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Market rate housing, the resurrection of Wing Ding, a craft beer festival and Alzheimer’s awareness walk, the Jackson Square redesign and a public hearing are all on tap for City Council’s conference meeting this week.

And that is to be followed by a special business meeting for several votes and an executive session to discuss “employment matters and real estate.”

The conference meeting is set for 7 p.m. Monday in the Council Board Room, second floor of City Hall.

Assistant City Manager Erik Fix is expected to outline a plan to create single-family homes and market-rate rentals to help supply Genesee County’s future housing needs of more than 4,800 units, according to a memo from Fix to City Council. The demand for housing is anticipated in correlation with the WNY STAMP project in the western part of the county.

“With low vacancy rates and free houses available for sale, if a surge of development attracted employment into the region, workers would need to look outside of the county for housing,” Fix said.

He is proposing that the Batavia Home Fund be established to capitalize Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) payments from project investors and land sales to plump up the fund.

The city will also be exploring a Core Housing Owner Incentive Exemption program based on a similar program in Rochester that provides exemptions for multi-family homes to convert to single-family homes, and for construction of new housing stock, Fix said.

As Genesee County, via a related committee, pursues hosting an air show once again, the city is considering resurrecting the Wing Ding that ran in conjunction with the former Wings of Eagles air show at Genesee County Airport. Fix is also expected to review the potential for a Wing Ding weekend, and transfer a leftover amount of $9,188 from the Centennial Celebration and move it into a Wing Ding account.

Air show committee leader and county highway superintendent Tim Hens has said that several people have asked that the air show be brought back, and many folks have shared fond memories from each event on opposite sides of the county -- at Genesee County Airport on Saile Drive and in downtown Batavia.

After years of committee meetings, investigation and talk about the potential for Creek Park, situated behind the ice arena, city officials are also expected to discuss the option of performing an environmental review for it to house a future business operation.

Eli Fish apparently doesn't want the fun to stop and has applied for a craft beer festival in Jackson Square later next month. That event, and an Alzheimer's awareness walk on Oct. 1 are up for review by council during its conference session. 

File photo of a previous air show. 

Batavia City School District residents are invited to offer comments and/or ask questions regarding the district’s proposition to use $95,000 from the Repair Reserve Fund.

A public hearing about expending the funds has been set for 6 p.m. Monday in the Superintendent’s Conference Room at Batavia High School, 260 State St., Batavia.

There will be a presentation about the emergency replacement of two water boilers, and the related contract for the $95,000 cost of repair. Business Administrator Scott Rozanski is to be on hand to answer questions and review the scope of work and contract award.

If approved by the board, the cost will be transferred out of the reserve fund to pay for the high school work.

Other agenda items include presentations from Trisha Finnigan, Dr. Molly Corey and board member Barbara Bowman; votes on several faculty appointments; contracts with groups and individuals related to transportation, personal day approval for the Custodial Association, an administrator’s retreat, clarifying payment eligibility for Batavia Teachers’ Association, and tuition for children with disabilities.

There are to be public hearings in each the city and county this week on the application and use of a $2 million Restore NY grant.

The city's hearing is during a conference session at 7 p.m. Monday in the Council Board Room, second floor, City Hall.

City Council's intended use for the grant is for the Carrs Reborn project in downtown Batavia. Cities with a population less than 40,000 can apply for up to $2 million, and it is available for projects to “demolish/deconstruct and/or rehabilitate/reconstruct vacant, abandoned, surplus and/or condemned residential, commercial and/or mixed-use buildings.”

The former C.L. Carr's site, with an expansive footprint within Main and Jackson streets and is owned by Ken Mistler, is expected to accommodate several upper-floor apartments and business/office use on the ground floor.

City Council is expected to vote on the grant submission during its business meeting to follow. The group is also to vote for support of a county-led Restore NY grant application to offset the $33.5 million Healthy Living campus project on Main Street, downtown Batavia. Work has begun to construct a new Healthy Living campus alongside GLOW YMCA, and the fitness facility at 207-209 East Main St. will eventually be demolished to make way for green and parking spaces.

It will take much investment for the entire plan to unfold, and Genesee County’s Ways & Means Committee has agreed to proceed with an application for a $2 million Restore NY grant to help with the costs.

Before anything else can happen, a public hearing must be conducted about the project to demolish 207-209 and 211 1/2 (rear) on East Main Street. Led by the county, the grant is available for “projects to demolish/deconstruct and/or rehabilitation/reconstruct vacant, abandoned, surplus and/or condemned residential, commercial, and/or mixed-use buildings.”

