Notre Dame High School will play host to the 2009 Meet the Candidates Night on Wednesday, Oct. 28, sponsored by the City of Batavia Democratic Committee.

It will be an informal night of discussion and an opportunity to get to know the candidates who are running for County Legislature and City Council. It will begin at 7 p.m. in the Cafeteria at Notre Dame School, located at 73 Union St. in Batavia.

“This a wonderful opportunity for the candidates to meet one-on-one with their neighbors and constituents concerning local issues," said City Democratic Chairman Patrick Burk in a press release. “It allows for dialogue and sharing.” 

The event will include coffee and refreshments and all city residents are invited to attend. 

City Council-at-Large Candidates Sara Burk-Balbi, Phil Ricci and Julie Wallace will be available along with Rose Mary Christian, Chris Charvella and Ed DeJaneiro, the County Legisilature candidates who represent the City of Batavia.

“We hope neighbors and friends and all city residents do stop in and let us know their ideas and concerns,” Burk said. “It is an open forum and everyone is invited to attend. It is our hope that our representatives on City Council and County Legislature will continue to look into and discuss issues as they are brought forward. Communication is the key.”
 

A host of local dignitaries and medical professionals gathered in the North Street parking lot today for a groundbreaking ceremony on a $20 million expansion of United Memorial Medical Center.

The project will add 44,000 square feet to the facility as a one-story addition to the front of the current structure. Operating room space will double from 300 square feet to 600 square feet. An additional 19 private recovery beds will be added to the hospital as well.
 

On the morning of March 6, 29-year-old Ryan Shumway reportedly threatened Batavia Police officers with a knife.

This morning, Shumway was sentenced to one-and-a-half to three years in prison for the crime. The sentence follows a guilty plea June 23 to menacing a police officer, a felony.

The incident began when two police officers responded to a domestic dispute on Dewey Avenue, where Shumway, of Stafford, threatened the officers with a knife. The officers ordered him repeatedly to drop the knife before he finally did.

It's Shumway's second strike. He has a prior felony conviction for grand larceny, stemming for an incident in 2005.

Shumway told Judge Robert Noonan that he would like to turn his life around.

"Well, sir, I've been in trouble before and everything (I've) done, I pled guilty," Shumway said. "I'm looking forward to geting this behind me and, hopefully, this will be behind me and I can start a new, good life."

Noonan wasn't without sympathy, but also wasn't about to cut him any slack (the sentence Noonan imposed was arrived at through a plea bargain).

Noonan said there were two version of the events of March 6, but even the one that Shumway's friends and supporters agree on indicate Shumway was drunk and waving a knife.

When liquor and weapons are involved, Noonan said, it can be a scary situation, "no matter how good of a person you are or how good you want to be."

"All I can say to you sir, is that if you want to stay out of trouble, you need to stay away form alcohol and drugs or you’re going to get in trouble," the judge said. "You’re just one of those people, that if you get involved with alcohol or drugs, you’re going to get in trouble."

Noonan then imposed the sentence and within minutes Shumway was escorted from the courtroom and into custody by a bailiff.

Herbly Wonderful, 3701 Pearl St., Batavia, NY: Winter teas, spices and fall colors for your home in stunning floral arrangements and seasonal wreaths are now available at Herbly Wonderful. We have a $25 gift certificate for $11.

South Main Country Gifts, 3356 Main St. Road, Batavia, NY: Handcrafted items, gifts with a regional flair, candles, teas and spices -- South Main has a wide selection to please most any interest. We have a $20 gift certificate for $9.

Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles, 8 Center St., Batavia, NY: Feel like a kid in a toy store again, or treat your kids to the greatest toy store they will ever see. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Belladessa's Pizzeria/Jackson St. Grill, 9 Jackson St., Batavia, NY: Here's a deal -- half off on a Family Meal Deal from Belladessa's, which is a large 1 topping pizza, 24 wings and 2-liter bottle of soda. It's a $25 value for $12.50.

South Main Country Gifts, 3356 Main St. Road, Batavia, NY: Handcrafted items, gifts with a regional flair, candles, teas and spices -- South Main has a wide selection to please most any interest. We have a $20 gift certificate for $9.

