batavia

Highlights from the Batavia City School District (BCSD) Board of Education meeting on Feb. 12, include news and updates about the following:

• Capital Improvement Proposal

• Blue Devil Update

• Staff and Staff Development

• Board Members Earn Awards 

Capital Improvement Proposal

Jerry Young, of Young and Wright Architectural, presented an overview of the potential capital improvement project that our Buildings and Grounds Committee began discussing in May 2012. Recommendations for this project came out of a state-mandated Building Conditions Survey in September 2010, as well as subsequent reviews of building conditions. The presentation to the Batavia school board will be followed by presentations to the Budget Ambassadors, to school parent-teacher organizations, and to community groups upon request. The board will review the proposal and, if approved by them, it will go up for community vote in May.

Major components of the $3,841,000 proposed project include work at Richmond Memorial Library ($1,590,000), VanDetta Stadium/Batavia High ($548,000), Batavia High School ($406,000), Jackson Primary ($621,000), John Kennedy Intermediate ($557,000), Batavia Middle School ($80,000), and Robert Morris ($39,000). Most of the items outlined and pictured by Young in his presentation addressed building deterioration or legal compliance issues.

Work at Richmond Memorial Library ($1,590,000) would include slate roof shingle replacement, flat roof replacement, masonry restoration on the original building, window and door replacements on the original building and addition, site work (including sidewalks, roadway and parking), and interior improvements such as carpet and emergency lights.

Work at VanDetta Stadium/Batavia High ($ 548,000) addresses both gender-based discrimination targeted by Title IX of the federal Educational Amendments Act of 1972 as well as discrimination based on disabilities as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The scope of work includes improvements to the girls’ softball field (dugouts, scoreboard and fence) as well as improving or creating handicapped access to the bathrooms, the concession stand, the ramps to stadium seating, and handicapped seating.

Work at Batavia High School ($ 406,000) includes sitework for additional parking and a sidewalk to Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, HVAC upgrades, energy-efficient lighting and a motorized curtain in the gym, new hot water heaters and gas meters, and some security improvements.

Work at Jackson Primary ($621,000) includes site improvements for the playground and parent drop-off, masonry restoration on the chimney and corners of the building, window replacement on the second floor, bathroom installation in the kindergarten wing, and some security improvements.

Work at John Kennedy Intermediate ($557,000) includes window replacement on original building, masonry restoration, energy-efficient lighting improvements in gym, and some security improvements.

Work at Batavia Middle School ($80,000) includes a new hot water heater, air conditioning in the cafeteria, masonry restoration on the chimney, and energy-efficient lighting improvements in the gym.

Work at Robert Morris Elementary ($39,000) includes the replacement of a sanitary line in a crawl space.

Plans for financing the project include the use of the Capital Reserve Fund for non-aided projects such as Richmond Memorial Library and VanDetta Stadium. For the remainder of the project, the Selected Building Aid ratio for 2012-2013 is 0.799 (or 0.201 local cost) for school buildings. In addition, other financing options such as Public Library Construction Grants and State Historic Preservation Funding will be pursued for the library projects. Grant applications, however, may only be made after the public approves a project.

For more information, or to schedule a presentation, please contact the Superintendent’s Office at 343-2480, ext. 1000.

Blue Devil Update

Director of Health, Physical Education, and Interscholastic Athletics Michael Bromley provided an update on the Batavia Blue Devils, noting that overall, the district offers nearly 15 sport programs making up 30-35 teams over the course of a school year for both boys and for girls. In 1999, only 39 percent of students participated in at least one sport, whereas last year, 54 percent did. In fact, over the past four years, an average of 54-57 percent of all students in grades 7-12 participated in at least one sport, and many of those individuals participated in multiple sports.

The 2012-2013 school year is off to another promising start for athletics: 383 students participated in one of the fall sports, eight of the 10 teams earned recognition by the NYSPHSAA (New York State Public High School Athletic Association) as being Scholar Athlete teams for having a composite GPA (grade-point average) of 90 or above, nine students were named to Monroe County Public School Athletic Conference First Teams for their sports and 13 more were named to Second Teams, the cheerleading squad won second in sectionals, the volleyball team was a sectional finalist, and gymnastics had one state competitor.

Staff and Staff Development

Reporting on the district’s progress in working with the University of Rochester Warner School of Education's Outreach Center to explore and discuss best ways to implement the new Common Core Standards for math, Superintendent of Schools Christopher Dailey noted that the middle school math teachers recently completed their sessions and have been utilizing many of the ideas discussed. High school math teachers now have begun their sessions, focusing on algebra and the Common Core Standards. In March, our elementary math teachers will take their turn in working in partnership with the U of R.

