Bergen

A car-into-tree accident, with airbag deployment, is reported on westbound Route 490 by mile marker 3.0. Bergen Fire Department and Le Roy Fire Department and Ambulance Service are responding.

UPDATE 1:14 p.m.: Bergen command is holding all units in quarters.

Brian Andrew Simpson II, 38, no permanent address, is charged with: promoting prison contraband in the first degree, which is a felony; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; criminal use of drug paraphernalia in the second degree; driving while ability impaired by drugs; unlawful possession of marijuana; and a window tint violation. At 11:04 a.m. on Feb. 12, Simpson was stopped on Ellicott Street in the City of Batavia following the alleged observation of a vehicle and traffic violation. After an investigation, the defendant was allegedly found to be driving while impaired by drugs. After Simpson's arrest, he was processed at the Genesee County Jail and allegedly found to possess drug paraphernalia and a white powdery substance identified as cocaine. Simpson was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and jailed without bail. In the same incident, his passenger was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana: Walter S. Bennett, 29, no address noted, of Rochester, was issued an appearance ticket for City of Batavia Court. The case was investigated by Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Deputy Lonnie Nati, and other members of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, including Corrections officers.

Paul G. Avery, 41, of Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, is charged with: driving while intoxicated; aggravated DWI wwith a BAC of .18 percent or more; throwing trash on a highway; driving left of pavement marking; and failure to keep right on a highway with four lanes or more. Avery was arrested at 9:21 p.m. Feb. 23 on West Main Street Road in Batavia following a traffic stop. Avery is due in Batavia Town Court on March 21. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Mathew Clor, assisted by Dpeuty Lewis Henning.

Nathan S. Bowes, of Buffalo Street Road, Alexander, is charged with: driving while intoxicated; DWI with a BAC of .08 percent or more; and moving from lane unsafely. He was arrested at 6:41 p.m. on Feb. 23 following the investigation of a motor-vehicle accident in the Town of Alexander. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Alexander Town Court on March 19. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Mathew Clor, assisted by Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Joseph Dimitri Rivera, 36, of Cole Avenue, Gates, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Rivera was arrested on the charge at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 24 on Lake Avenue in Bergen following a traffic stop. He is due in Bergen Town Court on March 13. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy James Stack.

Kelly Anne Vanbortle, 32, of Parkwood Lane, Hilton, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. It is alleged that she possessed a quantity of marijuana and a glass smoking pipe with burnt marijuana residue following a traffic stop at 5:14 p.m. Feb. 23 on Clinton Street Road, Bergen. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Bergen Town Court on March 13. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy McClellan.

Luis A. Torres-Otero, 20, of Hutchins Place, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. He was arrested after Batavia police investigated a domestic incident which occured at 9:29 a.m. on Feb. 6 on Hutchins Place. It is alleged that the defendant struck a female in the face while she was holding a child. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice. He is due back in court on Feb. 20. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Kevin DeFelice.

Joseph J. Mazzarella, 66, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment and second-degree criminal contempt. On Feb. 11 at 2:45 p.m., he allegedly threatened an individual on Bank Street in violation of an order of protection. He was jailed in lieu of $2,000 bail or bond. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.

Joseph J. Mazzarella, 66, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. Mazzarella was arrested after he allegedly violated an order of protection by contacting a protected person by phone at 4:55 p.m. on Feb. 13. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Feb. 26. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Patrick M. Viscuso, 54, of Vernon Avenue, Batavia, is charged with second-degree burglary and second-degree criminal contempt. He was arrested after allegedly violating an order of protection at 8:58 p.m. on Feb. 18 by being inside a protected person's residence on Evans Street in Batavia. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in jail on $5,000 cash or bond. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Zachery V.D. Seeley, 22, of Lyman Road, Bergen, is charged with three counts of second-degree criminal contempt. He was arrested at 9 p.m. on Feb. 12 after allegedly violating an order of protection by having direct contact with a protected person on Miller Avenue in Batavia. Seeley was arraigned and put in jail in lieu of $1,000 cash or $2,500 bond. He is due in Batavia City Court at a later date. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Damian C. Cogovan, 19, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of second-degree criminal contempt. At 7:29 p.m. on Feb. 7, the defendant was allegedly observed by Batavia police in the direct presence of two protected parties while at his residence. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and jailed in lieu of $1,000 cash or $2,000 bond. He is due in city court at a later date. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Lawrence W. Worsley, 39, of Ridge Road, Albion, is charged with second-degree contempt. He was arrested on Feb. 10 on a warrant out of Batavia City Court for allegedly violating an order of protection issued to a person on Vine Street in Batavia on Jan. 16. He was arraigned and put in jail in lieu of $1,000 cash or bond. He is due back in Batavia City Court at a later date.The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Nicholas M. Korczak, 33, of Pike Road, Batavia, is charged with second-degree aggravated harassment. He was arrested on Feb. 7 following an investigation into alleged threats of violence via text messages on Feb. 6. He was arraigned in Batavia Town Court and released on his own recognizance. He is due in Batavia Town Court again on March 12. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Eric Meyer, assisted by Deputy Mathew Clor.