The county has set two public hearings for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Old Courthouse, 7 Main St., Batavia. In addition to one about the Restore NY grant, there is a hearing about a local law to expand the residency limit beyond Genesee County to open the pool of candidates for Genesee County Sheriff's Office correction officer vacancies.

Rendering of future Healthy Living campus in downtown Batavia, submitted by Rochester Regional Health.

Dan Butler, an artist from Perry, is nearing completion of a mural on the back of Seymour Place, the home of GO ART!, inspired by an idea presented to him by Director Gregory Hallock: People of many different races holding flowers.

"He wanted to welcome everybody," Butler said. "They're all welcome here to come and enjoy art or create it."

Butler has been assisted by Jill Pettigrew, who has painted the flowers.

Butler said he's enjoyed the project.

"I get to be outside and I get to paint," Butler said. "One of my specialties is portraits and faces so I get to work on what I do best and throw a lot of color and flowers into it and have a good time."

Catelyn Terboss, 7, tries out one of the pieces of antique technology on display Friday night at the Senior Center for Family Game Night.

The County's IT department was one of several county agencies with display tables during the event, which centered around family games and free games for families to take home.

Catelyn had never seen a rotary telephone before. Louis Stoller showed her how it worked though he admitted he's never used a rotary phone. 

Jeremy G. Ives is indicted on two counts of attempted assault in the first degree, a Class C violent felony, kidnapping in the second degree, a Class B violent felony, criminal use of a firearm in the first degree, a Class B violent felony, two counts of criminal use of a firearm in the second degree, a Class C violent felony, and menacing in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Ives is accused of attempting to cause serious physical injury to a person using a shotgun in the City of Batavia on Aug. 12.  He is accused of abducting another person on that same day. Previously: Arrest made in Elm Street shooting

Iverson M. Davis is indicted on counts of grand larceny in the third degree, a Class D felony, and eight counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a Class D felony. Davis is accused of stealing property with a value in excess of $3,000 between March 25 and March 28 at Batavia Downs in the Town of Batavia. He is accused of possessing forged Western Union Money Orders.

Elayasia A. Mendez is indicted on counts of aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, DWI, forgery in the second degree, falsifying business records in the first degree, and criminal impersonation in the second degree. Mendez is accused of driving a 2014 Chrysler on Clinton Street Road, Stafford, on June 11 on a suspended license while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. She is accused of signing the name "Jada Quinones" on a fingerprint card in an attempt to conceal her true identity. 

Alicia K. Urban is indicted on two counts of aggravated driving while ability impaired by drugs, a Class E felony, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor. Urban is accused of driving impaired on March 29 on East Main Street, Town of Batavia, while two children were in the vehicle.

Amanda B. Hopkins is indicted on two counts of aggravated DWI, a Class E felony,  and one count of endangering the welfare of a child a Class A misdemeanor. Hopkins is accused of driving drunk, with a BAC of .08 or greater, with a child in the car, on Route 63 in the Town of Pavilion on Jan. 21.

Garlyn M. Gause is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony, two counts of tampering with physical evidence, a Class E felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Gause is accused of possessing cocaine on April 24 in the City of Batavia with the intent to sell it. On that same date, he is accused of preventing the use of evidence by concealment, alteration, destruction or by employing force, intimidation or deception. On the same date, is also accused of being in possession of a controlled substance. 

Trevor T. Cooke is indicted on counts of driving while ability impaired by drugs, a Class E felony, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree. Cooke is accused of driving a 2006 Chevrolet on April 2 on Bloomingdale Road in the Town of Alabama while his ability was impaired by drugs.

Photo by Joanne Meiser.

Press release:

The Genesee County Office of Emergency Management Services was the host of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC) FLASHOVER training. 

The FLASHOVER training was held at the Genesee County Fire Training Center on State Street Road, Batavia, on Sept. 10-11, where forty-three firefighters from around the region attended.

Seasoned instructors with years of experience teaching with a simulator, taught this program. The program included a one-hour classroom lecture, followed by two hours of intense live fire hands-on training evolutions in NYSAFC's mobile flashover simulator.

The FLASHOVER training allowed participants to experience fire development from the incipient stage all the way to flashover.  Participants completing the training are now able to identify the signs of the event before being part of the flashover. It is said that if you are more than five feet from the doorway, your chance of survival in a flashover is minimal.

