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A pair of large fields of sunflowers are in full bloom off of Wortendyke Road, at South Pearl Street Road, in the Town of Batavia.

A sign on a driveway between the two fields says that stems can be purchased for $1 each and payment can be made at a business at 9 Apollo Drive. The other side of the sign provides information for making an online payment. 

We stopped by the business on Apollo Drive late today to try and find out more about the sunflower fields but nobody was in.

If the Native American casinos are able to conduct business in New York, then why can’t the privately owned and Regional Off-Track Betting gaming locations do the same?

“That’s certainly the argument that we have been making and, hopefully, we’ll have that answer very soon,” said Henry Wojtaszek, president and chief executive officer of Western Regional OTB, owner of Batavia Downs Gaming and Batavia Downs harness horse racing track.

Speaking by telephone today, Wojtaszek said he is cautiously optimistic that Gov. Andrew Cuomo will be revealing guidelines for the reopening of casinos in the near future.

“I think the news is that we will have guidelines soon, and we’ve done a lot to get our facility ready in anticipation of it. But we don’t have any time frame,” he said. “We’re optimistic -- and we use the word ‘soon’ – that we will be getting some guidelines.”

When it was mentioned that a rally organized by casino employees took place on Thursday in front of the Capitol in Albany, Wojtaszek said WROTB is in full support.

“We’ve been in touch with them but we did not have a representative there,” he said. “We certainly are with them in spirit – our workers are. It was good to see that people made the trip to Albany to let them know how important this is.”

He noted that management has been communicating with the New York State Gaming Commission on a regular basis.

The rally was led by Valerie McIntyre, table games supervisor at del Lago Resort & Casino in Seneca County, and Greg Mallette and Robin Torr, hotel managers at Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs Casino Resort, respectively.

Those casinos are privately owned and, like the OTB regions, are subject to state oversight.

McIntyre, in an excerpt from her speech, said that despite the many unknowns, the 5,200 or so casino employees in New York stand united.

“I ask Governor Cuomo on our behalf to please see us, please hear us,” she said. “We need to work, we need to support our families, we need to begin to live again, we need to cling to whatever bit of normalcy this society has left.”

Contrary to Cuomo’s opinion, McIntyre said casino employees are, indeed, essential.

“Because when our lights begin to go off and the refrigerator is empty – when our cars are parked because we cannot afford gas and when the bills pile up, we – right here – are the essential workers for our homes,” she said. “Governor Cuomo, here’s a message to you from us. Here we stand, here we ask to allow us to reopen.”

Native American-owned casinos, however, such Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, have been open for two months.

“If the sovereign casinos can operate with a little guidance from the state, we – as 'New York Strong' casino employees – can implement and adhere to all CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and state regulations,” McIntyre said.

Reportedly, McIntyre and friends have a Facebook group with nearly 900 members and are “circulating” an online petition to reopen the casinos that has more than 2,400 signatures.

Additionally, if the Albany rally doesn’t produce any immediate results, the workers plan to hold rallies at del Lago and other casinos across the state.

Press release:

New Cases – As of 2 p.m. 

• Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19.
  • The new positive case resides in Le Roy.
  • The positive individual is in their 40s.
  • The individual was not mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Two of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Twenty-three new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • One of the positive individuals is hospitalized.
     
• Orleans County received zero new positive cases of COVID-19.
• Eleven new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

A house fire is reported at 2552 Pratt Road, Pembroke. East Pembroke fire is responding, along with the Town of Batavia fire, the city's FAST team, Oakfield, Alabama, Indian Falls, Corfu and Elba.

The city's first platoon is called to headquarters on Evans Street.

Command is calling for the road to be shut down.

UPDATE 1:18 p.m.: Stafford Fire Department is requested to stand by in Town of Batavia's Station #2.

UPDATE 1:20 p.m.: A neighbor near the blaze called dispatch to complain that fire trucks and volunteer firefighters are on his lawn.

UPDATE 1:22 p.m.: Command reports no flames at this point after attacked by interior crews; fire was heavy in the basement near the dryer; crews are venting the heavy smoke. A rehab unit is called in.

UPDATE 1:30 p.m.: Heavy char is reported on the kitchen floor, a result of fire in the basement, according to command. National Grid is called to the scene.

UPDATE 1:32 p.m.: A standby unit out of East Shelby is called to Town of Batavia's Station #1.

UPDATE 1:39 p.m.: The fire is out. Firefighters starting overhaul.  

