In separate press releases today, the Environmental Protection Agency and federal lawmakers moved to assure the public that every possible safety measure is being taken to deal with a toxic plume in Le Roy.

The EPA announced that ongoing testing has confirmed earlier results about the concentration levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) in ground water and the location of the plume. 

Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Kathy Hochul hailed the EPA for agreeing to further testing to see if the plume has moved into Livingston County.

It was created in a 1970 train derailment and came to renewed public light this winter when environmentalists with renowned environmental litigator Erin Brockovich visited Le Roy in response to local health concerns.

While even members of Brockovich's team ruled out a connection with the TCE plume and an outbreak of movement disorders among a few students at Le Roy High School, it appeared that the EPA had made no real progress at the Superfund clean-up site.

Both press releases are available after the jump (click on the headline to read more):

From the EPA:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made available today the results of ground water sampling taken in December 2011 at the Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment Superfund site in Le Roy, New York. This sampling is part of an ongoing investigation of the nature and extent of the contamination from that site.

The results, currently available online, are consistent with previous results from quarterly sampling. These results continue to show that the heaviest contamination is in the western end of the plume area, the source area, with concentrations tailing off as the area moves to the east toward Spring Creek.

In previous work, the EPA installed granulated-activated carbon treatment systems on 35 private wells affected by the contamination. The EPA also sampled for contaminated vapors in nearby homes and installed vapor intrusion mitigation systems in eleven homes that needed them based on the testing. The mitigation systems have been effective in controlling the vapors.

This sampling data, along with previous data already publicly available, is being analyzed as part of an overall investigation that will allow the EPA to determine the extent and concentration of contamination and what actions may be needed to control or cleanup the contamination.

A report detailing all of the testing and summarizing all of the results is expected this summer. As part of the ongoing investigation, the EPA is working to develop plans to conduct further sampling to more specifically identify the eastern edge of the contamination to ensure that the contamination is not impacting areas east of Spring Creek.

“Protecting the health of people who live and work near the Lehigh Valley Superfund site is our highest priority,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA regional administrator. “We are working with local residents and business owners to ensure that the contamination is not entering their homes and businesses.

"The work at the Lehigh Valley site is being done under the Superfund law, which operates on the principle that polluters bear the full costs of hazardous waste cleanups, rather than passing the expenses to taxpayers."

Levels of trichloroethene (TCE) in the ground water range from 6,000 parts per billion in the immediate spill area on the western end of the plume to 14 parts per billion toward the eastern edge. The EPA continues its work to ensure that the vapors from this contamination are not seeping into homes or buildings, similar to the way that radon gas can, and causing vapors at unacceptable levels.

The Lehigh Valley Derailment Superfund site is the location of a Dec. 6, 1970 train derailment, where approximately one ton of cyanide crystals and approximately 30,000 to 35,000 gallons of TCE spilled on to the railroad right-of-way. The spilled TCE contaminated soil and the ground water beneath the site. The plume of contaminated ground water extends approximately four miles to the east and southeast of the site. Exposure to TCE can have serious health impacts, including liver damage and increased risk of cancer. The Lehigh Valley Railroad will pay the cost of the cleanup, not taxpayers.

For the ground water sampling results, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/lehighvalley/relateddocs.htm.

For more information about the site, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/lehighvalley/.

From the office of Kathy Hochul:

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congresswoman Kathy Hochul (NY-26) today announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will conduct further testing to confirm that the eastern boundary of an underground TCE contaminated plume, caused by a Lehigh Valley Train derailment in 1970, does not extend beyond Spring Creek near Caledonia-Mumford Central School, located only a quarter of a mile east of Spring Creek on North Street.

“This testing should bring relief to Western New York homeowners who worried for decades about what this derailment might mean for the health and safety of their families,” Schumer said. "We’re pleased that the EPA is stepping up to the plate to get some answers once and for all, and will continue to do everything we can to ensure that the areas impacted by the Lehigh Valley spill are safe and secure.”

“For over 40 years, the residents of Livingston, Monroe and Genesee counties have worried about the effects of the train derailment at the Lehigh Valley site,” Congresswoman Hochul saod. “Senator Schumer and I hope that today’s announcement by the EPA to continue testing will bring reassurance to these communities that everything is being done on the federal level to ensure that the health and safety of Western New Yorkers is our top priority.

