Interview with David Bellavia, Medal of Honor Recipient, and a one-time candidate for NY-27. We're going to talk about the NY-27 race and the situation with the novel coronavirus. We're scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
Press release:
The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Board of Directors voted to accept applications for two projects that will generate $9 million in capital investments.
Bright Oak Solar LLC is seeking incentives to construct a 4 megawatt community solar at a capital investment of $6 million project. The project would be located on Galloway Road in the Town of Batavia.
J & R Fancher Property Holdings LLC is investing $3 million to build a 32,254-square-foot, three-story facility to be constructed on two acres in the Buffalo East Technology Park* in the Town of Pembroke.
The project will add 17 market-rate, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments on the second and third floors, and an interior space comprised of four spaces for commercial tenants, as well as indoor parking and a fitness center.
“These projects continue the momentum in investments in residential housing and the renewable energy sectors,” said GCEDC Board Chair Paul Battaglia. “In just the first few months of 2020, we have projects that will create close to 100 new residential housing units and investments of approximately $28 million in renewable energy sector that will create 26 megawatts of solar energy.”
J & R Fancher Property Holdings LLC is requesting approximately $615,924 of property, sales and mortgage tax incentives. The project is estimated to produce $5.5 of economic impact for every $1 of proposed incentives.
Bright Oak Solar LLC is seeking approximately $978,656 in sales, mortgage and property tax exemptions.
The company will make PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) payments over the next 15 years, which are estimated to generate $122,610 in revenues to Genesee County and $257,845 in revenues to the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District. The total increase in PILOT payments and real property taxes for the project is estimated at $394,139 over 15 years.
Since both projects are seeking incentives over $100,000, public hearings will be conducted.
*Buffalo East Technology Park is located at the intersection of routes 5 and 77 and within a mile of Interstate 90 (Exit 48-A). Developed by the Genesee County Economic Development Center, the campus consists of 67 shovel-ready acres zoned for advanced manufacturing. It's home to artisan cheesemaker Yancey's Fancy, which constructed a 112,000-square-foot facility in 2014-2015, and is well suited for high-tech and green-tech projects, light manufacturing and distribution centers. -- Source: ZoomProspector.com
Press release:
Billions of dollars in potentially forgivable Payroll Protection Program (PPP) capital remains available to small businesses and nonprofits to help provide eight weeks of payroll and certain overhead to keep workers employed.
PPP, created out by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, is responsible for infusing billions of dollars of capital into small businesses nationwide and saving jobs.
More than 900K of those loans, worth $57,296,660,188, were issued by small lenders.
The average PPP loan size is currently $76,000, a $130,000 reduction from the round one size, showing the dollars are further assisting mom & pops. SBA forgives the portion of Paycheck Protection loan proceeds used to cover the first eight weeks of payroll costs, rent, utilities, and mortgage interest.
Loan payments may be deferred for one year, and is retroactive from Feb. 15, so employers can rehire their recently laid-off employees through June 30.
“The Paycheck Protection Program is working. Small businesses are keeping their employees on payroll and earning salary,” said SBA Atlantic Regional Administrator Steve Bulger, who oversees the federal agency’s operations in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“For this federal program to work for you and your employees, I encourage you to submit an application through a PPP-participating bank, credit union, CDFI or online lender.”
Approved Lenders can be found using the SBA Lender Locater at www.sba.gov/ppp.
“Upstate New York small businesses have a lifeline in the Paycheck Protection Program," added SBA Syracuse District Director Bernard J. Paprocki. "The funds loaned from your bank or lender will help pay your team’s salaries for eight weeks and keep your venture intact and well-positioned to not only survive but succeed."
The SBA Syracuse District Office serves 34 Upstate New York Counties from the Hudson Valley and Capital Region to the Mohawk Valley, North Country, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier.
Loan forgiveness is based on the borrower maintaining or quickly rehiring employees while maintaining salaries and hours. PPP loans have a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 1 percent.
A copy of the PPP borrower application form with all information the federal government requires a small business to provide can be found here.
Tribute to Batavia High School's 2020 baseball team by Nickie Fazio.
Photo by Frank Capuano.
Photo by Patricia Morgan.
Everyone has suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. While we are all having different experiences, most of us can empathize with the heartache of high school seniors as their final academic year is cut short.
No prom, no traditional graduation, no final chance to take that SAT one more time, no chance for that banner season (or not) during Spring sports — the list goes on.
