Solar wafer manufacturer 1366 Technologies has decided to build it's first full-scale factory in a foreign country rather than in Genesee County.

The innovative Masschuchett's-based company made its decision based on delays and uncertainty around a loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy.  

"We have always wanted to have and intended to have factories around the world that were close to our distribution centers," said Laureen Sanderson, spokesperson for 1366. "We have decided to build the first one aboard. That doesn't mean the second can't be here in the U.S. and as those pieces come into place, the GCEDC will be the first call we make."

In a statement, GCEDC CEO Steve Hyde said that while this is disappointing news, it's important to note that 1366 had not yet received any taxpayer dollars for is proposed facility and that work continues to prepare the STAMP site for eventual tenants.

“We remain extremely excited and committed to STAMP because there is a long pipeline of leads and great interest in the site by various advanced manufacturing businesses," Hyde said.

While 1366 had raised nearly $100 million in private equity, and has continued to raise investment funds, Sanderson said, and had committed to the STAMP site, after the change of administrations in January 2017, the Department of Energy never released funds for a loan guarantee promised during the prior administration. The DOE's position was that 1366 had not met its obligation to select a site and raise $100 million equity.

Because of the rapidly changing business climate in solar power, 1366 then wanted to renegotiate the loan agreement but no agreement was reached.

In its own budget proposal, the DOE slashed $330 million funding for the program, called Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, even though it is supported GOP-controlled Senate in its budget.

Nobody at 1366, however, is blaming the DOE for the decision to locate its first factory overseas. The company is simply withdrawing its request for a loan guarantee, Sanderson said.

"As we evaluated the loan guarantee, the additional time and expense beyond what we have already invested, for the negotiation process without any indication of the outcome of the loan guarantee after the negotiations were completed made it difficult to move forward," Sanderson said.

The Trump administration said it was protecting U.S. manufacturing jobs in the solar industry when it announced last month a tariff on solar panels. That tariff, however, has little impact on 1366 since it doesn't make panels, just the wafers that go into panels, and its primary market for wafers is outside the United States. If anything, it could have faced retaliatory tariffs from China on any wafers it shipped to that country.

Sanderson said the company will not yet to disclose the location of its proposed first factory.

The company is eager to get its advanced and innovated solar wafer manufacturing process into full production. The solar energy market is moving fast and 1366 wants to participate in that growth.

"It was difficult to make this decision and put the U.S. factory on the back burner but we were eager to get into production," Sanderson said. "The wafer is now the focus of the industry. It is the one thing that hasn't yet had the cost stripped from it."

For more than four decades, solar wafers have been made by grinding and polishing silicon wafers. The proprietary 1366 process involves pouring molten silicon into glass-like sheets, which allows for thinner, more efficient solar wafers, that are less expensive to make and produce no significant waste.

The MIT-incubated company selected 1366 for its first factory, in part, because it could be powered by renewable energy, the power generated by Niagara Falls.

Sanderson said now that its wafer is in production, the 1366 wafer is being validated in the market.

"In customer trials, on actual production lines, we have seen fantastic results with an average of 20.3 percent efficiency on production lines," Sanderson said.

Throughout a conversation with The Batavian this afternoon, Sanderson said repeatedly that 1366 still intended to build a factory in the United States and when that day comes, GCEDC will receive the first call. She praised the efforts of the GCEDC staff as well as Empire State Development and said this decision was in no way a result of anything GCEDC or ESD failed to do.

"We tried everything we could," Sanderson said. "Everyone tried and did everything they could to make a U.S. factory a reality."

She added, "There’s no doubt in our mind that STAMP is a world-class site. The talent in the region is exceptional and we know that everyone is working really hard to ensure that vision is realized in the community."

The company would have employed 1,000 local workers at full production.

Hyde said commitment to STAMP locally and throughout the state is as strong as ever.