"And the release of the December 2011 report today will hopefully provide residents with the answers they need to know that this area is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”

After hearing from local officials in the Town of Caledonia in Livingston County, Hochul and Schumer urged the EPA to conduct additional soil gas sampling in Caledonia, east of Spring Creek. The sampling will help the EPA determine if the plume is spreading eastward beyond Spring Creek toward the Caledonia-Mumford Central School by assessing whether there is evidence of TCE vapors in the subsurface area over the underground water table. If TCE vapor is detected, the sampling results will then help the EPA determine where to place permanent underground monitoring wells. The EPA expects to begin the soil gas sampling within the next few months, and may begin as soon as May.

The EPA also announced today that in response to a letter from Congresswoman Hochul, Senator Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand earlier this year, they will publicly release the results of ground water sampling taken last December at the Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment Superfund site in Le Roy, New York. A copy of the letter can be found here.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment federal Superfund site is the location of a train derailment in 1970 that spilled one ton of cyanide crystals and approximately 30,000 gallons of TCE along portions of Gulf Road, the former railroad bed, and the properties next to the railroad crossing in the Town of Le Roy. The TCE leached into the underground water table, creating an underground TCE contaminated plume that covers approximately 4.5 square miles. EPA ground water testing reveals the underground TCE plume extends approximately four miles to the east, toward the Town of Caledonia. The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1999.

By all accounts, when Don Sage climbed aboard an Alabama Fire Department engine a couple of weeks ago, he was all smiles, like a kid getting to blare the siren for the first time.

It had been several months since Sage -- a former chief and former fire district president with more than 50 years of fire service under his belt -- had been out on an emergency call.

Sage has been out on one other call since, but he says he'll go on more as he gets his health back.

"To me, being a volunteer fireman is a good way to serve your community and help your neighbor," Sage said. "That's what life is all about, isn't it?"

The 70-year-old Alabama resident was seriously injured July 7 in a head-on collision in East Pembroke. Sage suffered massive internal injuries and would eventually have a leg amputated.

When he arrived via Mercy Flight at Strong Memorial Hospital, doctors gave him only a 30-percent chance of surviving.

Sage has three children, including two sons who are also volunteers with the Alabama department.

Brian Sage said it's good to see his dad back out responding to calls.

"On that first call, he was barking orders, so I knew he was back," Brian said. "It was good to see him back."

In his 50 years, Sage said he's been there to help other people, "but I never needed help myself, and when I did, my brothers and sisters (in fire service) came through for me."

As I was getting ready leave, Don Sage pulled me aside and said, "I know you're going to do a little write-up. Be sure to mention that I'm here only by the grace of God. That's important to me."

Photo: Don Sage is back row, left. Next to him are, Bill Schutt, Tony Mudrzynski, Todd Thompson, Gloria Abrams, Ralph Bauer, Hank Mudrzynski, and front row, Brian Sage, Kasey Thompson and Kaitlyn Allen.

When there is an emergency call on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, the Alabama Volunteer Fire Department never shirks its duty -- the volunteers suit up, jump on their trucks and head out to whatever emergency is toned out.

Even though, for a number of years, there's been no money coming in to support the department from residents of the reservation.

For years, the department has lobbied the Bureau of Indian Affairs for some reimbursement of its expenses -- something not uncommon across the nation, and even in Western New York.

Today, Rep. Kathy Hochul announced that after some efforts on the part of her staff, the bureau has agreed to reimburse the department for its calls on the reservation up to $69,000 a year.

"There are a lot of people over there who need our services," said Past Chief Bill Schutt. "This was never about not providing those services, but getting funding for those services. They are part of our town and they're our neighbors. We've never considered not going there."

Hochul announced the agreement during a brief visit with the Alabama firefighters at their fire hall today.

The department has a budget of $180,000, mostly funded by a fire district tax levied against town landowners, but since the reservation is sovereign land, residents there don't pay the tax.

Schutt said exactly how the new pot of money will be allocated in the department hasn't been decided yet, but there's always equipment to replace or repair.

The department has about 50 volunteers, two of whom live on the reservation, according to Schutt.

This is the fifth story in a six-part series about the 2011 winners of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce awards.

As much as a good idea and toil played a role in growing Baskin Livestock from a company with four employees into one with 40, the word serendipity can't be left out of any story about Bill Baskin and Susan Blackburn.

The couple met because work brought them together.

The farm Baskin ran in Rhode Island forced him to find creative ways to feed his 700 head of cattle. The feed he used opened up a business opportunity in Western New York. The farm they bought in Batavia -- perfectly suited for their business, but not for dairy operations -- came available at the right time through a bank foreclosure. The location proved critically centered to a host of vendors and customers.

