batavia

Now you can design your own Batavia-made boots.

p.w. minor announced today the launch of their new product line and brand, the Abram Boot Company.

The new boots are the same p.w. minor quality, and made right here in Batavia, but you, the customer, design your own boots at abrambootcompany.com.

You can also visit p.w.'s local outlet store at Main and Jackson to try on boots and sit at an in-store computer to design your custom boots.

Customers can choose leather, sole, eyelets, speed hooks, toe type and laces to fashion the look they find most appealing.

Local customers are invited to use the promo code "Batavia Made" when ordering their boots online for $200 off the purchase price.

The new line is named after Abram Vorhees Minor, the younger brother of Peter Wycoff Minor. The brothers founded p.w. minor in Batavia 149 years ago.

More than a year ago, Pete Zeliff and Andrew Young purchased the company, which was about to be shut down, and saved it, investing substantially to expand production, modernize the plant and bring jobs back to Batava that had been transferred to China.

Top photo: Lisa Paul-Khan.

Full press release after the jump:

The fate of a proposed West Main Street Dunkin’ Donuts is back in the hands of city planners.

The Genesee County Planning Board took “no action” Thursday night, on dramatically revised plans for the project.

The county board voted 3 to 2 on a requested subdivision, special use permit, sign permits and area variances for a new drive-thru restaurant at West Main and River streets.

The city Planning & Development Committee can now vote to approve — or deny — the project by a simple majority vote.

“We’re happy with that,” said Kip Finley, project development manager for Indus Hospitality, told the county board.

Thursday was the fourth time Indus Hospitality has appeared before county planners since June 2014. The county took no action then and once again the following September, before recommending city disapproval this past August.

The city committee voted the project down in September 2014.

On Thursday, Finley told county planners he hoped “the fourth time’s the charm.”

“This time we’re back here because, I think, the city officials took pity on us because we weren’t quite getting it,” he said.

Indus Hospitality revised its plans — particularly for the design of the building — based on input from the city panel, Finley said.

Dunkin’ Donuts would be located on land between Five Star Bank and Barrett’s Batavia Marine. It would be owned by Mike Mikolajczyk, who also owns the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise at East Main Street and Ellicott Avenue.

The revised site plan now calls for a bigger building — enlarged from 1,700 square feet to 2,170 square feet — that is much closer to West Main Street. The entrance has been relocated to the west of the restaurant.

Those changes allow for a longer drive-thru queue off West Main, that would accommodate 12 vehicles instead of seven. A second “bypass lane” immediately adjacent to the west, would allow separate access to restaurant parking and the bank ATM.

That should alleviate concerns about backed-up drive-thru traffic blocking West Main Street during rush hour, Finley said.

Unchanged, is a proposed parking lot exit to the east of Dunkin’ Donuts. Parking and the drive-thru could also be accessed via River Street from existing driveways on either side Five Star Bank.

The restaurant was also redesigned, based on preferences shown by the city Planning & Development Committee, Finley said. It would have a gabled roof, and patio seating facing West Main.

“The architecture is now not at all prototype for Dunkin’,” Finley said. “It’s more fitting in with the residential character of the other buildings (in the neighborhood).”

The addition of landscaping, is intended to block the view of the parking lot from homes on Redfield Parkway.

County Planning Department staff recommended approval of Dunkin’ Donuts requests, with one modification: that a free-standing pylon sign facing West Main Street be replaced with an externally lit monument-style sign.

Finley said a raised sign is necessary for visibility, but said his firm is willing to consider a smaller, or even externally lit pylon sign.

The sign would be illuminated only during hours of operation, which would be from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Planning Board members Robert Bennet, Laraine Caton and Lucine Kauffman voted to approve. Ginny Adams and Tom Schubmehl voted against.

With only five of nine Planning Board members present, a recommendation for approval would have required five votes. A vote to disapprove, would have required a majority-plus-one vote for the city board to overturn the decision.

The city Planning & Development Committee’s Nov. 17 agenda includes a public hearing and possible vote on the Dunkin’ Donuts application.

Neighbors who spoke at Thursday’s meeting, said they have not changed their views on the project.

“I’ve been in favor of the project since the very beginning,” said Nelson Baker, of Redfield Parkway. “I can see the cars in the parking lot at Five Star Bank and they don’t bother me at all.”

But another Redfield Parkway resident, Donald Fryling, insisted the parcel is too small for Dunkin’ Donuts, and another drive-thru is too much for the community.

“I’m concerned about adding traffic to an area that’s already extremely congested and dangerous,” Fryling said. “Does a community our size really need a fourth doughnut shop (and) an 11th drive-thru?

“The community doesn’t want it there,” he said.

Nann Zorn, who lives on River Street, said the new site plan doesn’t change her concerns about traffic.

“Regardless of how beautiful the plans are for the building, none of the aesthetic changes will improve its location,” Zorn said. 

“Nobody’s addressing the overall issue,” she continued. “And the overall issue is the fact that this is the wrong place for this business.”

Going back to Joseph Ellicott, you would be hard pressed to find anybody has had more of a local impact over a sustained period of time than Catherine Roth.

