A car vs. bicyclist accident with injuries is reported at 10273 Perry Road, Le Roy. Pavilion fire and Mercy medics are responding,

Photo, from left: Pat Stefani Iamon, Chris Stella, Dar Costa Hawkins and Bob Stefani stand in the piazza of Asiago, Italy. Photos provided by Pat Iamon.

By Pat Iamon

On the last day of a two-week trip to Italy a group of LeRoyans were able to visit their family’s homeland, Asiago, Veneto, Italy. The Go2Italy trip the group was part of was organized by Jim Frascati, owner of Capish! Pizza-ristorante on Main Street in Le Roy.

Frascati has been organizing trips to Italy for more than 20 years. He is an Italian American, a retired police officer from Rochester who came from Sicily as a teenager. Frascati speaks perfect Italian and escorts his trips with his partner, Frank Cordiddi, and their wives.

The trip began on Sep. 5^th on the doorstep of Capish! where the group of 46 boarded a bus to Toronto Pearson Airport. Their Alitalia flight dropped them off in Rome where they quickly boarded their connecting flight to Catania, Sicily. Once there, Go2Italy had a bus waiting with their personal driver of more than 10 years, Luigi.

A ferry, then "harrowing bus ride"

Over the two weeks the group toured Savoca, Mt. Etna, Taormina, Cefalu, and then left the island of Sicily in a ferry at Messina. The ferry took about 30 minutes to cross the couple mile Strait of Messina landing at Naples. The bus headed north along scenic highways up and around the mountains and through many tunnels.

The next few days the tour group took in Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, and the Isle of Capri which included a harrowing bus ride through narrow mountain roads. The next stop was Rome where the group toured the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Cathedral. The next day they took in most of the other tourist sites in Rome.

The last hotel stop on the tour was Venice where the group took a water taxi to walk to St. Mark’s Square.

Before the final day of the tour Frascati tried in vain to rent a car and drive the group up to Asiago. However, it was Sunday and all the car rental companies were closed and not answering their phone. Frascati then helped the group hire a car and driver to take them up into the mountains to Asiago.

Rising up very early on Sept. 17, the group left their Venice hotel and boarded their van at 5:45 a.m. for the 90-minute drive to Asiago. Pat (Stefani) Iamon, her brother, Bob Stefani, and Chris Stella, who are from Lime Rock, along with Dar (Costa) Hawkins and her husband Ron, of Le Roy, rode along the three-lane highway to the two-lane mountain road.

Foothills of the Alps

That mountain road had many switch backs. As their van approached the foothills of the Alps the group anxiously awaited the sign announcing the little town of Asiago. The Stefanis' grandmother, Catherine Stella, came from Asiago with her family as child, her 4-year-old brother got sick and died before reaching the United States; their great-grandfather Stefani came as a young man.

Stella, whose grandparents were from Asiago, and Dar (Costa) Hawkins' grandparents also originated from there. Asiago at 3284-foot elevation is framed by Northern Italy’s picturesque limestone mountains.

“It looks just like a little Alpine village,” Iamon said.

The population today is about 6,500. There is a beautiful church in the heart of the village.

“It is such a quaint and welcoming little place,” said Dar Hawkins. The group stopped first at the piazza (village square), which is surrounded by many little restaurants and shops and town buildings that at the early hour were all closed.  In the piazza there was a stage with a colorful banner that seemed to welcome the group. The words on the upper left side of the banner, when translated to English, say: “Asiago a jewel in the midst of green.”

The group posed for photos that were taken by their driver, Allesandro, and a polite young man that was sitting on a bench there.

Cheese, green meadows, and graves

Asiago is famous for their soft cheese; as was evident by signage along the way and the cows grazing on the beautiful green meadows.

“It is the green mountain grasses the cows feed on that make the milk that make such delicious cheese!” Bob Stefani said.

The group headed into the countryside for a five-minute drive to the town’s beautifully kept country cemetery to look for their family names. At first it seemed like the gates of the cemetery were closed, however, there was an open door to the left of the gate that led to the main part of the cemetery.

The group spread out searching for graves with their surnames. It did not take long before they were able to find not only the graves of their families, but also other familiar Le Roy surnames such as Regoni, Bennetti and Forte.

No one in the group was certain what lured their ancestors from Asiago to the little town of Le Roy; however, rumors were that the stone crusher on Circular Hill Road sent for them to work at crushing and loading the limestone. Many in the group had ancestors; grandfathers, fathers, or cousins that worked at that facility, some retired from stone crushing at the plant.

