Photo and information courtesy of Medina Mustang Boosters

BATAVIA – Medina’s varsity Winter Guard competed for the third time on Saturday when Batavia Central School hosted 17 guards in 7 classifications.

In the Scholastic A class, Medina came in 4th with a score of 66.96, bested by Victor in 1st with 72.98, Jamestown in 2nd with 68.66 and Orchard Park in 3rd with 68.09. The differential between these scores is decreasing each week as Medina competes in a class with larger schools.

Winners in the other classes were Hinsdale Starliners in Novice with 43.63; Victor JV in Cadet with 55.17; Greece in Regional A with 60.90; Lancaster in A1 with 66.99; Gates Chili in Independent A with 76.54 and Luminosa in Senior Class with 73.61.

Medina’s next performances are Lancaster on March 5th and Medina’s home show on March 12th. This year the WG Championships will be held in Medina on April 2nd.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Jerry Mandell, owner of Gennaro’s Pastaria at 701 South Main St. in Medina, stands under a picture of his mother and aunt, who first started an Italian restaurant in Rochester.

MEDINA – Making the leap from owner of Jerry’s Record Tree to an Italian restaurant was a no-brainer for Jerry Mandell.

A Rochester native, Mandell had his record shop in three locations – Spencerport, Henrietta and Greece, when his mother Louise and aunt Vi wanted to open a store to sell their homemade cookies.

Mandell rented a space to them. He said Bea Suhr from Lyndonville had a sewing shop behind his store. When more space became available, Mandell said the landlord let them remodel space for a restaurant, and Gennaro’s opened in 1985.

“My mother and aunt opened on a Wednesday in their restaurant which sat 46 people,” Mandell said. “They ran out of sauce the first night.”

He said all their food was homemade, as is their menu at Gennaro’s Pastaria in Medina. His mother made her sauce the traditional Italian way, with neck bones and pigs feet, and letting it simmer for eight hours. He said they made meatballs 25 to 30 pounds at a time.

After only three weeks in business, Louise and Vi asked Jerry to become partners with them. He sold his record business and joined them. He started first as the maître de and then became bartender.

When his mother and aunt aged to the point they were ready to give up the restaurant, Mandell knew they would be a hard act to follow, so went back to selling stereo equipment. He also became a life coach, which he continues to do today.

When Jerry and his wife Donna decided they wanted to get out of the city, they started looking for a home in the suburbs.

“Medina struck our fancy and we bought a home here,” Mandell said.

He had mentioned to his realtor, Renee Schuner, that he would like to open a small Italian restaurant, and she told him about the small building on the corner of Main and Starr streets, which had formerly been a barbecue place.

“My wife told me I was crazy to open a restaurant at 70, but I want people to be able to enjoy authentic Italian food,” Mandell said. “It is also a tribute to my mother and my aunt.”

A lot of his recipes are his mother’s and aunts, but he adds that he has tweaked them a little bit. Donna, who holds a full-time time with Paychex, makes the family’s special lasagna.

Jerry Mandell stands in doorway of the kitchen in his new pastaria in Medina. The restaurant is designed for take-outs, but a limited number of tables are available for those who want to eat there.

Their menu includes soups, such as Italian wedding, greens and beans, pasta fagioli and their special tomato-based broccoli soup. For appetizers, they have artichokes French, tomato salad and garlic bread with cheese.

A variety of pastas can be ordered with meatballs, sausage, red or white clam sauce and garlic and oil, with optional broccoli and olives.

Specialty dishes include eggplant parmesan, lasagna, gnocchi, cheese ravioli and linguine primavera. Chicken selections are chicken French, chicken marsala, chicken parmigiana and chicken cacciatore. In addition, they offer fettucini alfredo with chicken or chicken and broccoli.

Italian sausage sandwich, meatball sub and chicken parm complete their sandwich menu, along with a personal pan pizza.

They now have traditional Italian desserts, such as miniature cream puffs, cannolis and pizza fritte (fried dough). In the spring Mandell plans to begin offering rum cakes and lemon squares.

All food is cooked to order, and soon he plans to offer other specialties, such as fried escarole with bread crumbs and calamata olives, chicken or steak Gennaro with sherry wine, provolone cheese and capers.

