Stories from

In a 3-0 vote Wednesday night, the Corfu Fire District Board of Trustees approved a resolution disciplining three people for alleged ethical violations and misappropriation of funds.

The vote came following a closed session in which the trustees met with members of an ethics review panel that looked into accusations that the district's treasurer, a former fire chief and a sitting trustee allegedly misused district credit cards and kept incomplete records.

The panel was appointed in September after a NYS comptroller's audit uncovered possible irregularities in the use and reporting of credit card transactions.

Based upon the findings of the ethics panel -- which reportedly uncovered possible further misappropriations not contained in the state's audit report -- the district's former treasurer, Shari Salim, was suspended from the district for two years; her brother, and former department chief Jeff Ammon, was suspended for one year, and their father, trustee Bob Ammon, was asked to resign from the district board.

The trio will also be asked to reimburse any funds due to the district, plus legal and accounting fees.

The district's recently retained attorney, Mark Boylan, of Le Roy, said after the meeting that the matter has also been turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office for a possible criminal investigation. 

The resolution passed by the board also appoints a CPA to do a thorough audit of the district's books.

While the ethics panel's report indicates there was allegedly repeated personal use of the district credit cards by Shari and Jeff, it's unclear how much of that personal use was reimbursed to the district.  

One charge by Bob Ammon came under scrutiny. In 2007, Ammon reportedly made a $359.51 purchase at Dick's Sporting Goods. While listed in the report as a not approved purchase, Ammon reportedly told the ethics panel that the purchase was agreed to and paid for by the fire department. The purchase, he reportedly told the panel, was for exercise equipment for the fire hall.

The report states that while payments were made on the credit cards with other than district funds, some of those payments were late resulting in late charges on the district's cards.

There are also authorized purchases on the cards, allegedly, for which there are no receipts and no proof that the purchases were actually made.

The total of non-approved charges from 2004 to 2007 (the period reviewed by the panel, since the comptroller's office had looked at more recent dates) exceed $2,600, according to the report. Again, a substantial amount of that money appears to have been repaid with non-district funds, but the panel could not determine the exact amount that was repaid.

The district board, while it includes volunteers for the department, is elected by Corfu residents. The board collects taxes and manages some of the revenue used to help fund the fire department. The fire district and fire department are separate entities.

Only three members of the district board participated in the closed session because Bob Ammon recused himself and a fifth member was unable to attend because of health issues.

In local politics, there's no bigger name than Barber Conable.

The longtime Genesee County resident started his career as an attorney in Batavia, and eventually became a 10-term congressman who went on to lead the World Bank.

Besides championing creation of 401(k) accounts, Conable also sponsored legislation that eventually made microbreweries possible (though that wasn't his intent -- he just thought one of his constituents should be able to brew his own beer).

Conable remains highly regarded for his integrity and intelligence.

The Post Office in Batavia is named after him as is the Conable Technology Center at Genesee Community College.

Then, there is the matter of his stately house in Alexander.

Conable and his wife, Charlotte, purchased the home in 1959 and raised their four children there. Until recently, Emily Conable lived in the house, but with her youngest son going off to college, Emily decided to move out of the 2,772-square-foot residence and put it up for sale.

The remaining household items of Barber and Charlotte are also being auctioned off at Bontrager's (a number of items are up for auction tonight (see pictures below)).

The listing went to Paul and Mary Ellen Hartwick, of Nothnagle, who lived for many years across Main Street in Alexander and were friends with Barber and Charlotte.

The Hartwick's took me on a tour of the house today and clearly cherished their memories of the Conables.

The house has four bedrooms and was built in 1830 by an Alexander attorney, A.B. Harrington. Harrington also built, for his son, the house across the street where the Hartwicks now live.

"If we could make our living selling historic homes, that's all we would do," Paul said.

The house, at 10532 N. Main St., sits on a five-acre, park-like lot that zigzags from Main Road to Route 20.

The house is listed for $199,900.

Chair given to Barber Conable by the Brookings Institute.

Barber Conable's collection of license plates

Barber Conable's Cornell University yearbook (Conable is in the first column, lower right).

