Press release:

A water main break on Vine Street north of North Street may require water service to be interrupted in that general area. This work may cause temporary periods of low or no water pressure or possible discolored water in the immediate area. Every effort will be made to keep disruptions to a minimum. Crews are on site to begin repairs.

UPDATE: Repairs have been completed and there was no disruption to service, according to Matt Worth.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at Route 19 and Selden Road in Le Roy. Traffic is being shut down on Route 19 at Parmalee and Randall / North Street roads. Mercy Flight is not available, if it is deemed needed. Le Roy fire and ambulance are responding and an ambulance from Bergen is requested for mutual aid.

UPDATE 6:59 p.m.: Medics are told to proceed in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 7:03 p.m.: Bergen is told to go back in service.

UPDATE 7:22 p.m.: Shortly, northbound traffic will be allowed to proceed.

UPDATE 7:47 p.m.: One patient was taken by Le Roy to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE: Reader submitted photos:

Mike and Frank look for rusty gold every week, and Jeff Freeman always thought that looked like a fun way to make a living, so he thought he would give it a try.

Recently, he opened Freemans Gallery at 315 Ellicott St., Batavia, and filled the 4,000-square-foot space with an impressive variety of antiques and collectables.

"I always loved Pawn Stars and American Pickers, so I thought I’d try it out and here we are," Freeman said.

Freeman started picking and selling a year ago and even with the schooling Mike Wolfe provided on Pickers, the actual experience taught him a lot about what people want, what they'll buy and how to avoid getting stuck with seven fake Christmas trees and boxes of broken ornaments.

"We use the Internet quite a bit to find out how much things are valued at and we do a lot of online sales," Freeman said. "That’s how we learned what to pick and we learned what sells and what people are buying. We try to have a range of different stuff so there’s something for everybody."

Freeman's family owns a fabrication shop in Alden, and with times getting tighter, he started looking for an appropriate retail space for his store.

He liked Batavia because there was nothing else in the county that was quite what he had in mind for his store.

A lot of antique dealers make a mistake, he thinks, in pricing things for full retail, so his prices tend to be right for Batavia bargain hunters.

"If I buy something for $20 and it’s valued at $100, I’m not the kind of person who’s going to sit on it until I get $100," Freeman said. "I’ll take $40 and get my money and get out of it. I keep my prices low like that."

Freeman's sister helps with the store and they're both artists, so they've spent a lot of effort seeking out and buying paintings.

Some of his sister's work hangs on the walls along with other local artists. She's also painted some furniture to give old items an artistic flair, often suitable for a child's room.

Freeman said they will take local artists' work on consignment.

They also buy interesting items from people who come into the store or will take collectables on consignment.

The store is open seven days a week.

This is a whale sculpted by Freeman.

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Preservationists in Le Roy still think the former Wiss Hotel building can be saved from the old wrecking ball.

In interviews and conversations this week, Wiss backers said they still don't believe village trustees will want to spend six figures of taxpayer money, creating a vacant lot with an uncertain future and expense, when there is a willing and able buyer ready to step in and rehabilitate the structure.

They hope public pressure over the expenditure -- once the cost is known -- will build, and that more people will come forward both to endorse the Le Roy, NY, LLC, and to express their support for retaining some of the charm of the village.

In fact, according to Bob Fussell, more people may show up at tonight's village board meeting to let trustees know how important the issue is to them.

He said he's heard from at least two such people.

The trustees meet at 7 p.m., and since the Wiss isn't on the agenda, any remarks will come later in the meeting during the public comment time.

Meanwhile, the process of requesting bids from demolition companies was delayed a couple of weeks after village officials learned an asbestos survey was necessary before the village could publish an RFP.

Mayor Greg Rogers said the study was completed -- though he didn't immediately have available the results -- and the RFP has been publicized.

The RFP process will give trustees the truest picture yet of just how much it will cost taxpayers to demolish what is perhaps the oldest commercial building in Le Roy.

