Harvester 56 Theater, 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia

The mission of Batavia Players Inc. is to bring affordable theater to the community by making theater accessible to everyone with a variety of quality productions, to enhance artistic growth of participants and encourage audiences to think, feel and develop an appreciation for theater.

Jiggetts was arrested on Tuesday (Sept. 24) and arraigned at 10 a.m. in Town of Batavia Court following an investigation into allegations that she intentionally struck a 5-year-old with an object, causing injury to the child.

The incident allegedly took place on Thomas Avenue at noon on June 30.

The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Investigator Howard Carlson.

Subsequently, at 10:15 a.m. yesterday she was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court on the other count of second-degree assault.

That case stems from an investigation into an incident on Sept. 21 at the Batavia Meadows apartment complex in which Jiggetts allegedly intentionally struck a 3-year-old with an object, causing injury to the child.

She is due back in Batavia Town Court on Oct. 21.

The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Investigator Howard Carlson, assisted by Investigator/Youth Officer Timothy Westcott.

Press release:

The "All Weather Gang" founded by Batavians -- the late John Hodgins and Don Grieger -- originally known as "The Group of Two"
has grown to 12 members.

For nearly 40 years the AWG has wandered the back roads of Western New York, painting the unnoticed, the ignored and the unappreciated.

Their show titled, "CAUTION! -- Men Working -- paintings by the All Weather Gang," will be held at the Richmond Memorial Library during the month of October.

A reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7.

Batavian Kevin Feary and former Batavian Bill Mancuso are also "Gang" members participating in the show. A book entitled "The All Weather Gang" written by Mancuso is in the library's collection.

The library is located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.

By Samantha Stryker, Community & Adult Services Librarian

The fall series of Books Sandwiched In will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at Richmond Memorial Library and will run each Wednesday through Oct. 30.

All sessions begin at 12:10 and run until 1 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch; coffee and cookies will be served.

You do not need to read the book to attend these sessions! A gift card to a local lunch establishment will be given at each session as a door prize!

A longstanding program at the library, Books Sandwiched In invites community members to share reviews of books, often works of nonfiction. As always, this fall’s series will present a wide array of topics from presenters with a variety of backgrounds. 

First up on Oct. 2, Millie Tomidy-Pepper will present Melinda Gates’ "The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World" (2019). Tomidy-Pepper is the executive director of the YWCA of Genesee County and was previously the executive director for the Mental Health Association in Genesee County.

Gates’ debut work rests on the theory that, “if you want to lift a society up, invest in women,” and has been called “a timely and necessary call to action for women's empowerment.”

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Scott Herring will discuss "The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West" by David McCullough (2019). A native of Otego, Herring worked with the Farm Credit System throughout the Northeast until his retirement in 2015.

The newest book from popular historian McCullough uses the experience of five pioneers to explore the settlement of the Northwest Territories of the United States.

Greg Van Dussen, Ph.D., will join us on Wednesday, Oct. 6 to review "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World" by Cal Newport (2019). Van Dussen is a resident of Batavia and an adjunct professor at Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, having also retired from the United Methodist Church as a pastor.

In Digital Minimalism, Newport applies the theory of minimalism (“the art of knowing how much is just enough”) to our use of technology. Van Dussen says that Newport “sees clearly the price our society is paying for constant connectedness and offers a workable plan for using technology wisely.”

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Peggy Grayson will examine Jeff Dondero’s "Throwaway Nation: The Ugly Truth about American Garbage" (2019). A resident of Stafford, Grayson is the recycling administrator for GLOW Region Solid Waste Management Committee.

This book examines the problem of waste in the United States, examining the environmental impact and “not just how we got here and where we're headed, but ways in which we might be able to curb the tide.”

Lastly, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, Jim Lewis will present "More Deadly Than the Male: Masterpieces from the Queens of Horror" (2019), our only fiction selection for this series.

Edited by Graeme Davis, this anthology of classic and “unexpected” horror stories includes tales from authors such as Louisa May Alcott and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

A Navy veteran and retired Batavia City Schools Social Studies teacher, Lewis is active in the community with organizations such as the Friends of Richmond Memorial Library and the Batavia Players.

For more information about the Books Sandwiched In titles and presenters, visit our website at batavialibary.org/events. 

For more information about these or other events, visit us online at batavialibrary.org, at the library, or call the library at 585-343-9550.