A book by Henry Kissenger, former secretary of state, signed to Barber Conable by Kissenger.

Members of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce gathered at Terry Hills this afternoon for the chamber's annual meeting and installation of officers.

Chamber President Lynn Freeman gave an update on chamber activities and spoke about the chamber's decision to partner with Tompkins Insurance to provide a new health insurance plan to members (key reasons -- the ability to offer monthly payments for members and eliminating a fee the chamber had to charge with the former plan).

JoAnne McInerney from Tompkins also spoke about the state of the health insurance industry and the trend away from co-pay plans to higher deductible plans.

A pair of top executives from the company behind a development in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia were on hand this morning to see the first of several tons of dirt get moved from one spot to another.

Even without a purchase agreement to buy the 81-acre parcel from GCEDC, the company is apparently eager to get this project under way immediately to meet a deadline for product production of early 2013.

The company wants site grading completed before the worst of winter hits.

While the executives did not want to be identified in publication, sources in the dairy industry have fingered PepsiCo as the company likely behind "Project Wave."

It makes sense.

According to a story in the Oct. 14 edition of the Wall Street Journal, Pepsi is embarking on a partnership with a yogurt company based in Germany in an effort to enter the fast-growing yogurt market in the United States.

This would be Pepsi's first foray into the U.S. dairy business, but fits an overall strategy laid out in the business press for Pepsi to grow market share in nutritional foods as the market for soft drinks declines.

The Jacksonville, Fla.-based firm that has led Project Wave through the regulatory process and start of construction is Haskell Architects and Engineers. On its website, Haskell lists PepsiCo as among its clients.

While the executives at the construction site this morning asked that their names not be published, an internet search of one of the executive's names confirmed he is an employee of PepsiCo.

The executive made it clear, however, that Batavia is only one site among four under consideration and his employer hasn't made a final decision on which site it will construct its plant.

It is, however, the site that is being bulldozed. And the company seems eager, and has big plans, to enter the U.S. yogurt market by 2013.

According to Project Wave specs, the plant will eventually employ 600 people working three different shifts on 16 production lines.

Assuming it opens on schedule in 2013, the plant will initially employ 180 people working on three production lines.

Both executives praised GCEDC and the Town of Batavia for having this shovel ready site available.

"There are only three of our four sites in the northeast that would be ready this quickly for production," one executive said. "These shovel-ready projects are key to attracting big companies."

Mike Wheeler, the project's architect, was also on site this morning and reiterated the importance of having all of the regulatory approvals in place, along with the infrastructure necessary for the project to get started right away.

"My hats off to these guys," Wheeler said. "They put the community in the best possible position for this project."

When an as-yet-unnamed company breaks ground on a development project Wednesday morning, it could mean as many as 600 new jobs in Batavia some day, and it will mark the end of a 15-day sprint to get the project pushed through the local and state regulatory process.

At the end of Tuesday's Town of Batavia Planning Board meeting, where a site plan and a change in the parcel map were approved, Chris Souzzi, VP of business development for GCEDC, said the swiftness of the approval process proves why shovel-ready business parks are so important.

"We can see now why we need these parks," Souzzi said. "Here we have a company that wants to build this fast, and in 15 days, you (the planning board) just approved a site plan. That's huge and that's why they're here."

Michael Wheeler, representing "Project Wave," as the secretive food-processing development is known, said the fact that the nine-month-long environmental review process had already been completed for the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, plus the review was a spot-on match for the kind of site contemplated in Project Wave, were huge factors in the client picking Batavia.

That said, not much is in writing yet.

The company has yet to close escrow on the 81-acre parcel and land in Avon and two already graded parcels in Pennsylvania are still, at least marginally, in the running for the big plant.

And the plant is big. In phase one, it will exceed 300,000 square feet, and if built out fully will have a 120-foot high cold storage tower (modeled after a similar automated storage tower owned by Wegmans near the airport in Rochester).

On day one, if it opens on schedule in January or February of 2013, the facility will employ 180 people and operate three production lines. At full build-out, the plant will employ 600 people on 16 production lines, all working in three daily shifts.