Informal estimates have ranged from $150,000 to $250,000.

The Le Roy LLC has offered $10,000 for the building and the promise to shore up the building immediately and raise $400,000 to finance restoration.It's unlikely, according to Fussell, that the building could be torn down any sooner than the LLC could shore it up and begin rehabilitation work, negating any concerns over the building's safety.

"My gut feeling is once the community understands the potential cost to demolish the Wiss, we might get a favorable vote at that point," Fussell said.

Rogers has consistently said he doesn't necessarily back the LLC's plans, but thinks their proposal makes the most business sense for the village.

When trustees see the actual price of demolition, it may persuade one or more of them to change their minds.

"I wouldn't say it's a dead deal," Rogers said.

Trustee Jennifer Keys said she's also optimistic that at least one other board member can be persuaded to support the sale of the Wiss to the LLC.

"I hold out hope that until the building is gone, somebody is going to come forward and say something that is going to resonate with other board members," Keys said.

Meanwhile, she said she feels in an odd position. A Democrat, Keys said she feels like she's to the right of some of her colleagues on the issue.

The three trustees advocating the expense of demolition are either Republicans or Conservatives.

"I'm kind of baffled," Keys said. "I must be missing something. I'm generally seen as the most liberal person on the board and I don't see why we would spend this money and not accept $10,000 for the building."

The trustees who so far been backing spending the money are Robert Taylor, Jim Bonacquisti and Mike Tucci.

We tried to reach each of the three men this week to ask a basic question: Why not give the LLC a chance to see what it can do? What's the harm in letting them try?

Taylor said his biggest concern is the people in the LLC. He doesn't think the building can be saved and the people willing to put their own money in the Wiss will lose their investment.

"It's not a question of giving them a chance," Taylor said. "My firm belief is the building is in a condemned condition and they're just pouring their money into a bottomless pit.

"I grew up in this town," Taylor added. "I've known Bob Fussell since he was 2 years old. I haven't seen the list of people in the LLC, but I've lived here for 70 years, so I assume I know them all. Like I said before, I don't want to see anybody pour money down an empty hole."

Taylor said he has fond memories of going to the Wiss as a boy with his parents.

"I remember it when it was in its quote unquote heyday," Taylor said, "and I know what it looks like now."

He said he has it on good authority that the third floor has been suffering from water damage for 30 years and that beams are soaked with water and won't hold a nail.

"I really believe the building is beyond repair," Taylor said.

He also said, "I don't really care what they build. That's not my concern. I don't want them to spend money needlessly."

Bonacquisti also believes getting the actual cost of demolition will help resolve the issue, but not necessarily in favor of the preservationists.

"Despite the folks coming forward now, I can list three times as many folks that agree with our decision," Bonacquisti said in an interview through Facebook messages.

His position hasn't changed, he said.

"I truly believe that corner is worth a lot more empty than having that old building there," Bonacquisti said. "The traffic flow at that four corners is very high and as I have stated in the past, that corner is screaming for some type of retail where we can generate property tax and add to the employment of folks in this area."

The Wiss with apartments on the second and third floor just isn't a good idea, Bonacquisti. There are already too many apartments in Le Roy, he said, plus he knows the building well (he and his wife once lived within 200 feet of the Wiss) and the odor from vehicles, the noise and high traffic volume makes it an unappealing place to live.

He regrets that the village didn't resolve the issue three years ago (which was before he was on the board).

"I also believe taking that building down can fix that corner once and for all," he said. "Have you ever been on Lake Street in the left-turn lane? Pull up to the stop line, only to have to throw the car in reverse as a truck or bus is coming from the east turning north?"

Tucci did not respond to The Batavian's request for an interview.

Keys said she is still confused by her colleagues' position and thinks the LLC proposal should appeal to conservative politicians.

"It's free enterprise," Keys said. "It's people in the community taking care of an issue. It's a group of people who believe in it so much that they've spent their own money to get this far. It just doesn't make sense economically to spend money unnecessarily, even it's as low as $148,000. We could spend that $148,000 on infrastructure."

