The Batavia High School Class of 1988 will be celebrating its 35th reunion this weekend, September 29-30, and organizers are hoping to spread the word to all graduates.
Photo of Jeremy and Sandra Liles, the 2023 Encore co-chairs, courtesy of GCC.
The Genesee Community College Foundation will be celebrating its 31st season of Encore on Friday, December 15, with an elegant event of holiday music and fine dining. This annual gala fundraiser directly benefits the student scholarship program at Genesee Community College.
This year's co-chairs, Jeremy and Sandra Liles, are looking forward to presenting this year's Encore and celebrating the start of the holiday season. "We selected the theme "White Christmas" inspired by the 1954 classic film, which captures the essence of the holiday season and will feature a special holiday concert program choreographed by the Genesee Symphony Orchestra".
Jeremy Liles is a native of Genesee County, the owner of Oliver's Candies and Sweet Life Group, its parent organization, and has managed Oliver's Candies for over 20 years. Jeremy is actively involved in his local community and currently serves on the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and has served on the Batavia Town Planning Board. Sandra is a New Hampshire native who moved to Genesee County in 2005.
Sandra opened Sweet Life Country Store in Elba and has managed the operation for the past 5 years. She enjoys working with many different local product vendors and artisans to make their wares available to the public at this store, as well as partnering with other local businesses to benefit the community. Jeremy and Sandra reside in Batavia with Tahlia, the youngest of their three children.
"Both Sandra and I recognize the importance of education and supporting the Foundation Scholarship program at Genesee Community College. We are honored to be co-chairs of Encore 2023."
Proceeds from Encore support scholarships for students attending Genesee Community College. Sponsorship opportunities are critically important to the event. To become a 2023 Encore sponsor, purchase tickets, or for event information, please visit https://gccfoundationinc.org/encore/ or contact the Foundation Office directly at (585) 345-6809 or foundation@genesee.edu.
New York Bus Sales welcomed over 150 people to officially open its doors on a newly constructed $6 million mixed-use 20,000 sq. ft. facility in the town of Batavia. The facility is intended to support school districts and bus operators across Genesee County and the Western New York and Finger Lakes regions to convert their fleets from diesel fuel to all-electric as required by legislation in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) by 2035.
Based in Chittenango, New York Bus Sales is the largest Blue Bird school bus dealer in the state. The Batavia facility will service customers, including school districts to help transition their bus fleets from diesel fuel engines to all-electric bus fleets. New York Bus Sales has full-service maintenance facilities in Syracuse and Albany.
“Our new location in Genesee County allows us to serve the Western New York and Finger Lakes school districts as we work together with New York State to deliver clean energy solutions to local students and families,” said John Johnston, Operations Manager of New York Bus Sales.
New York Bus Sales worked with the Genesee County Economic Development Center to find a strategic location that fit their facility requirements on Saile Drive in Batavia and approved financial assistance at a Board of Directors meeting in December 2021.
“This project builds on the green business economy being built at STAMP, the Pembroke Industrial Corridor, the many community solar projects across the county, and other renewable and clean energy projects in the economic development pipeline,” said Steve Hyde, President and CEO of the GCEDC.
National Grid assisted in the installation of charging stations and technology as part of the company’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Make-Ready Program.This program provides funding for up to 100% of the electric infrastructure costs for approved projects.
“Our Make-Ready Program provides a range of technical assistance and funding for electric vehicle charging projects across our upstate New York service territory,” said National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa. “Working with New York Bus Sales is a great example of a company making a commitment toward innovation and sustainability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions while supporting New York State’s climate emission mandates.”
The new facility will create 24 new jobs in Genesee County. New York Bus Sales are seeking candidates for service and automotive tech roles and will have the opportunity to hire from the skilled and educated workforce pool from Genesee County and surrounding regions, including students participating in the Genesee Valley BOCES Deisel Tech Cohort program.
“Whether you are a recent Diesel Tech BOCES graduate or an experienced technician from another industry, we have good-paying positions available and can provide career pathways through certification programs and other training,” Johnson added. “We look forward to working with employment and workforce training organizations across the region to fill these career-sustaining jobs.”
The Batavian has a limited number of Genesee County Barn Dance tickets available at half-price as a special Deal of the Day sale.
The tickets are available for $17.50 each with no shipping charge. No purchase limit.
Your ticket will be your PayPal payment receipt.
The Second Annual Barn Dance is sponsored by the Town of Batavia Republican Committee. It is this Friday, Sept. 29, from 6 to 10 p.m. The location is 7411 Oak Orchard Road, Elba.
Elba crowned its 2023 Onion Queen and her court on Saturday.