Pembroke High School alumna, mom and community member Jessi Boardman found a way to shine a light on what has become a clouded senior year for the teens.
The inspiration was triggered by the announcement on May 1 that there would not be a return to school this year in New York State. Boardman set about appealing to local residents to determine if anyone in addition to herself was interested in an "Adopt-A-Senior" program.
The response was overwhelming.
A Facebook page was started to promote the program and within 24 hours all 79 graduating PHS seniors had been adopted!
Those who adopt a senior can shower the student with anything special that comes to mind — gifts, letters, social media posts, recognition — whatever inspires them. All in an effort to do something special for each and every senior.
“It’s been a very cool thing,” Boardman said, as she has watched the community come together to support the effort and give the seniors a “joyful distraction from the current situation.”
The camaraderie on the page is great and the kids “feel the community love, even as they suffer the loss of having been cheated out of the full experience of senior year.”
Boardman hopes that other local schools will jump on board and develop a similar program for their seniors. This is an opportunity to make it special for them.
As she said, “everyone has a connection with senior year being one of the best parts of their life. These kids are missing out …it resonates with all of us and gives us a way to express the great pride we have in our community. It’s been a very cool thing!”
(Photo courtesy of Tammy Richley.)
Click here to view our Mother's Day specials!
While Batavia Town Board members are thankful that municipal operations during the COVID-19 pandemic have continued with minimal disruption, they’re also hopeful that a plan to reopen the Town Hall on West Main Street Road comes to fruition in the days ahead.
The board, along with Town Engineer Steve Mountain, gathered via videoconference on Wednesday afternoon to tackle the issues surrounding how to move from “brick and mortar thinking” to a next generation virtual Town Hall or operations center, including the future of the space used for Town Court proceedings.
With construction design for a new Town Hall postponed indefinitely, Supervisor Greg Post posed the question, “How do we move forward from what has been a traditional (form of operating) to something closer to what we’re really doing now?”
Post mentioned the dire forecast contained in the latest coronavirus impact report from the New York State Association of Counties – possible losses of up to $9 million in both sales tax and state aid to Genesee County – as a reason for the Town to take steps to reduce overhead and to make sure that the pipeline for sustainable economic development does not become clogged.
Currently, the engineering, building and inspection departments have been able to maintain a high level of activity, he said, working remotely, using the telephone and utilizing the Town Hall only when necessary.
“They have said they can follow a schedule that will work for them that won’t require any additional footprint in the building,” Post said.
Other Town employees, however, most notably the clerk’s staff, regularly work at the Town Hall, which also serves the public in various capacities.
Council Member Chad Zambito suggested reconfiguring work spaces or cubicles for employees to use, potentially on a staggered system depending upon the day of the week.
Town Clerk Teressa Morasco said that could work “depending on how many are in here, but there needs to be more privacy if we get back to more people in the office.”
Council Member Patti Michalak wondered if the courtroom could be used for employee work space, prompting Post to mention the uncertainty surrounding the court system’s future.
“As it stands now, (the court) is inadequate and, obviously needs a several million-dollar makeover,” he said, adding that he doesn’t know if there will be one court or four regional courts in Genesee County.
Mountain recommended that each department head submit a restarting plan for the board to review, outlining ways to work remotely and specific needs related to using the Town Hall.
“It’s a reimagining of a new type of Town Hall,” he said, downplaying thoughts of expanding the building, which would have to be “much larger if we want to operate as we have in the past.”
Morasco said relief from social distancing mandates would determine when residents would be able to use the drive-thru window, while Council Member Sharon White noted that although the safety procedures have been working, “I would hate to see it continue forever as I miss the interaction with everybody.”
Post said he isn’t convinced that the virus won’t return, but he was able to find a silver lining as it relates to the construction of a new Town Hall.
“If this happens, and it is likely it will happen again, I guess the positive side is that it came before we spent $6 million on a facility and couldn’t use it.”
New Cases
Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans counties' online map of confirmed cases.
A female about 5 years old is reportedly walking alone down the roadway in the area of Watson and Thorpe streets on the Southside of the city. She appears to be "carrying a screwdriver in her mouth." City police are responding.
Submitted photo and press release:
The Genesee Country Farmer’s Market @ The Downtown Batavia Public Market opens for the season on Friday, June 5th, at the market's location on the corner of Bank Street and Alva Place in the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District.
Market hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, with the season running from Friday, June 5th, through Friday, Oct. 30th.
