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That’s part of the message shared by Lynda Battaglia, Genesee County director of Mental Health & Community Services, in a phone interview with The Batavian.

“As a result of the pandemic, I think the mental health field has been recognized as essential. It's definitely received more recognition now than it ever has, and it's unfortunate that it took a pandemic to have that happen,” said Battaglia (photo above).

While there has been a renewed focus on mental health, substance use disorder, social services and developmental disabilities over the past two years, a by-product of that is the difficulty in finding qualified professionals to serve those in need.

According to information from LeaderStat, a national staffing agency for healthcare organizations, “The shortage of mental health care professionals coupled with the increased demand for services has led to a grim situation for many patients and providers, and there is no quick fix on the horizon.”

Projections by the Health Resources and Services Administration indicate the United States will need to add 10,000 providers by 2025 to close “the increasing divide” and more than half, over 24 million, of persons dealing with a mental health condition are going untreated and one in five adults seeking treatment is finding his or her needs unmet.

Battaglia said she is feeling a similar crunch in Genesee County as her department currently is not taking any new clients because she has five openings on her counseling staff.

“It's the times that we're in right now,” she said. “I do foresee things getting better. We are not currently taking brand new clients, but our Open Access (crisis walk-in) has remained open throughout the pandemic and remains open today.”

She said Genesee County Mental Health is at a “triaging stage” now.

“We’re taking individuals who are high need or high risk. We're really trying to triage people that call -- individuals that are being discharged from the hospital,” she advised.

Officials at other human services agencies, such as Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, also are reporting numerous job openings – from nurses to counselors to support staff.

Battaglia said she is hoping the staffing situation will get better in May and June “when we will get some clinical people who graduate with their master's in mental health counseling or social work who want to work here.”

“We do have a couple of prospective individuals who are looking to work here and have to go through that hiring process that we have here,” she said.

Currently, each of the dozen or so professionals employed at GCMH have a caseload of 90 to 110 patients.

“That’s high,” she said. “That’s not ideal, but that's what we have to work with. Our supervisors are working at high capacity and high caseloads in addition to providing supervision to staff. And that's not isolated to Genesee County Mental Health. That’s a trend across the state in regard to caseload capacity and (job) vacancies. So, my counterparts are feeling that, too.”

What that does is place additional stress on the counselors, Battaglia said.

“I have to applaud my staff. Their dedication and their resiliency and their ability to do this every day because the work in and of itself, can be challenging on a person in the field,” she said. “And then you couple that with a multitude of additional stressors -- family and all the hats that you wear and trying to put more individuals on your caseload and providing the services that you want to provide.”

Battaglia mentioned the mental health field carries a high rate of burnout.

“Self-care is essential to try to prevent burnout. There’s a lot of things that can help staff with burnout. But isolating during the pandemic was not helpful,” she explained.

“Now, with things opening up (from the COVID-19 restrictions), I can feel a shift in energy here with just more people being able to talk with one another. We still have to wear masks here, because we're considered a healthcare setting, but just the shift in energy of things being more open.”

Genesee County is advertising for positions in the department on its website and also on the Indeed worldwide employment site.

“We did two job fairs -- two virtual job fairs at two different points during the year and we had zero candidates,” she said. “That just speaks to kind of where we are in the times right now with a lot of things virtual. And there are some things like a job fair that's really challenging to do virtually.”

Nancy L. Lawrence, 69, of Batavia, is charged with soliciting alms on a public street or public place. Lawrence is accused of soliciting alms in the parking lot of a business on Ellicott Street at 12:30 p.m., March 18.  She was issued an appearance ticket.

Kiha S. McNear, 24, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd. McNear was arrested following an investigation that began with a traffic stop by a Batavia patrol officer at 4:18 a.m., March 17. McNear was allegedly found in possession of an illegal substance. McNear was arraigned in City Court and ordered held without bail.

Adam E. Bortle, 38, of Wayland, was arrested on a warrant. He was arraigned and released.

NaQuan J. Shepard, 22, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Shepard was allegedly involved in a disturbance in an apartment complex on North Spruce Street, Batavia, at 11:22 p.m., March 23.  Shepard is accused of throwing a cardboard box at another person. Shepard was issued an appearance ticket.

Curtis Williams, 55, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny 4th. Williams is accused of stealing more than $1,000 from his employer on Ellicott Avenue over a period of time. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Erik R. Motquin, 29, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Motquin is accused of trying to leave a store on West Main Street, Batavia, with $316.03 in merchandise without paying for it. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Joshua Leneir, 35, of West State Street, Albion, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Leneir is accused of violating a complete stay-away order at 3:36 p.m., March 17, at a location on Lent Avenue, Le Roy. He was ordered to appear in Town of Le Roy Court on April 5.

Garrett Berntsen, 25, of Stewart Street, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant in Rochester and brought before the Town of Le Roy Court to answer to charges of criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of the stolen property. He was released under supervision. 

Kasondra Lynn Hubbard, 36, of Myrtle Street, Le Roy, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Hubbard is accused of endangering the welfare of a child during a disturbance at a residence on Myrtle Street, Le Roy, at 8:11 p.m., March 24. Hubbard was ordered to appear in Town of Le Roy Court on April 21.

Earl Benson, 33, of Lyan Road, Byron, is charged with DWI, unlicensed operation, aggravated unlicensed operation, no distinctive plate, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, and refusal to submit to a breath test. Benson was stopped at 9:23 p.m., March 25, on Bank Street, Le Roy, by Officer John Ceneviva. He was issued traffic tickets.

