Skip to main content

Stories from

Combine fire at farm on Route 98, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

There is a combine on fire at Offhaus Farms on a Route 98, Batavia. 

Multiple fire companies on scene. 

More info TK. 

UPDATE: 8:25 p.m.  The Town of Batavia Fire Department along with Elba and Oakfield Fire departments responded to Offhaus Farms on Rt. 98 for a combine fire that sent thick black smoke into the air around the area of the thruway about 6:00p.m. this evening. 

The heavy black smoke was caused by fuel tanks and tires that caught fire.

Work crews were using the combine in a field of corn on the south side of the farm when it caught fire.

(pictures provided by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service)

 

UPDATE: Video of the smoke submitted by Chad Zambito.

 

Little free library blooms on Washington and Lewis, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Jen Reardon loves books and wants to encourage people to read more, so she set up a little free library in front of her house on the corner of Washington Avenue and Lewis Avenue.

She got the idea after learning about a web site called LittleFreeLibrary.org. In fact, she bought her brightly colored box from the web site. The site also tracks locations of little free libraries, and hers is the first one registered in Genesee County.

"I knew of nothing in area, at least on the map, so why not do this?" Reardon said. "I love books. I seem to always have lots of readers around me with lots of books and they're like, 'what can I do these,' so I thought we'll put them out and let people take a book, leave a book."

That's the whole concept of the little free library right there -- there's no fee, no library card to sign up for, you take a book and leave a book. Return what you take whenever you like, nor never return it if you like it that much. Just put something else in its place.

Yesterday was the first day for Reardon's little free library and quite a few people stopped and took books. Not too many have been added to the collection yet.

"Yesterday was a busy day at the little free library," Reardon said. "There was definitely more borrowing than trading, but since it's the first day, I don't think people really knew what to make of it."

Reardon already has one of the most colorful front yards in Batavia, with a cornucopia of flowers growing all spring, summer and fall. Her green, orange and purple box fits right in.

Her neighborhood is perfect for something like this, Reardon believes.

"We have all income levels within like a three block area," she said.

"I think people don't read enough and some people might not have access to books. You can always go to the library, but if you have books in your home, you're more likely to pick it up and read it, kids especially.

Photos: Troopers host ice cream social at School for the Blind

By Howard B. Owens

State Troopers hosted an ice cream social this afternoon at the New York State School for the Blind.

This is the second year troopers have brought their K-9s, patrol cars and tubs of ice cream to the school for a little hang out time with the students.

This year included an Easter Egg hunt using beeping eggs. It was a fun hunt, one trooper said, until the students hear the ice cream was ready to serve. That ended the hunt pretty quickly.

Students were able to pet the dogs and handle some police equipment and ask questions about what troopers do.

Serious high school basketball players invited to mini camp at Batavia HS

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia varsity basketball coach Buddy Brasky hosts his annual mini-camp starting Monday at Batavia HS.

The camp is for experienced and serious basketball players only in grades 7 through 12.

The program will emphasize offensive skill development.

The cost is $125.

It is sponsored by the Basketball Booster Club.

The sessions are two nights a week starting from 7 to 9 p.m., Sept. 29. Additional sessions are Oct. 2, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30.

For more information and to sign up, contact Coach Brasky at (585) 356-4050 or mbrasky@bataviacsd.org.

Former Notre Dame runner wins MAAC athlete of the week honors

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Canisius College’s Jeffrey Antolos was named the MAAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week, while Rider University’s Emily Ritter earned the MAAC Women's Cross Country Runner of the week.

Canisius sophomore Jeffrey Antolos came up huge for the Golden Griffins this weekend, leading the Canisius men’s cross country team to a first place finish in the 35th Annual National Catholic Championships. The event took place on Friday, Sep. 19 at the University of Notre Dame. Antolos was the top finisher for the Blue and Gold, recording a time of 25:07.84 in the five-mile race, good enough for third place in the event. Antolos led the Griffs squad to the team’s only first place victory in the Championships in school history. The highest previous finish for the Griffs was a second place finish in 2002, the closest the team came to winning the Championships until this year. Antolos improved greatly from his 2013 season finish in the National Catholics when the Warsaw, N.Y. finished in 30th with a time of 26:23.

Ritter finished first overall among 171 runners at the Monmouth Invitational, covering the 3.1 mile Holmdel Park course in 18:34.2. It marked the second time in as many race this year that Ritter was the overall winner.

The 2014 MAAC Cross Country Championships will be held on Friday, October 31st at Holmdel Park, Holmdel N.J.

City Fire planning more hydrant flushing tomorrow

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Friday September 26,  2014, at approximately 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the general area north of West Main St. and west of Bank St.  Homes and businesses nearby will be affected.  These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area.  As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored. 