History: The Wiss has stood in Le Roy for at least two centuries. The original structure was built by Richard Stoddard. Stoddard died in 1810, so the building had to have been erected prior to 1810, according to an article by Le Roy Historian Lynne Belluscio. The article appeared in the Oct. 3, 2005 edition of the Le Roy PennySaver. John Wiss purchased the building in 1869. The hotel was briefly known as the Michel House after George Michel of Wheatland purchased it in 1904. John Hepps purchased it in the 1920s and renamed it the Wiss Hotel, in honor of the previous owner. Don Pangrazio ran the establishment for 40 years before closing it down in 2005. The county acquired the property in 2010 in tax lien foreclosure and immediately deeded it to the village.

Bergen and Le Roy fire crews responded to a barn fire in Riga this morning. WHAM 13 reports 56 sheep died in the fire.

We didn't cover this initially because it is in Monroe County, but as it turns out, the location is actually in Bergen's fire district.

WHAM 13 had a crew on scene, so we would anticipate more coverage from the news station later today.

The sixth-grade students of Wolcott Street School in Le Roy will be performing "The Jungle Book" at 7:30 p.m., Thursday.

Unique to the Le Roy elementary school, the annual sixth-grade musical is an opportunity for its students to showcase their musical, acting and artistic talent.

This year, 63 students auditioned for various roles in the production, with opportunities made for all.

The stage will be colored by the various characters of the storyline, both human and animal alike.

In addition to acting, students are responsible for creating the set, props and costumes.

With only six weeks of rehearsals, “This is the shortest amount of time I have prepared a musical and the students are doing a fantastic job!” musical director Jessa Dechant said.

She is joined by Andrea Feola, who has been the assistant director for the fourth year in a row.

Several other teachers are also providing support to the production by filling in various roles such as lighting and sound.

The Le Roy PTSO and Le Roy Music Boosters will be doing the hair and makeup for the performance.

Also, several Le Roy JR/SR High School students are volunteering their time as backstage crew.

In addition to the 45 minute show, the school is hosting a food drive the night of the production to benefit local food pantries.

The food drive and the musical became a team two years ago when Disney’s "Cinderella KIDS" was on stage at the school. Its goal was to provide a way to give back to the community.

The idea stuck and has become a yearly tradition as a way to do something nice for those in need within Le Roy.

Donations of nonperishable food items can be brought Thursday evening and will be collected at the door.

This event is open to the community. No tickets are necessary.

An observant resident may have helped the Sheriff's Office yesterday nab a suspect in a series of burglaries in the county.

So far, Jeffery James Leaton, 22, of Caswell Road, Byron, has only been charged with an alleged burglary on Griswold Road, Le Roy.

According to Deputy Chief Jerome Brewster, Leaton was caught in the act at the Griswold Road home after a person reported suspicious activity at the residence.

Brewster said investigators are looking at Leaton as a possible suspect in other burglaries. There have been strings of burglaries reported since early January in Elba, Oakfield, Byron, Bergen and Stafford.

Leaton has been charged with one count of burglary, 2nd, and is accused of making forced entry into the Griswold Road residence. He was allegedly in the process of stealing jewelry.

Following arraignment in Town of Le Roy Court, he was jailed on $20,000 bail.

An era ends for the City of Batavia GOP as longtime chairman Joe Gerace resigns from the leadership position.

Gerace has led local Republicans for 15 years.

Gerace tells WBTA:

I have tried to the best of my ability to pull our party together and get our candidates elected, and truthfully, it has been stressful.

I believe I must think of my own health and my commitment to my supportive family.

The 76-year-old community activist has been honored as Italian of the Year by Batavia Downs (the first such award), been named Geneseean of the Year by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and has been a driving force behind Genesee Cancer Assistance since its inception.

Gerace submitted his letter of resignation last night, but plans to remain active in both the city and county GOP committees.