The Elba Onion Queen is Adison Norton.
Her court:
1st Runner Up is Emma Pangrazio
2nd Runner Up is Halie Scouten
3rd Runner Up is Madison Thompson
From the previous press release:
Adison Norton is the daughter of Chirs and Sarah Norton and has a younger brother and sister. She is involved in volleyball, basketball, and softball. Adison participates in Multicultural Club, Yearbook Club, Student Athletic Association, and Pageturners at school. She has been the Treasurer of her class since Freshman year. She has also participated in the 4H Dairy Club for nine years. Adison enjoys reading and spending time with her family and friends. After graduation, Adison plans to attend a four-year school to study journalism and communications and pursue a career in sports journalism.
Lockport resident and Batavia native Paul Bacon continues to make his mark in the Mancuso Real Estate Monday Doubles League at Mancuso Bowling Center.
The 58-year-old right-hander averaged 220 in the league last season and is off to a hot start this season.
Earlier this week, he rolled games of 258, 276 and 264 for a 798 series, bowling with partner Brian Cline, on lanes 3-4.
Bacon spun 10 strikes in each of the first two games and strung the first nine strikes in the third game before leaving two pins on the first ball of the 10th frame. He missed the spare, and finished just two pins shy of his second 800 series. His other 800 -- 824 -- came in December 2004 at Brad Angelo Lanes in Lockport.
"My feet got a little quick in that last frame and I pulled the shot," said Bacon, who is employed as an operator at WestRock packaging facility in North Tonawanda. "Still, I'm pretty happy about that score."
Bacon said he used a 900 Global Eternity en route to his 29-strike effort.
In other action at Mancuso's, Attica's Mark Brown found perfection in the County Line Stone Friday Trios League with a 300 middle game on lanes 21-22. His other games were 200 and 234 for a 754 series.
Brown rolled a 300 in January in the same league.
For a list of high scores around the Genesee Region USBC, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of the home page.
With a 49-16 win over Frewsburg (Section VI) on Friday, the Pembroke Dragons improved to 4-0 on the season.
The Dragons held Frewsburg scoreless until the fourth quarter.
Behind the blocking of Ben Steinberg, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Madden Perry, JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin and Hayden Williams, Vijay Dhanda drew first blood with a 5-yard rushing TD.
Tyson Totten rushed for 177 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries to eclipse 1,000 yards on the season, while fullback Caleb Felski added 102 yards and one touchdown of his own on just five carries.
Defensively the Dragons were led by Caleb Felski with nine tackles.
Octavius Martin and Tyson Totten recorded seven each, with Landon Schoonover and Landon Suro adding five a piece. JJ Gabbey, Vijay Dhanda and Tyson Totten each had a fumble recovery, while Madden Perry had two. Tyson Totten took his recovery to the house on a 55-yard score.
Sean Pustulka was 7-7 on extra points. The Dragons have yet to punt this season.
"We've got a young team still trying to find their way," said OAE Head Coach Tyler Winter. "A lot of guys are playing competitive minutes of football, and it's a new experience. The loss hurts, but the goal remains the same. If we can persevere and build upon the positives, our best football is still in front of us."
UPDATE with Notre Dame's stats:
Jay Antinore, 8-12 passing for 80 yards, seven carries for 51 yards and a TD.
George Woodruff, 62 yards rushing on 23 carries, one TD. On defense, he had 8 1/2 tackles.
Gabe Castro scored a TD on three carries for two yards. On defense, he had eight tackles.
Jaden Sherwood had two receptions for 25 yards and a TD.
Balance Beam: 1. Elizabeth Power (Pittsford): 9.1, 2. Roan Finn (Genesee): 8.35, 6. Mady Underhill (Genesee): 7.3, 8. Ashlyn Reynolds (Genesee): 7.1, 11. Nee'Kay Smith (Genesee): 6.55, 12. Emma Cooper (Genesee): 6.5, 13. Lei St. Clair (Genesee): 5.8
Floor Exercise: 1. Katie Kull (Pittsford): 9.0, 3. Roan Finn (Genesee): 8.55, 8. Ashlyn Reynolds (Genesee): 6.9, 9. Lei St. Clair (Genesee): 6.45, 11. Samantha Copani (Genesee): 6.25, 12. Emma Cooper (Genesee): 5.9
The next meet is Saturday, Sept. 30, at Rush-Henrietta Gymnastics at 5:30 p.m.