Participants of the FLASHOVER training Included:

AKRON

• Hillery Dennies
• Michael Dennies

ALABAMA

• Gary Patnode
• Michelle Patnode
• Ryan Thompson

CITY OF BATAVIA

• Ryan Darch
• Nathan Flint
• Allison Hubert
• Jennifer Kirkum
• Dalton Major
• Benjamin Pickard

BOWMANSVILLE

• Mike  Andrzewski
• Evan MacPeek

CALEDONIA

• Andrew Carpino
• Samuel D'Agostino
• RJ Kantowski
• John Kellen
• Michael Lubitow
• Aaron Rychlicki
• Nathan Sherlock

EAST BLOOMFIELD

• Alex Brown
• Bill Gasser
• Abigail Miller

EAST PEMBROKE

• Stephen Smelski

PERRY CENTER

• David  Parfitt
• Chuck Wright

PITTSFORD

• Ron DeCamelia
• Brian Garber
• Matt Garber
• Marc Krieger
• Chris Otero

RANSOMVILLE

• Jim Harbison
• Chris Lederhouse
• Justin Stoelting
• Matt Wedge

SOUTH BYRON

• Nicole Boldt
• Vito Muoio
• Jeremie Rassel
• Jeffrey Starowitz

SPRINGWATER

• Brian Nadeau
• Zackery Ryan

WENDELVILLE

• Thomas Braunscheidel
• Benjamin Kalbfliesch

Bradley R. Jordan, 29, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with menacing 3rd.  Jordan is accused of threatening a person on Silver Road in the Town of Bethany on Sept. at 6:58 p.m.  Jordan was located by deputies Andrew Mullen and James Stack along with K-9 Frankie and arrested.  He was arraigned in Town of Bethany Court and on that charged released on his own recognizance but held in the Genesee County Jail pending extradition to Clark County, Nevada. No information was released on the charge Jordan faces in Nevada.

Julian Willard Mills, 24, of Hartford Road, Lansing, Mich., is charged with criminal possession of a firearm. During an investigation of a reported suspicious condition on Alleghany Road, Pembroke on Sept. 19 at 11:35 a.m., Mills was allegedly found in possession of a loaded handgun. Mills was released on an appearance ticket.

Nia M. Coppini, 23, of Prestige Xing, Batavia, Jordan P. Kuczyuski, 24, of Bacon Street, Le Roy, Nathan D. Clark, 25, of Central Avenue, Batavia, and Dakota White, 24, of South Lake Avenue, Bergen, are charged with trespass. Coppini, Kuczyuski, Clark, and White are accused of being in the Byron Swamps after dark in violation of posted signs. They were released on appearance tickets.

Behold, and Blush is a comprehensive telling of the 1779 Sullivan Expedition as it wound its way through western New York. We begin with the legend behind the creation of the Seneca Nation, the "Great Peacemaker," and Hiawatha, and the formation of the Haudenosaunee (League of Five Nations). Next, the book segues the French-led invasion of Seneca territory in 1687. Finally, it touches on the French and Indian War and the deeds committed by British General Jefferey Amherst, for whom Amherst New York is named. Behold and Blush reviews chronologically and introduces the readers to the campaigns of "Goose," Van Schaick, and Daniel Brodhead, culminating with Sullivan and Clinton. Thompson's research expands upon the expedition's little-

known members, which significantly adds to the story of the Sullivan Expedition. The book introduces the reader to Joseph Brant, Mary Jemison, Daniel Shays, Timothy Murphy, Lt. Thomas Boyd, and Sgt. Michael Parker. The book concludes with the discussion of genocide as it may or may not relate to Sullivan's Expedition. "If a reader expects to find this book treating the men of Sullivan's Expedition as barbarians and a book where the Seneca are treated as victims, they may be disappointed in what they find.”

Release date October 9:

Presentation and signing:

• Sat. Oct. 22 – Simply Positive 23 Main St. Livonia NY 10-1 p.m., (585) 204-0441
• Sat. Oct. 29 – Holland Land Office Museum 131 W. Main St Batavia NY, 1-3 p.m. 585-343-4727.

Press release:

Notre Dame has announced the newest members of its Athletic Hall of Fame who will be inducted on Saturday Nov. 12 in a ceremony held at the school.  Contact Kate Edwards at 343-2783 ext. 144 or email her kate.edwards@ndhsbatavia.com for ticket information.