A combination of a business acumen and a bit of serendipity proved to be the right mix and today, Baskin Livestock is one of Genesee County's most successful ag businesses. It is, in fact, the Agriculture Business of the Year, according to the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

"It’s a great ag community with a lot of businesses that are more sophisticated and successful than we are," Baskin said. "I’m flattered to be considered in that group. It’s just, it’s humbling … just wow! It's a great feather in our cap."

Baskin grew up in Massachusetts with a father he describes as a "frustrated farmer." He ran a small farm and a owned a tire and fuel business. After college, Baskin moved to the Midwest where he worked as a hog buyer and later exported livestock.

When he returned to the East Coast, he took over 70 acres of rocky farmland -- pasture but no tillable soil to grow feed -- and ran 700 head of cattle.

"All you could see was rocks," Baskin said.

Blackburn was a Pennsylvania farm girl whose life goal was to be a veterinarian and work with cows and horses.

When she was offered a job in Rhode Island as the state vet, she took it.

"The problem was, I was working 110 hours a week and here was an opportunity for a state job that was 45 hours a week and a couple thousand dollars more in salary," Blackburn said.

Once in Pennsylvania, part of Blackburn's job was to travel to the state's farms and administer tuberculosis test on import/export cows.

The test requires injecting the cows on day one and checking the results on day three, and with as many cows as Baskin was bringing in and sending out, Blackburn was visiting the farm three and four days a week.

Working that close together gave them plenty of opportunity to get to know each other.

"We were friends way before we were married, and we stil are, that’s the amazing part," Blackburn said.

To feed his cattle, Blackburn contracted with a man who would drive a small truck to the McDonald's muffin and biscuit factory, collect all their day-olds and mistakes and deliver it to Baskin, who would convert it into feed.

"It was a hard job," Baskin said. "He had a small truck and he went in and loaded it all by hand. One day he got mad and he said, 'I only got one truck and it's hard work and blah, blah, blah. I'm going to quit.' I said, 'Well, Johnny, you might be wealthy enough and old enough to retire, but I'm not.' "

So Baskin got his own truck and driver and found a large bagel factory with waste to recycle into feed.

The manager of that factory was then moved to the company's West Seneca plant, which didn't have a good waste-recycling operation.

So he contacted Baskin, who arranged to start a business in Western New York that would be run by a friend's brother.

Once the contracts were signed and the equipment bought, the would-be employee backed out.

"I told her, somebody has got to go take care of this thing and one thing led to another," Baskin said.

Once the couple bought the farm on Creek Road in Batavia, they were able to build facilities that could accommodate recycling tons of bakery waste into feed, with 40 or 50 truck trips a day of waste coming in and feed going out.

Baskin Livestock collects waste from more than 40 bakeries and ships out to feed companies all within about a 400-mile radius of Batavia.

According to Baskin, the amount of feed the facility produces annually replaces the need for about 16,000 acres of corn.

The process involves taking waste bakery products -- it might be a poorly mixed batch, or returns, or just factory rejects (Lay's Potato Chips rejects any bag that is as much as one chip too heavy or one chip too light).

The waste is dumped into a giant warehouse -- twice the size of a football field -- with a floor 10-feet below ground level. The wet material (uncooked dough, typically) needs to be dried out. The product is then all mixed together, dried further, churned and chopped and then moved to the loading dock for shipment to feed mills, which sell it to farmers.

The timing of pick up and delivery is critical, Baskin said.

"You don't show up when you're supposed to show up and they get backed up, you could potentially shut down a plant with 300 or 400 employees," Baskin said.

To keep his trucks running, Baskin runs his own repair and machine shop, with workers doing basic maintenance on trucks and heavy repairs.

The farm -- originally 874 acres, now more than 1,700 -- also runs 995 head of cattle locally, plus as many as 5,000 more at other locations. The cattle are raised as replacement heifers or meat cattle available locally or for export to places such as Turkey, Russia and Mexico.

Blackburn thinks the business her husband has been able to build is pretty amazing.

Often, Blackburn said, when people find out she's a vet, the common response is, "I've always wanted to be a veterinarian.

"Well, how many times have you heard that," she added. "But I say to them, anybody who can read and has great retention and pays attention can be a veterinarian. But what my husband does, not very many people can do, because he has it all just come out of his head."

A lot of the credit, Baskin said, goes to his employees, who all know their jobs very well.