Daniel Joseph Geller, 35, of Moulton Avenue, Tonawanda, is charged with aggravated DWI, DWI, and failure to use designated lane. Geller was arrested on the charges following the investigation of a property damage accident at 12:19 a.m. on Feb. 10 on Main Road in Pembroke. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Pembroke Town Court on March 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Joshua Brabon, assisted by Deputy Andrew Mullen.

Melynda M. Gayhart, 31, of Hutchins Place, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. She was arrested after a shoplifting investigation allegedly found that she stole beer from her employer -- the 7-Eleven on East Main Street in Batavia. Gayhart was released on an appearance ticket and she is due in Batavia City Court on Feb. 26. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Ivison.

Christopher John Raymond Diers, 36, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. On Feb. 8 Diers was arrested at 4 p.m. for allegedly stealing property from Walmart. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia Town Court on Feb. 25. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth, assisted by Sgt. Andrew Hale.

Christopher John Raymond Diers, 36, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. At 6:39 p.m. on Feb. 8, Diers was arraigned in Batavia City Court after he was arrested on a Batavia City Court bench warrant. It was issued after he failed to appear in court on a petit larceny charge stemming from the alleged theft of two lottery tickets on Nov. 4 from the Circle 3 convenience store and gas station at Ellicott and Cedar streets in Batavia. Diers was jailed in lieu of $2,000 cash or bond. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Jamie Givens.

Erica Michelle Raphael, 34, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with third-degree bail jumping and petit larceny. Raphael was arrested on two warrants on the two charges after being located in Orleans County on Feb. 18. She was turned over the the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and arraigned in Batavia Town Court. She was released on her own recognizance and is due in Batavia Town Court on Feb. 25. The original charges were issued on Oct. 29 following an incident at an unspecified location on West Main Street Road in Batavia. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Justin T. Gladney Sr., 29, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested following a shoplifting complaint at 10:10 a.m. on Feb. 16 at the Family Dollar store on East Main Street in Batavia. Gladney was released on an appearance ticket and he is due in Batavia City Court on Feb. 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Ivison.

Scott J. Hinze, 52, a registered sex offender who lives on West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with failure to report a change of address within 10 days -- a felony, and falsifying business records in the first degree, also a felony. On Feb. 11 at about 11:20 p.m. Hinze was arrested after an investigation. He allegedly failed to register his address change as a sex offender within 10 days to the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Sex Offender Registry. Hinze also allegedly falsified a sex offender address change document at the Genesee County Jail in the City of Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court and is due there March 4. On the charge of falsifying a business record document at the jail, he was issued an appearance ticket for March 5 in Batavia City Court. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Erik B. Andre.

Aaron L. Heale, 37, of 25 N. Lake Ave., Bergen, was arrested on Feb. 11 by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with one count of criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, a Class A misdemeanor. The charge comes after a complaint on Feb. 5 from a local car wash that Heale was allegedly slumped over at the wheel of his car in the wash bay. When the Le Roy police found Heale, who is on parole, he was allegedly slumped over at the wheel and awoken by the officers. During the investigation it was alleged that Heale unlawfully possessed the hypodermic syringe inside the vehicle. Heale, who is currently in Genesee County Jail on an alleged parole violation, was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Le Roy Town Court on March 14.

Jeffery J. Williams, 25, of 25 Ravine Ave., Rochester, was arrested on Feb. 10 by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with two counts of petit larceny and three counts of attempted petit larceny. The charges are based from an investigation which started on Nov. 11 when it was reported that numerous vehicles in the Bacon/Pleasant Street area were entered and items allegedly stolen. During the investigation, it was determined that Williams was visiting a person in Le Roy when he allegedly entered at least five different vehicles during the early morning hours, stealing items from two of the vehicles and ransacking three others looking for items to steal. Williams was issued an appearance ticket to be in Le Roy Town Court on March 5.

