counties: Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming, part of Erie, Monroe, Niagara, and Ontario).

Completed ballots would have to be emailed by June 22^nd or delivered to the County BOE in person by June 23^rd.

Here is the process, step-by-step:

1. A voter who is unable to mark a paper ballot because of a disability can request an accessible absentee ballot on-line by using the request form found here (PDF). You may need to download this form to your device and open in Adobe so you can complete and send by email.
2. Again, the voter MUST email their completed request form to their county BOE on or before June 16^th. Voters can sign the request form with text input or e-signature.
3. The county BOE will email the accessible absentee ballot to the voter as soon as possible after it receives the voter’s request form. The county BOE also mails a postage-paid return envelope and oath envelope to the voter.
4. On the electronic ballot, the voter can mark their selections on the computer and print it out at home.
5. The voter MUST sign the oath envelope anywhere on the envelope, then put the ballot in the oath envelope. The voter must put the oath envelope in the larger envelope provided with paid postage by the county BOE. A voter must get the ballot into the mail by June 22, or hand deliver it to the county BOE by June 23.

If you have questions about New York’s new accessible absentee ballot process, contact WNYIL’s Chief Policy Officer, Todd Vaarwerk, at (716) 836-0822, ext. 101, or email him at:   tvaarwerk@wnyil.org. As he is working outside the office, please allow some time for him to respond.

Our congratulations go out to the litigants, which include WNYIL’s sister agency, the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY); Disability Rights New York (DRNY); the American Council of the Blind—New York Inc. (ACB); Disability Rights Advocates (DRA); National Federation of the Blind of New York State Inc. (NFB), and four individual citizens.

The Western New York Independent Living Inc. Family of Agencies offer an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

Batavia City Council members are united in touting Sunday’s March for Justice as a huge success, but declined to shed much light upon the miscommunication over a proposed City-supported BBQ for Equality that failed to materialize.

However, The Batavian has learned that the snafu over the barbecue at Williams Park – which was cancelled and set the stage for the March for Justice outside of the City Centre – may have triggered some far-reaching repercussions.

When contacted today about his reaction to the protest and comments on the ill-fated BBQ for Equality, Council Member Robert Bialkowski said that a significant discussion took place during a 90-minute executive session following Monday night’s City Council meeting.

Asked if there was more to the post-meeting debate, he said, “As usual, in politics there’s always something going on, but I can’t comment,” he said. “You’ll know soon enough. When things are going smooth, sometimes people have to rock the boat. And when they fall in the river, then they cry.”

JANKOWSKI: 'NO COMMENT'

Council President Eugene Jankowski, when advised of Bialkowski’s statement, said “that since this is a personnel matter, I can’t comment at this time.”

Calls to City Manager Martin Moore's office and cell phone were not returned at the time of this story's posting.

Problems arose on June 1 after published reports indicated that the City of Batavia (in conjunction with City Church) would be providing food at no charge at the Williams Park barbecue, and that Police Chief Shawn Heubusch would be the guest speaker.

Jankowski acknowledged there was a disconnect between organizer Macy Paradise and the city manager’s office.

“Speaking for myself as an individual council member, when I heard about the BBQ I contacted the city manager,” he said. “I was told there was miscommunication between the organizers and the manager’s office – and I acted upon that information.”

At that point, Jankowski said he posted on Facebook the process for groups to have an event in the City – that it had to go through City Council first with an event application and insurance in place.

“That had not been done at the point,” he said, “because the next Council meeting wasn’t until the day after the scheduled barbecue.”

BIALKOWSKI: 'CONFUSION, HEARSAY'

Other council members said they weren’t clear about the “negotiations” between the city manager and organizers, with Bialkowski mentioning that he has heard several stories but none of the facts.

“There was a lot of confusion and a lot of hearsay,” he said. “It’s really easy to point fingers that somebody did something but … unless you were there.”

Rose Mary Christian emphasized that the request did not come before City Council and that no one had the authority to say that the City would purchase food. She contends that the event organizer misunderstood Moore.

“We’re in a financial bind with this COVID-19, and have lost VLT money and sales tax revenue, and many people are still unemployed,” she said.

Regardless, the situation put the City in a tenuous position, with many people commenting on social media that City officials reneged on a promise.

PROTEST ACCOMPLISHES GOAL

Concerning the March for Justice, Council members agreed that it was a worthwhile and momentous occasion.

“I am very pleased that it was peaceful and glad that they did because they need to get their point across,” Paul Viele said. “Everyone needs to be treated equal and fairly.”

Viele and the other council members mentioned health reasons for not being able to attend, citing COVID-19 concerns, but all said they wish to engage in further conversations.

Patti Pacino called the march “fabulous.”

