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At least for Friday, it's time for the community to come together and forget any disagreements over the soon-to-be-discontinued Batavia ambulance service, says Greg Ireland.

Friday is the 15th-annual "Fill the Boot" drive for MDA, a fundraiser sponsored by City of Batavia Firefighters IAFF Local 896.

Money collected during the fundraiser benefits children who are diagnosed with neuromuscular diseases. Donations cover the costs of everything from wheelchairs and braces to physical therapy, as well as summer camps.

"This year is as important as any to these kids," Ireland said in an e-mail. "There is no reason why our Union's disagreements with City Hall should get in the way of helping them. Sure there is a lot of tension around the Fire House right now with the impending layoffs, but that doesn't change the fact the the MDA needs our support."

Ireland said union members held a meeting recently and united around the need to ensure "Fill the Boot" came together again this year.

Off-duty members of Local 896, including firefighters and medics who will be out of work on Sept. 1, will be at the fundraiser at 1 Court St. on Friday.

Last year's "Fill the Boot" campaign set a record with $5,000 in donations.

"To me, the MDA is very important," Ireland wrote. "These kids have been sentenced to a life of pain and suffering for no apparent reason. If we can raise money to make their life easier in any way, it's worth it. For example, The MDA of Rochester has several day camps for the kids. I've visited there before, and to see the kids being kids, being able to do the things that normal children can do, it is really great. It gives them a day or two to just leave their illness behind and enjoy being a kid! It is quite touching to see."

When people have a strong motivation that drives them to devote all their time and effort to something worthwhile, they are bound to find happiness; at least this is the case for Batavia resident Donald R. Carroll, who has spent countless hours helping local youth.

He is one of four inductees for the Oakfield-Alabama High School Hall of Fame ceremony, which takes place the first weekend in October.

For the last 35 years, Carroll has lived by his motto, “Pay it forward.” He graduated from Oakfield-Alabama Central School in 1974. Instead of following the trend of going off to college after getting his diploma, Carroll decided to join the workforce and focus on his passion for helping less fortunate children.

For his first organized project, he partnered with the Genesee/Wyoming YMCA to raise money to send kids to camp. The fundraiser was successful for 23 years.

Erik Fix, branch director of the Genesee/Wyoming YMCA said Carroll has collaborated with the organization over the years on many different occasions. Fix said most recently they have combined efforts on Don’s Secret Santa fundraiser to give gifts to children at Christmas time.

This fundraiser started because Carroll wanted to ensure every underprivileged child he was aware of was not disappointed on Christmas morning. This project has recently been expanded to provide grade school kids with supplies for school and winter coats.

Shortly after the camp fundraiser, Carroll switched his focus to helping students with college expenses. He started a 5k and 10k run in Batavia that ended in 2005 to support the Genesee Community College Foundation.

In 1997 he was named Geneseean of the Year (A person who has made an outstanding contribution to the community, contributed or volunteered beyond the call of duty and who is a resident of Genesee County) by the Chamber of Commerce.

Donald R. Carroll, the quiet, shy orphan who by chance grew up in Oakfield, NY, has become a true “Guardian Angel” of the less fortunate children of Genesee County.

Donald credits his success to having grown up in Oakfield and attending OACS where one individual in particular took a special interest in him. Donald will always be indebted to Coach Bill Burns for guiding him in high school, and getting him his first job as a counselor at YMCA Camp Hough. Coach Burns taught him by example about lending a hand, "paying it forward."

OA Alumni HOF dinner details: 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3. at OA Middle High School. Tickets are $17. How to get tickets:

• 1. Write your check to "Dollars for Scholars"
• 2. Put "Hall of Fame" in the memo area
• 3. Mail check to -- Hall of Fame Treasurer, OACS, 7001 Lewiston Road, Oakfield,  NY 14125

A Canadian-based coffee chain is planning a location on Court Street with a "European style" formula, and the company is getting tax breaks that helped entice it to Batavia, according to an announcement by GCEDC today.

