Le Roy

Press Release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) introduced a resolution yesterday declaring Feb. 12-18, 2024 as Jell-O week in the state of New York. Jell-O was originally created in 1897 by a carpenter from Le Roy named Pearle Wait. Wait experimented with gelatin and came up with the fruit-flavored dessert which his wife, Mary, named Jell-O. 

The Jell-O Company changed ownership several times before leaving Le Roy in 1964. Known as America’s Most Famous Dessert, Jell-O remains a distinguished part of the town’s history. The Jell-O museum, located on East Main Street, still displays the company’s original advertising art, molds, spoons, toys, collectibles, and recipe books. 

Hawley is proud to recognize this dessert’s rich history, which started in Western New York and has contributed to the economic growth and prosperity of communities across New York and throughout the country.

“The founding of the Jell-O Company is a testament to the inspiring ingenuity and innovation that can only be found in Western New York,” said Hawley. “America’s Most Famous Dessert earned its name for its impact across our state and country for creating jobs, economic opportunity, and improving the quality of life for people throughout our nation. From a local treat to an internationally sold product, Jell-O has made its mark across the globe. This week, we recognize our region's hard work and accomplishments in founding one of America’s most beloved deserts.”

Kaila S. Smith, 27, of Batavia, is charged with filing a false written statement and falsely reporting an incident. Smith is accused of falsely reporting a sexual assault on Jan. 5. She was arrested on Jan. 13 and issued an appearance ticket.

Michael A. Sweet, 37, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny 4th. Sweet is accused of taking payment to complete renovations on a residence in Batavia and then never completing the work. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Maverick X. Cook, 18, and Patrick J. Peters, 18, both of Batavia, are charged with open burning. Cook and Peters are accused of starting several fires on sidewalks and parking lots in the area of Ellicott Street and Liberty Street, Batavia, in December. Both were issued appearance tickets.

Darrell Laverne McFadden, 53, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, is charged with assault 2nd. McFadden is accused of causing serious physical injury during a fight at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, at a location on Clinton Street Road. He was jailed pending arraignment.

Jessica B. Eschenlauer, 34, of Batavia, is charged with burglary 2nd, criminal contempt 2nd, and aggravated family offense. Eschenlauer is accused of being inside a residence in violation of an order of protection. She was arraigned and released.

Roger M. Hofmeier, 22, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon 3rd. In July 2022, Hofmeir was allegedly found in illegal possession of a firearm. He was arrested on Jan. 11, arraigned in City Court, and released under supervision.

Nikkia M. Blackshear, 26, of Batavia, is charged with trespassing. Blackshear is accused of refusing to leave 7-Eleven on Jan. 20. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Adrienne S. Bechtold, 28, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd. Bechtold was charged following a traffic stop on Jan. 18 on Ross Street, Batavia. She was allegedly found in possession of narcotics and a scale. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Vincent J. Disalvo, 48, of Webster, is charged with harassment 2nd and trespassing. Disalvo is accused of kicking another person during a fight in the 7-Eleven Parking lot. He then allegedly entered the store after being told he wasn't allowed in the store. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Anthony A. Bomasuto, 29, of Batavia, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing. Bomasuto is accused of being involved in an incident on Jan. 15 on Ellicott Street, Batavia. He was arraigned and released.

Trace G. Brewer, 23, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant. Brewer was wanted on charges of petit larceny and conspiracy 6h.  She was allegedly involved in a theft with another person of merchandise from 7-Eleven. She was arraigned and released.

Lorrie Beth Fischer, 45, of Park Road, Batavia, is charged with misapplication of property. Fischer is accused of possessing another person's property on Dec. 29 and, rather than returning it, selling it. She was arrested by Deputy Mason Schultz on Jan. 22. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Nicole K. Dell, 38, of Silver Springs, was arrested on a warrant on Jan. 25. Dell was initially arrested on May 23, 2022, and charged with DWI. The warrant was issued after she allegedly failed to appear in court. Dell was arraigned and released. 