Francesca G. Pieter, 21, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Peter is accused of stealing something at 4:23 p.m., March 27, at a location in the Town of Batavia. An 18-year-old from Batavia whose name was not released was also arrested. Both suspects were issued appearance tickets. The State Police did not release additional information.

Press release from Automobile Club of America:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $4.25, no change from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.86. The New York State average is 4.35, down 2 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.91. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia - $4.36 (up 1 cent from last week)
• Buffalo - $4.36 (down 1 cent from last week)
• Elmira - $4.25 (down 6 cents from last week)
• Ithaca - $4.32 (down 1 cent from last week)
• Rochester - $4.38 (no change from last week)
• Rome - $4.28 (down 2 cents from last week)
• Syracuse - $4.31 (down 2 cents from last week)
• Watertown - $4.35 (up 1 cent from last week)

Data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that total domestic gasoline stocks are down along with gasoline demand. The drop in demand is offset by an increase oil prices leading to price fluctuations. If oil prices continue to rise, pump prices will likely follow suit, reversing course from the downward trend.  

Oil prices remain over $100 per barrel. EIA reports that total domestic crude stocks are down 18 percent compared to one year ago. The current inventory level highlights tightness in the market, contributing to higher prices.

From Gas Buddy:

“The decline we've seen in average gas prices has been slowing down, as oil prices have held above $100 after declining under that level as recently as a few weeks ago. For the near future, we’ll see a mix of slight decreases and some potential increases mixed in. California markets should finally cool off and areas could even move lower in Southern California, while the Great Lakes could see gas prices jump up after having fallen for the last week or so," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "While the national average should start to stabilize for the time being, there's no telling what's around the corner, at least for now, as the volatility in oil prices persists."

For many people the neighborhoods where they spent their young years, the houses they lived in and the things that happened there become an indelible part of their childhood memories. As folks get older, with more time behind them than there is ahead, those remembrances seem to come to mind more and more often. My recollections are of the Thomas and Ellicott avenues neighborhood where I spent my years between ages 1 and 10.

Newlyweds
My parents, Jim and Anna Newhouse Reilly were married in April 1944. Dad was serving as a lieutenant in the Army Air Force during World War Two and was stationed at Mitchell Field in Long Island. He had wanted to be a flier but was too tall for the cockpit and at the age of 33 a bit too old. So he had to settle for piloting a desk.

After their wedding in Batavia at St. Joseph's Church ( mom was not  Catholic, but agreed to convert) and reception at Young's Restaurant on Main Street the newlyweds lived in Long Island until dad got shipped overseas for mop-up duty at the end of the war. Mom returned to Batavia to stay with her parents at 25 North Lyon Street until dad was discharged after the war ended.

When my father returned to Batavia he and my mom rented an idyllic spot at what they always referred to as “The Mill” on Seven Springs Road east of town. In a wooded expanse, there was a stream and a pond. The pond emptied over a small waterfall and a small grist mill had been built there in 1811 with a waterwheel for grinding grain which continued for that use for 80 years. From the early 1900s until the 1940s it was owned by a family named Gubb and used as a riding camp and stables. Today it is the Chapin Mill Retreat Center used by spiritual groups for meditation. 

 The Mill on Seven Springs Road where my parents lived when I was born (photo courtesy of Ed Kademan)

The sale of the Mill property to the Chapin family and my parents' desire to own their own home with room for kids led to them buying their first house at 26 Thomas Avenue in the City of Batavia. Located off West Main Street that was where I spent my early years and where my brother Dan was born in 1949.

The Houses
The Thomas Avenue house had plenty of room with three bedrooms, a basement (with a cistern which is still there but not used), and an attic. Upstairs was a cedar closet that had a nice aromatic fragrance.  I used to hide out in there and read Hardy Boys books. There was also a detached one-car garage which might have fit a Model T, but it was too small for the long finned and big bumpered monstrosities of the '50s.

One downside, which resulted in us eventually moving, was the tiny back yard which wasn't even big enough to play catch in. About  20 yards behind the house was someone else's garage on Dellinger Avenue the next block over.

Dave (right) and brother Dan (left) on porch of 26 Thomas Ave. 1955

In 2011 I happened to drive by my former home and noticed a for-sale sign with notice of an upcoming open house. On a Sunday afternoon, I showed up and probably made a mistake by telling my real purpose of the visit to the realtor. Once she found out I wasn't a buyer she kept trying to hurry me along when I wanted to browse around and reminisce.

It was kinda like the twilight zone to be walking around in a house I hadn't been in since 56 years ago. Subsequent owners had changed a few things (the cedar had been removed from the closet), but mostly it was the same. The one thing that really surprised me was how small my childhood bedroom was. My little kid self had seen it as a lot larger.

Dave on the porch of 26 Thomas Ave. 2011

In 1955 my parents sold the house because they wanted a big yard for us kids to play in and for my mom to garden. But, they couldn't find that house right away so for two years we moved one block to the west. If you cut through a couple of back yards (which we often did) it was literally a move of a few hundred yards. We rented the top floor of a huge house at 20 Ellicott Avenue, a wide street with many expansive and beautiful homes. So, new and smaller living quarters (I grudgingly had to share a bedroom with my brother ), but same neighborhood, same kids. One cool thing was we had a second-floor screened porch and I remember sitting out there watching tree limbs fall when the winds and rain from a hurricane moved through. We also had a bigger yard with an apple tree.