UPDATE 3:03 p.m. (photos and info from Alecia Kaus/Video News Service): According to East Pembroke Fire Chief Don Newton, the homeowner arrived on scene and found smoke coming from the house. No one was home at the time. The family dog, Camo, was found in the garage and is OK. However, Patches the family cat did not make it out. Fire investigators are on scene looking into the cause of the fire.

The financial world in which Town of Batavia leadership has governed in recent years has come to an end, Supervisor Gregory Post said Thursday.

“I have never in my wildest dreams thought I would have to use my ‘apocalypse bankroll’ that we have put together for the town in case of whatever potential disaster might come down the road,” Post said. “You put it there and plan for it – making sure that if the worst possible thing you could imagine happens, you could at least have some time to come up with a solution.”

Post and the Town Board have about five weeks to draft a preliminary budget for the 2021 fiscal year that begins in January, and projections at this point paint a bleak picture.

He said the current financial situation is the worst he’s seen in his 47 years in government, and he places the blame squarely on what he calls the “tax and spend” policies emanating from Albany.

“The people need to hear this. This is not a result of some COVID-19. The COVID-19 didn’t cause this,” Post said. “Nelson Rockefeller (New York governor from 1959-1973) started this and it has been getting progressively worse with each elected governor and Downstate politician for the last 45 years. So, here we are.”

Post said the board is struggling to figure out what the town’s tax increase is going to be for next year.

“We already know what our expenses are going to be – we can’t cut anything. We have been essential and lean as long as we have been. There’s not a lot of service that we can cut,” he said. “We only have three people in the highway department, including a highway superintendent who is making a quarter of what other highway superintendents make. It’s a part-time job for that.”

He said New York State is “probably going to be drastically short of money next year,” estimating a state deficit of $10-14 billion.

“But the thing is when we started out this year, the state was over five billion dollars in the red and the governor has the opportunity to change his reimbursement schedule and the percentages,” he said. “And he’s already reduced it by 20 percent, and I would not be surprised if it goes to more.”

Post said he expects significant reductions in revenue sharing from Genesee County, noting that the county is “going to have to come up with somewhere between $6 and $9 million that they weren’t anticipating having to come up with, and they don’t have any other means to do that (other than cut or end revenue sharing with towns and villages).”

'Well, the State is Broke'

“It’s not a failed policy of the county or the towns or the villages, it’s a failed policy of a progressive state that has been taxing and spending since Rockefeller,” Post said. “The state has never put a limit on the spending, programs and being progressive. If you look at the consequences, and I’m serious when I say this, but every smart owner of a business that I’ve done any work for in the last 30 years says the same thing – this can’t last; the state cannot keep doing what it is doing, or it’s going to go broke. Well, the state is broke.”

The supervisor also said he doesn’t foresee the federal government bailing out the state.

“That means that the state reimbursements to all the Upstate counties are probably not going to be there,” he predicted. “I think you’re going to see whatever they do have funneled to the state education department, because that is sacrosanct, and I think the counties are going to be left to hang in the wind. The counties will have no choice but to pass those reductions in revenue onto the towns and villages. Pretty much the consensus of the supervisors that I talk to is that we’re all looking at a double-digit tax increase.”

Even if a federal stimulus bill is approved with money appropriated to the New York State, it will just be a “Band-Aid” – not a long-term solution, he said.

“What about next year? Without some completely restructured reforms on these mandated expenses that counties have to pay, it’s going to snowball,” he said. “They tell the counties how many probation officers per criminal, how many people you have to have in the Department of Social Services, how many employees to dedicate to this and that. You have to do that or they won’t send you any funding."

Genesee County as 'Lean' as Can Be

Post gave Genesee County officials high marks for keeping things together during an arduous stretch.

“The county is running as lean as a county can run – too lean, in my opinion,” he said. “They haven’t funded their highway operations to the degree that they need to in order to keep up with the maintenance of the highways and the bridges. They haven’t raised the taxes because they can’t bust the (tax) cap. They refinanced everything they can refinance. And they’re managing their cash better than almost any other county in the state.”

He said that while he doesn’t fault the county, “they’re the ones getting blamed by all these local communities.”

“The sales tax money that used to just come (revenue sharing) was like a welfare check, and that’s not going to come next year. It can’t. I don’t think anyway it could come to the same degree that it has in the past,” he said.

Post said the county is unable to raise property taxes without “busting the tax cap and losing all the state reimbursement, so they’ll need the sales tax.”