Rebekah Champlin of Medina is manager of the pastaria. For now they are open from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. In the spring, Mandell hopes to open for lunch and offer outdoor seating. The phone number for reservations is (585) 318-4219.

File photo by Tom Rivers: The basketball hoop at Bullard Park is pictured in this photo from Aug. 4, 2015. A group is pushing for two new basketball courts at Bullard.

ALBION – A group of community volunteers, including former Kendall and Syracuse University great Roosevelt Bouie, are pushing for two new basketball courts at Bullard park.

Bouie said he learned the game playing as a kid at Bullard, often against tough competition from Albion, Brockport, Batavia and Medina.

Bouie also worked during the summer at Bullard as a park supervisor. It was his first job.

“I owe quite a bit to Bullard park,” Bouie said on Friday during a Zoom call with others working on the project. “It used to be the mecca of basketball.”

The current court was described as decrepit without any upgrades in at least 30 years. The surface is cracked and heaves in places. The same basketball pole and hoops “have been there forever” and the hoops are tipped, said Tim McMurray, one of the volunteers working on the new courts.

McMurray said the current court has too much heaving and is in too rough of shape to be patched up.

Bouie and the community volunteers want to have two new courts and they would be in an area close to Route 31 at a former skating rink and skateboard area, the part of a parking lot with blue paint. Their plan includes an 8-foot-high perimeter fence. There would also be “breakaway rims” that flex back up when there is a slam dunk.

The project could be about $100,000, McMurray said. The group has the Village Board’s blessing to look into grants and support from foundations.

“I think it would be great,” Mayor Eileen Banker said today.

The board has already said it would support having new courts near the front of the park by Route 31.

The village and the community group have Orleans County United Way grantwriter Matt Holland looking into funding options for the project.

The local group also is planning fundraisers. One includes having Bouie, who is nearly 7 feet tall, shoot hoops with people during the Albion Strawberry Festival in June.

File photo: Roosevelt Bouie attended a charity basketball in Kendall in March 2015 when Holley and Kendall teachers played each other.

Bouie said he could see Bullard again becoming a big basketball venue, especially for 3-on-3 tournaments and those events could raise funding for ongoing maintenance of the courts.

Bullard has recently received about $800,000 in upgrades with a splash park, playground equipment, amphitheater, and utility building with bathrooms.

The basketball court hasn’t been touched in more than a generation. That space could be used for parking, especially for events at the amphitheater, the committee said.

The group stressed that the Albion community lacks outdoor courts. There aren’t any at the school campus.

The community group wants to have an engineer assess the old rink and skate park to see if that surface can be salvaged for a basketball court or if it needs to be torn out and a new surface put down.

Susan Oschmann, one of Bouie’s Kendall classmates, recently moved to Albion and is pushing the new courts. She noticed the lack of courts in Albion especially when the parks were closed for several months in 2020 in the earlier days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“All I hear is complaints about the youth,” Oschmann said. “But as adults and taxpayers it is our responsibility to put in the effort to give them something to do.”

She wants to see more recreational opportunities for children and residents in Albion. She is surprised there are so few outdoor courts in the community.

Others besides McMurray, Bouie and Oschmann in the effort so far include Steve Mowers, CRFS president; John Grillo, recreation director; and Holland, the grant writer.

Bouie is in the Syracuse University Hall of Fame and his number 50 has been retired by the Orange. He led the team to a record of 100-18 from 1977 to 1980. Bouie was a first-team All-BIG EAST Conference selection in 1979-80. He was picked in the second round of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Bouie instead chose to play professionally in Europe for 13 seasons.

He has moved back to Kendall. The school retired his jersey in June 2012, the first one picked by Kendall with the recognition.

Bouie was a force for Kendall in the mid-1970s when the school won five straight sectional titles. Kendall had a record of 65-1 during his sophomore, junior and senior years, including 55 straight wins during one stretch.

Bouie said he traces his basketball origins to playing at Bullard.

“That’s where it all started for me,” he said.

Let’s go on an adventure together….Along the West Coast!

A beautiful arch in the gardens at the Mission at San Juan Capistrano near Long Beach, CA.

