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As the 75th anniversary of Genesee Symphony Orchestra quickly approaches, the planning of its concert this weekend has been anything but rushed.

In fact, Conductor Shade Zajac has been thinking about the event for the last few years.

“I’ve been so looking forward to this particular season for so long, not for any personal reason. I just want the orchestra to be celebrated, for people to know that this incredible thing exists,” Zajac said during an interview with the Batavian. “I am not the same guy I was when we started … and the orchestra is not the same. GSO will always be part of my history and part of my family.”

The 75th celebration concert titled Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Genesee Community College’s Stuart Steiner Theatre, 1 College Rd., Batavia. 

Years in the making ...
Zajac, whose first season was in 2016, has been mulling the 2021 musical season “for a lot of years now,” he said. He had discussed it with Co-President Roxie Choate and had several ideas amidst a pandemic that had canceled many public events. 

“It was touch and go whether or not we would actually be having a season,” he said. 

Once venues began opening up, Zajac and staff plunged ahead with mapping out an agenda of nostalgic and meaningful pieces. History has been the focus of the orchestra’s return to the stage, exactly 75 years to the date it first debuted as Batavia Civic Orchestra. 

A letter in Richmond Memorial Library’s archives demonstrates just how delicate GSO’s formation really was. Zajac stumbled upon it, he said, while scouring the vast relics for concert ideas. It was fairly early on after the orchestra’s 1947 founding, and it was an ominous musing about whether it was worth it to carry on.

“Do you want the Civic Orchestra to continue? If so, will you work for it?” the letter began. “It will be a sad loss to the community to end the orchestra. It seems better, though, to end it quickly than to drag on to a slow death.”

Written by then-President Virginia Trietly, the letter ended with a hopeful encouragement to “muster up enthusiasm — lasting enthusiasm” that would allow the group to survive longer than 11 years. It’s safe to say that community members rallied to carry on and endure the next several decades.

“And here we are 75 seasons later. Yeah, through this horrible pandemic where many orchestras haven't been able to do a thing, and we've been fortunate enough to continue to make music. That's a really incredible thing,” Zajac said. “And it's a testament to the musicians, of course, to all the people that have worked on the board of directors and also to this community that continues to support us through tough times, and through great times. Without all of these components … we wouldn't be having this conversation.” 

As for the music, a concert lineup is chock full of classical compositions, a guest performance, and a piece of freshly crafted work. Mikhail Glinka’s “Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla” is not unfamiliar to orchestras, as it has been performed “many, many, many times” by GSO and others, Zajac said.

“Because it's just a complete fireworks spectacular showcase for the orchestra,” he said. “It’s breakneck fast, and then it gets even faster at the end. It’s a statement to start a program with that piece.”

“Prelude to Act III, Dance of the Apprentices, Final Prelude and Intermezzo,” from Cavalleria, was featured in the very first orchestra performance. Zajac discovered the musical score in library archives labeled with the group's original name. Considered a “classical repertoire,” the prelude is “just gorgeous,” he said.

“I really wanted to do something different, something from the very early season … the librarian gave me the score. And the coolest thing is, stamped on the cover is the Batavia Civic Orchestra, which is, of course, the name before,” he said. “So that is a cool find. And that's a really great piece.”

Then and Now ...
Guest soloist Mia Fasanello will also become part of the orchestra’s history by performing a concerto 75 years after her own grandfather, Sebastian Fasanello, played one during the first concert. No stranger to the GSO, Fasanello won its Young Artist competition for her oboe performance and was a featured soloist with the group for “Concerto for Oboe and Strings” in 2017. Currently studying with the Juilliard School, Fasanello’s talent prickled the judges’ ears from the very first tuning note.

“Oboe is a really tricky instrument to play. And for such a young person to have such a mature sound, it was a no-brainer that she had to be the winner,” Zajac said.  “So it's really great for us to have her come and perform, and to work with us in this collaboration. And it just plays into the whole idea that this is a generational thing.”

From the past of a musician’s grandfather, the concert also includes the present with a “world premiere” of Nancy Pettersen Strelau’s original piece, “A Simple Beautiful Idea.” 

Zajac wanted someone connected to the orchestra to compose a piece for the celebration but wasn’t initially sure who that should be. He chose Strelau for her role as his teacher, mentor, and sounding board throughout his education at Nazareth College School of Music. She even nudged him into applying for the conductor position when it became vacant in 2015. 

“I owe so much to her, she’s an incredible human being; she’s always been there,” he said. “It’s a really beautiful piece … the idea of back when they first wanted this orchestra, how daunting it must have been. It’s a very special piece to me.”

A majestic and lively “Hungarian Rhapsodies no. 2” ends the lineup with a melody often heard during popular cartoons Tom and Jerry, and Bugs Bunny. Don’t be surprised if your mind conjures up a sneaky little rodent wreaking havoc during portions of the song, Zajac said. 

The program includes proclamations from state Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Genesee County Legislator Rochelle Stein; and a display that highlights “certain aspects of our history,”  said GSO librarian and second chair clarinet Joanne Tumminello. A GSO calendar will be available for purchase to support the orchestra and provide a cherished collection of photos across the decades, she said. 

A member since 1995, Tumminello has been in charge of gathering and preserving tidbits of time in the form of news articles, photos, videos and other materials. This year has brought with it a sense of celebration to the wide assortment of members young and old and from all walks of life, she said.

“It’s definitely brought excitement to the orchestra,” Tumminello said. “It has brought us together.”

Shirts with the new GSO logo — selected from entries of a prior logo contest — have been made for members to wear during rehearsal, she said, noting that the 75th will be removed for next season and beyond. That’s a sign that “we can endure anything,” she said.

“The community has a love of history and enjoys supporting us, and that tells us to keep going,” she said. 

Zajac emphasized that although he may be the “face” of the orchestra, it takes the whole body of musicians, board of directors and community support to make a concert, and this celebration, happen. One musician in particular has become part of the 27-year-old conductor’s future: his wife Nicole. Before they were married, she filled in as a pinch-hitter for a vacant French horn seat. The late Bob Knipe, heavily active in the GSO and local music scene, had also “invited her to come and play” in the group. She eventually became a permanent member of GSO.

“I was in the thick of my first season with GSO and knew I needed a sub for Horn. And she turned me down, and we kind of kept talking,” he Zajac said. “And then as that particular concert approached, we needed an extra horn player last minute. So she stepped up, played, and then they kept inviting her back.”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Tickets are $15 adults, $10 seniors and free to students with a student identification card, and may be purchased at Holland Land Office Museum, YNGodess or online at www.geneseesymphony.com.

Photos: File photos from previous seasons' rehearsals.  All photos by Howard Owens. Top photo, S. Shade Zajac in 2019.  Videos below from 2019.

 

Press release:

The Notre Dame Board of Trustees on Wednesday announced the hiring of Mikey Rapone as the varsity boys basketball coach beginning in the 2022-23 season, replacing his father, Mike Rapone, who has compiled the most victories in Section V boys basketball history over a 42-year career.

Previously, Mike Rapone announced that he would be stepping down after this season. He has a 708-208 record at the varsity level.

Mikey Rapone (ND Class of 2002 and member of 2001 ND NYS Championship basketball team) has over 15 years coaching at Notre Dame, working with athletes, parents, administrators, and community members.

During the interview process, he commented that coaching in various positions at Notre Dame has enabled him to learn how to successfully motivate student-athletes by ascertaining their strengths as well as their weaknesses and to use this knowledge to assist them in working to achieve beyond their limitations while forging a team first attitude.

"I have gained an understanding of the unique balance of discipline, respect, support, and approachability one needs to maintain with student-athletes to be a successful coach," he said. "I feel that I have developed a great rapport with the teams I have coached and am proud of the relationships we share.”

Rapone said he developed his coaching style by learning from excellent coaches, including his father and also Bill Sutherland, Bill Wade, Dave Pero Sr., Wade Bianco, Marc Staley, Joe Zambito, Rick Rapone, Billy Sutherland, Rick Mancuso and Jim Fanara.

