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For at least the second time in a decade, a group of folks are focusing on the cold — and the needs of people who may not otherwise have an alternative place to go.

This most recent effort began with prayerful thought, and ended up in partnership between Batavia First Presbyterian Church and Oak Orchard Community Health.

“We had heard about the Albion warming center last April. Our elders and leaders were meeting for a visioning retreat to dream together of where God might be leading us to serve in the future,” said the Rev. Roula Alkhouri of Batavia First Presbyterian. “We thought that providing a warming center would be a good first step in addressing the needs of the many people we see in our community who find themselves without the security of a home, especially during cold weather. We tried to reach out to different groups, but it was not until recently that we got connected to Oak Orchard through one of their new hires, Marge Fitzsimmons. That led to a meeting where we discussed the idea and the need in our county.”

That discussion led to the two entities agreeing to join forces and invite a collaboration of additional groups to come together for the initiative, she said. 

“The great news is that Oak Orchard has the experience, the knowledge, and the commitment to make this happen,” Alkhouri said. “We are hoping that the meeting on the 18^th will be our next step to cast the vision, identify the needed resources, and to start planning for this project.”

There will be a Genesee County Warming Center planning meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday at Batavia First Presbyterian Church, 300 E. Main St., Batavia.

This meeting is for any individual or group interested in supporting this effort and/or wanting to learn more about it during the presentation and informational planning session with the purpose to create a warming center for Genesee County.

The center would be set up as an evening and overnight safe space for people in need of shelter from the cold on days when the temperature falls below 32-degrees. Organizers also want to provide an opportunity for this space to be a place of connection with helpful resources.

Oak Orchard Community Health and the church are hosting this initial meeting with a vision to make this center a community partnership with as many organizations and individuals as possible, Alkhouri said.

A Genesee County warming center coalition formed in 2014 with a similar objective. For a short time, a center was set up at First United Methodist Church in Batavia. The last post on the coalition’s social media site was in 2015.

To RSVP for Monday’s meeting, go to fpcbataavia@fpcbatavia.org or call 585-343-0505.

A fence has been erected once again around Ellicott Station, though it still appears to be in limbo as a construction project on the city's southside in downtown Batavia. 

Property owner Sam Savarino confirmed with The Batavian this weekend that he ordered the fence to be put up as a response to city management.

"Yes, I sent a crew to install the fence," Savarino said Sunday. "Addressing a city code citation."

The four-story apartment complex has been stalled since summer 2023, when Savarino Companies announced it was shutting down amidst legal and financial issues with the state Dormitory Authority.

There has been no definitive word as to when the project may get going again or whether it will be Savarino or another developer that kicks it back into gear. There were tax credits and exemptions with Genesee County Economic Center that were taken off the table after the economic agency claimed Savarino broke tenets of the contract. He has vehemently disagreed.
 

City Manager Rachael Tabelski and City of Batavia Fire Chief Josh Graham issued the following statement later Saturday regarding the fire at Baskin Livestock on Howard Street in Batavia:

A structure fire at 20 Howard St. in the city of Batavia has called out the city fire department Saturday morning.

Flames and heavy smoke were still visible as of 8:20 a.m. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

When 1978 Batavia High School grad Phil Zickl Jr. becomes part of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame later this month, he knows his late grandfather Robert E. Noonan (1907-1965) would be proud and cheering him on if he could.

Noonan was an avid football fan and player who aspired to get into the NFL. Despite a chain of missteps, including a twice-broken leg, he never made it. He had been a strong supporter of his grandson, who went on to play football into his sixties, scoring big at 64 this year when he and his team, the Syracuse Express, were named to the Hall of Fame.

“My mother and my aunt, and both are deceased now, but they used to talk about how family-oriented he was and how supportive he was. And so my initial thought is how supportive he would be of this happening, especially because he was so athletic, and he wasn't just successful in football, even though football was his first love … but he would be very positive and very supportive of just the induction,” Zickl said during an interview with The Batavian. “I remember when I first heard, one of my former teammates called me and left a voicemail. But the voicemail,  it was hard to hear everything, it kind of crackled a little but I heard him say something about Hall of Fame, and I thought he was calling to tell me that he got inducted to his high school Hall of Fame. So I called him back, got his voice mail, and I said, ‘Hey, Mike, congratulations; I didn't hear the message completely, but it sounded like you said something that you were inducted to your high school hall of fame.’ 

“So, he called me back and said, 'No, no, Zick, it’s our team, the Syracuse Express.' it's a big deal. It's not that high school Hall of Fames are not a big deal, every Hall of Fame is a big deal as far as I'm concerned. This is the Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame. We’re being inducted as one of the teams of honor,” Zickl said. “And I’ve got to say that it caught me off guard. It's one of those things you don't expect somebody to call you on the phone and tell you that. I'm not going to forget that night any time soon.”

His team will be honored during an awards dinner Nov. 11 in Syracuse. The GP/Syracuse Express went 36/6 across the 1985-86-87 seasons and won a pair of Minor Professional League championships in 1985 and 1987. 

There were 15 former Orangemen who helped the Express to football glory during those title years.  They included Ray Seals — the former Hotel Syracuse doorman who, as a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers, would later sack Dallas’ Troy Aikman in Super Bowl XXX, and Dave Jacobs and Chuck Cassidy.

It was an athletic combination that defeated the Chicago Cowboys (7-3 at muddy Griffin Field in 1985) and the San Jose Bandits (17-10 in glitzy Las Vegas in 1987) for their crowns, a worthy choice for one of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame’s “Teams of Honor” for 2024. Listed on a program titled “Welcome to ‘Express’ Football” is #65 Phil Zickl with fellow Outstanding Syracuse Players teammates. 

The Express competed in the Empire Football League. The team was owned by Greg Portzline, coached by Tom Anthony, and cheered by supportive crowds at old Griffin Field in Liverpool. This year, it’s being recognized as a Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame Team of Honor for the excellence it demonstrated from 1985 to 1987. 

Ever since high school, where he was named Most Outstanding Lineman in his senior year, Zickl played minor league football for 25 years, being named to the American Football Association’s semi-pro records for Most Years of Service, which at the time it was compiled was 20 years. His age when listed as Most Aged Player was 55, having played for the Syracuse Express, Batavia Bandits, Hornell Dragons, Batavia Titans and Buffalo Gladiators.

After graduating BHS, Zikl went on to University at Buffalo and was briefly profiled as an alumnus for his athletic and professional achievements per the following:

“Zickl has continued playing semipro football well into his fifties after a successful playing career at UB as an offensive guard and defensive end in the 1980s.  Since 2018, Phil has expanded his health and wellness business (Total Personal Wellness) to include education on American football.  He is an American Football specialist and has participated in the sport for more than 40 years as both player and coach.”

Before branching out with his own business, Zickl worked in education as a social worker at Batavia Middle School while also still playing ball in Syracuse. He was able to arrange a schedule of driving to only one weekday practice, followed by a second one on Friday that included an overnight stay, and he would then play the weekend game. He was definitely hooked on the sport.

While he loved the game of football, he also enjoyed the ambition taken on by the group of athletes, he said.

“You’re all trying to work for the same goal. You’re everybody’s teammate, just being on a team working toward a common goal,” he said. 

Zickl established his wellness business in 2017, making presentations on various related topics of maintaining and regaining good health; however, the pandemic shut down those in-person activities. The business, as he puts it, “went into hibernation.” He also has a penchant for song lyrics, having written at least 100 sets of parodies that he has licensed, with no certain path for what he’s going to do with them all other than using one as a team warm-up rap song.

He is rethinking the scope of his speaking topics and wants to circle back to what he perhaps knows and loves best: football and the history of American football, dating back to 1869. He has learned plenty of other lessons, though, while immersing himself in the sport, including while with the Express. 

