Bethany

We have more information on an accident in Bethany we first reported yesterday afternoon.

There were apparently no serious injuries in the accident, which involved a driver following another car expecting the front car to make a right-hand turn on Bethany Center Road, when the car was actually turning left, according to State Police spokesperson Rebbecca Gibbons.

The first vehicle was driven by B.A. Pietrzykowski, 50, of Bethany. The second driver was Charles Fuller, 21, of Castile.

Fuller's car struck Pietrzykowski's vehicle and then drove off the road and hit a utility poll.

The police report hasn't been completed yet, Gibbons said, and it's unknown if any citations were issued.

There's been a two-car accident at 10537 Bethany Center Road, with one car slamming into a tree.

Initial personnel on scene report two patients.  We've also heard reports that people in the cars have been out walking around, appearing dazed.

I very much looked foward to this program to gain some new insights in to the town's early history especially as regards it's older buildings. Everything was first rate, the refreshments and the turn out were quite more than I expected.  The Presenter ( Cynthis Houk)  from the WNY Landmark Society seemed to be quite the coup for our little stashed away hamlet.  She made a point of telling us that she keeps all her images on slides because they have a proven record of lasting through many, many years.  She spent many hours driving our back roads hunting for treasures that she could present  to us. Goodie! I know this town well, but I'm always open to someone pointing out hidden architectural gems I've overlooked.

Unfortunatly, Cynthia must have taken most of her pictures at dusk or on the most overcast day of the year. Perhaps she couldn't preview them, like most digital cameras, to see if she needed to reshoot any. She did Geoff Briggs the injustice of shooting his wonderful well preserved home from 3 different angles ( at least), none of which was recognizable. Her comment to him was that his house just wasn't photogenic and what a shame. I strained my eyes to see doorways and lintels that were in dark shadow, I could go on and on, but those of you who were there know what a truly crappy slide show this woman put on. The only time she even looked at the screen was when the Landmark Society's brochure was on display, then she scurried over to adjust the focus. I thought surely the next slide would benefit from this adjustment, but no, still dark and unseeable.  Unfortunatly, she must have spent a ton on slides that will last forever and nary a one are worth it.

I feel  she treated us like yokels that she could present anything to and have us be grateful. I take pictures all over the area constantly for my painting projects, so I know good, wonderful pictures can be made. I love the town in all it's seasons.

Again I truly commend the town for presenting a great program idea with a wonderful venue but you were had, and so were those GCC Students there to film the whole thing. Terry Weber.

Bales of hay on a truck are reportedly on fair in Bethany at 6025 East Bethany Le Roy Road. Crews are responding. A second alarm has been responded.

UPDATE 4:21 p.m.: I'm on scene on Hawks Road, where the truck with burning hay was moved to after firefighters determined the only way to extinguish the fire was to dump the load in an open field. The load has been dumped and crews are now poring water and bulldozing dirt onto the burning fire. The flames are few but the smoke is profuse.  I should have some video edited and uploaded in an hour or two.

UPDATE 5:15 p.m.: The fire is reportedly contained and crews are returning to quarters; however, the fire is expected to burn for a couple of more days until it burns itself out, generating much smoke at times.

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: At the scene today I met Scott M. Kibler, 4th assistant chief for the Stafford Fire Department, and it turns out he's a regular reader of The Batavian. He sends along the following report and pictures from the fire.

At 3:10 PM the Stafford Fire Dept was called out to assist the Bethany Fire Dept. at 6025 E.Bethany-Leroy Rd. for a tractor trailer loaded with hay that was on fire. First ariving trucks on scene deployed hand lines and attempted to put out the fire with little success. It was determined that the load needed to be dumped in order to get at the fire and put it out. A suitable dump site was located about a mile away on Hawks Rd. in a empty field. Pavilion Fire Dept. set up a draft site on Fox Place in the town of Stafford and tankers were filled from there. A front end Loader was brought in by A.D. Call & sons and when the load was dumped it was pushed around and spread out so it could be watered down. I have not heard how the fire started yet but my guess would be from the exhaust stack on the truck. Trucks from Stafford, Bethany and Pavilion Responded to this incident.

Top of the agenda for the Town of Bethany's Board meeting tonight is the status of the Old Town Hall, which will be the site of a slide-show history of Bethany next Sunday, and is scheduled to get a new room.

The roof is being paid for by a grant secured by former State Senator Mary Lou Rath.

"We have to do take care of it this spring or early summer, because the thing is about 25 years old," said Town Council member William Gick.

The building, built in 1832, was originally a church and later a lodge, a grange, a town hall, then put to some other uses, according to Gick, and then a town hall again until 2007, when town staff moved into the new town hall.

After the new roof is in place, a portion of the building will serve as headquarters for the town historian. There are already some artifacts stored there, Gick said.

"And we'll try to make a serious effot to find a buyer for the building, or lease it, or otherwise put it to good use," Gick said. "It shouldn't just sit there. It should be put to get use."

Gick also encourages local residents to come out to the Old Town Hall Sunday at 2 p.m. for a visual tour of the town's history.

The Council meets tonight in the new Town Hall at 7:30 p.m.

A Conesus couple is charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree for allegedly stealing four chain saws from Morg's Sawz & Stoves in Pavilion. The crime allegedly took place March 26 in the afternoon. The suspects were picked up that day by the Livingston County Sheriff's Office. Arraigned yesterday in Pavilion Town Court were Michael G. Boggs, 31,and Jennifer R. Boggs, 26.  The couple remains incarcerated in Livingston County.