And she's leaving us.

At age 95, Roth is moving from The Manor House in Batavia to an assisted-living facility near Albany, where she will be closer to her son and grandchildren.

"She really, physically worked hard with the organizations she was involved in," said Lucine Kauffman, a former Town of Elba supervisor and currently president of the  Landmark Society of Genesee County, which Roth helped found. "Some people just want to throw money around, but she actually got her hands dirty. She worked hard and she was passionate. She was definitely one of my mentors and one of the first friends I made when I moved here."

We will need to write out a long list with numerous bullet points to list out all Roth did in her some 70 years of living in Genesee County, but let's do it anyway:

• Founding member of the Landmark Society in 1964;
• Spearheaded publication of "The Architectural Heritage of Genesee County";
• Started a swimming class for children in what is now known as Genesee ARC;
• She spent decades as a Girl Scout troop leader;
• Served on the Batavia City Council in the 1970s and served on the Master Plan Steering Committee;
• Member of the UMMC Hospital League, and baked and donated hundreds of pies to be sold in the snack shop at the hospital, where she also volunteered her time;
• A trustee with the First Presbyterian Church of Batavia, which she helped get listed on the National Register of Historic Places and took a leadership role in getting the tower restored;
• Planted flowers and weeded in numerous public places, including Dwyer Stadium and the Batavia Cemetery;
• Served on the YMCA Board of Directors;
• Served on the Holland Land Purchase Historical Society Board of Directors;
• Founding member of the Sun Catchers Garden Club;
• Board of Directors, Stafford Historical Society;
• Board member of the Batavia Cemetery Association, where she established the James T. Roth Memorial Arboretum, in memory of her son who was killed by an elderly driver in a car accident;
• Helped get the Batavia Cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places;
• Recipient of numerous local awards;
• With her sisters, a member of the oldest living triplets in the United States;
• Lobbied for years, after her son was killed, to change NYS law on allowing elderly people to retain driver's licenses and gave hers up when she felt she was too old to drive.

Roth was honored -- one of several such gatherings planned around the county before she departs for Albany on Nov. 17 -- yesterday in the Stafford Town Court by the Stafford Historical Society.

She said she was embarrassed by the attention. She never volunteered for anything to get attention, she said. She volunteered because she could.

"I'm embarrassed to say, but I didn't have to work," Roth said. "My husband (Dr. Lawrence Roth) was an obstetrician-gynecologist and I just never had to work, which is very different from what women have to do now."

Roth was born and raised in Long Island and she and her sisters graduated from William Smith College, which they attended on a scholarship. Each of the young ladies met their future husbands while in college, and all three young men were graduates of Hobart College.

Dr. Roth was a decendent of a family, the Tyler family, that settled in Stafford in 1810. The Tyler's roots in the colonies go back to the early 17th Century (one branch of the Tylers, not the branch that came to Le Roy) produced Ernest Hemingway.

When Dr. Roth returned to Batavia to begin his medical career, he brought his bride with him and she got involved early in the life of the community.

She adopted it as her own and cherished the things that made it unique, which made her a staunch opponent of urban renewal, a turn of events in the city's history that she's still bitter about.

"They really ruined Batavia, as far as I'm concerned," she said yesterday.

Her activism in fighting urban renewal paved the way for the creation of the Landmark Society and launched her local political career, prompting her to run for City Council.

"I was the biggest vote-getter," she said.

Her time on council is among her proudest achievements, as well as teaching developmentally disabled children how to swim, saving the Batavia Cemetery and building the arboretum in honor of her departed son.

Laurie Oltramari, currently director of the Batavia Improvement District, and a former president of the Landmark Society, said at yesterday's gathering that Roth gave her confidence to be a leader, even if that meant ruffling feathers along the way.

"Sometimes I was dubbed 'Little Catherine' because I don't like to take no for an answer and I'm not afraid to burn bridges and lose friendships when it means doing the right thing," Oltramari said. "That's really a hard thing to do, but when you have somebody like Catherine saying it's 'OK, you'll be OK,' it really is a life lesson."

Roth's example -- she's thought of by many as somebody who demonstrated equal rights for women long before equal rights for women really became a movement -- has inspired many women, including Rev. Roula Alkhouri, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Batavia.

"I always felt affirmed because you always told me the truth," Rev. Alkhouri told Roth during Wednesday's gathering. "You would share your opinion, but it was never in the spirit of you don't know what you're doing because you're young. It was in the sense that I felt affirmed as a woman being in ministry and welcomed."

"I felt really affirmed," she added, "and I realized that when I met her sisters. They came up one time and they said 'You know what, we haven't heard anything bad about you.' "

Kauffman said she always found Roth kind and kindhearted, and a lot of people did, but she was also always strong willed and had deeply held beliefs. That sometimes rubbed some men the wrong way.

"A lot of men thought she was a loudmouthed broad and a pushy broad and I've always wondered, as a woman myself, if she was a man, would they say 'He's pushy,' or 'He's a loudmouth'? No, they would just say 'He's a leader and he had a vision.' "

Roth said there was no grand vision to her service. She just did it.