Photo: in front are Barb Zinter, Rene Vurraro, administrator Cortney Gale, Mayor Anna Marie Barclay and lifelong resident Vickie Almquist. At rear are Eric Wies, Chris Fay, historian Ray MacConnell, Matt Sluberski, Kirk Roberts and Kevin Donovan.

BERGEN – Months of work by the Department of Public Works paid off for the Village of Bergen when they were awarded the Project of the Year for Small Cities/Rural Communities by the Genesee Valley Branch of the American Public Works Association.

The award was presented at the association's 34^th annual banquet Jan. 31 at RIT Inn and Conference Center in Henrietta.

They received the award for Project of the Year for Small Cities/Rural Communities for their renovation and repurposing of the village’s former water treatment plant into the Sage Pavilion. It is named after the village’s first mayor.

Those who attended for Bergen’s honor included Mayor Anna Marie Barclay, administrator Cortney Gale, historian Ray MacConnell, office employees, employees of the Department of Public Works, who did much of the work on the pavilion, and lifelong resident Vickie Almquist.

Photo by Virginia Kropf.

For previous coverage click here.

Press release:

The state mandated 30-day public review period has begun for Agricultural District No. 3 in the towns of Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford and Bergen.

The Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board announced that Agricultural District No. 3 would embark on its eight-year review with a 30-day public review period beginning on Jan. 26.

As with every eight-year review, landowners with lands in the district under review will be asked to complete a worksheet where they will be given the option to enroll or withdraw property from the district. Only entire parcels can be included or excluded.

Landowners will receive the worksheet, along with a letter, informational brochure, and map of the current district boundaries in the next couple of days. Each landowner will have until Monday, Feb. 26^thof this year to mail the worksheets to the Department of Planning in the envelopes provided.

This deadline also coincides with the deadline for the Annual Enrollment Period which allows for inclusion of predominantly viable agricultural land to any of the County’s Agricultural Districts pending review by the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board. In addition, nearby landowners that are receiving Agricultural Tax Assessments and are not part of the Agricultural Districts Program will be mailed a letter and form inviting them to join the program.

During this 30-day period, a map of the District will be on file and open to the public in the office of the Genesee County Clerk and at the Genesee County Department of Planning. Any municipality whose territory encompasses the above Agricultural District, any State Agency or any landowner within or adjacent to the District, may propose a modification of the District during this period.

The District and any proposed modification will be submitted to the Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board for review. Consequently, a public hearing on the District and any proposed modifications will be held on Wednesday, May 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the Genesee County Old Courthouse, 7 Main St., Batavia.

At the conclusion of this review, the Genesee County Legislature will vote on any modifications to the District and send the proper materials to the State Department of Agriculture and Markets for recertification. The public is encouraged to attend all open meetings.

By enrolling land in the Agricultural Districts Program, participating farmers can receive relief from nuisance claims and certain forms of local regulation. Enrollment is free and voluntary.

For a free informational brochure, please contact the Genesee County Department of Planning. Phone: (585) 815-7901; Fax: (585) 345-3062; Email: planning@co.genesee.ny.us. Visit on the web here. 

Press release:

Registration is now underway for the 2019-2020 school year for prekindergarten and kindergarten students in Byron-Bergen Central Schools.

Universal Prekindergarten
The Byron-Bergen School District hopes to once again offer a half day Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) program for the 2019-2020 school year. The class will be held at the Byron-Bergen Elementary School, located at 6971 W. Bergen Road, Bergen.

Students eligible for the program must turn 4 years of age by Dec. 1, 2019. If you have a child eligible and are interested in having him/her attend our UPK program, please send a letter of interest by Friday, April 5 with your child’s name, parents’ names, address, phone number, and date of birth to:

Brian Meister, Elementary School Principal, 6971 W. Bergen Road, Bergen, NY 14416.

Parents who have already contacted the Elementary School by phone will still need to send in a letter to be eligible for UPK. Please note that if we receive more than our allowed capacity, we will select students using a lottery system.

What are the Program Goals of the UPK at Byron-Bergen?