The first time I visited California was many years ago on a work related trip to Los Angeles. I spent three or four days there for a seminar and during my evenings I did all the touristy stuff in Hollywood – Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Griffith Observatory (where Rebel Without a Cause was filmed), downtown (Rodeo Drive), etc. I had upgraded my rental to a Mustang convertible and drove a ways up the Pacific Coast Highway – wow that was amazing! I also took a drive up Mulholland Drive – I’d seen it so many times in movies. Then, I tacked on a couple vacation days to take a side trip for a long weekend visiting a friend near Sacramento. We took day trips to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and another day to Lake Tahoe – so beautiful. Until 2017, that was my only taste of the West Coast. 

In 2017, I took about 15 days and did the West Coast top to bottom. What a trip that was! I originally was just going to take a West Coast cruise. But, I kept adding onto it….you, know….while I was out there and all!

If you’re ever in San Francisco, be sure to include a visit to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. It is a stunning walk through gardens and architecture.

I flew out to San Francisco on March 25th and got on Princess Cruise Line’s Grand Princess cruise ship. The cruise was one week long and made stops at Santa Barbara, Long Beach, San Diego, and Ensenada, Mexico. It was wonderful! I think it is up there as one of my top three cruises. When we left the port, we sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge, which was pretty cool. I saw so many wonderful things on the excursions at each stop. In Santa Barbara I did wine tastings and time at an authentic Dutch village. In Long Beach, I skipped the LA/Hollywood attractions because I had done them before. Instead, I took a tour that included time at The Mission at San Juan Capistrano and lunch in Laguna Beach – both were incredible! When we got to San Diego, I chose a harbor cruise and saw lots of critters, sky divers over the harbor, and sights along the shore. I didn’t get off the ship in Ensenada – there were only a couple excursions offered and none really interested me and some of the other passengers who had been there before said there wasn’t much to do on your own. I kind of regret that decision – I really should have done “something” other than lounge pool-side for the day, but that’s OK, I’d been to Mexico before, so wasn’t passing up the chance to say I’d been there.

The cruise returned to San Francisco and I spent a few days there. I stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Cow Hollow Inn on the corner of Lombarde and Steiner Streets – GREAT location and very nice rooms! I did a lot of wandering around on my own and taking hop-on-hop-off tours to see the city – including the Golden Gate Bridge, an awesome Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, the Haight-Ashbury district, Fisherman’s Wharf, China Town, all the stunning architecture, and so much more! I took a couple day bus trips – one to Napa Valley and Sonoma and one to Muir Woods and Sausalito. Both tours were amazing – wonderful wineries, gorgeous landscapes, and those magnificent, massive trees!

A must see in Seattle is the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum – simply incredible. It is located near the Space Needle and you can get a combo ticket that includes admission to the Observation Deck on the Space Needle and the Chihuly museum.

Then, I took the Coast Starlight Train from San Francisco to Seattle. It is an overnight train ride through northern California, Oregon, and ends in Seattle, Washington. It was a wonderful experience. The train actually starts in San Diego – someday, I’m going to do the entire trip. I spent two days in Seattle, staying at the Hyatt Seattle Downtown – another perfect location! I was able to walk to the Space Needle, where I took the elevator to the observation deck and had lunch in the revolving restaurant. In that same area, I popped into the Museum of Pop Culture and the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum – that was stunning!!! I spent a day at the Public Market and watched the fish mongers throwing fish at Pike Place Fish Co. I also took an impromptu Duck Tour – an amphibian vehicle that took us around the city and splashed down in the harbor for a cruise. 

So…..in about 15 days, I saw the west coast from top to bottom, covered three states and two countries, and did it all using planes, trains, automobiles, ships, and boats!!! Can’t beat that with a stick, huh?

Visit these blog posts for more information and photos from my West Coast Adventure: 

The Overview

Santa Barbara

Long Beach

San Diego

San Francisco

Japanese Tea Garden 

Napa Valley / Sonoma 

Muir Woods / Sausalito 

Coast Starlight Train

Seattle 

Happy Adventuring,
Kim Pritt

By Mike Pettinella, GCASA Publicist

BATAVIA – Opioids for pain management are no longer the standard care for chronic pain, according to a board-certified family nurse practitioner at the United Memorial Medical Center Pain Management Center in Batavia.