“We also have a number of partners in the public and private sector who I know remain committed to STAMP," Hyde said. "This collaboration is critically important in our efforts, especially as we combine the resources of our economic development partners to market the significant attributes of the Buffalo and Rochester metropolitan areas as one region.

“So, for the GCEDC it is business as usual in our ongoing efforts to get STAMP shovel ready and continuing to market the site to these businesses.”

Rep. Chris Collins issued a statement blaming 1366 for the deicsion without mentioning the DOE's attempt to defund the energy innovation program:

“While they would have been an economic asset to the community, one cannot help but wonder if 1366 Technologies was ever serious about opening a plant at the STAMP site in Alabama. Despite being approved over six and a half years ago and my office facilitating multiple contacts between 1366 and the Department of Energy, the company failed to complete the necessary requirements of their contract and has had to terminate its federal loan offer.

“Despite this result, I remain eager to work with state and local partners to assist in the success of the STAMP project. Genesee County remains an attractive place to locate a high-tech manufacturing business and I am confident the leadership in this community will make this project a success.”

After reading the statement from Collins, Sanderson had this to say: "It's important to understand we were very committed to New York. There was a lot of time and resources around making that U.S. factory a reality. We understand the impact this has on the community. That is not lost on us. That doesn't mean New York can't be a future location and it remains in our plans."

We have requests for comment out to the Department of Energy and Sen. Charles Schumer's office. We will update this story as appropriate.

Press release:

The City of Batavia has received notification from FEMA and the Insurance Services Office that it has met recertification requirements for its continued participation in the Community Rating System. The City will maintain its current Level 7 rating, according to Fire Chief and CRS Coordinator Stefano Napolitano.

This rating will enable those residents and business owners in the City's Special Flood Hazard Area to continue to receive 15-percent discounts on their flood insurance premiums, while those outside the SFHP will receive an additional 5-percent discount on top of already reduced rates.

In addition to the financial benefit, the CRS aids in improving community flood mitigation efforts. These include: better informed citizens; enhanced public safety, reducing potential damage to property and public infrastructure; avoidance of economic disruption; and protection of the environment.

Also, implementing some CRS activities such as floodplain management planning can assist a community in qualifying for certain Federal assistance programs.

This recertification maintains the ground work previously laid out by City management and continues to be an integral part of the City's comprehensive strategy to improve neighborhoods and the value of City properties.

Chief Napolitano acknowleged that there was a tremendous amount of work to recertify and maintain the Level 7 rating and wanted to acknowledge the efforts of all members of the CRS recertification team, which included himself along with: Fire Department Capt. Bob Fix; Floodplain Manager Ron Panek; Inspection Bureau Secretary Meg Chilano and Confidential Secretary Lisa Casey.

Napolitano also wanted to acknowledge Erin Pence from the GC Planning Department, who assisted with recertification process with mapping services.

Lastly, Napolitano points out that the annual CRS recertification process is ongoing and continual. Throughout the year, there will be activities which are vital to maintaining the City's current level, but also involves researching the readiness and ability to move beyon a Level 7.

This is what it looked like in Oakfield at about 1 a.m. The photo was submitted by Jackie Ferringer.

Email your storm photos to howard@thebatavian.com

A vehicle has reportedly hit a bridge abutment off the Thruway in the area of mile marker 390.

Unknown injuries.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

These are the closings and cancellations we've been notified about:

• All courts in Genesee County are closed today
• Batavia City Schools, including the Richmond Memorial Library
• Oakfield-Alabama Schools
• Genesee Community College
• Alexander Central School
• Byron-Bergen Central School (Tonight's musical is still scheduled)
• Elba Central School
• BOCES
• Le Roy Central School
• Notre Dame HS
• Pavilion Central School
• Pembroke Central School
• St. Joe's
• Bergen Town Clerk's office
• Bonarigo & McCutcheon Law Office
• UMMC's office of Pembroke Diagnostics
• These UMMC offices are delayed opening until 10 a.m.: Bergen Family Medicine; Le Roy Internal Medicine; Tountas Family Care, Le Roy
• Genesee Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (GCASA): Batavia location is OPEN but Albion location is closed today
• Classic Optical in Batavia City Centre

A single-vehicle accident is reported on Ellicott Street Road just south of Route 20 with three minor head injuries reported.

