batavia

The plans for growth are aggressive, even lofty, according to Batavia City Manager Jason Molino, but if GCEDC is successful in building the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park to capacity, it could be a boon for Batavia's sewer system and the ratepayers who support it.

The increase in revenue could potentially allow the city to both lower rates -- already among the lowest sewer rates in Western New York -- and fund replacement of aging sewer lines.

Even though the agri-park is in the Town of Batavia, the sewer effluent flows at some point through the city to the city-operated wastewater plant. The town pays the city a fee to ship effluent from the town to the plant. Every thousand of gallons of effluent that flows to the plant will generate $2.81 for the city. (NOTE: Paragraph re-written to clarify the agreement between the town and the city.)

It would take only one O-AT-KA Milk Products-sized plant to make a huge difference, Molino said.

"If you were to see something like another O-AT-KA come in overnight, you could see a huge benefit," Molino said.

The city manager's remarks followed a special meeting of Batavia City Council where the council unanimously approved a plan to provide sewer service to the agri-business park (Councilman Bill Cox recused himself because of a potential conflict of interest).

The development of the park received a significant boost this spring when Alpina Products agreed to build a new yogurt factory on the site. Escrow on the sale of that parcel is expected to close Monday.

The sewer agreement between the city, Town of Batavia and the Genesee County Economic Development Center is key to closing the Alpina deal. 

It calls for the GCEDC, with a contribution from O-AT-KA, to use state grants to build a sewer system for the agri-business park and the O-AT-KA facility. The system would include two new pump stations -- one within the jurisdiction of the town and the other within city limits on O-AT-KA's property. The city and town would take possession of the completed pumps and sewer lines.

Just expanding capacity for O-AT-KA is a huge benefit to the city, Molino said.

"O-AT-KA is our biggest sewer user, our biggest water user," Molino said. "It is one of the largest employers in the county. It gets a larger sewer line to discharge into, so they’re not constrained anymore and they have the opportunity to grow. That infrastructure is coming to us free, no cost to the city users. The other thing is that Ellicott Street (sewer line) is going to be open now for greater growth. So we’ve got two opportunities there."

Some of the sewer lines in Batavia are up to 50 years old. 100 years old, many more are at least 50 years old. It's infrastructure that needs to be replaced pretty soon. And while the city has one of the most aggressive capital improvement projects for its sewer and water systems in the state, there is still a huge need to move quickly to replace old lines.

"To me, that’s really exciting (if the agri-park is successful), to be able to do sewer line after sewer line project, to replace aging infrastructure," Molino said. "That's really exciting."

During the council meeting, Steve Hyde, CEO of GCEDC (inset photo), told the council that the current gravity system on the Ellicott Street line, the one currently used by O-AT-KA, can only handle 500,000 gallons per year and O-AT-KA needs significantly more capacity to grow. The expansion will give O-AT-KA up to 2.5 million gallons per year of potential flow.

He said the agreement with Alpina is a huge step forward for the project and Genesee County.

"When is the last time we saw a major manufacturer come into the greater Batavia area?" Hyde said. "Maybe 40 or 50 years? We’ve seen a lot of them move out, but not too many move in. Maybe this is the start of something good for our community."

It could also be the basis for pushing forward consolidation between the town and city, one council member observed.

The joint agreement has the Town of Batavia buying sewer capacity from the city and reselling it to agri-park tenants.

The town and the city already have a joint agreement in place for processing effluent in the city's wastewater plant, but the agri-business park highlights the difference in sewer rates between the town and the city.

The town's rate is $5.35 per thousand gallons. If the city and town consolidated, town landowners, including agri-park tenants could potentially pay the city's current retail rate of $3.14 per thousand gallons.

An agri-business park plant producing 15,000 gallons per day would save nearly $12,000 annually paying the city's rate.

Regardless of the rate paid by agri-park tenants, the effluent is all flowing to the same treatment plant, and the quality and efficiency of that plant is the main reason city rates are so low, Molino said.