"I didn't want to be bored with life," she said.

Press release:

On Saturday, Nov. 14th, Crossroads House will be having its Annual Fall Basket Raffle. We call it “Race to the Finish” because it is our last public fundraiser of 2015.

In keeping with Batavia’s harness racing history, one of the featured items will be a large vintage Horse and Sulky figurine. The raffle will also include porcelain dolls, wine and liquor baskets, Christmas baskets, handmade afghans and much more. Over 100 baskets will be featured. In addition there will be side raffles for a $100 Money Tree, Fresh Meat Trays, Shop Around Town gift cards, and a handmade quilt.

A $5 entry gets you your first sheet of raffle tickets, complimentary desserts and McCullagh coffee products furnished by Ralph Marsocci. Lunch will be available for purchase including hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and Gail's famous stuffed pepper soup.

The raffle takes place at St. James Episcopal Church, 405 E. Main St., Batavia. It runs from 12 to 4 p.m. with baskets being drawn at 3 p.m. Winners need not be present to win so you can stop by, get your tickets in, have some lunch then visit some or all of the other great area events in Batavia. Check the events calendar and make an entire day of shopping, eating, and entertainment without ever leaving Downtown!

Crossroads House would like to thank the community for all their support this year. As an organization that relies 100 percent on the support of the area we serve, we are blessed to be able to continue to offer our services free of charge. We are a Gift to the Community, made possible by the Community.

Marisol Leon, left, who owns El Rincon Colombiano with her husband, Guillermo, is pictured at the Batavia restaurant with waitresses Melinda Amaro, center, and Elena Vega.

Marisol Leon grew up in Colombia, and is happy to share its flavors with Batavia diners.

She and her husband Guillermo opened El Rincon Colombiano Restaurant on Nov. 1 in Valu Plaza.

It’s a second Batavia restaurant for the Leons, who opened their Mexican restaurant, Rancho Viejo, four years ago on Ellicott Street.

Marisol Leon promises “a new experience” for local diners who are not familiar with the South American nation’s food.

“They can try different flavors and learn a little more about another country,” she said.

Marisol and Guillermo — who is from Mexico — originally opened the Valu Plaza location earlier this year as El Burrito Loco. 

The switch from “El Burrito” to “El Rincon,” proves necessity is the mother of invention. After a good start, Marisol said, they had trouble finding a talented Mexican cook.

The solution? “Try Colombian,” Marisol said.

And hire Alberto Rincon, who brings both his name and talents as chef to El Rincon.

Rincon, like Marisol Leon, is a native of Bucaramanga, a city in Colombia’s northeast. He has moved to Batavia with his wife, Anamilde, who is responsible for El Rincon’s homemade baked goods. 

The menu will seem familiar to anyone who enjoys Mexican food. But Mexican and Colombian cooking developed from different regions and traditions — like cousins who have a family resemblance, but very different personalities.

While far from being bland, Colombian food is not as spicy as Mexican, Marisol explained. You also won’t find tortillas or much salsa, and beans are not as prominently featured.

“A lot of steak and seafood,” is how Marisol describes El Rincon’s menu.

Colombian cuisine also features a lot of soups. (“Every day for lunch,” Marisol said.) In addition to a soup of the day, El Rincon serves cazuela de langosta (lobster) and cazuela de mariscos (seafood), creamy soups served with rice, salad and fried plantain slices.

Bandeja paisa, is one of Colombia’s most popular — and most generous — dishes. It includes rice, red beans and ground beef “cooked Colombian style,” along with egg, chorizo (pork sausage), avocado, plantain, arepa (flatbread) and chicharon (fried pork).

“It’s a lot of food,” Marisol said.

El Rincon has a children’s menu, and an “American” menu that includes cheeseburgers and roast beef sandwiches. Take-out is also available.

Marisol said they hope to have a liquor license in place within a month or so, after which the restaurant will serve aguardiente, a sugar cane liqueur; Ron Caldas, a Colombian rum; and Club Colombia beer.

The “flavors” of Colombia, extend also to El Rincon’s ambiance. That includes both the decor and the wait staff, which is outfitted in yellow Colombia National Soccer Team jerseys.

One wall has been painted white, and decorated with bright green and orange shutters and doors. It’s a reflection of the stucco walls and tile roofs of the “Pueblito Paisa,” a popular tourist attraction in Medellin, Colombia.

Marisol said it’s an opportunity to take a trip, without having to travel.

“People don’t need to go to Columbia,” she said. “They can find it here.”

El Rincon Colombiano is located at 4125 W. Main St. (Valu Plaza), Batavia. Winter hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays.

During summer, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Fridays.

El Rincon is closed Saturdays. For information call (585) 201-7602.

Batavia's El Rincon Colombiano Restaurant features Colombian decor, including a hammock and espadrilles -- a kind of slipper. The restaurant opened Nov. 1 in Valu Plaza.

Press release:

Come to the 13^th annual Worldwide Christmas Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 14th, at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 300 E. Main St., Batavia. Admission is free.