Aaron Fix Class of 1992:  Aaron excelled in football, basketball and Baseball. He started on Notre Dame’s first State title the 1992 Boys Basketball Team. The basketball teams he played on posted a record of 40-9 (38-4 in GR) and won GR titles in 1991 & 1992.  He was a 2-time GR All-Star in both football and baseball with his teams winning GR championships in baseball in1990 &1991. He went on to play football collegiately at Canisius where he set a record for TD punt returns in a game (3), in a season (4) and was a D-1 AA All-American as a punt returner.

Christi Moskal Ganie Class of 2003:  Christi played volleyball, basketball and softball during her ND years. Her Volleyball teams won Section V titles in 2001 & 2002 advancing to State finals in ’02. She was selected as a multiple GR and Section V Volleyball All-Star. Christi’s basketball squads were Section V Champs in 2002 when she was named MVP and 2003 when she was a tournament All-Star. Christi was a 3-time GR Basketball All-Star on teams that won 3 GR titles. Her prowess as a student-athlete led to her selection as Notre Dame’s Outstanding Scholar-Athlete in 2003.

Kevin Smith Class of 1987: Kevin was a standout athlete in football, basketball and baseball.  He was a GR All-Star in football in 1986 when his team won the GR title and advanced to the Sectional Finals.  Kevin’s basketball teams won 32 and lost 9 winning GR Championships in ’86 & ’87 while advancing to Sectional Championship game in ’87 where they lost by 1 on a buzzer beater. In ’87, he earned GR All-Star recognition. He was a 2-time GR All-Star on Baseball teams that posted a record of 50-9 winning GR & Sectional Championships in ’86 & ’87. He was the recipient of the Rogowski Trophy one of the most prestigious ND Awards.

Jack Waggoner Class of 1989:  Jack played football, basketball and golf. He was Athlete of the Year in 1988 as well as the Batavia Lions Club Bill Cook Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award in 1989. His football squads had a 2-year record of 12-4 winning a GR title and he was a GR All-Star in ‘87 & ’88. Jack’s basketball teams went 37-10 winning a Batavia Lions Club championship as well as a GR title in ’89 when they advanced to the Sectional Championship game. Arguably the most successful golfer in school history, Jack was  a 6-time Sectional qualifier, 3-time medalist of the GR qualifying event, twice advanced to the state championships and his 4-times as team MVP is a school record.

1973 Baseball:  The 1973 Baseball team went 16-4 winning the Smith League championship. They advanced to the Georgetown Cup Championship game losing 3-1 to Canisius HS. This team was coached by Hall of Famers Fr. John Zeitler and Bill Sutherland while the roster included HOF athletes Bob Carragher, Andy Vogl, and Mark Francis.

1992 Boys Basketball:  The 1992 Boys Basketball team earned the name “The Fab 5” as they posted a record of 26-1 winning the NYSPHSAA State title as well as Section V and GR championships. They set a school record for wins (26), win percentage (96.3%) and put ND back in the spotlight at a time when enrollment had dropped below 100 for the first and only time. HOF inductees affiliated with the team include Coaches Mike Rapone and Dave Pero as well as athletes Tom McCulley and Aaron Fix.

Press release:

Join GLOW OUT! in uplifting LGBTQ+ youth as they head back to school at their first-ever Back-to-School BBQ this Saturday, September 24 from 12:30-3:30 pm at DeWitt Park in Batavia. This all-age event is free, open to the public, and will be hosted by the fabulous Vanessa Leroux who is returning from the 2022 Pride Festival to entertain and wow participants again!

The afternoon will also feature Act Out!, GLOW OUT’s youth league led by Lilly Fiscus of Caledonia-Mumford HS, Abigail Merkley of Holley HS, Ruth Metzgar of GCC (formerly of Attica HS), Ayden Carlson of Batavia HS, and Judith Newton of Batavia HS. Learn about upcoming youth-related events and their efforts to combat bullying with the launch of their campaign “Fail the F-Slur!”. Targeting the need for family support, the group will also promote the start of their PFLAG/parent group which will begin in October.  

GLOW OUT! would like to pay a special thank you to Lynda Battaglia, Director of Mental Health and Community Services of Genesee County, whose generous time and stellar performance as a “Celebrity Bartender” helped to raise the funds for this event to be free for the community. This organization and the LGBTQ+ youth uplifted by this work are grateful to live in a community with such inclusive and dedicated leaders. More information about the event can be found on their website http://www.glowout.org/. If you are bringing a larger group or if you have questions, please email Sara Vacin at saravacin@gmail.com. Families, friends, and clubs are welcome!