Sheriff's Office looking for missing teen from Batavia

By Howard B. Owens
Preston Daigler

The Sheriff's Office is looking for the public's assistance in locating a missing teen.

The youth reported missing is Preston Daigler, 16, of Batavia.

He was last seen Sept. 15.

Preston has blonde hair and blue eyes.  He is 5'11" and 150 pounds.

Any one with information are asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (585) 345-3000.

 

 

 

Arrest made in alleged attempt to start residential fire on East Avenue

By Howard B. Owens
Brian Sprague

An arrest has been made in an attempted arson reported yesterday morning on East Avenue in the City of Batavia.

The suspect broke three windows on the first floor of a residence, poured gasoline around the outside of the house, but then was unable to get the fuel to ignite, according to police.

Brian J. Sprague, 24, of Adams Street, Batavia, is charged with attempted arson 2nd and criminal mischief 3rd.

Three people were at home and in bed when they heard the windows being broken at 6 a.m., but didn't get up to investigate until nearly three hours later.

After the alleged attempt to start a fire failed, Sprague left the area, but was located later in the day.

He was arrested, arraigned and jailed without bail.

The case was investigated by detectives Kevin Czora and Todd Crossett along with City firefighters.

Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation hosting two events

By Howard B. Owens

Press release: 

September is Pediatric cancer Awareness Month and the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation is hosting  2 events to raise funds and awareness for this devastating disease. Pediatric Cancer is the number one cause of  disease-related death in children.  Forty-six children a day are diagnosed with cancer and 40,000 children undergo cancer treatment each year. There is so much to be done and so many families in need of assistance.

The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation is hosting a 5k Run /Walk for the Gold on September 27th @ 9am in Leroy, NY , registration begins at 8am.  The race begins at the Tennis Courts on Wolcott St.  $25/per participant. Go to active.com to register or to www.michaelshope.org for  mail-in registration. First 100 runners get a free T-shirt.

The Foundation is also raffling a  “DINNER FOR TEN”, which is a 5 course gourmet dinner for 10 people served in a private setting with limo service (50 mile travel radius). This is a one-of-a-kind raffle  and  is an amazing prize to win!! Winner can select a mutually agreed upon date for the dinner.  Tickets are $20/each or 3/$50. Call 585-409-3276 or 585-409-3275 for more information or if you need tickets dropped off. Go to www.michaelshope.org to see previous   winners.

Support Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month by supporting the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation.  Your assistance helps us “Lend a Hand of Hope” to families, to research efforts, and to youth in our community.

Accomplice in Park Avenue burglary given five years in state prison

By Howard B. Owens
Akeem Simmons Nathaniel Davis

The accomplice in a home invasion burglary on Park Avenue on Jan. 22 -- a burglary that included the use of a handgun -- will spend the next five years in prison Judge Robert C. Noonan ruled today.

Nathaniel Davis, 18, has no prior serious criminal record and Noonan acknowledged that his testimony in the trial of Akeem Simmons probably helped put the much more experienced criminal away for 20 years.

Simmons was convicted of burglary 1st in August and sentenced last week.

Davis entered a guilty plea to a reduced charge of burglary 2nd immediately after Simmons was convicted.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman denies there was any deal with Davis to secure his testimony in the Simmons trial, but both Noonan and Public Defender Jerry Ader cited his forthright testimony as a reason for a sentence less harsh than the one given to Simmons.

Ader said he didn't want to minimize the seriousness of his client's conduct Jan. 22, but "he was threatened if he testified and knew he was facing a state sentence, but he testified anyway," Ader said. "I can't say for sure it was a linchpin in swaying the jury, but I think it was helpful. I think he came across as believable and honest, so I do think it was helpful to the prosecution in getting a conviction."

As part of the plea deal with Davis, Friedman agreed not to speak at the sentencing.

Noonan said he understands there may be some public concern over the 15 years difference in the sentence, but besides the criminal history and the testimony, Noonan said there's no doubt in his mind that Simmons was the primary mover in the decision to burglarize a house in Batavia.

Noonan expressed skepticism at the contention by Davis that he felt trapped into participating in the crime over fear of retaliation from Davis.

"You haven't had a particularly productive life," Noonan said.  "You had some difficulties that perhaps contributed to that lack of productivity, but you haven't shown any willingness to be productive and be a mainstream citizen that I can see."

Davis must also pay $4,040 in restitution.  Because there was no request for restitution from Davis before he was sentenced, the entire four grand is on Davis.

