Postal workers Dominic Iacuzza, Mitchell Muskopf, and Chris Holley, in front of food donations gathered by mail carriers on Saturday as part of a postal-worker-initiated food drive that encouraged postal customers to leave bags of food for carriers to pick up. Photo by Howard Owens.
On Saturday, postal carriers in Batavia -- as part of a national campaign -- collected food donations from postal customers. Folks on carriers' routes were asked to leave food in bags for pickup.
Brandon Snyder, who organized the drive locally, said that as of 2 p.m., 1,136 pounds of food were donated to Care-a-Van and another 1,435 points to the Salvation Army, with other local charities expected to pick up donations.
Ava Davids decorating an egg in a Ukrainian style called pysanky at GO ART! on Saturday. Photo by Howard Owens.
GO ART! today hosted the first of a two-part class on Ukrainian egg decorating, or pysanky. Pysankar master artist Irene Grassman is leading the class as part of GO ART!'s Explore Art! program.
GO ART! staff member Jodi Fisher with her decorated egg. Photo by Howard Owens
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, voted in favor of H.R. 1163, the Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act. This bill provides states with incentives to investigate and recover fraudulent unemployment insurance payments while working to fight and prevent future fraud.
Tenney was an original cosponsor of this legislation and supported its passage in the House Ways and Means Committee when it was considered earlier this year. The bill passed the House by a vote of 230-200. Tenney spoke on the House floor in support of this legislation earlier today. You can watch her remarks here.
Tenney has led the charge to hold New York accountable for its pandemic-era fraud, waste, and abuse. After a report by the New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found rampant Unemployment Insurance fraud totaling $11 billion, Tenney sent a letter to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli expressing concerns over his office’s decision to delay key findings related to the audit until after New York’s 2022 gubernatorial election between Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin.
“The total cost of improper unemployment insurance payments across our country has reached at least $191 billion, with some experts estimating it as high as $400 billion,” said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. “New York alone accounts for $11 billion in fraudulent charges. Countless constituents contacted my office to notify us of receiving unemployment forms they hadn’t requested and dealing with the ramifications of having their identity stolen to obtain fraudulent funds. The Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act moves us one important step closer to recovering lost taxpayer dollars, holding fraudsters accountable, and putting in place a system to protect against future fraud.”
Specifically, the Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act:
Allows states to retain 25% of recovered fraudulent federal funds.
Allows states to use recovery funds to improve UI program integrity and fraud prevention.
Allows states to retain five percent of state UI overpayments recovered upon meeting data matching integrity conditions and dedicating such funds to preventing future fraud.
Extends the statute of limitations for criminal charges or civil actions for prosecuting fraud from five to ten years.
A 62-year-old Batavia man has been arrested by the Sheriff's Office, accused of an ongoing series of sex offenses against a child.
Alvin Ezra Way, of West Main Street, is charged with six counts of predatory sexual abuse against a child, six counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree, and course of sexual conduct against a child.
In New York's penal code, predatory sexual abuse against a child is a Class A-II felony and accused the defendant of being older than 18 years old, and the victim is younger than 13 years old.
If convicted, Way faces 10 to 25 years in prison.
The alleged incidents occurred over multiple years at a residence in the Town of Batavia.
Way was arraigned in the Central Arraignment Court on Friday and ordered held in custody.
LandPro Equipment hosts a ribbon-cutting and grand opening on Friday morning at its new location on West Saile Drive in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens.
Of the dozens of people milling about a spit-polished brand new LandPro Equipment site on West Saile Drive Friday morning, not many could compete with the diehard dedication of John Deere collector Marty Frenchie, who was scoping out the trademark grass green-colored tractors in the 75,000 square-foot building’s showroom floor.
Frenchie, as he’s mostly known by his friends, has 13 tractors, and “maybe” looking for number 14 during LandPro’s grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony. He’s familiar with all of the dealers and decided to visit this branch on the town’s north end of Batavia during the morning’s festivities.