"The other thing I preach is that I can be here working with you 12, 15 hours a day, side by side, but in 15 years, we're not going to have any business," Baskin said. " I need to be out growing the business and I'm depending on you guys to do the work."

The feed mill is in operation non-stop from 9:30 Monday morning to 9:30 Friday night.

If a business isn't growing, Baskin said, it's shrinking. It's never staying the same, so he's always looking for new opportunities and ways to grow.

Three years ago, they added 20,000 square feet of office space and this summer, they'll add another 5,000 square feet.

Customer service is the name of the game, Baskin said. He lives by and teaches his employees, "The customer is always right."

He prides himself on fixing problems and being able to get along with people others might find difficult.

It's a trait, he said, he picked up while working for his father.

"I fixed all my father's problems," Baskin said. "My old man'd get in a business deal, somebody get pissed off at him. I’d go fix it. I’d go talk to them. I’d go smooth it over. I’d go talk them into ... whatever."

These days, Blackburn doesn't do much vet work -- some here and there -- she's busy helping Bill with his business. She said he's the big-picture guy and she handles a lot of the details.

"Being a veterinarian is a great job, but I like helping my husband out more than I like the ego gratification of going in and telling somebody about heartworm medicine," Blackburn said.

Bill and Susan have a 17-year-old daughter who may some day join the family business, but Bill wants her to experience a little more of life first -- go to college, work for somebody else, see the world from a different perspective.

"I told her, you’ve got to want it," Baskin said. "If you want it, fine, I’ll show you everything. I’m not going to force you to do this."

To be successful in farming, Baskin said, you've got to love it.

He recalled being there for a family gathering during his first marriage and going into the bathroom to wash up for dinner a minute after his brother-in-law had done the same.

"I'm in there and he comes flying in, 'my watch, my watch, my watch,' and I said, 'what's the big deal about your watch?'

"He was a computer engineer for Hewlett Packard, big money in those days. He said, 'In my office, I don't have a clock. If I don't have my watch, I don't know what time it is. If I've got to sit there a minute past four o'clock that just makes me bananas.' He says, 'At four o'clock, I'm going home.'

"So I told my wife at the time, I said, 'You know, you don't like my work. You don't like the smell, you don't like the dirt and you don't like the people and you don't like the cows, but if I had to have a job where I just prayed for four o'clock coming, regardless of what I'm getting paid, it ain't worth it in my opinion.'

"I like the people," Baskin concluded. "I like the dirt. I like the cow business."

Baskin loves it, but he also knows serendipity played a role in what he's achieved in business and at home.

"I was lucky to find her (Susan), lucky to find this place, lucky to find a few opportunities along the way," Baskin said.

"I have no regrets," he added. "I've made a lot of friends, had a lot of fun. If you do what you like and have good people around you, and you're able to go home to a couple of people who love you. Life is good."

Mary Lea Caprio holds up a "sweet" little baby outfit in the "Baby Boutique" at St. Joseph School (more pictures at the bottom).

Featuring clothes, toys and other babyware for newborns through 3-year-olds, the boutique is one of this year's added features for St. Joe's ginormous and burgeoning Super MAMMOTH Indoor Garage Sale.

Chairwoman Kathy Stefani and her committed crew of 127 volunteers have been working hard all year to prepare for the event, which takes place Saturday, April 14, at the 2 Summit St. school from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and has something to offer for just about everybody.

Items for sale will include your usual antiques, furniture, upholstery, jewelry, paintings, etc. But for those of you manly men out there who don't much care for that stuff, another of this year's "newbies" is a "Tool Town." This will be outside and will include hand tools, power tools and a gas grill.

There's plenty of cool stuff for kids as well, like these Buffalo Bills binoculars that volunteer Colton Bellimer held up for the camera.

According to Stefani, the volunteers have been taking tip-top care of every item.

"Everything sparkles, because it's all been washed," she said. "Our toys are complete -- no pieces are missing, and everything works."

In keeping with the MAMMOTH tradition, the prices are extremely affordable. From a $2 Rolex quartz to 25-cent cat food to a $10 microwave, the merchandise reflects the prices that Stefani and the other MAMMOTH workers have long been proud of.

All of the merchandise will be restocked at 12:30 p.m., so nobody has to worry about missing out on the good stuff by sleeping in.

Some of this year's other new features will include:

• Rib BBQ dinners from Clor's, in addition to their chicken BBQs
• A "Winter Room" with Christmas models and decorations
• Vintage quilts (including one from 1890, another from 1930)

The sale will be divided into two shifts -- one in the morning, the other in the afternoon. Each shift will have 23 cashiers ready to check customers out.