“None of our family members ever returned to the village of Asiago or to Italy for that matter, which seems very sad," Iamon said. "I wore a locket containing my dad’s ashes that my son made for me. So, in a way I brought him with me. On our way back to Venice, we all felt quite nostalgic seeing and walking the same land that our ancestors spoke about and called home.

"We were all very happy that we had made the trip. Our ancestors must have really missed this beautiful scenery and rolling hills in this lovely town. I would certainly like to visit here again!”

Local government agencies are enjoying an additional $4.84 million in new revenue derived from projects approved for assistance from the Genesee County Economic Development Center since 2006, according to a report by CEO Steve Hyde to the County Legislature yesterday.

A key tax abatement awarded to qualifying projects is Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT). While PILOTS afford companies some temporary tax relief on the increase in the assessed value of a property, the company is making PILOT payments and as the PILOT matures, new tax revenue is also generated.

Hyde said once all of the current PILOT projects on the books mature, additional tax revenue will surpass $7.5 million.

IN 2017, school districts in Genesee County received an additional $2.93 million in revenue from GCEDC projects, the county an additional $1.26 million, and local governments, $640,000.

"For every dollar, the county invests in economic development, we're seeing about $25 coming back in property taxes," Hyde said.

While GCEDC generates revenue for itself from fees charged to businesses that it assists, Hyde said it also relies on the financial support of the county, which has been reduced by 33 percent in recent years.

Meanwhile, GCEDC's workload has increased and the agency is actively marketing WNY STAMP in Alabama, which Hyde said continues to generate interest among site selectors, but for that $50 million project the IDA has only been able to budget $50,000 for marketing.

"That’s a bit of challenge right now but we work it and we’ll continue to work it," Hyde said.

GCEDC's support for business projects, Hyde said, have added 2.38 million square feet in new construction and another 1.28 million square feet in renovated space.

The number of PILOT projects in Genesee County in 2002 was 38. The peak was 2010 with 99. The number has fallen off steadily since then to 71 in 2017.

"Just because the number of our PILOTs are trailing off the past few years doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing," Hyde said. "It’s a good thing. It means we're graduating projects."

GCEDC is also working to help to finalize financing for the Ellicott Station project in Batavia. Hyde said it's the most complicated financing scheme he's worked on, and bringing state and federal requirements into line is a challenge. He's meeting today with the chief financial officer for Savarino Companies to work on some of those details. The IDA may need to adjust its initial PILOT plan for the project to help bring the pieces together.

The project has been delayed for months because of the difficulties faced by Savarino, the city and GCEDC in putting the financing package together.

Public Notice

Board of Fire Commissioners - East Pembroke Fire District: Resolution to Sell Equipment Subject to Permissive Referendum

Whereas, the Board of Fire Commissioners of the East Pembroke Fire District has determined that the 1991 Pierce Fire Truck is deemed surplus

Whereas, the vehicle is valued at $5,000; and

Now therefore be it resolved, the Board of Fire Commissioners has determined that the 1991 Pierce Fire Truck is deemed surplus and it shall be sold to the highest bidder.

This resolution is subject to permissive referendum of the qualified voters of the East Pembroke Fire District. The resolution shall take effect 30 days from the publication hereof unless a petition requiring a referendum is filed within said 30-day period, pursuant to section 6(g)(7) of the General Municipal Law.

William R. Joyce, Secretary

East Pembroke Fire District

Assemblyman Steve Hawley helps Bill Wakeman with his bag as he prepares to board the Trailways bus for Hawley's 11th Annual Patriot Trip to Washington, D.C.

The trip is a chance for veterans to visit war memorials in the nation's capitol. Each year, Hawley hosts two busloads of veterans on the trip.

In a statement issued after the departure, Hawley said: “Each of us owes our local veterans a tremendous debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifice to defend the values and freedoms we hold dear.

"I am so grateful to be able to share the unforgettable experience of visiting our nation’s capital with these brave men and women each year on our Patriot Trip, and look forward to continuing this tradition for many years to come.”

The players participating in the first season of youth flag football in Batavia got a special visit after their practice yesterday at Williams Park, Batavia, from Preston Teague, director of community relations for the Buffalo Bills.

Otis Thomas, one of the parents who organized the new league in Batavia, sponsored by the NFL, said Teague has been instrumental in promoting flag football youth leagues in Western New York, and has been helpful and supportive in getting the program in Batavia started. Teague said there are now 6,000 children participating in NFL-sponsored leagues in WNY.