“It’s great, it’s close to home,” he said, sharing why he collects Deere tractors. “I got it in my blood.”
Frenchie, while not a farmer of the county’s 200,000 collective acres, certainly fell into the group to whom Glenn Gibson represented. The Ag & Turf Division business manager for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. for John Deere, Gibson gave “a heartfelt thank you for everyone who made this day possible,” from the financial end of things and LandPro ownership and employees to “all of the city officials that helped support this project, and the construction teams that built this absolutely beautiful building,” he said.
“But most importantly, thank you to our customers that LandPro has had the privilege of serving,” he said. “Just a little bit on the history in Genesee County. So John Deere has had a location here since the 1950s. And if you get a chance, there is a beautiful painting that's in the showroom that really depicts that history really well and all of the dealer organizations who have supported this region. Agriculture is the number one industry in the region in Genesee County, with just under 500 farms, operating about 200,000 acres and generating about $250 million to the local economy.”
“Genesee County is very, very important to John Deere and, more broadly, the whole Western New York region. And so … we really appreciate the investment that (Argonne Capital Group) and LandPro are making to build on that legacy here in the region. Today, we are focused on serving the greater good to help the world produce food, fiber, fuel and infrastructure to meet our needs by 2050,” he said. “There'll be 10 billion people in the world, so we'll need to increase our agricultural production by 60 to 70 percent. To tackle these challenges, two years ago, John Deere launched our smart industrial strategy, and our aim is nothing short of revolutionizing the agriculture and construction industries. We want to unlock customer value across their production systems and across their equipment life cycles to make sure that change and that productivity is sustainable for all.”
What does that mean?
Leveraging technology to enable smarter, more precise and productive machines to add value throughout the life of their machines to keep them operating and minimize cost, he said. Continuing to focus on innovations, such as alternative power and electrification across many product lines.
Autonomous solutions — the company’s tillage tractor that they can operate day and night.
A continued focus on artificial intelligence and neural networks on machines “in order to help growers take crop management from a field level down to the individual plant level.”
And a great example of that is our new sea and spray sprayer — spraying just the week. So you're realizing a 70 percent savings in the chemicals applied, he said.
“So you may have heard the tagline ‘nothing runs like a Deere.’ And that's true. But our commitment goes beyond the products. And it goes to the communities that our exceptional dealers serve. And so, together with our dealers, we run so that life can leap forward,” Gibson said. “So I'll finish where I began. And that's just a huge thank you to everybody who made this day possible. And as good as today is, our best days are ahead of us. And I think the investment in this building in this community is a shining example of just that.”
LandPro President and CEO Tom Sutter recalled standing in a rural field 20 months ago with cattails up to his eyes, “trying to figure out where this thing’s gonna go,” he said. And on Friday, he recapped that being surrounded by a team of “phenomenal” people, all of whom he wanted to thank, he could only admire the finished product and look back in awe at what they all endured.
Managing a construction project that size from the ground up, for starters. The land was wild with trees and foliage and, of course, full of cattails. Anyone who drove by during its development would have seen the skeleton of structural beams, a scene quite the contrast to a paved sidewalk surrounding the 75,000 square-foot building with a showroom entrance, corporate offices, a large training room, walls decorated with colorful agricultural photos in plexiglass, a 54,000 square-foot shop with a drainage system and heated floor. Other challenges were COVID-related issues and delays.
Sutter thanked the county Chamber of Commerce, GCEDC, Batavia, and many company and corporate members.
“It’s great working with all of you. I mean, look at this. Look at this beautiful building behind us. They put it in from the ground up. So I can't thank you all enough. You put up with a lot of hardship. So thank you all guys for putting up with that,” he said. “And our customers are so important, you all make this happen.”
Chamber of Commerce President Brian Cousins was on hand with the big pair of scissors and to offer his congratulations. LandPro is twofold, he said, in its benefits for Genesee County and beyond.