Grading and foundation preparation work begins at Wednesday morning and the unnamed company wants to see work completed by the end of December, according to Wheeler.

"At that point, it just gets so miserably cold up here that us Southerners can’t work any more," said Wheeler, who lives in Florida.

The company isn't scheduled to take possession of the property until the fall of 2012, when it will start moving in its production equipment.

UPDATED to add a picture I forgot to post last night of Mike Wheeler, left, and Paul Marchese.

Genesee County's two Catholic elementary schools are apparently planning a merger, according to a letter sent home to parents.

The letter obtained by The Batavian was sent to parents of children at St. Joe's in Batavia and Holy Family in Le Roy. It states:

Local leadership has agreed that the schools will reconfigure next September for the beginning of the 2012-13 school year. Following a thorough analysis of several reconfigurations, the model emerging as one of the favorites: Pre-K to 8 and an after-school programs at the current St. Joseph School site; Pre-K and an after-school program at current Holy Family site.

The letter states that a name has not yet been selected for the reconfigured school.

The letter is signed by Kevin Robertson, principal of Holy Family, and Karen Green, principal of St. Joseph School.

The reason for the merger, according to the letter, is driven a lot by the declining elementary school population in Genesee County.

The number dropped by 7 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the letter.

"We need to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of all of our parishioners," the letter says. "That requires a more equitable distribution of parish income."

Discussions among local leaders began in the early fall, according to the letter, which invites parents to provide feedback on various options for curricula and programs in the reconfigured school.

There was no dispute at the Village of Oakfield trustee meeting Monday that the village has seen an uptick in crime in recent months.

There was also no clear indication on what trustees, or village residents, think should be done about it.

Mayor Richard Pastecki called the meeting a fact-finding session.

Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble (lower inset photo) attended the meeting to provide information on options from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office -- ranging from a full-time, Oakfield-dedicated deputy to a part-time, extra patrol similar to one used for the Village of Bergen.

"We've had a lot more problems out here, there's no doubt about that," Dibble said. "Over last several months there has been a lot of activity up here, and I don't think that's a surprise to anybody who is here."

About eight village residents attended the meeting.

Jeremy Yasses (top inset photo), one of the chief proponents of increasing Sheriff's patrols in the village, said something needs to be done about the increase in crime and extra patrols make the most sense to him.

"We have a local problem," Yasses said. "We have a big local problem in the village and ignoring it won't make it go away. There is a group in the village that is constantly causing problems."

Heroin, Yasses said, is a big part of the local crime problem.

Yasses said he thinks the only logical solution is an increase in Oakfield-dedicated patrols, and while he stopped short of advocating for a full-time deputy in Oakfield -- like the village had a decade ago -- he did float a proposal to tax village property an extra $36 per year to raise $25,000 for a part-time patrol.

"I’m not looking to raise taxes, but I know, just for me, I’ll give up a few extra coffees per year just to have some extra patrols," Yasses said.

Mike Cianfrini, the Town of Oakfield supervisor, also attended the meeting but said he didn't support spending money on extra patrols.

"I'm adamantly opposed to the idea," Cianfrini said. "Nobody disputes that there is an increase in crime, but this is simply a knee-jerk reaction.

"It’s a feel-good measure," Cianfrini added. "If I thought if it would solve the problem, I’d be the first one sitting with Jeremy saying we’ve got to do this, but bringing in an extra road patrol for four hours a night a couple of days a week, the criminals are just going to go inside.  They’re not going to rob a house while a sheriff is right in front of them."

Of course, Dibble said, criminals don't typically commit crimes right in front of a uniformed deputy sitting in a patrol car, but a full-time deputy in Oakfield would certainly have its law-enforcement advantages, Dibble said.

"A deputy could respond in 30 seconds rather than 10 minutes," Dibble said. "I've got to believe that would make a difference."

A shift-dedicated deputy would also know the community better and interact with the community more.

Contrary to a suggestion by Cianfrini that a deputy couldn't -- for Constitutional reasons -- interview more people, Dibble said, "We can talk to anybody any time."

"A good officer can engage a person in conversation and learn a lot," Dibble said. "You would be amazed at what you can discover when you engage people."