“The county has been spot-on and has given us every single dime in matching funds that they’ve received on a pro-rated basis,” he said. “They have done a fabulous job, but I cannot count on New York State for next year. I would hate to be (County Manager) Matt Landers and this county legislature right now.”

Town Taxes Likely to Increase

As far as the Town of Batavia is concerned, Post said two-thirds of its total revenue comes from county revenue sharing.

“I’m probably looking at a pretty significant tax increase,” he advised. “We’ll try to not use the unexpended fund balance and we’ve already tried to cut $750,000 in spending out of this year’s budget. I thank God that the town board has worked as hard as they have worked to make sure that we have a cushion going into next year.”

Post said that using $1 million out of the unexpended fund balance to expand the Town Hall is off the table at this point.

“We’re going to try not to use that, but save it and put it towards the consequence of this state’s actions next year,” he said, adding that he plans to keep the Town Hall lobby closed and operate remotely – one of many actions being taken to cut costs.

He said he feels bad for the half-dozen town supervisors that are in their first year.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like for them,” he said. “It has gotten worse and worse every year, and we all shrug our shoulders and work harder to keep it going. But this thing is going to cause a lot of people to rethink wanting to serve in office or be involved in government ever again.”

In a couple developments from the Batavia Town Board meeting on Wednesday:

• Sandra Baubie, deputy town clerk since 2004, was promoted to the full-time job of water bill collector at a rate of $25.89 per hour, while Sara Sauka moved into the full-time deputy town clerk position at a rate of $21.63 per hour.

Morgan Leaton was hired as a full-time court clerk at a pay rate of $17 per hour.

Post said Baubie’s previous duties had include water/wastewater billing, but with four times the number of accounts to handle, it made sense to create the water bill collector position.

• The board approved submitting applications for Community Development Block Grants from the state Office of Community Renewal to support two dairy production projects at the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park and set a public hearing on the matter for Sept. 2.

Post said he wasn’t willing to speculate on the nature of the projects since he has yet to see anything in writing. It was previously reported that HP Hood officials plan to construct an addition to the plant’s refrigeration warehouse unit.

After some sprucing up and a few upgrades, the legendary Pok-A-Dot is ready to reopen after its long coronavirus-induced hibernation.

There are new tables inside that are more socially distanced, no seating at the counter, a dining counter outside, and soon, a walk-up window for takeout orders.

But the biggest upgrade, perhaps, isn't visible inside the favorite eatery of famous authors, visiting dignitaries, and TV show producers: you can now order your beef-on-weck or eggs-and-peppers-on-toast online.

The new website is pokadotbatavia.com.

The famously cash-only diner will now also take credit cards. There's fancy new computer equipment to handle all of these modern transactions.

The Pok-A-Dot has come a long way since friends Joe Marone and Phil Pastore decided 67 years ago to open a hot-dog stand hard against Route 63.

You can once again meet at the Dot starting at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Friday).

For all of our previous Pok-A-Dot coverage, click here.

Owners Phyllis Pastore-Beers and Leona Pastore.

Online ordering and curbside pickup are strongly encouraged.

Tim Beers

A 21-year-old Alden resident has identified himself to Sheriff's Office investigators as the driver of a car that struck a motorcyclist who was down in the roadway following a collision just before 9 p.m. on Friday in Corfu.

Alexander J. Wuerch has been charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in serious physical injury.

Investigators believe Wuerch was the driver of a 2012 Hyundai Tucson that struck Travis R. Hartloff, 26, of Attica.

Hartloff was driving a motorcycle southbound on Route 77 when a car ahead of him slowed to turn into an ice cream shop. Hartloff's bike reportedly struck the vehicle and Hartloff was thrown from the bike into the middle of the roadway.

Another southbound vehicle then struck Harloff causing serious physical injuries. He was flown by Mercy Flight to ECMC where he is in critical condition.

Wuerch turned himself in at about 5 p.m. today.

The charge he's facing is a Class E felony. He was issued an appearance ticket and released.

The incident remains under investigation.

Previously:

• Motorist fails to stop after striking motorcyclist down in the roadway on Route 77
• Deputies looking for 2012 Hyundai Tucson involved in hit-and-run accident in Corfu

Press release:

Commercial fitness-related facilities, gyms and indoor physical-activity-related classes in Genesee and Orleans counties will be allowed to reopen on Monday, Aug. 24th, announced Legislative chairs Rochelle Stein for Genesee, and Lynne Johnson for Orleans, today.