Jacob J. Frayne, 26, of Darien, is charged with aggravated DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation. Frayne was charged following a traffic stop on Jan. 26 on Pearl Street, Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Takari G. Lang-Smith, 22, of Batavia, is charged with DWI. Lang-Smith was stopped on Jan. 28 at an undisclosed location by Batavia PD. He was issued tickets and released.

Richard M. Fuhry, 42, of Brockport, is charged with DWI. On Jan. 20, Batavia patrol offices were dispatched to North Park and Ross Street for a report of a fight in the street. Fuhry was accused of being involved in the fight and then located driving on Seneca Avenue. He was issued several tickets.

Brian J. Hawkins, 44, of Olean, was arrested on Jan. 22 on two warrants issued by City Court. The first was a bench warrant related to an incident in 2019 where he allegedly provided alcohol to a person under the age of 21. The second warrant was an arrest warrant for Bail Jumping 3rd. Hawkins was arraigned and released.

Tanika N. Avant, 22, of Batavia, was arrested on Jan. 22 on a warrant issued by City Court. The warrant stemmed from an incident in April of 2023 where she was charged with two counts of harassment 2nd and one count of endangering the welfare of a child after a disturbance call on Bank Street. Avant was arraigned in City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail. 

Johnny Burton Koonce, Jr., 33, of Federal Drive, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, and failure to stop at a stop sign.  Koonce was stopped at 1:53 a.m. Jan. 20 by Sgt. Mathew Clor.  The passenger in the vehicle was somebody Koonce was allegedly supposed to not contact by court order. He was held pending arraignment.

Shanaya Nichole Brooks, 22, of Route 438, Gowanda, is charged with criminal mischief 3rd. Brooks is accused of striking the side of a house on Jan. 19 on East Road, Batavia, causing damage. She is also accused of trying to force her way into the house, causing damage. She was held pending arraignment.

Samantha Rae Balduf, 31, of Grant Street, Depew, is charged with petit larceny.  Balduf is accused of switching the price tag on a piece of merchandise at a retail store on Veterans Memorial Drive (the name and location of the store was withheld by the Sheriff's Office) at 1:03 p.m. on Jan. 19. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Isaac Floyd, Jr., 59, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and illegal signal. Floyd was stopped at 12:07 a.m. on Jan. 24 on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Jacob Kipler. Floyd was released on tickets.

Joel David Proudy, 37, of Rochester Street, Bergen, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Proudy is accused of violating a full stay-away order of protection at 10:50 a.m. on Jan. 17 at a location on West Main Street, Batavia. He also had multiple outstanding warrants. He was held pending arraignment.

Joseph Peter Mancuso, 35, of Deerfield Drive, North Tonawanda, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Mancuso is charged with violating a stay-away order of protection at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 at a location on Roberts Road, Alabama. He was arraigned and released under supervision.

Steven James Dunham, 35, of Main Street, Corfu, is charged with failure to verify address within 90 days as a Level 3 sex offender. Dunham was arrested in January and held for arraignment.

Steven Kenneth Maskell, 31, of North Byron Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, and driving while using a portable electronic device. Maskell was stopped at 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 on Lockport Road, Oakfield, by Deputy Morgan Ewert. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Robert Paul Gerspach, 67, no specified address, Buffalo, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs, aggravated unlicensed operation, driver's view obstructed, failure to keep right, and moving from lane unsafely.  Gerspach was observed by an off-duty deputy driving in an alleged unsafe manner at 11:22 a.m. on Jan. 24.  He was stopped and arrested by Deputy Austin Heberlein. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Guillermo Guadalupe-Vasques, 44, of Crimson Drive, Canandaigua, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, and moving from lane unsafely. Guadalupe-Vasques was stopped at 8:44 p.m. on Jan. 24 on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Stephen Smith. He was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.