"That plant is a resource that I don’t think people understand," Molino said. "It’s a special plant. It’s 350 acres. It’s one of the largest lagoon plants east of the Mississippi. It doesn’t use chemical treatment. It’s natural treatment, so there’s no chemical cost. Only four people run it, seven days a week. You find me a sewer plant that has low labor costs like that, low treatment costs -- that's why our sewer rates are some of the lowest in Western New York."

Press release:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the New York State Museum, and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum selected the Batavia City Centre to display one of 30 exhibitions as part of a statewide remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The governor’s office said, “The exhibitions will give New Yorkers a place to remember the victims of September 11th and to honor the countless heroes who came from all corners of the state to help in clean-up and recovery efforts. The exhibitions will feature historical artifacts from the collections of the State Museum and National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Many of the artifacts being exhibited have never been seen by the public.”

The exhibit at the Batavia City Centre includes a Port Authority Police Car that was recovered from the World Trade Center site. The Port Authority Police Department was the first law enforcement agency to respond to the terrorist attacks.

State Assemblyman Stephen Hawley said, “This exhibit reminds us of that tragic day and how we have been able to persevere and value the freedoms we have even more every day. I would encourage everyone to view the exhibit and remember the Americans who lost their lives on September 11, 2001."

"As the 10th anniversary of September 11th approaches, we should never forget the 3,000 lives lost in the attacks. The 9/11 Memorial Exhibition at Batavia City Hall is a fitting and appropriate tribute, not only to those lives lost but also to the many first responders from across the State who rushed to the World Trade Center to serve their county and fellow Americans," said State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer.

City Council President Marianne Clattenburg said, “The City of Batavia is honored to have been selected to host one of the 9/11 exhibits here at City Hall. I would like to invite every resident from Genesee County and beyond to view this important artifact, as we reflect on the 10-year anniversary of the events of September 11th."

The Batavia City Centre exhibit will be on display in the corridor near city hall now until the end of September. The City Centre hours are: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Although City Centre is closed on Sundays, it will be open on Sunday, September 11th for a remembrance ceremony. The details of the September 11th ceremony will be announced.

It is reported that sprinkler and water flow alarms are sounding at 56 Harvester Ave., building 23, in the City of Batavia. City of Batavia Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 3:08 p.m.: The alarm company has informed dispatch that it is working on the alarm system and there is no emergency.

Shannon Harder moved her business earlier this month from Alexander to Batavia in search of a bigger customer base.

She figured her bulk-food store and deli would see an increase in business, but she never expected the kind of reception she's received.

"We've been very busy," Harder said. "It's exceed all of my expectations. I knew we would do better, but I never expected this response."

On just about any given afternoon, the parking lot of Molasses Hill Bulk Foods, 466 Ellicott St., is full.

The store carries a variety of spices, speciality flours and other baking ingredients along with a full-service deli counter.

And the deli will start serving homemade soups soon, Harder said.

Pictured with Harder is her 5-year-old daughter Teagan.

A two-car accident with air-bag deployment and injuries is reported at 8975 Wortendyke Road in front of Bontrager's Auction Center in the Town of Batavia.

East Pembroke rescue and Sheriff's deputies are en route. A person on scene says injuries are minor, but the vehicles are blocking the roadway.

UPDATE 7:15 p.m.: Mercy medics are transporting one patient to UMMC and the other person involved in the accident signed off for treatment and therefore will not receive any.

A bicyclist hit by a semi-truck on Route 33 near Terry Hills earlier today may have been under the influence of drugs, according to a Sheriff's Office accident report.

Gregory Seppe, 53, of Prestige Crossing, Batavia, was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by ground ambulance with an apparent head injury and in a semi-conscious state.

Witnesses told Deputy Chris Parker that Seppe appeared under the influence of drugs prior to the accident.

The truck driver, Brandan P. Smith, 27, of Munger Street, Bergen, said he saw the bike swerving into his westbound lane prior to his truck getting to Seppe's location. Then the bike returned to its own lane. Smith said he moved partially into the eastbound lane to try and avoid the bicyclist.