3184 Pearl Street Road,Batavia. What a house! This 6 bedroom 3 bath home is situated on 3 pretty acres located in Town of Batavia in Pembroke School System! So much great space but yet all the potential of cozy homestead! Layout is great from the minute you step in-all rooms are large starting with the welcoming huge enclosed porch with windows galore! From there you step into oversized living room with great woodwork and pretty stone fireplace leading to bright kitchen and dining area! There is also first floor half bath with laundry and two bedrooms-and this is all only on the first floor alone! Upstairs features 4 more bedrooms and two full baths-master bedroom suite is HUGE! There is plenty of great woodwork, many rooms with nice hardwood floors some with carpeting..this home is move in ready and waiting for someone’s updated ideas!! The 3 acres outside doesn’t disappoint either-home sits up off of road secluded by pretty trees and opens up out back to wooded backdrop with room to roam and places to play and garden! Home has newer metal roof and recently connected to public water! This home has a lot to offer- easy to see, take a ride and enjoy the scenery! Delayed negotiation Monday Sept. 25th at 12:00 2419 Main Road, Corfu.Super solid and well cared for home that has so much more to offer than you can see from a driveby!! Home is really well laid out and square footage doesn't begin to show all the extra usable space there is, like the finished attic space that could easily be third bedroom or rec room, or the awesome partially finished high and dry basement that gives you tons of bonus space for additional living space or workshop area!! The kitchen, dining, living room is all connected and open for entertaining purposes and there is a lovely enclosed front porch that serves as a great morning room or TV watching on game days!! Two bedrooms and full bath on main floor make this the perfect home for someone that needs all one floor living! The location of home is perfect for easy access to shopping schools and thruway but the yard is where its at-it is fantastic!! Must walk to appreciate , it has a little something for everyone, deep-almost 2.5 acres-partially wooded with a path that allows you to sit and overlook creek-its great! Delayed negotiations so you can see for yourself Tuesday September 26 @12:00 5484 Horseshoe Lake Road, Batavia. Solid and well maintained country ranch! Located on pretty rural road but close to everything you need-shopping, restaurants, and quick access to all major routes for quick commutes! Also located in Batavia School System and minutes from College. This 4 bedroom 2 bath brick ranch will sure to please and surprise you with its spacious layout and great homeyness! The kitchen is updated with great cupboard space, first floor laundry at your fingertips and large but cozy family room with wood burner overlooking private pretty backyard. There is also an enclosed 3 season back porch for peaceful evenings as well as sunny and welcoming front porch with trex decking to welcome your guests! There is a deep attached garage as well as 8x10 back shed for all your extra storage needs. This home is ready for immediate occupancy and is easy to slip in and see! Delayed negotiations so you can get your opportunity until Monday September 25th at 7:00 p.m. Call Reliant Real Estate to see these homes today! Call 585-344-HOME (4663).
Monroe handed Batavia a second straight loss on Friday night at Van Detta Stadium, and at 40-0, it's the largest deficit suffered by the Blue Devils in more than a decade.
No stats are available for the game.
Batavia will play charter school Vertus next Friday at home at 7 p.m.
Jennifer Wesp, new Batavia HS principal. Photo by Joanne Beck.
Restoration seems to be a common thread in Jennifer Wesp’s life, from her work in education to upcycling estate furniture and even giving rescued dogs a new lease on life as the Batavia City Schools administrator has sewn all of those passions together in her personal and professional endeavors.
She’s been easing her way in as the new high school principal, touring the community, meeting people, observing and absorbing her new environment and learning the values of Batavia, she said. While at the same time, she wants to understand the school climate, survey staff, and especially get to know the kids, she said.
“To meet the kids, that was my favorite part. So I'm trying to be very present. I hope that I give that sense of I'm approachable, that I'm warm, that I'm open. I'm trying to be everywhere and responsive,” Wesp said during an interview with The Batavian. “So I feel that kids have been very graceful and kind to me, but it's important to know who they are. So I'm doing things like looking through old yearbooks, trying to make the connections between that beautiful face I see in the hallway and their name, right, because they're not always ready to tell me their name. And I just want them to feel important and connected. So that's a lot of my messaging and the things that I've been doing, you know, one-on-one with them as well as large spaces like class meetings and things like that.”
That may not seem so officially restorative in nature, but Wesp is about getting to know people, “where their baseline is, what they’re really strong at,” which in turn allows her to work with them on “shaping a culture of a building.” After all, what does restorative mean? To be curative, therapeutic, antidotal, healthful and recuperative.
“Because I know it’s a lot, but I think that the most important piece of my job is relationship building, actively listening to the values to be aligned, to make sure that the choices and decisions I’m making as the leader are the decisions that reflect what the community is expecting from the high school, and what the families and the students need from the high school,” she said.
Wesp has a strength in social-emotional learning, she said, which has been a key buzzphrase since COVID.