• To meet the NYS learning standards by using a curriculum that is thematically based and supported using literature, songs, and exploration;
• To foster an environment that promotes happy, confident children who are willing to take risks, make independent choices, and ask questions;
• To create an inclusive community that builds upon the student’s strengths and accommodates their needs.

Philosophy of UPK

The UPK program at Byron-Bergen is focused on socialization, learning through play, and self-exploration. Children learn through a hands-on learning environment that includes activities, learning centers, concrete materials, and manipulatives. Students learn through a nurturing environment that is enriching, challenging, and developmentally appropriate.

Kindergarten Registration Reminder

Children who will be five years of age, on or before Dec. 1, 2019, are eligible for entrance to kindergarten in September of 2019. New families in the school district should notify the school if they have a child that will enter kindergarten in September of 2019.

Parents may contact the Byron-Bergen Elementary School Office by calling 494-1220, ext. 1301. Information may also be sent to:

Byron-Bergen Elementary School, 6971 W. Bergen Road, Bergen, NY 14416.

All children registering for kindergarten will be scheduled for a screening appointment this summer. The results of this screening will be used to plan for the 2019-2020 Kindergarten Program.

The following items are necessary to complete the registration process:

1. Your child’s Birth Certificate
2. Certificate of Immunization – New York State law requires that every child entering school must have received a minimum of 5 doses of diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine (DPT) and 4 doses of polio (IPV) vaccine, 2 doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), 3 doses of Hepatitis B, and 2 doses of varicella (chickenpox). Those children born on or after 1/1/2008 must have 4 doses of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV). Their immunizations must be completed prior to entering school.
3. Proof of Residency– If this is the first time you have a child entering Byron-Bergen Central School District, please bring proof of residency to your screening appointment. This can be a copy of your mortgage statement, rental/lease agreement or a copy of your tax bill.

For more information or to register your child, please contact:

Elementary School Office  -- (585) 494-1220, ext. 1301

Information may also be sent to:

Byron-Bergen Elementary School 

6971 W. Bergen Road 

Bergen, NY 14416

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported on Pocock Road just south of Swamp Road, Bergen.

A caller reports the driver is out of the truck and going by personal vehicle to an area hospital.

Bergen fire and ambulance responding.

UPDATE 12:59 p.m.: The vehicle involved is a town highway truck.

UPDATE 2:48 p.m.: The snowplow is now upright. Pocock is still closed.

When Bob Bausch joined the County Legislature in 2010 he said he was making at least a four-year commitment to serve. Nine years later, at age 75 and with a new four-year term looming, he thinks it's time to step aside.

Bausch announced today that he's not going to seek reelection this year.

"When I was pushing for the four-year terms, I knew that at 75 I shouldn't run for a four-year term," Bausch said. "I'm in good health but I'm 75. There's no denying it."

Bausch editorialized and lobbied in support of staggered four-year terms for the county legislative members, replacing a system that had all nine members up for election every two years. County voters approved the reform in November.

Before joining the Legislature, he served as a Village of Bergen trustee for eight years and for 10 years before that, he was on Bergen's Zoning Appeals Board.

He became chairman of the County Legislature in 2017.

Once his term is up at the end of this year, after 27 years in either elected or appointed office, Bausch said he will have plenty to do to keep himself busy. He will continue to serve on the boards of community groups. He also has family spread across the country from Philadelphia to San Jose, Calif., and so will travel occasionally to see them.

"There are still things I would like to get done but I should step aside," Bausch said.

Photo: File photo.

Above photo is the former water distribution building adjacent to Hartland Park in Bergen, after it was repurposed into the Sage Pavilion.

BERGEN -- Preserving Bergen’s history, promoting the village and conserving energy to save taxpayers money have long been a focus of the Village of Bergen.

That dedication recently won the Village of Bergen an award from the American Public Works Association as their WNY Public Works Project of the Year for repurposing of its former water distribution/Department of Public Works building into the Sage Pavilion.

The cement block building adjacent to Hartland Park had been empty for decades and the village had considered demolishing it.

Examples of the village’s sustainability practices in previous years include purchase and repurposing of the Tulley Building for village offices, boardroom, document storage facility in the basement, rental space for business; and four apartments.

Other examples are the composting facility at the Water Treatment Plant, community garden, Tree City recognition, Bergen Electric Efficiency Program, Clean Community designation and recycling efforts.