"That is a coaching tree that anyone interested in becoming a coach would love to have been able to learn from and it has prepared me well to maintain the tradition of excellence that is Notre Dame basketball," he said.

He acknowledged that "nobody can replace my father," but added that, "there is nothing more I would like to do than to be the next coach of the Notre Dame basketball program that he spent 40-plus years building."

"I plan to coach in the way that he has envisioned his program to be run by his successor and in a manner Notre Dame can be proud of.  I am not my father. We haven’t always agreed on coaching strategies and personnel but the one thing I definitely share with my dad is his love and passion for Notre Dame, the student-athletes and especially the Notre Dame boys basketball program,” he offered.

A public hearing on the Town of Batavia’s 2022 contract with the Town of Batavia Fire Department is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Town Hall, 3833 West Main St. Rd.

The proposed contract, which would take effect on Jan. 1, calls for the town to pay the fire department $1,185,265 for fire protection for all of next year.

Town residents fund the fire department through a separate special district tax, which is expected to remain at $2.34 per thousand of assessed valuation – the same as 2021.

The town board announced the public hearing date at its meeting on Wednesday night.

In other action, the town board:

• Approved an agreement in which the town will provide code enforcement services to the Town of Alabama, specifically for development at the WNY Science & Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park.

According to the resolution, the Town of Alabama shall pay the Town of Batavia $55.44 per hour during normal business hours Monday through Friday. The charge for field inspections outside of that timeframe will be $83.16 per hour. Mileage incurred by enforcement officers also will be reimbursed.

• Completed the preliminary 2022 budget process, setting the property tax rate at $2.51 per thousand of assessed valuation. The rate is a 12 percent decrease from 2021, and will generate $1,236,000 in property taxes – the same amount as last year.

The sewer rate remains the same as 2021 -- at $7.09 per 1,000 gallons used -- while the water rate for both residential and agricultural consumers is going up by 2 percent – to $6.32 and $5.12 per 1,000 gallons, respectively.

Salaries for elected officials are as follows:

• Supervisor Gregory Post, $40,000.
• Deputy Supervisor Dan Underhill, $18,000.
• Council members Patti Michalak, Chad Zambito and Sharon White, $12,000.
• Town Clerk/Tax Collector Teressa Morasco, $74,541.
• Highway Superintendent Tom Lichtenthal, $20,101.
• Town Justices Lisa Funke and Andrew Young, $28,840.

No one from the public spoke at public hearings on the budget, sewer and water rates on Wednesday.

Press release:

The Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District is hosting its annual Christmas in the City event from 2 to 6 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 4 with a holiday parade down Main Street to follow at 6 p.m.

The BID is inviting any business, organization or group to walk, ride or enter a float for the parade which runs from Jefferson Avenue to Summit Street. Downtown businesses are encouraged to host an activity or offer store specials during the event. Vendors are welcome.

This year’s event includes train rides, pictures with Santa, hot cocoa, crafts, and a Downtown Scavenger hunt with chances to win some great prizes.

The BID also is hosting its second annual Wreath Contest for Downtown Batavia.  Again, any business, group, organization or family are invited to enter the contest.

For $20, each participant is provided with a 16-inch plain wreath to decorate. Participants can pick up their wreaths on Sat., Nov, 20 and will have a week to decorate it before dropping the wreath off to the BID for community volunteers to put them up downtown.

Voting for most creative will take place from Dec. 4-24. First place winner receives $100 cash prize, second place $75 and third place $50.

To participate in Christmas in the City or the Wreath Contest, contact Beth Kemp at director@downtownbataviany.com or find all forms online at DowntownBataviaNY.com.

The Centers for Disease Control’s approval of a vaccine for 5-11-year-olds provides a new weapon in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic that has buffeted society for going on two years, Genesee & Orleans Public Health Director Paul Pettit said this morning.

Pettit (pictured at right), speaking to the media via Zoom, continued to spread the word about the effectiveness of the three authorized vaccines – Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson – in helping to prevent and reducing the severity of the coronavirus.

He also touched upon this week’s CDC approval (and New York State’s acceptance) of Pfizer’s vaccine for youth in the 5 to 11 age range.

“Under emergency use authorization, it's a little bit different than the full dose Pfizer vaccine for adults,” Pettit said. “It's actually a third of the adult dose, same time period. You're going to have a dose on day one and then you'll also be given a dose 21 days later to be fully vaccinated.

“And again, it'll be two weeks after that second dose that anybody would be considered fully vaccinated. So, it's a five week period, technically, if you look at it from start to finish when you get your first dose.”

He said the one-third dose that was tested showed sufficient antibody response for kids in that age group and has been shown in the trials to be effective at preventing disease and preventing symptoms in those who may again acquire the disease after being fully vaccinated.

Pettit said the COVID-19 vaccines “have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring through the development of it in U.S. history, and vaccinating children will help prevent and protect them from getting COVID-19 and therefore reduce the risk of severe disease hospitalizations and developing long-term COVID complications.”

Children at that age can be carriers of the virus, even if they are asymptomatic, Pettit said.

“They can bring COVID back home to their loved ones, including those that may be more susceptible to severe illness, even if they are vaccinated … So, this is the next tool for us as far as moving forward.”

He said he advises parents to talk to their healthcare providers, mentioning that children – like adults – have varying medical histories.

“We're not giving medical advice here. We are talking about the vaccine and the importance and the role that it will play in protecting children,” he said. "But ultimately, every child has their unique medical history, just like we all do as adults. And we want to make sure that any parents that have any questions or concerns … to become educated, to do your research, to evaluate and look at your own individual situation with your kids and talk to your doctor.”

Pettit spoke on a variety of subjects related to COVID and the activities of the Genesee and Orleans county health departments.

GUIDANCE, RESTRICTIONS IN SCHOOLS

Weekly conference calls with school superintendents continue, Pettit said, adding that, generally speaking, schools are doing well as the health department tracks the number of cases at all districts.

“I would say on average, we're probably around 15 to 20 percent of our active cases are in school aged kids, not necessarily indicating that it's school related spread,” he said. “But these are kids that are positive. So again, that number does vary -- vary up and down.”

The state continues to require masks for everyone indoors at schools – a mandate that has been “frustrating for parents” and “controversial,” Pettit said.

“But ultimately, we have seen a significant improvement in the reduction of quarantines in students this year. And what that has allowed for is better continuity of education. Kids have been able to stay in school and continue to learn in the in-class environment, which is, you know, something that our superintendents have been very vocal about in wanting to make sure we can keep these kids in-person and keep them learning and keep that continuity.”

Pettit mentioned “test and stay” -- a program under consideration by the NYS Department of Health that would allow students testing positive for COVID to remain in school and to avoid a quarantine as long as they are tested every day.

He acknowledged many logistical and supply challenges in implementing this program.

“We are exploring this,” he said. “We're looking at our different funding streams to see if we can … put together the resources to be able to purchase the supplies to get the staffing we need to be able to carry this out.”

Responding to a question from The Batavian on whether discussions are taking place regarding the number of 5-11-year-olds receiving the vaccine and it’s effect on the masking requirement, Pettit said he has not been advised of any verification of what percentage would have to be reached.

He did, however, offer some statistics pertaining to student vaccination rates.

“In Genesee County, the 12-15 age group, we’re at 35 percent vaccinated; the 16-18 at 52.3 percent, and in Orleans County, we’re at 39.1 percent in that 12-15 bucket and 47.1 percent in the 16-18. And the 5 to 11 has just started, so I'm sure we don't have very many there yet,” he said. “But, as far as the masking, that's going to be a decision most likely that's going to be carried out at the state level, not locally.”

POSITIVITY RATES

Pettit said the positivity rates in both counties are hovering around 20 to 30 positives per day, with active cases typically around 200 to 225.

“We have noticed over the last week or two, though, there has been some regional uptick in cases,” he said. “This isn't necessarily something to be unexpected as it is getting colder out … and as we start to come indoors now, there's obviously increased exposure risk, not just the COVID, but flu and other respiratory illnesses, other viruses.”

He advised everyone to “start refreshing” some of the precautionary measures such as masking and social distancing to minimize the spread -- and to stay home if you aren't feeling well as what may be thought of as a bad cold could actually be COVID.