Baked goods and coffee will also be available inside, so bring your appetite!

Here are some more pics of available merchandise:

More pictures after the jump (click on the headline to see more):

...And I'll end where I started -- the Baby Boutique!

All proceeds benefit St. Joseph School. If you have any questions, call Stefani at 344-2701.

Please note that Stefani is looking for new storage space for next year's MAMMOTH merchandise. If anyone is willing to volunteer space, that would be appreciated.

In an effort to educate students and the community on recycling, conserving energy, and going “green” in general, the City of Batavia Youth Bureau is sponsoring its annual Earth Day event beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 21 at Austin Park.

Morning refreshments will be provided by Tim Horton's.

This year’s event will feature a short presentation on energy efficiency and how to reduce your "carbon footprint" to kick off the event.

The following agencies will set up booths and interactive displays for the participants to visit:

• GLOW Solid Waste
• Finger Lakes Energy Smarts Communities Program
• Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners Program
• Youth Bureau, City of Batavia
• Genesee ARC
• Pathstone Corporation
• Smoke Free NOW.

Students will also receive giveaways at some of the booths. After folks have visited all of the booths, school/student groups from John Kennedy, Robert Morris, Batavia Middle schools, Students United for Positive Action as well as others, will be sent out to clean a park or an area in the city.

Volunteers from Kiwanis Club will accompany several of the student groups. We will then meet back at Austin Park and will proceed to Centennial Park for a Tree Planting Ceremony, where the students in attendance will actually plant the tree.  Everyone will then be invited back to Austin Park for a pizza lunch. The event will conclude at approximately 12:30 p.m.

If you would like more information on Earth Day or would like to participate, call the Batavia Youth Bureau at 345-6420.

This is the fourth story in a series about the winners of the 2011 Genesee County Chamber of Commerce awards.

In the daunting world of delicate machinery, complicated tools and hulking robotic manufacturing systems, Adept Equipment Services provides peerless expertise for customers around the globe.

Both in house and on site, the company services, repairs, refurbishes and maintains specialized equipment used in automotive, medical, consumer electronics, machining and packaging industries, and more. It can also, of course, take care of run-of-the-mill gizmos.

Adept boasts the ability to create tooling, develop fixtures, design, fabricate, test and train to meet their clients' wide-ranging needs. It is located at 5130 E. Main St. Road, Suite 1, in the Town of Batavia.

The company has so impressed the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, it was selected as the 2011 Entrepreneurial Business of the Year.

Tom Steffenilla, Adept's president and CEO, is largely responsible for its success and has a long history working with machinery, beginning years ago in the military.

In 11th grade, he had enough credits to graduate from high school and he enlisted in the service. With some experience repairing electronics, he started his military career working with various equipment and machinery.

After three years in Germany, working with nuclear missiles during the Reagan and Gorbachev Era, he returned to the states. His knowledge of these intricate systems helped him build machines, kilns and other equipment, and he worked his way up the ladder.

When the company he worked for was bought by a competitor and being relocated to another state, he and other workers had to decide if they would follow.

Maintaining relationships with established customers was the deciding factor in Steffenilla's choice to stay put. Not wanting to strand these customers, “I asked my service team to take this risk with me to start out on our own,” he said.

So in 2009, Adept Equipment Services was established.

It's the only company of its kind in Genesee County and that made it a prime candidate for the entrepreneurial award.

“We can design, build and service it all,” he said.

Adept's focus on providing quality service and meeting customers' needs is the cornerstone of its operating philospohy. Everything revolves around that.

This commitment has prompted Adept to expand its borders and connect to consumers wherever they might be.

“Most of our customers are outside of Genesee County. We have people all over the world,” Steffenilla said. “We have been overseas, to Mexico, Canada, and are going to Brazil ... If someone needs something, we service them no matter the cost."

If a customer in the field has an immediate requirement, Adept's crew simply stops what's being done in the shop to make sure it gets handled.

Bottom line: The company’s strongest desire is customer satisfaction.

“Sometimes this gets lost with the bigger (competitors) -- They get arrogant,” Steffenilla said. “With us, we will come do the job and worry about the details later. Quality is ingrained in all of us. We keep everyone happy as best as we can."

That goes for employees, too. After all, part of success is having a contented work force.

Even though the staff is small, their collective savvy is great. With more than 50 years experience together, the handful of technicians and an administrative manager combine a kaleidoscope of abilities to earn customers' trust and deliver the best service in the industry.