Richmond Memorial Library, located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia, continually provides access to physical and virtual resources and services that meet the educational, informational and recreational needs of its diverse community in a safe and comfortable environment.

Todd Jantzi took these photos this morning at the corner of Pike Road and Beaver Road in Alexander.

Editor's Note: This post was updated Sept. 26 to include more information about Genesee County, see below ***.

From the NYS Association of Counties:

Across New York State, local governments are enacting local laws, adopting energy-saving initiatives, taking steps toward climate resiliency, and collaborating to develop programs for supporting more resilient communities.

“As we celebrate Climate Week, it must be noted counties across New York are investing in hundreds of initiatives to combat climate change and promote more climate resilient communities,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

Through state programs such as Climate Smart Communities and Clean Energy Communities, counties are acting to both mitigate their environmental impact and save taxpayer dollars in the process.

Counties will also be key partners with the state in meeting the goals established by the recently-enacted New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This legislation set the most aggressive greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction goals of any major economy and will put New York State on a path to carbon neutrality.

“Our county leaders are in a unique position to work with state, federal, and local agencies on environmental issues, and to develop partnerships to mitigate and prepare for the impact of climate change on our communities,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario. “During this Climate Week, we are highlighting the programs underway in our communities.”

________________________________

***Genesee County received a Smart Growth grant from the NYS Department of State for climate resiliency planning: 

When the grant was announced last September, Genesee County Legislature Chairman Robert Bausch said, "The Smart Growth grant program has provided some of our State's most vulnerable counties with the resources they need to ensure they are prepared for the next severe weather event.

"We can never be sure when the next disastrous storm will hit. With this funding to build more resilient communities and fight against the devastating effects, Governor Cuomo is creating a more sustainable New York for all."

Genesee County was among five Upstate counties chosen to divvy up a total of $1 million to develop resiliency plans and identify projects while incorporating the principles of smart, sustainable growth and development.

The plans funded through the grant will address:

• An increase in frequency and severity of storm and precipitation events;
• Sea-level rise;
• Storm surge;
• Coastal and riverine flooding;
• Drought; and
• Debris and ice jams.

For the first phase, they mapped the whole county and worked closely with four municipalities (see below). Now, for Phase 2, they're hoping to work with as many communities as possible.

The person overseeing the local Smart Growth planning and projects is county Planning Director Felipe Oltramari (Felipe.Oltramari@co.genesee.ny.us).

The Green Geneese/Smart Genesee plan is available online here.

________________________________

 To learn more about the climate actions counties have undertaken, check out the NYS Energy Research & Development Authority's Clean Energy Communities map here.

Village of Bergen (2010 Census population: 1,176)

Clean Energy Community -- designated

• 4 High Impact Areas Completed: Unified Solar Permit; LED Street Lights; Energy Code Enforcement Training; Benchmarking.

Town of Batavia -- (2010 Census population: 6,809)

Village of Corfu (2010 Census population: 709)

Clean Energy Community -- participating

• 1 High Impact Action Completed: Energy Code Enforcement Training

Town of Pembroke (2010 Census population: 4,292)

Clean Energy Community -- participating

• 1 High Impact Action Completed: Energy Code Enforcement Training

Above, an employee of Bonduelle Americas in Bergen was among 10 who volunteered to pick up trash along village streets and parks on Friday.

BERGEN – The Village of Bergen and employees from Bonduelle Americas joined to celebrate World Cleanup Day on Friday.

Bonduelle’s plant manager Bob Frantangelo offered a crew of 10 employees to pick up trash along village streets and in parks.

“Cortney and I met this wonderful and motivated group as they worked along Route 19 in the village,” said Mayor Anna Marie Barclay, referring to village administrator Cortney Gale. “They did an amazing job and we greatly appreciate their efforts in the village.”

World Cleanup Day was observed Sept. 21 by people in 150 countries who stood up against the global trash problem and cleaned up waste, making it the biggest positive civic action the world has seen, Barclay said. 

The initiator of World Cleanup Day is the Let’s Do it Foundation, a global civic movement with a mission to connect and empower people and organizations around the world for a clean planet. Already, 17 million caring people have joined the movement.

Bonduelle enjoys contributing to the protection of our natural resources and environment, locally and globally, Frantangelo said.