Increased patrols would also mean increased traffic tickets, which can lead to the discovery of other crimes, either property crimes or drug crimes.

As for the latest crimes, Dibble said he spoke with Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster about Oakfield on Monday morning.

The recent burglaries and robberies in Oakfield are the subject of active investigations, Dibble said.

"We have several suspects and hopefully we will be able to make some arrests in the next few weeks," Dibble said.

The two burglary suspects arrested in Pavilion over the weekend may have Oakfield ties, Dibble said. Investigators will also look at them as possible suspects for crimes committed in Oakfield.

Pastecki said he remembers what the village was like when he worked in probation and officers made regular arrests in Oafield, but then things improved.

"It has turned into a wonderful village," Pastecki said. "That's why we're looking at whatever we need to do to be proactive and do something to maintain that feeling of security that everybody wants."

There's a little interest brewing in the Genesee County Legislature about getting reimbursement for services provided by the county that are used by the City of Batavia and other jurisdictions.

One example, law enforcement use of the Monroe County crime lab.

The county pays $68,213 a year to Monroe County to process evidence from crime scenes. Police departments in Batavia, Le Roy and Corfu can all send evidence to the crime lab on the county's bill.

"Even if it's just $2,500, that's $2,500 we don't have today," said Legislator Robert Bausch during the Public Service Committee meeting Monday. "It's all these little charges that we don't get back that add up."

Bausch wants to see a list of "all these little charges" at a future Ways and Means meeting.  

Legislator Jay Grasso, serving his last meeting as chairman of the committee, agreed with Bausch.

"As the economy changes, maybe we can't do all the little things we used to do," Grasso said.

Legislator Ray Cianfrini first broached the issue of seeking reimbursement from the city for crime lab use.

Sheriff Gary Maha agreed to get more information on how costs might change if the use of the crime lab by other jurisdictions was taken out.

In other items from Monday's agenda:

• The committee approved purchase of a Caterpillar 140M-2 All-Wheel Drive Grader from Milton Caterpiller, 4610 E. Saile Drive, Batavia. Grasso noted the purchase was of an American-made product from a local dealership. The purchase will be paid for in five yearly installments of $40,048.33 from the Road Machinery Fund. The total purchase price is $200,241.65.
• The committee approved a resolution declaring an old railroad car surplus material. The tanker car is currently installed on rails at the Fire Training Center on Bank Street Road. Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Yaeger said the car is sitting in an area needed for a new law enforcement firing range and it makes no economic sense to move it. The car is 40,000 pounds of solid steal. It will be sold for scrap. The proceeds will be used to help pay for the firing range. The car, as best anybody knows, was donated by a railroad company more than 30 years ago for emergency training. Yaeger said the county has other resources now for similar training.

Residents in the area of Adams Street, Batavia, complained over the weekend about a fox that would not leave the area.

A Batavia police officer investigated and found a fox that appeared to be suffering from an injury or illness lying near the side of the road.

The Department of Environmental Conservation was contacted. The DEC advised, according to Batavia PD Chief Randy Baker, that the fox be destroyed.

The animal was killed and taken to DPW for disposal.

The nature of its injury or illness is unknown.

Since 2005, Oakfield resident Jeff Kitanik has been paralyzed from the waist down, yet he has maintained an active life and continues to run his construction company, according to friends.

There's one thing that will help make his life better, those friends say: a standing wheelchair.

To that end, friends have organized a fundraiser for Kitanik from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, at the Oakfield Fire Hall, 20 Albert St., Oakfield.

The event will feature a chance auction, craft and rummage sale, bake sale and face painting. There is a $5 admission, which includes 25 raffle tickets and door prize entry.

The wheelchair costs $18,000.

A representative of the Standing Chair Company of Saginaw, Mich., will attend Saturday's event.

Friend Rebecca Martin said the chair will provide Kitanik, who is father to five children, with several benefits.

"There are many medical benefits of standing," Martin said. "Among other things, it maintains bone density, assists in healing of pressure sores, increases blood flow and helps maintain good blood pressure. It also helps the digestive system work properly, which has been a major concern of Jeff's since the accident. It won't help decrease pain level, or at least we don't think it will, but it will increase his quality of life immensely."