The Mane Attraction, 99 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: This luxurious spa and salon offers pedicures, manicures, hair styling and massage. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Main St. Pizza Company, 206 E. Main St., Batavia, NY: Pizza, wings, subs and even hamburgers and hot dogs, Main St. Pizza makes everything deliciously. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

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Tonight in the studios of WBTA, Dan Fisher and I interviewed four of the at-large candidates for Batavia City Council.  Even though these races are not head-to-head, we're breaking the interviews up into pairs of one Republican candidate sitting with one Democrat.

First up where Sara Burk-Balbi and Marianne Clattenburg, and then Frank Ferrando and Phil Ricci.

The interviews will air starting at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday). As soon as possible (it takes time to process the video), the video of the interviews will be posted on The Batavian. Ethan Thompson is producing the videos for us.

Meet Shirley, a black Labrador retriever/German shephard mix. This adult female is not only good looking, she's also a considered a loyal companion.

Shirley would love for you to visit. Come on down and see if she can be your buddy.

This handsome fellow is Moe. He's an adult, neutered male, dark gray and white, domestic short hair cat.

Moe is mellow. He's sitting in a box, but not "using" it, of course, for this portrait. He likes to hang out and "be in the moment," something a lot of people ought to do, too. If you'd like to live and let live with Moe, you know where to go.

Chamilia is a brand-new line of jewelry offered at Valle Jewelers in Batavia and it's creating some buzz among the clientele, says Maria Valle.

Fans of these beautiful baubles are booking private parties in the store so friends and family can ooh-and-aah at the many choices and, of course, add some to their own collection. The after-hours parties are for 15 or more guests -- and the hostess gets a special gift.

Think of Chamilia (as in chameleon) as a new kind of beaded charm bracelet - or necklace - available in sterling sliver, 14-K gold or a combination of them.

You choose the charms, either as symbolic of something special in your life or simply for color or style. Whatever you string together is sure to dazzle.

Making your own beaded jewelry is not new, of course, but Camilia has taken the idea to a new level of affordable sophistication and craftsmanship with a stunning selection of unique pieces.

Its creator, Killian Rieder, according to a brochure, was inspired to create a way for herself and all women to "hold onto friends, family memories and experiences in a meaningful way...every bracelet tells a story about the person wearing it."

Take Maria for example, who showed me the sterling silver pieces on her bracelet.

"This one is a little cake, because I like to bake cakes, this little baby shoe is because I'm a mom, these have my children's birthstones in them," she said.

It's exciting and fun to pore over the catalog and look at the jewelry in the display case. They are so detailed! Some have sparkling cubic zirconias. There are licensed Disney characters, too, like Nemo, Tinkerbell and A.A. Milne's classic Winnie-the-Pooh.

Genuine hand-blown Murano Glass from Murano, Italy, is featured in a kaleidoscopic array of bands. Some others are enameled or have colorful stones.

Here are just a few of the kinds of symbols offered: a camera, a gingerbread man, a ghost, vintage suitcase, puzzle piece, giraffe, tennis ball, football helmet, etc. There are ones that dangle, too.

Some beads aren't intended to be symbolic of anything, they're just pretty shapes and styles. There's also a variety of bead spacers, locks and connectors. In addition to bracelets and necklaces, there are drop chains (for making pendants) to choose from, and pink or gold leather.

Bracelets, which come in a variety chain lengths, start at $35, regardless of size. Bangle bracelets are also available. Silver charms start at $25.

If you'd like to get a group of friends together for a private, after-hours Chamilia party at Valle Jewelers (located at 21 Jackson St.) give them a call at 343-3372 or email at <valles@rochester.rr.com>. Hostesses get a gift!

Engine 12 and Ladder 15 barely left the station for a fire alarm at 375 W. Main St. before a Sheriff's deputy on scene reported that the cause of the alarm was burnt food.

Within two minutes of arriving on scene, Ladder 15 returned to station.

UPDATE 9:57 p.m.: Engine 12 returning to quarters.