In Genesee County to date, there have been 7,310 positive cases, with 222 currently in isolation and 15 of those active cases in the hospital. A total of 6,459 have recovered and been removed from isolation, while, unfortunately, there have been 135 deaths, he said.

The average seven-day positivity rate in Genesee County is around 8.1 percent.

As far as vaccination rates are concerned, in Genesee County, 64.6 percent of the population has received at least one dose and 58.6 have received the completed series, he said. The highest percentage is in the 65-74 age range – 83 percent.

As far as breakthrough cases in Genesee County, Pettit said 445 of the 1,891 new cases (23.5 percent) from Aug. 1 through Nov. 1 were contracted by those who had been fully vaccinated.

BOOSTER SHOTS

Booster shots of all three vaccines are available and the ability to “mix and match” is an option, Pettit said.

“So, depending on what vaccine you may have received the first time around, if you want to try something different that has been approved and has been shown to be safe, you are able to move to a different vaccine,” he said. “Again, that's completely up to the individual.”

Parameters that govern when people can get the booster shots exist, depending upon the brand of the shot being administered, he added. That information is available on the GO Health website -- GO Health - Genesee & Orleans Public Health Departments (gohealthny.org)

Pettit said the Moderna booster is a half-dose, while Pfizer and J&J are full doses.

“The booster shots are currently recommended now, especially with the Delta variant circulating,” he said.

Third doses, which are different from boosters, have been available since late August, Pettit said, and are recommended for those with compromised immune systems.

Vaccinations are being administered by the health department on Wednesdays in Genesee County and Thursdays in Orleans County. Testing (BinaxNOW, not PCR) is done on Fridays in Genesee and on Tuesdays in Orleans.

Previously: Pettit: County health department COVID booster shot clinics to begin Wednesday; about 120 signed up

The Town of Batavia’s money management policies are having a significant impact upon its bottom line, so much so that it is being recognized by the Pittsford firm that has helped guide the municipality’s investments in recent years.

At Wednesday night’s Special Town Board meeting at the Town Hall on West Main Street Road, Alex DeRosa, relationship specialist with CashVest by three+one, presented the town with the “90+ CashVest Award” which is given to public entities that received a CashVest score of 90 or higher for four consecutive quarters.

“This score takes into consideration everything from the way the town receives payments, makes payments, what you're doing with your cash while it's at the bank, ensuring you have the appropriate bank account structure and a fair banking relationship,” DeRosa said. “The town has hit this mark above 90, not only just for four quarters, but for actually more than eight quarters consecutively.”

DeRosa said the town has gone “above and beyond the normal line of duty.”

“I don't think there's anything in legislation or law that states a town must do everything they can to maximize the value of cash; it just seems like the right thing to do,” he said. “But over the past 18 months, we've actually seen audits from the New York State Comptroller on some small towns, villages and school districts that really gave those towns a red mark on their audit saying they didn't go out and try to maximize value, they did not talk to multiple things, they did not have cash flow forecasts into the future.

“And that's the type of thing that can make headline news, not only for finance staff, but the whole town board and the town as a whole. This work is appreciated by three+one because of our mission. And it should be appreciated by every taxpayer in the Town of Batavia, that you all are going above and beyond to consistently maximize that value.”

Town Supervisor Gregory Post said he believed the town has earned almost $300,000 in unanticipated interest on investments since contracting with three+one.

“… I don't have the numbers exactly in front of me, but I believe our last quarterly report shows that since our inception of working collaboratively on this account have realized nearly $300,000 in interest above and beyond what was anticipated or budgeted,” Post said. “So, that's real dollars and real cash that have assisted us in our migration through the COVID pandemic as well as into the 2022 fiscal year.”

Photo: Hiedi Librock, secretary to the Town of Batavia supervisor, accepts the 90+ CashVest Award from Alex DeRosa of CashVest by three+one. Photo by Alecia Kaus.

A public hearing regarding Local Law Introductory No. 6, which modifies the Genesee County Hotel and Motel Occupancy Tax Law to include Airbnb-type short-term lodging sites, has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at the Old County Courthouse in Batavia.

The Genesee County Legislature’s Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday voted to set the public hearing as required by Municipal Home Rule Law while approving a resolution to replace the occupancy (or bed tax) law that initially was adopted as Local Law No. 2, Year 1995, and has been amended several times since then.

The current version is set to expire on Dec. 31 of this year.

County Attorney Kevin Earl said the primary changes focus on the number of units and the number of days in which properties are rented. The proposed amendments have been discussed at length by legislators and officials of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce in recent months, 

“Our current law only applies to six or more units," Earl said. "So, we eliminated that threshold to apply to single units. In other words, if somebody rented out their house, it would apply now. But they would have to do it for overnight accommodations and rent it out for more than 14 days in a year.”

Earl said the 14-day provision was put into the wording to exempt a homeowner who may rent his or her house occasionally, such as for a couple days or a week.

The restated law also includes a definition for booking companies, Earl said, notably Airbnb, Flipkey, Home Away, VRBO and Relators. The new law, if approved by the full legislature next week, would take effect on Jan. 1, 2022 and run through Dec. 31, 2024.

The revision certainly will increase the county’s bed tax income as these short-term, home-based properties would be subject to the 3 percent fee that already is added on to hotel/motel bills.

Exemptions to the fee include permanent residents for a period of occupancy in excess of 30 days; persons placed in a hotel or motel by the Department of Social Services, the Red Cross, Salvation Army or other similar organizations due to emergency housing needs; housing for indigent or homeless persons; or exempt organizations.

Earl told legislators that a formal agreement between the county and Airbnb is in the works as the revised law will result in greater responsibility of those renting out homes or similar facilities.

In a related development, the committee approved a resolution brought forth by Kevin Andrews, deputy county treasurer, to use up to $2,250 from the bed tax reserve to fund an audit on the amount of money generated in occupancy tax from local hotels. The Freed Maxick accounting firm has been selected to perform the audit.

Andrews said that, to his knowledge, an audit of this type has not been done before, and that the treasurer’s office will be providing records from three hotels in the county for the audit.

In other action, the Ways & Means Committee approved the following resolutions:

• An intermunicipal agreement between the county and City of Batavia to the Water Infrastructure Investment Act, which provides up to 40 percent of capital project costs in grants since it is the county’s responsibility to fund and provide for capital improvements at the City Water Treatment Plant.

County Engineer Tim Hens said the total cost of several planned projects at the plant are expected to be around $3.4 million, adding that the improvements are necessary to maintain production as the Countywide Water Project moves into Phase 3. He said the City of Batavia will act as the lead agency in the grant application process.

• Acquisition by the county of an easement of a parcel of land on the west side of the South Lyon Street bridge in the city in order to keep the replacement of the bridge on schedule. The bridge, which was constructed in 1910, is closed now and due to be replaced in 2022.

Hens said the county previously acquired properties at the four corners of the bridges, and the only easement remaining was an area “through the (Tonawanda) creek bed, along the west side of the bridge.”

He also said that, according to land records, no individual owns the parcel in question.

“So, you’re essentially acquiring an easement from an unknown entity or not an entity at all,” he said. “It’s a very hard thing to describe.”

After discussions with New York State officials, Hens said acquiring the easement – equating it to using eminent domain on an unknown owner -- would be the fastest way to put the county in position to replace the bridge.  

• The appointment of Chad Brade of Oakfield to fill an unexpired term as county coroner until Dec. 31, 2022.

• The appointment of Chandy Kemp to the Genesee County Economic Development Center board of directors through June 30, 2024, replacing Amy Vanderhoof, who resigned on Sept. 28.

Previously: Lawmakers continue to ponder whether to impose a bed tax on internet lodging booking agencies

Categorizing five potential projects as “long-standing critical needs,” Genesee Community College President Dr. James Sunser today requested that Genesee County enter into a 50-50 agreement with New York State to fund up to $3.4 million that would be required to complete all of the work.

