Pavilion

The story of Geoffrey Balkam dying has nothing to do with Genesee County. Or maybe it has much to do with Genesee County.

Reading the story I thought about the little dust up we had earlier in the week about a Pavilion superintendent earning a rather sizable paycheck.  Residents from Pavilion defended the salary, saying Ed Orman has done a great job for many years.

The Climax-Scotts school district in Michigan is now wondering what it's going to do with out Balkam, who has led the school district through some tough times, including recent economic constraints.

The untimely death of Superintendent Geoffrey Balkam not only is a personal tragedy for Climax-Scotts Community Schools, but could hasten the demise of a small, rural district already struggling to survive.

"The fear is real. There's no denying it," said Climax-Scotts athletic director Kevin Langs, who delivered the eulogy at Balkam's memorial service Tuesday.

"I don't know what the future holds. I don't," Langs said. "I believe, and Geoff felt the same way, that there is a niche in today's world for small, rural public schools. But just because I believe that doesn't mean it will happen."

The story kind of illustrates the idea that the complexity of running a school district is not necessarily tied to the number of students in the district. Small, rural districts have their own unique challenges.

WBTA has an update on Pavilion School Superintendent Ed Orman's $183,000 salary:

Orman's salary can be attributed to his longevity, 15 years on the job, and for many years he was both superintendent and business manager, said Pavilion School Board President Beck Lewis

Orman retires next month.

The new superintendent, Ken Ellison, will earn $125,000, which is comparable to administrators in other small districts.

WBTA Reports: Pavilion Central School Superintendent Edward Orman earns $183,000 per year.

That makes him the 4th highest paid school administrator in WNY, even though Pavilion, with 900 students, is among the smallest districts in the region.

Fire units are responding to a reported grass fire in Pavilion at 1135 Wyoming Road. Crews on scene report the fire will be "knocked down in a second."

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Sarah and Gretchen Protulipac were popular with their classmates, who are shocked and saddened by their deaths Saturday in a two-car collision at Route 77 and Sumner Road, according to the Buffalo News.

Both girls were honor students and Pavilion Central School. About 100 students gathered there Sunday for a vigil, according to the News.

Sarah was a junior at Pavilion Central. Her sister was a sophomore. Both girls were well-liked honor students who were musically inclined, said Edward Orman, the school district’s superintendent. In fact, Sarah performed earlier this spring in Pavilion Central’s production of “Guys and Dolls.” She also took part in a talent show.

“She always tried to cheer people

up,” said Macy Penders, 16, who knew Sarah since second grade.

“She was a very sweet person,” said Brian Mogenhan, a senior at Pavilion Central who described Sarah as laid-back and compassionate.

Gretchen loved softball and volleyball, her friends recalled. But she wasn’t one of those overly competitive athletes.

The News reports that the girls were returning Saturday afternoon from Darien Lake, where they had gone to apply for summer jobs.

Pictures: Sarah, 17, top, and Gretchen, 16.

Two sisters, age 16 and 17, were killed instantly when their vehicle was broadsided by a pick-up truck hauling a car on a trailer at the intersection Sumner Road and Route 77 in Darien, the Sheriff's office reports.

Sarah M. Protulipac, the older sister, was driving a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier west on Sumner when she reportedly failed to stop at the intersection.  Gretchen Ann Protulipac was a pasenger in the car.

The accident occurred at 12:35 p.m. Genesee County Coroner Jack Taylor pronounced the girls dead at the scene.

The truck was driven by Robert J. Pool III, 28, of Lockport. His passenger was Trina L. Vekich, 40, of Lockport. Neither Pool nor Vekich were injured.

Deputy Lonnie Nati, Sgt. James Meir, Investigator William Ferrando and Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble along with members fo the Crash Management Team investigated the accident.

Tanya L. Captain, 21, of Batavia, is accused of repeatedly hitting another woman in the face and breaking her nose.  Captain reportedly showed up at the other woman's home Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m. and assaulted the other woman. Captain is charged with assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Carla L. Southwell-Wood, 52, of Batavia, was charged Sunday night with DWI and endangering the welfare of a child. Southell-Wood was stopped by deputies on Rose Road after the Sheriff's office received a report that Southwell-Wood was allegedly driving while intoxicated in a white mini-van. After a traffic stop was initiated, deputies also report they found a child under 17 in the vehicle.