GVEP curriculum coordinator Jolene Dettman returned from a Network Team Training Institute in Albany which focused on Common Core Learning Standards, and Superintendent Dailey noted that she will share information from the institute with the district’s Instructional Leadership Team as they prepare for the staff development day scheduled in March.

Also through GVEP, Superintendent Dailey announced that the district has been invited to join a school district “cluster” with representatives from Pavilion, Caledonia-Mumford, York, and Wyoming school districts for the 013-14 school year. The cluster will enable participating districts to pool resources for professional development and the implementation of the Common Core.

Board Members Earn Excellence Awards

Superintendent of Schools Christopher Dailey presented board members Patrick Burk and Amy Barone each with a NYSSBA (New York State School Boards Association) Leadership in Governance Award for earning 150 points through NYSSBA leadership development. The school board U Recognition Program acknowledges the extensive time and effort required of school board members who continually strive to expand their knowledge and skills for better board governance. NYSSBA members earn credits, or points, for participating in school board U training opportunities and earn awards for earning a substantial number of credits.

Jason Lee Johnson, 30, of Glide Street, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, aggravated unlicensed operation and failure to dim headlights. Johnson was stopped at 1:06 a.m., Sunday, on Route 5, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Michael Robert Moyles, 34, of Hartshorn Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, following too closely and speed not reasonable or prudent. Moyles was arrested following an investigation by Deputy Jason Saile and Deputy James Diehl into a hit-and-run accident on Ellicott Street, Batavia, at 7:10 p.m., Saturday.

Joseph Paul Elmore, 43, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Elmore was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a check by Deputy James Diehl of a vehicle along the roadway at 1:03 a.m. on Route 63.

David James Shultz, 30, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and inadequate headlights. Shultz was stopped at 9:20 p.m., Sunday, on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Erika Lynn Conway, 24, of East Oakfield Road, Grand Island, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Conway was arrested by Deputy James Diehl at 7:23 p.m., Saturday on Hartshorn Road in Batavia following a driving complaint.

A three-day bowling tournament to benefit Crossroads House wrapped up today at Mancuso Bowling Center.

It was a big turnout for the 17th annual event with 480 bowlers participating in four shifts Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

"We want to thank everybody who participated," said Cindy Lowder, one of the organizers.

Lowder said the event was held in memory of Betty Ellison, who organized the first event 17 years ago.

"She set everything up so well and got it going. We just really follow her lead now," Lowder said. "She was an amazing organizer. She had all her ducks in a row and we just follow suit."

More than 200 Batavia Muckdogs fans gathered tonight at the Clarion Hotel for the booster club's annual Hot Stove League Dinner.

One of the highlights of the night is the auction of memorabilia, merchandise from local businesses and local art.

The auction was conducted once again by Todd Jantzi, owner Bontrager's.

There was also a silent auction.

The most talked about item of the night was an old baseball card featuring local broadcasting legend Wayne Fuller.

Wayne Fuller

A car is reported to have struck a tree on Oak Street, north of Main Street. There are said to be three injuries. City of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding, along with police for traffic control.

UPDATE 6:44 p.m.: A 24-year-old female is being taken to UMMC with complaints of back and knee pain.

UPDATE 6:46 p.m.: A second Mercy rig is taking two patients to UMMC, both females. One is 55 years old and complains of right hip pain and the other bit the tip of her tongue.

Twenty-four boys and girls ages 4-9 came out for a 'Try Hockey' event today at Falleti Ice Arena. The free event gave kids a chance to skate around, hit pucks with sticks and learn a little about the game.

Above, four-year-old Matthew Kosiorek.

Some people call them storm shelters, others fallout shelters, or bug-out rooms or bunkers.

Nate Fix thinks you should just call them "peace of mind."

Fix is now a distributor of underground shelters built by Kentucky-based Storm Shield.

The shelters come fully assembled, ready to drop right in a big hole in the ground and come in sizes that can handle from four to 21 people in a short-term emergency event.

"The shelters meet all of FEMA's standards," Fix said. "FEMA says the best place to be during a storm is underground."

There have been 20 tornadoes reported in Western New York since 1950, and with changing weather patterns, some people might want to prepare for more.

The shelters may also appeal to people worried about changing political winds.

There's even people, Fix noted, who just might like the shelters as extra storage.

"They make excellent cold food storage units," Fix said.