Join the hundreds of people in the community who have attended our fairs over the past 12 years and see why supporting fair trade businesses and local and regional not-for-profit organizations has such a positive influence in our community and the world!

Our fair is unique in that all of our vendors have one thing in common -- they help other people in need here in Batavia, in Western NY and around the world through their sales.

We have three types of vendors at our fair:

1. Local and regional not-for-profit organizations raising money for their programs or projects.

• The Artisans at North Street (www.ywcagenesee.org ), located at the YWCA in Batavia, will have hand crafted items from more than 30 local artisans. Your purchases support both the artisans and the work of the YWCA.
• Deborah Wilson Pottery will be available and supports Project Life in Waterport (www.projectlife-wli.org ). Project Life brings orphans, ages 9-12, from war-torn countries and areas such Chechnya, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Southeast Asia to Western New York for three months during the summer to provide peace, support, rest and recuperation for the children, to improve their physical and mental health, and to give them the opportunity to just be kids.
• Healthy Sisters Soup and Bean Works (www.healthysisters.org ) from Catholic Family Services in Rochester. This organization provides women in Rochester the opportunity to learn about running a business and enables them to obtain the experience needed to be successful in the work force. Their product is everything you need to make a pot of bean soup – the beans and spices, all neatly packaged with the recipe attached. They also have dip mixes for sale.
• Guatemala Missions – Members of the First Presbyterian Church will have handmade items for sale that support The Garden’s Edge (www.gardensedge.org), an organization that works to revitalize local culture and economy in Guatemala through projects in sustainable agriculture and environmental education.
• NEW!  Coffee Connection (http://ourcoffeeconnection.org/) is a Rochester-based company that provides employment training and job creation for women in recovery from addiction and sells fair trade, organic coffee to retail and wholesale customers. In partnership with Project Empower, they provide comprehensive, continuous support for women on their journey toward sustainable recovery. 

      2. Home businesses. We have representatives from Kitcheneez and Avon. These women donate all proceeds from sales made at the fair to a local charity of their choice.

      3. Vendors who promote and follow fair trade practices.

What are Fair Trade Practices?

Let’s look at one of our vendors to illustrate the concepts of fair trade: One World Projects (www.oneworldprojects.com ) is a fair trade company located on Harvester Avenue in Batavia. One World Projects was started in 1992 by Phil Smith. The mission of the company is to provide people in developing countries with the opportunity for economic sustainability and self-determination.

• They do this by building open and respectful relationships with the people they work with around the world;
• One World Projects purchases high-quality products that have positive social impacts and environmental benefits;
• They pay artisans fair wages for their work allowing them to provide for their basic needs such as: food, shelter, clothing, education, and health-care for their families;
• They provide financial and technical support to artisans by working with the artisans, suggesting product designs, improving artistic and technical skills, educating group leaders about the demands of the market;
• The support a safe and healthy work environment;
• They ensure the rights of children by not supporting exploitive child labor;
• They cultivate environmentally sustainable practices;
• And they reinvest in artisan groups and communities through economic programs and/or donations.

This is what it means to practice fair trade. One World Projects works with more than 80 artisan groups in more than 20 countries throughout Latin America, Africa and Asia. They sell hundreds of products and each item tells the story of the people who make them.

Other vendors who practice fair trade:

One World Goods (www.owgoods.org) from Rochester will have items from all over the world – jewelry, scarfs, handbags, mittens, toys, Christmas ornaments, decorative items, candles, and much more.

• Equal Exchange Coffee (www.equalexchange.coop) is a co-op from Massachusetts that sells coffee, tea and chocolate from around the globe.  
• Dounya Kele, which means One World in the language of Burkina Faso in Africa – will have jewelry made of recycled glass by women in Ghana and Burkina Faso.
• In the Basket will have hand woven grass baskets in beautiful vibrant colors available. The baskets are woven by women in Swaziland and other countries in Africa. They are imported by a former Peace Corps Volunteer who continues to work to help alleviate poverty in Africa and improve the quality of life in the community she served.

Our fair provides the opportunity to purchase quality gifts and support all of these worthwhile causes.

This is not a fund-raising event for the church. We do not charge admission and we do not charge our vendors to participate.

Enjoy a delicious lunch of soups and sandwiches provided by our Presbyterian Women’s group and purchase wonderful baked goods provided by our youth and congregation. Again, all proceeds from food purchases are donated to charity.

Get your Christmas shopping started early and purchase gifts that make a difference!

Ryan K. Darch, 23, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with third-degree assault. He was arrested after turning himself in on an arrest warrant issued by Batavia City Court. He was released under supervision of Genesee Justice and is to appear in City Court on Nov. 24. The case was handled by Officer Jason Davis.

Matthew S. Shaffer, 25, of South Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree harassment -- physical contact, and criminal mischief -- intent to damage property. On Nov. 5 at 11:30 p.m., Shaffer was arrested after he allegedly broke a vehicle window while a child was sitting inside the vehicle, following a domestic incident. He was jailed on $1,000 bail. The case was investigated by Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Eric Foels.

