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Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Board of Directors approved a final resolution for incentives supporting Liberty Pumps for a $13.7 million expansion at the company’s operations in the Town of Bergen the board’s September 9, 2021 board meeting.

Liberty Pumps will invest approximately $13.7 million to build a 107,138 sq. ft. materials facility in the Apple Tree Acres business park. The proposed facility is anticipated to contribute to the continuing growth of the company and will create 30 new full-time jobs with an average salary of $52,000 annually plus benefits. It is estimated that the project will generate $29 of investment into the local economy for every $1 of approved incentives. The project will receive sales and property tax exemptions of approximately $1.5 million.    

The GCEDC Board of Directors also accepted an initial application for a $4.5 million project proposed by Valiant Real Estate USA, Inc. (New York Bus Company). The company plans to build a new 20,000 square-foot facility at the corner of Saile Drive and Call Parkway in the Town of Batavia.

The project would create 24 full-time employee positions with an average salary range of $30,000 - $75,000 annually plus benefits. The project is requesting approximately $430,000 in sales, mortgage, and property tax exemptions. The project is estimated to generate $50 into the Genesee County economy for every $1 of requested incentives.

Finally, the Board accepted an initial application for incentives from J&R Fancher Property Holdings LLC.  The company is proposing a $1.7 million capital investment for a 14,000 square foot building located at Buffalo East Technology Park in Pembroke, NY.

J&R Fancher Property Holdings LLC plans to build six market-rate one-and two-bedroom apartments along with a 7,000 square foot commercial space.. The project is requesting approximately $254,000 in sales, mortgage and property tax exemptions.

As both projects are requesting incentives of over $100,000, public hearings will be scheduled prior to final consideration of incentives.

Press release:

Six Flags Darien Lake, The Thrill Capital of New York, will unleash the biggest, most spine-chilling Fright Fest® yet this fall. This signature event brings Thrills by Day with Trick-or-Treat trails and family-friendly activities, and Fright by Night, featuring four eerie mazes and four blood-curdling scare zones, along with ominous, roaming zombies straight out of a nightmare.  

“We are thrilled to bring Fright Fest back to our guests with an incredible lineup of frightening attractions and eerie entertainment,” said Park President Mark Kane. “There is no better or scarier place to celebrate Halloween than Six Flags Darien Lake,” added Kane.                                              

Fright Fest presented by SNICKERS^® features four haunted attractions (at an additional charge) that incorporate ghoulish scare actors, movie-like props, and state-of-the-art special effects:

• Hotel Terror: 7 Deadly Sins: Tour the horrific hotel where sinful guests are condemned to a life of suffering.  But, beware; they do not take kindly to visitors;
• Jungle Apocalypse: Immerse yourself into this forsaken island filled with ancient ruins, secrets and a tribe of worshippers looking for their next human sacrifice;
• Camp Scumshine: Visit the winding paths of despair that once was Camp Sunshine. The Boogeyman is real and tonight he could be playing a little trick on unsuspecting guests; and
• Corridors of Chaos: A mechanical engineer offers refuge to those seeking to get away from the upheaval that has plagued the nation in his transformed District 417 warehouse. However, guests do not know the terror that awaits them in the treacherous tunnels of this subterranean society.   

Four additional scare zones around the park leave guests nowhere to hide and screaming to get out unscathed.

• Passage of the Damned: Walk through the passage of the soulless keepers that ensure that no living enter the world of the damned;
• Creep Show Freak Show: The home for rejected and demonic circus performers. This circus troop was banished to the outer world for their misdeeds during their mortal lives;
• Voodoo Curse: Pass through a marshy inlet but be wary of those who have been cursed to roam the mucky waters. These swamp dwellers will unleash their voodoo magic and indulge in the fear of unsuspecting victims; and
• Screampunk: People here have been experimented on by a delirious inventor who thought it would be a brilliant idea to mechanize mankind.

In addition, Big Top Freaks is headlining the entertainment with a nightly show that is NOT for the faint of heart. Big Top Freaks showcases three entertainers who specialize in dangerous, scarring, grotesque, and hard-to-watch feats of physical endurance. 

• Direct from Las Vegas, Zamora the Torture King will cause most to shield their eyes. He will focus on his mental trainings to overcome pain as he subjects his body to numerous skewers that are thrust into his arms, face, and neck;
• Direct from the famed Coney Island, Kita the Bawdy Burlesque Beauty, has a disturbing passion for running with scissors. Her bag of tricks includes a power drill for thrusting into her nose. Her tolerance for pain is remarkably displayed with objects like nails and swords; and
• Romeo is one of New York’s most prolific fire and danger performers and will command the stage as master of ceremonies. His unique blend of unusual skills combines everything from whips, daggers, and broken glass, and he’s dying to share them all. 