“This was and is a worldwide initiative that all Bonduelle locations participate in annually,” he said. “We did all of Main Street and the adjacent parks. It looked pretty nice as it was, but we still found some trash, as you can see. Our village always looks great.”

Below, eight of the 10 employees from Bonduelle Americas at the entrance to Bergen’s Disc Golf Course with bags of trash they picked up on World Cleanup Day.

Submitted photos.

A car is on fire and flames are shooting out from under the hood after a car vs. deer accident in Byron. The location is 6609 Byron Road, between Warboys and Tower Hill roads. Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding.

UPDATE 8:55 p.m.: Elba Fire Department is called to the scene for mutual aid. Route 237 is to be shut down at Tower Hill and Warboys roads.

Pembroke Intermediate School in Corfu is promoting community and wellness this week with a program called “Start with Hello."

On Tuesday morning students were greeted by police and firemen saying hello and handing out apples. The event today is part of a weeklong effort to promote emotional wellness at the school.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating the strange case of bags full of dead animals being left in a cornfield near the intersection of Merriman Road and Cook Road in the Town of Byron.

With little information to go on, the Sheriff's Office is asking the public's assistance to help investigators determine where the animals came from and why the remains wound up where they did.

Deputies responded Friday after receiving a call about the garbage bags in the field. Deputies located several bags filled with dead animals, including pigs, two small calves, along with other animals.

It's not clear how the animals died.

Animal Control officers along with investigators from Lollypop Farm Humane Society in Monroe County and Orleans County Dog Control are assisting in the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

City Council members on Monday night took a defensive stance after a resident inquired into why his trash pickup schedule had been changed.

John Roach, speaking during the public comments portion of the Conference Meeting at City Hall, said his trash day was moved from Wednesday to Monday and when he asked the (Waste Management) driver, he was told that the change came from City officials.

“Whose idea was it to mandate (change)?” Roach asked. “Did City Council direct anybody to do this? What did they mean by required or made to do it?”

Since he was the only speaker from the public, Council’s response came quickly.

“Since we privatized garbage pickup, people complain that there is trash pickup every day of the week,” John Canale said. “We charged the city manager (Martin Moore to look into it) so we don’t have garbage picked up every day.”

After Council President Eugene Jankowski noted that this issue was discussed at a public meeting, Moore provided additional details.

“We were approached with concerns that several streets had pickups four to five days a week,” he said. “The public works director and I sat down (to see) what schedules can help reduce that down to a couple days per week.

Moore said his communication with the four trash companies was positive with three of them indicating that something could be worked out.

He said that Waste Management stated they “will handle it with their customers, and hopefully other companies will be contacting their customers. The closer we get to one or two days a week on each street, the better off we’ll be.”

Jankowski said that the people on the trucks may not be aware of what their company has done.

“At this point, the complaining will continue and we’ll address them as we can,” he said. “We’d rather not have to make an ordinance … let them (trash collection businesses) manage themselves.”

Following the meeting, Roach seemed to be taken aback by the abrupt response, telling this reporter that he wasn’t really complaining but was looking for an explanation.

Business Insurance (0:30) from Tompkins Insurance on Vimeo.

From 4 to 9 p.m. today -- Tuesday, Sept. 24 -- 30 percent of all dinner sale proceeds at Miss Batavia Diner will be given to the Alzheimer's Association of Western New York.

The diner is located 566 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia.

"Easy as pie! You get to enjoy a delightful dinner without all the cleanup and the money supports Alzheimer's education programs, support services, and other resources for care partners and those living with dementia," say the hosts Danielle and Lance Engels.

Join regional lawmakers for a legislative session review from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1st, inside the Stuart Steiner Theatre at Genesee Community College, 1 College Road, Batavia.

This event is sponsored by The Genesee Chamber, The Orleans Chamber and Genesee County S.C.O.P.E. (Shooters Committee on Political Education).

It is free and open to the public.

This is an opportunity for local people to ask questions about a variety of topics that may include:

• Second Amendment/ Red Flag Law
• Farm Labor Bill
• Marijuana Legalization
• Criminal Justice Reforms
• DREAM Act

Elected representatives on hand to answer questions:

• Assemblyman Steve Hawley
• Assemblyman David DiPietro
• Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes
• Assemblyman Mike Norris
• Senator Patrick Gallivan
• Senator Robert Ortt
• Senator Michael Ranzenhofer

The Batavia Blue Devils Football Team invites the entire community to Recognition Night on Friday at the new Daniel A. Van Detta Stadium to honor first responders and the military.