Councilman Jim Russell will serve as acting chairman until the party elects a new leader.

Nemo, the winter storm that passed through the area last Friday evening and early Saturday left a number of picturesque scenes in it's wake. Shortly after sunrise Sunday morning, with the thermometer reading 10 degrees, Claudia and I went off in search of snowscapes to share with Batavian readers.

This scene certainly has a wilderness look to it. It's actually found along Main Street, Oakfield, just across the road from Allie's Cones & Dogs. The stream is shallow and has sufficient current to prevent freezing despite the low temps.  

It was a different story on Oak Orchard Creek where the water runs deeper and the current much slower.

Starving for sunlight, the needles of a spindly spruce have been replaced by a coat of white.

In a distant hedgerow, snow and ice have combined to fashion what appears to be "reindeer figurines."

A drake mallard drifts past a trio of black ducks partially obscured by snow-covered branches.

Constant exposure to a west wind may be the reason for this tilted cedar.

Another photo of Oak Orchard Creek, this one farther upstream, somewhat congested by shoreline brush, but rather enchanting nonetheless.

Most viewed posts for January:

• Batavia PD nabs suspected thief during alleged burglary in progress on Washington Avenue
• Pedestrian struck by car at West Main and North Lyon, serious injuries, by Billie Owens
• Proposed budget means big changes in garbage pick-up, police department structure
• City video features Jason Molino demonstrating advantages of totes
• Car crashes into house on South Main Street in the city, driver flees, by Billie Owens
• Seven-year-old boy found wandering down Washington Avenue with no shoes or jacket, by Alecia Kaus
• City firefighters called to hose off 'a large amount of blood' on Lewis Place, by Billie Owens
• Cat on porch preventing homeowner from getting in the house, by Alecia Kaus
• Hawley: New gun law demonstrates Albany's dysfunction
• Lt. Jankowski says he couldn't have stepped down to sergeant, likely to retire

A thief struck in the area of Vallance Road and North Road in Le Roy overnight, according to reports on Sheriff's dispatch this morning.

Four locations on Vallance Road had items stolen and a computer was stolen from a location on North Road.

A vehicle was stolen from one residence on Vallance Road, but later located down the road.

A suspect footprint was found in the snow and a witness may have seen a suspect vehicle, described as tan in color with a partial plate of FLG.

UPDATE 8:06 a.m.: More information from Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster. It was a van that was stolen on Vallance Road and later abandoned down the road. There were a series of thefts from vehicles along North Road and Brewster said he believes the incidents are related. The thefts this morning are similar to two other vehicle thefts in the past several weeks that have been reported to the Sheriff's Office, Brewster said.

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New York Times: In an Age of Spending Cuts, Making the Case for Government

About a year ago, Selby Davis, a lifelong Le Roy resident, became aware of something -- one in four area school children were receiving free or reduced-priced lunches and breakfasts.

"I figured out there were a lot of hungry people who needed food," Davis said.

Davis sits on the board of the Le Roy Christian Community Project. LCCP runs a backpack program, which sends food home with needy children on Fridays to ensure they have something nutritious to eat over the weekend.

With seed money from The Backpack Club, Davis started Grace's Kitchen, a weekly dinner at the Le Roy United Methodist Church, 10 Trigon Park, Le Roy. The meal is from 5 to 7 p.m. and is free to anybody who walks through the door.

Donations are always welcome from anybody who can afford to make a cash contribution.

In the one year since the kitchen was opened, 4,832 people have been served meals. The largest turnouts have been 210 meals in a night.

Most of the people who show up are older residents.

People have told Davis that the weekly meal is something they look forward to not just because it's free, but it's a chance to socialize and share a community meal.

"I have one table of elderly women who come every week," Davis said. "They stay from 5-7. One of the women is 97. It’s such a Godsend."

There are children in the community who benefit from the charity, and some of them come in for meals but most of the children are served by volunteers who deliver the meals to their homes.