“It was a real city of Syracuse team, and the majority of the players were African American, and so I was a minority. And I was a minority for months at a time. And it really made me think that every human being who is capable of understanding being a minority situation should have that experience. Because to me, I think it allows you, I mean, this is aside from what I said before about the team all pulls together, but it also allows you to feel, like, 'walk a mile in my shoes,' type of thing,” he said. “It gives you that opportunity to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, especially because I'm European American, so I don't remember any other times when I was a minority, but I remember early on, you know, first, second year on the team, I remember thinking, this is a really good experience.”

For more information about the Hall of Fame and upcoming event, go HERE.

Sometimes, it’s the unspoken words that take center stage during something like a public budget hearing.

And the silence of no one who signed up to speak after Genesee County Manager Matt Landers presented his proposed nearly $1.9 million budget for 2025 indeed said something to Legislative Chairwoman Shelley Stein.

“The silence is meaningful because, as everyone is aware, all of our local government leadership is aware that sales tax revenue is down, and we aren't going to even make what we have budgeted for this year. And that was the pot of money that we had that was available to share,” Stein said after the hearing Wednesday at the Old County Courthouse. “But something that we do do is we make available to each community the opportunity to have the county pay for and provide a grant writer. So our communities are taking advantage of that, and you will see some of the recent wins that we've had in those communities. So, you know, a little bit of seed money that brings other people's money into the county has greater value than what we could do by giving an extra dollar of revenue distribution.”

In the last couple of years, at least one or two town supervisors have asked if the county could loosen the purse strings and allow more sales tax to be shared amongst the municipalities. During his talk, Landers explained that a lack of sales tax was a major challenge in creating this coming year’s budget.

So, as it stands, the proposed plan is a 3.4% increase, or $6,264,607, from this current year’s adopted budget. Reasons for the increase include a $1.9 million increase in preschool supportive health services program costs, $1.5 million in state retirement system cost increases, $727,000 increase in medical expenses, and $200,000 more in the 730 court-ordered competency evaluation costs, he said. 

“We were able to hold the line for a couple of years, but just the second year in a row where we have sweeping cost increases on the medical side. This chart basically shows you know there's, we believe, no end in sight for mandate relief,” he said. “Over 95% of our property tax money goes directly to New York state-mandated costs. It'll be something that we continue to watch in the future. One of the fears we have is when the New York State Budget starts to go when it starts to become more challenging, and they do show how the reports that we get from NYSAC (New York State Association of Counties) indicate years of pledge deficits. There's always a fear that that just basically ends up resulting in a mandate push down to the counties. So when we're already at over 95% of our tax levy already on mandated services, there isn't much room to grow.”

With a shiny new $70 million county jail, that comes with $3.8 debt service payments in the general fund, plus operational, utility and contracted medical cost increases for the facility, he said.  

“At this point, water expenditures continue to be funded with water revenues. But there is a looming $150 million Phase 3 of the water system that has us turning over every stone to try to minimize future general funding,” he said.

He has recommended using a property tax levy of $33,630,739 toward the budget, an increase of $908,362, or 2.78%, from this year. Due to increased property assessments, he said, the tax rate will decrease by 51 cents per $1,000 assessed value, lowering the current rate of $8.08 to $7.57 per $1,000 assessed value.

If the county Legislature adopts this budget, it would mean an annual bill of $757 for a property assessed at $100,000, versus this year's tab of $808, for a decrease of $51 if a homeowner has not had a property assessment increase.

However, if a home's value went up from $100,000 to $125,000, it would mean that a home that cost $808 yearly would now cost $946.25, for an overall yearly increase of $138.25 due to that increased assessment. 

Landers wants to offset expenses by $2.5 million out of the county’s fund balance and $639,653 out of the Medical Reserve Fund. The budget would include $1 million for infrastructure spending on large span culverts; one full-time public works project manager and a part-time program assistant for the county park; 10 full-time corrections officers for the new county jail; and one each part-time financial clerk typist and discovery clerk for the Sheriff’s Office.

Infrastructure investments also include $4 million in capital projects for airport upgrades, building maintenance, information technology upgrades, Sheriff’s Office equipment upgrades — tasers, body cameras and guns — highway equipment replacement. 

Annual payments of more than $500,000, per previously signed contracts, are also included for Mercy Flight and Le Roy Ambulance to provide dedicated ambulance service to the county, he said. 

Listing three pages of budget challenges, Landers reviewed the rising employee retirement and medical costs, unfunded mandate increases, which include assigned counsel and 730 mental health restorative costs, and reduced sales tax — the first time since 2000 that sales tax revenues have declined year over year and falling under budget for 2024, he said.

The legal system is costing the county quite a chunk of money, to the tune of that extra $200,000 for the 730 mental health court and an additional $123,530 for assigned counsel costs, for a total spending of more than $1.8 million.

What is the 730 mental health court?
When a criminal suspect with mental health issues enters the justice system following an arrest, that defendant has a constitutional right to understand the proceedings, whether the defendant eventually ends up accepting a plea offer or facing trial.

In New York, that right is also protected by statute in Article 730 of the Criminal Procedure Law. The purpose of Article 730 is to ensure that a defendant is able to understand the charges against him or her and participate in his or her own defense.

Officials in Genesee County have wanted to see the law changed because it is outdated and getting increasingly more expensive with less efficiency than more contemporary options for dealing with a defendant's mental health capacity.

What is assigned counsel, and why are costs going up?
Assigned counsel costs "have been increasing drastically," primarily due to the state increasing the pay for assigned counsel attorneys from an hourly rate between $60 and 75 (depending on whether the offense was a misdemeanor or felony) to $158 an hour, more than doubling the cost of representation, Landers said. 

“This is for people that both meet the financial criteria for publicly paid for representation and have a conflict that prevents representation by the Public Defender’s Office,” he said. “In 2022, the county spent $624,336 between Criminal Court and Family Court assigned counsel.  In 2025, that budgeted figure has increased to $1,828,800.”

He thanked staff and department heads for the “team effort” to deliver an on-time budget that falls under the tax cap.

“I’m very happy that the legislature provided clear guidance. I feel like any time that I could reach out and communicate issues, this was my toughest budget because I didn't have a sales tax to help offset us … I felt like it was a team effort that department heads worked with me, delaying, pushing out costs in future years, if possible,” Landers said. “At this point, the budget is in the hands of the Legislature. Future budget meetings will be held to arrive at a consensus with the Legislature and make changes as recommended to manage the budgets. I hope for full adoption at the November 25 meeting, and feedback and input from the community is always welcome.”

Since the budget was just turned over to legislators, they would be reviewing and discussing it, Stein said, however, “when you have 98% of your tax levy as mandated services, it is really hard.”

“There’s almost nothing left to cut, and those things that we would cut are the highly valued quality-of-life issues such as our county park, such as our participation with our outside agencies of GO ART!, Cornell Cooperative Extension, our Workforce Development folks; those are not meaningful cuts, and so we appreciate the value that we can bring to our community through those, but also through our partners in our town, in our villages, in our city, where we offer them opportunities to participate with us, and they take advantage of that,” she said. “So we are happy to be a good partner, and we look for good partnerships because shared services is the only way that we’re going to get through what we have ahead of us today.”

For the full proposed 2025 budget, go HERE. 

Ryan Duffy was all about the numbers while discussing his annual report with legislators during Genesee County’s Human Services meeting this week.

The Holland Land Office Museum executive director talked about 287, the current membership, and how the museum is just 13 shy of the goal to reach 300 by year’s end; the $43,000 he was able to obtain through grant funds; $5,000 made from Wonderland of Trees; more than 200 videos, 15,000 views and 250 subscribers on the museum’s Artifact Video Series on YouTube; and a collection of nearly 22,000 objects.