Game time is 7 p.m. -- Batavia High School vs. Geneva.

"All men and women in uniform past, present and future" will be honored -- the military, law enforcement, firefighters and medics.

They will get free admission with ID, plus a free hot dog and drink.

Admission otherwise is $2 for adults; seniors 62 and older free; children 11 and under free; and $1 for students in grades seven through 12.

"We will have a color guard carrying flags of all branches of the military and a bugler will be playing Taps," says Sharon Briggs.

The admission gate at Van Detta Stadium is located at 198 Richmond Ave. in the City of Batavia.

An alarm of fire at the Islands Hawaiian Grill at 11:55 p.m., Monday night, turned out to be a real fire.

Fire Chief Stefano Napolitano says fire crews arrived on scene at 11:58 p.m. to finda working fire in the kitchen of the restaurant, which is located at 60 Main St., Batavia.

The restaurant opened about a month ago.

The sprinkler system had been activated by the time crews arrived. That helped contain the fire, Napolitano said. Crews attacked the fire and it was contained to the kitchen area but the restaurant experienced smoke and water damage.

The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation. 

City fire was assisted by Batavia PD, DPW, and Emergency Dispatch.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m.: Cait Kunichika, who operates the restaurant with her partner, Kourtney, said they anticipate being able to reopen by this weekend. They are waiting to speak with their insurance company. Cait said it was a small kitchen fire and the sprinkler system helped contain it. The restaurant was closed when the blaze began and investigators don't know the cause yet, she said.

One of the secrets to identifying a good business opportunity is to figure out what nobody else is doing and start doing it.

Scott Wakefield loves things with two wheels and motors and getting on those bikes and going to interesting places. He noticed a lot of other people like doing the same thing but nobody was really helping them learn more about the local motorcycle culture so he decided to start his own magazine.

Four issues into the enterprise, it looks like he's found a niche.

"The motorcycle culture, I think is kind of tight-knit but you've got all these disparate groups," Wakefield said. "There are sportbikes, you've got the cruisers, you've got the restoration folks and vintage folks, and I think they may get along really well but there's no direct communication. Buffalo has a magazine but Rochester didn't..."

The idea of Motoclectic Magazine was just a dream until Wakefield met Dan Hosek -- a designer, artist, and comic book creator -- at the Richmond Memorial Library when Hosek gave a talk publishing comics.

One of the biggest pieces of advice Wakefield said he got when planning his magazine was to find a graphic designer. Even though Hosek had little prior experience with motorcycles, he got excited about designing a new magazine from blank page to finished product.

"I'm starting to get more into it but as someone from the outside, I kind of wanted to make a magazine that also I thought would appeal to any person who picked it up," Hosek said. "So, like in the first issue, we had a story that was more of a history piece about the Dansville Castle, the Jackson Sanatorium; adding stuff like that so that someone could pick it up, a wife or husband who isn't a rider but they could look at it and see it's a cool story."

The magazine, published from offices in the Harvester Center, is intended to break the mold of typical motorcycle magazines that emphasize machinery and feature plenty of photos of scantily clad women.

It's about motorcycle culture not motorcycles, as Wakefield and Hosek describe it; what you can do with a bike, like take long rides, go out and meet good people and see interesting things.

"I say the motorcycle culture because it's not just about motorcycles, it's about anything that goes along with it -- rides, destinations, bikes, new bike, gear, accessories, and just the camaraderie that comes with motorcycles," Wakefield said.

The magazine's coverage area starts in Batavia and spreads eastward into Monroe and Livingston counties, and if successful, Wakefield and Hosek hope to expand as far east as Albany.

They leave Batavia heading westward to Buffalo to an already established motorcycle magazine, Hardtails, whose publisher helped advise Wakefield on his startup.

Wakefield said there is a whole culture of motorcycle enthusiasts who often get overlooked, if not overshadowed; people who just love a wide variety of machines on two wheels (and sometimes, even three wheels). They don't just ride Harleys and wear leather vests. They love their BMWs or Suzukis and they show up at rallies and venues that welcome recreational riders. And in most places, the wide spectrum of riders, including those on hogs, are one big family.