Kevin R. Larsen, 38, of Hall Street, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. On Nov. 5, on East Main Street, the defendant was arrested after it was reported by residents on Swan Street that he was yelling obscenities and disrupting the neighborhood. The defendant then stood in the roadway in front of 400 E. Main St. allegedly obstructing vehicular traffic, then physically struggled with a police officer while being placed under arrest. The case was investigated by Officer Darryle Streeter, assisted by Officer Eric Bolles.

Daniel J. Wolfe, 41, of 209 Liberty St. upper, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. On Nov. 5 at 6:18 p.m., Wolfe was involved in a disturbance on Hutchins Street wherein he allegedly struck another person in the face. He was subsequently arrested. The case was investigated by Officer Frank Klimjack, assisted by Officer Peter Flanagan.

Morgan S. Fallon, 18, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. On Nov. 8 at 7:25 p.m., Fallon was arrested after allegedly threatening another person during a verbal altercation in the 300 block of Ellicott Street. Fallon was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to be in City Court on Dec. 1. The case was investigated by Officer Jason Ivison, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

A 16-year-old female resident of Batavia is charged with second-degree harassment. On Nov. 8 at 6:25 p.m., the youth was arrested after she allegedly threatened another person during a verbal altercation in the 300 block of Ellicott Street. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court on Dec. 1. The case was investigated by Officer Jason Ivison, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Brenda Y. Coloncruz, 42, of Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, refusal to take breath test, and driving on or across a sidewalk. On Nov. 6, Coloncruz was arrested on Swan Street during the course of an investigation into an unknown type of disturbance. She was put in jail in lieu of $1,500 bail. The case was investigated by Officer Jason Davis, assisted by Officer Daniel Coffey.

Adam D. Smart, 32, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 6 after he was found at a residence in violation of a complete stay away order of protection. He was jailed without bail. The case was investigated by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Jamie M. Ficarella, 39, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. On Nov. 6 at 10:36 a.m., Batavia police responded to the Kwik Fill on Jackson Street for the report of a customer stealing items. After reviewing the convenience store's surveillance system and further investigation, Ficarella was arrested for allegedly stealing two Cheez-It snack bags. Ficarella was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court on Nov. 17. The case was investigated by Officer Kevin DeFelice.

The police investigation into a reported assault two weeks ago that left one man with serious injuries has been stymied by a lack of cooperation from one of the victims and the failure of potential witnesses to come forward, said Det. Todd Crossett.

The Batavian reported on the assault Oct. 28, which reportedly involved a group of people attacking a young man returning from 7-Eleven to a Halloween party on Swan Street with pizzas and a friend who went out apparently looking for the attackers. That second man was hospitalized after he was attacked by a group of people.

The victim who was seriously hurt has cooperated with investigators, but the first reported victim, who was the person who contacted The Batavian about the case, has declined all interview requests with police and police have found it repeatedly difficult to get in touch with him.

Several people posted comments online indicating they know who the attackers are, but police attempts to contact those potential witnesses have been unsuccessful and none has voluntarily contacted police.

Crossett is asking that those potential witnesses please come forward and answer questions.

"I'd like to talk to you and find out how you might know who these people might be," Crossett said.

Crossett's direct line is (585) 345-6353.

The information contained in the original story on The Batavian about the attack is consistent with what the police have been able to learn so far, but without further cooperation from victims and witnesses, it will be difficult to successfully close the case, Crossett said.

Veterans were a baffled by this setup when they arrived at the Upton Monument this morning. They aren't sure if this was meant as some sort of message or it's just somebody's litter. The boxes were all empty.

Submitted photo.

Press release:

Why in the world is there a business sitting next to two private homes in the City? Why do the City’s code enforcement officers allow one property owner to build onto a structure and yet deny another? If these are the kind of questions you find yourself asking as you drive through the City of Batavia, you may be the perfect person to fill an opening on the City’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).

The ZBA needs City residents who are curious about and interested in zoning regulations as it relates to buildings and structures.

The ZBA is responsible for hearing and determining appeals of refusals of building permits or certificates of occupancy when the denial is based on zoning requirements. The ZBA has the authority to change the application of the zoning regulations relating to buildings and structures and helps to address practical difficulties and unnecessary hardships to ensure proper zoning in the City.

The board meets once a month and requires a time commitment of approximately 12 hours per year of its volunteers. Residents interested in applying can obtain an application from the City Clerk’s Office or can visit our website at www.batavianewyork.com and download a Committee/Board Volunteer Application under Documents.

Applications are due to the City Clerk’s Office by Nov. 30.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the City Clerk’s office at (585) 345-6305 or:

Office of the City Manager

One Batavia City Centre

Batavia, New York 14020

Phone:   (585) 345-6330

Fax:     (585) 343-8182

E-mail:   jmolino@batavianewyork.com

Kimberly Yasses Argenta has moved Art Ah La Carte from Harvester Avenue to Downtown Batavia, into a storefront on Jackson Street.

She moved the art studio and classroom space because she needed more space, she said, and she thought the location would give her better exposure.

"Already, people have come in off the street, so that's a good thing," Argenta said.

She also thought it would be beneficial to be part of the Business Improvement District and enjoy those promotional opportunities.