Pavilion Fire and Alexander's ambulance dispatched.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office has issued a travel advisory for Genesee County.

No unnecessary travel is advised.

High winds is causing low visibility.

The travel advisory was issued at 3:15 a.m.

Press release:

Join the Genesee County Master Gardeners this spring as we “Catch the Gardening Bug.”

We will be offering four gardening programs through the season with our first one from 6 to 8 p.m. on March 28. Master Gardener Brenda Fox will present “Companion Plants for Bearded Iris.” Bearded iris are some of the most beautiful flowers, yet are surprisingly easy to grow.

The first half of the program will focus on how best to grow iris, and will discuss when to plant or divide, soil preparation and sun requirements.  The second half will explore colorful combinations with shrubs and perennials. These will be illustrated with lavish photos showing both contrasting and complementary color schemes.

On April 5 join us for “Dahlias 101.” Dahlias come in a rainbow of colors, shapes and sizes and produce beautiful blooms up until frost. Get your dahlia questions answered as Master Gardener Brandie Waite discusses how to plant, grow and over winter the tubers. Once you start growing dahlias you won’t be able to stop! Registration required by March 29.

Permaculture is based on natural systems. On April 18 learn more about this topic at “Permaculture 2.0.” Building on last year’s program when participants learned about zones, sectors, guilds and edges as they apply to permaculture, Master Gardener Dan Esler will present on the considerations for successful guild design and a reasonable timeline when developing a permaculture site. Registration required by April 13.

Get tips from Master Gardeners for “Dividing Perennials,” on April 25. Three good reasons for dividing perennials are to control the size of the plants, to maintain plant health and to increase their number.

Since many perennials respond well to being divided in early spring, we’ll demonstrate the steps for dividing a variety of perennials.  Weather permitting we’ll use plants right out of the garden. Registration required by April 20.

All classes will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension at 420 E. Main St., Batavia. Cost is $10 per person, per class. Preregistration is required as class size is limited. Contact Brandie at 585-343-3040, ext. 101 or stop by our office to register.

Visit our website at: http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/events for more information.

Fire police from Pavilion fire have been requested to Route 19 and Route 63 to shut down northbound traffic due to weather conditions.

This is the fourth in a series of five stories about the honorees at this Saturday's annual Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony. The ceremony is being held at the Quality Inn & Suites in Batavia.

The Firing Pin in Bergen is a friendly place to visit. Owner Brandon Lewis is a big reason why. Open and gregarious, he's eager to help his customers and ensure when they come to use the range they do so safely and get the most enjoyment from it as possible.

The store is brightly lit, clean and well-stocked.  

It's no wonder, the Firing Pin was selected by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce as the Innovative Enterprise of the Year.

Lewis, the owner, said he was humbled to receive the award.

“When you go into business, you never know what’s going to happen,” Lewis said. “To be recognized for the work you do is the icing on the cake. It can’t get better than that.”

Lewis started planning to open The Firing Pin in 2011. He wanted to offer a facility with a full range of products and services, that was not a typical gun shop. He felt it was something the community needed, and the public responded well to the business.

“We cater to those who are afraid of guns, and those who use guns,” Lewis said. “We cater to every skill level. We’re a destination for anyone who is looking to be better.”

The facility, located at 8240 Buffalo Road, was built in 2013 and opened in 2014.

Lewis went to Alexander High School when he thought of the idea of running his own place. The idea took time to develop, so he went to St. John Fisher College.

He took a job at Gander Mountain, and decided he wanted to open a place that gave more training, the right training, and safe training.

Lewis is an eagle scout, a certified NRA pistol and rifle instructor, a certified GLOCK Armorer and a black belt in Taekwondo.  