In light of the current COVID 19 concerns, the Market will implement enhanced public health guidelines to ensure the safety of Market customers and vendors. Social distancing is encouraged and the vendor stalls will be spaced accordingly. All customers and visitors of the market over the age of 2 years old must be wearing a mask to enter.
Vendors are excited about the upcoming market season with many of last year's vendors returning, along with some new additions. The market will once again participate in the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), DUFB (Double-Up Food Bucks), NYS FreshConnect, WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and Senior Farmer's Market Check programs.
The market is committed to its Mission of "providing a family-friendly environment where the residents of the Greater-Batavia area and Genesee County can shop for fresh, locally grown, produce and specialty artisanal items" -- and its Vision of "making the Genesee Country Farmers' Market @ The Downtown Batavia Public Market a WNY Destination."
Parties interested in joining the market to become a Seasonal Vendor or Day Vendor may contact Sharon Brent at (716) 560-0853 or by email at sharon_brent@hotmail.com, or Wendy Rath at (585) 944-5772or by email at wendyrath@yahoo.com.
Qualifying charities, service-groups, or 501c3 organizations that would like to participate in the market may obtain a FREE market stall by contacting the market at (585) 944-5772 or by email at wendyrath@yahoo.com.
A large grass fire is reported at 8289 Sackett Road in Bergen. It is about 30 from a structure a dispatcher called "a shop." The location is between North Lake and West Sweden roads. Bergen Fire Department is responding.
UPDATE 1:21 p.m.: Byron's brush truck is called to provide mutual aid. A couple of vehicles are now involved in the blaze.
Photos submitted by Michael Shortt.
Photo by Connie Barberio
Press release:
The New York State Police today (May 7) announced that the Trooper entrance exam that was scheduled to be held this October has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applications for the exam will be suspended until a new date is announced. Those who have already signed up will have their applications canceled and will be issued a refund. They will need to reapply once the exam is rescheduled.
The State Police appreciates all of those who have shown an interest in joining one of the most highly respected law enforcement agencies in the nation.
A new exam date will be announced when appropriate on our online newsroom, and at this website here.
Mary Sage, a longtime nurse at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia with two “retirement” dates on her resume, said she didn’t blink an eye when hospital officials summoned her back into duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They called me out of the blue. I didn’t expect it but I never hesitated. I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll come back; not a problem,’ ” Sage said today during a Zoom videoconference set up by the Rochester Regional Health public information department.
Sage has been assigned to the medical surgery floor, located on the second floor’s new wing, and is taking care of a variety of patients, including those infected with the coronavirus.
She said she is tapping into her vast experience and knowledge gained over 30 years in the profession to provide just what is needed during what she calls a “very frightening” time.
“I am a better nurse today and a better person today because I’m older (she’s 72) and as you age, you certainly get wiser,” Sage said. “I’ve had to take care of a sick husband, I’ve been a patient myself, and I do believe that makes me a better nurse …”
She said that she has dealt with all kinds of illness, but nothing like the coronavirus that has swept through the world.
“I had a patient last week who they all of a sudden put her on COVID restrictions. It’s very frightening for them. I didn’t hesitate. I garbed up and did what I do,” she said. “But I realized very quickly that the patients are very frightened because they don’t understand what’s happening. You have to go through a lot of explanation – there’s a lot of testing, a lot of this and a lot of that. We have to garb, they have to put the mask on – and it’s just very frightening. But I think with a lot of reassurance, they get through it.”
Sage, who has held several positions at UMMC including supervisory roles, said she recalled the time many years ago when an infection control specialist came to the hospital and taught the nursing staff about pandemics.
“We kind of laughed, but I’m not laughing today … this is the real deal. It’s scary for everybody,” she said, adding that the woman patient with the virus was retested and fortunately the results came back negative.
Since coming back for another stint at UMMC, Sage said that learning the computer has been a “big-time change but it has been fun.”
“I understand that we’re in the information age, however I am a bedside nurse,” she said proudly. “You come into this facility and I’m going to take care of you. So, for me, the computer is secondary but it’s still important. Nursing at the bedside and taking care of your every need is more important to me.”
Sage, who also has volunteered in the surgical waiting area at UMMC since 2011 – racking up 728 volunteer hours through 2019, said she is currently working on a per diem basis. She retired as a full-time nurse for the first time in 2010 and then again in 2016.
