The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) board of directors will consider a final resolution for Countryside Apartments LLC’s proposed $15 million development of four 24-unit market-rate apartment buildings at its board meeting on Thursday, Oct. 26.
Countryside Apartments LLC is proposing to construct the project in phases at 8900 Alleghany Road in Pembroke. Each building will have eight 1-bedroom and 16 2-bedroom units, totaling 96 market-rate units throughout the complex.
The project aligns with Genesee County’s recognized need for housing availability, and housing growth spurred by $1 billion of investment and over 600 careers announced by projects at the nearby Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park.
The project is requesting assistance from the GCEDC with a sales tax exemption estimated at $739,200, a property tax abatement estimated at $2,020,688 based on the incremental increase in assessed value via a fixed 60% 20-year PILOT (Housing PILOT for 20+ market-rate units), and a mortgage tax exemption estimated at $130,000.
The fiscal impacts on local benefits are estimated at over $10 million. For every $1 of public benefit, the company is investing $5 into the local economy.
A public hearing for the proposed project agreements is scheduled in the town of Pembroke at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at Pembroke Town Hall.
The Oct. 26 GCEDC board meeting will be held at 4 p.m. at the MedTech Center’s Innovation Zone, 99 MedTech Drive, Batavia. Meeting materials and links to a live stream/on-demand recording of the meeting are available at www.gcedc.com.
Submitted photo of person of interest for larceny at Tops in Batavia.
Batavia Police Department received a report of a larceny at approximately 1:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at Tops Markets in Batavia, and has released a photo of a person of interest related to that investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Tucker at (585) 345-6350, the Batavia Police Department's confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370, or by clicking the tip button.
The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Wednesday, Oct. 25 from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the general area of North of West Main Street and West of Bank Street. Homes and businesses nearby will be affected. These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. If you do experience a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about 5 minutes or until clear.
This annual testing is essential to maintain the communities class III Insurance Services Office (ISO) public protection classification, and to assure that fire hydrants are operating efficiently for fire protection purposes. Along with maintaining the fire rating, the test monitors the health of the city's water system, identifies weak areas in the system, and removes material that settle in the water lines. Checking each hydrant improves fire department personnel knowledge of the hydrant locations.
If you have any questions, or should notice a hydrant in need of repair, please contact the fire department at 585-345-6375.
The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) have identified a concerning trend of elevated cocaine use locally that is causing fatal fentanyl overdoses. Fortunately, these deaths are preventable, and resources are available locally to help.
Since 2021, there have been 29 fatal fentanyl overdoses confirmed in Genesee County, and at least 72% of these deaths have also involved cocaine.
In some instances, bystanders reported that the person who died of a fentanyl overdose thought they were taking only powder cocaine or crack cocaine. In Orleans County, there were 10 fatal fentanyl overdoses during this same time period, of which 40% involved cocaine.
GO Health has also identified through wastewater analysis that cocaine consumption is very high in Batavia and Le Roy compared to other areas nationally. GO Health regularly analyzes wastewater samples from wastewater treatment plants throughout Genesee and Orleans Counties for high-risk substances to better understand local patterns in drug consumption and these trends are compared to upwards of 160 sites nationally by the wastewater epidemiology company Biobot Analytics.
In August, the estimated cocaine consumption in Batavia was higher than 94% of other tested sites in the United States, and in Le Roy it was higher than 95% of other tested sites. Substance use is estimated in each sewershed by taking the amount of the metabolite found in the wastewater and dividing by the size of the population served by the wastewater treatment plant.
“For the last several years, Genesee County’s opioid overdose death rates have surpassed the state’s average, and been higher than neighboring counties too,” stated Paul Pettit, the Public Health Director for GO Health. “Unfortunately, what we are seeing here are indications of a relatively high amount of cocaine use locally, and when that cocaine is contaminated with fentanyl, it is causing preventable overdoses and deaths,” Pettit explained.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can be prescribed by physicians to treat patients’ severe pain that is not responsive to other medications, such as in cases of advanced-stage cancer.