20 Ellicott Ave. 2021
 

The Neighborhood
Thomas-Ellicott was a good place for kids to grow up. Two blocks north was State Park (now Centennial Park) where we'd play and go sledding in the winter. A few blocks to the East was Austin Park which had a wading pool. On the corner of Thomas and Washington avenues was a vacant lot ( a house is there now)  where we'd frequently play, so the small yard didn't deter us kids too much.

If mom needed a quart of milk (in a glass bottle) or a pack of smokes ( Viceroy) Corrigan's grocery was around the corner on Main Street.  Mr. Corrigan's daughter was pretty good about letting a kid look through some comics if you didn't bother anyone. Since this was just post-World War II  and the Korean War my favorites were what we called “army comics” and I had quite a collection. Like a lot of other things I should have saved which became valuable, I wish I had kept them.

Next to Corrigan's was J. Frank Dicke's bike shop where my parents bought my first bike. My mom was a worrywart though and wouldn't let me get a two-wheeler until I was 10. So, until then I was reduced to tooling around on a big trike. My friends teased me that if I got a dog in a basket I'd look like Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard Of Oz.

Across from Austin Park was Washington Elementary School ( currently it's RRH Reed Eye Associates.) I attended Kindergarten there until I switched to St. Mary's for first grade when it opened. For some strange reason, I remember virtually nothing about that year. My mom kept a class photo and I don't recall the teacher or the kids.

Across Main Street was the Holland Land Office Museum where I spent a lot of time when I got a little older and my mom would trust me to cross the busy thoroughfare. One of my earlier stories was about how I tried to hoodwink the museum director into displaying a fake artifact I supposedly found ( I failed).  

Kitty-corner across the street was the residence of our family physician Doctor Biagio Mansueto. He made house calls so that was pretty convenient if you needed him or you could go right to his house like my mom did with me when I managed to get a dime stuck in my nose at church. 

Next to the Mansueto's lived an elderly woman named Gladys Foster. She had a bunch of red currant bushes behind her garage and I tormented her by constantly picking them. If I was more clever I could have used the excuse that I was just keeping up with currant affairs.

When we moved to Ellicott there was a widow downstairs named Midge who was raising a couple of kids (older than me) on her own. My mom, who easily made acquaintances with almost anyone, became fast friends with her. For some reason, I recall being downstairs with them when Elvis made his swivel-hipped appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1956. Midge wasn't too impressed.

Neighborhood Shenanigans
I have remarked before that it's odd that you often remember quirky things that took place rather than all the big occasions like Christmas, Halloween, etc.  I certainly have my warm memories of family times, but also some vague recollections of little weird or funny incidents that happened.

We had a bully in our area whose name I can't recall, but at Christmastime when I do my annual viewing of “A Christmas Story” on television the bully being described as having “yellow eyes” always makes me think of him. One time he caught me alone on Dellinger Avenue and believe it or not he tied me to a tree and left me there. Did the kid carry rope with him just in case he came across a victim?  More unbelievably though, that was the day I  had sneaked a paring knife out of my mom's kitchen drawer.  Why?  Little boys do stuff like that. So, I was able to cut myself free. But, I couldn't even tell my mom about it (it was embarrassing anyway) because I had to surreptitiously get the knife back without getting caught.

On Ellicott Avenue was the residence of a well-known Batavia photographer. He had a son my age and one day I went over there to play. For some reason, we were up in the attic and the kid locked me in there and went away. After I pounded on the door for a while his mom let me out. Are you seeing a pattern here?

But,  I wasn't always a wimp.  I've only been in two fights in my life, both when I was a kid. One day we were playing at a property on Thomas where there was a big iron fence (it's still there). A kid from Lincoln Avenue named Billy was picking on my little brother. Of course, I tormented Dan every single day. It's almost a requirement of big brotherhood. But I couldn't let someone else do it. So, I took the kid on. I think I won but had a couple of scrapes to show for it. And my brother owed me.

So if I wasn't a fighter was I a ladies' man? Near the corner of Washington Avenue and Dellinger lived a little girl named Nora Ann. We were friends and played together until inevitably the teasing began. “Dave's got a girlfriend!”  I would have been glad to hear someone say that in high school, but at age 7 or 8  it was the kiss of death. Luckily, we went to different schools so I could avoid her and the needling.

Little kids have vivid imaginations and my friends and I were no different. On Dellinger lived an elderly woman. Due to her wizened appearance, we conjured up in our feeble brains that she was a witch. One day  I got up the nerve to go into her enclosed porch, I think with the intent to peek in her window may be looking for a pointy hat or a bubbling cauldron. . My friend waited by the sidewalk.  Suddenly he yelled, “Dave, the old witch is coming down the street!” and took off like he was shot out of a gun. I froze and then spotted one of those cushioned porch swings. Quickly, I crawled underneath and waited, shaking and trembling. Hansel and Gretel's images involving me in an oven flashed through my head. I heard the porch door open and saw some black shoes and heard a key in the lock. The door closed behind her as the “witch” went inside. I scrambled out from my hiding spot and seemingly in seconds was halfway down the street and didn't stop running until I got home. The poor woman who had probably gone to Corrigan's to get a few groceries had no idea that any of this took place. Nonetheless, when we went trick or treating on Halloween we gave that house a wide berth.