Rebecca Russo

“We do not avoid prescription medications, but we work to avoid the management of opioids, which can decrease the perception of pain and not the cause of it,” said Rebecca Russo, responding to questions about non-opioid alternatives for the GOW Opioid Task Force.

Russo, an employee at the UMMC pain clinic since August 2020, said as a pain management nurse practitioner, she recommends minimally invasive fluoroscopic procedures for diagnosis and treatment of pain.

“We work with the patient’s primary care physician and other health care professionals to ensure the best possible outcomes for these patients,” she said. “We also like to be as conservative as possible (by utilizing) non-invasive measures such as physical therapy, aqua therapy, chiropractic and massage treatments, and acupuncture.”

When it comes to opioids, Russo is well aware of the long-term effects – including addiction – that can result from prolonged use of these drugs.

“There are so many more alternatives a pain management specialist treating chronic pain that can offer the most benefit for these patients,” she said. “A multimodal approach to management is best in treating chronic pain. Opioids are not used for chronic non-malignant pain anymore as studies have shown.”

Russo said she switched to the pain management field when a colleague recommended her for a pain management and neurology position.

“I have to say I wouldn’t have had a better fit in my career. This specialty is fascinating and bountiful in ways to help patients, which I lay my foundation on,” the Michigan native said. “I have been working in pain management since I graduated with my Master of Science in Nursing four years ago.”

Prior to joining the program at UMMC, she was a registered nurse for six years, working on various units, including intermediate care, medical/surgical, observation and progressive care.

She said the local pain clinic treats a wide range of chronic and acute pain conditions, such as neck pain, cancer pain, myofascial pain, joint pain, back pain, phantom limb pain, bursitis, sciatica, post herpetic neuralgia pain, complex regional pain syndrome, peripheral neuropathy and failed back surgery syndrome.

“Some of the micro-invasive procedures that can be performed at the UMMC Pain Clinic include nerve blocks in various areas as well as radiofrequency ablations; lumbar, thoracic and cervical epidural steroid injections; trigger point injections; and spinal cord stimulator implantation,” she said.

The practice is growing coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, she reported, with more and more in-person visits being scheduled.

“At this time, we strive to keep our visits in-person, but we can accommodate telemedicine visits when a patient is unable to be seen in-person. This may be for various reasons such as being ill, inability to drive or last minute patient schedule changes,” she explained.

Russo sees the pain clinic as a viable alternative for people dealing with chronic pain, adding that the patient is considered “an important team member.”

“Interventional management is beneficial for patients when their pain continues even after attempting conservative treatments or do not have a diagnosis for their pain,” she said. “A proper diagnosis is the first step to successful treatment.

“Another benefit for these patients is that they want to avoid surgery if possible or if they’ve had surgery, but still experiencing pain, we can provide them alternatives to another surgery unless otherwise indicated.”

The UMMC Pain Center is located in Batavia at 229 Summit St., Suite 4. For more information, call 585-815-6710.

UPDATE: The wind advisory was extended until 7 p.m.

A wind advisory is in effect until 1 this afternoon in Orleans, Niagara, Monroe, Erie, Genesee, Wyoming and Chautauqua counties.

There will be southwest winds at 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 55 mph expected, the National Weather Service in Buffalo advised.

Today is forecast for a high of 27 but the temperature will fall to 19 by 11 a.m., the Weather Service said. Another 1 to 3 inches of snow is possible during the day with an overnight low of 10 degrees.

Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high of 46, with a high of 44 on Monday which is Presidents’ Day.

Photos courtesy of Jamie Traxler

ALBION – Cooper Traxler, 7, is pictured with seven sheets of pizza from Mark’s Pizzeria that he shared today with the second-grade class at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School in Albion. Cooper bought each class a sheet pizza and juice bags.

Cooper Traxler sold cider and doughnuts for three days in October.

He raised the money in October by selling apple cider and doughnuts from his grandmother’s front yard on South Main Street. His second-grade teacher was among his customers.

Cooper wanted to provide the pizza as a way to push back against bullying. He was being teased by some kids at school over his long hair.

Cooper likes to keep his hair long like some of his favorite dirt bike racers.

Some of the kids at school told him he was a girl because of his shoulder-length hair. Cooper tells them he is boy – with long hair.