Because it is 50 times stronger than heroin, illegally-made fentanyl has largely replaced heroin and other opioids in the U.S. drug supply, and is commonly mixed with other drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Many people who use street drugs like cocaine or counterfeit pills are unaware that what they are taking may contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Individuals who are aware of the risks of fentanyl overdose when using cocaine are empowered to make safer choices that could save their life or the life of a loved one, and a number of resources are available:
Narcan (naloxone) nasal spray can be used to reverse an opioid overdose, and should be administered to anyone who is showing signs of having difficulty breathing or who is not breathing at all, regardless of whether the person is known to have taken an opioid. Narcan is available for free from the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force simply by texting “KIT” to 1-877-535-2461.
Fentanyl test strips, which can be used to check for fentanyl in drugs, are available for free from the MATTERS Network at mattersnetwork.org/individual-request.
People who use cocaine or other drugs can reduce their risk by never using alone, taking turns when using drugs with others, or calling the Never Use Alone Hotline at 1-800-484-3731.
Treatment for substance use disorders is available locally from Hope Haven at 585-922-9900, from Horizon Health Services at 585-815-0247, and from UConnectCare (formerly GCASA) at 585-343-1124 (Genesee County) or 585-589-0055 (Orleans County).
Entry points to treatment are also available in person 24 hours a day at the City of Batavia Fire Department, the City of Batavia Police Department, the Genesee County Sheriff, and the Le Roy Police Department through the Public Safety Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI).
For information on Health Department programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org or call your respective health department at:
Genesee County Health Department: 585-344-2580 ext. 5555
Orleans County Health Department: 585-589-3278
Follow GO Health on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at GOHealthNY.
The Oakfield Alabama CSD today announced an amendment to its policy for serving meals for children served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2023-2024 school year, which would allow for all children at all schools/sites to be served meals at no charge.
For additional information, please contact the following person:
Mary Della Penna, Food Service Director, Oakfield Alabama Central School District at 7001 Lewiston St. Road Oakfield, calling 585-948-5211 ext. 4234, or by email at MDellapenna@oahornets.org.
William Muoio, from Graham Corp., supervises Justin Deleo, a Byron-Bergen student, during the FFA/4-H welding competition at the Genesee County Fair in July 2023. The competition is another aspect of workforce development in Genesee County. File Photo by Howard Owens
Chris "Coach Swazz" Suozzi
I’ve never been a fan of load management in basketball. I see the value in taking a breather mid-game, but taking yourself out of the competition or a great opportunity never made sense to me.
Challenging yourself in new ways is how you grow as an athlete, as a person, and as a professional.
Did the 1,100 students who participated in GLOW With Your Hands: Manufacturing need a breather? Absolutely. There was so much for them to learn in one day – about themselves and all the skilled trades, manufacturing, food production, and agricultural careers in their backyard.
But meeting with 65 employers in the GLOW Region and testing out dozens of careers was energizing, not exhausting.
We once again saw how Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming county kids are ready for this unique challenge.
They hammered with precision and power at Camp Hard Hat’s nail-driving competition.
They jumped into the controls of construction vehicles and welding simulators.
They scaled power poles, raced wheelbarrows weighted down by cinder blocks, and grasped the lessons taught through GV BOCES’ mechatronics lab equipment.
Through it all, our GLOW With Your Hands participants showed a passion that we need to continually embrace. That’s a big reason I am excited to have a new placement on the workforce development calendar for our next big event. It keeps the momentum going!
Cornell in High School takes the wide-scale career exposure concept from GLOW With Your Hands and focuses it on a group of career-focused students in the Class of 2024 from Nov. 7 - 9.
Over three days of Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences-led training at SUNY Genesee Community College, students get hands-on experiences in food production, plant safety, and the financial benefits of a career in the food industry.
Employers like Nortera in Oakfield and Bergen, Upstate Niagara Cooperative in Batavia, and Yancey’s Fancy in Pembroke have welcomed this opportunity. Our students are going to connect with them in the classroom and in facility tours.
Participating students will earn a Food Processing certificate from Cornell University’s Department of Food Science, giving them a free head-start for careers that offer great lives with no college debt – and they do this all while they are still in high school!