One time when I was little,  our neighbor, Dr. Mansueto's son Freddy (who was older than me and went on to a lifetime career as an FBI agent), decided to take me along on an expedition to some wooded property his family owned out on Walnut Street. This wasn't good for a number of reasons: he didn't tell anyone where he was going, we had to cross Main Street and a bridge over the Tonawanda Creek and some railroad tracks and I was about 3 or 4  years old. A frantic search ensued and four parents were pretty upset until we arrived back home. I don't know what punishment Freddy might have received, but my mom wasn't going to let something like that happen again. She bought a harness that fits a child and tethered me to our backyard clothesline so I could no longer wander off. I suppose you could say mom was fit to be tied so she made sure I was too.

In the summer of 1957 when I was 10, my parents found their house with a big yard at 122 North Spruce Street and we moved to the east side of town. This resulted in a bunch of changes and  new opportunities for kid capers as I and my friends got older.

Paul Jerge was born blind, but that hasn’t altered his perspective. 

Although he is visually impaired, the 69-year-old enjoys spending time with family, rooting for the Buffalo Bills and checking out the latest news from his local paper. He just sees in a different way, he says. 

“I follow sports, but I like to read the actual articles, and watch games on TV. I consider it reading … I always say ‘watch’ because that’s what everyone else is doing,” Jerge said to The Batavian. “I’m listening to something all day.  I like to support it. The volunteers give of their time and I really appreciate that.”

In the last few months, Jerge, a 1972 graduate of the State School for the Blind in Batavia, has added the Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service to his repertoire as a way to enhance his pool of printed materials. He does everything on his smartphone, including connecting to the online reading service for some news, podcasts, magazine or book recitations.  

Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service has “given voice to the printed word” since 1987. The nonprofit supplies 100 volunteer readers — a number expected to keep growing — for several areas throughout Western New York. Staff is planning to expand into the Southern Tier and small cities including Batavia, Mark Robinson said. 

A former executive director for other agencies in the Buffalo area, Robinson wanted t to slow down a bit, he said. He discovered the radio reading organization two months ago. 

“I really wanted to be part of this; it really is amazing,” he said. “We’ll have boots on the ground in Genesee County very soon.”

There are 150,000 potential listeners that are not able to access the service in this area, he said. So far, the service has covered western regions, including Erie County. There are 500 receivers (provided free of charge) out in those communities for listeners, while the online listeners are a majority of the service’s consumer base, he said. There are apps for smartphones, an online website and access through other devices, including Amazon Echo and Google Home. 

People just like Paul Jerge can access a world of printed materials with just a click or a voice command on a smart device. Within a 24-hour daily schedule, volunteers read the news, perhaps something from the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, a best-selling book, the Buffalo Bills Digest and from several other sources. One the most popular readings isn’t an article at all, Robinson said. 

“They like the Sunday shopping ads,” he said. “They could be disabled veterans, were born blind, lost their sight due to disease or injury. Anybody can access it; as of two years ago, anyone in the world can. We’re working on expanding the service into Rochester and the Genesee Valley.”

Although anyone can access and listen, volunteers are still vital to the program, he said. They are needed to read the news that is local to the area in addition to those John Grisham novels and the like. 

Robert Sikorski, a Buffalo lawyer, founded the organization in March 1987. Thanks to a federal law on the books allowing printed materials to be read for the purpose of enriching the lives of the blind or sight-impaired without copyright infringements, the reading service just surpassed its 35 year anniversary. It now boasts having tallied more than 250,000 hours of reading.

Many volunteers read without leaving their homes, or it can be done at the service’s home base studio in Cheektowaga. All that’s required, Robinson said, is to read out loud and a desire to help. Reading usually takes a couple of hours per week. The service is funded by grants and donations, and listeners have often become strong financial supporters as well, he said.

Robinson is seeking people interested in forming a committee in Genesee County. For more information about that or obtaining a free reading radio, becoming a volunteer and/or donor, go to: www.nfradioreading.org or call (716) 821-5555.

This has been a great season for introductions – from Von Miller signing with the Bills to seeing over 650 students from our middle schools and high schools at the Tech Wars competition.

I can’t wait to see #40 on the field in Orchard Park. He’s a once-in-a-generation talent joining at just the right time.

But as I work with the growing companies across Genesee County, acquiring talent with a $120 million contract is not the model we follow. We don’t have to!

That’s because there are hundreds of STEM-focused students at our local schools graduating every year. At Tech Wars, they all showed their technical abilities, problem-solving skills, and excitement at taking on new challenges.

These students, and the younger kids that were at STEAM Jam that same day, need to know what opportunities are ahead of them.

In Genesee County, students have the option of great careers that come with a high quality of life and no college debt.

Multiple examples of those opportunities were mixed into the Tech Wars program and all the conversations around the halls.

Genesee Valley BOCES and the electro-mechanical trades program gave live demonstrations of their new mechatronics equipment. This is what our employers are using for re-training their teams, and that students are using to be ready for job shadows and internships the growing pre-apprenticeship program!

This simple activity created so much excitement. Younger students were amazed as graduating seniors showed off the mechatronics equipment, and the opportunity to take a cool hands-on tech learning opportunity.

These programs need repeated communication and momentum. Every year we’re excited to have a new class graduating, and a new group of students discovering what’s possible in the back half of their school years.

It was great to see Bill Hayes and Turnbull Heating & Air Conditioning at Tech Wars. Bill and his team are incredibly active in supporting workforce development. When students go through our technical training programs, there are so many skilled trades opportunities that open up. Having people like Bill ready to bring them on board is incredible.

There are also great construction and manufacturing career opportunities. La Fermière announced their project the day before Tech Wars, with plans to hire up to 135 workers in their first 5 years of operations. Many more workers will be involved in building their French yogurt manufacturing facility.