Photo: Submitted photo.  Ayden Carlsen, Judith Newton, Sara Vacin, Abby Merkley, and Lilly Fiscus

Press release:

Did you know that radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that is released in rock, soil and water? Radon has no smell, taste or color and kills more than 21,000 people each year. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

Radon can build up to dangerous levels in your home, which can occur in new homes or older homes. “Radon can enter your home through cracks in the foundation, cracks in basement walls, holes, joints, dirt floors, sump pump holes, suspended floors and in the well-water supply,” stated Darren Brodie, Environmental Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “Any house that has contact to the ground has the potential for radon to enter the home.”

Both the EPA and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) have identified Genesee County as having a high average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L (pico curies per liter). “Testing your home for radon is the only way to know if high levels are present and corrective action is needed,” stated Brodie. When radon tests are completed, they should be performed in the lowest primary living area of the home.

GO Health encourages residents to test for radon when buying a home, doing a major renovation, every 2 years if there is a mitigation system installed or every 5 years otherwise. You can purchase a short-term radon test kit from your local hardware store or through a radon-testing laboratory. For more information on radon or other GO Health programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org

Press release:

Due to popular demand, we have added a second tomato canning class on Sept. 28, 6 to 8 p.m.  This is a hands-on class that will show you all the basics of hot water bath canning.  The Master Food Preserver will demonstrate both the hot and cold pack methods of canning.  There will also be a discussion on canning jams and jellies.

Recipes and handouts will be provided.  When the class is done, you will have a quart of tomatoes, but they will be too hot to take home that night.  You will be able to pick them up at the CCE office the next day.

The class will be held at the Stafford Methodist Church, 6134 Main St., Stafford, Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m.  Pre-registration is required as class size is limited.  No walk-in participants, please.  The cost for the class is $20 per person.  Registration and payment are due by September 26.  Contact Mandy at (585) 343-3040, ext. 101 or stop by our office to register.  You can also register and pay online by going to our event page athttps://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/events.

Press release:

On Saturday, Oct. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., law enforcement agencies across Genesee County and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

There will be three locations across the county where citizens can dispose of their medications. Sharps will only be accepted at the Batavia location.

The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

• The Batavia Police Department, in conjunction with United Memorial Medical Center, will be accepting prescription drugs and sharps in the Alva Place parking lot across the street from Batavia Showtime (located in the Genesee County Mall), Batavia.
• The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office will be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at the Pembroke Town Hall, 1145 Main Road, Corfu.
• The Le Roy Police Department will be accepting prescription drugs ONLY at their headquarters located at 3 West Main Street, Le Roy.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. 

In addition to DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, there are many other ways to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs every day, including the 11,000 authorized collectors that are available all year long.

The Batavia Police Department Headquarters has one for everyday collection of drugs located in the rear vestibule at 10 West Main St., Batavia, NY.

Containers are also located at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office on Park Rd, Batavia, and at the Le Roy Police Department. Sharps are accepted at United Memorial Medical Center, 127 North St., Batavia.

The FDA also provides information on how to properly dispose of prescription drugs. More information is available here.

For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 29th Take Back Day event, go to www.DEATakeBack.com.

File Photo: Officer Stephen Quider, K-9 Batu, and Detective Jason Ivison in 2021.

Press release:

The Genesee County Highway Department will be paving on Morganville Road between Horseshoe Lake Road and Route 237 and East Morganville Road between Morganville Road and 237 in Stafford on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, weather permitting. The road will be closed to thru traffic during the paving operations.

To all motorists, businesses, and property owners along Lovers Lane in the Town of Batavia:

Lovers Lane between Route 33/Pearl Street Road and South Main Street Road will be closed to all through traffic during paving operations scheduled for Tuesday, Sept 27.  Paving Operations will occur between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.   Residents of Lovers Lane will have access to their property, but anticipate delays.  This is a weather dependent operation.  If postponed due to inclement weather the work will be rescheduled for the next workday.

Designated as a registered National Historic Landmark in 1961, the Holland Land Office Museum has been a treasured staple of Genesee County heritage for decades, which also means the site has taken its share of wear and tear.

After all, the stone museum building was built in 1810, and it was designed by famous Batavian Joseph Ellicott. The county has established it worthy of a capital project, which is to begin with a conditions study. A request for proposal was advertised, and three bidders pitched for the project.

“Wendel was by far the most qualified,” Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said to legislators this week.

Consultant Wendel of Williamsville came in with a bid of just under the $45,000 cap. Hens, the assistant county engineer and deputy highway superintendent reviewed the submitted proposals and recommended the Erie County company, Hens said. He asked that legislators approve the consultant and bid that’s not to exceed $43,324.