Speaking at the County Legislature’s Ways & Means Committee meeting at the Old County Courthouse, Sunser outlined five projects that he said are part of the college’s Facilities Master Plan approved by the GCC Board of Trustees, and submitted to the Genesee County and to the Dormitory Authority of New York State.

“They’re all under that plan that would allow for 50 percent funding from the state should our local sponsor, Genesee County, approve those plans and commit a similar amount,” he said, adding that the five plans fall into the college’s “deferred maintenance type of issues.”

Under the college’s proposal, the county and the state each would contribute $1.7 million upon completion of all five projects.

Sunser said these projects aren’t new construction, but items that “we have long-standing need for that we’re looking to work on.”

Specifically, the five initiatives proposed are as follows (with the county, if approved, paying for half of the total cost listed):

-- Replacement of the soccer/lacrosse turf on the field adjacent to the Richard C. Call Arena (Total cost $950,000).

Sunser said the field was part of a previous capital project sponsored by Genesee County.

“What we're talking about replacing is not the facility itself, not the underpinnings of it, not the lighting and the electrical, it's merely the covering -- the surface of the field that is now going on 13 years old and had the expected lifecycle of about 10 years,” he said.

He noted that the field will be used for a women’s national soccer tournament starting next Wednesday – an event that will include the GCC squad.

-- Replacement of the cooling tower (Total cost $410,000).

Sunser said the cooling tower handles the cooling for all of the college’s original buildings -- through the original buildings and into the Conable Technology Center.

“That cooling tower is well past its useful life … and that does need replacing at this point. And we're asking for some assistance in doing that,” he said.

-- Renovation of a connective corridor (Total cost $180,000).

Sunser said the corridor connects the original buildings from the cafeteria areas into the fine arts building and theater, adding that he believes the initial design was “flawed.”

“And it's been a long-standing issue where the entrance on both sides of that connecting corridor is below the building levels,” he said, causing water backup and icing in that area. “That’s been one of the areas that we find that we have slip and falls periodically throughout the winter.”

-- Replacement of the Conable Technology Building parking lot (Total cost $800,000).

“That’s our oldest lot now on campus, and it also has an area that is prone to some icing and some issues, and another area we have documented claims against the college for slip and falls,” Sunser said. “The drainage is much like what was in the drainage and the other lots before we've made those improvements during the last major capital plan on campus.”

That particular lot measures 95,000 square feet and is approximately 17 years old.

-- Complete roof replacement on the Technology Building (Total cost $1,060,000).

The structure was built in 2000 and the 26,000-square foot roof has been developing leaks due to end of life failures in stress points, according to the project justification report.

When looking at the big picture, Sunser said if the projects are approved by Genesee County, they can be submitted to the state in the current budget cycle.

“It has been indicated from SUNY (State University of New York) that there would be receptivity to those at this point,” he said. “If they’re approved, then we can work along with the county and the legislature in the future to determine when they'll actually be handled as far as the work being done.”

When asked about the impact to the county’s 2022 budget, Sunser said, “I would imagine that traditionally the counties when they've gone up for bonding on projects, that this would get incorporated into that plan as well.”

Legislator Gary Maha brought up that the county has already committed to spending $70 million for a new jail and that another nearly $2 million is “kind of hard to swallow in one year.”

Sunser said he could “appreciate” that, adding that GCC leaders are “working as hard as we can to take as much pressure off the county as we can – in terms of critical maintenance.”

“These are all long-standing critical needs as far as the infrastructure of the campus. And one of the things that we've been really focused on over the past year is that everywhere we've had the ability to use appropriately (specialized) funds to reinvest in the facilities of the campus, we’ve done that.”

However, he said he viewed the projects as investing in a county partnership facility that you can, I hope, rest assured that the college has been investing in -- in good faith right along -- to try to make sure that we don't have these kind of going back to the old Fram oil filter and pennywise, pound foolish type of mentality. And we've done quite a bit over the course of the summer -- investment in the facility wherever we could to take pressure off the county and not have to make these kind of requests.”

At that point, Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein said lawmakers were not prepared to make a decision today, but would discuss it further.

“We do have your numbers,” she said. “We appreciate the fact that you're here, and if you have any other questions, we will get them (answers) to you.”

This summer, the legislature approved a $2.6 million contribution to GCC for 2021-22 -- an amount that represents about 7 percent of the college's $37.4 million budget. County Manager Matt Landers said that percentage is one of the lowest in the state for counties that support community colleges.

After what has been described as a “long hard” Election Day that began around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Board of Elections workers can’t relax just yet, Genesee County Elections Commissioner Lorie Longhany said.

“The write-ins are secured at our facility,” Longhany said today. “We haven’t decided how we’re going to count them. Do we start with the city or towns with more contested races? We have to look at the intent of the voter … the voter gets the vote.”

That’s no small order, with nearly 2,000 write-ins that require manual inspection to determine the voter’s “wishes and intent,” and to ensure there are no glitches on the ballot, Longhany said. For example, if someone wrote a candidate’s name that was already on the ballot, that voids the write-in vote, she said. 

A breakdown of write-ins puts Le Roy at the top with 700, Bethany at 167 for town clerk and four for town justice, Alexander at 141, Oakfield with 137, Stafford 117 and one for Pembroke. Due to the large amount of outstanding write-ins yet to be counted for Le Roy, plus an unknown amount of absentee ballots, town justice candidates Carol DiFrancisco and Tom Feeley declined to make any definitive statement about an outcome. 

“Until the election is officially over, all I would say is that no one should ever think that a single vote does not matter,” DiFrancisco said. “Every LeRoyan deserves to have their vote counted.”

As for those absentee ballots, not even half of the issued ballots have been returned so far, Longhany said. Those ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 2 and will be accepted up to next Tuesday, Nov 9. 

The City of Batavia had 512 absentee ballots issued, with 192 returned; Bergen had 65 issued and 33 returned; Bethany had 19 issued and 12 returned; Byron had 44 issued and 24 returned; Le Roy had 178 issued, 99 returned; Pembroke had 69 issued, 32 returned; and Stafford had 28 and 10, respectively.

Board of Elections staff are to begin processing the absentees on Tuesday, and won’t be done until all ballots have been received by next Tuesday. The postmark will be checked and any envelopes that have Nov. 3 or later will not be counted, Longhany said.

The easier part, though, is to feed those ballots into a machine, which then tabulates a final total for the entire county, she said. 

“It saves us time,” she said. “The machine is very accurate.”

She wasn’t certain when a final, official vote and related voter turnout would be announced, but believes it will be at least a few days beyond the final day to accept ballots. Veterans Day is Nov. 11, which may also slow down the process due to government offices being closed. 

Sessler Environmental Services of Rochester will be at the Ellicott Station project site for the next few weeks to tear down the former Soccio & Della Penna and Santy's Tire Sales buildings on Ellicott Street in the City of Batavia.

“This building (Soccio & Della Penna, photos at top) knockdown should take about a week to knock it down and load it out," John Christman said today. "And the Santy’s Tires will be probably another two weeks from today.”

Christman is Sessler's project manager for the Santy's portion of the demolition.

He said the demo of the Santy’s building won't start for a couple weeks – not until the Soccio & Della Penna structure comes down. The garage on the property has been razed.

The photo at the bottom shows a building that will remain -- earmarked for renovation as part of the $22.5 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative mixed-use venture being developed by Savarino Companies of Buffalo.

Plans call for construction of a five-story apartment building with 55 new, modern workforce housing units, as well as a brewery, restaurant/beer garden and potential further development on 3.31 acres. It is expected to create 20 jobs in the city’s downtown area.

Photos by Mike Pettinella.

 

Tyler Lynn Vanskiver, 25, of Putnam Road, Bethany, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief 4th, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, unlawful imprisonment 2nd, and menacing 3rd.  Vanskiver was arrested after deputies responded to a report of a disturbance at a residence on Putnam Road, Bethany.  He allegedly obstructed the breathing of a woman and prevented her from calling 9-1-1 in the presence of two children.  He was arraigned in Town of Bethany Court.  His release status was not included in the press release.