“I have been working a couple days since I came back trying to gear up – orientation, learning the computer, getting back in gear,” she said. “It just depends … if we have another surge in the fall, I may work sporadically through the summer and come back in the fall – and I’m perfectly willing to do that.”
Her willingness to jump back into the fray exemplifies the caring nature of nurses and casts a bright light on the profession, which is celebrating National Nurses Week through May 12th, which happens to be the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
“I remember that when I was very young, this was something I always wanted to do,” said Sage, who grew up in Wyoming County and now lives in Clarence. “Unfortunately, … my parents didn’t see education as very important in those days. But I was still determined. I worked for a year, I saved my money and came to Catherine McAuley School of Practical Nursing here in Batavia that was associated with St. Jerome Hospital. That’s where I got my initial training – in 1967.”
A graduate of Genesee Community College and Daemen College in Buffalo, Sage explained just how far nursing has progressed.
“We carried our meds on a little tray, we gave enemas and passed a few aspirin. The doctors did everything else. When the physicians came into the nurses’ station, you stood up and gave them your chair,” she said. “The information age has certainly enhanced nursing, but once you’re a bedside nurse, you’re always a bedside nurse."
Sage said as she matured she “changed her MO” as far as taking care of patients – shedding a task-oriented approach – and finding satisfaction in knowing she is helping another person.
“I probably would have come back here for nothing because I like doing what I’m doing,” she said. “… that’s what I love the most, that I can go into a patient’s room, I need some basic information and pick up right away. That’s what I care about the most.”
Her children have followed her into the medical field.
Daughter, Barbara, an Elba resident, is a registered nurse at UMMC in charge of the surgical associates’ office, and her son, Jeff, whose home in Akron is not far from his mom’s house, is an athletic trainer at Daemen College in Buffalo.
Asked if it was a good thing that her son is nearby, Sage said it usually is but not at the moment because of the social distancing mandates.
“I can’t see the grandkids right now, so on my way home I’m going to stop and do a dance outside their window,” she said, noting she also enjoys gardening. “You gotta keep moving.”
Photos at top: Mary Sage, taken while speaking via Zoom videoconferencing service earlier today with Stacey Pastuszynski of Rochester Regional Health public information office in background; Sage, second from left, on the UMMC medical surgical floor; Sage and her nursing colleagues.
Joshua Stanley Martaus, 36, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 7th degree. At 3:07 p.m. on May 5, a motor vehicle was stopped on Route 33 in the Town of Batavia following the alleged observation of a vehicle and traffic violation. The operator, Darlene Martaus, was driving while her privilege to do so is allegedly suspended in New York. Her passenger, Joshua Martaus, allegedly possessed crack cocaine at the time. Both were issued tickets to appear in Town of Batavia Court on June 8. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Deputy Andrew Mullen.
David E. Brege Jr., 33, of West Center Street, Medina, was arrested May 5 by the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force. He is charged with: unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation; and possession of a hypodermic instrument, a misdemeanor. His arrest followed a complaint investigated by the City of Batavia Police Department wherein he was allegedly found in possession of marijuana and hypodermic needles on West Main Street in Batavia. Brege was issued a computer-generated appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court at a later date. Additional charges are possible pending results from the Monroe County Crime Lab. In addition to city police, this investigation was assisted by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and the Genesee County District Attorney's Office.
Press release:
Purple Pony Therapeutic Horsemanship is holding a drive-thru parade event Saturday at its KD Ranch home in Le Roy to benefit Crossroads House.
Participants will get a gift bag as they enter the property and will stay in their vehicle as they drive thru and get to meet our COVID-19 masked therapy horses and handlers.
Riders, parents, volunteers and the public are invited.
At the end of the parade, each vehicle will drop off raffle tickets they have received and have a chance to donate to Crossroads House. This should be a very fun event.
What: Drive-thru parade meet the Purple Pony therapy horses and their handlers
Why: Benefit for Crossroads House
When: Saturday, May 9th from 10 a.m. to noon
Where: KD Ranch home of Purple Pony -- 8321 Lake Street Road, Le Roy
Press release:
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Congressman Antonio Delgado, and U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin announced Wednesday (May 6) new legislation, the Direct Support for Communities Act, which provides local governments with direct federal relief that can be used to pay for essential services and offset lost revenues and increased costs from the COVID-19 emergency.
This local assistance would complement critical relief that states also require in this crisis, which the representatives are simultaneously aggressively pursuing.