Fright Fest is so scary it is NOT recommended for children 12 and under after 6 p.m.  

Operating Hours and Days:

6 p.m. to 11 p.m. September 24, October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

11 a.m. to 11 p.m. September 25, October 2, 9, 10, 16, 23, 30

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. September 26, October 3, 11, 17, 24, 31

Press release:

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce its first West Side Ghost Stories program on Friday, October 8th at 7 p.m. Join us as Connie Boyd shares the spooky, sinister, and weird documented stories from the West Side of Batavia's past. Come and listen to tales of murder, ghosts, body snatching hangings, and abandoned cemeteries. This presentation is the same as our Ghost Walk, perfect for those who are not able to go on our guided Ghost Walks. Tickets are $3/$2 for museum members. The program will also be available via Zoom. You can find the link on our Facebook page or website, www.hollandlandoffice.com.

Back after a year hiatus and expanded by popular demand, please join the Holland Land Office Museum for a West Side Ghost Walk on three Fridays in October. The walks led by Connie Boyd will take place on October 15, 22, and 29 at 7 pm. Take a walk on the west side and hear tales of murders, hangings, grave robbing, ghosts and other eerie happenings from Batavia's past. Hear stories of Joseph Ellicott, E. N. Rowell and other famous and infamous Batavians. Be sure to also check out the Old Batavia Cemetery's Walk on Saturday, October 23. Admission is $10.00 and reservations are required with purchase. Tours are limited to 20 people each. The tour begins and ends at the museum and is approximately 1 1/2 to two hours in length. For tickets or more information, please call (585) 343-4727, email at hollandlandoffice@gmail.com, or stop by at 131 W. Main St. Batavia.

Press release:

On August 28, 2021, at approximately 1:45 a.m. officers from the City of Batavia Police Department were dispatched to a residential location on South Main Street for the report of potential gunfire.   Officers arrived on scene and found that shots were fired at a residence and that no one was hurt.  Officers believe that the victim was the target of the crime, and this was not a random act. The attached photos are persons of interest. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Matt Lutey at 585-345-6311.

The Batavia Police Department is looking for assistance from the public with identifying the male in the photo. If anyone has information, or is able to identify the male, please contact Officer Lindsay at (585) 345-6350. A tip can also be submitted online via this site.

Press release:

The Elba Onion Queen program is getting back on track after COVID-19.  The Crowning ceremony for the 2021 Onion Queen will begin at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, September 11^th at the Elba park.  There six contestants this year are as follows:

Dakota Brinkman 
Dakota is the daughter of Brian and Danielle Brinkman.  She and her family are lifetime Elba residents.  She enjoys going for walks with her mom and dog, shopping with friends, and being a part of this special community.  She loves helping with youth basketball with her dad, who runs the program.  Dakota also participates in soccer, basketball and softball.  Along with the National Honor Society, Student Athletic Association and Girl Scouts.  She is the Vice President of her class. Dakota’s goal after high school is to major in physical therapy. 

Selena Franco
Selena is the daughter of Fernando Franco and Teresa De J. Roque Roman.  She has spent her whole life in Elba, NY and would never want to change that.  The Elba community has had such a strong, positive and supportive impact on Selena and has helped make her the person she is today.  Selena is currently a Senior at Elba Central School. She participates in National Honor Society, Student Athletic Association, softball, and hopes to participate in basketball cheer in the winter.  Selena is very family oriented and appreciates everything her family does for her.  Her family has always pushed her to be the best version of herself.  Selena also enjoys drawing, playing softball, going on walks, and spending time with friends.  After graduation, Selena plans to attend college and eventually pursue a career in dentistry.

Adrianna Long
Adrianna has lived in Elba her entire life alongside my parents, Jeff and Kara Long, and siblings Jacob, Michael and Maci.  She is extremely family oriented and involved in basketball, soccer and softball.  Adrianna is the Secretary of her class and currently employed at Crazy Cheap Cars. In her free time, she babysits for family and family friends.  Adrianna is running for Onion Queen in hopes to give back to the great community she was fortunate enough to grow up in. 