“Everywhere down south there are gun shops and ranges,” Lewis said. “It is popular down south and it’s something I felt we needed.”

The Firing Pin is open seven days a week, Monday from noon until 8:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 8:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. They offer group rates, memberships and firearm rentals, in addition to one-on-one training with NRA certified instructors.

More information and pricing can be found here.

Guy Clark Jr., pride was apparent in his smile today as he spoke about his business, Cedar Street Sales & Rentals, celebrating its 25 anniversary.

Getting to this milestone was a lot of hard work, he said.

"It's still long hours and taking the time taking care of customers," Clark said. "I think it's all about relationships and not being afraid to try new things and being innovative."

Clark was a heavy truck mechanic when he decided to open an underfunded tool and rental business in Le Roy. Then one day Harvey Cummings of Cummings and Baker in Batavia suggested he sell his business and partner with Cummings and Baker to open a rental shop in Batavia. Cummings and Baker had an empty building on Cedar Street that would be suitable to the new enterprise and Ricky Palermo came on as a business partner as well.

In Le Roy, Clark wanted a tool shop. He didn't plan on getting into a rental business but found people wanted to rent things, so that's what he did. Part of the motivation for opening in Batavia was that the owner of the rental shop that was in town the owner was older and ready to retire, Clark said, so that seemed like an opportunity.

The first employee didn't draw a paycheck. That was Clark's mother, who wouldn't think of it. After his father retired, he worked at the shop for 10 years before he passed away. Now the business is all Clark's and he works with his two sons (his daughter has also worked at the business in the past).

Working with his family is just a lot of fun he said.

"The whole family has worked here at some point," Clark said. "It is just plain fun and we get along so great. We all do the same thing every day. Whoever's available, you wait on someone or take care of them or do what you need to do. There are no real roles per se. You just show up and do what you got to."

There was no real plan to bring his sons Adam and Connor into the business. It just happened.

"About the time Adam got out of college the wife of one of our longtime employees pass away and he abruptly retired," Clark said. "Adam was just graduating and I said, 'I know that's not your plan, but could we count on you for the summer anyway just to get us there' and that was five years ago."

When Connor graduated, he decided he wanted to give the family business a try himself.

"He said, 'Hey, if there's room for me I'd like to give it a shot.' "

Clark said he couldn't be happier working with his sons every day.

"It's credible," Clark said. "It's a lot of fun. I mean, it really is. We have a great time and 2017 was our best year ever in virtually every department and I think a lot of it's due to them. Their new vision, their new attitude. They are one step ahead of me with everything. I mean they're motivated and into it."

With 25 years under his belt, Clark hasn't forgotten how he got his start.

"I owe thanks to Harvey Cummings and Ricky Palermo for the opportunity to begin with," Clark said. "It's been great. People are pretty cool around the Genesee. The relationships you build over the years is pretty special."

The anniversary celebration is Friday and Saturday. There will be a free breakfast and a free lunch, equipment demos (including the new robot lawnmower pictured below), prizes and drawings and a ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Eli Fish Brewing, the new downtown restaurant and brewery going into the former Newberry building, was adorned with its new sign on the front of the building today.

Inside, managers and more than a dozen new staff members were busy with training and setup.

The business should be open to the public within a couple of weeks.

The GCC Fine Arts Students annual exhibit, this year titled "Master Peace," opened today in the Roz Steiner Art Gallery.

The exhibit runs through April 6.

Press release:

The Genesee County Fair announces today that up to seven $1,000 scholarships will be awarded across New York State to current New York State high school seniors and also students enrolled in college.

The New York State Association of Agricultural Fairs and the New York State Showpeople’s Association sponsor the scholarships.

Qualifying students must be active at the Genesee County Fair, or with the New York State Showpeople’s Association (NYSSA). All applicants from Genesee County must submit their applications through the Genesee County Fair, or the NYSSA, no later than Friday, April 13.