"I think it's absolutely fabulous. They've obviously been a staple inside the county for a very long time. It's great for both consumers and agricultural support throughout our region,” Cousins said. "The store is beautiful. It's always great to see the people expand; they get additional jobs, and they get additional support. So I think it's just a wonderful asset to our community as a whole. Agriculture is the number one industry in the community. So having another branch and another support and a larger mechanism to be able to lean on for a resource for our agricultural workers or even our residents is outstanding.”
The location is at 4540 W. Saile Drive, Batavia. For more information, go to LandPro or call 585-948-5261.
Glenn Gibson, Ag & Turf Division business manager for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. for John Deere Photo by Howard Owens
Tom Sutter, LandPro president and CEO Photo by Howard Owens
Photos of Friday's ribbon-cutting for LandPro Equipment's grand opening of its West Saile Drive store and shop, by Howard Owens.
The Hornets improved to 12-2 on the season with a 16-6 win over Alexander on Thursday.
Kyle Porter got the win, splitting the workload with Colton Yasses. Porter went three innings and give up four runs on one hit and struck out eight. Yasses gave up two hits and two runs (one earned).
Brayden Smith went 3-4, driving in three runs and scoring twice. Aiden Warner, Brodie Hyde, and David Schnuafer also had two hits each. Warner also had three RBIs.
Mason Bump was 1-1 with a walk for Alexander, scoring twice and knocking in a run.
Genesee County Legislature celebrates Older Americans Month (May 2023) this week, as Legislator Brooks Hawley presents a proclamation to Diana Fox, director of Office for the Aging and Advisory Board member Gina Stella.
Another big score and a big win for Alexander in Girls Softball on Thursday, with the Trojans cruising to its fifth consecutive win 19-7.
Melissa Sawyer hits for the cycle going 5-5 at the plate. Sawyer had a home run, a triple, a double, two singles, five RBIs and four runs scored.
Senior MaKenna Boyce went 4-4 with three RBIs and three stolen bases. Sister Madison Boyce crushed a three-run homer to center, while Faith Goodenbury and Brianna Neyman both had Multiple hits on the day.
Briann Neyman pitched part of the first, allowing one hit, three walks and five runs with a strikeout. Emily Pietrzykowski tossed five innings, allowing five hits, no runs, no walks and eight punchouts. Melissa Sawyer pitched the last frame, giving up one hit, two runs and getting two strikeouts. Alexander improved to 11-5 and heads to Barker on Monday.
Notre Dame beat Lyndonville 9-6 in Girls Softball on Thursday in a game played at GCC.
The Irish collected 14 hits, but coach Otis Thomas said pitching and defense were key.
Loretta Sorochty went the distance, pitching seven innings, giving up six hits, six runs (three earned) and striking out eight batters.
Offensively, for Notre Dame, Katie Landers and Sorchty each had three hits to pace the offense. Landers finished with two doubles, a single, a walk, two runs scored and an RBI, while Sorochty had three singles and two runs scored.
Mia Treleaven, Kaydence Stehlar and Anna Panepento each had two hits for the Lady Irish.
"This is a big win for us, and I am proud of the effort given by the ladies this evening," Thomas said. "It got a little shaky in the seventh giving up the 4 runs, but we settled down and got that last out. As big as this one was, we need to put it behind us and continue our run to Sectionals."
William Joyce, veterans services officer for Genesee County, receives bundles of tickets from Batavia Downs President and CEO Henry Wojtaszek on Friday afternoon at Batavia Downs. Photo by Howard Owens.
Press Release:
Officials from Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel presented 2,000 complimentary tickets to William Joyce, Director of the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency. 250 Tickets from each of Batavia’s Summer Concert Series were included.
“Batavia Downs has always supported our local Veterans," said Batavia Downs CEO and President Henry Wojtaszek. “This is the fifthsoncert series in a row that we’ve given tickets to the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency. We happy to do anything we can to give back to our local Veterans for all they’ve done for our country.”