Catherine Ann Klinkbeil, 53, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving while impaired by drugs.  Kilnkbeil was stopped at 4:32 p.m., Oct. 12, by Deputy Chad Cummings.  She was arrested Oct. 28 by Deputy Chad Cummings, processed at the jail, and released on an appearance ticket.

John William Murphy, 48, of Beaver Meadow Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd.  Murphy is accused of not surrendering a firearm to authorities in accordance with an order of protection.  Murphy was released on his own recognizance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Batavia City Council-at-large incumbents Bob Bialkowski, Jeremy Karas and Eugene Jankowski Jr. celebrate their unofficial win Tuesday night at O'Lacy's in Batavia. Photo by Jim Burns

About 15 people sat chatting at Republican headquarters while repeatedly checking their phones and awaiting the final election results Tuesday night. Unofficial results were posted online a few minutes past 10:30 p.m., declaring the three incumbent councilmen-at-large the re-elected winners.

Eugene Jankowski Jr. was on top with 1,143 votes, Jeremy Karas received 1,118 and Bob Bialkowski had 1,032.

Pointing out that they were only unofficial results, Jankowski was cautiously happy.

“I’m really relieved right now. I’m pleased that what we’ve been doing on council has been approved by the people of Batavia,” he said at O’lacy’s, the designated spot for Republicans to gather. “It’s important as a council member to get that feedback. We’re on the right track. I work for everyone from Batavia, no matter what affiliation they are.”

The turnout was “disappointing,” Jankowski said, although incumbent Bob Bialkowski had a different view.

“I’m surprised; I think there was quite a healthy turnout,” he said. “The message is to keep up the hard work. I am very happy, I will be happy to serve another term. It was a lot of hard work and lot of campaigning.”

Having someone new run for the seat gave him pause for reflection, he said.

“It makes you sharpen your pencil a little bit,” he said.

Karas was equally in good spirits.

“I was very pleasantly surprised at the outcome,” Karas said, looking ahead to planning projects without a pandemic. “It’s going to be nice to get back to normal … we have a budget coming up and some other irons in the fire, and the new police station. I can’t wait to get out there and move forward on these things.”

Democrat Erica O’Donnell, a newcomer to the election, received 609 votes. She congratulated Jankowski, Karas and Bialkowski in her comments to the Batavian. She spoke by phone from her home, as the Democrats had no designated meeting place Tuesday night.

“I’m feeling all right,” she said. “I’m proud of the campaign we ran. It’s on to the next one.”

Jankowski said he would like feedback from residents about “various issues” and if they have questions or concerns.

He encourages city residents to call him at 585-343-3337.

Preliminary (unofficial) results per the Genesee County Board of Elections -- contested races:

Batavia City Council-At-Large  (Top three are elected)

Eugene A.Jankowski Jr., Republican - 1,143                

Jeremy W. Karas, Republican - 1,118            

F. Robert Bialkowski, Republican - 1,032                 

Erica B. O’Donnell. Democrat, Families of Batavia - 609                   

Bethany Town Justice  (Top two are elected)

Joseph Nowakowski, Republican, Legal Party - 248                  

Jeff Wolak, Republican  - 226              

Peggy Johnson, Justice - 106        

Nichole Szymkowiak, Justice -- 81           

Town of Bergen Town Council  (Top two are elected)

James S. Starowitz, Republican - 561               

Teresa F. Whalin, Republican  - 511 

Anne M. Sapienza, Democrat, Conservative, WOR - 232                     

Town of Byron Town Supervisor  (Top vote getter is elected)

Peter N. Yasses, Republican - 283                

Gerald L. Heins, Byron Ind. - 248                 

Le Roy Town Council   (Top two are elected)

David R. Paddock, Republican, Conservative -- 930                

Bill Fox, Conservative - 792       

Robert E. Fussell, Democrat - 528                 

Ronald B. Pangrazio, Republican -- 501   

Sarah Krzemien, Democrat - 329            

Le Roy Town Justice (Top vote getter is elected)

Tom Feeley (write-in, Republican) -- 700

Carol DiFrancisco, Democrat -- 638          

Town of Pembroke Town Council   (Top two are elected)

Edward G. Arnold Jr., Republican - 687             

K. Warren Clark, Republican - 588

Helen Trowbridge Hanes, Democrat, Independence - 247

Uncontested Genesee County vote totals:

County Judge & Surrogate -- Melissa Cianfrini -- 8,037

District Attorney -- Kevin Finnell -- 7,490

County Coroner -- Wade Schwab -- 7,076; John Peck -- 6,793

County Legislature -- 1st District Chad Klotzbach -- 630; 3rd, Gordon Dibble -- 1,266; 5th, Rochelle Stein, 1,262; 9th, Gary Maha, 412

CLICK HERE for complete Genesee County election results -- marked as unofficial. 

It’s full speed ahead for the dispensation of COVID-19 booster shots at the Genesee & Orleans Health Departments.

Public Health Director Paul Pettit, speaking at the Genesee County Legislature’s Human Services Committee meeting this afternoon, said GO Health will be conducting its first booster clinic on Wednesday of this week – offering Modern, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer doses.

For Genesee County residents, that means traveling to the health department offices at County Building 2, 3837 West Main St. Rd.

“Booster shots are open for everybody now … and we have about 120 people signed up for the morning (on Wednesday) already – and that’s all Moderna,” Pettit said. “So, that’s obviously leading to some additional demand. But most of our pharmacies are vaccinating, so people are able to go there, usually 9 (a.m.) to 9 (p.m.).”

Specifics of the three booster vaccinations, all at no charge, are as follows:

• Moderna – 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (Registration deadline, Nov. 3; appointments are limited). Open to those 18 and older with booster eligibility, including previous full vaccination with Pfizer, Moderna, or J&J. This Moderna booster shot registration must be at least six months after receiving the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer, or at least two months after receiving a single dose of J&J.  You also must meet other eligibility requirements associated with age, work, or underlying health conditions as seen at: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/booster-doses.

• Pfizer – 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. (Registration deadline: Nov. 3; appointments are limited). Open to those 18 and older with booster eligibility, including previous full vaccination with Pfizer, Moderna or J&J. This Pfizer booster shot registration must be at least six months after receiving the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or at least two months after receiving a single dose of J&J.  You also must meet other eligibility requirements associated with age, work, or underlying health conditions as seen at: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/booster-doses.

• Johnson & Johnson – 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. (Registration deadline: Nov. 3; appointments are limited). Open to those 18 and older with booster eligibility, including previous full vaccination with J&J, Pfizer, or Moderna. This J&J booster shot registration must be at least two months after receiving a single dose of J&J, or at least six months after receiving the second dose of Moderna or Pfizer.  You also must meet other eligibility requirements associated with age, work, or underlying health conditions as seen at: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/booster-doses.

In all cases, proof of identity and original vaccination card (or other proof of your original full vaccination) will be required at the time of your appointment.

Pettit also said he expects to hear soon, possibly tomorrow, that the childhood vaccine for 5-11-year-olds has been approved.

“We’re ramping up and preparing to do some childhood vaccines, probably starting next week, if we get the vaccine in later this week,” he said. “We're going to be running those clinics kind of late afternoon/early evening to afford parents the opportunity to get home from work and come to the clinic if they want.

“Again, the primary focus with that age group, though, is not really to come to us. We'd rather have them go to their pediatrician, where there's a little more comfort and familiarity. Obviously, for those that have gotten child vaccines at that age, sometimes (it's) a little more tricky, especially in a mass setting …"

When asked about people “mixing and matching” the booster shots, Pettit said, “It’s really the ‘Wild Wild West’ on that.”

“I guess if you want to change it up and try something different,” he said. “I'm going to stick with what I got the first time because well, frankly, Moderna is holding up the best of all three.”

Pettit suggested that people speak with their doctors about whether they should switch from what they received the first time. He acknowledged that many people have switched from J&J because that vaccine “has held up probably the least over time now against the Delta variant.”

He said that most of the breakthrough cases (people getting COVID after being vaccinated) are with the J&J vaccine.

“They (J&J) probably should have just done two shots to start with,” he said. “Their two shots basically are the same efficacy as two shots of Moderna or Pfizer. But I think they wanted to offer a simpler path.”