Information is available at the Genesee County Fair office (Genesee County Fairgrounds, 5056 E. Main Street Road, Batavia) through the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County and from local high school offices. Applications must be printed and completed from the Web at www.nyfairs.org.

For more information, contact Alton MacDuffie at the Genesee County Fair at (585) 752-3600.

The Batavia City School District continues to adopt technology as part of the learning process and coursework, IT Coordinator Jeff McKinney told the school board during its meeting Tuesday night.

His presentation was followed by demonstrations of some of the robots and programming projects students have been working on this year.

McKinney said 2,000 Chromebooks have been deployed to students. Students have visited more than one million websites. There are 266 active Google classrooms and students are creating 50,000 new documents each month.

Internet access has become so critical to the educational process that McKinney has come up with a plan for a backup bandwidth provider so that if the primary provider goes offline, teachers and students don't lose access.

"I'm really proud of where we're going and what we've done," McKinney said.

He said a key advantage of the STEM program currently in place is it helps students learn through discovery and studies show students retain new knowledge better when it comes through discovery.

It isn't always the teacher teaching anymore, either, said Melissa Calandra, a STEM teacher at John Kennedy Elementary School.

"It's kind of hard as a teacher not to know all of the answers but that's the world we live in now," she said.

Other faculty participating in the presentation, Katelin LaGreca, JK Library Media Specialist, Karen Shuskey, JK ACE Teacher, and Marie Martell, JK Computer Literacy/Math AIS Teacher.

Top photo: Phoebe Beal, grade 3; Brock Bigsby, grade 3; Ryan Bigsby, grade 3; Ella Shamp, grade 4; Landon Hamilton, grade 4;Tosh Spilberg, grade 4.

Press release:

Notre Dame announces the hiring of Joe Zambito as their Varsity Football Coach replacing Rick Mancuso who retired to spend more time with his family.

He was a highly successful Genesee Region Football and Basketball Coach at Elba from 1999 through 2006. Zambito joined the Notre Dame coaching family in 2010 as a volunteer coach on Coach Mancuso’s football staff a position he held for the past seven seasons.

His relationship with the Notre Dame side of one of Section V’s biggest rivalries began a few years earlier in the fall of 2007 with the enrollment of his nephew Vincent (Class of 2011).

It continued for the next 11 years as nephews Gianni (Class of 2010 and a current Social Studies teacher at ND), Luca (Class of 2016 Valedictorian), Nico (Class of 2018) and cousin Anthony (Class of 2021) all made Notre Dame their high school choice.

During his eight-year stint as the head football coach, his Elba teams were recognized in both the GR and Section V as being physical, well-prepared and disciplined football squads. They excelled on the field winning 3 GR Championships and the 2005 Section V Class D Championship, an accomplishment that led to Zambito being recognized as 2005 Section V Coach of the Year.

He was also a very successful basketball coach winning GR championships in 2005 and 2006, and a Sectional title in 2005 when he was both the Section V and Genesee Region Coach of the Year. During his coaching tenure, his teams also earned numerous NYS Scholar-Athlete team recognition.

Zambito, who is employed as both Race Secretary and Track Announcer at Batavia Downs, holds a bachelor's degree from SUNY Brockport. He is married to the former Kelly Degenhardt whose mother Anne Palmer (Degenhardt) is a 1966 graduate of Notre Dame.

When commenting on his appointment, Coach Zambito said,” I am looking forward to working with the student-athletes at Notre Dame to help them grow, progress and maximize their potential both on and off the field. Here Come the Irish!”

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) will host a workshop for veterans to receive information about the many services our local, state and federal agencies have to offer tonight.

Congressman Collins is planning to be at the event around 5:45 p.m. to make welcoming remarks and greet those in attendance. It will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. at Genesee County Office Building Number 2, Large Conference Room, 3837 W. Main St. Road, Batavia.

State, county and local officials will also be there and everyone is welcome to attend, especially veterans and their families.