Davis said the volunteers have been key to the success of Grace's Kitchen. Her e-mail list of volunteers is too long to count, she said. On a typical night, eight or nine people show up to work in the dining room, five in the kitchen and a couple to handle deliveries.

"The volunteers have come out of the woodwork," Davis said. "They're devoted. They've been here. They're friendly."

For the volunteers, it's as much about being with friends as serving the community they said.

"It’s really become like a family here," Pavilion resident Debbie Lathan said. "We get to know all the people who come through and when they’re not here, we ask about them and we worry about them. It’s just like a great big family of people that come together every week."

David Mancuso, also of Pavilion, agreed.

"It’s just enjoyable each week," he said. "You kind of look forward to it. You have a lot of fun with the people here and each other, and you really feel like you’re doing something good."

Davis plans each meal and oversees the preparation. Volunteers describe her cooking as fabulous.

There's been tremendous support from the Le Roy community for the program, Davis said. Pastors from various churches stop in and lead prayers; Le Roy Rotary has made donations and Tops donates day-old bread each Tuesday.

There's always a need to feed the hungry of Le Roy, Davis said, and donations are always appreciated.

"I want to say thank you for the support of the community," Davis said. "I hope we're going in another year and in another 20 years."

The menu for each week's meal is posted on LCCP's Facebook page.

Nancy Baker, of Le Roy, mixes the salad.

Debbie Lathan, Dave Mancuso and Nancy Baker.

Two youths, a 16-year-old and a juvenile, are charged with petit larceny and unlawful possession of alcohol under age 21. The duo is accused of stealing merchandise from Walmart and being in possession of alcohol.

Shaqueita Irvin, 21, of Miller Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Irvin was arrested on a warrant out of Town of Batavia Court and released on her own recognizance. Irvin was also arraigned in Village of Corfu Court before Justice O'Connor on an alleged violation of probation charge. She posted bail of $150.

So far, only about 39 property owners within a proposed area for public water have contacted Town of Bethany officials to voice their opinion on the subject.

Carl Hyde, proponent of public water for that section of the Town of Bethany, said more people need to come forward if public water is to move forward.

Of the 225 property owners affected, 30 have said yes and nine no, but the sheer number of overall respondents is not enough for the project to proceed.

Hyde is asking that residents call 343-1399 and provide town officials with a yes or no opinion along with an address.

"The town board has done all they can to this point and so have I," Hyde said. "It's up to the people to voice an opinion."

Previously: Bethany residents facing big decision over public water

Melanie Taylor, #10 in the photo below, scored 30 points to lead Notre Dame over Lyndonville 80-32 on Monday.

Senior Riley Norton, below, was honored as part of Senior Recognition Night. Riley scored 20 points in the game.

Photos and info submitted by Pete Welker.

In other girls basketball news, Elba finished the season with another perfect 18-0 record, beating Kendall 74-16. Elba, reigning state champs, is riding a 43-game winning streak entering Class D1 sectional play, where the team will be the #1 seed.

Last night's turn out for a public hearing on trash collection was the largest attendance for a city council meeting in recent memory.

According to fire code, only 246 people are permitted into council chambers at any one time, and last night Fire Chief Jim Maxwell and a Batavia PD officer were monitoring the doorway to prevent more people from entering until some people left.

The city council heard a variety of opinions about a proposed change in the Batavia Municipal Code governing how trash is collected in the city.

In all, 28 people took to the podium to address the council, and most of the speakers supported Genesee ARC, the local agency that has provided garbage and recycling collection services to city residents for 28 years.

"If it ain't broke, why fix it?" was a common refrain.

There were also speakers who support the proposed change to the municipal code and a couple of speakers who neither supported the proposed change nor necessarily back Genesee ARC keeping the garbage collection contract. They favor the city getting out of garbage collection altogether and letting property owners pick their own haulers.

In the end, no vote was taken -- the council vote is scheduled for Feb. 25 -- but there was a proposal from Councilwoman Patti Pacino that city staff schedule an informational meeting before the vote where residents can get their questions answered.