That long-term outlook is critical. At the GCEDC, we’re focused on continuing the momentum of aligning career paths from local companies to our students.

The partnership with our local companies’ workforce demands with custom programs has effectively bridged the gap between students’ career paths and developing skills employers need.

Closing out this school year, the custom programs are expanding.

Cornell in High School will start right after graduation. In less than a week, up to 40 students from Genesee County and surrounding communities will be trained by Cornell in the skills that will launch them into careers at companies like O-AT-KA Milk Products, Upstate Niagara, Yancey’s Fancy and HP Hood.

If students take advantage of this program, they’ll be well on their way to having the financial freedom to not only have a new #40 Miller jersey, but the new truck for the season-opening tailgate. I’ll see them there!

If that sounds good, I encourage students, parents, teachers and guidance counselors to contact me at csuozzi@gcedc.com and to get ready for success.

Chris Suozzi is the Vice President of Business and Workforce Development at the Genesee County Economic Development Center

Video previously by The Batavian, previously published

Just before 1 p.m., Town of Batavia Fire responded to 4018 South Main Street Road for a chimney fire.  

There was heavy smoke but no flames showing when firefighters arrived on scene. 

A chief on scene suspected creosote build-up as the cause of the fire.

All occupants were safely out of the structure.

The fire was contained to the chimney.

Photos by Philip Casper.

New York State’s high school drop-out rate has declined in recent years, to an all-time low of 5.6 percent, USAfacts.org says.

Still, nobody wants to see students drop out, even if it’s only one or two, as is the case at Oakfield-Alabama Central, Superintendent John Fisgus said during the district’s recent board meeting.

“We hate losing these kids at the last minute. They usually drop out by 17, as a junior, and they only have one year to go,” he said. “We want to see these kids leave with a high school diploma.”

He consulted with other school districts, including Batavia City Schools and Pembroke Central, about setting a legal drop-out requirement to age 17 for Oakfield-Alabama’s district, which has a legal age of 16 currently. The feedback from both schools led him to his proposal to the board: raise the legal drop-out age to 17.

“There were no negatives,” Fisgus said. “The board has the right to make it 17.”

A board member asked how many students this change would affect, and the answer was “maybe one or two.” But, according to the American Psychological Association, dropouts face “extremely bleak economic and social prospects” from not having a high school diploma. National statistics from 2012 showed more than 1 million high school students not graduating and earning that prized diploma. 

Those dropouts, compared to high school grads, are also less likely to find a job and earn a living wage, APA.org stated. 

“Poverty and dropouts are inextricably connected in the three primary settings affecting healthy child and adolescent development: families, schools and communities,” it stated.

Batavia City Schools not only has the higher age limit but also recently touted a 96 percent graduation rate and various educational and career-related activities being offered to upper-level high school students. Pembroke’s graduation rate is 92 percent, and both are higher than the state’s average of 86 percent. August 2021 data reported Oakfield-Alabama’s rate to be 86 percent. 

The remaining districts in Genesee County include Alexander Central, at 95 percent; Byron-Bergen at 98 percent; Elba at 80 percent; Le Roy at 90 percent; and Pavilion at 83 percent.

Lake Shore High School in Erie County made a move similar to Oakfield-Alabama in 2020, citing an 11 percent dropout rate. The school board adopted a new policy that would force students to remain in school until the end of the year in which they turn 17. The only exception is if they have a full-time job.

New York State law was revised in 2019 to extend the option, initially open to larger cities such as Buffalo and New York City, to rural and suburban districts. State law also exempts students who have full-time jobs.

Should Oakfield-Alabama’s board approve this policy change — something that “affects students and families to this extent” — families would be notified through ParentSquare, the district’s communication platform, Fisgus said. 

Board votes can take a while, however, since the group is entitled to up to three readings of a policy before taking a vote. This particular policy change has an expected timeline of approval in April, he said.

“We discussed it as an administrative team, and I am in full support of such a change moving forward,” he said.

Melvin A. Huntley is indicted on four counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, a Class D violent felony, two counts of rape in the first degree, a Class Class B violent felony, four counts of rape in the third degree, a Class E felony, one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, three counts of predatory sexual assault against a child,a Class A-II felony, four counts of course of sexual conduct against a child in the second degree, a Class D felony, three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, a Class D violent felony, a count of rape in the second degree, a Class E felony, and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, a Class D violent felony. Huntley is accused of sexual contact by force twice in the summer of 2015. He is accused of sexual contact with another person by force in the winter of 2016. He is accused of sexual contact with another person by force in the summer of 2017.  He is accused of sexual intercourse with another person by force in the summer of 2017.  He is accused of sexual intercourse with another person by force in the summer of 2016.  He is accused of sexual intercourse twice, while being 21 or older, with a person less than 17 years old in the winter of 2016.  He is accused of acting in a way injurious to a child in the winter of 2016. He is accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with another person less than 13 years old by force in or about the year 2001. He is accused of being 18 years or older and committing rape in the first degree by engaging in sexual intercourse with a person less than 13 years old in or about the year 2012 through 2021. He is accused of engaging in two or more acts of sexual conduct, including at least one act of sexual intercourse, oral sexual contact, or anal sexual conduct, with a child less than 13 years old in the summer of 2013 through July of 2021. He is accused of sexual contact with another person less than 11 years old in the summer of 2013 and in September 2015.  He is accused of engaging in sexual intercourse, being 18 years old or older, with a person less than 15 years old, in June 2021. He is accused of sexual intercourse, being 18 or older, with a person less than 17 years old in June 2021. He is accused of subjecting a person less than 11 years old to sexual contact in June 2019 and in the summer of 2019 and in December 2020. He is accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with a person incapable of consent in June 2021.