Business in Harvester Center broken into overnight

By Howard B. Owens

A business deep inside the Batavia Industrial Center/Harvester Center on Harvester Avenue was broken into some time over night.

The original dispatch said there was quite a mess made inside the business.

The burglar gained access by breaking a window on the south side of the building that was tucked behind an old rail tanker.

It's yet to be determined what, if anything, was stolen, said Det. Todd Crossett (pictured taking a DNA swab on the broken window).

The break in remains under investigation.

Police and fire responding to residence to investigate report of gas being poured in window

By Howard B. Owens

City fire is being dispatched a location on East Main Street, East Avenue near Ross Street, to investigate a report of a window being broken and gasoline being poured inside the residence.

The incident occurred at 6 a.m., but is just now being reported.

UPDATE 10:32 a.m.: A residence at 15 East Ave., Batavia, had three windows broken on the Columbia Avenue side of the structure.

Gasoline was poured into the windows and onto the ground outside.

Three people live at the residence. 

The incident occurred about 6 a.m., and residents heard the glass breaking but didn't get out of bed to investigate, according to authorities.

A police officer said it's likely the perpetrator is somebody who knows one or more of the people who live at the residence.

Photo: A firefighter uses a meter to collect fume readings from a window sill.

Tractor trailer hits three parked cars on Route 19, Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

Route 19 in the area of Wolcott Street was closed this morning following a tractor trailer accident at 2:30 a.m. that involved three parked cars and a utility pole.

There were no injuries.

The road should reopen soon, though it is closed at the moment.

 

UPDATE: 2:17 p.m.  Rt. 19 has been re-opened.

Photos courtesy the Le Roy Fire Department.

Oakfield cuts ribbon on new 500K gallon water tower

By Howard B. Owens

Officials in Oakfield today held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new water tower serving both the village and the town.

The $3.5 million project was eight years in the making. The community replaced a 99-year-old, 125,000 gallon tank.

Building the tank was partially financed through federal grants. A bond covers $2.6 million of the expense.

The new tank holds 500,000 gallon of water.

Through use of a block grant, will soon have a new water use measurement system in place. Rather than meter readers, each water user will have a radio-read system installed from a company called Sensus that will allow instant reading of water usage, including reports, if needed, on hour-by-hour usage.  Officials will have instant access to customer usage if a customer has questions about their account.

Pictured above: Jeremy Delyser, from Clark Patterson Lee, Joyce Grazioplene, retired clerk, Rick Pastecki, former mayor, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and Legislator (and former mayor), Ray Cianfrini.  (Note: Several more people participated in the actual ribbon cutting, but my photos from the ribbon cutting are unusable. My old, cheap wide angle lens didn't focus properly).

Assemblyman Steve Hawley checks out the interior of the new water tower.

Mayor Jason Armbrewster sent along this video taken with a camera mounted on a drone of the new tower.

Photo: Railroad crossing repair work ongoing in Bergen

By Howard B. Owens

Crews are repairing the rail beds at Dublin Road, Jerico Road, Beaver Meadow Road in Bergen. The crossing have been closed this week. A supervisor on Dublin Road said today that he was trying to finish up that crossing ASAP and he expected to have all of the crossings opened by Friday.

Photos: Chamber conducts annual ag tour

By Howard B. Owens

The Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual ag tour this morning, starting with a visit to BCA Ag Technologies in Oakfield (that visit was co-hosted by Z&M Ag and Turf).

During the first visit, tour participants learned about all the high-tech ways farmers more precisely and efficiently put seeds in the ground, using GPS and computer-programed seeding mechanisms.

After BCA, the group moved onto the Cargill facility in Batavia, which produces nutrients for dairy cattle throughout the Northeast, and finally they visited M&M Meats to learn about beef processing.

"For those of who are involved in it, it's pretty easy to lose track of and forget how big ag is and the fact that it is the number-one industry in the county, so it's great to get the folks who make decisions and impact what we do to understand what we do," said Keith Conway, chairman of the chamber's ag committee and store manager for Z&M in Oakfield.

Benjamin Flansburg, BCA.

Keith Conway

Current police headquarters has its problems, but so do available alternatives

By Howard B. Owens

The list of problems with the current Batavia PD headquarters is long, but the price of doing anything about it is huge.

In the best case scenario, the city will need to spend $10 million on a solution.

Unless, of course, the option selected involves putting head in sand and hoping for the best. That option costs next to nothing, unless of course, the city is sued over some of the potential problems with the existing facility, or disaster strikes.

That's the summary of what members of the City Council heard Monday night from a group of consultants hired to create a police facilities feasibility study.

The consultants were Dominic Calgi, Calgi Construction; John Pepper, Rebanks, Pepper, Littlewood Architects; and, John Brice, Geddis Architects.