Know a student who would fit this program? Registration is at tinyurl.com/CornellBootcamp and I’m a call (585-409-1301) or an email (csuozzi@gcedc.com) away when it comes to connecting kids to careers.
I worked with Cornell to launch this program in 2022 because of the potential it had in Genesee County. Our strong base of food and beverage companies is the largest employer within our region. Continued investment in this industry results in ample and rewarding job opportunities.
There are great futures ahead for our students at Nortera, Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Yancey’s Fancy, and across many food and beverage employers in our region.
I’m not taking a game off, or letting an opportunity pass by for our kids to succeed.
Looking ahead, there are matching days for this year’s Youth Apprenticeships in December, a Senior Job Fair, and the Youth Apprenticeship internships and co-ops early in 2024.
Chris "Coach Swazz" Suozzi is VP of Business Development for the Genesee County Economic Development Center.
Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, announced today that the company will once again offer military personnel and their immediate families an 11 percent discount off of their grocery bill this Veterans Day.
This marks the 11th year Tops has been extending this discount to military personnel and their families. Since its inception, the Veteran’s Day discount has saved Veterans and their families over $781,000.
On Saturday, Nov. 11 Tops Markets will honor an 11 percent discount off of a total order to all veterans and immediate family members in the same household, who shop at any Tops location.
Customers should present proof of service that they, or an immediate family member are a U.S. Veteran, active duty, reserve, or retired military personnel to automatically receive an 11 percent discount off of their total purchase that day.
“The respect and gratitude we have for the people who serve and have served in the military is immeasurable, and for that, we are forever grateful,” said Ron Ferri, president, of Tops Friendly Markets. “We wanted to support local military personnel by giving back to our associates and customers who have courageously defended our country and made many sacrifices through their military service.”
Tops is a longtime supporter of military associates and customers. The company’s support of military organizations includes, but is not limited to, support of the Wall that Heals, American Veterans Tribute Traveling Wall, Honor Flight Missions and golf tournaments, sending care packages for troops serving domestically and overseas, VA hospital visits, participation in veteran job fairs, parades and expo, and Tops Stars for Our Troops program by which stars from embroidered US Flags slated for retirement are presented to Veterans, active duty personnel, and first responders.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24), alongside Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-8), introduced H.R. 6007, the Retirement Investment in Small Employers Act (RISE Act) to incentivize micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees to adopt retirement plans, helping more workers save for retirement.
The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 enhanced the retirement plan startup tax credits for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees to create incentives to adopt new plans. SECURE 2.0 allows for 100 percent of retirement plan administrative and startup costs to be covered for new plans, up to $5,000 per year. However, the law did not amend the formula relied upon to determine the amount an employer may claim in retirement plan startup tax credits, leaving the smallest micro-businesses and their employees unable to take full advantage of the credit. The RISE Act rectifies this issue, ensuring that micro-businesses benefit in the same manner as larger businesses.
"Congress must empower and reaffirm our commitment to small businesses across the country by taking steps to grant them a competitive edge in our economy," said Congresswoman Tenney. "I introduced the Retirement Investment in Small Employers Act along with Congressman Kildee today to enable micro-businesses across NY-24 and the nation to offer their employees robust retirement plans and allow their employees to save for the future. I remain committed to advocating for tax policies that work in favor of our small businesses and hardworking families."
“In mid-Michigan, small businesses support thousands of good-paying jobs and fuel our local economy,” said Congressman Kildee. “I am proud to work introduce legislation with Congresswoman Tenney to help more employers set up retirement plans, ensuring more Michigan workers can save for retirement. This bipartisan bill is a win for small business owners and workers alike.”
“All businesses, regardless of size, deserve the same opportunity and access to tax credits to help offset the costs of offering a retirement plan to their employees,” said Michael Majors, Paychex vice president of HR Solutions. “Paychex is proud to endorse Rep. Claudia Tenney’s and Rep. Dan. Kildee’s legislation to expand tax credits for micro-sized businesses which give incentives to offer retirement plans to help their employees save for the future.”
File photo of Derek Geib in 2019, when he first opened The Coffee Press on Jackson Street in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens.