Three people were charged Thursday with under-age alcohol violations following an undercover operation involving Sheriff's Office personnel, with the assistance of Genesee Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse. Arrested were Andrew J. Cutcliffe, 20, Pavilion, charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under 21 with intent to consume; Carly H. Kelch, 23, of Linwood, charged with one count of sale of alcohol to a person under 21; and Timothy R. Andrews, 21, of Wyoming, charged with DWI, with a BAC of .08 or higher, failure to keep right and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Tracylee Cayea, 39, of Lakeville, reportedly entered the home of a person in Pavilion on Tuesday and then refused to leave after numerous requests that she depart.She is charged with criminal trespass in the second degree.

Michael P. Johnson, 23, of Batavia, reportedly failed to stop for a stop sign, which led to police pulling him over early this morning. On further investigate, officers concluded he may have been drinking, He is charged with DWI with a BAC of .08 or more.

Jovoun Webb, 23, of Brockport, was arrested early yesterday morning and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the second degree. Webb reportedly came to the attention of a Sheriff's deputy after allegedly failing to yield the right of way and unlawful tint on his windows. The deputy reports he smelled marijuana while talking with Webb. A search, the deputy reports, led to the discover of marijuana on Webb and in the center console of his vehicle. Webb allegedly has 8 suspensions on his license in four different states.

William A. Henderson, 34, of Rochester, was arrested for DWI yesterday in Corfu.  Henderson was identified after State Police received a tip from Wende Correctional Facility in Alden that an intoxicated individual had driven away from the facility.  A short time later, a state trooper spotted the suspected vehicle at Routes 33 and 77.  The trooper reported that Henderson failed several field sobriety tests. A small amount of marijuana was reportedly found in Henderson's vehicle. Henderson reportedly has two previous DWI convictions. Henderson was charged with DWI, operating a vehicle without a seat belt and possession of marijuana. He is being held on $10,000 bail.

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.

Cattle rustlers like to go after calves, according to Sheriff's Department Investigator Timothy J. Weis.  Weis said the younger animals are easier to move -- they can fit in the back seat of a car -- and easier to sell because they don't often yet have any permanent identification.

"It's easy to cut a calve's identification from its ear," Weis said. "You can use scissors or metal snips. You then have a hole in the ear, but it's difficult to identify the cattle afterwards."

That ease of movement and lack of identification may have been what Charles M. Fuller, 20, of Gainsville, and William C. Raymond, 26, of Castile were counting on when they allegedly calf-napped three young Holsteins from Noblehurst Farms, York Road, Pavilion, on March 23.

What the alleged theives weren't counting on was an anonymous tip that led investigators to suspect Fuller and Raymond.

Without the tip, there may never have been an arrest in the case. Even though the Sheriff's Department notified the livestock auction houses in the region, the thieves were apparently able to successfully sell the calves at the Maplehurst Livestock Market in Hinsdale.

"They (Maplehurst) didn't catch it (that the calves were stolen) and they processed the sale as normal," Weis said.

Rather than try to recover the calves, which would involve tracking them through other possible sales channels and possibly as far as California, the owners of Noblehurst have elected to seek restitution from the defendants upon conviction, Weis said.

The owners are also concerned that "now that the calves have mixed with other cattle, they could bring back disease and infect their other cattle," Weis said.

Often times, Weis said, investigators need not rely on anonymous tips. Because auction houses are notified when calves are stolen, they might spot unusual activity and let law enforcement officials know.

"When they see some individual who doesn't seem to be a farmer (trying to sell cattle), that's a clue," Weis said.

Even so, Weis said that livestock auctions are hectic environments and not conducive to every seller getting close scrutiny.

"You would be surprised at how easy it is to go unnoticed," Weis said.

That's why the anonymous tip in this case may prove crucial in getting a conviction and lead to restitution for Noblehurst.

Mug shots above: Fuller upper left; Raymond, lower right.

Cattle thieves were strung up by their necks once upon a time.

“Yes, they were,” Sarah Noble-Moag acknowledged softly with a smile.

Nowadays the law investigates the matter and hopefully justice is found, maybe even the livestock.

That's the hope of Noble-Moag and others at Noblehurst Farms, Inc., after thieves made off with three female Holstein calves, valued at about $500 each. Because they will become profitable milk cows, they are more valuable than bull calves.

Their pens along York Road in the Town of Pavilion were found empty mid-morning Monday. Genesee County Sheriff Deputy J.L. Baiocco is investigating the larceny.

“They'll be looking at the livestock market (auction), the one outside Pavilion toward Pearl Creek,” Noble-Moag said. “(The calves) are tagged in their ears, and the tags would probably be removed (by the thieves), but you'd still be able to tell they'd been tagged.”

Noblehurst Farms, whose corporate headquarters is in Linwood, also had several calves stolen three years ago. Genesee County sheriffs solved that case, Noble-Moag said.

The black and white female calves taken this week were among 615 cows at the farm. The calves raised to be milk cows are initially kept in individual pens to prevent the spread of disease. Once their immune systems are strong, they are put into small groups until they are two years old and ready for milking.

The individual pens are about the size of a large dog house and the calves are about the size of a large dog, 100 pounds. The calves are collared to a lead that hooks on top of the structure. The pens are only a few feet from the roadway.

What about security?

“We have a light out there at night,” Noble-Moag said.

PHOTO: Used for file photo purposes. It is not a photo of one of the stolen calves. Copyright Ian Hayhurst.

Doug Hollinger, a science teacher at Pavilion Central School has a fascination with renewable energy that has inspired him to share his special talents with those less fortunate in South Asia.

Hollinger takes four students with him each year to build independent solar panels and educate others on the importance of renewable energy.  Currently this is all volunteer work and Hollinger is hoping it will be a non-for-profit organization.

Hollinger is not just talking about it, he is going out and applying it.

"This is an eye-opening experience," said Hollinger, "It is a great way to apply alternative energy in a completely different side of the world."

To get more information on this project check out his Web site. 

Pavilion's "postal trailer" will open on February 2, according to a U.S. Postal Service release that went out this morning. Pavilion has been without a post office since the location on Lake Street was destroyed during an apartment fire in November.

This trailer (below) is located a stone's throw from the Town Hall on Woodrow Drive.

From the press release:

Effective February 2, 2009 retail and delivery services will be restored to the Pavilion community via a postal trailer located on the Town of Pavilion property at Woodrow Drive. Service hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Pavilion customers can purchase postage and other postal products, as well as pick up Post Office Box mail at the new location. The trailer will also accommodate the Pavilion rural carriers.

“The November fire at the Post Office caused great disruption to mail services in Pavilion,” stated Manager of Post Office Operations Ron Coon. “We are pleased to be able to restore convenient postal services to town residents and businesses.”

A final determination of the Lake Street Post Office site has not been made.

Pavilion residents may not have to wait much longer to get their stamps and pick up their mail in town again. They have been without local walk-in service, since a fire destroyed the old post office on South Lake Road in early November. Mail delivery has continued, but folks who pick up their mail at the post office have had to do so over at the Fire Hall, and only at a certain time each day. The original post office is now boarded up, and a spokeswoman with the Postal Service tells us that there are no updates on its status.

Fortunately, the trailer that has been set up behind the town hall may soon be ready to open. From Karen Mazurkiewicz, spokeswoman:

"We are in the process of establishing utility services to a postal trailer located at 1 Woodrow Street adjacent to the town of Pavilion Library. The trailer will house the rural carriers and allow customers access to retail services and Post Office box mail.

"We have not determined an opening date yet but hope that it will be in the next few weeks."

For those who have not yet been by, here's what to look for:

(shown in the photo is Batavia's Jaycee Shirk (left), Pavilion's Maddy Griep, O-A's Dani Sage and Notre Dame's Brittany Morelli)

The Batavia girls basketball Rotary Club Tournament is set for Jan. 5 and 7 at Genesee Community College.

The annual action-packed tournament features Batavia, Notre Dame, Oakfield-Alabama and Pavilion. 

Batavia opens up with Oakfield-Alabama at 6 p.m. in the opening round with Pavilion and Notre Dame following at about 7:45 p.m. The consolation and finals are at the same time on the 7th.

Batavia captured the title last year after dropping two games the previous season. The Blue Devils toppled O-A in the finals last year, 44-31, as Annie Palermo and Alyssa Tretter were the dominant players on the floor.

But we did see an emergence of current Batavia stars Jaycee Shirk and Brittany Mazurkiewiecz in the tournament, with Mazurkiewiecz scoring nine and Shirk adding eight.

This is the 20th year the Rotary Club Girls Basketball Tournament has been held.