Steffenilla grew up in Genesee County. He and his family reside in Stafford.

That may be the contributing factor for his passion to see this area succeed. He wants his company to be known for helping other businesses here to prosper and to use as many local vendors as possible.

“If they thrive, then I thrive,” he said.

Photo provided by Tom Steffenilla. (Typically, for the chamber awards, we take photos of each of the winners, trying to get at least one nice portrait shot and then presenting a print of that to the winner at the awards dinner. Unfortunately, a hard-disk failure wiped out the pictures we had taken of Tom before they were processed and Tom hasn't been available for a new picture. We thank Tom for the photo above and apologize for the lack of one of our own photos.)

Press release:

Approximately 700 National Grid customers in the Byron-Bergen area will experience a brief electrical service interruption on Saturday (April 14) morning to allow technicians to safely replace a vital transformer in a substation servicing that region.

Affected customers are receiving automated telephone calls from the company prior to the outage, which is scheduled from 4 to 6 a.m. on Saturday.  In addition, National Grid has notified local police and fire officials.

National Grid makes every effort to minimize both the number and length of planned service outages, and attempts to schedule events during times that will have the least impact on most customers.  Work in the Byron-Bergen station is part of the company’s commitment to provide safe and reliable service.

The brief interruption should have no lasting impact on service, but customers may wish to disconnect sensitive electronic equipment during the outage as a precaution.

The judicial process in the case of the People v. Jacquetta Simmons took another step forward today with Simmons appearing in Genesee County Court to answer to charges stemming from an alleged assault on Christmas Eve against a 70-year-old Walmart employee.

A grand jury indicted Simmons on two counts of assault in the second degree.

As is routine for a criminal defendant at this stage of the proceedings, Simmons entered a not guilty plea.

Earl Key, and his assistant Ann Nichols, the attorneys for Simmons, will now have 45 days to file motions.

Simmons is scheduled to reappear in court June 21 for a hearing on any motions filed on her behalf.

The 26-year-old Batavia woman is accused of hitting Grace Suozzi, who was working at Walmart on Christmas Eve, causing Suozzi to suffer facial fractures.

One of the assault charges is based on a fairly new statute that makes it a felony for a younger person to hit a person over 65 years old.

WHAM13: New Push for MMA in New York

A fully involved shed fire with exposure to a residence is reported at 245 Martin Road, near the intersection with Bloomingdale Road in Alabama. Alabama Fire Department is responding. Akron is responding because it had somebody already at the scene. Indian Falls is standing by in their hall. The shed is about 10 by 15 square feet.

UPDATE 7:42 a.m.: The fire has been knocked down. Firefighters are checking for any extensions.

A second man involved in a "particularly dangerous" type of methamphetamine production has entered a guilty plea in federal court.

Christopher L. Williams, 33, of 8 Erie St., Le Roy, faces up to a year in prison or a fine of $100,000 or both after his guilty plea to unlawful possession of methamphetamine.

His apparent partner, Nicholas P. Sadwick, 24, of Le Roy, entered a guilty plea on charges stemming from the same case last month.

Both men were arrested a year ago after a residence they were using was raided by members of the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force.

The manufacturing method used involved batteries -- a method unique among all of the other meth lab busts in 2010 -- which Deputy Chief Jerome Brewster described at the time as "particularly dangerous."

In a press release today, the U.S. Attorney's Office said investigators found a baggie and a Mason jar, both containing clear liquid that was found to contain methamphetamine.

Outside the residence, investigators found an Icy Hot pack that had been ripped open.

"These items are common materials used in the production and clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine," the release said.

Williams admitted to possessing methamphetamine for personal use.

Sentencing is set for 11 a.m., July 11, in federal court in Buffalo.

A one-vehicle rollover accident has been reported in the westbound lane of the Thruway near mile marker 398.2.

No word on injuries.

East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 10:03 p.m.: Two vehicle occupants are out of the car and walking, being evaluated for injuries.

With some stunning clouds in the sky late this afternoon, I couldn't resist going for a drive and gravitated, as I often do, toward Creek Road in the Town of Batavia.

When I stopped to take some pictures of cows on the property of Baskin Livestock (bottom photo), a car pulled alongside my spot on the shoulder of the road and the driver asked what I was doing. 

"I'm taking some pictures," I said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it's what I like to do."

She said, "I used to take pictures and I would develop the film myself."