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The resident at 135 Walnut Street didn't want to discuss tonight the background behind this sign, but she's in a dispute with the city after Walnut was resurfaced, the front edge of her lawn was raised two or three feet. She wants a level yard again. The sign reads "Fix My Yard Right! Make it Flat Again."

UPDATE: I ran into Jason Molino at an event this morning.  He said this is a home owner issue. "It's restored to what it was before," Molino said. "We worked with her to improve the property and she doesn't seem happy with it."  Sally Kuzon was with Molino and they asked me how he street looked. I said, "It looks great."  Kuzon smiled and said, "Will you put that in, too."  So, Sally, there you go.

Thirty one adults with mental illness, all currently residents of group homes in Darien and Pembroke, will soon have a chance to begin new lives of independence and a degree of self care.

They will be moving into the attractive new housing facility being built at 559 E. Main St., Batavia.

The new living arrangements are a result of new thinking in the treatment of mental illness: People can be cured, and their best chance at recovery is through independent living.

Living Opportunities of DePaul, in Erie County, is in charge of the $6.6 million project. It's one of several branches of DePaul in Rochester, a 51-year-old community service nonprofit for Western New York.

The project is expected to be finished early next year and will accommodate people whose primary diagnosis is mental illness and they are working to recover from it. They are not MICA -- mentally ill with a chemical addiction(s), said Marcia Dlutek, DePaul's vice president of communications and development.

In addition to the 31 "licensed beds," 11 more units are designated as affordable housing for low-income individuals.

Two aspects of this project are particularly notable: it will provide individually tailored assistance to mentally ill people living in their own apartments, versus communally in a group home; and it operates under the relatively new premise that mental illness is sometimes curable.

The approach is worlds apart from 20 years ago, when groups homes began to flourish in response to the downsizing or closure of many large mental health institutions nationwide. Advances in psychopharmacology and findings in behavioral science research have modified approaches to treatment as well.

"Other modes of community housing are deemed more appropriate for recovery for  people living in the mental health system," Dlutek said. "Clients want to live alone rather than in communal living areas.

"This is a new approach. It is person-centered, recovery-oriented -- a housing option that will truly benefit them."

They will have access to 24-hour staffing, medication, life-skills assistance with such tasks as meal planning and budgeting. Plus, the location was chosen because of its easy and convenient access to transportation, stores, businesses and social services.

"It's really going to provide integrated housing for mental health consumers," she said. "We're very excited about this project. It took a lot of collaborative effort to accomplish, between our organization, the (NY) Department of Mental Health, the city, the county and the Economic Development Center.

Located next to East Town Plaza, the 43,000-square-foot, two-story complex covers 5.7 acres of prime city property. As it nears completion, it's shaping up to be an inviting design with curb appeal and solid structure -- certainly a far cry from the drab, institutional-looking warrens historically built for the mentally ill.

(However, it also seems a somewhat "boutique" alternative given the cost for housing just 31 mentally ill people, out of the many eligible.)

Since nonprofits are not required to pay property taxes, the GCEDC worked out an agreement wherein DePaul will pay $12,000 a year in lieu what the city could get from commercial or residential development..

Funding for the housing center came primarily from the state Office of Mental Health and the Department of Housing, Community Renewal Division. The design work was done by Parrone Engineering of Rochester and Lecesse Construction Corp. in West Henrietta is the builder.

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WBTA and The Batavian will bring you a series of candidate forums over the next couple of days.

Starting tonight, Dan Fischer and I will host a series of Q&A sessions with the City Council candidates and the candidates for competitive County Legislature seats at the WBTA studios.

We will interview the candidates in pairs. 

These sessions are not debates, but rather an opportunity to have a discussion about the important issues in the city and the county.

Tonight and tomorrow night, we will interview the candidates and the interviews will be broadcast unedited tomorrow and Friday. We've also hired Ethan Thompson to videotape the interviews, and the video will be available on The Batavian as soon as the tapes are properly processed for downloading on the web (as always, via YouTube).