When Cooper sold cider and doughnuts many of the customers shared stories about how they had been bullied when they were kids.

“There was a lot of community support,” Cooper’s mother Jamie said this afternoon. “He felt very blessed and that he wasn’t alone.”

Cooper has some money left over from the cider and doughnut sales that he wants to use for other acts of kindness, his mother said.

2 adults also will be honored for service to children

The Orleans County Youth Board wants to honor local youths for their community service and adults for their work on behalf of children in Orleans County.

The Youth Board for the past 40 years has recognized youth, usually about 20 each year for their outstanding community service or if they have taken on an extraordinary role in their family. The nominees must reside in Orleans County and be at least 14 years old and under 21.

Academic or athletic achievement will not be considered in the selection of award recipients.

In addition to the youth awards, at least two adults will be honored for their service to young people.

The Helen R. Brinsmaid Memorial Youth Worker Award recognizes a youth-serving professional whose work surpasses normal expectations. Last year’s winner was Vickie Scroger, the manager of food service at Holley Central School where she makes sure the students have delicious, balanced meals for breakfast, lunch and after-school snacks.

The Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Recognition Award is given to an adult who provides service as a volunteer to Orleans County youth. Jason Requa of Kendall was the winner last year. He has been a youth coach and mentor.

Click here to be directed to the Orleans County Youth Bureau website where there are nomination forms. The nominations are due by April 1.

For information contact the Youth Bureau at 585-344-3960 or youthbureau@co.genesee.ny.us.

Photo by Tom Rivers

BARRE – The Town of Barre Highway Department has closed Hill Road, between West Barre and Gillette roads, due to flooding and highwaters today.

It is one of five roads in Orleans County closed due to the flooding from the melting snow and rainfall.

Other roads that are currently closed to traffic include Yates-Carlton Townline Road, between Kendrick Road and Route 18; Angling Road in Yates, between Mill and Marshall roads; Hulberton Road in Murray, between the canal and Philipps Road; and Baker Road in Carlton, between Kent and East Kent roads.

Local fire departments also have been called for 24 basement pumping details since 1 p.m. on Thursday, an Orleans County dispatcher said this afternoon.

Photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from May 2017 shows sandbags stacked by the shoreline in Kendall.

Press Release, International Joint Commission

The International Joint Commission released for public comment the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management Committee’s (GLAM Committee) report “ Expedited Review of Plan 2014, Phase 1: Informing Plan 2014 Deviation Decisions Under Extreme Conditions.”

Comments can be submitted online until Monday, April 18.

The IJC directed the GLAM Committee to conduct the Expedited Review of Plan 2014, the plan for regulating Lake Ontario outflows, in response to public concerns over Plan 2014 following the extreme wet conditions that caused record floods in 2017 and in 2019. The purpose of this two-phased review is to investigate possible improvements that could be made to Lake Ontario outflow regulation activities.

The GLAM Committee has concluded Phase 1 of the Expedited Review of Plan 2014 which focused on providing additional information to help inform the critical decisions made by the IJC’s International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board (ILOSLRB) to best manage Lake Ontario outflows under extreme conditions.

Phase 1 also focused on collecting and analyzing data on high-water impacts on interests, including but not limited to shoreline homes, marinas and commercial shippers. This research led to creation of a decision support tool that informs the Board about the real-world impacts of its decisions and provides insight into how different deviations would perform under various future water supply conditions.

Phase 2 of the Expedited Review will look at how Plan 2014 addresses extreme high and low water levels and explore possible adjustments to the regulation plan. Currently underway, Phase 2 is tentatively scheduled to conclude in late 2024.

The GLAM Committee’s report on the Phase 1 of the Expedited Review of Plan 2014 is available for public comment until Monday, April 18, 2022.

The feedback received during the public comment period will be considered by the IJC and will inform its own findings that will be submitted to the governments of Canada and the United States.

In past 2 years sales tax revenue up $4.1 million in Orleans or by 23.2 percent

Photo by Tom Rivers: Gas was selling for $3.77 a gallon for regular unleaded and $4.19 for diesel at the Crosby’s on Route 31 in Albion on Wednesday. Higher gas prices and inflationary increases helped push up sales tax revenues in the county in 2021, according to report from the state comptroller.