The scope of work is for a Holland Land Office restoration study.

“It’s a full, comprehensive look at the building,” he said. “And it should give us a road map of what we need.”

One of the goals is to document each area of the site at 131 West Main St., Batavia, and determine what its future needs might be. The consultants will be assessing “functionality issues,” and the potential to add a Welcome Center, Hens said.

Legislators Gary Maha, Marianne Clattenburg, Shelley Stein, Christian Yunker, Chad Klotzbach, John Deleo, Brooks Hawley, Gregg Torrey, and Gordon Dibble approved the request.

Photos of Holland Land Office Museum from the front, top photo, at the sidewalk along Main Street, and the side next to the parking lot, above. Photos by Howard Owens.

A vote to forward the proposal for a Wings Over Batavia air show was tabled Wednesday after Legislator Gary Maha questioned how much it would cost the county.

“I’m certainly in favor of it,” Maha said during the Public Service meeting at the Old Courthouse. “My concern’s as to the cost to the county … is it $10,000, $20,000, $60,000? We don’t know.”

County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens presented a brief update about the air show, and it has been progressing towards a 2023 date. A Wings Over Batavia Committee has established an LLC to accept and manage funds for the show, Hens said. Each air act would have its own insurance policy, in addition to the LLC, which would protect the county’s liability, he said.

“It has been 25 years since the county hosted an air show,” he said. "There seems to be a lot of pent-up interest in wanting it. And the city has an interest in doing the Wing Ding again.”

A former air show that ran in conjunction with the city’s downtown Wing Ding — Main Street lined with food and craft vendors — was a popular yearly event in the 1990s. Hens came on board with the county just in time for the final one in 1998, he said.

“People have said for years, why don’t we do another air show?” he said to The Batavian after the meeting. “We’ve got the right people in place that want to do it, that are willing to spend the time to plan it, and raise the money to make sure it happens. As far as what they’re asking, the cost to the county … we have a pretty rough idea of how traffic is, going in and out of the air show. It’s different now than it was in 1998. But we can work with the Sheriff’s Office and fire training folks to figure out what the cost of providing traffic control will be pretty quickly, and have it back to the Ways & Means Committee hopefully in October.”

During the meeting, Legislator Marianne Clattenburg voted to table the matter, but voiced her disagreement with the need for it.

“I’m for this. I’d move on it right now,” she said. “I think this is something that we would fully support.”

Maha countered that by stating the group is being asked to vote on unspecified data.

“But we don’t know what we’re voting on, we’re voting on a blank check,” he said.

The costs would mostly pertain to law enforcement time for security during the event, as participants and attendees are willing to pay for the show, Hens said. In the mid-90s, nearly 40,000 people would attend. Formerly affiliated with the Wings of Eagles, the air show ceased when that group moved on to another venue after 1998.

Hens said the next air show meeting is in early October, and he expects to have more details for that month’s Ways & Means members. Aside from attendance revenue, there is also the ripple effect of drawing thousands of people from other areas, Hens said. Those people rent hotel rooms, eat in restaurants and shop locally while here. The resulting sales tax is a benefit to the county, he said.

The air show would be a self-sustaining entity, with the county incurring only incidental expenses from structural items, such as law enforcement time, he said. Organizers would set up a perpetual seed fund to carry it onward annually, he said.

“Air shows are hugely popular. I mean, if you go to the air shows in Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, there are big throngs of people,” he said. “So it’s a fun event.”

Photo: Genesee County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, right, discusses a potential air show next year at Genesee County Airport during Wednesday's Public Services Committee meeting. Photo by Joanne Beck.

This year's Decision Makers Agriculture Tour hosted by Chamber of Commerce focused on one of the wonders of Genesee County, the mucklands and  the onions those fields produce.

"We got to see the Big O onion facility and it was beautiful, a really high-tech way of processing onions," said Tom Turnbull, interim president of the Chamber. "It's just amazing. Every time I come on one of these tours, the technology that goes into producing our food in this county is amazing."

As Turnbull and tour participants stood on the black soil of the mucklands on a cloudless afternoon near rows of onions waiting to be harvested, he marveled at unique enterprise.

"Seeing what the muckland is and the history, which I really didn't know the full story, about what is strange swamp land that's high in nutrients, and there's only a finite amount of in the country," Turnbull said. "It's just fascinating."

For The Batavian's previous coverage of the mucklands and onion production, click here.

Photos by Howard Owens