Here's the schedule of interviews:

Wednesday, Oct. 14:
7:00 p.m.: Sara Burk-Balbi and Marianne Clattenburg
8:00 p.m: Frank Ferrando and Phil Ricci
These two interviews will air on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. on WBTA.
 
Thursday, Oct. 15:
7:00 p.m.: Julie Wallace and Tim Buckley
7:30 p.m.: Chris Charvella and Hollis Upson
8:00 p.m.: Rose Mary Christian and Robert Radley
These three interviews will air on Friday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. on WBTA.

If there are questions you think I should ask, please submit them in comments below.

Trucks weighing more than five tons are supposed to drive down Law Street, but according to City Councilman Frank Ferrando, over the past eight years complaints from Law Street residents have continued, and he's skeptical that enough is being done to correct the situation.

It's time to get tough, he said at the end of last night's council meeting.

"If there are police there and there is an overweight vehicle, my feeling is, that overweight vehicle ought to be ticketed. Period," Ferrando said. "It ought to be ticketed and ticketed until word gets around that you better stay off the street or you’re going to get a ticket."

According to Chief of Police Randy Baker, however, that's the job his department has been doing.

"There have been numerous special details and zone cars assigned to the area," Baker said in an email this morning. "Several tickets have been issued."

Clor's Meat Market, 4169 W. Main St. Road, Batavia, NY: For the best, most flavorful, juiciest chicken or hamburger in town, hands down, stop by Clor's. Oh, and the steaks are great, too. And the sausage. Clor's also serves lunch and dinners from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. We have a $15 gift card for $7.50.

Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center, 3646 W. Main St. Road, Batavia, NY: Fall colors are here, and with Pudgie's you an cozy-fy your home with a range of decoration ideas. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, NY: To me, Delavan's is one of those restaurants where you want to eat frequently until you try everything on the menu. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, NY: Authentic Southern BBQ, from ribs to brisket with all the fixin's. We have a $25 gift card for $12.50.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, NY: People come from all over the region for a fine dining experience at Alex's. It's best known for its ribs, of course, but Alex's seafood is also a favorite of the restaurant's diners. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

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Those who pay close attention to the arrest reports on The Batavian will recognize the name Nicholas Jacob Ridge Adkins, 18, of 6954 Swamp Road, Byron.

Adkins has made two previous appearances in our crime reports. First in July when he was accused of burglary for entering a neighbor's house and allegedly stealing stuff, and again in August when he was arrested along with four other young men and charged with criminal mischief for allegedly causing $3,500 in damage to a rental property.

He was scheduled to appear in court today for a sentencing.  I don't know what happened in court. I couldn't make it because of prior appointments.

I do know that Adkins was arrested again last night for allegedly taking the vehicle of another person without permission.

Adkins was arrested by Investigator Weis and Sgt. Brian Frieday. No further details of the case are available.

Is consolidation a dead issue?

City Council President Charlie Mallow thinks so.

He thinks so after, for a second time, the council tabled "indefiniately" a resolution to hold a public hearing on a proposed joint charter review commission.

“It’s a political maneuver to kill something permanently without actually going on the record and voting against it," Mallow said after the meeting. "We’ve had things in the past, you know, we’ve had all this controversy about that slumlord act that was tabled indefinitely. It’s killed. It means you voted against it but you don’t want the public to recognize it. That’s what happened here tonight.”

The resolution, while moving forward the idea of consolidation of the city and town of Batavia, would hardly have committed either community to joining forces in a single municipal body. It would have simply allowed a joint committee to come up with a plan of what a consolidated Batavia might look like as a legal entity.

It was clear from the motion of of Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian that at least some of the council members who voted to table the motion did so as a maneuver to block further consolidation talk.

"I have a problem with it simply because once it takes effect, there’s no turning back," Christian said. "The fact is that consolidation is good, but, I don’t see why we can’t have shared services. We can share facilities. We can share equipment. Why do we need consolidation?"

Councilwoman Kathy Briggs said after the meeting, however, that most of the council was focused on language in the resolution that would have had the city council president sitting on the committee, and many council members think that job should go to the new council president, whomever that might be, once Mallow is out of office and a new council is seated among a group of people who would appoint committee members. They want the new council president, whomever that might be, be part of that process.