Coffee Culture stands to save $37,200 in taxes on its new equipment and building improvements to 6 Court St., and the company is also seeking property tax exemptions on the increased value the remodeled property will garner.

It's a program, according to GCEDC's Chad Zambito, that is available to any business, local or out of the area, that is investing at least $50,000 in its start up.

Ken Mistler, who is opening a coffee shop at Main and Jackson, declined the same assistance primarily because the timing of the process did not match Mistler's plans, Zambito said. Mistler was unavailable for comment this afternoon.

Coffee Culture plans to spend $330,000 to renovate the 2,500-square-foot location and turn it into a "high end" cafe and eatery. Initially, the business will be corporate-operated, but will be available to a potential franchise operator. It will offer free wi-fi, a plasma TV and meeting space.

Besides gourmet coffee, the chain offers breakfast and lunch sandwiches and desserts.

Zambito gave full credit to Don Burkel at the BID for getting GCEDC involved in the process of recruiting Coffee Culture to Batavia.

State troopers stopped a van last night on Route 98 in the Town of Batavia for allegedly speeding and found that two people inside were apparently in the country illegally.

Taken into custody were Leodegario Vazquez-Rodriguez, 48, and Francisco Hernandez-Gomez, 24.

Both were charged with unlawfully entering the United States.

Hernandez-Gomez was also charged with seven vehicle and traffic violations.

Vazquez-Rodriguez was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Hernandez-Gomez was placed in Genesee County Jail on the alleged vehicle and traffic violations, awaiting transfer to federal authorities after the local charges have been answered.

A two-car accident with minor injuries has been reported at Route 98 and Rose Road.

Both vehicles are blocking the roadway.

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Attention friends of do-gooders...Batavia City Manager Jason Molino wants to hear from you -- and soon!

The City of Batavia is seeking nominations for the Community Volunteer of the Year recognition award to be presented by City Council at its Sept. 14 business meeting. 

Nomination Forms can be picked up at the City Manager’s Office or by phone at (585) 345-6333. Nominations will be accepted through Aug. 17.

I happened to catch this truck going through the roundabout this morning, and the driver seemed to make it through just fine. He went, though, only half way onto the brick area.

As you can see, he's tilted a bit, so one of my questions is -- doesn't the DOT plan to level the asphalt with the bricks? My assumption was yes, but the sides of the curbs are bevele -- as if they're meant to be driven on -- leaving the asphalt inches below the bricks.

It was clear from the tire marks on the bricks that many drivers have discovered that it's OK to drive on the red roadway.

This afternoon, I spotted a long line of classic-looking, very tiny cars heading west. I turned around and followed them down River Street and eventually to Williams Park.

It turns out the American Austin Bantam Club is holding its 46th annual meeting in Batavia this week.

American Austins, and alter Bantams, were manufactured in the United States from the 1930s until the early 1940s. They were America's first economy car.

They were probably intended for second family cars, for short drives to the store and other errands, said club member Gene Loomis, of Warsaw.

The cars get about 50 miles per gallon of gas.

Phil Haynes, of Connecticut, said there were some 17,000 to 18,000 Austins built in Pennsylvania, and then about 6,700 Bantams manufactured.

It was Haynes (pictured in the white car below) I dropped behind after turning around on Main. As I followed him, he would occasionally stick his left arm out the driver's side and wave it straight down, back and forth.  At first, I thought, "He thinks I'm following too close," so I backed off, and he did it again, so I backed off some more, then he did it again, and that's when I realized, "he's rowing."

These little cars don't have a lot of horsepower. Haynes said he needed all the help he could get to coax his American Austin up any kind of incline.

The Club is staying at the Holiday Inn and will visit the VA Medical Center this afternoon.

A 38-year-old driver was injured during the ninth race last night at Batavia Downs.

Kevin Cummings, who was driving 13-year-old square-gaiter Devilinhiseyes, suffered a spill and sustained injuries to his hip and elbow, according to a statement issued by Todd Haight, spokesman for Batavia Downs.