“And in March, we were awarded the 2023 special recognition award by the Chamber of Commerce. So celebrating our 130th year as a museum, we got a little recognition for it,” Duffy said. “We were very proud of that, and I'm really just proud of the steps we've been able to take, and building off the growth of 2023, especially since we brought (curator Tyler Angora) on in June, we've just been taking more and more steps, and the goal is to keep building on that as we go forward.”

He broke down those accomplishments a little further: The museum has grown its visitorship “by a few more hundred people compared to where we were last year,” with two of the museum’s busiest months yet to go. 

“So we're going to be even further ahead by the end of the year. Our YouTube channel has grown exponentially, over 10,000 views in the past year, which is up a few thousand from the year before,” he said. “Our membership is up another 45 from where we ended last year. And again, we still have two months to go. So our goal of 300 is very much in reach. We're at 287 now. So again, growing in that respect, our outreach has grown significantly, not just the YouTube channel, but we've started recording our other programs, which has brought in even more views, and getting people into the museum by showing them something maybe they wouldn't expect, and they come to the museum to check out what else we have.” 

He has written columns for local news outlets, including The Batavian, and has worked with historians and several groups, including the Museum Association of New York, and local school groups, Richmond Memorial Library, Lancaster Historical Society, Attica Senior Citizens, Elba Grange, Alexander Happy Agers, Indian Falls Seniors, Batavia Lions and Rotary clubs and Office for the Aging’s RSVP program, he said.

“We’re getting more notice with that, and our outreach. Just in this past month I’ve done presentations in five counties of Western New York, so our name’s getting out there, and people are interested in what we have to say on a bunch of different topics. So we’re very happy about that,” he said. “On some of our other major achievements, we’ve brought in or been awarded $43,000 in grants this year, which is a significant jump from years in the past. And the money reimbursed to our grant writer, Sarah, has been a major factor in that we’ve gotten money to go towards our addition project, as well as some collections grants, some program grants, so it’s also been going to a lot of different areas to help us improve, and we’ve been continuing our connections with other institutions that we’ve done in the past, those have all increased significantly in terms of number of hours.”

Last year’s Wonderland of Trees exhibit was the biggest ever, he said, drawing more than 500 people and making more than $5,000 from admission. 

“So there’s a major fundraiser. We’re starting to decorate now for this year’s, which we are expecting to even be bigger and better than last year, so we’re really looking forward to that,” Duffy said. “Our guest speaker program has really jumped off. We’re now doing sometimes three or four guest speakers or similar programs in a month, not to mention adding some other programming.”

Monthly staff presentations to share a particular passion, robust gift shop sales, business sponsorships and steady progress on the West Wing entrance — in the design phase — are other things happening at the West Main Street museum, he said.  

Challenges in the last two years have included continued development of plans for the proposed wing addition to the western side of the museum adjacent to the parking lot, which includes fundraising and potential grant opportunities to cover that high cost; researching and learning new technology of new virtual programming; a reimagining of exhibit spaces, continued organization of collections and related storage areas; expansion of public programming and fundraising events and both growing and diversifying the audience base, he said.

When asked about the biggest challenge of the museum, Duffy first said it’s to continue all of his action steps, adding that the priority is “to get people in the museum and to get people to notice us.”

“And that's probably still our biggest challenge. We're trying to kind of get past people's past impressions of us. Still, I think we've made some significant steps, but people still kind of think of us as what we were sometimes 50 years ago. But I think people are starting to see a lot of change, a lot of new things coming through, and that's really making people more interested in what's going on on a more regular basis,” he said. “Because before it was, ‘Oh, I was there five years ago, I don't need to come anymore.’ And now I tell people, ‘if you haven't been here in six months, you've missed out on a lot.’ So it's just continuing to get that point across, and to get people interested and excited about what we're doing, because we're excited about what we're doing, and we're trying to diversify the programming, the exhibits, even the items in the gift shop, as best we can, to get people to take notice of us and say, ‘I haven't been there in a while. I need to check it out.’”

Tuesday began early for Democratic Election Commissioner Lorie Longhany, who got up around 3 a.m. in anticipation of a busy Election Day, she says.

Longhany monitored the voting process and supervised 60 election workers throughout Genesee County. At just a few minutes before midnight, votes were still being tallied as exhausted workers looked forward to the end.

“For us, we’re very glad it is almost over,” Longhany said at 11:50 p.m. “Our staff worked very hard, especially the last month preparing for early voting and immediately rolling into Election Day.”

Presidential elections always draw the most people out to the polls, officials have said, and numbers have backed up that belief with early voting and on Election Day for candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

For nine days preceding the big day, there was early voting, which brought in a total of 7,233 people to cast their votes for local and national races. The first day of early voting drew a record-breaking number of 1,143 people to the ARC in Batavia, she said, and there were more than 22,000 votes cast on Election Day in Genesee County. There are 37,670 active registered voters in Genesee County, putting voter turnout at 77.6%

True to this county's deep Republican roots, the numbers panned out accordingly for the presidential, congressional, and Byron clerk and town council races.

Joseph Graff was the lone candidate running for Genesee County Sheriff on the Republican and Conservative tickets and is the Sheriff-elect to fill a vacancy left by Sheriff William Sheron, who will be retiring from the position at the end of this year. Graff received 22,300 votes, and there were 91 write-ins. 

Kevin Andrews, who ran unopposed on the Republican and Conservative lines to fill the spot left by former treasurer Scott German, who is also retiring at year's end, will be the Genesee County treasurer. Andrews received 21,939 votes, and there were 59 write-ins. 

German will take up a new role in January as the Republican election commissioner to fill a gap left by the retiring Richard Siebert. However, this was an appointed position by the county Legislature and not on the ballot.

David Wagenhauser, a Democratic challenger to incumbent Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney for the NY-24 territory, lost by a vote of 7,531 to 18,921.

Donald Trump came out ahead of Kamala Harris for president of the United States with double the votes, 18,580 to 9,098, and 241 write-in votes. 

Despite the high number of people processed, everything went well, from setup to the final day for voting, Longhany said. Voters were pleasant, and poll workers and techs did “an outstanding job.”

She said there were no issues with voters on Tuesday, and all poll sites had steady traffic throughout the day. They kept coming to cast their decisions right up to closing time at 9 p.m. Final, unofficial numbers were posted online at the Board of Elections by 2 a.m.

Pub Coffee Hub owner Rob Credi has mixed but confident feelings about his latest decision to close the shop at 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia, after a four-year run.

Credi announced the news on social media Tuesday and talked to The Batavian about prioritizing his work and family life. Pub Coffee Hub will close on Nov. 16.

“There’s nothing wrong with the business; it’s a profitable business. I think that we really exceeded my expectations. I feel like we really hit the ceiling for as how much we can grow in this space. I was actively looking for somewhere to move the coffee shop to, which is why I was originally engaged in conversations with (realtor) Gavin when the whole Gilliana's thing came up. But there wasn’t really anything that was worth moving the whole shop into … that would give us the greatest opportunity to expand and grow. So that was my first choice was to move it somewhere … and the second option was to see if someone wanted to take it over, whether it was buying the business as a whole and continuing this Pub Hub or just buying the assets and starting their own coffee shop,” Credit said, explaining that nothing worked out for any of those options. “And ultimately, you know, my life will be so much easier if I just wash my hands and call it a day. It’s been a great run. No regrets. We did incredibly well, and I’m happy with what we were able to do.

“So 99% of me is very sad, but the 1% is like, selfishly speaking, happy to get that off of my plate,” he said. “It’s nice because my staff is great; they really do run the day-to-day for me, but there’s still so much that I still need to do that they can’t do for me. So, being able to take that off my plate, we prioritize my young son at home, more that I want to be more available for, and then with my actual full-time job and everything, it’s just going to make my life a little bit easier.”