The chair is manual, which makes it lighter and easier to get in tight places, such as a construction site, but it also assists in keeping his lungs healthy.

Kitanik, known to friends as "Tru-Cut," and his wife, were involved in a serious auto accident Sept. 30, 2005.

"Still, Jeff holds his head high," Martin said. "He continues to put family first and runs his own construction business. Anyone who knows Jeff would tell you he holds all of the positive attributes we all strive to achieve and uphold."

To make a donation for the auction or purchase tickets, contact Donna at 948-8253 or Heather at 409-4605.

Robert L. Williams, 21, of 112 State St., Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd, and disorderly conduct. Williams was arrested on a warrant. He is accused of punching another person onOct. 22, which resulted in the alleged victim suffering a fractured nose. Williams was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Tanyka N. Blanding, 33, of 7 Madera Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI and criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Blanding was arrested by Le Roy Police in the early morning on Sunday. Blanding was stopped after the car she was driving allegedly almost collided with a police car on Lake Street. At the time of her stop, she was allegedly found in possession of brass knuckles. Blanding was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Dustin J. Good, 24, of 2937 Merle Road, Attica, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Good was stopped at 11:12 p.m., Friday, on North Lyon Street, Batavia, by Officer Matthew Fleming.

Kenneth M. Gray Jr., 24, of 77 Myrtle St., is charged with leaving the scene of a property damage accident, failure to keep right, operating in violation of restriction and inadequate tires. Gray is accused of hitting a street sign and a parked car on Hutchins Street near Ellicott Street. Gray was stopped some time later on South Main Street by Officer Darryle Streeter. Gray was arrested without incident. The investigation was handled by Officer Jason Ivison.

Jeffrey Matthew Kaczmarek, 42, of Alleghany Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, felony aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, driving left of pavement markings in no-passing zone and violation of conditional license. Kaczmarek was stopped at 11:23 p.m., Saturday, on Attica Road by Deputy Jason Saile.

Steven Michael John Kaczmarek, 25, of Gilhooly Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Kaczmarek was arrested at 4:03 a.m., Friday, after deputies were called to an address on Gilhooly Road to investigate the report of a domestic incident. 

William Thomas Foley, 19, of Main Road, Stafford, and Kristian Nicole Elderbroom, 19, of Marlton Circle, Liverpool, are both charged with unlawfully dealing with a child, 1st. Foley and Elderbroom are accused of hosting an underage drinking party Nov. 13 at a location on Main Road in Stafford.

Ryan D. Wilson, 19, of Alexander Road, Attica, and Jay W. Schafer, 19, of Broadway Road, Darien, are charged with harassment, 2nd. Wilson and Schafer are accused of punching another person while at College Village at 2:42 a.m., Sunday.

Jesse Lee Harner, 25, of Country Route 41, Friendship, is charged with violation of a child-support order. Harner was turned over to the Sheriff's Office after being arrested by Cuba Police officers on a warrant out of family court.

Jered Michael Brown, 23, of North Baxter Street, Sutton, W. Va., is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to keep right. Brown was stopped at 1:57 a.m., Friday, on Route 5 in Pembroke by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Mercedes Anne Marchese, 20, of Indian Falls Road, Corfu, is charged with false written statement. Marchese is accused of making a false written statement to the Sheriff's Office on Nov. 6.

Dajuandrick A. Gardner, 16, of Byron Holley Road, Byron, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and endangering the welfare of a child. Gardner is accused of choking a 15-year-old boy in the Town of Bergen at 7:40 a.m., Oct. 3.

A car engine is reportedly fully engulfed in flames on Harloff Road near Area 51 in Batavia.

East Pembroke Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 9:03 a.m.: Car is fully involved. Town of Batavia Fire Department requested for mutual aid.

UPDATE 9:04 a.m.: Town of Batavia can stand down.

Should felons be able to get their gun-ownership rights back?

New York Times: Felons Finding It Easy to Get Gun Rights Reinstated

Updated Sunday, 11:02 a.m.