The guidelines apply to fitness activities and facilities -- including but not limited to standalone/hotel/residential/office/higher education institutions gyms and fitness centers, yoga/Pilates/barre studios, boxing/kickboxing gyms, fitness boot camps, CrossFit or other plyometric boxes, other fitness classes, dance studios, martial arts studios, spin, rowing, etc., -- will be allowed to reopen if they have completed the state requirements as noted below.

Each facility will be subject to a county health inspection within two weeks of their opening to ensure proper protocols are in place and adhere to State guidelines to protect customers and staff.

Although we are proceeding with limited guidance from the state, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments will begin inspections next week for fitness-related facilities and gyms as listed above that have completed the required documentation,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Prior to reopening and inspection, gym owners and managers will have to adhere to the NYS guidelines which can be found on the NY Forward websiteand completing the following steps:  

1.   Develop a business safety plan.

2.   Have an HVAC inspection by an approved professional.

3.   Complete the affirmation for each facility location that they have reviewed and understand the New York State guidelines and will implement these protocols. Click this link for the affirmation statement and choose gyms and fitness centers.  

Once the business safety plan and air handling inspection are complete and an attestation form is submitted, Genesee and Orleans Counties will begin the process of scheduling inspections. These steps must be completed prior to scheduling an inspection. For Genesee County call (585) 344-2580, ext. 5555, and for Orleans County call (585) 589-3278.

“With our infection rate holding steady at or below 1 percent, we are confident we can reopen gyms and fitness facilities in a way that is both safe and responsible,” Stein said.

“Our counties are pro-business counties and we will support any business trying to open as best as we can," Johnson said. "I want to remind our residents and gym/fitness related owners that we are still in the midst of a pandemic. The tides may shift in this battle at any minute and we must do everything we can to prevent a second wave. So be smart, wear a mask, and follow all safety protocols."

Gym owners should monitor the New York Forward website to answer questions or learn of the latest updates.

Press release:

New Cases – As of 2 p.m. 

• Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19.
  • The new positive case resides in Batavia.
  • The positive individual is in their 30s.
  • The individual was not mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Nine new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
  • One of the positive individuals is hospitalized.
     
• Orleans County received zero new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • Three new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

A car vs. bicycle accident is reported in the city at Oak Street and Raymond Avenue. The cyclist is conscious and alert and has a leg injury. City fire and Mercy medics responding.

Blue Pearl Yoga in Batavia has planned a special event for yoga practitioners at the idyllic Ryan's Rose Organic Farm in Batavia on Sunday, Sept. 6.

Live music will be performed by Mantra Jam.

Simultaneously, Patty Hawley (RYT) will lead vinyasa mat practice while Marianne Skye (E-RYT, YACEP) will lead chair practice. Bring your own sturdy chair.

"Yoga at the Farm" starts at 11 a.m. Cost is $15 per person. Preregistration required.

Ryan’s Rose Organic Farm is located at 3417 Rose Road.

Please:

• Register online -- absolutely no walk-ins;
• Bring your own yoga gear (mat or frim-seated chair, blocks and straps if you like). Towels, water and sunscreen/ bugspray might be good, too;
• Be aware there are NO restroom facilities;
• Social distancing & masks required until you are set up and seated.

Weather:

• Any cancellation will be emailed by 10 a.m. to those registered. We will give full reimbursement.

Press release:

Genesee County STOP-DWI coordinator announced Wednesday that the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and City of Batavia Police Department will participate in a special enforcement effort to crackdown on impaired driving.

While we spend the Labor Day holiday and the end of summer celebrating with our loved ones, law enforcement officers across New York State will take to the roads in an effort to stop impaired driving, prevent injuries and save lives.

The statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown efforts started on Wednesday, Aug.19^th' and will end on Sept. 7th.

Research shows that high-visibility enforcement can reduce impaired driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent. Sobriety checkpoints play a key part in raising awareness about the problem.

New York State Police, County Sheriff and municipal law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force.

The STOP-DWI Labor Day Weekend Crackdown is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by the New York State STOP-DWI Association with additional funding from our STOP-DWI Foundation and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. Throughout the remainder of the year the Statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign will also target Halloween and the national Holiday Season in December.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol and drug related fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers. Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI Crackdown Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.

You can help to make a difference by having a Sober Plan!  Download our mobile app – “Have a Plan” and you will always be able to find a safe ride home www.stopdwi.org/mobileapp   

Impaired driving is completely preventable.All it takes is a little planning. Have a safe and happy Labor Day!