City Manager Jason Molino told the council that Town of Batavia officials are interested in revising the resolution anyway to clarify some of the language and add a little more substance.

"They want to add more specifics on the parameters of what committee with do," Molino said.

Councilman Frank Ferrando didn't sound hopeful that consolidation would move forward.

“I hope that there’s support, because that’s an important move that this community has to make," Ferrando said. "Right now, it’s hard to read."

It was Ferrando who requested the resolution be placed back on the council agenda after it was tabled two business meetings ago.

"When you table something, you don’t table it into perpetuity. It has to come back again," Ferrando said. "I haven’t heard a good reason yet as to why we’re not moving forward."

Ferrando indicated that he'll take the next opportunity -- the next conference meeting -- to get the issue before the council again.

Councilman Bob Bialkowski raised the first procedural question after Ferrando finished speaking. He seemed to think that tabling it previously killed it. City Attorney George Van Nest said there was no procedural reason -- nothing in Roberts Rules of Order or prior council practice -- to prevent the council from taking action on the resolution.

Councilman Bill Cox also raised procedural objections.

Mallow was having none of it and accused his fellow council members of being cowards for not taking a yes or no vote on the resolution.  He said killing consolidation without a vote was a waste of state taxpayers money (a state grant paid for the consolidation study) and that council members owed it to citizens to give them at least a chance to discuss the idea.

"If you don’t want this, vote against it," Mallow said. "Vote against it. We owe that at least to the members of the public, but you don’t even want to give the members of the public and the people in this city the right to even talk about this issue?  That’s stealing the state’s money. That’s stealing taxpayers money. Let them talk about it. Let them come up with a proposal.

"Fear of change," Mallow added. "We all have little seats here on council. Maybe they don’t like us. Maybe they don’t like the idea that we have a city council. Maybe they’ll change it. Maybe they’ll give us a mayor. Who knows what they’ll do? That's the fear. That’s the fear of the unknown."

Christian's motion to table, passed 6-3, with only Mallow, Ferrando and Councilwoman Marianne Clattenburg voting to keep the issue alive.

I'm sure you've heard the joke that in Western New York there are only two seasons - winter and construction. Around this time of year, the road work wraps up and we are able to enjoy the results of our paid taxes. Unfortunately, not all taxpayers are pleased.

This was the first topic of discussion at the LeRoy Town Board meeting Thursday night. Randall Road resident Paul Mooney brought attention to concerns he had about the work done in his and his neighbors' front yards.

"They did the water project out there much to the dissatisfaction of almost all of the folks on that short strip," he complained.

"I think my driveway is the biggest problem that I have. Installing the pipe along the road required that the construction company dig up a good portion of residents' lawns and driveways to complete the project. When they finished, the way they repaired the lawns and driveways were not up to everyone's standards.

Mooney was left asking, "...where do we go from here?" The board assured him that they would have the work reviewed again, but other residents have taken repairs into their own hands. Another Randall Road resident spent over $1,000 of her own money to have her damaged driveway repaired to its pre-construction condition.

While the building process was a temporary nuisance, the scars are here to stay. The driveways show apparent damage that no homeowner wouldn't appreciate. When does improvement become damage? 

This driveway shows a wide strip that was taken out along with a concrete patch placed there to repair damage. There are no plans to bring the property back to its original state.

NOTE: Randall Road is a county road and the construction was carried out with the Genesee County Highway Department, not the Town of LeRoy Highway Department.

Barbara Hale, executive director of the YWCA, receives a City Council Resolution from Councilwoman Marianne Clattenburg. Hale and the YWCA were honored for the Y's work on behalf of victims of domestic violence. The Y's program has been in place for 15 years and is the only local provider of domestic violence services such as counseling and advocacy.

Well, I guess we could all see this coming, and within the past couple of months it seemed pretty inevitable as work crews stripped the building of pretty much all equipment and furniture, but the former Mother's Chicken-N-Fish location is for sale.

It's too bad. At one time, it was a great place to eat.