This Friday and Saturday she is hosting "Brush Out Cancer," an event to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

Friday is an art show, vendors' auctions and a 50/50 raffle. On Saturday, from noon to 1:30 p.m., there is Kids Paint. The cost is $30 and pre-registration is required (call (585) 245-1655). And in the evening, starting at 6, Monet and Merlot, which costs $45 and includes refreshments, though if you want wine, you need to bring your own bottle. There will be a wine tasting. Saturday evening's event also includes auctions and a 50/50 raffle.

The fundraisers are in memory of Argenta's mother, Mickey Yasses, who passed away in December, 2013.

Jason Andrew Barnhart, 28, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. Barnhart is accused of damaging the structure and contents of a mobile home owned by another person. He was jailed on $15,000 bail.

David J. Gaetan, 43 and Chrissy A. Gaetan, 40, of Ontario, Canada, are charged with trespass. The couple is accused of bypassing no trespassing signs at Rolling Hills Asylum and entering the property without permission. Following arraignment in Town of Bethany Court, each paid a fine of $250 and were released.

Jeffrey Marrero, 21, of Norwood Avenue, Rochester, is charged with trespass. Marrero is accused of being on private property on Kelsey Road, Batavia, at 6:35 p.m. Oct. 28. Also charged was Mitchell J. Louis, 22, of Lincoln Road, Ontario, Canada.

Erica Michelle Raphael, 30, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Raphael is accused of stealing merchandise valued at $44.98 from the Shoe Dept.

Jerry Lee Wagner, 64, of Route 31 Holley, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Wagner was stopped at 6:09 p.m. Sunday on Route 77, Darien, by Deputy Bradley Mazur.

Michael Paul Fitzpatrick Sr., 40, of Howlan Street, Fonda, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes, unlawful possession of marijuana and dark/tinted side windows. Fitzpatrick was stopped at 11:43 a.m. Nov. 5 on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Incumbent John Canale retained his Ward 3 City Council Seat and challenger Al McGinnis captured the Ward 4 seat after the last of the absentee ballots were tallied today.

Polling place and absentee ballots gave Canale a total of 123 votes ot 103 for Richard Richmond, and McGinnis had 180 votes compared to 143 for incumbent Pier Cipollone.

A months-long vacancy in the executive director position for the Batavia Housing Authority has been filled, Brooks Hawley announced during Monday's City Council meeting.

Nathan Varland, most recently the housing director for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, has accepted the position.

Hawley said Varland was one of four candidates interviewed for the position and the board of directors were impressed with his qualifications.

Varland steps into the role while the board conducts an internal investigation into the death of a 91-year-old resident of 400 Towers, who apparently wandered onto the roof of the building and died of exposure. Batavia PD is still awaiting results of an autopsy report in the death of the resident, who may have suffered from mild dementia. 

Hawley, president of the City Council, also serves on the BHA Board.

If you haven't heard yet, coloring books are now a thing. OK, sure, we all had coloring books as kids, but now that we're all grown up, we're finding coloring books again, but not the "see spot run" type of coloring books, the pirate-on-the-ship coloring book that 3-year-olds scribble on, but books with pages of complex designs, fine lines and thin strips of blanks awaiting our choices of ruby, ginger or burgundy.

Adult coloring books are the hottest item at Karen's Yarn, Paper, Scissors, said owner Karen Crittenden. Her Saturday morning coloring sessions are popular enough that reservations are required and she's added a monthly evening session. This Saturday, more people than anticipated turned out for a coloring group at the Richmond Memorial Library.

"I find it very soothing to take a thing that is just black and white and turn it into something that is beautifully colored," said Lynn Bartlett Taylor during Saturday's event at the library. "Even though I'm not an artist, it makes me feel like I am in my own way."

Read articles or talk to participants and the common themes of why adults color in coloring books are it's meditative and it's a stress reliever.

In a recent article for Parade Magazine, psychologist Alice Domar, Ph.D., executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Boston, said one reason adults find coloring so relaxing is it engages the entire brain. It's impossible to multitask or worry about kids or money when both sides of your brain are absorbed in coloring between the lines. 

“It’s impossible to worry about dinner or the laundry or anything else when your mind is completely engaged,” Domar explains. “With knitting or other crafts, you can watch TV or multitask, but coloring really requires you to be in the moment. And that makes it meditative.”

She suggests coloring to patients who need stress relief, particularly those who loved the activity as a child.

“Coloring brings you back to a simpler time. It’s pleasurable. It’s a chance to sit and be mindful -- and at the end you get this beautiful result. You have a real sense of accomplishment.”

Taylor said she gets totally absorbed in the pictures she's creating.

"It's very meditative," said Taylor, who started coloring with her grandchildren in 2004, then stopped for awhile, then came back to it after hand surgery as a form of physical therapy.

"I can't make pictures of my own but I can fill in the colors for somebody else and everyone turns out different and I can't see the picture when I start out, but as I add the color, it starts coming alive. It's like each picture has its own personality."