"The motosocials in the Rochester area is a community that is very welcoming," Hosek said. "Everyone at those motosocials, like the Harley guys and or on any other sort of bike, they'll be there and just be talking with each other about their bikes. It's pretty cool."

Wakefield agreed, observing that in Rochester motorcycle culture everybody just gets along, so he figured he could create a magazine with a cross-brand appeal.

"I think Rochester, for some reason, has that culture that's pretty well like 'hey, we're all on two wheels, let's get along.' "

To help tap into that wide range of tastes, Hosek said he knew he needed to create a design that was simple and communicated distinction and sophistication -- after all, people who love motorcycles are people with good taste.

"We basically wanted to keep it as clean as possible because it's about motorcycles but we didn't want it to scream 'biker magazine,' " Hosek said. "We wanted something that had motorcycles but didn't feel like a biker magazine. We wanted a lot of white space, leaving it clean."

A less cluttered look actually makes the pictures of motorbikes appear more like artwork rather than garage wall posters, giving the designs of gorgeous bikes room to breathe.

"If I said, 'design a motorcycle event poster for me,' you know, it's probably going to be black and orange and silver, and it's going to have flames and skulls and either a woman or an outline of a woman," Wakefield said. "That's what they look like always. We don't want that. We want what we do to be family-friendly."

In an era of social media and dying newspapers, it might seem counterintuitive for two young guys to start a print publication, but Hosek said putting out a magazine that looks like something substantial is really tapping into another impulse of people who grew up on digital media -- they want to hold something substantial. That's why Target, for example, has started selling vinyl records again.

"People have been approaching us because they want all the issues -- like they think of it as something that is collectible, like they want to keep it stored somewhere, which is cool," Hosek said.

You can view a digital copy of the first issue by clicking here. Locally, one place the print edition is available is at The YNGodess Shop on Main Street in Batavia.

Batavia City Manager Martin Moore’s recommendation to City Council to allocate $175,000 into the Facility Reserve fund tonight has put the municipality’s intention to construct a new police station back into the public eye.

Moore, reporting at Council’s Business Meeting at City Hall, presented his proposal on where to distribute $1.3 million in unassigned fund balance, targeting eight different general reserve funds – Police Equipment, Fire Equipment, Public Works, Sidewalk, Compensated Absences, Parking Lot, Administrative and Facility.

Calling the practice of funding reserves “a critical part of sound financial and project planning,” Moore centered his reasoning on a simple premise – “the more money we have on hand, the less we have to borrow.”

In the case of the Facility Reserve fund, he called for $175,000 to be added to the current balance of $123,400 in anticipation of a new police facility at a cost of $6 to $8 million, to be paid for with a mix of reserves and municipal bonding.

“There are a number of steps involved … expenses leading up to construction,” he said.

Following the meeting, City Council President Eugene Jankowski was asked to provide an update on the status of the new police station. While not identifying the property specifically, he said Council is looking a parcel in the center of the City that already is owned by the City.

A reliable source indicated that the property is the city-owned parking lot bordering Alva Place and Bank Street, the current site of the Downtown Batavia Public Market.

Back in June 2015, the parking lot was the second choice of a task force of several City residents charged with exploring sites for the new police station; a privately owned parcel at 35 Swan St. was the first choice. Task force members, at the time, said that businesses in the vicinity of the Alva Place lot opposed the idea of putting police headquarters there.

Jankowski said Council is "working to make sure that property is going to fit our needs and not affect other properties in the area, so we’re doing a study on that – an internal study."

He added that the City’s debt situation is a major factor in the timeline.

“We’ve done research on our debt and we know that a lot of our debt is going to come free – we’re going to be paying off the City Hall, we’re going to be paying off the stadium, Muckdogs (Dwyer) Stadium,” he said.

“All those things are going to be off debt and that will allow us now to take on the new debt of the police department. So, as debt comes off, the police department will go on, and we’ll have pretty much an even balance. We’re not going to borrow more money while we still owe money.”

Jankowski said the process will take about two years.

“About that time when we’re able to borrow that money, we’ll be ready to go, (and) we can start that construction,” he said. “It’s going to take another 18 months to actually build the building, so we’re talking a minimum of maybe two to two and a half years from today before we start seeing an actual building in place – hopefully.”

He said he didn’t want to disclose the site because “it would probably get people concerned that don’t need to be because we don’t know if we’re even going to do that yet. But we have a good idea where we’d like to build.”