Brennan M. Dean is indicted on a count of assault in the second degree, a Class D violent felony. Dean is accused of assaulting a Genesee County Jail corrections officer, contrary to penal law while being convicted of a crime and being incarcerated at a correction facility. 

Arthur J. Brown is indicted on a count of grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony. Brown is accused of stealing a debit card on Aug. 11 in the Town of Le Roy.

Wade J. Murray is indicted on counts of unlawful imprisonment in the first degree, a Class E felony, strangulation in the second degree, a Class D violent felony, assault in the second degree, a Class D violent felony, and attempted assault in the second degree, a Class E felony.  Murray is accused of restraining a person in a manner that could cause serious injury on July 12 in the Town of Oakfield. He is accused of applying pressure to another person's neck with the intent to impede breathing or circulation of blood. He is accused of causing serious injury to another person with a dangerous instrument, a boot. He is accused of intending to cause serious physical injury to another person.

Carlos Diaz, 21, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and speeding.  Diaz was stopped at 2:10 a.m., March 25, on Route 33, Bergen by Sgt. Mathew Clor.  He was allegedly driving 101 mph in a 55 mph zone.  He was released on traffic tickets.

Arnold Keith Shaffer, 55, of Orange Grove Drive, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Shaffer is accused of stealing several items from Walmart at 4:36 p.m., March 23.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia), an Army veteran and member of the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, joined other members of the New York state Assembly yesterday for a ceremony held in the chamber to honor cadets from the United States Military Academy at West Point. An annual tradition within the state Assembly, this was the first West Point Day to take place in two years following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The cadets of West Point embody the bright future of our nation, and every year we’re able to hold this ceremony I’m honored to have the opportunity to commend them for their dedication to our country and wish them well as future leaders within our military, our government and our communities,” said Hawley. “I was very happy to see West Point Day return to the chamber this year, and hope it will take place without further interruption in the future.”

Submitted photo: Hawley shakes the hand of Col. Kwenton Kuhlman, Director of the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic at West Point on Mar. 24, 2022.

Press release:

Last December LeRoy Ambulance Service, Inc. kicked off a campaign to raise funds for the eventual purchase of a new ambulance.  Thus far we have received $12,640 in contributions.  Given that the price of a new ambulance is over $100,000, we have a way to go.  However, we always considered this to be a long-range project.  There are fundraising events in the planning stages that will certainly help our cause.  LAS, Inc. wishes to thank everyone who has made a contribution.  We will keep you posted on our progress on our Facebook Page, the LeRoy Pennysaver & Local News Outlets.  Again, thank you for your support!

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) is announcing that constituents will once again be able to schedule tours of the White House and the Capitol Building.

“For two years, the Capitol Building and the White House have been closed to the people, today I am happy to announce that these restrictions are being lifted, and constituents can once again schedule tours,” Jacobs said. “I urge any constituents who would like to schedule a tour for either the Capitol or the White House to reach out to my office and we would be happy to assist you in making those appointments!”

The Capitol will reopen for tours starting March 28th, 2022. Each week, Jacobs’ office is limited to one U.S. Capitol tour of up to fifteen people. This weekly tour will occur on a weekday between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Tours will likely be comprised of multiple groups to maximize the number of constituents who can receive a tour, so expect the day and time of tours to change from week to week. U.S. Capitol tours should be requested at least two weeks before your desired tour date.

Additionally, tours of the White House will resume on April 15, 2022. These tours are available on Fridays and Saturdays between 8:00 AM and 12:30 PM. White House tours must be requested at least 21 days prior to the requested tour date.

Any constituent seeking to schedule a tour should contact Jacobs’ Washington, D.C. office at https://jacobs.house.gov/services/tours-and-tickets

Update: March 26, 9 a.m. with comment from City Manager Rachel Tabelski:

Public safety takes center stage at Monday night’s City Council Conference Meeting with resolutions for an extension of the city’s School Resource Officer contract with the Batavia City School District and the creation of a temporary detective position on the agenda.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 o’clock at the City Hall Council Board Room.

City Manager Rachael Tabelski, in a memo dated March 18, is recommending that City Council continue the SRO program with the BCSD for two more years, through June 30, 2024. The current agreement is set to expire this June.

Per the memo:

• The city will provide a full-time Batavia Police Department officer to the school district, someone with “excellent communication skills, ability to relate to children and students, and planning skills.”

• The school district will reimburse the city for 100 percent of the officer’s salary and benefits, including overtime, for a work schedule that starts on the first day of the academic year through the final day of the academic year.

• The city will provide a vehicle, uniform, equipment and training for the SRO.

Officer Miah Stevens, a graduate of Pembroke High, Genesee Community College and Brockport State College, has served in that capacity since Feb. 2021.

As far as the detective post is concerned, Tabelski recommends creating the temporary job as part of the city’s succession planning, noting that a full-time detective is retiring soon.

“By promoting an existing City of Batavia police officer, we will ensure the new detective will have time to work alongside the other detective to learn the functions and responsibilities of the job and create a smooth transition,” she wrote.

Her memo indicates that the new position – tentatively to be hired after April 1 -- would add $15,000 to the police department’s expenditures budget and would be funded by the 2022-23 fiscal year operating budget.