Tickets for the concert series can be purchased at BataviaConcerts.com. Performances include:
For anyone who grew up in Genesee County, you may recall those fun weekend nights of pulling on a pair of roller skates and gliding around the floor of Skate 98 as a DJ blasted dance and rock tunes and the dimmed atmosphere was a great canvas for colored scrolling lights.
If you’re yearning for some of those fun nostalgic times — and decent exercise to boot — or looking to build some new memories, management at the McCarthy Ice Arena has brought back public roller and inline skating from 7 to 9 p.m. every Friday.
And for only $5 a person, rink Manager Kati Murray says.
“We’re trying to get people in here to skate for a couple of hours,” she said to The Batavian Friday afternoon. “We do not have rentals, but we’re in the process of getting them, we might rent them out from a place. We have music, just like we do for the ice skating.”
The Batavian asked if the place does anything with lighting, and Murray said, “Funny you ask that.”
“We’re in the process of putting up lights that flash, we’re putting them up for next Friday,” she said. “We’ll have flashing lights and a black light, and we’re getting updated music.”
Skaters will get the entire floor to bop along to tunes, in between taking breaks for a snack from the concession stand. This is the second week of public skating, and Murray believes it will take some time for people to catch on that the rink is open for this activity.
There are also two nights of floor hockey: Tuesdays have five adult teams already signed up, and Wednesdays are offering pickup teams for kids 14 and under from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and one for adults 7 to 8:30 p.m. Those are just beginning, and anyone interested in joining can just show up at the designated time.
The cost for Wednesday’s teams is $10 a person, and goalies are free. For more information about any of the teams, email adam@mccarthyicearena.com.
There’s still time to dig out and dust off those rollerblades from the garage, and head out to the ice arena on Evans Street, Batavia. For more information, go to McCarthy Ice Arena. https://www.mccarthyicearena.com/ or call 585-250-4040.
Submitted photos of rollerskating at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena in Batavia, top, and playing floor hockey, above.
The Board of Trustees of Notre Dame High School is pleased to announce that Mrs. Melissa Lindner has been named the new principal of Notre Dame High School of Batavia, effective July 1, 2023.
President of the Board James Sutherland made the announcement, saying, “We are excited to welcome Melissa to our Notre Dame family. Her experience in private education is extensive. She comes to ND from Saints Peter and Paul School in Williamsville, NY, where she served as principal for the last four years. Melissa has a strong history as a school leader, teacher and coach. Her impressive background in coaching includes both primary and high school level experiences, where she oversaw the Athletic Director and coaching staff, but most notably, she has coached at the collegiate level as well.”
Mrs. Lindner brings a wealth of experience and commitment to Catholic education. She has a passion for STREAM, (integration of Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts and Math) and was a featured presenter at the National Catholic Education Conference on the subject in 2022. Melissa is looking forward to inspiring faculty to have an active focus within STREAM education and to be an instructional leader who will work collaboratively with staff and parents to provide a positive impact on teaching and learning.
“It is an honor to be coming to an established preparatory school environment whose excellence is always at the forefront. As a dedicated Catholic School teacher, coach and administrator, I look forward to empowering the school community to continue to grow in all aspects while keeping the strong traditions of Notre Dame always in perspective”, Lindner said.
She would like to thank the Board of Trustees for their confidence in appointing her, commenting, “as soon as I walked through the doors of the school, I felt like part of the ND family.”
“For over 70 years, ND has left an indelible impression on our local community, as her sons and daughters have gone on to impact communities throughout our nation and our world”, states Sutherland. “We are proud to see a new era of leadership as Melissa Lindner brings both impressive experience as well as a strong background as a Catholic School educator.”
Please join the Board, staff and faculty of Notre Dame in welcoming Mrs. Melissa Lindner to her new position.