ALBION – Sales tax revenue took another big jump in 2021, increasing by $2.4 million or 12.7 percent from $19.4 million in 2020 to $21.8 million last year.

Over two years the sales tax revenue is up 23.2 percent from $17.7 million in 2019 to $21.8 in 2021.

This is the 4 percent local share of the sales tax and doesn’t include the state’s 4 percent share.

The local sales tax is mostly used to fund county government. The county shares $1,366,671 with the 10 towns and four villages. They have been frozen at that level since 2001.

State-wide the sales tax revenue for local governments increased 19.1 percent in 2021, after a year when they dropped by 10 percent due to restrictions in the Covid-19 pandemic, when many businesses were closed.

“The pandemic substantially changed consumer spending for goods and services and from brick and mortar to online,” State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli stated in a sales tax report. “While local sales tax collections were robust in 2021 as the economy rebounded from the pandemic, some of that growth is attributed to inflation, which was the highest it has been in over 30 years. If inflation remains high, consumer spending on many taxable goods could decrease due to the rising cost of basic staples.”

Here is a breakdown of the sales tax revenue changes from 2020 to 2021 among some nearby counties:

Finger Lakes counties

• Orleans, up 12.7 percent from $19.4 million to $21.8 million
• Genesee, up 19.9 percent from $41.4 million to $49.7 million
• Livingston, up 16.2 percent from $36.3 million to $42.2 million
• Monroe, up 17.4 percent from $511.2 million to $599.9 million
• Ontario, up 21.5 percent from $86.0 million to $104.5 million
• Seneca, up 20.2 percent from $25.7 million to $30.8 million
• Wayne, up 13.1 percent from $52.4 million to $59.2 million
• Wyoming, up 13.3 percent from $20.0 million to $22.7 million
• Yates, up 22.8 percent from $14.7 million to $18.0 million

Western New York counties

• Allegany, up 15.8 percent from $23.6 million to $27.3 million
• Cattaraugus, up 16.9 percent from $41.0 million to $47.9 million
• Chautauqua, up 18.4 percent from $72.2 million to $85.5 million
• Erie, up 16.4 percent from $814.6 million to $948.1 million
• Niagara, up 17.1 percent from $129.1 million to $151.2 million

‘Orleans County is still considered high for level of community transmission’ – Paul Pettit, public health director

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

New York State has provided Orleans County Emergency Management Office with free at-home Covid test kits to distribute to residents.

Starting Friday, February 18th, each town hall, village hall, library, and the Orleans County Office Building will have a supply of Covid test kits to distribute to residents during normal business hours until the kits are gone.

“Per the CDC data tracker, Orleans County is still considered high for level of community transmission,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Orleans County Health Department.  “We continue to encourage anyone who has had close contact with someone who tested positive with Covid-19 to get tested 5 days after last contact. If you are experiencing any symptoms self-isolate and test for Covid-19.”

The GCC Albion Campus Center at 456 West Ave. in Albion will be open through at least Feb. 23, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for PCR and rapid testing. Walk-ins allowed or for an appointment, click here.

If you need a lab-confirmed test, visit the NYS Covid-19 testing sites for lab testing locations. Home tests can be reported on the GOHealthNY.org website by clicking the red Covid-19 Testing button and clicking your county.

It is expected the state will continue to send out Covid-19 home test kits as they receive them. Moving forward, please check with your Town/Village hall and local library system to determine access to home test kits.

A maximum of 2 kits per person will be distributed at the following locations:

• Orleans County Office Building: Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Village of Lyndonville: Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed daily from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.
• Village of Medina: Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Village of Albion: Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Village of Holley: Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Yates Community Library in Lyndonville: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina: Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Hoag Library in Albion: Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Community Free Library in Holley: Monday, Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 4 to 8 p.m. ; Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Residents should use at-home Covid-19 tests after a possible exposure to someone with Covid, after returning from travel, before and after attending large mixed gatherings, or when they exhibit symptoms of Covid-19,” Pettit said. “Testing is one mitigation strategy that can help reduce the community spread of COVID-19.”

To report a positive at-home test: Individuals can visit the GO Health website Covid-19 testing page and choose the appropriate Home Test button for their respective county.