Photo: Genesee County Master Gardener volunteers evaluating 4-H Flower Fair projects.

Submitted photos and press release:

Congratulations to the Genesee County 4-H members who participated in the 4-H Flower Fair at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office on Aug. 17-19.

More than 20 4-H cut-flower projects were entered by 4-H youth.

With the County Fair cancelled this year, the 4-H Flower Fair was an opportunity for 4-H members to have their cut flower projects evaluated. Projects were judged by Genesee County Master Gardener volunteers for their overall quality, uniformity, color and being free of insects and disease.  

4-H Flower Fair Class Champions:

• Sunflower – Helena Kotarski
• Gladiolus – Kara Goodenow
• Floral Arrangement – Helena Kotarski
• Cut Flowers – Kara Goodenow
• Cut Flower Collection – Gia Zuber

The Genesee County 4-H Program is a youth development program for youth ages 5-18. New 4-H youth members, adult volunteers and clubs are always welcome.

For more information about the Genesee County 4-H Program, please contact the 4-H Office at genesee4h@cornell.edu or (585) 343-3040, ext. 131. 

Below: 4-H Flower Fair Class Champions, from left: Helena Kotarski’s sunflower; Kara Goodenow’s gladiolus; Helena Kotarski’s floral arrangement; Kara Goodenow’s cut flowers; Gia Zuber’s cut flower collection.

A caller to dispatch complains that a controlled burn in a back yard near Thorpe and Watson streets in the city is creating lots of smoke and some of it is going into the caller's residence. City police and fire responding.

UPDATE 2:26 p.m.: The burn has been extinguished; city fire is back in service.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Lewiston and Galloway roads, Town of Batavia. It is blocking traffic. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 2:13 p.m.: A second ambulance is called to the scene. A male driver complains of arm pain; a female driver complains of back pain.

UPDATE 2:17 p.m.: Command reports one lane of traffic is partially blocking traffic.

UPDATE 2:18 p.m.: Two flatbed tows are requested.

UPDATE 2:44 p.m.: One patient is being transported to UMMC. The town assignment is back in service.

Press release:

Warsaw -- Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties are excited to launch a new regional tourism program – “Fresh Air Adventures – New York’s Falls to the Finger Lakes.”

This is a refresh of the successful long-running Country Byways of Greater Niagara and the Finger Lakes program, which has existed for more than 25 years and has given the GLOW counties collaborative capabilities to leverage our unique rural towns and villages, collective attractions and prime location between Niagara Falls and the Finger Lakes.

The goals of Fresh Air Adventures are to encourage travel to our world-class attractions, discover our quaint towns and villages, and experience all that our great region has to offer.

The initiative includes a new comprehensive website (www.FreshAirAdventuresNY.com) designed by Corporate Communications based out of Rochester, as well as Facebook and Instagram (@FreshAirAdventuresNY) platforms.

Each of these digital tools will provide tourists a wealth of valuable information, including outdoor recreation experiences, culinary and craft beverage fare, overnight accommodations, events, adventure ideas/itineraries, interactive maps and trip-planning capabilities.

Fresh Air Adventures, as part of New York Empire State Development’s I LOVE NY program, will continue Country Byways work of marketing approximately 1,000 GLOW tourism businesses.

As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, our marketing will shift to NYS travelers and once the pandemic is over, we will resume marketing to national and international leisure and group tour travelers and those passing along major routes traveling to Buffalo, Niagara Falls USA/Canada and the Finger Lakes from places like New York City, Toronto, Canada and elsewhere within a six-hour drive.

This visitation is critical to our area economy and the sustainability of our small business community. Tourists spend more than $238 million in the GLOW region each year, which translates to $28 million in sales tax dollars, over $15 million of which remains local so the GLOW counties can improve the quality of life for residents.

Along with the Fresh Air Adventures moniker, includes a new logo that features earth-tone colors, adventurous fonts, the profile of New York State to give visitors a sense of location/place, and clever touches like a bird in flight and a waypoint marker dotting the “i” in AIR – adding to the explorative nature of the brand.

The tagline, “New York’s Falls to Finger Lakes” adds to the intrigue, playing on internationally renowned outdoor landmarks like Niagara Falls, the major waterfalls in Letchworth State Park and the Finger Lakes.

“Fresh Air Adventures tells tourists exactly what they can expect when they visit our region,” said Eric Szucs, Wyoming County Tourism director. “We have a spacious, safe, and beautiful natural setting, so the GLOW Counties collaborated to build this incredible program supported by a comprehensive website and social media platforms.