Georgia Luft
Georgia is the daughter of Matt and Laura Luft and has lived in Elba her entire life with her brother Hudson and sister Caroline.  Georgia is a three sport athlete participating in soccer, basketball and softball.  She  has participated in National Honor Society, Student Athletic Association and FFA as a member and past officer.  Outside of school Georgia is part of travel basketball teams and has been active in 4-H since she was eight.  She is part of the fur and feather club as well as dairy club.  She has been a member of Genesee County Dairy Princess program for several years and really enjoys promoting the dairy industry.  She is also a member of the Padre Pio Church in Oakfield.  Georgia’s spare time is spent with her family, friends and her animals.  Georgia will be going on to college after graduation but is unsure of where. She is undecided in what career path she will head down but is considering business or law enforcement. 

Laci Sewar
Laci is the daughter of Marc and Darcy Sewar. She has lived in the town of Elba for her entire life and has made many friends along the way.  Laci enjoys going out to eat with her friends and going on camping trips with her family.  She likes making apple crisp and baking holiday treats with her dad.  Doing this every year makes the holidays extra special.  Laci also enjoys shopping and going on road trips with her mom.  She looks forward to these trips as it is a good bonding time.  Laci has been the class Treasurer since 7th grade and is a high honor student. She has participated in the Yearbook Club, Future Teachers, National Honor Society, Student Athletic Association, Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball.  Outside of school, she participates in travel basketball, volunteers at church, and is active in Girl Scouts, where she earned her Bronze and Silver Awards.  Laci is currently two thirds of the way done with her Gold Award.  Her Gold Award project consists of refurbishing the stations of the cross at the Elba church and making a station of the cross program for children in grades 3-6.  After graduation she plans on attending Daemen or D’Youville to obtain her Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Carolyn Sybertz
Carolyn is 17 years old and lives in Elba with her mom, dad and  younger sister.  She attends Elba Central School where she will be a senior this fall.  She participates in volleyball, softball, Student Athletic Association, National Honor Society, the Genesee County 4-H program and she is a Genesee County Dairy Princess Program Ambassador.  Carolyn also works at Zuber Dairy Farm in Bergen New York.  After graduation she plans on attending a four year college to hopefully major in animal Sciences.  Carolyn chose to run for Onion Queen this year in hopes of representing the small town of Elba that has helped shape her into the person she is today. 

Press release:

On August 24, 2021, smartDESIGN Architecture, PLLC hosted its first annual golf outing. This year, smartDESIGN chose Habitat for Humanity of Genesee County as the charitable beneficiary. The tournament was a great success – raising $3,420 for Habitat for Humanity and an additional $390 from a basket raffle.

Habitat for Humanity provides housing to those in need by partnering with families to provide a hand up, not a handout. The mission of Habitat cannot be fulfilled without the support and generosity of local community members. Habitat is incredibly grateful for the generosity offered by smartDESIGN. To learn how you can help, please visit www.geneseehabitat.com.

Photo: Jake Whiting (Habitat Board President); Jaylene Smith-Kilner (Habitat Executive Director); Martha Bailey (smartDESIGN Office Manager); and Ed Smart (smartDESIGN Owner and Principal)
 

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Board of Directors will consider resolutions advancing three projects with a combined capital investment of approximately $19.9 million at its board meeting on Thursday, September 9, 2021.

The GCEDC Board will consider a final application for incentives from Liberty Pumps for its proposed $13.7 million expansion at its operations in the town of Bergen at the Apple Tree Acres industrial park. The company plans on constructing a 107,138 sq ft. materials center, creating 30 new jobs with an average salary of $52,000 annually plus benefits.

Liberty Pumps is seeking property and sales tax exemptions of approximately $1.5 million.  It is estimated the expansion project would generate $29 of private investment into the local economy for every $1 of public investment. A public hearing regarding the project incentives was conducted on August 26, 2021.    

The Board also will consider accepting an initial application from Valiant Real Estate USA, Inc. (New York Bus Sales.)  Valiant is proposing a $4.5 million capital investment to construct a 20,000 sq. ft. facility on Saile Drive in the town of Batavia. The project would create 24 new jobs with an average salary ranging from $30,000 – $75,000 annually plus benefits.

Valiant Real Estate USA, Inc. is seeking sales, mortgage, and property tax exemptions of approximately $430,120. The project is estimated to generate $50 of investment into the local economy for every $1 of public investment.

Finally, the Board will consider accepting an initial application from J & R Fancher Property Holdings LLC which is proposing to construct a two-story mixed-use building on 2.6 acres at Buffalo East Tech Park in the town of Pembroke. This is the first of three phases of development that Fancher is proposing at the tech park.

The $1.7 million investment would include six market-rate 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments on the second floor and a first floor comprised of a 7,000 sq. ft. vanilla box interior intended to attract commercial tenants. The total planned square footage of the facility is 14,000 sq. ft.