On related topics, Pettit offered the following:

• Hospital bed capacity.

“As we get in the cold or flu season, you're going to get more and more people come in. I mean, obviously, what they'll (hospitals) start doing is backing off on elective surgeries and things to try to free up more bed capacity. You know, unfortunately, we're heading into the time when we get more access needs to the emergency room and bed capacities.”

• Current COVID cases.

“Cases are holding fairly steady – we had a little bit of an uptick, I think, over the weekend, compared to where we were last few weekends. But overall, we're averaging around 25 to 30 new cases a day, and on average around 200 or more as far as active cases of folks on isolation.

“Regionally, most people saw a pretty significant increase over the weekend with active cases. So, I mean, it could be attributed to people coming indoors; things closing up – getting a little colder out. You may recall last year, actually, Halloween-ish kicked off a lot of the activity; we had low numbers pretty much through most of October. And then once we got to Halloween, gatherings and parties and things  started happening, and we started seeing an increase in numbers.”

• Nattural immunity.

“The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) does not recognize natural antibodies for the purposes of avoiding vaccination or for avoiding quarantines, you know, unfortunately. And I think the reason for that is typically we develop antibodies for certain strains. If you have the alpha variant, it may be less effective versus new strains but still affords protection similar to the vaccines, especially in preventing severity of illness.  

“There's a lot of debate over natural immunity versus the vaccines … it's kind of a controversial thing, because, you know, I think it's debatable, one way or the other … I think they've shown -- that the data shows -- that the vaccines provide better protection than natural immunity in this case with COVID, just due to the new variant, especially so. But if you had the Delta variant, I mean, you have immunity from it."

• New vaccine technology.

“I think this is really when you look at the way they were able to produce this vaccine so quickly. I mean, it's really due to the technology. And I mean, there's a lot of talk now to start using the mRNA approach for flu vaccines and other things. You know, if you think about the window, when they make a flu vaccine, you're looking at what was circulating over in Asia and China -- like coming off in January, February. I mean, they can wait now until April or May, and get the mutations in there, and they can produce a vaccine in a month or a couple months, You're going to get a better efficacy out of that vaccine.”

Mark Newton, 53, of Hamburg, is charged with petit larceny. Newton was arrested on a warrant issue in 2014. Newton allegedly accepted a sum of money to complete contracting work and then failed to complete the work and never returned the money.  He was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Ray Spencer Lindquist Saile, 19, of Judge Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Saile is accused of being in the residence of a protected party at 1:38 a.m., Oct. 28.  He was released on an appearance ticket.

Thomas Tacito, 61, of Batavia, is charged with failure to appear.  He was arrested on six warrants for failure to appear on multiple charges including criminal contempt, harassment, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on $5,000 bail, $10,000 bond, or $20,000 partially secured bond.

Samantha L. Hoy, 30, of Niagara Falls, is charged with DWI.  Hoy was arrested on Oct. 26 after allegedly driving off the road in teh area of 205 Oak St., Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket.

George J. Budzinack, 41, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Budzinack is accused of damaging the door of an apartment on Mill Street following a fight. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Cody L. Pahura, 30, of Darien, is charged with Driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Pahura was stopped by Batavia PD at 1:21 p.m., Oct. 21, on West Main Street, Batavia.  He was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Philip Escobar, 32, of Kirvin, Texas, is charged with DWI and failure to submit to a chemical test. Escobar was arrested following a complaint of a man sleeping in a truck that was in the drive-through line at McDonald's at 2:30 a.m., Oct. 24.  He was released on an appearance ticket.

Phoenix Garcia-Sobczak, 30, of Elba, is charged with grand larceny. At 2:12 p.m., Oct. 14, Garcia-Sobczak allegedly took a vehicle from another person without permission. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Antonia Goodson, 31, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny.  Good was arrested on warrants out of City Court.  He was arraigned and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Jason Shaffer, 41, of Perry, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, uninspected motor vehicle, and insufficient turn signal. Shaffer was stopped at 1:05 a.m., Aug. 23, in the City of Batavia.  He was charged following an investigation, arraigned inn City Court, and released on an appearance ticket.

Jillian Antinore, 44, of Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, refusal to take breath test, aggravated unlicensed operation, and following too closely.  Antinore was charged following an investigation into a motor vehicle accident at 4:15 p.m., Oct. 12, on Ellicott Street.  She was issued traffic tickets and released.

Heather Davis, 44, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd.  Davis is accused of violating an order of protection by having contact with the protected person. She was released on an appearance ticket.

Cody A. Bush, 35, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd, criminal possession of a controled substance 7th, burglary 2nd, and resisting arrest. At 3:08 a.m., Oct. 11, Bush was allegedly found in the residence of person he was ordered by a court not to contact. He was arraigned and ordered held without bail.

Jeremy Olsen, 48, of Bergen, is charged with criminal mischief 4th.  Olsen is accused of cutting a tree in a City park on Oct. 16.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Jesse Lord, 21, of Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Lord allegedly fled from a bar fight at 10:28 p.m., Oct. 16, in a vehicle and police observed him leaving the scene and stopped his vehicle. He allegedly failed a field sobriety test.  He was processed at the jail and released on traffic tickets. 

Shelby Fryer, 26, of Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unlicensed operation, and no or inoperable headlights. Fryer was stopped at 2:27 a.m., Oct. 17, by Batavia PD and released on appearance tickets.

The “new normal” has become a reality for the Park Road Reconstruction Project.

Tom Lichtenthal, assistant engineer for the Town of Batavia, this morning said the start of the $4.077 million renovation of Park Road between Route 63 (Lewiston Road) and Route 98 (Oak Street) has been pushed back until next spring due to supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is the result of COVID, just like we’ve seen for the last year and a half to two years in trying to get materials,” Lichtenthal said. “It’s the new normal, if you will, and it was not unexpected.”

During a pre-construction meeting last week with representatives of general contractor Catco (Concrete Applied Technologies Corp.) Construction of Alden, Lichtenthal learned that the pipe for the watermain won’t be delivered for another 12 weeks.

“That pushes the start out to mid-January, which is not a good time for this type of work,” he said. “Installation of the pipe is still the first order of business, but it’s likely delayed until the spring of 2022.”

Lichtenthal said the late start is not expected to extend the timeline for the project’s completion, which has been set for December 2022.

The scope of the work includes installation of new pavement, curbs and curbing from Lewiston Road to Richmond Avenue with sidewalks on both sides of Park Road; overlaying of pavement and installation of sidewalks on one side of the road from Richmond Avenue to Route 98, and installation of new water lines and street lights on Park Road between Route 63 and Richmond Avenue.

Previously: WROTB, Town of Batavia agree on Park Road items

Previously: Town board OKs measures to support Park Road project

A now-former employee of United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia has attracted national attention in recent weeks as a self-proclaimed “whistleblower” around what she describes as a “cover-up” of potential dangers of the COVID-19 vaccine.

A GoFundMe campaign that appears to have been created by Deborah Conrad states that the hospitalist physician assistant “recently lost her job due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.” A spokesperson for the Rochester Regional Health system confirmed to The Batavian on Oct. 13 that Conrad was no longer employed at the hospital.

But in a description for the GoFundMe campaign, which had attracted more than $74,000 from roughly 1,500 donors as of Sunday morning, Conrad suggested that she intends to remain in the public eye. Conrad has spoken to multiple media outlets in recent months, at times making controversial statements about the COVID-19 vaccine that other medical professionals say misrepresent the risks of immunization.

“As I move into this new chapter in my life, no longer able to do the job I have loved for the last 15 years, I want to make my sacrifices count,” the GoFundMe description reads. “As I gain more and more exposure to media outlets, I need to travel to speak at these events, and also support my family at the same time. I need the community around me to lift me up as I march this path of truth.”

Conrad declined through a third party to be interviewed by The Batavian.

STATEMENTS TRIGGER CONTROVERSY

While employed at UMMC, Conrad spoke to multiple media outlets in September, including the New York Times, about her hesitancy around the COVID-19 vaccine. She has also spoken locally on the matter.