As we talked, she told me she had some pictures of the Liberty National Bank in the city being demolished. I told her I would like to see them, so she said she would try to find them and invited me to her house.

And so I met Andrew and Antoinette Dempski, decades-long residents of Creek Road.

"I always had a good eye for photography," Antoinette told me, and the photos of her children when they were much younger were much better than typical family snapshots. She had a real artistic flare.

"My father carried a camera with him where ever he went," she said.

He was a Polish veteran of World War I who moved to Buffalo and went to work for the city's sanitation department. The lingering effect of mustard gas, she explained, would sometimes make him a little crazy.

Unfortunately, on the day her mother was buried, somebody broke into her Buffalo home and stole all of her father's photographs, including pictures of her growing up, such as graduation and First Communion photos.

Antoinette was born in Buffalo and her husband, Andrew, was born on Old Creek Road. 

Andrew drew my attention -- not that I could have missed it -- to a gorgeous portrait hanging on their living room wall of a young and fetching Antoinette drawn by an artist from Quebec.

As for Antoinette's pictures, they were taken with an Kodak camera and a professor at Genesee Community College let her use the darkroom there.

"Those kids had expensive cameras and I just had my box camera, but I had a better eye," she said.

And that's no doubt true.

Alas, and sadly, Antoinette would not let me take her picture, though I'm sure it would have been a lovely portrait.

And below, the results of my attempt to take a cow picture:

A two-car accident with two minor injuries is reported at 9367 Warsaw Road, just south of the Village of Le Roy and north of Perry Road. The accident is blocking and there was air-bag deployment. Le Roy Fire and Ambulance Service is responding along with Le Roy police. The mildly injured persons are refusing treatment.

UPDATE 7:43 p.m.: Le Roy firefighters are returning to service. Tow trucks are en route.

This Sunday, O'Lacy's Irish Pub celebrates 15 years in business.

The location of O'Lacy's on School Street was the Darien Knitting Mill Outlet and Nancy Bachulak and Kent Ewell originally planned to convert the space into an office building, but after a visit to Rhode Island on St. Patrick's Day in 1996, Bachulak and Ewell decided to raze the existing building and build an authentic Irish pub.

Ewell said he's proud of the fact that no public funds were used in the purchase or construction of the building.

Pub stands for public house, and like the pubs of Europe and the British Isles, O'Lacy's has become a popular downtown gathering place for people from all over Genesee County and beyond.

O'Lacy's has won awards for its Guinness pours and is famous for its Reuben sandwich and homemade potato chips and dip.

Ewell and Bachulak have also supported numerous local charitable causes and events over the past 15 years, including the Michael Napoleon Foundation, UMMC and the Crossroads House.

The celebration will take place throughout the day Sunday.

A Rochester man arrested in Greene County and accused of robbing a bank in Greenport may be linked to a bank robbery in Pavilion on Friday.

Deputy Chief Jerome Brewster said Sheriff's Office investigators are looking closely at Jonathan Mills, 24, of 115 Maryland St., Rochester, who has been charged in Greene County with robbery, 3rd, and grand larceny, 3rd, both Class D felonies.

"We believe this is the guy who robbed the Pavilion bank," Brewster said.

Investigators have some fingerprints they would like to match with prints taken by the Greene County Sheriff's Office. If there's a match, Brewster said the evidence will be presented to the District Attorney by Friday for possible arrest or indictment.

The suspect's appearance, M.O. and other physical evidence seem to match, Brewster said.

According to Brewster, Mills may have been involved with as many as four other people in a series of bank robberies around the state.

According to the Daily Mail in Greene County, Mills allegedly presented a bank teller with a note around 4 p.m. Monday. It read “I have a gun, give me all the money, no dye packs and you won’t get hurt.”

Patrols searched and canvassed the immediate area. Sheriff’s investigators conducted witness interviews while evidence technicians processed the crime scene.

“The investigators did a great job,” Capt. David Barlett of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said. “It was some good, old-fashioned police work.”

Pictured above is Tom Ronan, who has worked at Graham Corp. nearly five decades. This is the third story in a series about the 2011 honorees of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

The Graham Corp. is the only publicly traded company currently operating in Genesee County. What began as a small business in 1936 is now a global enterprise, with offices in Suzhou China, Michigan and Houston. The headquarters are still at 20 Florence Ave. in the City of Batavia.

This employer of about 350 people (around 285 locally) is a leading designer and builder of vacuum and heat transfer equipment for process industries. And it’s the Industry of the Year chosen by the chamber of commerce for 2011, Graham’s 75-year Jubilee.