Transforming a DPW building into Sage Pavilion

The Sage Pavilion is the result of their latest efforts, said mayor Anna Marie Barclay.

The village first learned about the American Public Works Association’s award from engineers Clark Patterson & Lee, who told the village of the opportunity to apply.

“We applied and talked about how our staff came together and how the communities around us supported us,” Barclay said. 

Village Administrator Cortney Gale said after the water treatment plant closed, the DPW kept their trucks there, followed by 10 years of use as a cold storage.

“But it got pretty gross,” Gale said.

The cost for the village to build a much needed public pavilion was prohibitive, the mayor wrote in the application.

“The village is small and budgets are tight,” the mayor wrote. In order to provide the village residents and outside community with the all-season pavilion needed, the village staff had to be creative.”

The need for a village pavilion became evident after the Bergen Fire Company converted its community hall into space for town offices and town courtroom.

“The village lost a facility that had been used for community and family celebrations and meetings,” Barclay wrote in the award application.

Since an all-season pavilion had been strongly requested at public hearings during development of the 2016 comprehensive plan, staff worked to develop a plan to make the pavilion a reality.”

A new building similar to the now completed Sage Pavilion would cost $750,000 based on normal construction costs and using public bidding and state wage rates.

Demolition of 'eyesore' was considered

The village board was considering demolition of the eyesore, but after cleaning out the materials from the building, the space led to discussions of possible refurbishing. The building was found to be structurally sound, on the main road and centrally located across from Hickory Park and adjacent to Hartland Park and the disc golf course.

The village engineer and staff met to set a plan in place, and chose to convert the former water building.

A SAM grant was applied for and awarded through sponsorship of Senator Michael Ranzenhofer, providing seed money for the project.

Interior walls were made of Bergen Brick manufactured in the village of Bergen. A transom window originally over the entry door to the former office area of the water plant was repurposed as a decorative addition to the Sage Pavilion entry hall.

The biggest challenge to the project was removing giant pumps three levels into the ground and then filling in the space. The village did not have equipment to remove the pumps and having a contractor fill in the basement was cost prohibitive.

Planning to meet the challenges

A plan was devised to use the electric department pole, setting trucks to hoist cast iron pumps and pipes out of the basement through an open window and the former basement stairway. The cast iron pumps and piping were hauled to a nearby scrap yard and the funds reinvested into the building. 

Discussions with DPW staff, the engineer and village code enforcement officer led to a strategy for filling in the basements. It was determined road millings could be used as fill, topped with flowable fill. Not only would this save the village a tremendous amount of money, but it would help surrounding communities which were doing road work to dispose of their road millings.

The village contacted local communities during road work and arranged for the town of Bergen to pick up the millings and bring them to the construction site.

Village linemen chipped in to do landscaping and every single village employee helped with siding, windows, roofing and piping in the floor for radiant heating, Gale said. The process took a year and a half. 

The village employees spent a lot of time huddled over their computers, watching YouTube for information on how to perform certain aspects of the project.

During demolition, it was discovered a fire many years ago had damaged the building. That area was sealed per current codes and left exposed to show the history of the building.

As work progressed, people using the nearby walking trail and employees who used to work in the old water plant often stopped to view the work.

Wowed by the work

“They would look around and ask how it was possible this was the same building,” Barclay said. 

When it came to choosing a name for the new pavilion, the village settled on that of W. Monroe Sage, elected the first mayor of the village of Bergen in 1877, and then reelected in 1902. Born in 1834 in the town of Wheatland, Sage was well-known in music circles.

He was the prime mover in bringing about the incorporation of the Village of Bergen and instrumental in having sidewalks placed. He also inaugurated the first streetlighting by placing lamps on the corners of North Lake Avenue, Rochester and Buffalo streets.

The entire Village of Bergen staff are planning to attend the award presentation Jan. 31 at RIT’s Banquet Center in Rochester.

Photos by Virginia Kropf.

Photo below is what the former Bergen water/DPW building looked like in 2016, before work began to transform it into a public pavilion.

The next two photos below show what Bergen’s former water treatment plant looked like inside as work began to transform it into a public pavilion.

The bottom two pictures show the meeting room and entranceway to the Sage Pavilion after renovations were completed.

Byron-Bergen fifth-grader Allison Rimmerman, above, is elementary school's first female Geography Bee Champion. Photo courtesy of Gretchen Spittler.