Their job -- work with city administration on evaluating three possible scenarios:

  • Construct a new police headquarters from the ground up;
  • Create a new police headquarters using an existing building;
  • Renovate the existing headquarters at 10 W. Main St.

Monday, they presented scenarios for three new-build locations, a scenario for constructing a building with some shared space with the Sheriff's Office on Park Road, and two options for renovating 10 W. Main.

The most expensive option was an extensive rehabilitation and renovation of 10 W. Main, which could cost as much as $17 million. For $10 million, it might be possible to build a new headquarters on Park Road, but there are also a lot of unknown variables that could drive the cost up.

The first step in this process, if it moves forward, is for the City Council to appoint a community task force to study the options presented by the consultants and make a recommendation.

City Manager Jason Molino recommended a task force competely devoid of elected officials, city staff members or members of the law enforcement community. Instead, he recommended citizens from each ward, the school district and UMMC. (Clarification: also, business owners.)

His goal, he said, was to keep it non-political and help assure the public that nobody in the city was pushing a specific agenda.

Council members balked at the recommendation and instead appointed a subcommittee to study the proposed make up of the task force and come back to the full council with a recommendation.  

The council will discuss the proposal again Oct. 14 and if it decides to move forward with a task force, appoint it at its November business meeting.

That would give the city a month to advertise for participants and recommend a slate of task force members.

What are the problems with the existing headquarters, which is occupying space built in 1855 as a rich family's residence and was later used as City Hall?

  • The building entrance is not secure, neither for police nor the public, nor arrestees;
  • Interview rooms and holding cells are not isolated nor secure;
  • Storage of weapons and gear is insufficient;
  • Building egress is inadequate and not code complaint, and egress for patrol cars is insufficient;
  • There is no separate entrance for youthful offenders, which violates state code;
  • Building is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which means even basic improvements such as upgrading the HVAC system can't take place (unless the city wants to ignore the ADA).
  • Building infrastructure is outdated and in need of replacement (HVAC, water, plumbing, electricity);
  • Hazardous materials exist;
  • Installation of modern technology requires major renovation (again, triggering ADA compliance issues).

A renovation of the facility would be expensive, not just because of the remodeling expense, but it would also need to be expanded.

The option that would give the department the most space (top photo), with a garage and sally port for prisoner transport at ground level, would cost from $15 million to $17 million.

A less robust option, with a raised garage and sally port, would cost from $11 million to $12 million. For that price, the city could build at one of four other identified locations.

"When renovating an existing structure, it's never going to be good at meeting program requirements as new construction," Brice said. 

During the reconstruction project, the headquarters would need to find a temporary home. One location suggested is the former Robert Morris School.

56 Ellicott St.

This location is the former Santy Tire's location with existing businesses still using a portion of the building. Essentially, it's at the corner of Ellicott and Jackson, but the parcel would be expanded to stretch as far back as Evans Street.

Pros for the site include easy access to Downtown and it would be all new construction. The cons include potential environment issues. It's in a flood zone, so the building pad and parking lots would need to be elevated two feet, and it would compete with economic development plans for Ellicott Street.

The potential cost: $11.1 million to $11.9 million.

96-98 Jackson St.
The current Salvation Army location.

Pros, again, easy access to Downtown. Cons include the purchase price and existing structure torn down, and it's still in a flood zone.

The potential cost: $11.6 million to $12.5 million

165 Evans St., Batavia
The property is next to Falleti Ice Arena.

Pros include the fact the city already owns much of the property.

The cons include, again, the flood area issue, and it's somewhat of a constricted lot for access. Chief Shawn Heubusch pointed out that it would increase emergency vehicle traffic in front of the ice area and it's somewhat removed from Downtown.

The potential cost: $11.4 million to $12.3 million.

Park Road

City Manager Jason Molino said this option, as part of the study, was looked at very seriously, but the idea isn't without problems.

There is less overlap between police functions with the Sheriff's Office than one might assume. For one thing, since the police patrol the city, Heubusch said, they do their reports and interview subjects at the station; whereas, deputies typically do all of their interviews and paperwork in the field.  

The Sheriff's Office doesn't have enough space to share locker rooms, and separate locker rooms would make a shared briefing room less practical. The departments can't share storage because of the need to protect chain-of-custody on criminal evidence.

"It's possible with a lot more thought and investigation between the two units, you could increase the amount of shared space, but it's not built that way now," Brice said. "You might save some space by finding ways to share space, but you wind up renovating more."

The potential cost: $9.9 million to $10.6 million, but maybe more after further study.

For the full study, click here.

Authentically Local