"The detective position, if approved by City Council, would be filled through the Civil Service hiring process," Tabelski said.

In other developments, Council will be asked to approve:

• An agreement with the Genesee Country Farmers Market to operate on the former JC Penney parking lot off Bank Street on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from June 3 through Oct. 28;

• A request from the First Presbyterian Church of Batavia to conduct a Good Friday Blessing Service at noon on April 15 outside the City Centre on Main Street. Rev. Dr. Roula Alkhouri, pastor, stated that the prayer service will consist of a blessing for the community’s public servants and a blessing for Batavia and Genesee County

Press release:

More than ever, people struggling with substance use disorder need to know there are places they can go for immediate help – free of judgment and criminal implications. That’s why Genesee County’s Public Safety Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative locations are so important.

This month marks the second anniversary of the opening of the PAARI site at the City of Batavia Fire Department – a significant event as the department is the first from New York State to participate in PAARI and one of only a few fire companies in a network of more than 600 police and public safety agencies in 34 states.

“We wholeheartedly believe in the PAARI program,” said Fire Captain Greg Ireland (photo at right), “so much so that we’ve incorporated this program into the training and orientation of new firefighters coming out of the academy.”

Ireland said community members have come to the fire headquarters on Evans Street for support in recent months, just as others dealing with substance use disorder have reached out to the county’s other PAARI locations -- the Batavia City Police Department, Le Roy Police Department and Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

He also said firefighters regularly give out the business cards and postcards featuring the “help hotline” phone numbers when they go out on emergency medical service calls.

“It's just another level of involvement that we can try to reach out to the community and offer them the help they may need and the resources that they're out there,” he said.

Funded by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation, the City of Batavia Fire Department renovated its foyer area for the PAARI program and opened to the public in March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 shutdown, however, the grand opening event that was scheduled for that spring had to be postponed.

An official launch took place on July 13, 2021 with more than 50 people – including Allie Hunter, PAARI’s executive director – in attendance.

“This month, we are celebrating two years of the Batavia Fire Department as a PAARI partner and a great resource to those that may be in need of services in our community,” said Christen Ferraro, coordinator of the GOW Opioid Task Force. “Throughout the pandemic, all locations continued to be open and available for our residents.”

Other Genesee locations include the Genesee County Sheriff Office, City of Batavia Police Department and Village of Le Roy Police Department.

PAARI provides support and resources to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. Anyone in the community dealing with addiction issues can walk into these locations, any time of the day or night and receive help, without judgment.

Press release:

York State’s First County Forest has an Environmental Education Assistant Internship position open for May – August of 2022. The position is administered through the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and is located at Genesee County Park & Forest in East Bethany, NY. Applicants must be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma or GED and a US citizen.

Environmental Education Assistants develop, organize, plan and lead environmental education programs to audiences of all ages in a wide variety of settings under the guidance of park staff. Environmental Education Assistants also coordinate the efforts of park volunteers.

• Conducting programs for schools, summer rec groups, scouts and the general public
• Providing customer service to park visitors and program participants
• Planning volunteer and park events
• Writing articles for the parks seasonal newsletter
• Marketing of park events, programs and resources
• Scheduling and coordinating volunteers to assist with park events and projects
• Providing training and orientation to new park volunteers

SCA interns earn a stipend of $140/week while serving and are eligible for an education award of $1,678 that may be used for student loans, tuition, classes or future college costs.

This position requires 16 weeks of 40 hour/week of service from May until August of 2022.

Hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Flexibility is given in order to cover the prescheduled programs that are outside of the normal working hours within the 40-hour workweek.

Additional benefits:

• First Aid/AED/CPR training provided
• Experience and on-the-job training in Environmental Education and Volunteer Coordinating
• Deeper knowledge of natural history and ecology
• Job duties include volunteer outings (kayaking, hiking)
• Networking with professionals in Environmental Science and Education

The application deadline is April 12, 2022

To apply: Apply online at western-ny-regional-candidate-only/po-00732618. For additional information contact Shannon Lyaski, Conservation Education Program Coordinator at Shannon.Lyaski@co.genesee.ny.us. 

Press release:

The Jerome Foundation is sponsoring the William F. Brown Jr. Scholarship.  The award is given in memory of the late William F. Brown Jr., noted author, broadcaster, and journalist who contributed greatly to the quality of life in Genesee County through his writing, and as a member of numerous community and civic organizations. 

An annual $1000 scholarship for four years for a total of $4000 given to a deserving senior graduating from a Genesee County School whose intention is to pursue a career in the field of journalism, marketing, communication or public relations (in print, radio, television or digital media).

Applications for the scholarship have been sent to area High School Counselors or can be found at thejeromefoundation.org.  Applications are due May 9, 2022, and can be mailed to The Jerome Foundation, PO Box 249, Batavia, New York 14021.  If further information is needed, contact Chris Fix at thejeromefoundation@gmail.com.  

. 

Out of all the exciting upgrades and renovations happening at Oakfield-Alabama School District, it’s perhaps the middle-high school revamp that will be of most importance.

The Lewiston Road school hasn’t exactly stood out to folks up to now, Superintendent John Fisgus says.

“We really need a front entrance at the middle-high school. We're going to have a huge lighted sign out front that says Home of the Hornets, so it'll be branded, where you can't miss it. If you've never been to our campus, it's hard to find. So we wanted to really make it welcoming and obvious to people when they pull in here, where the front entrance of the Middle-High School is,” Fisgus said Thursday to The Batavian. “We’re excited about all this work —- Currently, right now they're in the process of demo’ing the front entrance to our Middle-High School. It is a mess, but it's progress.”