The Holland Land Office Museum’s Java with Joe E. presentation by David Reilly originally scheduled for Thursday, May 25 at 2 p.m. has been cancelled. It has been replaced by the following program: the HLOM is proud to announce the next edition of our Java with Joe E. series on Thursday, May 25 at 9 a.m. This month's presenter is our Director Ryan Duffy. His presentation, “Genesee County Civil War Medal of Honor Soldiers,” details the lives, service, and deeds of the four Civil War soldiers with a connection to Genesee County, who were awarded the Medal of Honor. Admission is free and coffee and donuts will be provided. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you plan to attend.
Six Flags Darien Lake, the Thrill Capital of New York, will kick off the 2023 season with new events and park enhancements to provide a memorable and premium park experience.
“Opening day is the beginning of another year of fun at Six Flags Darien Lake,” said Park President Chris Thorpe. “As New York’s largest family-friendly destination, guests will enjoy their favorite rides and slides with a lineup of new and elevated events and experiences plus comfort enhancements including a new VIP Lounge.”
Six Flags Darien Lake’s 2023 additions include:
NEW FOR 2023, Laser Light Summerfest, guests can enjoy an all-new Laser Light spectacular show, dynamic marquee light displays, and a magical living garden with luminescent landscape features and stunning 3-dimensional light creatures to enjoy before the show, including an after 5:00 p.m. Summerfest pre-party in Darien Square;
NEW FOR 2023, Viva La Fiesta, guests will enjoy live entertainment that will have them dancing the night away. This all-new event heats up the park with food, fun and entertainment;
July 4th Fireworks Celebration, guests are invited to celebrate the holiday with thrills, delicious, sweet chills, and exciting firework illuminations at night;
NEW FOR 2023, Oktoberfest, this family-friendly German heritage festival will become a new fall tradition filled with authentic fare, and a large selection of seasonal craft lagers and beers from around the world;
VIP Lounge, for a minimal fee guests can rest and recharge at our new, shaded, indoor lounge. Cool off in the air conditioning while enjoying beverages, comfortable seating, and Wi-Fi to help guests relax and recharge.
Park Beautification, guests will notice refreshed landscaping, a renovated main gate restroom, additional shaded seating for relaxation throughout the park, more photo opportunities, renovated games locations, midway upgrades and more;
Wooden Coaster Re-tracking, the historic Predator roller coaster continues its re-tracking of more than 225 feet to ensure an enhanced ride experience that promises to deliver epic thrills all season long; and
New Culinary Options, exciting, new offerings are coming to the park this season including flavor burst soft serve ice cream, mac n cheese crunch rolls, chocolate-covered frozen bananas and frozen adult beverages in Hurricane Harbor.
The park is currently hiring for the 2023 season. Applicants age 14 and older can text JOBS to 585-207-8400 or complete an application at www.sixflagsjobs.com. More than ten diverse departments offer exciting opportunities with flexible hours, great perks and the opportunity to gain supervisor experience.
Six Flags Darien Lake season passes are currently on sale. For a limited time, guests can purchase a Gold Pass during the park’s Memorial Day Sale and get an automatic upgrade to a Platinum Pass. Benefits include free parking, discounts on food and merchandise, and unlimited visits. Passes start as low as $7.99 a month after initial payment. For more information on these offers, visit www.sixflags.com.
Six Flags Darien Lake operates weekends and select days May 20 through June 23, followed by daily summer operation through Labor Day. The park will not operate on Tuesdays. Visit http://www.sixflags.com/darienlake to learn more.
Developer David Mazur fields questions from the Genesee County Planning Board about Countryside Apartments, the 80-unit complex he is proposing for the Medtech Park by GCC. Photo by Howard Owens
Developer David Mazur said he's been building apartment complexes and running the ones he builds for 18 years. He has a formula. He knows it works. And he knows the type of tenants he expects to be attracted to his units.
With that experience, he's sure the 80-unit complex he is proposing for Medtech Park by GCC will be market rate, with rents ranging from $1,350 to $1,895 per month (that rate could be as much five percent higher once construction is done, he said).
To qualify for a rental agreement, tenants must have a job, if not retired, and a monthly income of 3.5 times the monthly rental rate.
That rules out college students as potential tenants, he said, and parents can't co-sign for a child. Whoever signs the rental agreement must live in the apartment, he told the Genesee County Planning Board at Thursday's meeting.
After his presentation, when told that other developers have promised market-rate complexes only to change the terms during construction, he said he's 100 percent certain that won't be the case with his development.
"I have never had a project go a different direction other than market-rate," Mazur told The Batavian ."So I'm not sure what happened in the past with other developers or what their performers were, what their plans were, but this is 100 percent designed to be market rate."
The Grand Island-based developer said in his other projects, 60 percent of his tenants are seniors, sometimes retires, with the balance being working professionals. The seniors, especially, he said, are looking for and demand quality units.
"(Countertops are) either gonna be quartz or granite," Mazur said. "All the finishes are higher end. That's where go back to, like I said, retirees because it's 60 percent of my base at other locations. They want it. They want just new, fresh, crisp places. Some have never lived anything brand new. They look at it, like, I want it, this is what I'm going to live in."
There will be 60 garages for the 80 units, with outdoor parking available for the rest.
Amenities will include a dog park, and the complex is pet friendly, with some restrictions on dog sizes. Tenants in apartments with shared hallways are limited to smaller dogs, less than 30 pounds. The townhouse apartments will have a bit more flexibility, he said.
When Mazur found out the Medtech land was available for development, he said he saw an opportunity to do what he's done successfully in places like Grand Island and Tonawanda -- to build a complex for people that want to be close to a city center -- such as Batavia -- while taking in the country air.
"That's our portfolio," Mazur said. "It's full of what I call country or township apartments. When I found the parcel was available, to me, it made sense. You're a stone's throw from the action downtown. And, you know where the property's sitting -- we can't promise what's going to happen in the future, what else is going to be built there, but right now, it's farmland. So it's gonna be a nice setting for people to have the dog park, walking areas, things like that."
He said he hasn't investigated bus routes in the area but said that most people moving into market-rate apartments own a vehicle.
The plan calls for six 12-unit buildings and one eight-unit building with 24 three-bedroom apartments, 42 two-bedroom, and 14 one-bedroom, with 36 single-car detached garages.
The total project cost is expected to exceed $12 million.
Jim Krencik, senior director for marketing and communication for the Genesee Economic Development Center, said the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation, an adjunct to GCCEDC, approved a sale agreement for Mazur to acquire the 14 acres for the proposed development in December for $200,000.
"With the support of the Town of Batavia, City of Batavia, and GCEDC, we're pleased to see Countryside Apartments moving forward," Krencik said. "This project enhances our market-rate housing stock and can accelerate our Batavia Home Fund to support future residential improvements in the city."
The Batavia Home Fund collects revenue from developments and makes the funds available for rehabilitation and similar projects for residential homes in Batavia.
Krencik said the Countryside development is eligible to contribute to that fund but not draw from it.
Mazur said he doesn't know yet if he will apply to GCEDC for any potential project assistance. It's early in the planning process, he said, "and that's putting the cart before the horse."
Based on his previous experience, Mazur said he believes he won't have an issue filling all 80 units once the project is complete.
"Like I said, we've been in the business now for about 18 years, and I've had people with me that have been there the whole 18 years. So, again, the style of buildings that we're building, we build the same buildings in different townships, we already know our cost structure, we know our problems, and we tweak the issues from the first project to the second project. We may change color, and it will be different for different townships, but really, it's a process that works for us. And it takes a lot of the risk out of the game."
An outdoor project that’s taken quite some time in the creation mode seems to be coming along now, city officials say, teased by warmer weather and sunnier days.
City Manager Rachael Tabelski recently reported to City Council about “a really positive meeting on Jackson Square.”
“The redesign is going extremely well,” she said, adding that by working with Architecture Unlimited and an engineer who works with them have been creatively frugal in the design phase. “We hope when we go out to bid we can create substantial cost savings for the project. One of the items was the original project had footers in the stage, and by just placing concrete blocks instead of these footers is going to save us upwards of $150,000 on the project.”
Architect Kenneth Pearl said the Jackson Square stage was a type of pre-engineered wood (photo above) in a rather eloquent description, she said.
“So it'll be a very nice finish that will hold up the roof, and will be very similar to what we use on our buildings, on a rubber roof with kind of tongue and groove panels above it, and that will hopefully have a 20-year warranty,” she said.
A handicap ramp will be removable, so that it won't be built directly into the structure, will be something that can be “absolutely safe to roll up gear and or persons that need to use that ramp,” she said, and will also be removable so that it won’t jut out into the audience.
Another cost savings measure is to analyze the brickwork that is there, and some of the concrete larger slabs which architects have discussed, they are going to try to remove and salvage them in lieu of a concrete base so they don't sink again, Tabelski said.
“Because what happened before is they were just placed there and they sink like they might in a residential project. And with reusing those, we should save another significant amount of money. We want to look at different concrete dye colors to add just a little bit of textual and color elements to the flooring,” she said. “But overall, Jackson Square is really the paintings on the buildings, there's not much that needs to be done there. The catenary lighting, which is the lighting that goes above will still be part of the project.”
There will be LED performance lighting on the stage with color changes per holidays and special events. For example, Fourth of July would feature red, white and blue lights. Cobra heads will also be used, which are outdoor fixtures mounted to poles and mainly used for street and roadway lighting but can be used for other general area lighting.
“We’d have control over that. We also have one or two Cobra heads, (DPW Director Brett Frank) hooked me up to that,” she said. “As soon as we take possession in the phase two LED light changeover from National Grid, we'll be able to put dimmers and timers on that so we can turn those Cobra heads off during performances.”
The Jackson Square project has been at least three years in the making, reaching a point of requesting bids and City Council approving one in June 2022. But Mark Cerrone Inc., after receiving word that the company’s bid of $654,000 was selected, backpedaled with last-minute revisions and add-ons, hiking the bid up to $847,950.
Council then rescinded its approval and rejected that and two other bids for the project. The design went back for what Tabelski called a “deep dive” into potential cost-cutting revisions since it had to go back for a whole new bid process anyway.
The project is to be primarily funded with a $750,000 Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant, plus $225,000 from National Grid, Tabelski said.
“When we go out for bid, they look at the scope of work, and they put a price to that with the materials and the labor … so it necessarily doesn't always line up with the budget we have,” she said at that time to The Batavian. “So we will be re-examining our bid specifications to make sure we think that pricing can come in within that.”
She was hopeful that a contractor with an acceptable bid could be approved for construction to possibly begin in 2022.
Well, that hope has come and gone, and city officials are hanging onto the expertise of Pearl and his architectural firm.
“So we’re really, really happy of the work that Ken and his firm has been able to do to bring this project into where the DRI Committee asked it to be and to be able to bid it out in what we think will be on budget,” Tabelski said. “So the hope is if everything goes well, which I absolutely hope it does, you'll see bid awards in July.”
The plan is for the Business Improvement District to host the Thursday and Friday night concerts in Jackson Square series throughout the summer, and begin construction at the end of August, she said.
Photo of a similar Jackson Square stage image, with pre-engineered wood ceiling and LED lights, courtesy of City of Batavia.
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 1ST CITY OF BATAVIA 4-5 bedroom Duplex apartment with 1 Bedroom, Living room, laundry room, dining room, bathroom, and small kitchen on first floor. 4 bedrooms 2nd floor. Newly painted. Some new carpet. Basement storage. 1/2 garage use for storage/ not parking. Large yard. $1,100/month includes trash pickup, Refrigerator, Gas Stove. You pay gas, electric, water. No dogs. Good references required with background check. Pathstone approved. Near ARC. Mike 585-993-4002