The shelters are watertight and, unlike concrete or steel shelters, the fiberglass bodies will last a lifetime, Fix said.

He said his company -- Rebel Storm Shelters -- is the only distributor for these units within an 800-mile radius.

Fix has three contractors ready to help residents install the shelters.

Town of Batavia Fire Department has a new ladder truck under construction. You can see more pictures and follow the progress on the Spartan ERV Web site.

LoriAnne Vogel, 48, of 2401 Spencerport Road, Spencerport, is accused of stealing more than $3,000 from a local business where she worked.

The woman was an office worker, according to Batavia PD and in an attempt to cover up cash deficits, she allegedly falsified business records.

Vogel is charged with grand larceny, 3rd, and falsification of business records, 1st.

Following arraignment in Batavia City Court, Vogel was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Andrew Zimba Perdock, 25, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Perdock allegedly made an unauthorized charge of $32.40 to a woman's debit card.

Brandt Lonnie Arnold, 32, of Clinton Street, Cowlesville, was arrested on a felony DWI warrant. Following arraignment in Genesee County Court, Arnold was held without bail.

Patricia Lynn Capen, 45, of East Shelby Road, Medina, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, DWAI (drugs and alcohol), driving left of pavement marking and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Capen was arrested following a report at 9:34 p.m., Wednesday, of an erratic driver on Route 63, Oakfield. Capen was stopped by Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

Press release:

The Batavia Muckdogs have announced their manager and coaching staff for the 2013 season. This year’s squad will be led by Manager Angel Espada, Pitching Coach Brendan Sagara and Hitting Coach Rich Arena.

The 2013 campaign marks Espada’s second year as the manager for the Marlins’ short-season Single-A affiliate, first as manager of the Batavia Muckdogs. Espada spent the past season as the manager of the Jamestown Jammers and the year prior as the hitting coach for the Jammers. Prior to his time with Jamestown, he spent two years working as the hitting coach for the Gulf Coast League Marlins.

Espada was a 42nd-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in the 1994 First-Year Player Draft. In addition to the Braves, he also played in the Mets and Yankees systems. His playing career spanned 14 years and he finished with a .305 career batting average over 940 games played.

Sagara begins his second season as pitching coach for the Marlins’ short-season Single-A affiliate. Sagara has served as a pitching coach for 11 seasons with various teams. He broke into the coaching profession with the Dubois County Dragons of the Frontier League in 2001 as the club’s pitching coach. He has also worked for the Braves as a part-time scout (2010-11) and the Mets as an associate scout (2006-09). In 2007, he was named Coach of the Year in the Frontier League, while coaching the top pitching staff in Windy City. He and his wife, Michelle, reside in Wahiawa, Hawaii.

Arena returns for his second season as hitting coach for the Marlins’ short-season Single-A affiliate. He spent the previous two years as the director of scouting for Team One Management in Tampa, Fla. Prior to his time at Team One Management, Arena was the head coach at his alma mater, Tampa Catholic High School (Fla.), from 2007-09. He was recognized as the 3A Coach of the Year in 2008 and compiled a 53-18 record at Tampa Catholic HS. He spent the previous 10 years with the New York Yankees as scout and coach in the Minor League system. He and his wife, Joselle, have five children and reside in Tampa.

Bibbo will serve as the trainer for the 2013 season, his first year with the Marlins’ organization. Bibbo previously was the interim head athletic trainer at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. Prior to that, he spent four years (August 2007-September ‘10, September 2011-June ‘12) as the assistant athletic trainer at Malvern Preparatory School. He spent seven months (February-August 2011) as the rehabilitation intern with the Philadelphia Phillies. Bibbo received his Master of Science in Rehabilitation Science from California University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and his bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. in 2007. He resides in West Chester, Pa. with his wife, Elizabeth, and stepson, Andrew (12).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Even as supporters of Genesee ARC hope to garner enough public support to sway the Batavia City Council away from trashing a 30-year relationship for garbage collection in the city, the agency is looking at its options should it lose the garbage contact.

ARC Executive Director Donna Saskowski said she's formed an internal task force to look at all of the options for the agency.

The core mission of ARC, Saskowski said, is to provide services and employment to people with disabilities. That will not change, regardless of the outcome of the proposed changes to the local solid waste law.

"My job is to take care of the people we serve," Saskowski said. "We're researching as many options as possible."

Julie Pacatte, economic development coordinator for the Batavia Development Corp. (BDC), has also stepped in to help line up resources for placing any agency employees who might otherwise be eligible for unemployment.