So what does it mean for her to put a focus on social and emotional elements for kids in school? “So I think everybody has most mental health needs that we need to attend to every person, right? And I don't know that sometimes our society actually helps us to prioritize that. And then I think after COVID, there were so many different feelings and experiences, and then life just kind of went back to normal, and the new normal doesn't feel the same. So in schools, I think what happened is kids just had a disruption. And there was also probably a lot of fear that was kind of just in their bodies, right? Even if they talked about it or didn't talk about it, because it was a very different experience.” She said. “So I think for schools, we talk about 21st Century skills all the time, which is really like what a kid needs when they leave us. And post-COVID, And not even just COVID, I am honestly just going to say the state of where we are, kids can't learn if their needs aren't being met. So what it looks like in schools now is helping our people who've been trained extensively in academics and trained extensively in those other pieces to also have the tools to meet the kids where they're at. So if they're coming in, and a lot of things are on their plate, they can't just sit down and perform academically.”
The education system has had to make room for some adjustments, she said, such as Mental Health Mondays once a month to take a pause and allow kids the opportunity to engage in some mental health support, social-emotional circles, and breaks from “that academic pressure and be able to build a culture that is connective in their space.”
“So I think it is a buzzword, but I think it's the smaller pieces that we intentionally build in that make the difference with our mental health,” she said.
Five or seven years ago, mental health issues seemed more obvious and visible, she said. Now it’s not always so visible.
“But if you check in with those kids and you have those systems where kids can still have a voice no matter who they are, if they’re the talker, that’s great, they’ll always give you their voice,” she said. “If they’re a quiet kid, what’s our mechanism in school to give them that ability to know that we care, we hear them?”
What do you think is the greatest need of this student population? “I would say emotional regulation … if they're having a moment where they're frustrated, they're struggling to get to that baseline again. So they kind of use the wrong words; they choose the wrong actions,” she said. “And it's really because their emotions are all over the place. And they haven't learned those skills and those strategies to manage them appropriately.”
How do you help them with that? “Nowadays, we have all of that stuff that comes in their brains from social-emotional, I mean, from social media, you know, the different things that go on in society now. So I think schools have more of a charge recently to kind of dig into that, how do we teach the kids to manage those situations, because they happen more often,” she said. “And they're coming to school less prepared. And, you know, I don't want to say it's because families don't do their job. I think families try to do an excellent job and meet kids where they can. But I also think a lot of our families are working double, right, they are single families, and maybe they have all of these other pieces on their plates. So in order to meet those needs for their own children, they're battling a bunch of stuff. So I think we have to work in partnership with them.
“And I think we're taking more time to come to the table with kids to make them teachable moments as opposed to, you're just in trouble.”
Aside from all of her academic prowess, Wesp enjoys a good dose of estate sale shopping and working on resin paintings and upcycling furniture at her home in Gates. She also cares for her three rescues: Ringo, a Greater Swiss Mountain dog, a new Pyrenees Newfoundland mix, and Roxxi and Calliope, a pit bull.
She visits her daughter Jade in Chicago a couple of times a year and otherwise sees her here in Western New York and hosts her dad Walter for occasional visits in Batavia, where he lived for some time while living with his grandmother and attending John Kennedy Elementary. Wesp’s son Jacob passed away.
“My son had mental health needs. So as a parent, I wanted to, you know, learn and grow,” she said. “And I wanted to understand, not only from the parent perspective, because I pursued things in that regard to learn my role as a parent, but I also wanted to understand the role of the professionals that he was going to bump into in his school systems, and things like that.”
Wesp pursued teaching, with 15 years working with special education and at-risk youth, and is now in her sixth year as an administrator.
Batavia High School has revised its in-school suspension to offer an alternative to suspension option, and “we’re working to make that a bigger program,” she said.
“So you know, if they were in a fight, we didn't just want them to know they couldn't fight, we wanted them to understand what happens in the real world, like when you're at the mall, and you're mad, and you punch somebody in the face, right? So we have learning around that. Also, those student reflection pieces. So we're in the admin team, in the process of trying to figure out ways to make that a much more robust, restorative program,” she said. “So you're still in an in-school suspension. So you're not really not suspended. What you are that's different is you have teachable, learning pieces that are expected in terms of you living through your consequences. So it's not just you're in trouble. It's that, hey, this wasn't a great choice that you made. But really, this is impacting you. And here's the reasons and the learning we want you to have, so you don't do this again.”
As a first-generation college student who experienced “a lot of bumps in the road” on her own life journey, Wesp has a deep appreciation for education and a love of learning “that was instilled in me from school,” she said.