Teague came with swag, handing out a few prizes to players who provided correct answers to trivia questions about the Bills, including a game football, an autographed hat, and an autographed cleat. All of the players also got other items including rubber footballs, yearbooks, towels, stickers and magnets.

Previously: Pair of football dads bring new NFL flag football league to Batavia

Carson Caton, 10, from Le Roy, won the game football, from the first game of the season, for knowing that Josh Allen is the highest drafted QB in Bills history.

A natural gas leak has been reported at Alpina Foods on Ag Park Drive, Batavia.

The building has been evacuated.

Town of Batavia fire dispatched.

National Fuel has been notified. No ETA.

A woman with a large bag has reportedly just left the Totem Pole on Ledge Road in Basom with a stash of stolen cigarettes.

The thief jumped into a maroon four-door sedan with a white male driver behind the wheel and headed east on Ledge Road.

Law enforcement is responding to the area to look for the vehicle.

UPDATE 8:43 p.m.: A BOLO (be on the lookout) for the vehicle has been issued to local law enforcement. It is a 2015 Nissan Sentra, color red.

Rep. Chris Collins announced on Twitter today that he will "actively" seek reelection to the NY-27 seat he's held through three terms despite being under federal indictment for alleged securities fraud, wire fraud and lying to the FBI.

Collins released his statement in a graphic. Below is the graphic:

Below is a response from Nate McMurray, who is challenging Collins in the November election:

Nate McMurray, the Democratic and Working Families Party Candidate for New York’s 27th Congressional District, reacted to today’s news that indicted member of Congress and master insider trader Chris Collins would suspend suspending his campaign.
 
“It looks like the criminal is returning to the scene of the crime – and I’m not just talking about insider trading, lying to the FBI and everything else he’s been accused of – I mean the derelict(ion) of duty he did by ignoring his constituents and their interests for every second of his elected life.

"I’m curious to know what Mr. Collins means by ‘actively campaign’ because he hasn’t talked to his constituents, hasn’t held town halls, and has been hiding in his penthouse since the FBI arrested him. Now he thinks that the voters of this district who are getting hurt by a trade war, are struggling to make ends meet, and know that Washington is more corrupt than ever, he thinks they’re going to trust him? Give me a break. He looks out for himself. And maybe his donors.

"Chris Collins has been charged with a crime. He can’t buy his way back into his job.

"Chris Collins thinks the rules don’t apply to him. They do.

"Chris Collins represents everything that’s wrong with Washington.

"Chris, if you’re listening from Manhattan, here are a few words you may remember, ‘lock him up’ ‘drain the swamp’. I hear your next court appearance is on October 11. I bet some folks from NY-27 may take a road trip.

"In the meantime, I welcome you on the campaign trail, sir. Bring it.”

A hazardous weather outlook was issued this afternoon by the National Weather Service office in Buffalo.

It is for portions of Western New York, including Genesee County, through Tuesday.

This afternoon and tonight the probability of widespread hazardous weather is low. Gusty southwest winds will develop Friday ahead of a strong cold front. Winds may gust to over 50 mph northeast of Lake Erie, including much of the Niagara Frontier to near Rochester.

Scattered thunderstorms will then develop from mid-afternoon through mid-evening Friday along and ahead of the advancing strong cold front. There is a slight risk that some of these storms may contain damaging winds.

Throughout the concert season at Batavia Downs, basketball players at Elba High School volunteered their time after the shows to help with clean up, gathering recyclable bottles and cans.

Ryan Tenney, owner of McNickel's Redemption, on Ellicott Street, Batavia, collected the bottles and cans for redemption.

Today, he handed a $1,700 check to the Elba Sports Boosters.

Heather Dillion, not pictured, organized the bottle and can drive.

Photo: First row: Ryan Tenney, left, Mike Nolan, COO for Western OTB, Bill White, CIaci Zambito, Elba basketball coach, Henry Wojtaszek, CEO of Western OTB, and Jackie Leach, CFO of Western OTB. The basketball team is (not in photo order): Jon Boyce, Evan Hare, Colton Dillon, Collin O'Halloran, Greyson Huntington, Holden Brinkman, Tyler Stevens, Caleb Scouten, Andrew Hare, Jake Long, Zack Marsceill, Cj Gottler, Zach Howard, Jayden Hughes, Drew Hare, Travis Kauffman, Kyle Norton, Caden Muehlig, Nate Esten, and Jaykob Belluscio.

A corn chopper is reportedly fully engulfed in flames in a farm field at Colby and Sumner roads, Darien.