Speaking to a crowd at EverPresent Church in Batavia at an event hosted by the church on Sept. 30, Conrad said that her public statements should not be interpreted as an attempt to discourage people from getting the COVID vaccine.

“I support you no matter what decision you make,” Conrad said. “I just want to make sure you have an informed choice.”

But a number of the insinuations and speculations that Conrad has made publicly, particularly those regarding UMMC patients whose conditions she has suggested may have been caused by the vaccine, have been characterized by other medical professionals as highly unlikely and not in line with the most up-to-date scientific research.

In an hour-long video interview published in September by The HighWire, a website run by the Texas-based anti-vaccine group Informed Consent Action Network, Conrad stated that her hospital had seen a noticeable increase in patients coming in with conditions including heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, gastrointestinal bleeds, sepsis, pneumonia, appendicitis, pancreatitis and “recurrent cancers” following the initial public rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021.

A spokesperson for Rochester Regional Health told The Batavian that hospital administration was not aware of any such increase.

“To our knowledge, no clinician, epidemiologist, hospital leader, or principal investigator running a clinical trial has commented, remarked or expressed similar experience or concern,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Batavian. “The only noticeable difference in admissions after the vaccines became available was that COVID-19 admissions significantly and dramatically decreased until the Delta variant became more prevalent in our area.”

If the hospital did see such an increase, that uptick could have been due to other factors including side effects of the COVID-19 virus itself, Dr. John Crane, a physician and professor at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biological Sciences, notes—"or to delays in needed care due to fear of catching COVID-19 in the hospital or in the emergency room, as has been seen many times in our country.”

Conrad went on to cite as examples several specific cases that she believed may have been linked to the vaccine, including a patient “whose cancer came back from remission and rapidly killed the individual” after they were vaccinated. She told the interviewer that she had also witnessed “new cancer [cases] come out of nowhere,” implying that any or all of these cases may have been caused by vaccination — a suggestion that Crane describes as “bogus.”

“There are millions of Americans receiving care for cancer at any given time in our country,” Crane wrote in an email to The Batavian. “Many of them achieve a prolonged remission or even achieve a cure. But there are thousands of others who relapse every week, regardless of whether they received a COVID-19 vaccination or not.”

While there is no medical evidence linking COVID vaccination with an increased likelihood of developing cancer, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others are currently monitoring to learn whether COVID-19 infection itself carries a higher risk of developing subsequent cancers, Crane noted.

VACCINE DATABASE IS A TOPIC OF CONCERN

One of Conrad’s primary concerns, as she has stated in multiple speaking engagements and on her GoFundMe page, is public awareness of the federally-run Vaccine Averse Event Reporting (VAERS) database. The database, which has existed since 1990 and is co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “accepts and analyzes” voluntarily-submitted reports of “adverse events,” or possible side effects, after a person has received a vaccination, according to a description on the official VAERS website.

“Most people don’t even know what VAERS is,” Conrad said at the EverPresent event in late September. “I didn’t know what VAERS was and I’m a health care worker.”

In the HighWire video interview, Conrad said that she had submitted the names and information of more than 120 UMMC patients to the database since the COVID-19 vaccine was rolled out, including an estimated 50 patients in the span of one particular month — accounting for the bulk of all the VAERS reports submitted by the hospital in that time, according to Conrad.

At one point, Conrad said, she approached hospital administration to ask for support in her work reporting patients to the VAERS database, as it had become a “full-time job.” That request was “met with resistance,” Conrad told the HighWire interviewer.

A spokesperson for Rochester Regional Health confirmed to The Batavian that such a conversation occurred, but disputed Conrad’s characterization of the hospital’s response as that of “resistance.”

“The administration has always confirmed that it is important to follow VAERS reporting requirements,” the spokesperson said.

In an undated phone call with UMMC President Dan Ireland recorded by Conrad, a clip of which was played in the video produced by The HighWire, Ireland clarified that the hospital system’s policy was that each health care provider “has the responsibility to report on their own patient” when it comes to submitting adverse events to the VAERS database.

The number of reports submitted by Conrad should not be interpreted as evidence that the same number of patients in fact experienced side effects from the vaccine, medical experts say. While health care workers are required by law to report certain adverse events—in other words, certain injuries, illnesses, or deaths—that occur within a specific time period after vaccination, not all events reported to VAERS are caused by vaccinations and VAERS reports “generally cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness,” according to the FDA website.

One example, according to Crane: If a newly-vaccinated patient becomes involved in a severe car crash on their way home from the vaccine clinic, their injuries from the crash could be reported as an adverse event—even if the crash was caused by their car’s malfunctioning autopilot feature and not by the vaccine.

For some patients and their families, a lack of broad public awareness of the database have lead to confusion around why certain cases are reported to VAERS and what these reports indicate.

Howard Owens of Batavia told The Batavian that he was contacted in August by a UMMC nurse, who informed him that his hospitalized wife, Billie, had been added to the VAERS database. (Note: Owens is the publisher of The Batavian. Billie Owens, who passed away on Oct. 15, was editor of The Batavian.) The call left Owens feeling perplexed. He had a clear understanding of his wife's health issues, some of which pre-dated her vaccination. He consulted with Billie's doctors who definitively agreed that her condition had not been caused by the COVID vaccine. 

“We knew why Billie had become ill,” Owens said. “It had nothing to do with COVID or the vaccine.”

The parameters of VAERS reporting -- and what his wife's inclusion in the database meant -- were not made clear to him during the call, Owens said. He said he was told during that call that Billie's inclusion in the database meant that she was confirmed to have had an adverse reaction. (When contacted by The Batavian, the nurse confirmed that she had provided Owens with a VAERS identification number but did not provide any other details about their exchange.)

When Owens watched Conrad’s interview with The HighWire — in which she suggested that a number of UMMC patients with serious conditions may have been hospitalized due to side effects from the vaccine — his confusion turned to frustration and anger, he said, largely on behalf of other families who may have found themselves in similar situations, leaving them susceptible to misinformation about the vaccine. 

"Making false claims about adverse reactions to patient families doesn't strike me as caring about patients,” Owens told The Batavian. “It seems like the exact opposite: Causing unnecessary drama in the lives of people already facing enough trauma at a critical time in their loved one's care.”

CONRAD: GOAL IS 'OPEN-MINDED HEALTHCARE'

Speaking at EverPresent Church, Conrad said she was invited to participate in the interview with The HighWire after she learned that ICAN had, unprompted, paid her legal fees for hiring a New York City-based attorney while she was employed at UMMC.

“Of course I was scared to death and I knew my job would be on the line as a result,” Conrad said, in reference to the interview. “I knew I would be exposed… I don’t want to hurt anybody, but I just can’t stand to see the injustice going on.”

In the description for her GoFundMe campaign, Conrad says that she is interested in opening her own local clinic “offering unbiased, open-minded healthcare” in the future. In the meantime, she wrote, she hopes that her public statements will prompt discussion of “how to help those possibly injured and give them a voice.”

“I didn’t want this job, but I just kept hearing [God] call me,” Conrad told the crowd at EverPresent Church. “I just keep hearing him tell me, ‘Don’t be afraid. Keep going. Keep doing what you’re doing.’”

Gretel Kauffman, a former resident of Elba, is a special corresponded for The Batavian.

Photo: Screen capture from video interview with Conrad on The HighWire

In the eyes of City of Batavia Fire Captain Greg Ireland, his department made a wise and potentially life-saving decision to join the Public Safety Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative in Genesee County.

Ireland, speaking at the GOW Opioid Task Force meeting via Zoom earlier this month, said access to a specially-built foyer in front of the fire headquarters on Evans Street for those struggling with substance use has made a big difference – not only for those individuals who are seeking help but also for the fire department personnel assigned to support them.

The Task Force, in conjunction with the Greater Rochester Health Foundation and Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, hosted a public event at the fire station this summer to welcome the City of Batavia FD into the fold – joining the City of Batavia and Village of Le Roy police departments and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

The City of Batavia FD is the first fire department in the state to be a part of the PAARI network.

Ireland (photo at right) said that by educating them about substance use and addiction, firefighters learned to understand what some people are going through.