Kenneth Laird, 56, of Bethany, is accused of getting into a domestic dispute yesterday with a person he has been ordered not to contact. Laird reportedly threw rocks at this person's car as the person tried to leave the scene of the dispute. Laird is charged with criminal contempt in the 2nd degree and harassment in the second degree.

Kevin L. Madden, 24, of Albion, was charged with DWI and issued traffic tickets for unsafe speed and moving from lane unsafely, following a rollover accident on Transit Road, off Route 63 in Bethany  (reported on The Batavian yesterday), Madden was transported to UMMC, treated for minor injuries, and released to State Police. He is scheduled to answer the charges in Bethany Town Court on April 7 at 7 p.m.

Rory Howe, 21, of Attica, is charged with petty larceny. Howe is accused of shoplifting at the Wal-Mart in Batavia. According to a Sheriff's Office report, loss prevention officers at Wal-Mart apprehended Howe Monday with $55.25 worth of merchandise on her person as he exited the store.

A black Mazda SUV pick up was involved in a single vehicle accident on Transit Road off Route 63 at about 3:40 p.m.  The driver told emergency personal he was unhurt, but was placed in an ambulance and checked over as a precaution. State Troopers on scene estimated the driver tried to make turn off southbound Route 63 onto Transit at 55 p.m. Skid marks arched across both lanes of Transit from Route 63 to the crashed truck. There were no passengers. Dispatchers had received a report of an erratic driver heading south on Ellicott Street in a black truck with a ladder rack, possibly a Nissan, at about 3:30 p.m. The driver was allegedly driving in the oncoming traffic lane, nearly causing at least one head-on collision.

We have yet to receive word on the extent of the damage to a home in Bethany that caught fire early this morning. But these few photos taken at the scene about an hour ago show that the home—at least, the half of it where the fire broke out—is essentially destroyed.

The cause of a fire that damaged a home in the town of Bethany overnight is still under investigation, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Fire crews first got the call at 2:25 a.m., this morning, that a chimney fire had broken out at the home at 4588 Conway Road in Bethany. There was one occupant at home, and she was able to get out safely. 

Firefighters could see the flames from a distance as they arrived on scene. No injuries were reported. The Bethany Volunteer Fire Department is being aided by several surrounding departments, including Alexander, Batavia, Stafford, Pavilion, Wyoming, Warsaw, Attica, South Byron and LeRoy.

No reports yet of the extent of the damage. An article this morning in the Democrat & Chronicle reports that firefighters were still on scene at 6:30 a.m., and heavy fire damage is apparent.

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The Batavian is heading out to find out more information on a reported mobile home fire on Ellicott Street Road in Bethany. We will post additional info as it becomes available.

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Updated: 2:17pm... We arrived on scene a little under a quarter of an hour ago. No flames could be scene inside or outside the mobile home, which is situated on a plot of land just past East Road on Ellicott Street Road. Fire crews are on scene, and they seem to have everything under control. Some thin wisps of smoke are still blowing out the back of the home. No real damage to the front of the structure. No further information is available at this time. We will bring you updates as they become available.

A livestock feed facility that caught fire in Bethany yesterday morning and burned for more than seven hours has sustained more than $1 million in damage, according to the Daily News. An initial investigation into the blaze that destroyed the structure has been attributed to a dust explosion inside the exhaust system.

In other news, Kevin J. Weber, 37, of Batavia, was sentenced to 1 1/2 to three years in state prison Tuesday. Weber pleaded guilty to fourth-degree arson for setting a storage shed on fire in September. He had previously been in jail for more than four years for an arson fire in Byron in 2002.

Batavia Downs should wrap up the season with an overall handle of about $6.2 million, a $500,000 increase over the wagers from last year. Also, revenue from the video gaming machines may exceed $30 million, which amounts to about 10 percent more than last year.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

A grain barn on Creek Road in the town of Bethany caught fire this morning and all but burned to the ground, according to the Daily News. One farm worker on scene was taken to United Memorial Medical Center for treatment of minor smoke inhalation. No one else was injured in the blaze that, at one point, threatened to explode a row of propane tanks.

Reporter Scott DeSmit tells the story of the fire in a vivid narrative. Here's just a snippet:

Flames quickly tore through the thin metal roof and sides of the barn. Electrical service in the front popped like fireworks, sending bursts of green and white sparks into the air and causing concern that the live lines would soon catch fire and fall.

More than a dozen fire crews were still on scene at 10 o'clock this morning, two hours after the fire erupted. WBTA's Dan Fischer informs us that Creek Road was closed off between Putnam and Brookville roads.

Batavia Downs will close the track for the season after this Saturday. Unlike last year, Tom Rivers reports that the horses will be allowed to stay at the raceway instead of having to head to Buffalo, as they did last year.

Batavia city school students will be allowed to attend a biotechnology at Genesee Community College for free and earn a college credit thanks to a grant from Bank of America.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Click here to download the agenda for the upcoming Bethany Town Board meeting.

Much to my surprise today, local author, William F. Brown, Jr. came into the Holland Land Office Museum with a box of his classic book, The Linden Murders: Unsolved!

The book, originally published in 1984 and in its eighth printing, tells the story of a series of murders that rocked the countryside around the hamlet of Linden in the early 1920s.

The price of the book is $12.95 and will not be available for long. Get your copy immediately at the Holland Land Office Museum; they will certainly sell out before Christmas.

The Holland Land Office Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. For more information, call us at 343-4727 or check out our website at www.hollandlandoffice.com