It’s not a very exciting election year in Genesee County, as the two largest jurisdictions — the City of Batavia and Genesee County — are marked by uncontested races for every seat up for a vote on both City Council and County Legislature.
However, there is a new City Council candidate and three propositions on November's ballot.
The City Council election features incumbents Paul Viele for Ward 1, Alfred McGinnis for Ward 4, Kathy Briggs for Ward 5 and Tammy Schmidt for Ward 6, all who are running unopposed for re-election.
David Twichell, who filled the seat of Patti Pacino for Ward 2 earlier this year, is running for his first full term unopposed.
Newcomer Derek Geib is running to fill the seat vacated by John Canale, who opted not to run again for Ward 3.
Geib, a city business owner, president of the downtown Business Improvement District and member of the city’s Planning and Development Committee, is also running unopposed.
Unfortunately, voters won’t have an opportunity to learn why he’s running for a seat on council or why he would like to represent his section of the city, because Geib declined an interview with The Batavian.
“I don’t have interest in doing interviews ever for anything honestly,” he said.
These are the uncontested races for Genesee County positions:
Genesee County Clerk - Michael Cianfrini
Genesee County Coroner - Wade Schwab
Genesee County Coroner (unexpired term) - Donald Newton Jr.
Genesee County Legislator, District 2 Towns of Bergen, Byron, and Elba - Christian Yunker
Genesee County Legislator, District 4 Towns of Batavia, and Stafford - Brooks Hawley
Genesee County Legislator, District 6 Towns of Alexander, Bethany, and Pavilion - Gregg Torrey
Genesee County Legislator District 8 City of Batavia, Wards 2 & 3 - Marianne Clattenburg
Three propositions are on the ballot this year:
Proposal One: Removal of Small City School District from Special Constitutional Debt Limitation.
The proposed amendment to Article 8, section 4 of the Constitution removes the special constitutional debt limitation now placed on small city school districts, so they will be treated the same as all other school districts. Shall the proposed amendment be approved? Yes or No.
Batavia City Schools administrators are in favor of this amendment, because it would allow the district to borrow more money for projects in the future. As is, the limit means Batavia can only borrow up to five percent of its debt limit, versus other school districts that can borrow up to 10 percent.
This measure does not include the current $45 million capital project that’s on the table, Superintendent Jason Smith said, as it would take effect after that project vote.
Proposal Two is to extend sewage project debt exclusion from the debt limit. The proposed amendment to Article 8, section 5 of the Constitution extends for 10 years the authority of counties, cities, towns, and villages to remove from their constitutional debt limits debt for the construction of sewage facilities. Shall the proposed amendment be approved? Yes or No.
Proposal Three is for voters in the towns of Byron and Bergen only: Shall the Town of Bergen (Town of Byron) establish an annual tax in the amount of $0.55/$1,000 (fifty-five cents per one thousand dollars) of assessed value in order to support the operation of the Byron-Bergen Public Library, commencing in the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2024. Yes or No.
Library board President Sally Capurso recently explained why she and board trustees are asking town voters to approve this measure.
2022 File Photo of City of Batavia Fire Chief Josh Graham, who is anticipating delivery of the department's latest fire truck in November. Photo by Howard Owens
As Batavia’s city fire department prepares to welcome a shiny new, customized fire truck into a bay at the renovated Evans Street site, City Council dealt with details of the $800,000 purchase Monday evening at City Hall.
Council voted on three resolutions:
Approve the purchase of the fire truck project completion;
Authorize and provide for the “incurrence of indebtedness” for the purpose of providing a portion of the cost of acquiring, constructing, enlarging, improving and or extending its new fire truck facility to serve an area lawfully within its jurisdiction to serve; and
Authorize a general bond to finance the acquisition.
The city will pay for Engine 12 with a $665,000 loan at 2.5 percent interest for 20 years, a $100,000 grant and city fire reserves of $36,681.
Councilman-at-large Bob Bialkowski wanted to know more about the second resolution regarding the incurrence of indebtedness for the purpose of acquiring, constructing and enlarging the truck’s new facility in Batavia. Does that mean there will be more work done at the first station, which has recently been updated with a new driveway apron and other interior upgrades?