Mckenzie Leigh Stogsdill, 32, of East Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, no headlights, and no tail lamps. Stogsdill was stopped at 1:44 a.m. on Jan. 27 on Park Road, Batavia, by Sgt. Mathew Clor. Stogsdill was released on appearance tickets.

Jessica R. Parker-Sharkey, 30, of South Butler Road, Savanah, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property 4th and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Parker-Sharkey was arrested in Virginia Beach, Va., and extricated back to Genesee County. She was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and released. The charges stem from allegations in April 2023 that she was in possession of a stolen car and a controlled substance. Following her release, she was turned over to Rochester PD on warrants.

Michael Curtis Smith Jr., 31, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Smith is accused of stealing an electric scooter from Walmart at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 24. He was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on an appearance ticket.

Joseph Michael Petix, 66, of Shorecliff Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, stop sign violation, breath test refusal, and consumption of alcohol while driving. Petix was stopped at 9:53 p.m. on Jan. 28 on Clinton Street, Batavia, by Deputy Travis DeMuth.  He was allegedly found in possession of cocaine. His release status was not reported.

UPDATE: The Woodward Memorial Library is open today (Tuesday, Jan. 23).

CLARIFICATION: The term "heat pump" was not used in the discussion, just "pumps."  In non-boiler, home heating, "heat pump" refers to the heating system itself.  The school district uses a boiler system with a pump that pumps heat to the library. In the story, we didn't use the term "heat pump" but for the sake of a shorter headline, used it in the headline.

Libraries should be a quiet place.

But you shouldn't need to bundle up to read a book or a magazine, surf the net, or browse through the stacks.

For five-and-half-days, the Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy has been quiet, frigid, and, as a result, closed. 

The lack of heat is the result of an apparent miscommunication between a vendor, a designer, and an installer who last year was tasked with upgrades to the boiler systems that delivers heat to Wolcott Street School and the library.  The upgrades were an add-on to the Le Roy Central School District 2022-23, $12.1 million capital improvement project, which was possible after other expenses came in lower than estimated.

The district owns the library building but does not operate the library. The boilers for the library's heating system are in the elementary school.

The failure of the heating system wasn't apparent in the spring when the work was completed, over the summer, or during the unusually warm weather in the first part of this winter.

Now that temperatures have dropped drastically, district officials have discovered the boilers used to generate heat for Woodward have pumps on them that are incapable of pushing enough heat from Wolcott Street School to the library building.

Superintendent Merritt Holly told the Board of Education on Monday that there was an issue with the design specifications, an issue with the installer not communicating the proper information about the system back to the designer, and there is concern about the pumps themselves and whether they are working at specification.

The pumps are supposed to provide enough heat -- leaving Wolcott Street School at 140 degrees -- to heat the building, the loading dock, and the pedestrian sidewalk leading up to the building.

Holly said he anticipated a question from board members: Who is going to pay for the mistake?

"If everything checks out (on the design and installation), then we go back to really what should be a warranty issue, the motor not being right or if there's a defect," Holly said. "That's a very small percentage. If that's the case, I think it's going to come down to how the communication between the designer and the installer designer."

In other words, Holly expects either a manufacturer's warranty to cover the cost of both a temporary fix and a long-term solution, or for the designer or installer, or both, to pay those costs.

New motors for the pumps -- which would provide only a temporary fix -- are in stock in Buffalo, Holly said he was told Monday morning, so it's a matter of getting a crew from the installer to Wolcott Street School to replace the motors.  That should be soon, but Holly doesn't have a firm commitment yet on a date.

"Remember, this is a band-aid fix until we get off heating season (so a longer-term replacement system can be installed)," Holly said.

In the meantime, he's hoping temperatures rise a bit for a few days, which would enable the current system to get the library's interior temperature up to 65 degrees so the library could reopen.

The ineffective pumps are only on the boilers for the library. The school is not affected. Those boilers have new, appropriate pumps and motors.