“There were some in our department who said they didn’t want those people in our building; that they didn’t want to deal with addicts,” he said. “Through education, that was a very easy hurdle to change. Educating our firefighters and employees to the opioid crisis.”

PERCEPTIONS HAVE CHANGED

He also said a key factor in the education process was when a GCASA peer advocate came to the fire department and met with every one of the firefighters.

“That really bridged that gap. They were able to see that these are real people who have real struggles and eventually can be successful,” he said.

Ireland, in thanking the GRHF for a grant that made it possible, pointed to the secure area for PAARI intake at the building’s front door as overcoming another hurdle.

“We were able to build a double-door foyer for intake now, and that’s where the process starts,” he said. “But a firefighter is assigned to stay with that person from the minute they walk in until the peer counselor from GCASA arrives.”

Ireland took on the role as coordinator of the PAARI program for the department after learning the success the Chatham Police Department had in starting several years ago. The initial thought of Chatham organizers was to reduce petty crime by taking those with substance use disorder off the street by getting them help.

“Think about these folks who have that substance use disorder, and they’ll basically take from anything to feed their habit,” he said. “So, what they found is that by eliminating the people with substance use disorder in his community, they reduced the petty crime – theft and things of that nature because people weren’t stealing to buy drugs. That was the whole goal of this program. It reduces crime and there’s some scientific evidence to prove that.”

Ireland said medics use special business cards – printed with “Addiction is not a crime, it’s a disease” and “Help is available 24/7” – when responding to calls involving drug use.

“We will leave the cards on the kitchen table as we leave,” he said. “Our hope is someday maybe they will pick that up, see it and maybe it’s the right time for them to accept the help.”

NON-ARREST PATHWAYS TO TREATMENT

PAARI’s mission is to provide training, guidance, support, and resources to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery.

It was founded by the Gloucester (Mass.) Police Department along with the Angel Program in June 2015 – creating a simple, stigma-free entry point to treatment and reframing addiction as a disease.

Under this program, those struggling with substance use can go to the law enforcement agency 24/7 and receive help, stigma-free, GOW Opioid Task Force Coordinator Christen Ferraro said.

“What that means is that an officer will meet them at the door and they will help them to get the help that they need,” she said. “If they have drugs on them, police or fire officials will dispose of those drugs for them, they will connect them with the resources for treatment and recovery, and kind of be that first entry point to getting help.”

One of those resources is the support of a GCASA peer support advocate – a team player, often in recovery, who steps into the role of providing a bridge between providers and clients that facilitates the medical and psychosocial care of the client.

Rob Shields, who spoke during the meeting, is one of those people.

MAKING CONNECTIONS IS THE KEY

“As someone in recovery, I wish that I knew about a program like this due to the fact that I might have not gone through the struggles that I went through,” Shields said before explaining his responsibilities.

He said that those struggling with substance use need someone they can connect with – someone who can relate to their situation.

“A peer advocate or peer support advocate emphasizes their support for the peer they're working with,” he said. “They connect with the peer and fight for what they need. Peer advocates can be found next to peers in court. They help them come up with coping skills and ways to monitor their own progress.”

Shields (photo at right) emphasized that substance dependency can be “a scary place.”

“You get to the point where you don’t know where to turn, and you don’t know who to talk to. You’re in so deep, that nothing else matters in your life,” he explained. “You think that people won’t give you the time of day, but with the PAARI program you have people that are there to support you and connect you to the resources to help you on your road to recovery.”

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Along with the options of going to the agencies mentioned above, other avenues for those seeking help with substance use disorder are the 24/7 telephone hotline -- CARE + CRISIS / WYO CO CRISIS 585-283-5200 / PEER PHONE LINE 585-815-1800 -- and GCASA’s The Recovery Station at 5256 Clinton Street Rd., Batavia.

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for GCASA.

Update, 11:30 a.m., from Rachael Tabelski:

The break has been repaired.  Water service to residents on Law Street was interrupted while repairs were made, but has been restored. Any residents, especially on the southwest side of the city, that has brown discoloration in their water, should run their cold water at this time until it runs clear.  After discovery of the water line break, the city asked for conservation efforts of water while we investigated the extent of the issue.  At this time all conservation requests are discontinued.

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City of Batavia workers have identified a water leak on Law Street that currently, according to City Manager Rachael Tabelski, is affecting a limited number of residents.

“There was a call midway through the day yesterday (Saturday) that the tanks at the water plant were dropping,” Tabelski told The Batavian minutes ago at the scene. “They (water plant employees) waited to see how the demand was yesterday. And as they got into the night when water usage is typically lower, the tanks continued to drop, which is an indication of a leak in the system.”

Tabelski said crews began looking at different lines throughout the city and northern towns of Genesee County where they suspected the leak could occur.

“As they moved through the night, they walked lines all over the city -- especially the larger lines -- because the leak we could tell was significant because of the drop in our tanks,” she said. “And we need those tanks every day to refill at night to then supply enough water to all the customers during the daytime.”

She said she came out to meet crews around 6 this morning to issue a press release on their behalf so they could stay in the field.

“Then we went out and in daylight were able to see that the break occurred on Law Street. So, now crews are here trying to determine if it is just a junction to a fire hydrant or if it's the full line that broke. We’ll know more later.”

When asked if it is a major break or something that could be repaired quickly, Tabelski said that is unknown at this point.

“Luckily it's affecting a small number of customers,” she said. “The goal right now to try to ensure the customers on Law Street -- the residents -- get their water back immediately because they did have to shut off and isolate this.

“The good news is we know this is what the cause of it is because they there was a spike in the water tanks as they began to fill again. So, we're very confident that is what it is.”

Earlier, Tabelski sent out a press release asking residents to conserve water until the leak in the system was identified and repaired.

Photos: City of Batavia crews are on Law Street this morning, the site of a water leak that currently is affecting a small number of customers. Photos by Howard Owens.

Friday’s meeting with the engineering firm representing the City of Batavia -- coupled with continued progress on completion of a new pretreatment facility – is giving O-At-Ka Milk Products Chief Executive Officer Bill Schreiber hope that wastewater restrictions placed on the Cedar Street processing plant will come to an end in the near future.

“Our technical team had a good exchange of information with the city and their engineering firm (GHD Group of Buffalo) this afternoon,” Schreiber said in an email to The Batavian. “The team presented several options we think will assist in elevating dissolved oxygen levels in the lagoons (at the city’s Waste Water Treatment Plant) and support recovery.”

In the meantime, O-At-Ka officials have been hauling wastewater to other locations on a daily basis for several weeks – currently at an average cost of $13,000 to $15,000 per day, Schreiber said.

This became necessary when City of Batavia leaders determined that the dissolved oxygen levels in the ponds were insufficient and not in compliance with the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit that regulates O-At-Ka. As a result, the city issued a cease-and-desist order to the plant, which is owned by the Upstate Niagara dairy farmer cooperative.

Schreiber and John Gould, Upstate Niagara chairman of the board, have been calling for a meeting with city engineers and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to forge a “three-party solution.”

While the DEC apparently was not involved in Friday’s discussion, Schreiber said that engineers working with the city “have indicated they will consider what was presented and we hope to have further discussion next week.”

Work on getting its new pretreatment plant up and running is on schedule, Schreiber said, adding that Nov. 15 is the target date to begin seeding and flow to the new Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor.

“The media for the new MBBR has been received,” Schreiber said. “The blower mechanical and electrical installation is complete, and pre-commissioning and walk through for the blowers is planned for November 8^th.”

He said the company also is acquiring an additional Dissolved Air Flotation – not part of the original design -- to augment the existing unit, facilitating a process that removes solids before the wastewater enters the MBBR and reduces the load.

Calls to City Attorney George Van Nest, who is speaking on behalf of the city regarding this situation, were not returned at the time of the posting of this story.

Photo at top: The new Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor with the media for it on the ground to the left of the structure; Photo below: An inside view of the MBBR. Submitted photos.

Previously: City attorney: WWTP levels are heading in right direction; O-At-Ka has to abide by conditions of permit