One of the most remarkable things about Graham, in addition to its ability to expand internationally and grow its U.S. customer base, is its steadfast allegiance to Batavia and its employees.

President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Lines put it this way: “We think ‘This is where our founding was.’ We really enjoy the small community. We find the work force … is very committed, very loyal to the company and has just become a tremendous asset to us.

“And I can’t envision another location providing the wealth of strong employees that we’ve been able to pull from this community and I’m just very fortunate to have that as a benefit.”

There are quite a number of longtime employees at Graham, and Lines is one of them, joining the ranks in 1984.

The longest-serving employees presently are Tom Ronan and Roger Becker.

Tom’s been around for a whopping 48 years, thus has never drawn unemployment, and put his two kids through college with his steady paycheck. In addition to his inarguable work ethic, he’s known for being a bit of a jokester. He’s certainly straightforward.

Here’s a sampling from a recent Q & A:

So what’s kept you around here for 48 years? “It just went day by day and the years went by.”

What do you do now? “I do a multitude of things.”

How have you liked working here? “There’s been good days and there’ve been bad days. Hopefully there weren’t too many of the bad ones in a row.”

You used to work for Mr. (Duncan) Berkeley (the son of one of the co-founders who ran the company from 1968 to 1995). What did you do for him? “I did whatever he wanted me to – he was the boss.”

The former Marine and Vietnam vet expounded a little more when asked about the chamber award.

“It’s nice to see a company that I’ve spent my life with is appreciated by the community that they help support. Many times people thought we made crackers, you know.”

Actually, the equipment that Graham Corp. creates is used in the processing of everyday products used by people everywhere – from synthetic fibers and electric power, paper and steel, food and fertilizer, to pharmaceuticals, chemicals and petroleum-based goods.

During World War II, it supplied steam ejectors, surface condensers and heat exchangers for shipboard applications.

Harold M. Graham first incorporated the business as Graham Manufacturing Co. in 1936 and since 1942, the company has grown its clientele far and wide. In 1983, it became the Graham Corp. Today, about half of its sales are outside the United States.

It is overseen by a seven-member board of directors, which includes Jim Lines. The others are President and Chairman of the Board Jerald D. Bidlack, and James J. Barber, Ph.D., Helen H. Berkeley, Alan Fortier, James J. Malvaso and Gerard T. Mazurkiewicz.

Its stocks, with the ticker symbol GHM, are traded on the NYSE Amex and on Tuesday one common share was $20.64.

The ongoing success story is rooted, according to Lines, in management practices put in place long before he took the helm as CEO.

“There’s a fairness the management team and the leaders have to the employees and, in exchange, the employees have tremendous support for the management team, enabling us to do what the business needs to do.

“We look at it really as a mutual responsibility to grow our company, to serve our customers. … We want our employees to recognize us as a place to build a career, not just a business to come work at.”

In addition to Mr. Graham and Mr. Berkeley, he gives a lot of credit for building a remarkable company to Al Cadena, who ran the business from 1995 to 2004.

When asked if the rap against New York for having high taxes and too much regulation has been a hindrance for Graham, Lines said “We’re choosing to be in New York State and we’re choosing to be in Batavia.

“Is it easier in other locations? Perhaps. But I would place my money, and I do, behind the workers we have in this location. They outweigh the challenges that we face. … There’s no assurance that if we were to relocate somewhere else we would have the same strength and that strength is our people.”

Looking forward, part of Graham’s plan is to: expand sales to businesses in China; increase nuclear power operations; and to focus on opportunities with the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program.

But this week, right here in Batavia, the folks at Graham are delighted to be honored by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

“I think that’s tremendous,” Lines said, “that’s a great recognition of a wonderful company that really thrives globally. … it’s a recognition of 75 years of commitment to our customers, 75 years of commitment to our employees and then a recognition that we’re of good service to the community as well.

“We’re very proud to have our company acknowledged in this way.”

Carrile L. Mahon, 37, of Townline Road, Bergen, is charged with felony DWI, failure to keep right, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and refusal to take breath test. Mahon's vehicle reportedly left the roadway and went into a field on Route 98 in Elba at 9:48 p.m., Monday. The accident was investigated by Deputy James Diehl and Sgt. Greg Walker.

Kimberly E. Stack, 34, of 3 Morton Ave., Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Stack was stopped on Ellicott Street at 10:32 p.m., Monday, by Officer Chris Camp after police received a report of an erratic driver.