That “progress” is part of a $15.3 million capital project approved by district voters in 2020. After nailing down the blueprints, contractors and plan of action, the work has been evolving at both the elementary and middle-high schools, with a completion date of this August.

The district’s goals were to improve safety and security at the schools, meet building codes and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, complete mechanical and electrical infrastructure, and landscape upgrades. 

District officials presented the plan as a “tax neutral” project, due in large part to state aid, with remaining costs paid for with capital reserves money. All of the dirt, commotion and periodic disruption from equipment will be worth it in the end, Fisgus said. 

“We are redoing our Middle-High School main office, the guidance and mental health suites, we're redoing the front entrance here, to make it a more secure vestibule. All of the windows in the middle-high school building are being replaced with tinted windows and brand new frames and colors. So it's not the old green 1950s stuff.

“A majority of the work has been completed at the elementary school,” he said, including cafeteria, stage and kitchen redesign and reconstruction and a new main office area with a secure vestibule and entrance so that visitors will remain behind a locked door once buzzed into the building. 

“There are still some minor things that, whether we're waiting on warm temperatures to finish the front entrance, or that we redid the elementary cafeteria and some of the flooring needs to wait to be done over the summer because it's a major project,” he said.

Bleacher replacements, a gym divider and acoustic improvements in the gym and reconstructed toilets in the fifth-grade wing, a repositioned playground with newly graded mulch, borders and rubber mattings, a reconfigured front campus parking lot and a new student drop-off and bus loop will complete the elementary school’s phase one scope of work.

How about some brand new, resurfaced and repainted tennis courts? They're outback, with a new basketball court. An atrium wall of windows with skylights and district branding will complement a safer entranceway for the middle-high school as well. In addition to the new welcome sign will be labeled for other community sites, such as the entrance to the aquatics area. 

Much of the work wasn’t about want, but about need, Fisgus said.

“The big thing was to increase the security,” he said. “It's construction and there's a lot of vehicles here and a lot of supplies and materials, but, it's moving right along. And we're happy with the work being done. It's intrusive, but, you know, it'll be great once it's completed.”

Top photo:  Art Teacher Kim Leupold puts the finishing touches on a mural created by students at Oakfield-Alabama Central School on Lewiston Road (Route 63).  The mural is on a temporary wall in a hallway next to the new main office for the Middle-High school. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

District Superintendent John Fisgus holds renderings of exterior building designs.

Construction in progress for the Middle-High school’s new main office.

Newly resurfaced and painted tennis courts are part of O-A's capital project.

The remodeled elementary school cafeteria is ready for hungry youngsters.

Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School Principal Lynn Gehlert shows the new -- and more secure -- entryway for the elementary school.  

An expanded parking lot at the Middle-High School allows more room for visitors.

In addition to new stage lights in the auditorium, the rigging system has been upgraded.  Work will begin to replace the stage after the annual musical.

The new Nurse's Office in the elementary school

Acoustic tiles in the ceiling of the remodeled cafeteria in the elementary school will help dampen sound.

The new bus lot for pick-up and drop-off is exclusively for buses during those designated periods, and it also serves as an overflow lot for special events at the school when buses are not transporting students.

Press release:

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers will host the 100th “Great Batavia Train Show” on Sunday, April 3rd, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Richard C. Call Arena, Genesee Community College, 1 College Road, Batavia, NY 14020. Admission: $6 (Adults), $3 (under 18 yrs.), Free (under 13 yrs.)

The train show typically attracts 1,200 to 1,500 model railroad enthusiasts and railfans from across Western and Central NY, Northwestern Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. There are over 100 vendors occupying 250 tables offering merchandise ranging from antique railroad artifacts to the most modern digitally controlled model trains. This year the Club will also be hosting the “Batavia Railroad Prototype Modelers Meet” along with the train show.

“We had hoped to host this milestone event back in 2020 but it got side-tracked due to COVID”, said Mike Pyszczek, Train Show Chair, “It's great to get things back on track again.”

The GSME began hosting Train Shows in the early 70s at the Holland Land Office Museum. From those humble beginnings the “Great Batavia Train Show” has progressively moved from the HLOM to the Alexander Fire Hall, Holiday/Sheraton Inn, Batavia Downs, and to its present home at GCC. Each move has allowed the show to continually grow in both size and popularity making it one of the premier events of its kind in Western New York.

The train club hosts two shows each year, a spring show in April and a Fall show in October. A free Open House is held, typically, on the first Saturday of December at the Club’s facilities in Oakfield where club members maintain operating layouts in O Gauge (Lionel), HO & N scale.

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers is located at 50 Main Street (Rte. 63), Oakfield, N.Y. (above the M&T Bank) and is open Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Business meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month. Visit www.gsme.org. Like us on Facebook. Visitors welcomed. (Stair access only.)

The Batavian Video: From the 2019 train show.

Press release:

This Tuesday, March 29 is “National Vietnam War Veterans Day”, it recognizes veterans who served in the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War.

Botts-Fiorito Post #576, American Legion will again this year, be recognizing those who served by conducting a brief, but a meaningful ceremony at the Post, 53 West Main St. on Tuesday, March 29 at 5 p.m. sharp.

ALL are encouraged to attend and participate-acknowledging this significant event.

There will be refreshments served at the Post immediately following the ceremony.