J & R Fancher Property Holdings LLC is requesting sales, mortgage, and property tax exemptions totaling $254,336. and is estimated to produce $4 of investment into the local economy for every $1 of incentives.

If the initial applications for Valiant Real Estate USA, Inc. and J&R Fancher Property Holdings LLC are accepted, public hearings on the proposed project incentives agreements will be held prior to consideration of the final resolution.

The Sep. 9 GCEDC Board meeting will take place at 4 p.m. at 99 Med-Tech Drive, Suite 107.  The meeting also will be available online at www.gcedc.com.

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.19, up four cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.22. The New York State average is $3.28 – up five cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.30. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia - $3.25 (up one cent since last week)
• Buffalo - $3.23 (up seven cents since last week)
• Ithaca - $3.26 (up six cents since last week)
• Rochester - $3.28 (up eight cents since last week)
• Rome - $3.29 (up two cents since last week)
• Syracuse - $3.25 (up seven cents since last week)
• Watertown - $3.24 (up two cents since last week)

AAA expected a jump in gas prices following the storm and taking into account the demand surrounding the holiday weekend; motorists are expected to pay the most expensive gas prices since 2014. However, AAA is happy to report there is ample gasoline supply in the U.S. Once the impact of the Gulf Coast storm is mitigated, and winter blend fuel is in production, gas prices should begin to decline.

From Gas Buddy:

"As expected, Hurricane Ida's disruption to the oil and refining industry led gas prices to rise over the last week, though thankfully, the rise wasn't very significant," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. "With several Louisiana refineries poised to have power restored in the days ahead, the impact on gas prices could soon reverse, and with gasoline demand now likely to decline with the close of the summer driving season, I see the odds rising that gas prices will soon begin a seasonal downturn, accelerated by the expiration of summer gasoline requirements on September 15. By Halloween, we could see the national average back under $3 per gallon."

Press release:

The Oakfield-Alabama FFA chapter in Oakfield, NY, has been awarded a Yearlong Living to Serve Grant in the amount of $3000. The nationwide program provides grant money to local FFA chapters to support yearlong service-learning projects that address needs related to community safety; environmental responsibility; hunger, health and nutrition; and community engagement.

Oakfield-Alabama FFA plans to help address Hunger in the Community by providing fresh beef through the Community Center.  FFA students currently raise market animals in their school barn but have expressed an interest in helping their local food pantry while also educating the community by explaining the health benefits of using fresh beef.  Funds from the grant would be used to purchase a market steer to provide the Oakfield Community Center/Food Pantry with fresh beef in August 2022.

FFA student member Owen Zeliff spoke with the director of the Oakfield Community Center/Food Pantry and concluded that there is a desperate need for fresher food donations, especially fresh meat that would provide essential protein for a healthy lifestyle.

The program provided over $284,000 to FFA chapters in 36 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 2021-2022 Yearlong Living to Serve Grants are sponsored by Tractor Supply Company, Cargill, CoBank, Domino’s and Elanco. For more information and a complete listing of sponsors, visit FFA.org/livingtoserve. 

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 760,000 student members as part of 8,700 local FFA chapters in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Press release: 

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) is saddened to announce that his annual Patriot Trip in which he brings veterans to landmarks and historical sites throughout the Washington, D.C. area will be canceled this year due to concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19, especially as new variant cases in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals continue to increase. All participants who have signed up for the trip will be fully refunded for anything paid toward it.

“Having to cancel a trip that means so much to veterans, their families, and I was an incredibly difficult decision, but ultimately the well-being of veterans and their families has to be our top priority,” said Hawley. “Amidst the spread of COVID-19, it is also very difficult to know for certain that planned destinations will be reasonably accessible. Ultimately, however, the thought of even a single veteran or one of their loved ones falling seriously ill is what caused me to have to make this difficult decision because their well-being is more important than any event.”

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) joined House Republican colleagues in calling for the President to provide transparency into his July 23rd call with former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

“The President’s handling of our withdrawal from Afghanistan was devastating. His actions put Americans and our allies directly in harm’s way, weakened our global reputation, and resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and the abandonment of hundreds of Americans still stuck in Afghanistan,” Jacobs said. “The American people deserve to know what led to this catastrophe and whether or not the President pushed President Ghani to downplay the threat the Taliban posed. The White House must release the full transcript of this call at once.”

The letter to President Biden was led by Congresswoman Tenney (NY-22) and has 27 signatories. It calls for the President to release the full, unredacted transcript of his July 23rd call with former Afghan President Ghani so Congress can determine to what degree the President may have misled the American people.