Liz Valento, Pavilion, and Jeffrey Antolos, Notre Dame, were given a big welcome home tonight at Route 20 and Route 19, Pavilion, as they returned from the state cross-country championship.

Liz and Jeffrey won their respective races to claim state titles in Verona on Saturday.

Friends, family and volunteer firefighters turned out to greet them and the Pavilion Volunteer Fire Department escorted them down the remainder of Route 19 to Pavilion.

Prints of these three photos can be purchased by clicking here.

Andrew Fisher, left, Notre Dame; Liz Valento, Pavilion; Jeffery Antolos, Notre Dame; Ethan Richardson, Pavilion.

Photos and captions below submitted by Bare Antolos.

ND's Jeffrey Antolos entered the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill HS football stadium for the final 150 yards of the Class D State Championship race about a half step behind Eldred HS's Alex Campenalla. But as they sprinted to the finish, Jeffrey was able to pass and hold off his opponent to win the first-ever Individual State Championship for Notre Dame HS! Jeffrey's 1.5-second victory was the narrowest margin of the four Boys' State Championship races of the day.

After battling with many runners who pushed her to stay in the lead over the first two miles of the championship race, Liz was able to pull away and win by a 24-second margin to win Pavilion's first-ever individual state championship.

Rain and snow on Friday, combined with seven earlier races, turned many sections of the course into a muddy mess that challenged the girls to maintain their footing and keep up their speed to finish a memorable day in Verona.

More pictures and information after the jump (click on the headline above to see the others).

Notre Dame ninth-grader Anna Warner finishes at the Class D State Championship in 22:13 good for a 13th-place finish.

Notre Dame senior Andrew Fischer leads Pavilion's Ethan Richardson during the Class D State Championship race in Verona. Fischer finished 29th with a time of 19:07; Richardson finished 36th in 19:25.

Batavia's Colin Mulcahy competes in the Class B State Championship race. He finished 75th in 18:44.

Notre Dame junior Jeffrey Antolos and Pavilion senior Elizabeth Valento show they're number one after both became the first athletes at their respective high schools to ever win individual state championships.

A couple of years ago Jay Lazarony and his family were touring the Holland Land Office Museum and came across a display of quilts and learned about HLOM's quilt group. They came up with the idea of a quilt honoring veterans with ties to Genesee County.

Today at the museum, that quilt was dedicated.

There are currently 211 names on the quilt and 58 more will be added.

Names were included based on the requests of family members of veterans and patches were filled on a first-come-first-served basis, Lazarony said.

"We thought this was a good way to honor those who served and sacrificed," Lazarony said.

Veterans from throughout Genesee County gathered today at the future site of a new Genesee County War Memorial at the corner of Bank and Washington to bury the name plaques from the former war memorial.

The former memorial was outside of United Memorial Medical Center and was removed to make room for the hospital's new surgical wing.

War dead from Genesee County were honored with their names on the memorial.

The new memorial will also contain the names of military personnel who lost their lives in America's wars.

If you can't view the slide show, click here.

To purchase print copies of these photos, click here. 

Notice from the City of Batavia Fire Department:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be conducting hydrant maintenance flow testing on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 14 and 15 in the southwest  quadrant of the city.

This area includes Franklin, West Main, South Main, South Lyon, Orleans, Madison, Adams, River, Meadowcrest, Pearl, Walnut, Law, Chestnut, Jackson, Maple and Court streets.

Water in these areas may become discolored during the testing. If your water appears to be affected, run water in a bath tub or outside hose outlet until it clears. Refrain from doing any laundry until your water clears.

A resident of Woodstock Gardens was assaulted overnight and seriously injured after three people allegedly entered the apartment illegally.

Charged with the assault in the first degree was Christopher Preedom, 18, of 21 Holland Ave., Batavia.

Preedom was also charged with burglary, 1st, along with Kevin Andrews, 19, and Timothy Andrews, 21, both of 144 Bank St., Batavia.

The victim was treated at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Preedom, Kevin Andrews and Timothy Andrews were located by police within minutes of incident being reported.

All three were jailed without bail.