He currently has five part-time staff, and he is very grateful to them for being dedicated workers, as he is the customers, many who were regulars and most likely will continue to get their coffee and food orders up to the last day of closing, which is Nov. 16, he said. 

Credi considered staying open a while longer, but he didn’t want to get into the holiday season, when Pub Hub sold a lot of gift cards, and then have to deal with closing later and the potential for issuing refunds and unused cards. So, mid-November would give a couple of weeks’ notice to everyone and not get into that, he said.

An entrepreneur at heart, Credi bucked the odds by opening the coffee shop on the east end of town, moving into the Harvester Center complex formerly occupied by Moon Java and building up a business frequented not only by coffee lovers but by folks who enjoyed mingling and meeting and conducting business and arts events. He served as a spokesman of sorts when the avenue was torn up and parking became an issue, advocating for better communication between small businesses and municipal leaders. 

Credi also opened the Crapshoot Kitchen & Commissary and Xavmen Ramen just down the street in the same complex, closing them after a stint of finding some success with the takeout ramen place and hosting a Puerto Rican takeout restaurant for a short time. 

He continues to serve as business manager for Shush Wine Bar LLC (the actual name will change once opened next spring 2025) at 41 Jackson St. in the former Gilliana’s restaurant, in downtown Batavia, and looks forward to that venture owned by Bonnie Woodward and family. 

Throughout all of his endeavors, Credi understands and appreciates the patronage of loyal customers. On social media, he expressed how “incredibly grateful” he is for the support of his family, wife, customer base, and “trustworthy” staff.

“I couldn’t have taken it on without them,” he said,” “for making Pub Hub what it was.”

Lagging sales tax growth was the biggest challenge in drafting a proposed Genesee County budget, Matt Landers says. For 2025, the budget has tacked on $6.2 million more from this year’s total to accommodate several cost increases.

The county manager has carved out a budget of $189,249,435, which includes a tax rate of $7.57 — a 51-cent decrease from the current rate of $8.08 due to increased property assessments, he said this week.

“Large drivers of the increased budget were New York State retirement increases, health care cost increases, jail operating cost increases, preschool supportive health services program cost increases, assigned counsel cost increases, just to name some,” he said Monday to The Batavian. 

A budget presentation will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Courthouse Chambers of the Old County Courthouse, 7 Main St., Batavia. 

The budget increase is 3.4% more than from the 2024 adopted budget due to those increases and a lack of sales tax growth “to help offset the various cost increases,” Landers said.

If this budget is adopted by the county Legislature, it would mean an annual bill of $757 for a property assessed at $100,000, versus this year's tab of $808, for a decrease of $51 if a homeowner has not had a property assessment increase.

However, if a home's value went up from $100,000 to $125,000, it would mean that home that cost a yearly $808 would now cost $946.25, for an overall yearly increase of $138.25 due to that increased assessment. 

A brand new $70 million county jail on Route 5 has meant a debt service for several years to come, and those payments began in 2023. However, there are other considerations to go along with the larger size and responsibilities of the facility, Landers said. 

“The proposed budget has ten new correction officer positions created for the new county jail,” he said. “The medical costs at the jail are increasing due to the utilization of an additional contracted nurse in the 2025 budget.”

Which department raised the most concern in terms of cost?
“Jail, preschool supportive health services cost increases in which the county Public Health Department oversees, assigned counsel cost increases and 730 mental health restoration costs are all areas that continue to be closely monitored,” he said.

As an example of the increases, preschool program costs have gone from the 2024 budget of $2.7 million to the proposed 2025 budget of $4.6 million due to the program's rising demands and related costs of transportation, personnel, and benefits.

During his annual report to the Legislature in February, Public Health Director Paul Pettit discussed how transportation, in particular, was driving up pre-school costs, projecting a tab of nearly $1 million for busing alone in 2024.

Transportation and center program costs have been rising as an "underfunded mandate," Pettit had said.

“One of the drivers that’s really expensive is that more kids get referred.  You probably saw on the governor's proposal she's proposing a 5 percent rate increase across the board. And then there's a 4 percent rider for rural counties, which we would fall under that bucket. So that'd be a 9 percent rate increase for early intervention,” he said. “And this is one of those programs that, again, we don't have a lot of control over the services that are provided.” 

Landers has earmarked $1.14 million for preschool transportation in 2025. Mental health court is slated for an extra $200,000 in 2025, for a total of $500,000.

How is the water project fitting in -- debt service, the planning for work to be done this next year? 
“Besides the annual $515,000 General Fund contribution to water from sales tax, which has been taking place for 20+ years, all operations of the water fund continue to be paid for out of operating revenues of the water fund,” he said. “Planning continues for Phase 3 of the water system.”

Circumstances may not have been perfect, but Landers is pleased with what he plans to present on Wednesday, he said.

“I am happy with the efforts made by my department heads and staff to deliver responsible budget requests that meet the demands of the community while providing quality service and do so in an efficient manner,” he said. “I would say the reduction in sales tax is a challenge that doesn’t present itself very often, which makes this budget a little more unique.” 

The Legislature will meet on Nov. 13 to discuss the budget and include any public feedback to make further recommendations if necessary. The Ways & Means Committee will then review the budget and refer it to the full Legislature for vote. A vote to adopt the budget is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 25 in Courthouse Chambers. 

Anyone who has walked or cycled down a city street may have experienced some trepidation when dealing with automobile traffic on major routes and wished there were more options for pedestrians and bicyclists to get from home to shopping, recreation, work and appointments.

City management is hoping to do just that with a citywide transportation study, with the eventual goal of improving transportation options and safety for people who use modes of transportation other than motorized vehicles. 

City Council has tentatively approved the study for $80,000, which will be paid for with a $70,000 federal grant and $10,000 from the city, and City Manager Rachael Tabelski briefed council members about the study during this week’s conference session.

“The corridors we've identified that we really want to focus on include downtown Batavia, the Uptown Connection, which would be connecting transportation options from downtown to the Harvester campus, the Healthy Living triangle that connects the McCarthy Ice Arena, Austin Park and Ellicott Trail with the newly constructed Healthy Living campus, improving the Ellicott Street corridor — that's one of our main focuses of the study is to look at the traffic in that corridor and look at any type of traffic calming measures that help it help pedestrians and bicyclists feel safer in the Ellicott Street corridor — the West Side commercial corridor, and then parks and recreation areas and how they connect to neighborhoods,” Tabelski said. “So those would be the goals and the focus of the study. Once the study is done, you can then apply for grant funds using the study in the future.”

The city has been awarded a $70,000 grant from the Genesee Transportation Council. It will match the funding with $10,000 of committed funds and establish a steering committee to work with a consultant to complete the project.

The study will identify opportunities for enhanced connectivity between neighborhoods, reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles, and ensure that all residents, including those in underserved areas, have access to safe and efficient active transportation options, according to the plan. It will also aim to bolster the use of non-motorized transportation, such as walking, cycling, and multi-modal transportation options, which align with the goals of the city’s 2017 Comprehensive Plan.

The city has already made progress on improving pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure through various initiatives, Tabelski said, including the Transportation Enhancements/Alternatives Program, Healthy Schools Corridor, approximately $5 million in sidewalk investments over the past decade, and the creation of the Ellicott Trail that winds throughout the city. However, officials believe there remains a need to identify and implement further improvements to create a more connected and accessible transportation network and a healthy living corridor.

Once the final plan is adopted, it should provide a framework that will help the city achieve the following:

Create a citywide transportation plan as a guide for implementing and enhancing safety, access, and connectivity for all modes of transportation.

Provide opportunities to promote healthier, more active lifestyles for city residents by improving mobility and connections to jobs, shopping, and recreation in the downtown area, focusing on the "Healthy Living Triangle."