Individuals should complete the at-home tests according to the directions provided. When the test is completed, individuals should take a picture with the individual’s name, the date and the time they took the test legibly written in permanent marker within 15 minutes of reading the test. Towards the end of the online form, the individual will be required to upload the picture on the website and attest to the authenticity and truth of the form.  If there are any missing sections that are required, the form is invalid.  At this time, individuals do not need to report negative at-home test results.

Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 is to self-isolate immediately. You may not be contacted regarding your contacts, so it is important to notify your close contacts (those who you spent 15 minutes or more in a 24-hour period 2 days prior to symptoms or 2 days prior to a positive test result).

It is important to continue with self-isolation from household members as much as you are able. Isolate for 5 days and if you are fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication, your symptoms are getting better, and you can tolerate a tight-fitting mask you can return to work/school but you are still required to wear a tight-fitting mask for 5 more days.

If you must share space, make sure all in contact with you are wearing tight-fitting masks covering their nose and mouth and frequently shared items/surfaces are sanitized often. To access isolation orders and isolation release paperwork visit our website at GOHealthNY.org (COVID-19 Isolation & Quarantine Documents & Information) and complete and print out or print and hand write the forms from the county you reside in and provide to your employer or school.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A truck splashes through flood waters on Allen Road in Albion, east of the Gaines Basin Road intersection, this afternoon at about 2 p.m.

An Orleans County dispatcher said no roads have been closed due to flooding. Firefighters have assisted some residents in pumping basements.

The area remains under a flood watch until 7 p.m. on Friday.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo also has upgraded a winter weather advisory to a winter storm warning for Orleans and Niagara counties from 5 p.m. this afternoon to 9 a.m. on Friday. The two counties could get 4 to 7 inches of snow and ice accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch.

Businesses eligible for maximum grant awards of $75K

Press Release, Genesee County Legislature and Genesee County Economic Development Center

BATAVIA – Genesee County Legislature Chair Rochelle Stein announced today that Genesee County is launching a $1 million Community Development Block Grant to help businesses impacted by the pandemic.

Through the Genesee CARES Business Recovery Fund, businesses that were negatively impacted by Covid-19 will be eligible to receive a grant of up to $75,000 to aid the recovery of their businesses. Eligible applicants are for-profit businesses within Genesee County with 25 or fewer employees.

“Despite so many of our businesses being dramatically impacted by the pandemic they have demonstrated perseverance and determination to keep their doors open and we are proud of them,” Stein said.  “That is why we are so excited that our application for CDBG funding was approved as it will be a big shot in the arm to our business community as we continue our economic turnaround.”

There are four general categories of eligibility, including:

• Employment restoration/job hiring incentive: Businesses will be eligible to receive a grant totaling $20,000 toward expected annual wages for up to 3 new hires to a maximum of $60,000.
• Outdoor dining development grants of up to $50,000 to enhance outdoor dining (e.g. furniture, fixtures, equipment, and working capital expenses related to expanding, installing, or improving outdoor dining and gathering spaces.) Construction or renovation costs are not eligible.
• A maximum of $50,000 of grant funds to be used to assist with working capital expenses for businesses that can demonstrate the impact of Covid has put a strain on their cash flow.
• Business resiliency grants of up to $25,000 to support small business efforts to respond to the pandemic for projects such as developing safety and resiliency plans, purchasing PPE, installing touchless point-of-sale systems, and other improvements.

Businesses can apply across multiple grant categories for up to $75,000 per business. Job creation, retention and restoration goals are tied to all categories.

“Throughout the pandemic, Genesee County and local economic development partners, such as the Genesee County Economic Development Center, formed an Economic Recovery Task Force, which met monthly to discuss the impacts of the pandemic and strategize efforts to assist with reopening and business recovery,” said Genesee County Manager Matt Landers. “Based on the extensive feedback from businesses across the county, we determined that pursuing this funding opportunity would provide the type of financial assistance they are seeking.”

“Small businesses are the backbone of our regional economy and the process for reviewing applications is similar to our micro-enterprise small business loan program so it will be a seamless process,” said GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde.

Businesses are encouraged to visit www.GeneseeCARES.com to review eligibility and requirements for the grant. A fillable application is available for download at the website.