There’s no extension of the building, City Attorney George Van Nest said.
“This is draft language from USDA. This is a standard USDA resolution that they require;it’s part of the closing package,” Van Nest said. “The entire statement says resolution of the City Council of the City of Batavia authorizing and providing for the incurrence of indebtedness for the purpose of providing a portion of the cost of acquiring construction, enlarging, improving and/or extending its fire trucks. So, in that case, cross everything out except for acquiring fire trucks, and we're good to go.”
Engine 12 will put Engine 11 into reserve, and the current reserve will go to surplus, Fire Chief Joshua Graham said.
“They’re out there right now to do the final inspection, which they’ve been doing all day and tomorrow at the factory,” he said. “Once they finish the inspection, we’re estimating it to be shipped to Colden Enterprises in Kenmore sometime around the first of November, and they’ll have it outfitted with tools and accessories. And then sometime in mid-November, it’ll be delivered to us, and the only thing we’ll have to do with it is the detailing.”
City Manager Rachael Tabelski, who reviewed the financial plan, said that she appreciated the interest rate the city was able to get as part of the deal.
“I'm just very glad we were able to get a 2.5 percent interest rate because we do have almost enough in reserves to pay this off. But at this point, the funding and reserves is making more interest being there than what we pay out,” Tabelski said. “And with the help of (City Clerk/Treasurer) Heidi, who does a really nice job with all of our investments, looks at each of these opportunities, and we're actually able to make a little bit more on our investments in our reserve funds.”
Council members, all of whom had previously voted for the purchase of the fire truck, approved the resolutions.
“I hope it lasts us many, many years,” Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said.
After the meeting, Graham said that the current reserve engine dates back to 2002, and its age means “it’s starting to have a lot of maintenance issues.”
“So moving the current first-run engine back to reserve, and then implementing this new version first,” was his primary reason for necessitating a new truck purchase, he said. “The truck itself is completely built in the factory, and the crews are out there now going over it with a fine toothcomb. The only thing they're doing when it comes up here is that it doesn't come with the mounts for our tools and things to put the tools on it. So they install those on the truck up here. Then it'll come over to us, and then the city actually makes the decals.”
He plans to take the new pumper on a little cruise through the city to show the citizens the new vehicle, most likely sometime in mid- to late November.
Michael Gosselin as Rev. John Yates. Photo by Howard Owens
The Batavia Cemetery Association sold 160 tickets -- a sellout -- for the 2023 Ghost Walk on Saturday, which is the third or fourth straight sellout for the association's major fundraiser, said President Sharon Burkel.
"The money goes for the upkeep of the cemetery," Burkel said. "We have some small investments, but we mostly survive on fundraisers and donations."
Beyond raising money, the 10 stops on the walk help tell the story of early Batavia, from Joseph Ellicott to Dean and Mary Richmond, William Morgan, and John Yates.
"It also brings awareness of the cemetery so people realize that it's here," Burkel said. "They can come and walk through and enjoy the architecture and the genealogy and the history. There's some very impressive people in here."
Michael Gosselin as Rev. John Yates. Photo by Howard Owens
Connie and Charley Boyd as Mary and Dean Richmond in the Richmond Mausoleum. Photo by Howard Owens.
Patrick Weissend as Joseph Ellicott. Photo by Howard Owens
Dan Snyder as Albert Brisbane. Photo by Howard Owens
Joshua Pacino as William Morgan. Photo by Howard Owens
A line of costumed trick-or-treaters make their way through the gate of Dwyer Stadium Saturday. Photo by Nick Serrata
The ever-popular trick-or-treat event at Dwyer Stadium drew hundreds again this year as part of a yearly Halloween tradition at the Bank Street facility that's home to Batavia Muckdogs.
The October event is just one of several that Muckdogs owner Robbie Nichols and staff host at the site, but it's definitely the sweetest. Businesses an organizations also participate with booths at the field, and hand out candy to the onslaught of little ghosts, goblins and whatever cartoon character may be trending.
