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Hezekiah N. Burch, 19, (inset photo right) is charged with: two counts of first-degree rape with forcible compulsion, a Class B felony; first-degree sex abuse with forcible compulsion, a Class D felony; and attempted sex abuse in the first degree with forcible compulsion, a Class E felony. The charges allegedly stem from separate incidents on Hutchins Place over a one-month time frame earlier this year involving a child less than 15 years of age. Burch was arrested at 6:15 p.m. March 29 after a sex abuse investigation. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in jail in lieu of $40,000 cash bail, $60,000 bond, or $80,000 partially secured bond. He was due back in city court April 2.

Kyle J. Gugel, 35, (inset photo left) was arrested in the City of Batavia for allegedly violating an order of protection, illegally entering a residence and forcibly raping a victim at 9:30 a.m. on March 18 on West Main Street. He was arrested at 9:30 p.m. March 31 and charged with first-degree criminal contempt, a Class E felony; first-degree rape, a Class B felony; and second-degree burglary, a Class C felony. No court, jail or bail information provided.

Alejandro Rodriguez, 24, was arrested at 5:30 p.m. on March 28 and charged with: third-degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor; and second-degree robbery, a Class C felony. It is alleged that at 5:09 p.m. March 28 that Rodriquez was involved in a domestic incident on Dellinger Avenue in Batavia wherein he punched a woman in the face and stole property from her. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in jail in lieu of $2,500 cash bail, $5,000 bond or $7,500 partially secured bond. Rodriguez is due back in city court tomorrow (April 6).

Adam M. Jellison, 43, was arrested at 9:30 p.m. on March 25 following an investigation of a domestic incident that occurred Jan. 1 on Columbia Avenue in Batavia. He is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, a Class E felony, and second-degree strangulation, a Class D felony. Following his arraignment in Batavia City Court, he was jailed without bail.

Jeffrey J. Keily, 51, of Hidden Pond Lane, Walworth, is charged with: driving while intoxicated -- first offense; aggravated DWI per se -- with a BAC of .18 percent or more; operating a motor vehicle without insurance; and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle on a highway. Keily was arrested at 7:37 p.m. April 3 on Clinton Street Road in Stafford after deputies were dispatched for a report of an erratic driver. After an investigation, it is alleged Keily had a BAC of more than three times the legal limit. He was released with appearance tickets to be in Stafford Town Court on April 21. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush, assisted by Deputy Jonathan Dimmig.

Kerwin Rey Vega, 33, of Flint Street, Rochester, is charged with: driving while intoxicated -- with a conviction within the last 10 years; aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree; DWI with a child passenger less that 16 years old (child is 11); operating a motor vehicle while having an open container of alcohol; operating a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock device; and refusal to take a breath test. At 1:12 a.m. on April 4, Vega was arrested after a traffic stop in the Town of Bergen. Vega was released on appearance tickets and is due in Bergen Town Court on April 14. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy David Moore, assisted by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun.

Rae Cook, 32, was arrested and charged with second-degree harassment at 7:30 p.m. March 30 after multiple disturbances at a Batavia residence. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court tomorrow (April 6).

Kristen Marie Owens, 32, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs and speeding in excess of 55 mph. She was arrested at 7:59 p.m. April 2 on Route 237 in Stafford after a traffic stop. She was issued appearance tickets in be in Stafford Town Court on April 15. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy David Moore, assisted by Sgt. Andrew Hale.

Shane Crites, no age provided, was arrested on an active warrant out of Lamar County Sheriff's Office in Paris, Texas, where he is considered a fugitive from justice. He was arrested after a traffic stop at 11:13 p.m. March 25 on West Main Street Road in Batavia at Colonial Boulevard. Crites was arraigned in Batavia City Court then put in jail to await extradition to Texas. He is due back in Batavia City Court on April 22.

Paula Pierce, 29, was arrested on a Batavia City Court Bench Warrant on March 18 for failure to appear in court. Pierce was located after she called police to report an unrelated incident on State Street. She was released on an appearance ticket and is due in city court April 8.

Amanda Maben, 42, was taken into custody in St. Lawrence County on March 24 on a Batavia City Court Bench Warrant. She was arraigned in Wyoming County Court on a Wyoming County warrant in addition to the Batavia warrant. She was released on her own recognizance and is due in city court April 28.

When it comes to Genesee County’s water supply, municipal officials are fixated on a goal of a regionalized system under the umbrella of the Monroe County Water Authority.

Projects continue to move forward to the east and west of Genesee County as part of what is known as Phase 2 – resulting in an additional two and a half million gallons per day. And much more work is planned for Phase 3, which is expected to increase the county’s daily water output by another six million gallons.

With a steady influx of economic development in the county and the prospect of large-scale manufacturing at the Western New York Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in the Town of Alabama in the near future, the demand for water is bound to amplify.

“We’re flipping over rocks everywhere we go to find more water,” said Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, who is responsible for carrying out the county’s strategy.

Hens said that developing a regional water supply will result in a “resilient, safe and affordable” commodity for years and years.

“That’s probably the best thing for everybody,” he said. “The cost of repairing stuff down the road would be borne by the entire MCWA service area, not just the Village of Le Roy, for example, trying to replace its own water plant.”

Great Lakes water: Safe and plentiful

He said water coming from the Great Lakes is safe and plentiful.

“The water is safer (because) you’re dealing with Great Lakes water as opposed to water that might be contaminated with a flood or runoff or anything else that might go wrong,” he said. “It’s safer and, honestly, it’s more redundant because we will have potentially water supply from four different water plants on the Great Lakes.”

Genesee County has been working over the past two decades to achieve its quest for eight and a half million gallons per day, Hens said, calling the effort “very complex with a lot of intermunicipal relations.”

He said the county’s system currently pumps about four and half million gallons a day through the City of Batavia’s water treatment plant. That water, in turn, is sold to the communities in the central part of the county.

The key player in all of this is the Monroe County Water Authority.

“We get about two and a half million gallons per day from the MCWA through the North Road booster station in Le Roy,” Hens said. “And then Monroe County buys a little bit of water from Erie County to feed Darien, Pembroke and Corfu on the west side.”

Pump station upgrades ongoing

Hens said several pump station upgrades are either in progress or on the schedule as the county works to meet the demand:

• Mumford and Churchville, small portions of Phase 2 that are set to come online by April 15;

• Morgan Road in Scottsville; Scottsville; Riga, and North Road, which were submitted to MCWA for consideration last week;

• Golden Road booster station in the Town of Chili, which was submitted to MCWA on March 5.

• Bissell Road in Bergen, which calls for the installation of 1,700 linear feet of water main to the MCWA connection, and would provide up to 35,000 gallons per day. Hens said this minor project should be done by June.

Additionally, Hens said that installation of water mains on North Road and Vallance Road in Le Roy and a water line on Chestnut Ridge Road in Chili (that will feed into the yet-to-be-constructed Golden Road booster station) is finished.

Hens said that the pump station upgrades and the Golden Road booster station will mark at end to Phase 2 work.

“All of those projects combined will increase our water supply,” he said. “Hopefully, by this time next year we will have everything done and we can have that water available for the summer of 2022.”

Hot days tax the water supply

While Hens said he looks forward to the warm summer months, he is concerned about “those 90-degree days that put a strain on the water supply.”

“Right now, we’re kind of tapped out on water supply,” he said. “On a hot summer day, like last year on the Fourth of July, we were kind of in drought conditions. We’re pretty much – there was no water left to tap. We were producing all the water that we could produce, and it was being used up on a daily basis.”

Genesee County is taking steps to secure water for its central (including the City of Batavia) and western zones as well, Hens said.

“The city water plant draws water from two primary locations – the Tonawanda Creek and the wells on Cedar Street (in front of the county highway department near O-At-Ka Milk Products),” Hens advised.

He said Well A and Well B are active, but are susceptible to an extended drought. For that reason, the county is looking at adding a third well, Well C.

“Given the fact that we are at – kind of peak supply, peak demand right now until Phase 2 is completed – we need to make sure the Batavia water plant has enough water coming out of it to meet the demand, especially in the summertime,” Hens said. “Well C would be there not necessarily to produce more water but as a backup in case one of the other wells has an issue. That way, we can be assured that the city plant can produce as much water as needed.”

Well C is vital to the overall plan

Hens said the county has completed an environmental review and may be ready to award a bid to Frey Drilling to get this project moving.

“It will probably be late summer or the fall before its online. It’s going to be a critical piece for the next few years to have that,” he said.

On the west side, Hens said the county gets about a million gallons a day from Erie County to serve residents in Darien, Pembroke, Corfu (and a small area in the Town of Alabama).

“We’re looking at every single drop of water that we can get until we can do Phase 3 and eventually Phase 4,” he said.

He said he looked into a project with Erie County that officials thought would create an additional two and a half million gallons per day, but it fell through.

“Last fall, we did some hydraulic testing with Erie and Monroe counties, combined, and artificially created a demand by pumping into Genesee County to see the effect on Erie County. When we were pumping in at a higher rate, we caused pressure issues in Erie County as far west as Cheektowaga along Walden Avenue,” Hens said. “Because of that, it would actually cost more money because of the need to do system upgrades, and we kind of shelved the idea."

Looking ahead, the county is embarking on the environmental, design and master planning work for Phase 3.

Phase 3 completion three years away

“In a perfect world, we would start Phase 3 construction by 2023, but it’s hard to say. I’m hoping, fingers crossed, that Phase 3 can be delivered, complete and operational by 2024 -- 2025 at the latest,” he said.

Hens said a major component of Phase 3 would be to run pipelines back into Monroe County, all the way to the Shoremont Treatment Plant in Greece.

“That’s quite a bit of pipeline, with a lot of it through urban areas, and will be a very expensive project,” he said.

Upon the completion of Phase 3, Hens said that the City of Batavia water plant would be taken offline.

Furthermore, county officials are discussing a proposal to establish a Niagara County-MCWA relationship similar to the current Erie County-MCWA pact, Hens said.

“This could benefit us as we await Phase 3 and provide water to STAMP’s large water needs in the future and benefit MCWA in the long-term as they might be the source beyond what Niagara County could provide to STAMP at full build-out,” Hens explained. “Monroe County, if it agrees, would operate the systems. We’re not sure if it’s feasible; it’s just an option because we’re definitely going to need the water.”

Previous: Genesee governmental leaders ready to address call for a countywide unified water rate

Ellicott Station.

The concept was born five years ago when Julie Pacatte, coordinator of the Batavia Development Corp. at the time, introduced Samuel Savarino, chief executive officer of Savarino Cos. of Buffalo, to an excited group of municipal leaders who gathered at the site of the former Santy’s Tire Sales and Soccio & Della Penna construction company on Ellicott Street.

Savarino proceeded to announce that his firm was selected to repurpose the 3-acre parcel in the City of Batavia’s Brownfield Opportunity Area into a development featuring office, retail, residential and entertainment space.

Fast forward to today and one would assume that not much has happened since that March 2016 press conference. To passersby, the location looks the same -- run-down buildings with broken and boarded up windows; an eyesore, to say the least.

Behind the scenes, though, much has taken place. And Savarino, in a telephone interview today with The Batavian, said that the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel” is in clear view.

Closing Could Happen in May

“I expect there will be a date in May when there will be a closing,” Savarino said.

What that statement means is Savarino believes that New York State Homes and Community Renewal, which is allocating around $5 million in low-income housing tax credits to the project, may be at a point where lawyers can sit down, pull together all of the financial pieces and set the stage for demolition and construction.

“The closing with HCR (is the next step). The day after that we will be out there working; maybe a little bit before that, actually,” he said.

Savarino said the parameters of the venture have not changed.

The $22.5 million project calls for construction of a five-story apartment building with 55 new, modern workforce housing units, as well as a brewery, restaurant/beer garden and potential further development on 3.31 acres. It is expected to create 20 jobs in the city’s downtown area.

Resurgence Not Part of the Brew

He did report, however, that Resurgence, a Buffalo-based brewery, is no longer part of the plan.

“They sort of timed out,” he said. “We’ve got another plan in there for a brewery, and we’ll probably have a hand in operating it.”

Savarino acknowledged that he has heard the grumblings from city officials and others about the time that has elapsed since the initial announcement, but he said he let people know from the beginning that “we had our work cut out for us.”

“I said that it would take quite a while because we had, by our initial calculations, between a $5 million and $8 million gap in funding to make the thing work. There was a lot of work that had to be done to close that,” he said.

“We had one path we were going on with new market tax credits and after a year and a half or two years of heading down a path toward closing, and we were informed by the state that that wouldn’t work.”

Housing Tax Credit a Big Factor

He said his company was able to pursue a different strategy involving the acquisition of low-income housing tax credits.

“We identified the funds and brought them in, and closed the gap and have done what we said -- that we would work hard to do (this) from the beginning. I know that it has taken a lot of time to do it, but we’re on the cusp of beginning construction over there and overcoming the challenges that we had.”

In September of last year, HCR announced an award of $5.7 million in low-income housing tax credits for the project, but since then, that amount has been reduced, Savarino said.

“Part of the delay beside COVID and HCR is that the market had changed. One of the things we needed to have is an investor for the low-income housing tax credits that we have. But because of COVID and other things, the market kind of fell out for things like that,” he advised.

He said the market has recovered to a certain extent – and he has lined up the necessary backing from financial institutions. But that $5.7 million figure is now closer to $5 million.

“We did not get as much in the sale of the credits as we had anticipated, so it’s costing us some money out of our pocket,” he said. “But we made the calculation that even though it is costing us many hundreds of thousands of dollars more, to delay this any further would cost us more still, and that we would be disappointing a lot of people by losing the season and we don’t want to wait any longer.”

Several Funding Sources

The Ellicott Station project will be getting $425,000 from Batavia’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative award and has been approved for $3.6 million in tax abatements from the Genesee County Economic Development Center. Back in December 2016, it was awarded a $1.9 million Consolidated Application Grant through the Finger Lakes Regional Development Council.

Savarino said that the entire deal closes at the same time.

“There’s funding coming in, there’s private financing that comes into it. So, there’s a lot of moving parts, but it all comes together at a project close. After that, you can start (construction),” he said.

He said that his company has done everything it could to prepare for the financial closing, including required remedial work connected to the Brownfield applications.

“There are literally hundreds of matters that have to be attended to … prior to the closing. The good thing is that we have been at this so long that a lot of those things have been taken care of,” he noted.

But as far as shovels in the ground, nothing yet.

“When we have been notified of any issues, we have done our best to attend to them over there,” he said. “And I think we boarded up some windows and secured the fence a couple of times. I will tell you that I know some people are impatient for some activity on that site.”

Savarino said he hopes to learn the actual closing date with HCR, but realizes that the agency is dealing with many other projects across the state.

“Although we have to seek the permission of HCR to do this, I have said to people in the city that once we know we have a closing date, we can do things like let contracts out for the work and actually have equipment on the site on the day of the closing,” he said.

HCR to Decide When Things Advance

He said his company may be allowed to demolish the old garage and the Santy’s building ahead of or right after closing, but emphasized that HCR is calling the shots.

“We don’t what to get ahead of the state in this – HCR – by announcing when we’re going to start and things like that,” he offered. “Every time we do, we hear from them. We have dealt with them on several other projects. We have done our part to reach the closing, and it’s just a matter of scheduling it.”

Locally, the Batavia Development Corp. continues to be a player in the project, and Andrew Maguire has been the director of economic development for the city-supported agency since November 2019.

“The BDC continues to work with the developer of Ellicott Station -- Savarino Companies,” Maguire said. “The proposed project aligns with Batavia DRI investment strategy and the Batavia Opportunity Area plan to advance redevelopment of strategic sites in the city. Ellicott Station is one of the key sites identified.”

File photo: Sam Savarino addresses City Council, November 2016.

In modern and jazz dance terms, the Batavia Players’ Main Street 56 Dance Company is just a “fan kick” away from the start of a new era at its new home at 35 City Centre.

Project Manager David Ciurzynski, of Ciurzynski Consulting LLC, of Attica, today said that the $417,000 award from the New York Main Street Anchor Grant Program to the Main Street 56 Theater and Dance Company project likely will allow the dance studio portion to open for business sometime in June.

“(The funding) is going to allow us to design and build a new façade on the front of the building so you won’t have that old ‘mall’ look, and it will also help us with the lobby space in the areas that we had cut back on our design to fit into our budget,” Ciurzynski said. “So, it really balances out the project and allows us to complete it properly.”

Ciurzynski said interior drawings are almost done and building permits for the dance studio have been received.

“People at the mall may have seen some activity there as we have put up the drywall and installed some doors for the dance studio,” he said. “With that being said, we’re hoping to have it open in June.”

As far as the theater is concerned, he said design development drawings are expected by the end of the week “so we can start looking at finalizing the budget for that, getting permit review and get that bid out.”

Ciurzynski said he anticipates the theater being complete by the end of the year.

The Batavia Players has hired Thompson Builds of Churchville as the general contractor.

The project is being funded by a state Downtown Revitalization Award of $701,750, the recent NY Main Street Anchor Grant and a fundraising campaign.

“Part of the budget is being covered by volunteer labor as well,” he said. “It’s getting easier because we have funding; work is getting done. This is a real thing now for people.”

Ciurzynski said his involvement in the project has opened his eyes to the Batavia Players’ contributions to the community.

“It has been just an honor to work for these people. I never realized how many children and how many families that they reach through their educational and dance programs,” he said. “These are programs that people will be able to use during the reduced school times for their art classes for school. It’s really a big benefit to have this right in the middle of our city.”

In related action, the Batavia Development Corp. Board of Directors this morning formally approved acceptance of the $417,000 grant, which is awarded through the Housing Trust Fund Corporation and the Office of Community Renewal, to rehabilitate 14,000 square feet of vacant space for the theater.

Healthy Living Campus Update

Ciurzynski is representing Rochester Regional Health and the GLOW YMCA on the development of the Healthy Living Campus in Downtown Batavia – a $22.5 million project funded by a $4 million DRI award, $7.5 million grant from the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program II and a local fundraising campaign.

He said the project is at the design development stage, which means that the submittal of site plans to county and city planning boards isn’t too far away.

“We need to make sure we have all the funding sources in place … and also the material pricing and availability,” he offered, adding that he hopes that work will be bid out and some construction will start this fall. “We will try to balance that all out with the market, which is extremely difficult right now to do on a large project like that. Steel and copper pricing is unstable right now, and we just have to make sure that we can minimize its effect on our project.”

Ciurzynski said the plan is to take down Cary Hall on East Main Street, construct a new building and move the current YMCA operation into it.

“After that, we’ll take down the old Y,” he said. “It’s a good 12 to 15 months’ worth of construction for the new Y. If we start late this year, it will be late 2022 or early 2023 before that building comes down.”

He also said he would like to see the Office for the Aging (which is attached to the current YMCA) be a part of the Healthy Living Campus.

“We’re in talks with the Office for the Aging but right now the plan is to keep it where it is. That’s a work in progress. We would have to develop a plan to separate the building, and put in new utilities to make sure it is operational,” he said.

“The hope would be that we could find a way to incorporate them into the overall campus and save people money and be able to provide the same services and make the buildings work all at the same time.”

Calling it a “dynamic process” due to the fact that the venture includes two nonprofit organizations and the City of Batavia, Ciurzynski said it will take “time, patience and understanding to bring all the parts and pieces together.”

“But when we’re done, it is going to be a very transformational program in the center of our city that will provide much for health care and wellness for youth and seniors,” he said.

Previous: Healthy Living Campus consultant: Access to services at forefront of large-scale Batavia projects

National restaurant chain Chipotle, founded in Denver in 1993, has its eye on Towne Center at Batavia for a new location according to a special use permit application filed on its behalf by COR Development Company, owners of the plaza.

The building is the former location Metro Mattress in the same structure as Game Stop and Five Guys.

If approved, the location would be modified to include a drive-thru and outdoor seating.

Chipotle, with more than 2,000 locations nationwide, specializes in Mexican-style cuisine and especially known for its build-your-own burrito bar. 

The application for a special use permit and site plan review will be heard this month by the County Planning Board before being sent to the Town of Batavia Planning Board.

Neither COR nor Chipotle, at least so far, have filed an application with Genesee County Economic Development Center for any tax abatements.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today signed a bill legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for people 21 and over in New York State, action that will be the subject of much debate until and following the new law’s implementation, which is expected in about 18 months.

The Batavian reached out to local government representatives, substance use prevention professionals, hemp producers and retailers, law enforcement and the chair of the Genesee County Libertarian Party for their thoughts on New York becoming the 15^th state with legal recreational marijuana.

Chris Van Dusen, president, Empire Hemp Co., Liberty Square, Batavia:

“I think it is really exciting news. The legislation that they have come up with, I think is pretty fair and it doesn’t cut out the potential for small businesses to get into the industry. I think it is a good plan, and the taxation is not too out of control on it.

“I am looking forward to expanding our business into the ‘rec’ market through another corporation that we will start – not Empire Hemp Co. – but we will plan on being involved in a processing capacity.”

Van Dusen said the facility in Liberty Square is for processing – “where we turn all of the raw hemp into CBD oil” – and he is close to opening a retail store on Main Street.

When asked about the legislation having safeguards against marijuana getting into minors’ hands, he said he believes that a new Office of Cannabis Management will implement guidelines similar to what are in place for alcohol use.

“And I think that a lot of the tax dollars will be going back into treatment programs and social programs, and that will be a benefit to the community as well,” he said.

The law, which was passed on party line voting in the Democratic Party-controlled Assembly and Senate on Tuesday, calls for a 13-percent excise tax, with 1 percent going to the county and 3 percent earmarked for the municipality (town, city, village) of the dispensary.

“The growers and the processors are going to get into it, there’s going to be an upfront investment. But as far as the end user costs at the retail level, I don’t think it’s going to be much outside what you are seeing in the other legal states as far as what you get for what price or, frankly, what you find on the black market. I think it hopefully will take more out of the black market – having it regulated like this will allow for a cleaner, safer product that’s regulated versus what’s coming off the street – imported from who knows where.

Batavia City Manager Rachael Tabelski:

“Without having a chance to read the entire bill yet, I can safely say that if there were a dispensary within the City of Batavia, it is my understanding that the city would gain 3 percent of the tax revenue related to that dispensary.

“That certainly is a brand-new revenue source … but it is all hypothetical until you have one. I want to continue to read through the legislation and we’ll be working with NYCOM (New York Conference of Mayors) – the city’s association. So, we’ll wait and see what their guidance looks like. The local level does have some decisions to make in this. We don’t have any decision-making on adult use, but we do have decision-making on whether the city allows for a dispensary and then we can regulate the times, place and manner through local zoning.

“Whether Batavia has a distribution point in the city or not, people will now be allowed to use it per the regulations and guidelines that came out. If that is the case, it might warrant a legislative choice (by City Council) to be made or the choice to do nothing, and just let it happen. I certainly will be getting information to City Council to help them understand the legislation and how communities align with the legislation.

“There’s growing, there’s retail and there’s use. No matter what happens with the growing and the retail, there is going to be use in our city. It’s going to happen, in that, if we have the ability to bring in revenue, that may be an option for us. We certainly will have some growing pains associated with legalized use and, especially, kind of the edible product that might be included in this.”

Shannon Ford, director of Prevention, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse:

“From a Prevention perspective, I’m very concerned about this. Legalizing marijuana will have a negative impact on our youth for sure. Although youth will not be able to use marijuana legally, we know there will be an increase in access if the adults in their lives are possessing and using it.

“In addition, over the last couple of years, youth perception of harm of smoking marijuana has decreased. With more media messages and legalization/commercialization, I anticipate the perceived risk of harm will further be reduced. Both access and a decreased perception of harm will likely increase youth marijuana use.

“As it is legalized for adult use where it will be monitored for ‘purity,’ youth will still be seeking it on the streets, where we know there is a higher potential of risk.”

Mark Potwora, Genesee County Libertarian Party chair:

“My opinion -- and I would say it is the opinion of the Libertarian Party -- is that it is something that should have been legal a long time ago, and for some reason, what was not legal years ago is legal now. A lot of people suffered because of marijuana laws (on the books). A lot of families and 18-, 19-, 20-year-old kids got a marijuana charge that kind of ruined their lives for a while.

“The problem I have with the legalization of the whole thing is that they’re doing it for the wrong reasons. They’re doing it because they want money. They want to raise revenue. They’re not doing it because it’s the right thing to do. That kind of bothers me, but I’m glad that they’re legalizing it.”

Potwora compared marijuana use to alcohol use.

“It’s just like alcohol. It shouldn’t be administered to young kids and there is an age limit. And, along the lines of medical marijuana -- which a lot of people have – it is not a negative. It’s probably a good thing. Whoever smokes marijuana or pot now, I don’t think they’re going to create a whole new industry of pot smokers. If you didn’t smoke it before – because it’s so easy to get – I don’t see any big problem coming up that they aren’t already addressing.

He also said the current marijuana laws give police “an in” to search people.

“They (police) say, ‘Oh you’re smoking pot. Come here, I want to pat you down.’ And they always took it farther and farther. This is one less thing for them to have a reasonable cause to mess with you, I guess.”

Nola Goodrich-Kresse, Genesee Orleans Public Health educator:

“Public Health has had a standing position in opposition of legalization of marijuana in New York State for several years. Our state association, The New York State Association of County Health Officials, officially has maintained opposition to legalized adult use of cannabis, based on the quantifiable adverse impact it will have on public health.”

She then offered the following bullet points for consideration:

• Legalization will create a similar path to tobacco with the need to build infrastructure and systems around dealing with the downstream issues that will come.

• Legalization does not mean safe and healthy, it creates a false sense of security and belief, especially in youth that it is safe since it is legal.

• There has been general support for medical use of cannabis, which has been in place for over five years, and has been effective in helping those with identified medical conditions.

• Evidence indicates that long-term cannabis use can lead to addiction. There is cannabis withdrawal syndrome, which makes cessation difficult and contributes to relapse.  Adolescents are particularly susceptible as compared to those who begin use in adulthood. Adolescence are approximately two to four times as likely to have symptoms of cannabis dependence within two years after first use.

Jeremy Almeter and Pavel Belov, co-owners, Glass Roots, 12 Center St., Batavia:

"While today is certainly a step in the right direction, we are still far from declaring this our 'milestoned' moment. We at Glass Roots have been committed to destigmatizing and normalizing cannabis for over 15 years. By building trust and serving our community, we have seen there are no applicable stereotypes for cannabis usage.

“ ’Recreational’ cannabis is a misleading term; adult-use is what we are truly achieving today. This legislation specifically addresses and builds the foundation for an infrastructure, which ensures that cannabis products will be handled in a safe and secure manner from seed to sale.

“The fight has just begun. Access to plants and the many benefits they offer us and our animal friends is a basic right. To all the people who grew up indoctrinated with lies that compare cannabis to heroin use or its ‘gateway’ -- we are here to say the light at the end of the tunnel is upon us.

“Moving forward, we plan on working closely with community leaders to cultivate a safe and educational environment for cannabis culture within Genesee County.”

Glass Roots is an on-site glass-blowing facility that sells art pieces as well as CBD oils and other hemp products.

An email and phone call to Genesee County Sheriff William Sheron Jr. were not returned at the time of the posting of this story.

More about the today’s legalization, called the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act:

• The new law erases convictions for marijuana possession that would now be legal, and directs 40 percent of pot tax revenue to communities of color that excessively faced pot charges.

• Possession of up to three ounces of cannabis or 24 grams of concentrated forms of the drug will be allowed for recreational use.

• Three Senate Democrats voted against the bill, which passed 40-23, while no Democrats voted against it in the Assembly, where it passed by a 100-49 tally.

• State officials are indicating that marijuana sales are expected to generate $350 million in revenue to the state per year, and around 50,000 jobs will be created.

The New York Power Authority Board of Trustees’ decision Tuesday to allocate low-cost hydropower and funding to Plug Power’s expansion project at the Western New York Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park is another vital step in the Genesee County Economic Development Center’s efforts to promote the 1,250-acre mega site in the Town of Alabama.

That’s the way Steve Hyde, GCEDC president and chief executive officer, sees it after learning that the NYPA board approved a 10,000-kilowatt hydropower provision along with $1.5 million in funding from the Western New York Power Proceeds program.

Plug Power, based in Latham, will be investing $290 million on the construction of a green hydrogen fuel production plant and a 450-megawatt electric substation to serve the STAMP complex.

“Funding from the Western New York Power Proceeds program and the allocation of low cost hydropower from the Niagara Power Project are critical components to Plug Power’s $290 million investment at the STAMP site,” Hyde said.

“The collaboration among NYPA, National Grid and Plug Power to build a 345-115kv electrical substation, which will allow access to 100-percent renewable and reliable low-cost power, will provide our agency a significant advantage in our marketing and promotional efforts on behalf of STAMP against other sites nationally and globally.”

Hyde said he was “extremely grateful” for NYPA’s support of the project, which reportedly will create 68 jobs and produce 45 tons of green hydrogen daily.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the NYPA board approved economic development awards to 23 entities that will support 2,292 jobs across the state — with 870 jobs being newly created — and spur more than $580 million in private capital investments.

Eighteen operations are receiving awards through ReCharge NY energy allocations, while the remaining five are receiving Niagara hydropower allocations and funding awards to enterprises in Western New York.

Included among the awards is a 5,100-kW power allocation to Plug Power for its expansion project in Monroe County that will create nearly 380 jobs.

The community is pulling together, rallying around a family of six that was burned out of their home at 37 Maple St., Batavia, yesterday morning.

There are a few donation and fundraising efforts that have started since news of the fire hit local news home pages yesterday.

A new store, the Junk Drawer, at 238 Ellicott St., is accepting item donations for the family, and Ally Scofield has set up a GoFundMe page for the family.  

Items that can be dropped off at the Junk Drawer include clothing items for boys age 3- to 6-months and age 10 to 12. Size 14 and 16 women's pants, 2x-3x women's shirts, men's 32 and 34 pants, women's 12-15 pants, and women's large shirts. They also need personal items such as shampoo, soap, etc.

The GoFundMe campaign has set a goal of raising $5,000 and has already exceeded $3,000.

The family had lived at the residence for three years but did not have renter's insurance. They lost seven pets and all of their personal belongings and household items.

Top photo: City Fire Chief Stefano Napolitano comforts Bentley Sherman, who lived at the residence with his mother and grandmother.

Daniel William Knauss Jr., 51, of West Park Street, Pavilion, is charged with third-degree menacing. On March 29, Knauss turned himself into the Genesee County Jail. The charge stems from an incident at 7:10 p.m. on March 25 in which Knauss allegedly chased a person around a yard on West Park Street while conveying verbal threats, causing the person to fear physical injury from the defendant. Knauss was processed at the jail and released on an appearance ticket to be in Town of Pavilion Court on April 6. The case was handled by Deputy Andrew Mullen, assisted by jail Corporal Chaya and jail deputies Bartholomew and Strumpf.

Ian Robert Standinger, 24, of Brookview Road, Rochester, is charged with: false personation; speeding -- doing 76 mph in a 30-mph zone; unregistered motorcycle; uninspected motorcycle; operating a motor vehicle without insurance. At 3:57 p.m. on March 30 on Ford Road in Elba, Standinger was stopped for allegedly speeding. Upon interviewing him, he allegedly identified himself with a false name. He was also charged with operating an unregistered, uninspected motorcycle without insurance. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello.

A family lost all personal belongings as well as three dogs and six cats in a house fire this morning at 37 Maple St., Batavia.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

"A neighbor said a fire and I was going, just 20 different things going on, I didn't know what was going on," said Marlene Hartford about the start of the fire.  

She lived at the house, she said, with her daughter, son-in-law (who wasn't home at the time), and two grandchildren.  

Hartford said the family, which had lived on Maple Street for three years, did not have renter's insurance. Chief Stefano Napolitano said Red Cross will provide temporary shelter, clothing and food.

Press release:

At 10:38 a.m. on March 30, the City of Batavia Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire located at 37 Maple St. The first arriving fire units were on scene at 10:40 a.m.

Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy fire involvement on the southeast corner of the home, extending from the first floor to the attic. Responding crews made an aggressive, coordinated exterior and interior attack and were able to confine and contain the fire to the interior of the home. The situation was called under control by on-scene fire command at 11:21 a.m.

Due to the intensity of the fire, the home received significant heat damage throughout, along with smoke and water damage. Additionally, three dogs and six cats perished in the fire. 

At this time the City of Batavia’s Fire Investigation team with assistance from the City of Batavia Police Department’s Detective Bureau is investigating the fire to determine the origin and cause.

City fire was assisted at the scene by Mercy EMS, City of Batavia Police Department’s road patrol and Detective Bureau, City of Batavia Bureau of Inspection, Bureau of Maintenance and Water Department, along with the Town of Batavia and Darien fire departments, with additional support provided by the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch, National Fuel and National Grid.

(Initial Post)

City Fire Chief Stefano Napolitano comforts Bentley Sherman, who lived at the residence with his mother and grandmother.

Matt Landers of the Batavia Kiwanis Club hides the 12th Kiwanis Golden Easter Egg today at Centennial Park as part of the service organization's holiday promotion with Oliver's Candies. Landers will hide the final egg on Wednesday.

A note inside the egg tells the story:

Congratulations! You have found one of the 13 Kiwanis Golden Easter Eggs! This entitles you to an Oliver’s Chocolate Easter Bunny! To collect your chocolate bunny, arrive with this note and the Golden Egg at the south side of Centennial Park on Saturday, April 3^rd at 10 a.m. We will have all of the prize winners gather for a picture with the Easter Bunny as they collect their chocolate bunny. We hope you had fun looking for the Golden Egg, and wish you and your family a very Happy Easter! (Note: Only one Golden Egg per family can be redeemed and winners must be 12 and under).

Photo by Mike Pettinella.

A house fire with heavy smoke and flames showing is reported at 37 Maple St. in the city. Fire crews are on scene. The road is shut down at Jackson and Maple. A resident has told a dispatcher she is going into the residence to retrieve her purse and she was adamently told not to do so. A second alarm is called.

Mercy medics are en route. Command says everybody's out of the house and they have water on the fire.

UPDATE 10:44 a.m.: National Fuel is called to the scene to shut off the natural gas pipeline. Two Town of Batavia engines called to stand by in quarters. Darien Rescue is called for mutual aid and Alexander's Fast team, too.

UPDATE 10:48: Mercy medics are standing by at Maple and Evans streets.

UPDATE 10:57 a.m.: Town of Batavia Engine #24 is called to the scene.

UPDATE 11:21 a.m.: Command asks dispatch to call for an inspector.

UPDATE 11:41 a.m.: A grandmother who has been renting the house for three years says the fire started outside but they don't know how it happened. She was inside with her grandchild, daughter and son and they all made it out safely. She had multiple pets and believes two of her dogs perished in the blaze and she is uncertain about the fate of her cats. She lost everything inside and had no renter's insurance. More T/K.

UPDATE 1:38 p.m.: The scene is turned over to the caretaker of the property and the city assignment is back in service.

City Fire Chief Stefano Napolitano comforts Bentley Sherman, who lived at the residence with his mother and grandmother.

Update: March 30, 1 p.m.

County Manager Matt Landers provided the amount of sales tax that New York State will divert from Genesee County for 2021 to be used for Fiscally Distressed Health Facilities/Other State General Purposes (FDHF-GF) & Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM)-related Payments:

FDHF-GF Sales Tax Diversion

January 15, 2021 -- $251,636

Rest of calendar year 2021 -- $185,632     

Total -- $437,268

AIM-related Payment Sales Tax Diversion

May 2021 -- $69,124

December 2021 -- $234,489

Total -- $303,613           

Grand Total -- $740,881

--------------

In the Genesee County manager’s eyes, it seems as though the more New York State gets, the more New York State wants.

Matt Landers today said he supports the New York Association of Counties as it attempts to reverse a recent local sales tax diversion law that, according to NYSAC, is removing more than $59 million a year from communities across the state.

“I’m in full agreement of the push by NYSAC to stop this diversion, especially in light of the fact that the state has been given funding through the federal stimulus to assist with nursing homes,” Landers said. “There really isn’t a need to divert county sales tax to go toward assisting distressed hospitals and nursing homes.”

Earlier this month, Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act and appropriated $23.8 billion to New York, with more than half of that going directly to the state government.

Landers emphasized that sales tax is a major source of revenue for more than half of the NYS counties, and also for towns, cities, villages and school districts that have sales tax sharing agreements with their counties.

In 2019, local governments shared $2 billion in local sales tax revenues, NYSAC reported.

The county manager said some municipalities had their state Aid and Incentives to Municipalities funding reduced or eliminated and then put back in – with sales tax diversion cover their AIM – and some will receive their full AIM.

“The governor’s proposal had it so that the AIM will be covered by sales tax diversion, but the Senate and the Assembly have different versions of that. So, until we see a final bill, I’m not sure what the final impact will be,” he noted. “But the sales tax diversion and the AIM situation are just two more examples of the state taking county sales tax for other purposes."

NYSAC President Jack Marren said local governments, now more than ever, need their full share of sales tax and state Aid and Incentives to Municipalities.

“Strong local governments make for a stronger state, and as New York recovers from the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, it is imperative that those of us who have been serving on the front lines of responding to the crisis be provided with the resources and the flexibility we need for a full recovery,” he said.

In a related development, Landers said he is against the formula being proposed to distribute the 13 percent sales or excise tax attached to the legalization of cannabis.

“The state plans to keep 9 percent of that 13 percent and they’re distributing the 4 percent to municipalities. The problem is that instead of putting it through as sales tax and letting sales tax sharing agreements divvy the money appropriately, they’re providing 3 percent directly to towns, villages and cities, and just 1 percent to counties,” he said.

Landers said that flies in the face of common sense.

“Just think about it? What municipalities are being impacted the most by legalization of marijuana?” he said. “If you look at the services that are delivered, it should go to criminal justice and human services agencies that the county runs – whether it’s the public defender’s office or the DA office, sheriff, the jail, mental health, health department. What does the typical Genesee County town have in services that would be impacted by the legalization of cannabis compared to a county?”

Landers mentioned that he understands some cities are planning to use income from marijuana legalization to pay for programs unrelated to what likely will arise from the increased usage of pot.

“The money should be to fund unintended consequences from the legalization of marijuana. There are going to be public health and other effects – just like the VLT (Video Lottery Terminal) money that was given to municipalities that have gambling in their areas,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that you go and create a new, unrelated program and put the money there. It should be used to offset the societal costs that you’re going to be hit with as a result of that activity.”

He said that some cities have their “wish list” of things that they want to do and now they have a new revenue stream to do that.

“In Genesee County, we would take that money and apply it to whatever effects it had on our budget as a result of the legalization. Unfortunately, though, I think it’s pretty much a done deal and we’ll have to accept the reality.”

Press release:

• Genesee County reporting 34 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke)
    • Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) 
    • East Region (Bergen, Byron, Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford)
  • The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 90s. 
  • Twenty of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
  • Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. 
  • One of the new positive individuals is a resident of the New York State Veteran’s Home at Batavia.

​

• Orleans County reporting 11 new positive cases of COVID-19.  
  • The positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby)
    • Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre)
    • East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon)
  • The individuals are in their, 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.
  • Nineteen of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
  • One of the current positive individuals is hospitalized.
  • Four of the new positive individuals are inmates of the Albion Correctional Facility.

For 29 years in the Florida Keys, a Genesee County girl was known only as "Valentine Jane Doe."

She had been raped and murdered on Valentine's Day, 1991, her body found the next day by a group of windsurfers walking on a path near a beach. Investigators noted two things about her: she had no tan lines suggesting she was from the north and hadn't been in Florida long, and she had a small heart-shaped tattoo with the word "love" in it.

Over the summer, using DNA matching with relatives, she was at long last identified as Wanda Deann Kirkum, who was 18 at the time of her murder. Wanda was born in Hornell but had spent most of her life in Genesee County going to schools in Pavilion, Batavia and Oakfield.

For those 29 years, her remains were stored in a Florida Social Services vault but recently her ashes were returned to her closest living relative, first cousin Brenda Chartraw.

Chartraw said she and Wanda were close as children and now, after her cousin being known only as a Jane Doe for so many years, Chartraw wants to make sure her name is memorialized with a proper burial in a final resting place and headstone. Kirkum will be lain to rest at a cemetery in Oakfield.

The headstone is being donated by Oakley Monuments of Batavia but Chartraw is asking for the community's help with the rest of the fundraising. She has set up a gofundme.com page and is holding a basket raffle at the Caryville Inn in Oakfield this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets will be drawn at 4 p.m.

Wanda ran away from home when she was 18. Chartraw said Wanda was physically and sexually abused by her father and mother. Her parents, who are both now dead, apparently had no interest in finding her and did not file a missing person's report.

The family believed, Chartraw said, that Wanda wanted to start a new life and had believed that she had done so, without suspecting that she had been killed.

Chartraw said the case of the Valentine Jane Doe was kept top-of-mind within the Monroe County (Florida) Sheriff's Office by the dispatcher who first took the call of Kirkum's body being found by the windsurfers. The case was featured on national television shows but no leads were ever uncovered until this past year.

One of the detectives working the case uploaded Kirkum's DNA to a genealogy site -- using a technique pioneered in California in the Golden State Killer case -- to identify a fourth cousin of Wanda's. With that match, detectives found another family member and acquired a DNA sample to confirm the match.  

Using DNA, detectives also identified Kirkum's killer, Robert Lynn Bradley, who was 31 at the time of his murder in Texas the year after he killed Kirkum.  

NOTE: Family members say that Kirkum never gave birth to a child, as suggested in the video.

Nia Hanevin Spring, of Meadville Road, Alabama, is charged with third-degree grand larceny. At 7 p.m. on March 23, Genesee County Sheriff's deputies responded to 986 Bloomingdale Road in the Town of Alabama for complaints of trespassing and larceny at the Rez Smoke Shop and Gas Station. Spring allegedly stole $9,501 in merchandise from the business. She was arraigned in Alabama Town Court and released on her own recognizance. She is due in Genesee County Court on May 18. The case was handled by Deputy Zachary Hoy, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Emery Green, 32, no address or place of residence provided, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, 4th, a Class A misdemeanor. He was arrested and processed at Batavia Police Headquarters after an investigation into an allegation that he possessed a firearm on Batavia City School District property. He was arraigned virtually in Batavia City Court and is due to return there on April 13.

Joshua Williams Sr., 29, no address or place of residence provided, is charged with: criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree; second-degree menacing; endangering the welfare of a child; and second-degree harassment. He was arrested at 4:26 p.m. March 17 after a domestic incident in which he allegedly attempted to hit a person with a brick. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in jail on $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond, or $15,000 partially secured bond. He is due back in city court on April 22.

Clarence Wesley Odell, 52, of Corfu (no address provided) is charged with: felony driving while impaired by drugs with a previous conviction within 10 years; felony aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree; refusal to take a breath test; operating an unregistered ATV; and unlawful operation of an ATV on a public highway. At 11;38 p.m. on July 30, Odell was arrested after a traffic stop on South Pearl Street in the Village of Oakfield. He was arraigned on March 5 in Oakfield Town Court and is due back there on April 5. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Austin Heberlein, assisted by Jacob Gauthier.

James F. Perry, 36, (no address provided), was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal contempt after a disturbance at 1:30 p.m. March 16 on State Street in Batavia. He was allegedly observed in the presence of a person with an order of protection from him. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in jail in lieu of bail (unspecified). He is due back in court April 15.

Peter Joseph Mancuso, 32, of Northwood Drive, Batavia, is charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal contempt. On March 26 Mancuso was arrested for allegedly causing damage to a door and doorknob at a residence on Roberts Road in Alabama at 11 a.m. March 10 in violation of an active order of protection. He was arraigned in Alabama Town Court and released on his own recognizance. Judge Charles Zambito issued a full stay away order of protection to the Roberts Road resident. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Chad Minuto, assisted by Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Cynthia McKnight, 22, of Avenue D, Rochester, is charged with: aggravated driving while intoxicated per se -- with a BAC of .18 or more and no prior convictions; DWI -- first offense; and failure to stop at a stop sign. On March 27 at 6:41 p.m., Genesee County Sheriff's deputies responded to Route 33 in the Town of Bergen for a single-vehicle accident. After an investigation, McKnight was arrested on the charges. It is alleged she was driving while intoxicated and failed to stop at a stop sign, causing her vehicle to go off the roadway and into a field. She was released with appearance tickets and is due in Town of Bergen Court on April 7. The case was handled by Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush, assisted by Deputy Kyle Tower.

Press release:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have Pfizer and Moderna vaccination clinics with appointments available for Genesee and Orleans counties' residents.

Whichever COVID-19 vaccine is available is the right vaccine to get now! All approved vaccines are effective and saves lives. We encourage anyone that is currently eligible to register for an upcoming clinic.

Vaccine is now available for people age 50 and older along with the existing priority groups (http://bit.ly/NYSPriorityGroups).

Pfizer is a two-series dose, 21 days apart (three weeks), and is recommended for people aged 16 and older. Moderna is a two-series dose, 28 days apart (four weeks), and is recommended for people aged 18 and older.

It is important to note that you must be able to return for the second dose 21 days for Pfizer or 28 days for Moderna after the first dose at the location, you received your initial vaccination. You will be making that appointment after you are vaccinated.  If you cannot make that date, please do not make an appointment for a two-dose series until you can make both appointments.  

Visit the vaccination webpage at:  https://bit.ly/GOHealthVaccine.

Choose either the Moderna Clinic or the Pfizer Clinic button to make your appointment. When you register, it will also show which vaccine will be at the clinic during that day.  In Genesee County, the clinics are held at the Athletic Center at Genesee Community College in Batavia and in Orleans County, the clinics are held at the Ridgeway Fire Hall in Medina.

If you are interested in making an appointment to get your COVID-19 vaccination, now is the time to do it locally!

More than 3,000 National Grid customers spread out over more than 15 locations in Genesee County had power outages following heavy winds that swept through the region late this morning and afternoon.

The outages include:

• Le Roy and Bergen (centered in the Village of Le Roy), two outages affecting 2,435 customers. A crew has been assigned and it is accessing conditions.
• Bethany, one outage along Bethany Center Road just south of Ellicott Street Road, 20 customers. A crew has been assigned.
• Alexander, two outages, both just north of the village, affecting 75 and 81 customers. A crew assigned to the southern of the two outages but not yet to the other outage. A third outage, affecting fewer than five customers is reported near Attica.
• A small outage is reported just south of Darien Center. No crew assigned.
• Basom, two outages on the reservation along the county line with one crossing the county line. One outage, 774 customs, a crew assigned. Another, 731 customers, a crew is assigned. Another, more to the eastern side of the reservation, 105 customers. There are also two smaller outages with crews assigned.
• Alabama, one outage along Lewiston Road, 21 customers, no crew assigned.
• Village of Oakfield, multiple outages affecting 821 customers, a crew is assigned.
• Elba, just east of the village, north of Route 262, 22 customers, no crew assigned.
• Batavia, there were two outages but both appear to have been cleared.

Scanner traffic was heavy for awhile late this morning and early afternoon. As for what fire crews responded to, here's what we know:

• Downed lines at 73 W. Main St. in Le Roy prompted the closure on Main at Gilbert and East Bethany - Le Roy roads. National Grid responded to the scene
• Also in Le Roy, a tree and/or wires were down in the roadway blocking traffic on south Route 19 near Washington Street.
• Wires in the roadway at Dodgeson and Hickox roads in Alexander.
• A tree, wires, and power lines were reported down in the 6800 block of Norton Road in Elba.

Data Update – 

• Genesee County reporting 24 new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • The new positive cases reside in the:
    • West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke)
    • Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) 
    • East Region (Bergen, Byron, Le Roy, Pavilion, Stafford)
• The individuals are in their 0-19s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. 
• Ten of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  
• Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. 
• Three of the new positive individuals are inmates at the Genesee County Jail. 

 

Orleans County reporting seven new positive cases of COVID-19.​

• The positive cases reside in the:
  • Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre)
  • East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon)
• The individuals are in their, 0-19s, 30s, 40s and 50s.
• Three of the new positive individuals were under quarantine prior to testing positive.
• Two of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been removed from the isolation list.
• One of the new positive individuals is an inmate at Albion Correctional Facility.
• Zero of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

Directors of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. this morning voted in favor of paying the Town of Batavia up to $395,000 for property enhancements as part of the Park Road Reconstruction Project that is scheduled to commence construction this fall.

Following the approval at the board’s monthly meeting at Batavia Downs Gaming, WROTB President/CEO Henry Wojtaszek said he was impressed with Town officials’ diligence in making the $3 million street reconstruction a reality and is eager to see the finished product.

“This will be a beautiful entry to our facility,” Wojtaszek said. “We’re talking about sidewalks, a promenade, tree-lined area, street and parking lot lighting, landscaping, road work, valet improvements for hotel purposes and some infrastructure work.

“We had a great meeting with them (town officials). They were very well prepared and they had excellent documents.”

Wojtaszek said that “every bit of the project is very well thought out,” noting that work will be done on one side of the street at a time to keep traffic moving – although at a slower pace. “The town is going to improve the speed bumps that we have, and that will help, also.”

Last June, WROTB granted the town three easements – small parcels to help facilitate drainage, utilities and sidewalk installation.

The major rehabilitation of the road will take place from Lewiston Road (Route 63) to Oak Street (Route 98).

Work will include new pavement, curbs and curbing from Lewiston Road to Richmond Avenue with sidewalks on both sides of Park Road, while pavement will be overlaid and sidewalks installed on one side of the road from Richmond Avenue to Route 98. The project also calls for new water lines and street lights on Park Road between Route 63 and Richmond Avenue.

Town Engineer Steve Mountain said WROTB’s request for “betterments” is typical of road projects in urban areas.

“If somebody wants additional streetscape and improvements to enhance the functionality of their facility – such as Batavia Downs – than oftentimes betterment improvements are performed,” Mountain said. “Things like additional lighting, surface treatments, walkways, landscaping and trees. They’re kind of above and beyond what we would normally do.”

Mountain said that the state-funded project is in its design phase and that the town is hoping to solicit bids in August.

“We’re waiting on our grant application for the water main,” he said. “Depending upon the results of that, replacement of the water main is out ahead of the road project.”

Last month, the Batavia Town Board approved a resolution to apply for a state Community Development Block Grant for around $900,000 to replace a 5,300-foot stretch of water main on Park Road.

Mountain said the plan is to remove the 50-year-old asbestos water main under the roadway that serves Batavia Downs Gaming and other commercial enterprises. The pipe runs along the length of Park Road from Route 63 to the gas station on Park Road, not far from Route 98.

In other developments:

• Chief Financial Officer Jacquelyne Leach reported that the corporation will distribute $66,500 in surcharge to member municipalities for February, despite an operating loss of about $115,000 for the month.

Branch operations declined by about $73,000 in February. As of March 16, however, revenue was up by more than $900,000 compared to that time in 2020, which happened to be the first week of the COVID-19 shutdown.

Batavia Bets, the corporation’s interactive online platform, had a handle of $1.4 million in February, up $354,000, and through March 21, revenue is up by $383,000. Year to date, Batavia Bets’ proceeds are $4 million, a 50 percent increase.

• Directors approved four other spending measures:

$400,000 to Bally’s Casino Marketplace for the installation of a video lottery gaming player tracker and update of related hardware and software;

$55,000 to Kim Crawford for consulting services in respect to the resurfacing and maintenance of the harness horse racing track;

$16,500 to the William Ryan Group, Inc., for an application (app) that will alert gaming personnel when a machine or patron needs assistance;

$21,350 to United Tote Company for a horse racing ticket cashing kiosk.

• Marketing Director Ryan Hasenauer announced that Batavia Downs Gaming is attempting to bring in two more concerts outside of the nine-concert Rockin’ the Downs series. Hasenauer said a first-rate tribute band is likely to perform on May 22, followed by a nationally-known artist sometime in July.