Photo below and information from Byron Bergen Central Schools:

On Jan. 8, Byron-Bergen fifth-grade student Allison Rimmerman became the Elementary School's first female National Geographic Geography Bee School Champion. Sixth-grader Jackson Lundfelt finished in the Second Place Runner-Up position. Both students performed exceptionally well during the competition.

In December, almost 250 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students took the Geography Bee Qualifying Test. Twenty students qualified. Eighteen students competed on Jan. 8 (photo above); two were absent that day, with five competitors continuing to the Final Round.

“Every year the Byron-Bergen Elementary School Champion and Runner-Up have been boys,” said Bee coordinator and fifth-grade teacher Ken Rogoyski. “The last time a girl won the National Championship was 26 year ago, in 1993.

"New York State has never had a female State Championship since the Bee started in 1989. Perhaps that will change this year. I’m very excited for Allison.” 

Both Allison and Junior High Bee Champion Elizabeth Piper will be taking the New York State Bee Qualifying Test. The 100 top School Champions will head to Albany for the competition in March.

The Elementary School Bee is moderated and judged by enthusiastic volunteers. Retired Elementary School come back every year to volunteer their time.

This year’s esteemed judges panel included the retirees Judy Boyle (reading teacher), Melissa Chamberlain (kindergarten teacher), and Paula Wade (first-grade teacher). The Bee host and moderator was retired sixth-grade teacher Liz Findlay.

Congratulations to all the participating students for their hard work.

Below are the names of the 20 students who qualified to compete in the Geography Bee:

Fourth Grade:
Brandon Schuck
Gavin Kinkelaar
Ellie Tanner
Xander Rodriguez
Theodore Schelemanow

Fifth Grade:
Allison Rimmerman (in photo above, third from left, standing in back row)
Liam Boyle
Colin Rea
Tobias Zastrocky
GJ Donofrio
Evan Williams
Cole DiQuattro

Sixth Grade:
Ryan Benstead
Craig DiQuattro
Alexander Raccuia
Martin MacConnell
Owen Cuba
Eli Kupfer
Jackson Lundfelt
Landon Kent

It has been more than a decade since officials in the Village of Bergen first applied for a Main Street Grant, and finally, their efforts have paid off.

Mayor Anna Marie Barclay said she doesn’t know how many applications her administration and others before her have submitted in hopes of receiving a Main Street Grant from the New York State Housing Trust Fund. She believes what led to their success this time was the fact all Main Street property owners participated.

The grant of $474,750 will allow property owners to apply for amounts of $25,000 for an apartment and $50,000 for commercial space, up to a total of $100,000 per building to renovate or upgrade their buildings. Eligible buildings include the Masonic Lodge at 12 S. Lake St. to the railroad tracks on the west side of the street and Brett-Ashley Schmidt’s photographic studio across from the Village offices. Property owners must contribute a minimum of 25 percent.

Village Administrator Cortney Gale was first notified of the grant by Genesee County Economic Development Center in late December and called Barclay at home to tell her.

“He could hardly get the words out,” the mayor said. “We had been on the short list last year and held our breath, but then we didn’t get it.”

“We even contemplated if we wanted to go through the process to apply again,” Gale said.

Barclay said they had talked about joining with Le Roy to apply next year, figuring they would be turned down again.

“Everybody was kind of stunned,” she said.

There is still a lot of work to do before any money is received. Property owners must decide what their projects will be and a committee will have to be formed to oversee and approve those projects.

Gale said the committee could be formed by a group of community members or an outside firm might possibly be hired.

The village will contribute to downtown improvements with $17,000 in a Streetscape fund. This will be used to put signage on each building, keeping with a Victorian design; gooseneck lighting on each building front; and the upgrade of plantings on sidewalks and parking areas.

A telephone booth on the photography studio on the east side of Lake Street will be converted into a little library, where books will be available to the public.

“It is very encouraging to have so many property owners participate and buy into our vision,” Gale said.

“It is exciting and it is our job to support them to make sure the process is as easy as possible for them,” Barclay said. “We realize it must have been difficult for them to keep the faith. This is a commitment on their part, as well as ours.

Bergen Mayor Anna Marie Barclay and village Administrator Cortney Gale discuss their success in receiving a Main Street Grant after at least 10 years of trying.

(Photos by Virginia Kropf.)

    Torres-Acevedo

New charges have been filed against a 22-year-old Batavia resident who is accused of taking an underage girl away from her home in Bergen on Nov. 29 and driving her to Pennsylvania.