Improve access to the South side of Batavia through improvements to the Ellicott Street corridor, including pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.

Connecting downtown, Ellicott Street/Ellicott Trail and the Uptown corridor (Harvester Street and Swan Street) will improve walkability, access to businesses, arts and culture, and create a feeling of safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Reduce the risk of traffic accidents on major routes within the city.

There are several projects underway that will have an impact on transportation in Batavia, city management says, including:

Ellicott Street Corridor -- a key route through Batavia that connects Routes 63 and 5 -- had a major overhaul several years ago to make it a two-lane highway for trucker traffic and seemed to hamper much of the traffic entering from side streets, is in need of improvement to better connect neighborhoods, key destinations, and the growing pedestrian and cyclist traffic. 

Ellicott Trail, a multi-use path that runs through the corridor, requires upgrades to enhance safety and accessibility for non-motorized users. Additional housing developments and mixed-use projects have added affordable and market-rate housing units, increasing pedestrian and bike traffic. With 38% of traffic consisting of light trucks and an active rail line crossing near downtown, the corridor faces significant challenges.

Planned upgrades will focus on improving traffic flow, ensuring pedestrian and cyclist safety, reducing speed, exploring traffic-calming measures, improving crossings, and improving signage. 

Environmental Justice and equity: the city is home to several environmental justice block groups, and the demographic composition underscores the importance of making the transportation system more accessible, inclusive and safe for all residents, especially the Ellicott Street Corridor. The transportation plan will focus on addressing the needs of these vulnerable populations, ensuring that improvements benefit all residents, particularly those in underserved communities.

Downtown/Uptown Connection: In 2017, the city began advancing downtown revitalization projects to stimulate economic growth and revitalize its downtown. To date, it has resulted in $65 million in improvements. These grant-funded improvements have enhanced the downtown, improving connectivity for residents, supporting multimodal transportation between downtown, the uptown connection of Harvester Avenue and surrounding residential neighborhoods, helping to sustain economic momentum.

Zoning code update: For the first time in more than two decades, the city is reevaluating and comprehensively updating its city code. The code update will be comprehensive, user-friendly, pro-economic development and simple to read.

The mandatory task is to form a project steering/advisory committee by identifying all applicable stakeholders, such as state transportation facilities and other infrastructure (road, bridge, bike or pedestrian facilities or transit). If stakeholders are not part of the committee, they must have the opportunity to review and comment on draft recommendations that impact their facilities.

Other tasks include publicly announcing a request for proposals, and a designated group will evaluate the responses and hire a consultant with specialized experience in active transportation planning; having the consultant collaborate with the committee, which may include representatives from the Genesee County Planning Department, town of Batavia, Batavia Development Corp., Batavia Improvement District, Genesee Community College, Chamber of Commerce, City Council, Genesee County Economic Development Center, Batavia Police Department, local business owners, GTC staff, Regional Transit Service and Office for the Aging. These entities will assist by providing relevant data, reviewing project tasks and evaluating feasible options. 

The consultant is to perform an analysis of current conditions and assess the needs of the project area, including the city’s background, historical context, planning documents, existing land use, ownership and zoning regulations; a comparison of the findings to the goals and priorities outlined in the city’s strategic plan, ensuring alignment with the vision for the community’s future development, including integration of complete street and traffic calming elements where applicable; analyzing motor vehicle traffic patterns, identifying physical and program needs; and engaging the public through meetings, surveys, stakeholder interviews and/or focus groups.

The committee and consultant will collaborate to identify opportunities to enhance active transportation throughout the city based on the needs previously identified and eventually recommend improvements to multi-modal circulation and access throughout the area, in preparation for a final report that summarizes the key findings and recommendations. 

Public participation is crucial to the study, and the consultant plans are to include and engage low-income, minority, disabled, senior and youth populations. Two public meetings will be scheduled to gather input on existing conditions, needs and goals and to then present draft findings and recommendations and obtain feedback before finalizing the study. 

A tentative schedule has been set to begin with November for scope of work approval, an RFP release in January 2025, selection of the consultant and City Council approval in March, a signed contract by April, a kickoff meeting in May, existing conditions analysis and needs assessment finalized by August, concept plans, strategies and recommendations finalized by October, a draft final report by the end of 2025, and a completed study by February 2026. 

Granting an age exemption would mean a loss of more than $2 million in taxable property value for the city; however, given the city’s overall $100 million property value, City Manager Rachael Tabelski says the timing seems right.

City Council is looking at giving property owners age 65 and older who meet certain income limitations a greater tax exemption on their home, similar to what Genesee County has already adopted. The county’s resolution increased the exemption levels for county tax, and “in response, the city would also propose to increase the income levels of individuals to qualify for the exemption,” Tabelski said.

“So to be in line with the county — we haven't changed the limit since 1994 — I'm bringing it to you for your discussion and decision,” she said during this week’s conference meeting at City Hall.

She has recommended adjusting the scale to mirror the county’s income limits for homeowners 65 and older with incomes at or below $23,800 for a 50% property tax exemption and capping off at $32,199.99 with a 5% exemption.

Council briefly discussed this option previously, and Tabelski brought it back to the table to potentially include in future budget talks. She said it would become effective in the 2025 assessment roll year. 

Exemptions would be 50% for a maximum income of up to $23,800, slide down to 45% for up to $24,799.99, and continue decreasing by 5% increments while the income level increases about $1,000 each time until it hits the highest income of $32,199.99 for an exemption of 5% (see table below).

Exemption Minimum Income Maximum Income

50%               $0                         $23,800.00

45%               $23,800.01           $24,799.99

40%               $24,800.00           $25,799.99

35%               $25,800.00           $26,799.99

30%               $26,800.00           $27,699.00

25%               $27,700.00            $28,599.99

20%               $28,600.00           $29,499.99

15%                $29,500.00           $30,399.99

10%                $30,400.00          $31,299.99

5%                  $31,300.00           $32,199.99

The city’s current sliding scale for property tax exemptions begin with an income of $16,500 or below for the 50% exemption, and tops out at $24,000 for 5% exemption.

Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said he was for this exemption. He emphasized the importance of approving this plan as another way for people to retain their own properties.

“Not only is it important to keep in line with the county, but more important to help people in the city; this might make the difference of whether they’re able to stay in their house, so I think we should do all we can,” Jankowski said.

A councilman asked how this would impact city revenue. 

“We’ll lose up to $2.6 million. So that is your assessment value, so it’s not pure revenue, it’s what we assess properties at,” Tabelski said. “So this exemption would take $2.6 million out of that value. But in the last year, the assessor had reported to us that we have $100 million in taxable value from 2023 to 2024, so this would be a year to go ahead and do that. So the value that came in is not only reassessments of homes, but also new businesses and improving businesses.”

The consensus of the group was to move forward with the exemption. 

Although groundbreakings may seem to be all about the fanfare of shovels in the ground and celebratory speeches, this spring's event for the city’s new police facility cost $10,000, requiring a budget transfer by the City Council.

City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. questioned the total amount for the event, which was conducted in the Alva Place parking lot this past May. City, county and political representatives praised the new police station project to be built in the corner lot of Alva and Bank Street in downtown Batavia.

“It seems a little high,” Jankowski said. 

City Manager Rachael Tabelski detailed the cost.

“We used public relations in there as well for some of the outreach to the businesses in the area,” she said during Monday’s meeting at City Hall. “So it was public relations, planning the event and paying for the event.”

Businesses in the area didn’t respond very positively soon after the project began, with fencing shutting off adjacent parking used for patients with disabilities. Those business owners claimed that communication was lacking from the start, as they hadn’t been notified of the plan for the parking lot, and they voiced complaints for several weeks after the project commenced. 