Frank Capuano submitted a photo of last night's half-moon showing the Sea of Tranquility, where Apollo 11 landed in 1969, the Sea Serenity above it, and below it, the Sea of Fertility and the Sea of Nectar.
On Saturday, October 28, St. James Episcopal Church will be hosting “Ah, Sweet Music!”, a concert and dessert tasting in Memory of David Lange to benefit the church’s organ chamber preservation. David served as the organist at St. James from 1995 until 2022.
The evening will feature a variety of music by many who knew and loved David. Appearing will be Emily Helenbrook, soprano; John Novak, piano and organ; David Hirsch, alto saxophone; The Genesee Chorale Select Ensemble with Ric Jones, conductor and Doug Hanson, piano; Brass Quintet and Percussion with John Novak, organ, Brandon Luce, trumpet, Dakota Hirsch, trumpet, Jessica Gottschall, horn, Peter Celentano, trombone, Jason Decker, tuba, and Dustin Woodard, percussion; and the St. James Choir.
In homage to David Lange’s infamous sweet tooth, a selection of St. James’ dessert specialties will be available for tasting. The event is sponsored in part by the Buffalo Chapter, American Guild of Organists; H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Homes; and an anonymous donor. Tickets are $25 for Dessert and Concert, $20 for Concert only.
Dessert Buffet 6:30-7:15 p.m., Concert at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at St. James, 405 East Main Street, Batavia, or the Genesee Chorale Box office: www.GeneseeChorale.com/box-office. For more information, call 585-343-6802.
On Dec. 16, the Wreaths Across America Day Ceremony will be held at the Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke, on Route 77 and Indian Falls Road. The event begins at 12 p.m. with a short ceremony that includes the Presentation of Colors, National Anthem, and Ceremonial Laying of Wreaths by each military branch. Following the ceremony, family members who have loved ones buried there will be able to lay wreaths on the headstones first.
This year, there are over 1,600 headstones, with a goal to have a wreath placed on each one. If we sell more than 1,600, we are credited with wreaths for next year. The WNY National Cemetery is growing at an extraordinary rate, last year there were just 750 headstones.
The Wreaths Across Ceremony is run by the WNY National Cemetery Memorial Council. The Council is a non-profit that runs many of the events at the National Cemetery such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. The council also supports the honor guard and installs and maintains the Avenue of Flags. $5 from the sale of each wreath is given to the Memorial Council if purchased through the Memorial Council’s link on Wreaths Across America.
The Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club, which is a student organization at the Pembroke Jr./Sr High School is selling the wreaths on behalf of the Memorial Council. This is the third year the club has done so. Last year the club was responsible for selling or collecting donations for almost 500 wreaths!
Veterans Outreach Club members are selling them throughout the community and you can also send a check made out to the Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club for the number of wreaths you would like to purchase and the club will do the rest of the ordering for you.
The Veterans Outreach Club and Pembroke Schools also play a major role in helping the council facilitate the Wreaths Across America Day event. Beyond selling the wreaths the kids set up, stage the wreaths, pass them out, direct participants to the proper rows, clean up, and help break down the event.
They later collect the wreaths at the end of the season. It is truly a community-wide event. Last year there were well over a hundred and fifty attendees helping to lay wreaths on our veterans' headstones. Local fire departments help with parking, sheriff's work traffic control, and the Pembroke bus garage shuttles attendees to different sections of the cemetery.
The Veterans Outreach Club is led by Junior Club President Lilly Senko. Lilly has been an active member since 7th grade. She had led many of our club activities including, dinners with the Eagle Star House, collection drives, patriotic activities with the elementary school, an opening ceremony for Pembroke Veterans Wall of Honor, helping run the Purple Heart ceremony, and helping to coordinate our club's recent trip to Alaska. Lilly is also a talented artist who designed our Alaska trip t-shirts. Lilly will play a major role in organizing this year's Wreaths Across America Day events.
We would truly appreciate your support for both honoring our local veterans during the holiday season and helping support the good work of the WNY Memorial Council. Your purchase of a wreath through the Memorial Council will do both! Wreaths are $17 and can be purchased through:
The Council link at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ny0368p
Checks, made out to the Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club, mailed to - Pembroke Jr./Sr. High, P.O. BOX 308, Corfu, NY 14036.