For somebody just getting into adult coloring, Crittenden said they have a lot of options, from whether they want to start with complex designs, what themes to choose (mandalas are popular, but there is a host of other subjects available from birds and flowers to fanciful landscapes and seascapes), the medium to use (pencils, markers, crayons) and whether the colorist has enough skill and experience to handle more artistic expressions such as gradients and shading.

"The biggest thing I don't want them to do is get frustrated," Crittenden said. "They'll look online. They'll look in the stores. They'll look at the picture books and say, 'I want to do that,' and a lot of those techniques out there take some time and practice and some skill."

New colorists can also get started cheaply, if they like, or make a pricier splash, depending on their budget.

"There are $4 coloring books and you can get a set of pencils for $7," Crittenden said. "It's not expensive to get into, but you can go upwards. I mean some of these coloring books, like this one, it's an actual book. That's $25, and you can go on up from there."

Part of the thing of color is it works both as a solo pursuit and as a social activity. Across the country, adults get together in small groups on a regular basis to color together. There are Facebook and Pinterest groups dedicated to adult coloring. Colorists loving sharing their work.

But seeing all of this public activity it would be tempting to think adult coloring is just a woman thing, but that's not the case at all, Crittenden said.

"I'm finding that a lot of men are doing it, too," Crittenden said. "The last time we had a set of insect coloring books in, they went out of here fast. A lot of women were buying them for their men. A lot of men color with their wives. They're like secret colorers. A lot of times on Facebook women will post and say 'this one belongs to my husband,' or 'my husband did this one.' The wives are posting about them. It's probably just that more women are open about coloring."

After all, men have stress, too.

Crittenden herself using coloring to relax her mind.

"I have the skill to draw this, but drawing this takes too much of my concentration," Crittenden said pointing to a design in a book. "If I'm coloring this, I'm coloring it at the end of the day. My coloring books are up by my bed with my pencil tin. When I do this, I'm doing this at bedtime. For me, it gets my brain to stop, because I have a brain that doesn't stop.

"It's going like all the time and if I don't stop it at bedtime, I can't sleep because my brain keeps going and going and going and going and going. Ideas just keep flying into my head. If I don't stop, it just keeps going and this helps my brain stop working enough so I can fall asleep."

Batavia's landscape is changing, with more vegetable gardens, chicken coops and solar panels, and that's a trend the city would like to see continue, said City Manager Jason Molino while showing off his family's new greenhouse in the backyard of their home on Vernon Avenue.

Molino said code enforcement officers Ron Panek and Doug Randall report seeing more and more of these sort of backyard amenities, which is right in line with the city's strategic thinking about creating a more livable and sustainable environment, the kind of environment marketing studies and news reports show Millennials are seeking.

"This is just one example of what you can do," Molino said. "It shows how you can take your space and make it more livable and enjoyable for the whole family."

This particular greenhouse cost Molino a bit less than $900 to build, and the size of it required a city permit. But greenhouses can be built for a lot less and at a smaller scale so that no permit is required. As the city goes through its comprehensive plan review, one thing planners will be asked to consider is how to both streamline the process and protect the ability of residents to incorporate these sort of projects into their yards.

Every board, nail and pane of glass was locally sourced, Molino said, including the unique roof, which is a green roof grown right here in Batavia.

Comprised of several varieties of sedum, which is a plant that stores water and grows well in a wide range of climate zones, green roofs help insulate a building, control stormwater runoff (and thereby inhibit the flow of pollutants into storm drains) and improve air quality.

Vegetal I.D. is a company based in Batavia (the U.S. division of the French company Le Prieuré) that grows trays of sedum for green roofs on land leased from C.Y. Farms. The company's customer base, said Sander Teensma, is within a 500-mile radius of Batavia, which brings in a variety of climates where these sedum roofs thrive.

"This is an idea that is gaining momentum," Teensma said. 

For the Molino family, the greenhouse is a project "that took on a life of its own," Jason said. For the past few years, the Molinos have been growing vegetables in their backyard, and as their children have gotten older, they've become more active participants in the process. It's a life-learning lesson the Molinos want to encourage. So they started talking about what they could do next -- more raised beds, a chicken coop, or perhaps a greenhouse.

Molino got his uncle involved and they started designing a greenhouse and finding sources of local material for construction. One thing led to another, and Molino decided a green roof would be perfect for the project, especially since there was a local company that could provide the roof.

And the whole project fits right in with the direction of the city's plan for a revised comprehensive plan that aims to focus on amenities and lifestyle choices for the up-and-coming generation of Americans who seek a life less defined by corporate dictates, more authentic in food choices and more environmentally conscious.

The comprehensive plan can help guide the city toward the kind of living environment people increasingly seem to be seeking so it doesn't lose out on the growth opportunity.

"We incorporate those ideas into the comprehensive plan so we advance the ideas and they can be done more easily," Molino said. "It helps market the community to capture a lot of the growth that's going to happen in the county over the next 10 years."

If projects such as STAMP are successful -- and the coming of 1366 Technologies is a hopeful sign -- then it should mean an influx of the kind of jobs Millennials will seek, then it's critical for Batavia to position itself as a livable community for those workers, or risk losing most of them to Buffalo or Rochester.