Tabelski further explained the groundbreaking and other costs that required a total transfer of $132,779 from the Contingency Fund. One of those costs included money for renovations to curbs and sidewalks in an effort to help and appease those business owners with alternate ways for their patients to reach their offices more safely.

"There are times where certain expenses are in excess of budgeted amounts set in April," Tabelski said in a memo to council. "The six-month budget review is a financial process that assists the City Council and city manager when reviewing the status of the budget and in making transfers as necessary.

"The city hosted a groundbreaking and media event for the new police facility, and expenses were charged to the city manager's account. I am recommending increasing the city manager-professional fees account by $10,000," she said.

A breakdown of the remaining additional costs included:

• "The city has utilized labor attorney services for various employee and union matters in the first six months of the budget, and with ongoing issues I am recommending an increase in the Legal Services-Labor Counsel account by $30,000," she said.
• The city has been involved in several contested code cases, extreme risk protection order hearings, property foreclosure reviews, property sale assistance, and property phase I and II reviews that have added expense to the city budget, she said. That is to add another recommended $30,000 to the Legal Services-Professional fees account.
• Tabelski also recommended adding $16,980 to the Community Development account for funds expended for mid-block curb cuts and extension of private sidewalks to allow for better access in the corridor since the beginning of the police facility construction project. Curb cuts and sidewalk extensions were done after business owners complained about the lack of parking and access due to construction fencing in the parking lot.  
• The city makes a yearly payment to the BP2 fund to assist with new economic development activities in the Brownfield Opportunity Area out of earned PILOT revenue, she said. She recommended increasing the Economic Development account by a related $5,799.
• Since the city's general liability insurance expenses were more than expected for fiscal year 2024-25, she recommends adding $40,000 to the Administrative Services-Insurance Account, she said. 

The total of $132,779 will come from the city’s Contingency Fund.

Batavia High School’s old faithful willow tree, a longtime staple in the front lawn on State Street, got a trim Wednesday as part of a much-needed and proactive maintenance recommended by arborist company Wyatt Van Buren Tree Service of East Bethany.

Van Buren Tree Service had advised the city school district that the tree had several dead branches, adding too much weight to the trunks, and required some proactive trimming to avoid the risk of future storms irreparably damaging the tree, school officials said.

The Batavian asked why the district opted to use an arborist. Superintendent Jason Smith said that although the district has a buildings and grounds crew, Van Buren was chosen because of his expertise in dealing with trees of this type.

"We selected Wyatt Van Buren Tree Service, based in East Bethany, NY, for this project because they specialize in preservation work for mature trees like this one,” Smith said. “While our buildings and grounds team handles regular maintenance, this project required specialized equipment and expertise that we don't have in-house. The work needed to be handled delicately to protect the iconic tree's health and longevity.”

Did this action have to be approved by the Board of Education, and how much did these services cost?

“The Board of Education was kept informed throughout the process and was supportive, though formal approval wasn't required, as we followed standard purchasing procedures,” Smith said. “The community response has been overwhelmingly positive, with many alumni and families expressing appreciation for our efforts to preserve this iconic tree that means so much to our school community.”

Smith wanted to be clear that the tree trimming company has a certified arborist on staff who assisted with the process to “make sure all the right steps are taken for the correct preservation of the willow tree.” 

“The purchase order was not to exceed $4,000, but we expect it to be less as it took less time than anticipated,” he said.

The goal was to proactively maintain the tree and preserve it “for generations of BHS students and staff to come,” officials said. Work was to only last a few days; however, it went much more quickly and was completed by Wednesday afternoon.

Photos by Joanne Beck

After dealing with several months of drought for the past two years in the town of Bethany, officials and residents have something to look forward to this coming spring, Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. says.

Hyde issued a statement Wednesday that all of the preparation — surveys, applications, legal footwork —  the town will begin its next water district this spring. 

“After nine years of hard work, the Town of Bethany has received the green light for the construction of public Water District #5 for the residents, farms and businesses in the district,” Hyde said. “The construction is slated to start in early 2025, which will supply 474 units.”

The town had endured a drought severe enough to warrant a State of Emergency in December 2023. That dry condition meant hauling water for miles to and from homes and businesses and resulted in some generous donations of bottled water from local businesses, a water tanker that was loaned from the state for folks to fill up at Town Hall, and at least one farm shutting down due to the water shortage and hardship. 

Add to that the Covid pandemic mucking up the process in between, causing delays and price increases and pushing a potential water district more out of reach. 

Hyde was able to put Water District #5 on the map after the town received a Water Infrastructure Improvement Award in mid-December 2023 for $5 million. Since the town’s first application had been denied, town officials submitted a second one and anxiously awaited word of whether they would be approved — receiving that good news before end of the year to serve residents north to Route 20.

As a nurse in long-term and outpatient family care, Joy Hammond has seen the need for more options when it comes to caring for terminally ill people, she says.

“I would say, in general, the staff in hospitals and staff in long-term care do the best that they can. But the reality is, there's just not enough of them. It is simply the fact of the matter. And you can have the biggest heart for the patient, or the resident in that case, who is dying, but you cannot be at their bedside 24/7, which is not possible. And so to be able to have that option to have a comfort care situation where you can have a volunteer or paid staff be there and be focused on that patient, be focused on their family, that is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” Hammond said during a meeting Monday night at Stone Church in Bergen. “Life care is something I have experienced with my nursing career through the years. And so I'm very, very excited about the possibility of bringing comfort care, bringing a comfort care option here to this part of the county, because there really isn't anything here.”

She was one of about 30 people who attended an initial Genesee Valley Regional Community Cares meeting about establishing a comfort care home on the east end of Genesee County. An effort that began in 2019 and was stalled by Covid. It has now surged forward with the Rev. Robert “Mike” Stuart, Louie Crocker, Keven Kent, Clerk of Session Deb Godllove, of Stone Church Presbyterian, professional organizer Frank Strock, who has volunteered to lead the way, and others, including independent end-of-life doula Ashley Manuel. 

For anyone unfamiliar with comfort care homes, such as Crossroads House in Batavia, they are two-bed facilities for people diagnosed with three months or less to live. Unlike the typical hospital or nursing home, however, comfort care homes are actually more like one’s home — with no restrictions on visiting hours or what foods and drinks one may have, and individual customized attention to fit that person’s needs and personality. There are nurses on staff and/or on-call and round-the-clock volunteers to be there for companionship, to fix meals, bake cookies, fetch a beer, tell a joke, share some tears, and anything in between. 

As Hammond said, from her personal and professional experience, “It just makes the end of life so much … better.”

You know, an all-around experience, it can be truly a beautiful thing, which is kind of crazy in our Western culture; we don’t look at death as beautiful, but it really can be a beautiful thing in the correct environment that supports the family and the person who’s passing,” she said. “So I really am very supportive. I hope that we can make it work.”

She said she's a resident of Bergen and willing to volunteer for this effort once it gets going. 

Stuart, a Marine veteran who later entered the seminary, has been so committed to the effort that he donated his salary while working a stint at Stone Church and shared his humble beginnings during an internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.  He was a chaplain during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and the blood supply in the city was infected.

"So I was a chaplain for a lot of those kids that were hemophiliacs that died from the blood supply. They were infected, but they had the best treatment they could ever get. So since then, I felt a calling to end-of-life care and served many years in that capacity,” he said, quoting Dr. Emily Smith about loving your neighbor. “It’s about inner work that requires us to ask hard questions and allow that way of being to become part of us, and it requires courage, and means that our lives might look different from how we thought they would. But trust me, friends, if we center on the wrong things to just be good enough type of people, you may be afraid we may be set up for time because I don’t think we’ll ever be who we were meant to be. We can’t redo the past, but we can reimagine the future. That’s what we’re doing now tonight.” 