City Manager Jason Molino said speakers during the evening made at least 25 statements that were factually incorrect or need clarification and that such an informational meeting might be a good idea.

Unlike a public hearing, city staff would be able to answer questions and clarify information for both the public and council members at such a meeting.

No date was set, or even a confirmation that such a meeting would take place.

The public hearing began with a warning from City Attorney George Van Nest that speakers could not -- under state law, he said -- lobby the council on behalf or against any company that bid on the trash contract.

Van Nest said from the time the bids were requested until the time the bid is awarded, if it is, is considered a "restricted period" and anything related to any bidders could not be discussed.

The sole topic of consideration before the council was the proposed change to the solid waste law and not which company might be awarded the bid if the law is changed.

"State finance law prohibits those comments," Van Nest said. "State procurement procedures require that we follow the law. Please don't comment or lobby on behalf of any particular vendor."

Many speakers strayed from a strict interpretation of Van Nest's instructions. A few were told by Van Nest to confine their comments to the proposed new law and refrain from mentioning a particular vendor.

Some speakers had fun with the restrictions, making statements like "the vendor we all know."

The majority of the 246 people in the room were Genesee ARC supporters. They carried signs that read "No Totes" and "Keep ARC" and early on loudly applauded speakers who opposed the tote system in any manner.

The applause brought repeated warnings from Council President Tim Buckley to keep the disruption to a minimum so the meeting could move along swiftly.

People only stopped clapping following speakers after Buckley stood up and threatened to have the room cleared if the applause persisted.

The first speaker, Blake Elliott, didn't get much applause. He was one of three speakers completely supportive of the proposed change in the law.

"I still believe one source is the best way to go," Elliott said. "I don't believe it should be part of the taxpayers' bill. We need a system that is fair, equitable, variable and includes positive things for recycling and doesn't require trash and recycling blowing down the street."

Maidul Kahn also spoke in favor of the new law. He even praised Molino.

"All we hear now is tax and spend, over and over, year after year, tax and spend, tax and spend, tax and spend," Kahn said. "Finally, I found somebody from the city, our city manager here, who has a proposal to cut taxes. It's unheard of, really. I really commend you Mr. Molino for coming up with this program. We pay enough taxes and we can use some tax relief."

Former Councilman Bill Cox also praised the anticipated tax savings and said the council was moving in the right direction to get trash collection off the tax rolls.

Cox said council members were elected to "do whatever is in your power to lower taxes."

Several speakers accused city management of really playing some sort of shell game with the suggestion that taxes will go down with the proposal.

Thomas Houseknecht, who owns commercial property in the city, said he will personally benefit from the proposed change. Still, he considers a user-fee to be a regressive tax -- costing poorer property owners more money and giving only rich property owners an actual tax break.

"If you vote in favor of this resolution and subsequently accept the bid from Allied Republic as the lowest bid, you are doing so at the expense of the most vulnerable part of our population, both ARC employees and taxpayers," Houseknecht said.

Jennifer Elmore said her home is assessed at $46,000. The new law would more than double what she pays for garbage collection now.

If the change in the local law fails, Molino has said property taxes could go up to more than $11 per thousand of assessed value.

Dave O'Geen said he calculated that the cost savings amounts to 11 cents a day and the cost savings isn't worth what would be lost.

"I would be ashamed to be part of a community that would even consider something like this," O'Geen said. "What are you going to tell your family, your children, your grandchildren, when they ask you if you voted to lay off a bunch of disabled individuals to save 11 cents a day?"

More than one speaker said they could afford the tax increase and would gladly pay it to protect Genesee ARC.

"I personally can afford another 11 cents a day and I really want to keep the people collecting my trash," Janet Saile said.

Charles Green, a 33-year resident of Batavia, questioned why a contract would be awarded to an out-of-town company that he doesn't believe the city knows enough about.