Haight quotes Cummings:

I’m really not sure what happened. Things got tight and the race bike got jerked from underneath me. When the left wheel tipped sideways I knew I was in trouble. I just let go of the lines and landed on the ground.

My hip is really bruised, that’s where I hit the ground and my elbow has a hole in it. I lost a chunk of skin. It's really sore today.

The accident occurred going into the first turn, during the ninth race, a $4,000 claiming trot.

Cummings, a father of four, plans to return to racing on Wednesday night.

Devilinhiseyes was uninjured in the incident, nor were any other drivers or horses hurt.

Joanne C. Buchanan, 50, of Box 70 Country Road Route 37, Central Square, and Jayne E. Best, 52, of 9384 Woodlawn Drive, Brewerton, were arrested for allegedly attempting to evade or defeat tax and possession of untaxed cigarettes. Deputy Tim Wescott initiated a traffic stop for alleged speeding and reportedly found 10 cartoons of cigarettes in the car Buchanan and Best were in.

Donald J. Cummins, 60, of 104 Bernice Drive, Seneca, is charged with DWI. Cummins was reportedly driving westbound on Route 33 at 11:53 p.m. when his vehicle allegedly strayed from the roadway toward the left shoulder striking a road cone. Deputy Kevin R. McCarthy stopped Cummins and found he was allegedly driving while intoxicated. He was also cited for allegedly driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from a lane unsafely.

Susanna E. Venti, 60, of Alexander, is charged with DWI. Venti was stopped by a state trooper on Walker Road in the Town of Darien for allegedly crossing the center line. Venti's alleged BAC was .08 percent. Venti was cited for DWI, failing to keep right and driving an unregistered vehicle.

There was a portion of tonight's City Council meeting where I damn near started pulling out my increasingly graying hair.  I almost posted a message on my Facebook page along the lines of, "I started covering city governments 20 years ago, and there comes a time in way-too-many council meetings where I wonder why we even bother to vote."

Tonight's completely meaningless topic: Whether to give candidates for council seats in the November election copies of complete council agendas prior to council meetings.

Prior to each meeting, the City Council is given a stack of papers containing background material on the items under consideration.  The agenda packet contains memos of staff opinion, letters from concerned citizens, spreadsheets, historical records and other documents that might be germaine to a particular agenda item.

Except for material related to closed session discussions, none of it is particularly precious.

But to hear Frank Ferrando and Rose Mary Christian go on and on about it tonight, you would think these documents were as sacred as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

We heard about what an honor and privilege it is to get the background documents once elected (but not before), and if the council challengers want to be fully informed, all they need to do was show up at the meetings (which, disappointingly, tonight, none of the three challengers -- Phil Ricci, Sara Jane Burk-Balbi and Julie Wallace -- were bothered to attend).

From the Christian and Ferrando perspective, even showing up shouldn't entitle people to the sacred documents. It should be enough just to come and listen to fully understand the issues.

Well, yes, some discussions can be enlightening just from the questions and statements of council members and staff, but having sat through numerous government agency meetings, I can tell you -- it's quite easy to misunderstand or misconstrue the conversation without adequate written background material -- and ideally, material you've read in advance of the meeting. I'm sometimes frustrated by how skimpy the background material actually is with some local public agencies.

But none of the current council members were granted the esteemed privilege of document access prior to election, so why should the new challenges be bestowed such a time-honored trust?

Here's a news flash: The background material is public record.

Here's the very eloquent preamble to the New York's public records' law:

Legislative declaration. The legislature hereby finds that a free society is maintained when government is responsive and responsible to the public, and when the public is aware of governmental actions. The more open a government is with its citizenry, the greater the understanding and participation of the public in government.

As state and local government services increase and public problems become more sophisticated and complex and therefore harder to solve, and with the resultant increase in revenues and expenditures, it is incumbent upon the state and its localities to extend public accountability wherever and whenever feasible.