Guillermo Jose Torres-Acevedo has been charged with custodial interference in the first degree, criminal contempt, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child.

The Nov. 29 incident prompted an amber alert for the girl. She was later located, allegedly with Torres-Acevedo at a Walmart in Mansfield, Pa., through a geolocation ping of her mobile phone.

Torres-Acevedo was taken into custody by authorities in Pennsylvania without incident and the girl was returned to her parents.

The girl and Torres-Acevedo knew each other and Torres-Acevedo had already been arrested in connection with his relationship with the girl and issued a stay-away order, which he allegedly violated, leading to a criminal contempt charge.

He's also been charged with grand larceny, 3rd, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle for allegedly stealing the Dodge Journey he is accused of using to transport the girl.

Torres-Acevedo remains in jail without bail.

Mark Daniel Tooley, 35, of Oak Orchard Road, Elba, (inset photo, above) is charged with: first-degree sexual abuse; acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17; and first-degree criminal sex act. On Jan. 4, Tooley was arrested on a sealed Grand Jury indictment for allegedly having sexual contact with a victim under the age of 13 on Main Road in Stafford at 5 p.m. on Dec. 24. He was arraigned by Judge Charles Zambito and put in jail with bail set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. He is to reappear in Genesee County Court at a later date. The investigation was handled by Youth Officer Tim Wescott and Youth Officer Howard Carlson.

Nicholas G. Williams, 42, of 3810 W. Main Street Road, Lot 7, Batavia is charged with: felony burglary, 2nd, misdemeanor attempted petit larceny; and felony criminal contempt, 1st. A reported disturbance on Nov. 26 on Lake Street in the Village of Le Roy led to an investigation of Williams. It is alleged that Williams knowingly entered and/or unlawfully remained inside a residence on Lake Street in Le Roy with the intent of committing the crime of petit larceny. Williams is accused of attempting to steal a laptop computer from inside the residence when he was interrupted and fled the scene. Williams was charged with felony criminal contempt in the first degree because it is alleged that a protected person, whom the court ordered him to have no contact with, lived at the residence. Williams was convicted of a prior criminal contempt within the preceding five years. Williams was located in the Genesee County Jail where he was confined due to an alleged parole violation. Williams was arrested on Dec. 12 for the Le Roy charges and arraigned in the Le Roy Town Court and jailed without bail due to multiple prior felony convictions.

Kevin Pietrzykowski, 63, of Stafford (inset photo, left), was arrested by troopers on Jan. 4 for directing a laser at an aircraft, 2^nd, which is a misdemeanor. On Jan. 3, troopers responded to the Town of Bergen for a call received from Rochester Airport Air Traffic Control Office on behalf of the National Guard Air Wing for a military helicopter being directed by a laser during night training. According to a spokesman for Troop A in Batavia, the second time the laser was directed at the aircraft, the helicopter pilot put a spotlight on the area it originated from, which helped troopers patrolling the area to find the suspect. Multiple interviews resulted in the arrest of Pietrzykowski on Clinton Street Road, Stafford. Pietrykowski was issued an appearance ticket for the Town of Stafford Court in February.

Kevin James Compton, 57, of Clipnock Road, Bethany, is charged with: criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment; two counts of unlawful imprisonment; and two counts of second-degree menacing. Compton was arrested following a domestic incident which occurred at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 5 on Clipnock Road. It is alleged that Compton threatened two people with a pistol. He was arraigned in Bethany Town Court on Jan. 6 and jailed in lieu of $20,000 cash or $40,000 bond. He is due back in court on Jan. 15. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Howard Wilson, assisted by Deputy Jeremy McClellan.

Ernest Dee Lane, 60, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with third-degree assault. Lane was arrested on Jan. 3 for an incident which occurred at 2:20 a.m. on Jan. 1 on Ellicott Street. He allegedly injured another person during a physical altercation. He is due in Batavia City Court on Jan. 8. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Cody J. Wenner, 28, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment. Wenner was arrested Jan. 3 for an incident which occurred at 12:57 a.m. on Jan. 1 on Walnut Street. Wenner allegedly pushed a juvenile to the ground during an altercation. He was released on his own recognizance following arraignment in Batavia City Court. He was due back in City Court on Jan. 4. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jamie Givens, assisted by Officer Felicia DeGroot.