To do that, he said, “We must ask the right questions.” Asking “who” is my neighbor is the wrong one. The right one is “Am I a neighbor?”

Former Crossroads board member and longtime volunteer Jamie Charters explained how these homes work and what goes into running them: at least 60 volunteers in shifts 24/7, 365 days a year; a few paid staff members of an executive director and director of residential services and perhaps someone for marketing; and a nonprofit that operates on donations. 

When his father-in-law was at Crossroads House, family was there two days prior making and eating pizzas, drinking some wine, telling stories, reminiscing and spending quality final moments with their loved one, he said. 

“I could see the smile on his face,” Charters said. “None of this nursing home (stuff).”

There’s no charge to the resident who spends those final days at the comfort care home, and there are no insurance payments, Medicaid, or Medicare, he said. 

“It simply lives on donations, grants, a lot of fundraising,” he said. “But for some reason for this correct business model is incredibly successful. It really takes everybody.”

One attendee asked if organizers have a piece of property for this comfort care home. No, not yet, and organizers are seeking a donation of land, ideally in the Bergen area. They checked out the schoolhouse next to the church but discovered that there was no septic system, and the health department ruled it out as a potential site, Godlove said.

Strock emphasized that “you are the resource” for the effort, as it will take many people to help, from board members to volunteers with ideas and healthcare, design, construction, clerical, technical and bookkeeping experience. He cited a facility in Ogden that has been operating through the efforts of one woman’s inspiration for the last 13 years. 

Allen Edwards of Brockport was ready to be a resource. He was familiar with this area, he said, because his late wife was a bereavement counselor and coordinator for lifetime care for the last 20 years of her career and then was also in at-home hospice before she died. And Edwards has his own experience.

“As she used to always say, ‘as a veterinarian, you've been doing hospice longer than I have, because, unfortunately, animals die more frequently than people.’ So it's something that I'm just curious about; I'm certainly interested in being a volunteer. I don't know what else I do, but I have a varied skill set, so we'll see," he said. "I'm not a Genesee County resident, but that doesn't matter. It's been said that if there's a need and you don't help them, what are you doing? You're wasting your time on earth.”

Strock was pleased with this first showing of support and curiosity. Bart Dentino, an advocate of comfort care homes, even performed a musical number after sharing that both of his parents were residents of Crossroads House. Jim Morasco of United Church of Christ in Morganville discussed volunteering at Crossroads House. 

“It's an inspiration that people came out because people want to know what's happening with a concept like this, and they want to know where we're at with it. So, that communication, which we're both involved in, is basic; I think we have to find out where we're all at in this project. Many people, including the fellows who are up there now who were invited to see me, are giving testimonials. Bart is giving a testimonial … the same thing with Jim. So it's just that constant inspiration that came through the group,” Strock said. “Sure, we would have liked to have had more people. I'm hoping that I can get the presbytery of Genesee Valley behind this project. Yes, they definitely believe in the concept, but with our new leadership, it's going to take a little bit of development. 

“So, yes, I believe it's a good beginning. It's a good start. You can see the questions and ideas that came out of it, and I think in a group like that, I think it's always people who are a little hesitant. But I think now that people are on a personal basis, I think they'll relate a little better … and then I think that's how our communities meet here,” he said. “I think that's how I found it back when I first came here in 1964. That's how it started, and that's how it continues to this day. We'll take all the resources we have from people who came. We'll be in touch with them.”

Go HERE for prior coverage and how to donate.  

There may not have been hiccups on the first day of early voting, but there were plenty of smiles for at least one voter who was glad she did her patriotic duty Saturday.

Tonya Gray, proudly displaying an “I Voted” sticker on her forehead, was practically giddy as she came out of the ARC Community Center building on Woodrow Road Saturday in Batavia after casting her votes in this year’s election.

“It’s the first time I ever voted early,” said Gray of Batavia. “It just made me feel good to get it off my chest. There’s so much going on in the world, so much madness. I’m able to have a voice, I feel so good. I feel chipper and I voted. And I’m going to spread the word and tell others to vote early — today.”

She planned to corral some friends or family to get off the couch and go vote instead of sitting around and letting time waste, she said. Gray later added that “tomorrow isn’t promised to us,” so go vote while you can.

Apparently she wasn’t alone in her enthusiasm to get it done on the first of nine early voting days. There were 1,143 voters that showed up to ARC Saturday, Democratic Election Commissioner Lorie Longhany said.

“We processed more early voters today than we ever have in one day,” she said.

As far as the process and people, things couldn’t have gone better, Longhany said.

“There were no hiccups,” she said. “Setup went without a hitch. Voters were pleasant, poll workers and techs did an outstanding job. Everything ran perfectly today. Very proud of the staff.”

She checked in at the polling site earlier in the day and was also at the Board of Elections, where people could register to vote. Some registrations came from portals and some from walk-ins, for a total of about 50 for the day, she said.

Alicia Catlin was the election technician for polling, and will be one of three for the nine-day duration. There were 10 inspectors and three coordinators also working with her Saturday, she said.

With about 90 minutes to go, they had clocked “just over 1,000 so far,” she said. 

“It has been crazy,” Catlin said. “We had a line at 8:30 this morning. I’m happy, I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed.”

The place seemed like a well-oiled machine just past 3:15 p.m., as people still trickled in, checking in, getting their voting forms, taking a seat at the privacy voting tables and then submitting their own forms through the scanner. 

County officials have said that presidential elections draw the most people out to vote, and this year is to be no exception. It has been a hotly contested race between non-incumbents Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on the Republican and Conservative tickets and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on the Democratic and Working Families lines vying for president of the United States.

Patrick and Karen Herron of Le Roy were satisfied with how well it was operated, and glad they got their voting over with.

“It’s great, especially for people that work. And that was easy,” Karen Herron said. “It seems that it was pretty regulated. This is a very important election.”

Her husband Patrick said it was a first time for them early voting, and he did so because that’s what the Republican Party had asked of its members. 

“And anyone that can vote should do so,” he said, listing some concerns of immigration, the high cost of goods, and turmoil in the Middle East. “There’s a lot of chaos that shouldn’t be.”

Early voting continues at the ARC Community Center, 38 Woodrow Road, Batavia with the following schedule:

• Monday, Oct. 28: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Tuesday, Oct. 29: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Wednesday, Oct. 30: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Thursday, Oct. 31: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

• Friday, Nov. 1: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

• Saturday, Nov. 2: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

• Sunday, Nov. 3: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

For additional information about this year’s election, sample ballots and Election Day, go to the Board of Elections. 

While 6-year-old Joseph Robinson continued to fill his Batman bag with sweet loot Saturday afternoon, his folks had the opportunity to learn about new places they hadn't seen before during the annual Business Improvement District Trick-or-Treat event in downtown Batavia. 

Derek and Mary Beth Robinson, of Batavia, brought their son for some fun trick-or-treating, and also took a tour of the newly built Main St. Theater inside Batavia City Centre. 

"It's really good, it's awesome," Mary Beth said.  "We got the brochure, so we plan on coming back."

That was a cabaret to Coburn's ears, you could say. They had an estimated 200 visitors throughout the two-hour event, and some "didn't know we existed," she said. 

"That's our reason for participating," she said. "That's our mission, to make theater accessible for people, and they can't attend if they don't know we exist."

She wanted to remind the public that a "Spooky Cabaret" is coming up in time for the season. It's at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 1, and tickets are $10. 

Just outside the theater, Matteo Spink was with his dad, Michael, from Oakfield. They believed this was their fourth year attending, and it was mainly about the fun more than learning about the merchants since his family's experience had already been "dipped" in many of the local businesses, he said. 

"I have friends that work at some of these businesses, and my daughter has been in a youth program here," Michael said, motioning to the theater. 