In the meantime, Moore said that part of the Facility Reserve money would be used to repair heating, wiring, plumbing and structural work at the current police station in the old City Hall to keep the current building usable for the next five years.

“We’re planning for the worse-case scenario,” Moore said.

Summarizing his recommendations for the other reserve funds:

-- Police Equipment: Add $20,000 to the balance of $12,761 for aid in the purchase and equipping of an armored vehicle for the emergency response team (to replace its current non-armored vehicle).

-- Fire Equipment: Add $35,000 to the balance of $190,180 to support the department’s fire apparatus replacement plan (which can cost up to $1 million).

-- Public Works: Add $220,000 to the balance of $194,013 to fund a $300,000 purchase for a heavy-duty snowplow and pickup truck with a plow and spreader.

-- Sidewalk: Add $50,000 to the balance of $1,869 to facilitate replacement of more than 500 linear feet of broken sidewalk during the 2020-21 fiscal year. Moore said City crews installed 24,000 feet of sidewalk this past year.

-- Compensated Absences: Add $400,000 to the balance of $18,567 due to an expected cost of $306,000 to compensate a large number of planned retirements this fiscal year and five more who become eligible through 2023.

-- Parking Lot: Add $100,000 to the balance of $46,721.97 as the City plans to spend $135,000 on parking lot improvements from 2020-22.

-- Administrative: Add $300,000 to the balance of $4,136 to address upgrades of the City’s information technology, telephone system, computer network distribution system and cyber security needs as well as management of the City’s software conversion and repayment of a short-term bond anticipation note (BAN).

Moore also said the City plans to increase its Workers’ Compensation self-insurance fund, with a goal of in excess of $1 million due to a deductible of $750,000 per incident.

City Council agreed to move Moore’s proposal to its Business Meeting on Oct. 15, where a vote on the resolution is expected.

The board also advanced to the Business Meeting the following resolutions:

-- Acceptance of a pair of grants to the fire department – one for $4,762 to purchase outside noise-cancelling wireless communication headsets and the other for $3,200 to support the child safety seat program.

-- Permanently keeping four 400-watt light fixtures, at an annual cost of $700, on Central Avenue, Watson Avenue and State Street – lights that originally were rated at 100 watts. DPW Director Matt Worth said that National Grid requires City Council action to make this happen, noting that the wattage was increased to deter criminal activity and with the safety of officers in mind.

-- Authorizing an easement for Charter/Time Warner to install underground communication cable in the Court Street parking lot, along the property line of businesses on Main Street that currently do not have high-speed communication access.

-- Amending the zoning code to include self-storage facilities in I-1 and I-2 zones and setting a public hearing for Nov. 12. This became an issue about eight months ago when Peter Yasses (54 Cedar St. LLC) requested to erect a self-storage business on Cedar Street, across from the DeWitt Recreation Area.

The City Planning & Development Committee and Genesee County Planning Department reviewed the request and recommend permitting public storage units/building in the Industrial zones with the issuance of a special use permit.

-- Authorization of a lease agreement with Batavia Players theatrical troupe for three parcels at the City Centre, an agreement that calls for the nonprofit organization to pay rent on a scale ranging from $1 per square foot to $4 per square foot over the life of the (renewable) five-year contract.

Batavia Players is looking to lease 11,000 square feet downtown, fulfilling plans outlined in the City’s 2012 Community Improvement Plan and 2017 Comprehensive Plan and, more recently, as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative award.

Council Member Robert Bialkowski said that the City would receive $187,884 in rent over the five years, but would lose $77,364 in mall merchant fees that would be passed on to taxpayers. The net amount coming into City coffers would be $110,520.

The lease calls for Batavia Players to pay for any improvements and utility bills and to purchase liability insurance.

Jankowski said he understood Bialkowski’s concerns over the loss of mall merchant fees but was in favor of the deal.

“As long as we are breaking above even,” he said. “In five years, we can always re-evaluate it.”

Council Member John Canale said he heard that Batavia Players may be interested in buying the property, a move that would be welcomed by City Council.

Photo at top: Council Member Robert Bialkowski reads a proclamation for Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 6-12) as members of the City Fire Department look on. Chief Stefano Napolitano, in white shirt at left, said he is "blessed to have an amazing group of people" in the department and thanked the City water, police, and building codes employees for the work they do in supporting the firefighters. Photo by Mike Pettinella.