"I’ve seen a lot of changes in the city, but I got to tell you, in all honesty, the one thing I never thought that I would see was that I had to, mandated by law, buy a service from a company that I have no idea who they are," Green said. "I suspect most of the people behind me have never heard of them and quite frankly I’m not to sure the people in front of me have heard of them."

Speakers such as Dave Meyer, Jim Rosenbeck and John Roach questioned why the city is involved in trash collection at all, whether it's contracting with Genesee ARC or buying totes and requiring residents to get their garbage picked up by a single vendor.

Let residents hire their own contractors to pick up garbage, they suggested.

"There's an easy answer to all this," Meyer said. "The city gets out of the way and gets out of the trash business and lets homeowners make their own arrangements."

Meyer cited Saratoga Springs, a city of 27,000 people, as an example of a municipality that handles garbage collection that way. But after the meeting, Shawn McGoran, manager of municipal services for Allied Republic (the low bidder on the proposed trash contract) said in his experience, such an arrangement is highly unusual these days.

Ninety percent of all residents in WNY, he said, live an area with just one hauler, be it a contract provider or a city-operated service (such as Tonawanda).

"There's always issues and change is always an issue for folks, but we still believe we have something to offer the city," McGoran said, but was hesitant to comment further given state procurement rules.

"I think the proposal we submitted speaks for itself," McGoran said. "We're going to offer a great service as we do to 185,000 homes in Western New York, and we've been doing it for years."

After the public comments were closed, some council members made brief comments.

Rose Mary Christian wanted the world to know, regardless of what's been printed elsewhere, she has no prior business arrangement with Allied. Her current trash hauler for her business is Waste Management.

Councilman Pierluigi Cipollone took exception to the suggestion by a couple of speakers that the council was being led around by the nose by Molino. He said Molino is taking direction from the council and the proposal he brought forward was at the request of the council.

Cipollone also said he has personally checked the city's tax roles and confirmed a majority of residential property owners will save money under the proposed changes.

"It is true that more than 50 percent and close to 60 percent of the population will save money," Cipollone said. "We're not misleading anybody"

After the meeting, Molino was asked for examples of things people said that were either wrong or need clarification.

For one, Molino said, the idea that the city is going to take out a bond to borrow $500,000 is wrong. The city will borrow money, but it will be paid back before a bond is necessary, and the city will save money in the process.

"It's a temporary note to make an investment of $500,000 and the pay off is at a 2-1 ratio," Molino said. "You're saving more than $1 million."

He also said the city needs to get information out about what happens when carts are stolen or damaged. Clearly, he said, people don't understand the process. He said city staff will explain such things either at a future meeting or through other means once all the questions and issues have been gathered and reviewed.

A number of people wanted to know why there wasn't public discussion about changing how trash was collected prior to the request for bids going out.

Molino said public discussion just wasn't possible.

"Before, we were doing a lot of research and we were in discussions with the current vendor trying to make these changes," Molino said. "At that stage of the game, there really is not the ability to comment."

As for being the focal point of a lot of criticism Monday night, Molino said that's just part of the job.

"Council hired me to do a job and manage the city in the most efficient and effective means possible," Molino said. "They hired me to address controversial issues and not hide behind them. We are trying to address an issue. Is it going to create controversy? Sure. We’re trying to do what’s in the best interest of the community. That is my job. I understand that there is obviously two sides to every story. We dealt with this with the ambulance service. We dealt with this with dispatch, as well as with some financial problems. They’re very difficult issues to deal with. They’re emotional. This is an emotional issue. We understand that, but that doesn’t mean we don’t address it."

PHOTOS: Top, Steve Ognibene signs a petition during a rally in support of Genesee ARC prior to the council meeting; Carol Grasso speaks at the rally; Blake Elliott; Tim Buckley and Jim Russell; Maidul Kahn; people in the audience; Tom Houseknecht; Jim Rosenbeck; Jason Molino; George Van Nest; Kathy Briggs and Brooks Hawley.