Nearly 40 BID merchants sponsored the event, which drew families from throughout Genesee County and beyond, including Batavia, Oakfield, Le Roy and Varysburg.

Owners of H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home already knew they were committed to the business and taking care of customers, and being named as a Selected Independent Funeral Homes member has solidified their belief that “we don’t just talk the talk; we walk the walk,” co-owner Steven Johnson says.

While the honor may seem to place a narrow focus on the world of morticians and their industry, this is something that lets all prospective customers know who they can trust, Johnson said.

“I think why it's important to them is that our invitation to join Selected and Independent, and it truly is by invitation only sort of association, our membership can give the community that we serve, the families that we serve, the confidence that we are truly a cut above your average everyday run-of-the-mill funeral home,” Johnson said during an interview with The Batavian Friday. “We had to submit ourselves to background checks to be considered for applicant or for membership. So they did a background check on us, plus on our business, and only firms that are known and proven to be reputable are invited to join. And I think that that is something that the community certainly should appreciate, given what has happened in this community in the past.”

Selected Independent Funeral Homes was founded in 1917 as the world’s oldest and largest association of independently owned funeral homes. It has 399 members across the country and 474 members internationally. All members are expected to operate according to specific standards and best practices to provide the public with reliable, high-quality funeral services and funeral-related information.

The Batavian asked Johnson and fellow owners Justin Calarco-Smith and Joshua Smith why the general public would care about this achievement, and all three pointed to the importance of being acknowledged for not only being successful in the industry but also for the role that Turner plays in its own backyard.

“In a world where a lot of family-run independent businesses, not even funeral homes, are being swallowed up by conglomerates and by people that don't really have any stake in the communities that they serve, I think it makes a difference for the public to know that it's still Steve, Joshua and Justin, no matter what number of rooftops that we own, it's still the three of us that own and operate this business on a daily basis, and we are the ones who decide how much money and where to divide all the money, you know, putting money back into the communities and into different organizations,” Calarco-Smith said. “You know, it doesn't go into somebody's pocket in Texas or Florida or California. Everything that we make stays sort of locally. And we do, we give a substantial amount of money back to our communities.”

As a local business, Turner constantly gets asked for contributions to nonprofits, and the typical response has been yes, whether it’s Genesee Cancer Assistance or Crossroads House or Gateway Home or others, Johnson said. That may not be the direct reason for this privilege of being named to Selected Independent; however, he said there is a strong connection between this newly named member and the community. 

“Just like Justin said, we're not just taking people's money and then sending all of it to Houston, wherever, and so that's important because we're independent, and Justin, Josh and I are the owners, we do have a vested interest in our community, and so we want the community to trust us, which is also another reason why this is important,” Johnson said. 

So what does this achievement actually mean? Turner was thoroughly reviewed for a background check of its business records, social media and online presence, and family satisfaction ratings, Johnson said. Every one of those 474 members gave a vote of yes to make the company a member of Selected Independent, and one vote would have hampered it from doing so. Membership is by invitation only and extended only after that review of character, service, performance and the facilities pass professional muster. 

In turn, part of this membership means that Turner has taken a vow to abide by a Code of Good Practice, which is a set of principles for funeral homes to be transparent about pricing, functions, services, and responsibilities; to provide charges in writing and make no additions without prior approval of the customer; be fair and accurate, respect all faiths, creeds and customs; maintain qualified and competent staff, complete facilities and suitable equipment required for a comprehensive funeral service; be responsive to the needs of the financially strained; comply with federal trade regulations; and, perhaps most importantly, pledge to conduct themselves “in such a manner as to deserve the public trust.”

Selected Independent Executive Director and CEO Robert Paterkiewicz welcomed Turner to the association, emphasizing that affiliation with this membership is an honor “because of the high standards of funeral service required to receive an invitation to become a member.”

“As independently owned and operated firms, our members are truly in their communities,” he said. “H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home, like all our members, takes seriously their responsibility and dedication to providing the best possible funeral service to their friends and neighbors.”

Since he learned about this membership last month, Calarco-Smith has felt validated as a professional in a time-honored, long-running family business that his father, the late Jim Smith, proudly worked in and earned a similar membership for, he said.

“For me personally, is the solidification of knowing that we are still doing the right things and taking the right steps. Our dad was a member of the same organization. It had a different moniker back in the early 90s, and it was important to him because it garnered a lot of the ideas we still implement today, almost. You know, 30 years after his initial call into membership, I'd like to think that whatever we can gain from the group, we can in ways, give back to our public,” he said. “As far as helping our public out more, helping our families out more, offering more. You know, if there's different ways that we can continue to help our community and our families, that's why this is very important to me.

“At the end of the day, this is what it’s all about; it’s all about family and community,” he said. “And this community, if you will, of the group that we just were elected into, that’s a sense of community there, and if we can take what we garner and learn therefrom that community and give it back to the people that we see on a daily basis, only good or positive can come from that.”

Johnson added that meetings are not just about paying dues and showing up for attendance, but about involvement in active discussions and brainstorming for future use. 

“I walked away from here with 30 different ideas of ways that we could better serve our community. Now, are we going to do all of them? No, but it’s an open, free-sharing, honest conversation amongst peers who specifically are not competitors. And so, back when it was National Selected Morticians, Jim (Smith’s) study group is what gave us the idea for our annual service of prayer and remembrance. And so now I hope that the study group that I was fortunate to be asked to join while I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago will feed something else that really will continue to put us apart so that we can better serve the community.”

Johnson believes that offshoots from that study group will eventually be implemented here to further benefit and strengthen the grieving process and serve the needs of families and individuals. 

All three owners are humbled and honored for the designation, they said. Joshua Smith added that “it shows that the time and effort that we put in, we know it here and we see it here from everybody.”

“It's nice to see that it's recognized by others who have the same approach and the same ideas as far as what, why you're doing, what you do, why you spend time to get to develop relationships with the people that you meet,” Smith said. “We always try and we do the best, but having others recognize that from miles and miles away is a real honor.”

After all of the hopeful visions and dreams for developer Yong Guang Ye’s possible plans for the former JC Penney building, the site is now likely to go up for auction after going to foreclosure.

Ye’s former realtor, Jonathan Mauer of Pyramid Brokerage Co. in Fairport, no longer represents the California developer, who “didn’t really have a business plan” when he bought the department store property for $500,000, Maurer said. It was then put up for sale at a selling price of $750,000.

After the purchase became public, others chimed in with hopeful wishes that it could be turned into a boutique or micro hotel or a concert venue, citing its downtown location and midway point of Buffalo and Rochester as being a perfect setup for travelers. There were no takers for the property, apparently, and Ye let property taxes lapse into what may be eventual foreclosure, Maurer said. He wasn’t certain which out-of-state bank was the lender.

City Manager Rachael Tabelski briefly mentioned that it looked like the property was going up for auction during a recent City Council meeting. The Batavian requested further confirmation about the site's status at 40 Batavia City Centre on Friday afternoon. 

"I believe they are one year out of back taxes, so foreclosure requires two years delinquent. I’ll need to check records to confirm," Tabelski said Friday. "I have heard that the lending company may be auctioning the property off. But I also have not found any details of this yet."

JC Penney closed its doors at City Centre in the fall of 2020 in an onslaught of closings due to corporate bankruptcy proceedings. Batavia’s site then sat quietly as local shoppers mourned the loss of another department store. 

According to Genesee County assessment records, Yong Guang Ye of San Jose, Calif., purchased the 38,524-square-foot site on Feb. 2, 2021. The property has been assessed at $400,000. 

JC Penney was built in 1978 along Alva Place and remained a strong anchor for the former Genesee Country Mall-turned-Batavia City Centre until its doors were permanently closed in late 2020.