Darien fire is dispatched.

UPDATE 2:03 p.m.: Fire is out.

UPDATE 2:35 p.m.: Darien fire is back in service.

There will be a Polka Mass and Dinner at Ascension Roman Catholic Parish, Batavia, on Saturday, Oct. 27. It is located at 19 Sumner St.

It is sponsored by Ascension Parish Altar and Rosary Society.

Polka Mass will be celebrated at 4 p.m. 

Golabki Dinner will be served beginning at 5 p.m. until sold out in Slomba Hall. Take outs available.

Cash bar for beer and wine only.

There will be 50/50 - Basket Raffle

Dancing 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. with music by New Direction Band.

Tickets are $15 per person or $25 per couple. (limited seating 300)

Phone is 343-1796.

During the Public Service Committee meeting Tuesday, Highway Superintendent Tim Hens updated members of the County Legislature on the work of his department.

On funding, the proposed county road budget for 2019 is $5,527,130. Asphalt prices have increased 20 percent in 2018. Salt prices are up 16 percent. Gas prices have gone from $2 a gallon to $2.35 and climbing, though prices should stabilize in 2019, Hens said. The department has 57 employees (54.25 full-time equivalents), working in administration, highway, parks, airport, fleet, and facility maintenance.     

Besides a share of the general fund, the department receives grants for projects. State aid in 2018 has been $1.6 million, plus $382,193 from the PAVE-NY fund, $240,498 for extreme weather recovery.

Federal aid, Hens said, is still limited.

The county, including applications from towns, has 31 applications made to BRIDGE-NY, with an announcement for funding expected in the fall. 

Hens anticipates needing $2,131,466 for roach machinery in 2019. The department is making lease payments on a dozer, loader, an excavator, and needs a wheel loader, pickup, 2.5-ton truck, and mid-sized track excavator.

The county is responsible for 260 miles of highway. There are 92 bridges longer than 20 feet and 278 bridges and culverts longer than five feet and less than 20 feet. 

"We need to replace two bridges a year to keep our heads above water and we have been doing one bridge a year based on available federal funding," Hens said. 

The rating for the Lyons Street Bridge has been reduced from eight tons to seven. Pratt Road Bridge has been reduced from 19 tons to seven and is scheduled for replacement next year.

Reconstruction of the Stroh Road Bridge is nearly complete and it should open Oct. 1, three weeks ahead of schedule. 

Four culverts in the county of less than 20-foot span were replaced this summer.

The county also completed paving or overlay projects on Indian Falls Road, North Lake Road, North Byron Road, Prole Road Extension, South Street in Pavilion, Colby Road, Hickox, Walker, and Gillate roads in Alexander. 

These projects often included shoulder widening to 30 feet.

The widening has gone over well with residents in those areas, Hens said, who now have more room for walking and biking.

Much of the material used for this work is recycled asphalt from the work at the County Airport to replace the runway and taxiways. This has produced more than 16,000 tons of asphalt for the county to process and reuse.

"It's cheap material," Hens said. "But it's not free. We still have to process it and handle it."

As for county parks, Hens praised the work of Shannon Lyaski, conservation education program coordinator, and Paul Osborn, parks director.

"We've seen year-over-year growth in the environmental programs," Hens said. "We've hit record numbers for revenue and people attending events at the County Park." 

He said Lyaski has done a good job with programming for events at the Interpretive Nature Center.

The revenue generated by these programs cover her salary, Hens said.

As for Osborn, Hens said he's a master at rounding up volunteer workers and scavenging for material for structures in the parks.

"He flips over rocks and pulls people out and he's got people down there cleaning, cutting and trimming," Hens said.

One of the annual programs at the County Park is Camp Hard Hat, which brings in high school students in to build a project under the supervision of a BOCES instructor.

This year, the crew built a footbridge using guardrails Osborn scavenged from the old Stroh Road Bridge.

Attendance has also been up at the DeWitt Recreation Area.

Hens said work on a bridge through the wetlands in the park for the Ellicott Trail should be completed by fall. The county is waiting on the Town of Batavia to finish its part of the trail and Hens is hopeful the trail will open next spring.

For facilities, significant projects in 2018 include a new jail elevator, a security system, new fire alarm for the County Courthouse, and completion of an energy performance contract. For 2019, the county is waiting on a grant for the stonework on the facade of the jail building and a grant is pending for energy upgrades at the Animal Shelter.