The people's right to know the process of governmental decision-making and to review the documents and statistics leading to determinations is basic to our society. Access to such information should not be thwarted by shrouding it with the cloak of secrecy or confidentiality. The legislature therefore declares that government is the public's business and that the public, individually and collectively and represented by a free press, should have access to the records of government in accordance with the provisions of this article (emphasis added, and notice the use of the phrase "leading to").

Once a government agency creates a document that is not otherwise exempt under provisions of FOIL, it becomes public record. It matters not whether it's been distributed to the City Council, the media or the clerk across the hall, or never even leaves the desk of its writer -- unless exempted under specific provisions of FOIL, it is public record. Period.

There was some concern tonight about the costs of creating copies of the background material for candidates, and the council finally decided on a 5-4 vote to make available only four additional copies for any member of the public (not just candidates) to walk into the clerk's office and obtain. But there is a simple solution to the cost issue: PDF. 

The obvious course of action for the city to take -- the needs of some council members to protect their special privileges aside -- is for the city clerk to upload a copy of each agenda and all background material to the city's Web site at the same time it is made available for the council.

This would be most in keeping with the principles of a free and open government.

Those voting against greater government transparency, even at the minimal level eventually passed tonight: Marianne Clattenburg, Kathy Briggs, Ferrando and Christian.

The City of Batavia could reconstruct both Cedar Street and Summit Street at no direct cost to local taxpayers, the City Council was told tonight.

By combining annual federal infrastructure funds the city already gets with an 80-percent funding grant, the city could complete $5.7 million projects by 2012 and not a dime would come from city coffers.

The 80-percent grant is Federal money that is administered by the state.

The city must apply for the grant.

Reconstruction would rebuild the streets rather than just repave them, which was recently done to Oak Street.

Summit will cost an estimated $2.2 million and Cedar, $3.5 million.

The city plans to move ahead with design work that will put it in a position to receive the grants, using funding already available from the feds.

Batavia Little League is planning a series of upgrades to the ball field at MacArthur Park. The plans include construction of new, larger dugouts, a remodeled concession stand and a new, second batting cage.

The Little League will build the improvements and pay for it through its own fundraising and then donate the improvements to the city. The donation of the completed project to the city is required by law.

On the motion of City Councilman Sam Barone, the Batavia City Council tonight put off a vote on forming a commission to create a new charter for a consolidated Batavia.

At the 7 p.m. business meeting, the council had been scheduled to vote on a resolution scheduling a public hearing in order to form a new charter commission.

The commission would have four members appointed by the city along with four appointed by the town.

There was no discussion of Barone's motion to table the vote for now. His motion passed 5-4.

UPDATE: After the meeting, Barone said he thought the current city charter review process should be completed before the city embarks on a new charter process for the proposed consolidation.

A gas leak on Walnut Street in Batavia has not been shut off and the Fire Department is now requesting that southbound Walnut be closed to vehicle traffic.

National Fuel is on scene trying to find the shut off valve.

Apparently the message isn't getting through.  The police are once again asking local media to get the message out: Lock your cars.

A thief or thieves continue to prey on people who leave valuables in unlocked vehicles.

The latest spate of break ins occurred recently on East Avenue, Vine Street, Summit Street and Farwell Drive.

Among the items stolen recently were an iPod and a computer along with small change.

Anybody with information that might lead to the arrest of the thieves are encouraged to call 345-6350. If you see a crime in progress, call 9-1-1.

Police detectives are investigating a case of possible arson stemming from a Jan. 25 fire at 12 Elm St. in Batavia.

Confirming a reader tip, Det. Chuck Dudek said this morning that the investigation is ongoing.

The initial Fire Department press release from that fire:

The first alarm came in for 12 Elm Street with report of a possible explosion and flames showing. Within three minutes, city firefighters arrived on scene and quickly extinguished a fire that was found in the side stairwell of the three-story apartment house. Four residents were alerted by smoke detectors and were safely outside the structure when the firefighters arrived.