“They were peaceful and they cared and they meant what they said,” she said. “I’m all for it and I’m very proud that it went off so well in our city. I know many people who were there, and they said the feeling was good.”

She added that people’s feelings cannot be taken lightly.

PACINO: 'THIS IS SERIOUS'

“I think it brought the point home to a lot of people that this is serious; this is a real thing. It’s not just people griping,” she said.

Christian said the “Black Lives Matter march was really, really good in the City of Batavia” but didn’t think many people are being treated unjustly here.

“If you break the law, you have to pay for that – one way or another,” she said. “As for the protest, it was very well organized and very well participated by people.”

Bialkowski said he was pleased that the protest was peaceful.

“I am glad the whole thing went off without any hitches – only one arrest,” he said.

As for the other Council members, Al McGinnis said he did not want to comment, Jeremy Karas could not be reached and John Canale and Kathleen Briggs did not return phone messages. 

Jankowski reported his positive thoughts at Monday’s Council meeting, and pledged to do whatever he could to foster a better relationship between Council and Batavia’s people of color.

From Genesee County Board of Elections, commissioners Richard Siebert and Lorie Longhany:

Reminders*:

• Voters can register for the NY-27 Special Election up until Friday, June 12, at the Board of Elections office at County Building 1, 15 Main St., Batavia.
• The last day to register in person to vote in the NY-27 Special Election is June 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at County Building 2, 3837 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.

​EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING

Early in-person voting for the NY-27 Special Election, the Presidential Primary Election and State Primary Elections begins this Saturday, June 13 and continues for nine days. The early in-person voting location is at County Building 2, 3837 W. Main Street Road, Batavia.

The schedule for early in-person voting is as follows:

June 13 ^--- 12 to 5 p.m.

June 14 ^--- 12 to 5 p.m.

June 15 ^--- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

June 16 ^--- 12 to 8 p.m.

June 17 --- 12 to 8 p.m.

June 18 ^--- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

June 19 ^--- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

June 20 ^--- 12 to 5 p.m.

June 21 ^--- 12 to 5 p.m.

​ABSENTEE BALLOTS

• Written requests for absentee ballots for the NY-27 Special Election, Presidential Primary and State Primary elections must be postmarked by June 16.

• ​You can also request an absentee ballot via email or phone or FAX:  election@co.genesee.ny.us / Phone (585) 815-7804 / FAX (585) 344-8562.

• You can pick up an absentee ballot ​in person no later than June 22 by going to the Board of Elections (County Building 1, 15 Main St., Batavia).

• ​Any absentee ballot being mailed back to the county Board of Elections must be postmarked no later than June 23.

*(From a previous reminder April 24 to voters from the Genesee County Board of Elections: You can vote absentee instead of going to the polls on June 23rd by going to our website, going to departments and elections where you can print an absentee application. Fill it out checking the box that says temporary illness in the first block of questions and in the second block of questions check Primary Election only. You can also call our office at (585) 815-7804 to request an absentee application. After filling out your absentee application you can either mail it in to the Genesee County Board of Elections, or scan and email your application back into our office for processing. Our email address is:   election@co.genesee.ny.us Visit our Facebook Page for updates at Genesee Co. NY Board of Elections.)                                                                              

Press release:

Four Batavia Tops employees who are also high school seniors in the Class of 2020 were each awarded $1,000 scholarships by their employer:

• Mary Caprio 
• Joanne Clemm 
• Karissa Kesler 
• Samantha Lucki

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, Northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, have been an advocate of supporting formal education of its employees for over two decades.

Since the inception of its two scholarship programs, which are in conjunction with the UFCW, more than 22,400 scholarships have been awarded and more than $21,700,000 has been provided to Tops associates for scholarship reimbursement.

In 2020 alone the UFCW and Tops Markets will award over 200 associates a total of more than $233,000 in scholarships and Tops will award 28 students $28,000 in scholarships this year.

“At Tops, we recognize the hard work of our associates and in turn, supports our associates with scholarship opportunities,” said Denise Terrell, senior learning and development specialist for Tops.

“Supporting education is a high priority for us, not only as a means to provide career growth and opportunity within the company, but also to ensure that members of our community are given options and presented with resources to succeed. Providing scholarships to outstanding students to enable them to better their education is our way of investing in the future.”

Submitted photo and press release:

Three Genesee County students who work as associates for Tops Friendly Markets were among 840 workers the grocery store chain honored for achieving their goal of earning a high school diploma.

They are Samantha Miller, of Pavillon High School, and twin brothers Ryan and Kyle Sage, of Oakfield-Alabama High School.

Tops decided to honor the hard work and dedication of the Class of 2020 by surprising their graduating associates with Tops gift cards and lawn signs at their homes to congratulate them on their success!

Tops, with stores in New York, Northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, has been an advocate of supporting formal education of its employees for over two decades.