In the 20 years since Hens became highway superintendent, the County has invested $30 million in capital improvements, which includes new hangars, a new terminal, and a new runway and taxiways. The funds were all generated by grants or fees for use of the airport and fuel so there have been no direct costs to local taxpayers.

There are 21 jobs at the airport, including private employers, and generates $2.35 million in economic impact.

The airport has brought in more money than it cost in 16 of the past 17 years. Hens anticipates the airport will only break even in 2018 due to a prolonged winter and construction projects.

Pete Zeliff is building a new hangar for corporate jets, which should help generate more revenue for the county through additional fuel sales.

Hens has also been heavily involved in public water projects with several new projects starting this year and more planned for 2019.

PHOTO: Tim Hens in the foreground and Laura Wadhams, the county's new assistant engineer, who started her job a little over a week ago.

Press release:

The Jerome Foundation is seeking nominations for the 36th annual Health and Humanitarian Award of Genesee County.

The award recognizes outstanding men and women whose volunteer efforts have improved the physical, emotional or spiritual well-being of the greater Genesee County area.

“We are fortunate to have many caring and committed volunteers devoted to the sick or those in need, and helping build a stronger, healthier community for all of us,” said Justin Calarco-Smith, president of The Jerome Foundation.

Past recipients have included doctors, nurses, educators, clergy, and community volunteers.

Nomination forms are available by emailing Chris Fix at:   thejeromefoundation@gmail.com or calling 585-343-1398.

Organizations or individuals may nominate candidates. Consideration will be given to actual accomplishments achieved through volunteer service and subsequent improvements to quality of life.

Nominations should be submitted on or before Oct. 5.

The 2018 award winner will be honored at a luncheon on Friday, Nov. 30, at Terry Hills Restaurant.

The official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Revival Salon on Sunday afternoon.

Submitted photos and press release:

Nearly 100 people attended the Grand Opening of Revival Salon on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 16^th, located at 401 Ellicott St. in the City of Batavia.

The name Revival not only stands for refreshing one’s beauty, it also honors a very special lady and the goal to carry on her legacy. The great-grandmother of salon owner Jessica Levins was Viola Kulikowski, who owned and operated Viola’s Beauty Salon for nearly 70 years in the same space -- at the corner of Ellicott and Swan streets.

Levins remembers watching her great-grandmother at the salon and being infatuated with the idea of owning a business that was exciting and fun. Viola is not only with her great-granddaughter in spirit on this new venture, but within the business name. Viola’s nickname “Vi” is cleverly hidden inside the name Revival. Jessica’s mother came up with the name, while her dad designed the Revival logo.

Entrepreneurship is a family trait. The building at 401 Ellicott St. has been in the family since her great-great-grandfather owned a barbershop. In the mid-'90s her aunt, Pam Reed, owned and operated the “All Victorian” gift shop there. Her Uncle Mark Kulikowski, now owns the building and operated Southside Photography there most recently. Another Uncle Frank Kulikowski, owns and operates Frankly Design laser engraving just down the block.

Levins earned her cosmetologist’s license in 2014 and gained experience at a couple local hair salons. Her specialties are colors and updos. She has also worked for the past four years as a counseling aide in the Batavia City School District while earning her bachelor’s degree. As if starting a new business wasn’t enough, Levins is also continuing her graduate work at the University of Buffalo to earn her master’s degree and become a school counselor.  

Levins has three hair stations that she will be renting out to independent hair stylists. 

The Revival Salon is starting out by appointment only.

Before cutting the red ribbon on Sunday, Levins first and foremost thanked the key people involved with helping make her dream a reality: Small Business Development Center Advisor Sam Campanella; Batavia Development Corporation President Pier Cipollone; BDC Director Rachael Tabelski; BDC Board Member Chris Fix; Genesee County Chamber of Commerce President Tom Turnbull; Rick Hale of Genesee Plumbing; Brian Kemp of T-shirts Etc.; and Michelle Farina of Michelle’s Catering.

She also thanked City and County officials who attended -- District 7 Genesee County Legislator John Deleo; Sixth Ward Councilwoman Rosemary Christian; Fifth Ward Councilwoman Kathy Briggs.

Levins gave a special thank you to her parents Debbie Levins (John Deleo), Steve Levins, Stepdad Ed Popil, her sister Melissa Levins, grandparents, and all the family and friends who took the time to come and celebrate her Grand Opening. A well planned out celebration included plenty of food, games, prizes, T-shirts, hats, cups, and giveaways.

For more information or to book an appointment at the salon, call Jessica at (585) 402-9269.