We hope to see you at Wreath Across America at 12 p.m. on Dec. 16.
A Batavia High School senior turns over the soil at the Batavia Community Garden this week during Make a Difference Day activities. Photo submitted by Irene Hickey.
Batavia Community Garden committee members welcomed nine Batavia High School seniors Friday to help with various landscaping tasks as part of this year's 24th annual Make a Difference Day.
Tracy Grover of the high school College Career Center led the group of students for their community service project, garden helper and photographer Irene Hickey said.
Students were on hand to help garden members with end of the season work. A laundry list of tasks was led and coordinated by RaeAnn Engler, Garden Committee chairperson, at the garden on MacArthur Drive alongside the high school.
Those chores included turning over the soil in the beds, putting the art panels into storage for the winter, relocating the compost within the garden, caging apple trees cutting back milkweed and thorny black raspberries (ouch!), and general weeding.
This enthusiastic crew worked from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., breaking at noon for a quick lunch under the tent.
"The morning was cool and damp with on and off drizzle. Luckily the rain held off until the bulk of the work was done," Hickey said. "Many, Many thanks to our work crew from the High School. The garden community appreciates your willingness to lend a hand and your spirit of service. We couldn’t have done it without you!"
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of its Guest Speaker Series on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. The museum welcomes back Civil War historian and author Chris Mackowski, as he presents “Grant’s Last Battle.” The presentation details the difficulties that Ulysses S. Grant had as he wrote his memoirs near the end of his life, as he battled throat cancer. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next presenter for our Guest Speaker Series on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Steven Huff will be presenting his newest work "Resting Among Us: Authors' Gravesites in Upstate New York." Steven Huff will make a PowerPoint presentation, and lead a discussion on the region’s literary gravesites, who the authors were, what they wrote, and why they are important. Copies of the book will be available for sale. Admission is $5/$3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you plan to attend.
Join the Holland Land Office Museum for the next edition of our Trivia Night @ the Museum on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. This month's topic is the Cuban Missile Crisis. Trivia will take place again at GO ART! located at 201 E. Main St. in Batavia. Their Tavern 2.0 will also be open if you would like a beverage. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
Part of the iconic mural painted on the exterior wall next to the parking lot of Byron-Bergen Public Library. 2017 File Photo by Maria Pericozzi
As president of the Byron-Bergen Public Library, Sally Capurso has a tough job, not only in making ends meet but more recently in pitching an idea to raise revenue through the creation of a 414 municipal library. Other options have been researched, and this seemed to be the most viable choice for ensuring a sustainable public library, she said.
The upside is that it would establish a regular operating budget through an ongoing, no-surprises tax to property owners — one that Capurso and trustees believe is well worth the cost to have solid library programs, staff, hours, and materials without the concern that the library might one day be in danger of existing or losing services due to lack of funding.
“And this way, taxpayers will earmark a specific amount of their tax dollars for the library. So this funding will make it sustainable for us, and dependable so that we will always know the amount of money that we will be having in our budget,” Capurso said during an interview with The Batavian.
“Prior to that, we’d have to ask the town boards in both Byron and Bergen for money. And we will simply ask for a certain amount of money, and then the towns will decide how much they want to contribute, and that’s for each town. So it's a little bit of a problem, sometimes, because we figure out our budget, taking what we need, and then we don't barely get what we need.”
The 2023 budget they had to meet was $133,738. And the towns of Byron and Bergen kicked in $6,500 and $74,499, respectively.That left a gap of more than $52,700 that the library had to come up with in other ways, and it’s a struggle each year, Capurso said.
It receives a yearly average of $3,500 from Genesee County and $1,500 from New York State. The remaining funding is done through fundraisers and grants that are never guaranteed or known upfront, Capurso said.
And some of those funds cannot be used for library operations and salaries, but instead must go for miscellaneous programs, Barclay said.