"The best case scenario is that tomorrow, I get an answer that our installer has a crew within the next couple of days, and the motors for the pumps are where they say they are in Buffalo," Holly said. "When we get our hands on that, we can put together a timetable because, remember, (the library) is going to be closed down on that day."

For the second straight game, Merritt Holly scored more than 40 points, leading Le Roy to a 70-53 win over Geneseo in Boys Basketball.

With 44 points, it's the third time this season that Holly scored more than 40 points in a game.

Holly also had 14 rebounds and was 21-28 from the field.

Jean Agosto also notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, adding four assists and two steals.

Adam Woodworth, six points and eight assists, Matthew Hockey, six points.

Jackson Willis scored 32 points for Geneseo, hitting four three-pointers.

Le Roy's Merritt Holly celebrated a birthday on Wednesday by scoring 28 points to lead the Knights to a 59-32 win over Perry.

Holly also had eight rebounds, two blocked shots, and a steal. She shot 13 of 16 from the field.

The Knights jumped out to a 17-0 lead to start the game before Perry scored late in the quarter.

Jean Agosto scored 10 points and Matthew Hockey scored 10 points.

 Le Roy improves to 6-2 while Perry falls to 0-7.

Photos and video by Carter Fix.

Spectators enjoyed the annual fireworks display Sunday evening for a New Year's Eve "First Night" celebration in Le Roy. People lined the street and gathered near Farmer's Creekside Tavern and Inn to view the show along the banks of Oatka Creek. 

Photos by Nick Serrata

In the fall, when the LeRoy Music Boosters posted that they would be raising money by having businesses or families decorate trees on Trigon Park, I thought it would be a neat opportunity to include the Le Roy Barn Quilt Trail. 

After 10 years, since we first started the Le Roy Barn Quilt project to commemorate Le Roy’s Bicentennial, the project has been revitalized with the help of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Tourism Office. In fact,
the Barn Quilt Trail just received a prestigious award from the New York State Tourism Alliance.

So, I signed up for a tree and started painting small wooden squares with the Le Roy Barn Quilt designs. I knew that I wanted to include the Genesee Solar Eclipse design, and I made a couple of those with the 6-inch squares. And then I measured off the “Railroad Crossing” design from Crocker’s Hardware, and the new barn quilt that’s on No Finer Diner.

That was followed by “Jell-O Jigglers” and “Nancy’s Fancy” from the D and R Depot Restaurant. I also included the beautiful blue and purple design that was on Ruth Harvie’s garage. Some designs were just too small to transfer to the 6-inch squares, but I included “Dash Churn” from the Stein Farm, and a great apple design. I also wanted to include the design that is on the former home of Nancy and Bruce Baker on East Main Street. That wood square is only 4 inches square, and hangs from the top of the tree. I included the barn quilt that’s on the outside of the Stafford Town Hall and the “Women’s Rights” pattern that hangs in the Le Roy Village Hall. I loved including the new barn quilt design that hangs in the window of Mama Chavez’s Taqueria on Mill Street.

I was painting the red, white, and blue barn quilt that hangs on Irene’s Walter’s barn when I heard of her passing, so like some of the other trees on Trigon Park, this tree is a memorial tree. Just before I put back the paints, I decided to include the “Ingham Rose” barn quilt that is on Candy Bower’s house in Le Roy – an important part of Le Roy’s history. The wood squares had to be varnished and then drilled so they could be attached to the tree. That turned out to be a
bit more challenging than I hoped, but I had enough wood squares painted and varnished in time to hang on the tree.

As I was taking this photo, with the tree in the rain, I thought that this is a great
opportunity for folks who are looking for something to do with their families in the rain. Pick up a barn quilt map at Crocker’s Ace Hardware on Lake Street in Le Roy, or at the Woodward Memorial Library or the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Tourism office and go on a scavenger hunt to look for the big barn quilts. There are over 100 of them just in Le Roy and Stafford. And with the map, you can go up on line and learn all about the stories of the barns and the people and the barn quilts.

Lynne Belluscio is the historian for the town and village of Le Roy.