"The comprehensive plan reflects the values we want to see in the community over the next five to 10 years," Molino said. "We want to encourage and make it easier (to build these sorts of projects). If these are the amenities and quality-of-life features that people want, and we're seeing a trend when they buy homes and properties, how do we ensure that we can continue that trend and how can we build off of that? That's what the comprehensive plan does."

Craig Yunker, of C.Y. Farms, Jason Molino, Sander Teensma, and Paul Brent, production manager for Vegetal I.D.

The watchword for the Batavia Blue Devils this football season has been relentless. Coach Brennan Briggs has it stenciled on the back of his game day windbreaker. But there's another word that can apply to the 2015 edition of the team: dominating.

Over the past six games, no opponent has been able to finish a game within three touchdowns of the Blue Devils. Whether on the ground or through the air, the Batavia offense has scorched every defense they've faced and the defense has been, well, relentless.

The Blue Devils started the year ranked #1 in a coaches' poll, but Briggs wouldn't discuss on the record how much confidence he had in his team. After today's win over Livonia by a score of 52-20 for the team's second straight Class B Section V title, Briggs admitted he believed this team was that good all along.

"It's what I expected," Briggs said. "I downplayed it all year because there was a lot of hype. I don't like the high expectations. I just like to out there and get the job done. The kids have answered the bell every single week."

Briggs (top photo with the trophy) is in his fourth season as head coach and he becomes the first head coach in school history with back-to-back sectional titles in football to his credit.

A lot of credit for today's win goes to the ground game led by Dom Mogavero and Ray Leach, and senior QB Greg Mruczek's performance was certainly title worthy, but what it really comes down to, the players say, is the play of the offensive and defensive lines.

"They've been incredible all season for us," said Mruczek, who was 9-11 passing for 158 yards and two TDs. "They work hard every single day at practice. They work hard. The trenches are where football games are won and I think people overlook that sometimes."

Mogavero put together another stellar performance, rushing for 177 yards on 14 carries, scoring twice, and he gave all the credit to the linemen.

"Those guys work hard in the trenches," Mogavero said. "They played their tails off."

Danny Williams, who has been a team leader on defense all season and had eight tackles today, said it's an amazing feeling to be part of a winning team that works so hard together.

"We're such a family," Williams said. "I've never been on team that's got my back more than this team does. However I play, they've got my back. If I mess up, there's somebody right there to make the tackle. If I don't mess up, I make the tackle or they make the tackle. It's so easy to get down, but they just help me pick up. It's great."

Batavia came ready to play a tough, physical game, Briggs said.

"The nice thing is, they're (Livonia) a smashmouth team and we wanted to show that 'hey, we can beat people up in the trenches and we can do a great job,' " Briggs said. "Our kids just played relentless football all day long. They wanted it and nobody was going to take it from them."

Trevor Sherwood had three catches for 32 yards and a TD, Malachi Chenault had two grabs for 15 yards and Anthony Gallo scored on a 60-yard TD reception, which was the second play of the game and set the tone for the day.

"It was definitely huge," Mogavero said. "It definitely gave us a little kickstart."

That well-balanced game is part of what makes Batavia hard to beat, Briggs said.

"We have athletes all over the field and we also have tough guys in the trenches, and if we want to run the ball we can run it," Briggs said. "If we want to throw it, we can throw it. A lot of it comes down to what we're seeing, what we think we can do and what we can do to open other things up. Our line, our receivers and our running backs -- all of them together just make a great football team."

Next week, we get to find out if Batavia is indeed that good. They will play Cheektowaga for the Far West Regional Championship, a stepping-stone to a shot at a state championship game. The Blue Devils went into last season's regional with high expectations, only to bump into the reality of the Warriors, losing 35-18. The 2015 edition of the Warriors are 12-0 and have as many dominating wins as Batavia.

They players are eager to go against the Warriors, they said, with some thoughts of avenging last year's loss and some just out to prove they deserve the victory.

"We're going to want some revenge, but we've got play hard just like we played today and then we'll see what that score, what that outcome, is," Williams said.

Mruczek is excited at the prospect of matching up with Cheektowaga again.

That's definitely going to be a fun game," Mruczek said. "We're all looking forward to the opportunity to play them again for sure."

Asked if the team was looking for a chance for revenge, Mogavero wouldn't go there, not quite.

"We're definitely grateful for the opportunity to play them again this year," Mogavero said.

Briggs downplayed any talk of revenge, even after saying, "we feel like we owe it to them."

"They're a great football team," Briggs said. "We're going to have to come prepared and I know they're going to come prepared."

Game time for the regional is 1 p.m., Sunday, at Sahlen's Stadium.

Anthony Gallo made a 60-yard TD reception on the second play of the game, and after that, there was no more looking back for the Blue Devils.

Dom Mogavero scores on a two-point conversion after Gallo's TD reception.

Ray Leach on the carry.

Ray Leach headed for the end zone.

To purchase prints of game photos by Howard Owens, click here.

Slide show of photos by Howard Owens:

Slide show of photos by Jim Burns: