Alexander

NOTE: Readers, if you have weather-related photos, photos related to anything in this post, email them to howard@thebatavian.com

A tree is down, partially blocking the roadway at 10840 Bowen Road in Alexander. Alexander firefighters are responding with a chainsaw to cut the tree and remove it.

In the area of the Log Cabin Restaurant, a transformer and three or four power lines are down in the roadway. The location is 1227 Gilmore Road. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding. National Grid is notified; no ETA -- "They're obviously are dealing with multiple issues."

Wires and/or tree branches are reported down on Whitney Mill Road in Elba.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m.: A tree and wires are down and entangled at 3583 Batavia Oakfield Townline Road.

UPDATE 10:43 a.m.: Tree down across the roadway at 9555 Beaver Road, Alexander.

UPDATE 10:44 a.m.: Tree and/or wires down on Francis Road, between Brown Road and Route 20, Bethany.

UPDATE 10:46 a.m.: Tree and wires down at 2781 Shelby Road. Oakfield Fire Department responding.

UPDATE 10:50 a.m.: DPW requested by City Fire to Cherry and Pringle for a large limb down blocking the roadway.

UPDATE 10:54 a.m.: National Grid is reporting 10 areas in Genesee County with power outages. The largest, 41 customers, is in Pavilion, in the area of Texaco Town. In Elba, Townline Road is being shut down at Pekin Road for a tree down.

UPDATE 10:59 a.m.: A tree has fallen into a residence at 3189 W. Main Street Road, Batavia. East Pembroke Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 11 a.m.: A semi-truck rollover accident is reported on Route 77 in front of Darien Lake Theme Park. Unknown injuries. Unknown cargo. Darien Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 11:04 a.m.: A large pine tree is reportedly down across the road in the area of 3525 Rose Road, Batavia. On Darien truck accident, truck is empty, no injuries, no fuel spill. Darien Fire can respond non-emergency.

UPDATE 11:08 a.m.: There is a power outage in East Pembroke with 40 customers without service. In Pembroke, a poll with a transformer is leaning with low hanging wires in front of Yancys Fancys.

UPDATE 11:23 a.m.: A box truck rollover accident is reported on Route 77 at McGregor Road, Darien. Injuries are reported. There are reportedly two occupants in the truck. Darien Fire dispatched. A chief is requesting that Route 77 be shut down to truck traffic.

UPDATE 11:27 a.m.: Route 5 is being shut down for westbound traffic at Route 77.

UPDATE 11:30 a.m.: Wires in trees with flames is reported on Dodgeson Road and Seward Road, Alexander. Alexander Fire responding.

UPDATE 11:35 a.m.: A tree and wires down, no fire, in the area of 2257 Countyline Road, Darien.

UPDATE 11:46 a.m. There is reportedly a car on tree branches and wires with a fuel leak in the area of 2023 Indian Falls Road, Pembroke. There are occupants in the vehicle. East Pembroke fire responding. No sparks are flames. Wires down at 118 E. Main St., Le Roy. A tree is down and blocking at Circular Hill Road and Wilcox Road, Byron.

UPDATE 12:10 p.m.: A tree is down on a house on Union Street. No structural damage. No wires down but it looks like the rest of the tree might come down soon.

UPDATE 12:13 p.m. A tree has come down on a gray Toyota Avalon at the McDonald's in Le Roy. It's unoccupied. Unknown owner at this time.

UPDATE 12:15 p.m.: In Alabama, 90 National Grid customers are without power.

UPDATE 12:20 p.m.: If we've got the right call here, occupants extricated at incident on Indian Falls Road.

UPDATE 12:24 p.m.: A dispatcher informs a Sheriff's patrol supervisor that there is a long list of pending hazardous conditions calls.

UPDATE 12:28 p.m.: A tractor-trailer rollover is reported in Pavilion on Route 63 at Court Road. Pavilion fire dispatched. Unknown injuries. Unknown cargo.

UPDATE 12:35 p.m.: Route 63 is being shut down. The driver can't be located. A pole with transformer is broken. The location is in Wyoming County. A Wyoming County deputy is in route. There is a fuel leak.

UPDATE 12:37 p.m.: The driver is in a pickup truck parked roadside.

UPDATE 12:38 p.m.: Oakfield fire is dispatched to 7001 Lewiston Road, the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District, bus garage, for a fire alarm in the gas island.

UPDATE 12:41 p.m.: On Pavilion truck accident, Mercy ambulance can continue non-emergency. Probably a sign-off. The trailer is empty. Small fuel spill to clean up.

UPDATE 12:46 p.m.: Westbound Route 5 in Le Roy is being shut down by Le Roy fire at York Road. We didn't catch the reason.

UPDATE 12:50 p.m.: Limb down on Pringle Avenue, Batavia. No electrical lines involved.

UPDATE 1:01 p.m.: A two-car accident is reported at Buffalo Street and Attica Road, Alexander. Alexander fire dispatched. Unknown injuries. A large tree is down on South Main Street. South Main is being closed at River and at Dewey.

UPDATE 1:13 p.m.: Wires arcing, 8503 Lover's Lane Road. East Pembroke fire dispatched.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: Tree down blocking on Gilbert Street, Batavia. Also, State Street is being blocked.

UPDATE 1:22 p.m.: Photo submitted by Cherie Chatt of a tree down on a house in Oakfield.

There is also a tree down on wires at 2781 E. Shelby Road. Oakfield Fire Police on scene.

UPDATE 1:25 p.m.: Tractor-trailer rollover accident reported at 6744 Quaker Hill Road, Elba. Unknown injuries. Unknown cargo. Elba fire dispatched.

UPDATE 1:28 p.m.: Reader-submitted photo of tree down on South Main Steet, Batavia.

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: Power outage in Elba, 316 customers without power. 

UPDATE 1:37 p.m.: Tree down on Fisher Road, Oakfield.

UPDATE 1:44 p.m.: Law enforcement dispatched to Lewiston Road in the area of the Thruway overpass for a report of a person in black pants and a black jacket with red hat looking in mailboxes.

UPDATE 2:23 p.m.: Traffic lights are out in the city at Main and Oak streets.

UPDATE 2:54 p.m.: Photo of Lewiston and Main, Batavia, about 30 minutes ago. There were strong winds and heavy snow for a short period. Every traffic light on West Main is out of service.

UPDATE 3:52 p.m.: It was a very busy day for emergency dispatchers. Sheriff William Sheron shared the photos below from one of the busy times. The call rate has slowed considerably over the past hour or so.

UPDATE 6:21 p.m.: Photo submitted by a reader, 40 Church St., Le Roy.

UPDATE 6:39 p.m.: Mari Egloff submitted these photos of trees down in her yard in Alexander.

UPDATE: Dayne Burroughs and Pamela Reinhardt shared the pictures below of damage at St. Joe's Cemetery.

A chimney fire with flames showing is reported at 4005 Hunn Road, Alexander.

Alexander fire and ladder truck from Town of Batavia dispatched.

UPDATE 8:01 p.m.: Chief on scene reports fire possibly out.

Inductees in the 2018 Batavia Career and Technical Center's National Technical Honor Society.

Submitted photo and press release:

This month, the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) Chapters inducted 49 career and technical students from Batavia Career and Technical Education Center.

Evening candlelight ceremonies took place at Elba High School.

These students met the rigorous criteria set forth by this national organization. The minimum grade point average for acceptance is a 3.0. Students are also selected based upon credit hours completed, attendance, volunteer service, and membership in other student organizations.

The Batavia Career and Technical Education Center is a program of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The Partnership operates as a Board of Cooperative Educational Services offering shared programs and services to 22 component school districts located in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston and Steuben counties in New York State. 

The 2018 Batavia Career and Technical Education Center NTHS Inductees:

Agri-Business Academy

Almadelia Salinas Guzman          Pavilion

Jade Vogel                                   Pavilion

Animal Science

Sarah Murray                               Caledonia-Mumford

Auto Technology

Hannah Tiede                              Batavia

Building Trades

Nicholas Bonamici                      Attica

Christian Bradt                            Oakfield-Alabama

Zachary Heaton                          Attica

Dylan Lang                                 Pembroke

Anthony Leitten                          Le Roy

Eric Lewis                                   Pavilion

Jordon Ludwig                            Pembroke

Breanna Montford                       Attica

Julius Ohlson                              Oakfield-Alabama

Karl Steffenilla                            Pavilion

Lucas Stucchio                           Byron-Bergen

Cosmetology

Hayle Conte                                Le Roy

Kayla Heinlein                            Pembroke

Emma Hopfinger                        Attica

Elizabeth Kowalski                     Elba

Shelby Ulm                                 Attica

Criminal Justice

Shawn Busch                              Attica

Cyle Felski                                  Pembroke

Amanda Knauss                         Pembroke

Electronics

Cole Ackert                                 Attica

Benjamin Bowman                     Byron-Bergen

Dwight Czworka                         Attica

Dominic Donley                          Batavia

Seth George                               Alexander

Thomas Pattridge                       Alexander

Chase Roth                                Alexander

Joshua Schulik                           Caledonia-Mumford

Mary Snyder                               Pavilion

Graphic Arts

Caleb Cottone                            Pembroke

Hannah Stockschlaeder             Attica

Health Careers Academy

Kaitlin Ange                               Batavia

Brionna DeMichel                      Byron-Bergen

Kaitlyn Freeman                        Pembroke

Melissa Jarnot                           Attica

Health Dimensions

Summer Anderson                    Caledonia-Mumford

Taylore Dorman                        Pembroke

Samantha Feldmann                Alexander

Nicole Welka                             Byron-Bergen

Justice Academy

Tyler Wood                               Pembroke

Metal Trades

Matthew Kurowski                    Attica

Anthony McMaster                   Batavia

Andrey Musiyevich                   Caledonia-Mumford

Anthony True                            Pavilion

Programming and Interactive Media

Donovan Kelley                        Caledonia-Mumford

Taylor Tyczka                           Attica​

Press release:

Alexander Central School District partners with the YMCA to provide the UPK program to Alexander residents.

The UPK classroom is located in the Alexander Elementary School building and UPK is FREE to eligible Alexander District residents. Children who turn 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2018 are eligible to register for UPK.

Registration packets are available in the Alexander Elementary Main Office, located at 3314 Buffalo St., Alexander.

If the amount of registrations exceed the number of alloted UPK spaces, a lottery will take place Monday, April 9. Parents will be notified of placement the week of April 16.

Parents may select from a morning class (9-11:30 a.m.) or an afternoon class (12:45-3:15 p.m.).

Classes meet Monday through Friday. Bussing is available to school for morning students and home from school for afternoon students. Parents must make transportation arrangements for midday.

Parents are strongly encouraged to fully register prior to the potential lottery date of April 9.

For further information, please contact Maria Thompson, GLOW YMCA UPK director, at 585-344-1664 or mthompson@glowymca.org

Press release:

The Alexander Fire Department is hosting a All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast with the Easter Bunny! It is this Sunday, March 25, 8 a.m. to noon at the Alexander Fire Department Recreation Hall. It is located at 10708 Route 98, Attica.

Menu will be pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, bacon, sausage gravy and biscuits, home fries, fruit, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice and real maple syrup!

The Easter Bunny will be there along with an indoor bounce house, coloring contest, face painting and 50/50 raffle.

Adults: $10; Children (5-12): $5; Under 4 eat free!

Please join us for some Easter Fun with Bunny!

It's Maple Weekend this weekend and next weekend with open houses at:

• Randall's Maple Products, located at 10307 Smithley Road in Alexander;
• Sweet Dream Maple Farm, located at 1116 Reynolds Road in Corfu.

The open houses run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow and next Saturday and Sunday.

Sweet Time Farms, at 5680 Webster Road, Wyoming, is also hosting an open house this weekend.

Above, Matthew Stein, at Sweet Dream Maple Farm, explains during a tour how trees are tapped.

Al Stein at Sweet Dream Maple Farm with an evaporator.

Eric Randall at Randall's Maple Products.

Information provided by the Western New York Maple Producers Association.

This weekend and next weekend (March 17-18 & 24-25) is Maple Weekend as the sweet tradition continues. Two of the many maple producers in the region are in Genesee County and will be participating from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. They are:

• Randall's Maple Products, located at 10307 Smithley Road in Alexander;
• Sweet Dream Maple Farm, located at 1116 Reynolds Road in Corfu.

According to the Maple Producers Association, maple syrup has become a powerhouse crop for New York State farmers. In the last decade, production of syrup has tripled, while the crop value has quadrupled.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NY Maple Producers manufactured 760,000 gallons of maple syrup last year, the highest production rate ever. It's an increase of 7.5 percent from the previous year.

The 2016 crop in New York was valued at $31.3 million, with an estimated economic impact of almost $141 million. The value for the 2017 crop will be released in June.

There's plenty of room to expand production because the U.S. Forestry Service data shows that more tappable maple trees are in New York than any other state in America.

The 22nd annual Maple Weekend is family friendly and free to the public. Take a tour and learn about tree tapping and boiling, see displays and best of all -- taste some of America's greatest maple syrup.

A complete list of participating sugarhouses, site maps and more information about Maple Weekend can be found here.

How Sap Becomes Syrup

Syrup is produced as the sugar maple holds starches in storage during the winter, which change to sugars as spring approaches. These sugars are released into the tree sap.

When a tree is tapped, a clear liquid runs out. When that liquid is boiled down, approximately 44 gallons of the sap produces a gallon of maple syrup.

Techniques vary from producer to producer -- some use state-of-the-art methods while others are traditionalists.

During Maple Weekend, many maple producers also offer additional activities including horse and wagon rides, snowshoeing, guided walks in the woods and kids' corners. And across Western New York, all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts will abound over the next two consecutive weekends.

Did You Know?

Also, there's more to maple syrup than its delicious taste. University of Rhode Island researchers recently found 20 compounds in maple syrup that possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which have been shown to help fight cancer, diabetes and bacterial illnesses. Other established health benefits of pure maple syrup include its calcium and potassium content -- a quarter cup of maple syrup has more calcium that the same amount of milk and more potassium than a banana.

New York is the second-largest maple producing state in the nation, with 2.65 million taps, producing 760,000 gallons of syrup, and accounting for 18 percent of the maple syrup in the United States in 2017.

Besides pure maple syrup, products that contain maple syrup include: maple cream, maple sugar, maple candy, maple jelly, maple mustard, maple tea, maple coffee, maple cotton candy, maple oatmeal bread, maple apple butter, maple walnut fudge, maple suckers and maple butter.

After six days missing, an Alexander farmer today spotted Blue, the English pointer we reported missing over the weekend.

Christina said the farmer called today with the good news he had found Blue.

"We are happy to say he is home now," she said. "We are grateful to have him home safe."

Alexander volunteer firefighters along with the hazmat team for Genesee County Emergency Services and with the county's emergency management coordinators responded to a train derailment in the Town of Attica today.

The accident was in the area of Route 238 and reported at 4:05 p.m.

Emergency Management Coordinator Tim Yaeger said the accident was in a pretty inaccessible location in Wyoming County and because of that, an engine fire was being allowed to burn itself out. There was no hazmat concern other than the diesel fuel of the engine. The hazmat team set up booms to contain any potential fuel.

As a precaution, the City of Batavia was contacted to temporarily close the water intake from the Tonawanda Creek.

Eleven cars derailed along with two engines from the Norfolk Southern line.

Two crew members self-extricated and were transported to an area hospital. They suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Yaeger said.

Town of Batavia fire responded to Alexander's hall as a fill-in.

UPDATE 8:14 p.m. (By Billie): All Genesee County responders are clearing the scene. Federal, state and local officials involved at the scene will remain for now. Heavy equipment will be forthcoming to remove some train cars so that Route 238 and Main Road in Attica can be reopened. Train crossing sites should be reopened by 10 o'clock tonight. The diesel fuel is allowed to continue to burn.

UPDATE: Press release from the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office:

On Feb. 15,  at 4:03 p.m. hours, the Communications Division at the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call of a train derailment near the East Main Road intersection in the Town of Attica.

The Attica Fire Department responded to the scene. Attica Fire Chief Jay Myers reports, “two engines and approximately 10 railroad cars derailed of the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The railroad cars were carrying new cars as cargo.” 

Chief Myers also stated there were two railroad personnel on the engine who were injured. They were taken to Erie County Medical Center. 

“The lead engine is on fire and in coordination with the Norfolk Southern, the engine will remain burning, primarily due to the difficult location of the derailment,” Myers said. 

Wyoming County Emergency Services Director Anthony Santoro is on scene, coordinating efforts from the federal, state, local and railroad resources.

Wyoming County Sheriff Gregory Rudolph says “an initial investigation was conducted and we are turning over our investigation to the Norfolk South Railroad Police and the Federal Railroad Administration and a cause has not yet been determined.” 

Director Santoro says, “the mutual-aid resources that responded and assisted were the: Alexander Fire Department, Varysburg Fire Department, Bennington Fire Department, Wyoming County Emergency Services and Hazmat Team, Genesee County Emergency Services and Hazmat Team, the New York State Police, the Attica Fire Department and Wyoming Correctional Facility.” 

Norfolk Southern personnel are on scene and making efforts to clear the Route 238 and East Main Road intersections with an estimated time of 10 p.m. The long-term cleanup of the damaged engines and railcars will be days.

Photos: Reader submitted photos.

Alexander wrestler Nick Young won a Section V title yesterday at 132 pounds and will advance to the state championship rounds.

Young beat Le Roy's Andrew Englerth on a 7-2 decision.

He was one of two Section V champions representing local schools. Josh Barber won at 285 pounds for Attica/Batavia.

Young now has four class sectional championships making in the most decorated active high school wrestler in the area. 

He's qualified for the state tournament four times. Earlier this year he placed fourth in the Eastern States tournment. He's ranked #2 in the state in his class.

Besides winning the title yesterday, he won the Brad Paddock Memorial Scholarship Award and Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.

Submitted photos.

Coaches Tom Aldinger and Dee Gugel with Nick Young.

Blue is missing. Blue is a 2-year-old English pointer who went missing Friday afternoon around Stannard Road, Alexander. He ran off chasing a deer and hasn't been seen by Ben and Christina since. He was last seen wearing an orange collar with an ID and a red collar with a big bell.

If you can help Blue get home to Ben and Christina call either (716) 572-2591 or (910) 382-0341.

A motor-vehicle accident with possible serious injuries is reported in the area of 11128 Alexander Road, Alexander.

The location is near Stroh Road.

Mercy Flight out of Buffalo is being put on in-air standby.

Alexander fire and ambulance and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 12:03 p.m.: One patient, leg and back injury. The other driver out of vehicle and walking. Road is completely blocked.

UPDATE 12:10 p.m.: Injuries not believed to be serious. Mercy Flight can stand down.

UPDATE 12:31 p.m.: Alexander 10 is transporting one patient to UMMC.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: The patient is an 18-year-old female driver who was seat-belted and complained of left and right leg shin pain and back pain.

At $197 per user per year, the price Village of Alexander residents would be asked to pay for a new water system seemed quite a bargain to at least one person who attended an information session at the Alexander Fire Hall on Thursday night.

"When I compare this to my cable bill, and water is an essential of life and cable isn't, this is cheaper than my cable bill," said Dawn Townsend at the end of the hour-long meeting.

Consultants Steve Mountain and Jeff Smith laid out for the residents the engineering and financing of the project and then answered questions.

The goal of the project is to replace an aging and break-prone water system that is also susceptible to spreading contaminated water, with all new water lines from the water source in Attica to and around the Village.

In all, 30,000 feet of water main would be replaced with new eight-inch and 12-inch PVC pipe. The Village would also receive new fire hydrants, a new pump station, and new water meters at each residence.

As a result, asbestos would be eliminated from the system and the potential for lead contamination would be eliminated. Water quality would likely improve and residents -- and fire hydrants -- would receive increased water pressure.

The total cost of the project is an estimated at $3.97 million. While that's an estimate contingent on final plans being drawn up, Mountain said he feels comfortable with the estimate based on what he's observed with the Village of Elba recently undertaking a similar project.

Village officials have identified a water infrastructure grant that would cover $2,382,000 -- or 60 percent -- of the cost.

The Village would borrow $1,588,000 through a program that would reduce the interest rate by a third, making it approximately 2.26 percent over the 30-year life of the loan.

The annual debt service per water customer then would be $197 each.

Without the grant and without the low-interest loan, the cost would have been $568 per user per year.

While the Health Department has put the Village on notice about low levels of contamination, particularly for haloacetic acids (HAA), a byproduct of the water cleaning process, concentrations are low enough that there is no health threat.

The new pipes wouldn't trap HAA the way metal pipes do currently, thereby reducing the amount of the chemical in the water system.

The other benefit for residents is that the new system and new hydrants should help improve the insurance service rating, which should mean lower insurance premiums for homeowners.

"We're going to make sure everything we do increases this rating as high as we can," Mountain said.

Smith said Village officials will continue to pursue grants that may come available to help reduce the per-user cost further.

There was a water main break in the Village awhile back that cost $200,000 to repair. In that case, an emergency grant helped cover the repair cost, but Smith said Village residents can't always count on those kinds of funds being available to cover future breaks.

The new system should have a practical useful life of 80 to 100 years.