"In doing so, we can share the outdoor experiences and uniqueness of our rural villages and the small businesses that make up our communities. It’s an incredible way to connect so many outdoor landmarks like Lake Ontario, Letchworth State Park and the Finger Lakes.” 

“In 2020 people were forced to rethink their travel plans,” said Dawn L. Borchert, Orleans County Tourism director. “Many had to forfeit air travel to exotic locations and be creative with road trips.

"Fresh Air Adventures is a great tool to plot out a stimulating excursion off the ‘beaten path’, especially while driving from the metropolitan area of New York City to Niagara Falls. They will be pleasantly surprised as to the family friendly towns and villages along the route, as well as the wide open spaces that Letchworth State Park, the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario have to offer.”

“The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to continue the long-standing collaboration between our tourism offices in promoting our great region." said Kelly Rapone, Genesee County Tourism Marketing director.

"Each county has a unique set of offerings that once packaged together offer visitors a wide range of activities to experience all within a one-hour radius. Working together, we are also able to enhance our individual marketing reach.”

“A regional collaboration connecting ‘Falls to the Finger Lakes’ stands to benefit the hundreds of small businesses through the region that cater to and delight tourists year-round,” said Laura Lane, president & CEO of the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce.

“Travelers looking for Fresh Air Adventures will surely delight as they make their way throughout the GLOW region counties and enjoy the multitude of experiences coupled with an array of complementary shopping, dining and indoor explorations. Livingston County appreciates working with our neighboring counties to truly connect New York’s Falls to Finger Lakes -- creating a memorable vacation experience.”

Fresh Air Adventures is a regional tourism program between Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties official tourism promotion agencies, dedicated to promoting our rich tourism assets, while working collaboratively to create an environment that leads to the success and economic prosperity of the GLOW Region through visitor spending.

For more information, please call (800) 622-2686 or visit the website at:   www.FreshAirAdventuresNY.com

Press release:

The community is cordially invited to attend a virtual open house on Monday, Aug. 31 with one-hour sessions at noon and 6 p.m. for the Excelsior Energy Project, a 280-megawatt solar energy generating facility with 20 megawatts of energy storage proposed in the Town of Byron.

Information about the project will be presented online and via phone. During the meeting, the Excelsior team and its subject matter experts will provide a project update and answer questions. Both sessions will include an update on the project, cover the same information, and follow the same format.

Two easy options for joining the Aug. 31, Virtual Open House:

By phone (line opens at 11:40 a.m. and 5:40 p.m.)

Call 1-866-807-9684, ask to “join the Excelsior Energy Project call.”

Online (allows you to view presentation)

Open your web browser. Go to:  services.choruscall.com/links/excelsior.html

Fill out contact information.

Click on the “Join Webcast” link.

It's turned out to take more than four years but restoration work on the Thomas Rocket Car is nearly complete. To finish the restoration work, the volunteers handling the project -- with Dick McClurg of Old World Collision leading restoration -- need to raise another $4,000.

They're asking the community to pitch in. Here is a link to a GoFundMe page where you can make a contribution.

The Thomas Rocket Car was designed by former Batavia resident Charles D. Thomas. He and Norman Richardson, a talented welder and body man just out of high school, built the car in a rented garage near Main Street and Ellicott Avenue in 1938.

The design, and several innovations in the car, such as a rearview periscope and independent suspension, were dreamed up by Thomas while working on his 1935 thesis for the General Motors Institute of Technology in Flint, Mich.

Once the car was built, Thomas tried to interest any one of the Big Three in Detroit to move the car into production. But whether the automakers felt threatened, or because of the prospect of the World War, or it would have been too expensive to retool, all three companies took a pass. One Detroit executive reportedly told Thomas that his car was 10 years ahead of its time.

Thomas went onto a successful career in Buffalo with the maker of the Playboy automobile, and he apparently kept the Thomas car and drove it for some time. He eventually sold it. Local car buffs searched for it a few years ago and found it stored in a barn in Lockport.

They bought the car and returned it to it's rightful home, Batavia, with the intention it become a display piece of history in the city.

Genesee County government leaders made the most of their 30 minutes with Rep. Chris Jacobs on Wednesday afternoon, informing the recently elected congressman of the major challenges they face in maintaining bridges, acquiring rural broadband and boosting the water supply.