As the truck passed, Seppe apparently swerved into the westbound traffic lane again and was struck by the trailer on Smith's truck.

Seppe's son told Parker that Seppe had just left his residence and appeared to be highly impaired by drugs.

The son's neighbor told Parker that he saw Seppe fall down three times prior to leaving on the bike.

No citations were issued.

(Initial report)

A semi-truck versus bike accident with injuries is reported in front of Terry Hills Golf Course, 5122 Clinton St. Road in the Town of Batavia. The bicycist is conscious and complaining of a head injury. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 11:26 a.m.: The bicyclist is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital. Town of Batavia Fire Department is back in service.

The public is invited to a celebration marking the one-year anniversary of UMMC's Summit Physical and Occupational Therapy Center from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26.

The center is located at the MedTech Park, 99 MedTech Drive in Batavia.

There will be tours, giveaways and demonstrations of the new aquatic therapy pools, and birthday cake, too!

Clor's Meat Market will offer full chicken BBQ dinners for $5. For dinner tickets, call 344-5278.

You can enter for a chance to win a 40-inch flat-screen TV. No purchase necessary and you need NOT be present to win.

A Batavia woman who allegedly tried to prevent law enforcement officers from finding and arresting her boyfriend today was charged with obstructing governmental administration, 2nd.

Arrested and released on an appearance ticket was Landrea D. Ames, 39, of East Main Street, Batavia.

Her boyfriend was located and taken into custody on a warrant for an alleged parole violation.

Arrested was Darrell J. Holloway, 42, of East Main Street, Batavia.

Members the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force secured a warrant to search residence of Ames for Holloway.

Batavia PD and Sheriff's deputies assisted in the arrests.

Holloway most recently served time at the Mohawk Correction Facility for attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. He had previous convictions, according to DOCs, for attempted burglary, 2nd, grand larceny, 4th, and burglary, 2nd.

The city and the Town of Batavia along with the GCEDC have come to terms on an agreement to provide sewer service to the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.

The agreement calls for GCEDC to construct the new sewer system and for the city and town to own and maintain one pump station each.

The city won't be asked to pay for a dime of the construction, according to GCEDC CEO Steve Hyde, but will be responsible for the maintenance of its pump station.

"In the long term, the revenue from the sewer system will be very, very significant," Hyde said. "The revenue will be into the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually as we build out the ag park. The revenue will far outweigh the cost of maintaining the infrastructure."

The plan calls for two new pump stations, one within city limits serving the park and O-AT-KA Milk, and the other within the town boundaries and serving the ag park.

The Batavia City Council will be asked to approve the agreement, which must be in place before the groundbreaking for the new Alpina Products plant, at a special meeting Thursday.

The majority of the funding for construction of the pump stations and sewer lines will come from grants received by GCEDC for the ag park project. O-AT-KA Milk will also pay a portion of the construction costs. The exact costs and expense split has not yet been released.

The citys' pump station will be built near Cedar and Ellicott streets with a sewer line running north to Main Street.

The town's station will be built near Main Street Road within the ag park and connect with the main sewer line under Main Street.

O-AT-KA Milk is planning a significant expansion and needs the additional sewer capacity. Even now, according to a city memo, O-AT-KA's sewer outflow occasionally exceeds the capacity of the Ellicott Street gravity sewer line.

WBTA contributed to this report.

Former Batavia resident Jeff "The Buddha" Van Buren has purchased the Gambler Pro Tour and is on the road following the pool-players circuit in order to visit billiard rooms and sign up players.

“The Gambler Pro Tour is positioned to elevate the sport of billiards to the next level," says Van Buren, in his press release.

The GPT has an ambitious plan for events to take place in Western New York, Northern Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

He says the tour will attract seasoned veterans and amateurs, as well as, reach out to those who are new to billiard competition. Coverage of the events will be taped and edited for local cable broadcasting.

The Gambler Pro Tour was formed last year by Dan Dennis. Two events were held in Florida and Georgia. Ten more were planned with 10K each in added money. In May of this year, Van Buren, with expansion on his mind, struck a deal with Dennis to purchase the tour. The transfer took place with Catherine Jenkins, of the Mt. Dora, Fla.,Chamber of Commerce, recording the transaction.