Of course, there’s the challenge of pitching a new way of doing things, and it comes with a 55-cent per $1,000 assessed value price tag. However, how much is your library worth to you, your children, and your family, Capurso and trustee Anna Marie Barclay want to know.
According to 38 studies on other libraries’ returns on investment, “the return value for public libraries is four to five times the amount invested,” their presentation material states.
And simply using the library card to check out books versus buying them can save a patron $624 a year, the material states.
Both towns have the library cost rolled into their budgets, as that’s the way it has worked up to now. So, residents have been paying for the library, it just hasn’t been a separate line item as it would be now, Capurso said.
“Most people aren’t aware where each dollar goes,” she said. “The Library annually asks each Town Board for funding. Each Town Board then decides how much money to contribute. The Town of Bergen also provides the Library with its physical space, utilities, and general upkeep/maintenance according to the existing rental agreement.
“Our current level of services and programs, reflecting the needs of the community, requires more funding than the Town Boards have provided,” she said.“We are recommending that voters earmark their tax dollars for the Library so that the basic operating costs are covered, and we can reliably maintain, or increase, the current level of service to the community. A vote in favor of the proposition (Municipal 414) will allow the Town Boards to collect the taxes on behalf of the Library and turn these funds over to the Library directly.”
The women have been making the rounds, presenting this information to both towns to raise awareness of the proposed change and the related upcoming vote on the Nov. 7 ballot. They received enough initial support through signatures to get the issue on the ballot — requiring 96 and obtaining approximately 145 in Byron, and needing 137 and obtaining more than 200 in Bergen. Now they are trying to see it through to approval.
How has the feedback been so far?
“It’s mixed; people are very concerned about the cost at this point in time,” Barclay said. “We’re very hopeful.”
The tax of 55 cents per $1,000 would mean a yearly bill of $55 on a home assessed at $100,000. How is that money spent?
“Most of our budget goes towards basic operating expenses: personnel costs, rent, and other expenditures necessary to meet our patrons’ growing requests for current circulation materials,” Capurso said.
Other expenses are for mandatory wage increases, employee benefits, including retirement, bookkeeping and payroll/accounting and auditing costs, and lawyer fees.
A portion of the money raised will also go toward computer software and upgrades, other community services and outreach, hosting more programs and special events, plus the new position of a children’s library clerk will be added with a focus on children’s book clubs, summer reading programs, and preschool story hours.
The library provides a popular summer reading program, a book club, craft workshops, yoga, scavenger hunts, tax preparation help, babysitting classes, computer usage, Wi-Fi hot spots on loan, home repair classes, low-cost copier and fax use, and books, movies and other materials for use and check-outs.
If the measure is defeated, there is the potential for library hours to be reduced, and staff and/or programs to get cut. That isn’t meant to be a threat, but there may come that point when tough decisions have to be made, Capurso and Barclay said. They remembered when the Gillam Grant Library closed several years ago as a disappointing but necessary reality for the community.
“The Library will work hard to meet the needs of the community, but we may have to make adjustments. The Library may need to reduce programming, hours, and purchases,” Capurso said. “If the Byron-Bergen Public Library would no longer exist, current patrons would need to seek alternative libraries.”
Research was done about converting Byron-Bergen’s library to a school library, however, it was discovered that due to county crossovers into Monroe, that wasn’t possible, Capurso said.
The Batavian reached out to both town supervisors for a response to how this initiative will affect their town budgets. Theoretically, if residents approve the library tax, that amount of money would come out of the portion that the town would have paid. No reply had been received by the time of this article’s publication.
The proposition states:
“Shall the Town of Bergen (Byron) establish an annual tax in the amount of $0.55/1,000 (fifty-five cents per one thousand dollars) of assessed real property value in order to support the operation of the Byron-Bergen Public Library, commencing in the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2024.”
Early voting begins Oct. 28 and runs through Nov. 5 at ARC Community Center, 38 Woodrow Road, Batavia before the general election vote on Nov. 7 at each each town hall’s polling site.
Capurso will be making another presentationabout the proposition to create a municipal 414 library at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Hidden Meadows Clubhouse, Route 19, Bergen.
For more information, email byrbgn@nioga.org or call (585) 494-1120.