Jacobs appeared at the County Legislature’s Committee of the Whole meeting at the Old County Courthouse, a session set up specifically bring him up to speed on pressing issues in Genesee County – one of eight counties comprising the 27^th District that he represents.

It includes all of Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties and parts of Erie, Monroe, Niagara and Ontario counties. Jacobs won a special election on June 23 to fill the vacant seat, and was sworn in as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives on July 21.

County Manager Matt Landers, Highway Superintendent Tim Hens and Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein provided plenty of food for thought – letting Jacobs know about:

• “An unacceptable level of bridges that are headed in red flag status and in need of significant repair.”
• A lack of high-speed internet on some rural roads that “leaves us behind”;
• The “heavy lift” that is the estimated $75 million Phase 3 of the county’s plan to ensure an adequate water supply well into the future.

BRIDGES

Genesee County is unique, Landers said, in that it is one of a few New York counties that has the “sole responsibility” of maintaining all bridges in the county.

“That has been a burden on Genesee County for a long time,” he said. Throw in the fact that Genesee has regularly shared revenue with its municipalities, and the result are budgets that are “very tight and lean for years. As such, our infrastructure is suffering.”

Landers said that insufficient revenue sources have led to “an unacceptable level of bridges that are headed in red flag status and in need of significant repair.”

Hens said the county maintains 95 bridges of spans of at least 20 feet, with 60 percent of those on county roads and 48 percent of them being structurally deficient or obsolete. The county also is charged with the condition of several smaller bridges.

“Genesee County has been beating the drum for roads and bridges for probably 10 years now,” Hens offered, adding that the average age of the 95 bigger bridges is 65 years – the end of their lifespan. He said he foresees a “tsunami of bridges” coming at the county, all needing to be replaced at the same time.

Projecting to 2029, Hens said $29 million will have to be allocated in order to maintain those bridges, “assuming that we do get continual delivery of federal aid from our regional partners at DOT and FHWA (Federal Highway Administration).”

Federal emphasis in recent years on interstate highways and the impact of COVID-19 on local finances are additional roadblocks in this area, he noted.

“But it’s one that we continue to press forward, so whatever help you can provide us,” Hens said to Jacobs, adding that he has prepared spreadsheets to illustrate the county’s plight.

Jacobs replied by stating that a federal infrastructure bill is “long overdue” and added that rural broadband is a “critical” piece of that legislation.

Stein said the county is “not in the position where property taxes all have to go toward” bridges and infrastructure, but residents pay their property taxes with the expectation that infrastructure and public safety needs will be met.

Hens touted a philosophy of “streamlining project delivery” – doing more for less by being creative and using available materials and manpower.

To illustrate this, he shared that the county invested $70,000 into the restoration of a small bridge in the Town of Bethany, which ran through a large dairy farm. With the bridge closed, the farmer was incurring up to $1,000 a day to haul silage and hay around detours.

Hens said the county couldn’t wait for federal aid to come, so it turned the federal aid back and addressed the situation in house.

“We essentially will have the project done in seven weeks at a cost less than our 5 percent local share of just the design phase of the project,” he said. “If the county went with the federal plan from start to finish, it would have been a $1.6 million project. (Now) we’re going to have a new bridge in place that will last for 20 to 30 years for about $70,000.”

The congressman's response to that statement indicated he wasn’t sure if he heard Hens correctly.

“Seventy thousand?” Jacobs said. “Seventy thousand versus $1.6 million? (With COVID-19), we’re going to have issues with the debt and deficit. It’s not just that we have to cut doing things or not; we can do things more efficiently. If you take what you just did and extrapolated that throughout the country, can you imagine how much money that would be?”

Hens said that federal funding process comes with “strings attached” and usually is structured in a generic way – not looking at the actual project – and takes about 18 months from the design work through construction.

BROADBAND

While not a lot of time was spent talking about broadband capabilities, the message was clear.

Stein said lawmakers are aware of a huge project under way in the county to increase high-speed internet on rural roads, but there are still roads that are without broadband technology.

“That’s a problem for our schoolchildren, especially in COVID with the hybrid model of in school and out of school,” she observed. “That leaves us behind and we have to have an even playing field.”

WATER

“Public water has been the key to this community since the early 1990s, and we have progressed a spine-type background into our communities and we are at a junction right now where we’ve got to make the next big jumps,” Stein reported, adding that despite great strides some residents are without public water due to the high cost of infrastructure.

She said the USDA is “an incredible partner” but other funding sources must be found as the county’s water project moves into the next phases.

Landers outlined Genesee’s countywide water system that has the county acting as the overseer, with vital connections to the Monroe County Water Authority and the City of Batavia. He said the structure eliminates the need for small aquifers and wells in towns and villages.

“It’s a model that we’re proud of,” he said. “There are things we never would have envisioned, such as how cows love drinking public water,” he said, drawing some laughs. Because farmers and small towns have jumped on board, the “demand has increased more than we could have ever imagined.”

He said management is mapping out demands for the next 10 years or so, trying to stay a step ahead, and have forged contracts with all the municipalities and agreements with Great Lakes and Erie County Water Authority.

Calling it a complex arrangement that includes water user surcharges to help pay down the debt service, Hens said the county is embarking upon Phase 2 with a $30 million price tag, which will be followed by Phase 3 at an estimated cost of $75 to $83 million.

“Phase 3 which would generate enough water to replace the City of Batavia water plant, but also bring in about 17 million gallons of water from Monroe County and Erie County,” he said. “It’s a very heavy lift for us so any outside help we can get from our partners at the federal level, whether its USDA or Congress, would be greatly appreciated.”

Hens made note of the rising food processing industry in the county – an offshoot of agriculture.

“They’re tremendous users of water. So, for us, water is gold, and the more water we can get here for our residents to support jobs and industry, the better off we are,” he said.

AGRICULTURE AND STIMULUS

On other subjects, Jacobs said he was “thrilled” to be appointed to the agricultural committee by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and reiterated his claim that Gov. Andrew Cuomo is holding on to $3 billion in federal stimulus funds.

Acknowledging that he has a lot to learn about the farming industry, Jacobs said he has met with local farm bureau leaders and wants to form an agriculture advisory roundtable to meet with him on a regular basis.

He said the roundtable will help him “to have a pulse of what’s going on in our district and also help me to have the right message when I’m at important stages like the budget process.”

Jacobs said he believes another stimulus bill will happen in September, and has signed onto legislation supporting local governments in the next stimulus bill. He then took another shot at Cuomo, urging the governor to release $3 billion from the first CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act.

“We need to push him to do his administerial job to get the money to the local communities,” he said.

Genesee County is preparing statements totaling nearly $100,000 for assessment services provided to towns and the City of Batavia in 2019.

The legislature’s Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday approved a resolution authorizing Kevin Andrews, director of real property tax services, to bill the municipalities for assessment rolls, tax rolls, tax bills, supplies, and assessment updates that were provided by the county in the previous fiscal year.

These “charge-backs” amount to $87,477 in services rendered and another $10,950 in licensing fees charged by New York State for specialized software “that assessors use to keep track of their assessment inventory and that we use to then produce assessment rolls, tax bills and tax rolls,” Andrews said.

Bills will be mailed to the towns and city in January, with the expense applied to their 2021 budgets, Andrews added.

The charge-backs and fees range from $3,336.83 for 1,107 parcels in the Town of Bethany to $17,715.23 for 5,531 parcels in the City of Batavia. The total number of parcels assessed was 29,159.

In another development, the committee authorized the appointment of Assistant County Manager Tammi Ferringer as the administration officer and to act as the Genesee County STOP DWI coordinator for the Genesee County STOP DWI Advisory Board.

The committee approved the following referrals from Monday’s Public Service Committee meeting:

• A consultant agreement with CPL Team of Rochester in an amount not to exceed $80,000 to develop Well C of the City of Batavia’s well fields on Cedar Street to increase the water supply during times of high creek water turbidity or during times of low groundwater that negatively impact Well A or Well B.

County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said Well C could produce up to a million gallons of water per day – “almost as productive as Well A and B.” He said the emergency water situation in July prompted a meeting with city officials to expedite action to make Well C a viable option.

Hens estimated the total cost for construction, including cleaning, screening and re-casing the well, at $200,000 to $300,000.

• A change-order contract for $8,682.50 with Suburban Electric in Albion to install Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol communication controls and fuel pressure sensors for backup generators at pump stations in Churchville and Mumford.

The pump stations are being constructed at those locations as part of Phase 2 of the Countywide Water Supply Program.

Hens said the change order was necessary so that the Monroe County Water Authority can monitor the generators remotely during emergencies.  The change order increases the total cost of the contract to $767,682.50.

• The appointment of Candace Hensel of Byron to the Genesee County Planning Board for a three-year term effective through May 31, 2023. Hensel owns the Byron Hotel and Trailhouse.