Room owners will not be required to add money for semi-pro events. Many events will have no added money. This will take the lure away for seasoned players and give amateurs a chance at cashing in on events.

According to Van Buren, Gambler Pro Tour is not seeking to compete with established pool tours and does its best not to enter markets where there is already a popular tour in place like the Lone Star Tour in Texas, Great Southern Billiards Tour, Joss Tour, Tiger SE Tour, and the newly formed Action Pool Tour.

Van Buren, who now resides in Fort Myers, Fla., is the commissioner of the Pool Hustler Series, and founder of the Shooters Tour that covered Upstate New York. In addition to owning a pool room, he operated the Shooters Tour for 10 years. It grew to 1,000 players holding 30 to 40 events per year with all sponsorships coming from outside of the industry. He was well-known for holding charity events, his favorite being the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

To find out more, phone Van Buren at 239-822-5255, email him at poolhustlerseries@yahoo.com, visit online at www.GamblerProTour.com

We've received reports from three readers who felt a small earthquake in Batavia.

It's possibly related to a 5.9 shaker that struck Virginia within the past 15 or 20 minutes.

Police have yet to determine how a 17-month-old toddler fell from a second story window at 18 East Ave., Batavia, at around 7:47 p.m., Monday.

The toddler, who fell onto asphalt below the window, sustained non-life threatening injuries, according to a statement released by Batavia Chief of Police Randy Baker.

The child was transported by ground ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

The toddler was in a second-story room with a 4-year-old at the time of the fall. The mother, who was at the residence, was not in the room.

There were no witnesses to the fall.

(initial report)

A toddler reportedly fell from the second-story window of a residence on East Avenue earlier this evening.

The condition of the child is not available at this time.

The child was taken by ground ambulance to UMMC.

The exact circumstances of the fall are not available at this time.

If you've ever used Google Maps, then you probably know what "Street View" is.  For those who don't or haven't noticed Street View before, it's a service of Google Maps that allows you to "navigate" along a street on the map, seeing what buildings are on the street.  The theory, supposedly, is that if you ever travel to that street, you'll see better the landmarks and such to help you find what you're looking for.

Much of Batavia was already mapped by the Google "Street View Car" -- seen above -- but the car is apparently back in town today.

I spotted it on Court Street this morning (link for Street View example). Andy Pedro sent in this picture of the car Violet Lane.

A wrecking crew is tearing down the Batavia Elks Lodge building today.

The property was purchased by United Memorial Medical Center in December to make way for "future growth." It will become a vacant lot with grass and plants in the meantime.

Richard W. Rumble Jr., 26, of 9229 County Line Road, Akron, is charged with with aggravated DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, unsafe backing and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Rumble allegedly backed into a car at a restaurant on West Main Street, Batavia, and then left the scene. Batavia Police Officer Kevin DeFelice stopped Rumble's car a short time later. The alleged incident was reported at 11:04 p.m., Saturday. 

Darik Robert Michael Orbaker, 19, of Elm Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt, 1st. Orbaker allegedly violated an order of protection by being in the presence of the protected person.

John Thomas Harley, 32, of Gordon Street, Buffalo, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and operating with a suspended license. Harley was stopped at 5:10 p.m., Sunday, on Route 77 at Darien Lake by Deputy Chris Parker. Harley was then turned over to law enforcement out of Erie County on a family court warrant.

Gary Robert Murray, 55, of Gorton Road, Basom, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Murray is accused of recklessly damaging the car of another person during a confrontation with that person.

Timothy Philip Maher, 20, of John Street, Rochester, is charged with trespass. Maher was allegedly found at Darien Lake Theme Park Campgrounds at 6:50 p.m., Aug. 6, trespassing from site to site.

Jason Louis Buoni, 21, of Barton Street, Rochester, is charged with trespass. Buoni was allegedly found at Darien Lake Theme Park Campgrounds at 6:50 p.m., Aug. 6, trespassing from site to site.