Of the 30 people who work in the garbage and recycling collection program, some are more properly classified as clients of ARC, Saskowski explained, and even though they are paid for their work, they are not eligible for unemployment benefits.

Those people, Saskowski said, will continue to be assigned work by ARC one way or the other.

Another group are actually employees of the agency and must work in community-based employment.

If jobs are not found for them, they would be eligible for unemployment benefits.

There are approximately -- the number fluctuates -- 15 such people.

Some of the agency's employees who could be affected by a loss of the contract have no disabilities.

Pacatte is pulling together resources, including the county's Job Development Bureau to help them find work.

There are private employers who have already expressed an interest and both Pacatte and Saskowski hope more come forward.

Nationally, 70 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed.

"We're looking for any company that could use a well-trained, dedicated workforce," Saskowski said. "We work with each individual and try to find the best situation for (him or her)."

Pacatte said there are a few tax-credit programs employers can benefit from if they hire a person with a disability.

Working to help ARC is what the BDC should do, Pacatte said, "with any company that is anticipating any kind of major shift in their workforce."

If the council votes against the proposed ordinance change, Saskowski said she doesn't really know what will happen with garbage collection in Batavia come March 31 when the current contract expires. She referred that question to City Manager Jason Molino.

"I couldn't even address it at this point," Saskowski said.

Late this afternoon, Molino wasn't immediately available for comment.

Along with finding jobs for anyone displaced by a change in garbage collection, ARC is looking for other companies to do contract work for and other entrepreneurial options.

"We're looking at just about anything and everything," Saskowski said.

Information for employers:

• Private Employer Federal Tax Benefits for hiring folks with disabilities
• Private Employer New York State Tax Benefits for hiring people with disabilities

The Genesee County Economic Development Center Board of Directors has approved assistance with the following projects:

Darien Lake Theme Park. Darien Lake is planning new cabins and new rides for 2013. The total investment by Darien Lake is $5.2 million and theme park management sought assistance with $1.9 million of the investment. The board approved a PILOT (reduced property tax on the increase in assessed value due to the improvements) worth $147,339 over 10 years. The project will also save $132,000 on sales tax for construction materials. The project is expected to generate six additional full-time equivalent jobs. Darien Lake employees more than 400 FTEs.

Reed Batavia Properties, LLC. Reed is in the process of purchasing the former Batavia City Schools administration building at 39 Washington Ave., Batavia. The company is planning $1.525 million in improvements to the building, converting it to medical offices. The GCEDC board approved a $76,361 PILOT, $52,000 in sales tax exemption, and a $12,500 mortgage tax exemption. The project is expected to generate six new jobs.

Batavia Hospitality, Inc. (Days Inn / Super 8). The company is planning on investing $530,000 in building improvements, including a new pitched roof, exterior facelift and interior upgrades. GCEDC's board approved a PILOT worth $54,198 over 10 years and sales tax exemption of $28,000. The project is expected to create five new jobs and help retain 16 jobs.

The Batavia City Council will conduct public hearings tonight on garbage, water and the budget.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Before getting to the public hearings, the council will go into closed session on an unrelated matter (typically, closed sessions are held as the last item on a council agenda).

A public hearing is a chance for voters to share their thoughts and information on matters pending before the council.

The first hearing will be on the proposed 2013-2014 budget, which includes a 16-percent reduction of property taxes due to a plan to remove garbage collection from tax collection and make garbage collection a user-based fee.

The second public hearing is on an increase in the water rate, meter fees and capital improvement fee.

The third public hearing is on a proposed change to the solid waste chapter of the Batavia Municipal Code. The change would require residential property owners to use a new tote system for garbage collection and recycling that would allow for automated collection of garbage.

Prior to the meeting, supporters of Genesee ARC will hold a rally, starting at 6:15 p.m., in front of City Hall, to protest the proposed change to the solid waste law.

The nonprofit agency has collected garbage in the city for nearly 30 years but submitted the highest bid for the new trash collection contract.

ARC Executive Director Donna Saskowski has said the agency will need to lay off eight to 10 people if the agency loses the contract. The garbage collection program employs 30 people, about 20 of whom have disabilities.

Download: As sort of a letter to the editor, reader Dave Huber has submitted a series of questions about ARC and the garbage contract (PDF).

Guy Clark and his daughter Caylin DePuy joined about 1,000 other people at Lake Ontario yesterday for the annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Unfortunately, Guy didn't have available a picture of him coming out of the frigid water.

The event raises money for Special Olympics and Clark said the event this year raised about $100,000.

This was Clark's fourth plunge and the fifth time for DePuy.