Last night. Allison Watson said in the midst of a wind, rain and lightning storm she heard a boom and then the front of her house filled with brown smoke.  When she walked to the side of her house, she wasn't surprised at what she found.

Part of a giant tree in her neighbor's yard had fallen into her home at 14 Warren St.

"I called it," Watson said. "I knew it was going to fall on my house. It was only a matter of time."

Watson said she believes the tree was diseased.

Watson, a 15-year-resident of Warren Street, said it's the second time a branch fell on her property. The first time was a couple of years ago during an ice storm and the branch destroyed her garage.

This time, her car was damaged, but she doesn't know how extensively.

Work crews were on their way this morning to remove the debris.

There were no injuries, Watson said, not even to her pet bird, whose feathers were a little ruffled when its cage was damaged, but is otherwise OK.

Eric C. Smith, 21, of 15 Edwards St., Batavia, is charged with three counts of harassment and one count of disorderly conduct. Smith was allegedly involved in a fight in which he allegedly pushed and punched three individuals. Further, Smith is accused of urinating on the floor and walls at police headquarters while being processed. He was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Kevin Q. Thomas, Jr., 20, of 193 S. Main St., Batavia, is charged with harassment. Thomas was allegedly involved in the same fight as Smith, above, and allegedly pushed another person. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Thomas K. Lee, 14 Highland Park, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Lee allegedly stole items from the Kwik-Fill store in Batavia. He was jailed on $250 bail.

James S. Gibbs, 33, of 34 Vernon Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt. Gibbs allegedly sent numerous text messages to a woman he was barred from contacting. He was jailed on $5,000 bail.

David J. Alvarado, 27, of 2103 S. 9th St., Lafayette, Ind., is charged with DWI. Officer Dan Coffey suspected Alvarado of driving drunk after a traffic stop for allegedly driving without headlights. He is also accused of having a BAC of .08 or greater.

Robert Michael Browne, 48, of 282 Route 20 Road, Room #3, Darien, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt. Browne allegedly violated a court order by going to a residence in the Town of Darien which he had been ordered to avoid.

Charles J. Fetterman, 37, of Lockport, is charged with DWI. Fetterman was stopped by a state trooper after allegedly failing to keep right on Route 20 in Darien. He is accused of driving with a BAC of .10 percent.

Bryan P. Falictico, 20, of Batavia, is charged with DWI. Falictico allegedly failed to keep right on Route 5 in Batavia, which led to a traffic stop by a state trooper. Falictico allegedly registered a BAC of .16 pecent.

William V. Mattucci, 53, of 414 Schenk St., North Tonawanda, is charged with DWI, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and driving left of pavement markings. Mattucci was arrested in Corfu by village police.

Cynthia L. Carlo, 44, of 10 Gaslite Lane, Batavia, is charged with DWI, with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from a lane unsafely. Carlo was stopped on Route 98 by Deputy H.J. Carlson early Sunday morning.

Jeffrey J. Klar, 29, 7178 Lovers Lane Road, Cattaraugus, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI with a BAC of .18 or greater, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Klar allegedly drove his car off a grass parking area on Sumner Road in Darien when he reportedly hit another car. He was stopped by a Sheriff's deputy on Sumner Road after allegedly trying to leave the scene.

Victor Trejo, 21, of 4238 West Ave., Elba, is charged with DWI and unlawful possession of marijuana. Trejo was stopped for allegedly speeding on Bank Street Road in Elba.

Luke W. Ritzenthaler, 26, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Ritzenthaler was allegedly found in possession of a pipe containing marijuana residue. He is also charged with operation a motor vehicle on a revoked license.

Patrick J. Lamendola, 48, of Rochester is charged with DWI. Lamendola was stopped by a state trooper for allegedly driving down the shoulder of Route 19 in Pavilion. Lamendola's BAC was reportedly .09 percent.