The representatives are concerned about the layoffs of public health care workers, firefighters, police, sanitation workers, teachers and other vital public servants in New York, and are fighting to ensure that all counties, cities, towns, and villages, regardless of size, have the financial resources necessary to continue to provide these necessary services and to avoid local tax and fee increases that will put more burden on already cash-strapped families and businesses in this crisis.
“Local governments are hamstrung trying to deal with lost revenue and mounting costs in the face of the pandemic,” Senator Schumer said. “Under our proposal, counties, cities, towns, and villages of all sizes could count on direct, guaranteed financial relief, instead of having to layoff vital workers, cut important services, or raise taxes and fees at absolutely the worst time.
"Local governments deserve nothing less than our strongest federal support, and I am doing everything I can to get significant and flexible federal aid to our states and local governments included in the next legislative package Congress considers.”
“Our local governments are facing unprecedented financial hardship, as the COVID-19 outbreak has caused costs to surge and revenue to dwindle," Senator Gillibrand said. "Direct federal relief for local governments is absolutely critical as they grapple with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This smart and necessary proposal will ensure local governments have the resources to pay our first responders, health care workers, teachers, and public servants, and can continue serving our communities without raising taxes or fees. I will do everything in my power to ensure that this proposal is included in the next economic relief package.”
“Upstate New York is facing an urgent, immediate funding crisis," Congressman Delgado said. "Our counties and municipalities are laying off employees and the lack of funding going directly into local communities is jeopardizing the livelihood of our first responders, our emergency medical services, cops, teachers and more.
"We need to provide local government with funding expediently and I am glad to introduce a bipartisan, bicameral solution. This is one of many steps that must be taken to support our rural communities and to make sure that they are able to receive the essential services needed for sustainability during this public health emergency.”
“Our local governments have been on the frontlines in the battle against coronavirus, and they will be critical in finishing the fight on the ground,” Congressman Zeldin said. “In light of historic, enhanced budgetary shortfalls caused by this ongoing outbreak, we must ensure our local governments have the direct funding they need to recover fiscally.
"This bipartisan proposal helps deliver vital funding to counties, towns, cities and villages of all sizes so that we can ensure our communities emerge on the other side of this outbreak stronger than ever.”
“On behalf of the local governments, we commend Senate Leader Charles Schumer for standing up for the New York State and local taxpayers in the face of great adversity," said New York State Association of Counties Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario. "Senator Schumer understands the severity of this public health crisis and the economic impact it is having on state and local government.
"County governments, as regional entities, are facing a potential loss of billions in revenue directly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales tax, tourism and hotel/motel occupancy tax, entertainment revenue from casinos, and numerous other local fees will all see dramatic decreases.
"Combined with looming state reimbursement cuts, local governments will be in dire straits and face an unprecedented fiscal storm, at the same time we are on the front lines battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Without critical federal assistance, the fiscal outlook for counties could become catastrophic. House Appropriations Chair Rep. Nita Lowey and the House Democrats will release their proposal to provide assistance to state, county and municipal governments.
"We also commend Senator Gillibrand, Rep. Antonio Delgado, and Rep. Lee Zeldin for introducing legislation providing direct aid to counties on the basis of population, with all counties receiving an award. This aid is necessary to establish a foundation for the reopening of our communities and county leaders are grateful for the historic leadership of the entire bipartisan NY Congressional Delegation speaking as one voice for the state of NY and all its local governments and we urge swift action by the Congress and the President.”
"The New York State Conference of Mayors thanks Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, Representative Delgado, and Representative Zeldin for their support of a direct funding stream to all local governments,” said Peter A. Baynes, executive director, New York State Conference of Mayors.
“The allocation mechanism they have proposed will ensure that no community is left behind. Whether big or small, urban or rural, New York's cities, villages, counties and towns have collectively lost billions of dollars in revenue solely as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their local economies cannot restart, much less return to their previous condition, unless the federal government provides the funding necessary to offset local revenue lost by no fault of municipal leaders."
Under the "Direct Support for Communities Act," the local relief fund would be split 50/50, half committed to cities, towns and villages, and half committed to counties:
Local governments would be able to use this federal relief to help address costs associated with lost revenues and response to the pandemic, in an effort to help avoid cuts to essential services and local tax and fee increases.
This proposed formula for local fiscal relief is intended to be incorporated into a larger legislative package that will also include significant fiscal relief for state, local, and tribal governments; retroactive availability to use the Coronavirus Relief Fund in the CARES Act for lost revenues; and other important matters.
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