“I was able to navigate and figure out as a young person that there were systems in place that could help to get me to college and to get me through college. So I think, in general, education has always been in my life for positives and negatives,” she said. “And it's the one-stop shop; everybody has to go to school, and everybody's got to be here for hours and hours and hours on end. So why not make it a place where kids get what they need.”
She hopes to see families during the next open house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at the high school.
A 22-year-old Rochester man is accused of possessing an illegal "ghost gun" following an incident at West Main Street and Ellicott Avenue that precipitated a chase and foot pursuit by Batavia PD.
Taken into custody was Ezequiel Serrano.
Serrano is charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree (ghost gun), criminal Possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal use of a firearm in the second degree, menacing in the second degree, unlawfully fleeing a police officer, along with multiple vehicle and traffic violations.
The incident at 12:14 p.m. on Thursday caused BOCES and Batavia High School to go into a "lockout" safety precaution.
It began with a report that a person outside Dunkin' Donuts had displayed a handgun in a way that was threatening to another person. Upon arriving, officers learned the suspect and the victim were known to each other and that the suspect was still in the area.
When officers attempted to stop the suspect vehicle, the driver allegedly ignored officers' commands and fled.
There was a vehicle pursuit on Batavia side streets until the driver abandoned the vehicle on a dead-end street and fled on foot.
With the assistance of K-9 Batu, the suspect was taken into custody several blocks away without further incident by members of the Batavia PD Detective Bureau.
Assisting Batavia PD were Genesee County emergency dispatchers, the Sheriff's Office, and State Police.
The handgun was recovered.
Serrano was arraigned in City Court, and held on $50,000 cash bail, $100,000 bond or $500,000 partially secured bond pending his next court appearance.
"The quick and efficient work of all officers involved ensured the safety of our community and led to the successful apprehension of a fleeing felon," said Chief Shawn Heubusch.
File photo of Ellicott Station groundbreaking with city, county and company officials in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens
While a few prospective tenants of the stalled Ellicott Station strategize their next move, folks at Genesee County Economic Development Center apparently believe they are making headway.
A few of the tenants chosen for the Southside apartment complex are considering possible legal action against Savarino Companies for pulling out of the project that has left them dangling with hope that they might still have a new home come 2024. As one tenant said, it’s about “what Savarino did to all of us, ‘cause it’s not fair to us.”
Meanwhile, Steve Hyde, CEO of the county’s economic center, gave a brief yet vaguely optimistic statement this week that his agency has been working with Sam Savarino and the state Office of Housing and Community Renewal to get Ellicott Station back on track.
Hyde and his lead staff reviewed this past year’s activity during the county’s Ways and Means meeting. As noted in prior articles on The Batavian, City Manager Rachael Tabelski has said that developers have expressed interest in Ellicott Station, and Hyde provided further confirmation that talks are progressing.
“And, of course, our favorite project sits here, nearby. And you know, what I could say about Ellicott Station is I've been in the middle of discussions with the developer, general partner, the investors, and state housing. That's all in the sorting-out phase. But what I can say to you is it's likely we'll see a different general partner coming in at some point,” he said. “And I think what we'll end up with is a project that will be better than what we currently had or what was previously designed.
"I think there's some additional willingness by the housing HCR to work with us and be a little more flexible. It may not be perfect, but we'll end up with a better situation than we had," he said. "I can’t say any more than that right now. But at least it's in the sorting out phase, and there's quite a bit of interest.”
As for GCEDC’s remaining portfolio, there were 75 projects that “committed $937 million of capital investment” versus the prior 76 projects at a $162 million investment, demonstrating what Mark Masse said was “just a much larger scale.”
After celebrating her 10th year on the Legislature, along with Marianne Clattenburg as EDC liaison, it’s been amazing to watch “the incredible investment that helps our local taxpayers,” Chair Shelley Stein said.
“By having these opportunities for the creation of these businesses, the careers, it enhances our entire foundation of our economy here and careers. Our schools benefit from it. Our communities benefit from the investment,” she said. “So some days are hard, some days are, you know, celebratory days. But this work is important to us here in Genesee County. Thank you.”
Some of those hard days have been dealing with and enduring the lag of that Ellicott Station project, which stopped in mid-August when Savarino announced the closing of his company due to a financial snag with a project at Alfred State College and a loss of more than $3 million.
Since then, city and county, along with HCR officials, have said they are working on moving forward, potentially with a new developer and financial agreements and construction schedule.
Tenants that were chosen in May for the 55 apartments received word earlier this month that they might want to search out alternative housing options since there’s no guarantee about when Ellicott Station will be ready for occupancy.
