batavia

Press Release:

Genesee County law enforcement agencies, including the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, City of Batavia Police Department, and Village of LeRoy Police Department will be participating in a coordinated effort with the STOP-DWI program to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving.

Law enforcement officers across New York State are taking to the roads in an effort to stop impaired driving, prevent injuries and save lives. The statewide STOP-DWI Campaign will start on August 18 and will end on September 4.

This event is one of many statewide enforcement initiatives promoted by the New York State STOP-DWI Association with additional funding from the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol and drug related fatalities, however, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers. Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaigns aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.

Always remember impaired driving is completely preventable. All it takes is a little planning.

It was a year ago Thursday when Bill and Michelle Snyder spent their wedding anniversary dinner discussing business ambitions to open a second location for Windy Brew, Michelle says.

And a year later, the couple is celebrating its 32nd anniversary and the opening of that location at 56 Harvester Ave. in Batavia. Windy Brew is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

It took some connections in Batavia and the local business world — Rob Credi of Pub Coffee Hub and Crapshoot Commissary, and Tammy Hathaway of Batavia Development Corp., the couple said — and then plans began to unfold.

“And when we were at dinner a year ago, we talked about opening a second location and reached out to some friends in the City of Batavia to see if there were any buildings for sale or for lease, and we came across the Harvester Center through Tammy, and she put us in the direction of talking to Rob … and that's how we got in touch with (Harvester Center Manager) Jarrod Clark and took this space,” Michelle said about the street-level site on the city’s east side. 

“We completely renovated the area that we have. We had some tear-out and things like that. There are two complete new bathrooms. The taproom and bar are all brand new. All the tables and chairs, it’s all brand new. We have shiplap walls, the floor is like a vinyl planking, and the bar was custom-built by a friend of ours. 

“It’s beautiful. I wanted a rustic, industrial look, and I feel like we really captured that with the way the heating and cooling ventilation and our chairs and tables just really came together really nice,” she said.

It’s a family partnership between Michelle and her son Bradley Snyder. They share their story online about how the family-run business began with a passion and love for beer. Someone gave them a beer kit as a gift, and that turned into buying a kettle and going into a full-grain brewing hobby. 

“Then we thought it was time to share our love with others,” the Snyders said. 

The first Windy Brew is on their home property in Strykersville, and the Snyders have been running it for six and a half years. 

There are 15 beers on tap, a cider and, with a full liquor license, there will be mixed drinks and wine available as well at the Batavia location, Michelle said. “But our focus is really our craft beer,” she said. 

“I consider us a brewpub. But the city of Batavia said it has to be a restaurant tap room, so I don't know. They have their own version of what a brewpub is,” she said.

As for the food menu, there will be pulled pork sandwiches made from pork that is smoked at the Strykersville facility, loaded nachos, pretzels with dill pickle dip, chips and dip, a taco basket, and tortilla chips with salsa and guac. 

The long wooden bar in variegated hues of blond is highlighted by the dropped hooded lights that give off a yellow glow. There's a definite juxtaposition of industrial silver ceiling fixtures atop the rustic flooring and weathered side paneling for an eclectic mix of design materials. Adding to the ambiance will be musician Rob Koepf, performing 1980s and 90s rock and classic country from 7 to 10 p.m. this Saturday. 

Michelle is anxiously awaiting for another vendor to open in the other half of the property, as they will be sharing some equipment, and Windy Brew will also be making custom pizzas as part of the menu. That is “coming soon,” Michelle said. 

 “I am just so excited that we are here and able to open at this point. It's been a long road, but it's been well worth it," she said. "I feel it's going to be really great for Batavia to have this location. And customers seem to be very excited about us opening in the Batavia area.” 

Though there is a clear definition between the two businesses, the other half of the site will be quite visible, and at least one operator has been identified as Vianiliz “Vee” Echevarria Rivera and her mother Elizabeth under the takeout restaurant name of Linda Borinqueña.

Rivera had hoped to open in June, and said that she had unexpected delays and would have to push that date back.

Meanwhile, Windy Brew will be there, with hours of 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Submitted photos.

Press Release:

Genesee Community College is excited to announce the appointment of Stephanie Ortel, LVT as the new director of Veterinary Technology. With a proven track record of leadership and expertise in the field, Stephanie brings a wealth of experience that will contribute to the continued growth and success of the college's Veterinary Technology program.

Stephanie is a Western New York native. She graduated from Medaille College with an AS in Veterinary Technology in 1999 and a BS in Veterinary Technology in 2005. Throughout her career her area of veterinary medicine has focused on pain management and physical rehab therapy for dogs and cats. 

Stephanie earned a MS in Adult Education from Buffalo State College in 2018. She started as an adjunct instructor at GCC in 2016 and then became a full-time instructor in 2021.

Stephanie expressed her excitement about joining Genesee Community College,stating, "As program director, I hope to continue the tradition passed from Dr. Carrie Caccamise of a highly regarded vet tech program. The Vet Tech department is committed to producing quality graduates ready to enter the workforce."

Work crews and contractors for the NYS Department of Transportation began dismantling the former Louie's Barber Shop at 229 Ellicott Street (Route 63) today.

The building sits on a state highway right of way, and the state allowed the barber shop to continue operation so long as owner Rich Lamkin continued remained active in the business. Lamkin retired earlier this year.  The barber shop was originally owned by Louie Fanara.

A portion of the Pok-A-Dot is also on the state's right of way, and there is an agreement in place between the business and the DOT to allow the restaurant to occupy that space.

Workers were outside City Church, 210-212 East Main St., Batavia, on Wednesday afternoon installing the church's new sign on the former theater marquee.

The church is replacing the old-style hand-lettered movie theater marquee with a modern electronic sign at a cost of $300,000.

Previously: Sign of the times, or a big can of worms: first digital sign proposed for downtown.

The new Jersey Mike's franchise opened this morning with a "ribbon" (in this case, a strip of sandwich paper wrap) cutting.

The location on Lewiston Road is in the parking lot of the former Kmart store.  The new shop's neighbors are Starbucks and Tropical Smoothie. Those businesses have not yet opened.

Pictured are Jonathan Duque, Marlon Duque, Brooklyn Zeier, Kayla Sexton, Evan Mayer, Town of Batavia board member Patti Michalak, and Betsy Mihm, representing Special Olympics.

Mayer is the franchise owner.  Mayer and his staff in the photo are all from New Jersey.  The beachballs are meant to represent the Jersey Shore.

The Kmart property is being developed by Florida-based Benderson Development. The company is also planning a second building for similar businesses in the parking lot.  No plans have been announced yet for the former Kmart building itself.

After making additional tweaks to their blueprint of a new Burger King location on the city’s southwest side, site engineer Peter Sorgi and his team were encouraged Tuesday by the progress being made in Carrols Corporation’s incremental steps toward approval, he says.

“We reduced some of the pavements and some of the drive aisles, which increased the landscaping, and we also reduced some parking, which increased the landscaping, which is a direct result of the comments of this board. So, more green space, less pavement,” Sorgi said after the city’s Planning and Development Committee meeting. “And the other change I made was a right in or right out on Main Street, no left either way. And our initial plan had left both ways. So, again, it was working with the board to get that understanding. We have (the Zoning Board of Appeals) for two variances and then back here for site plan. We've been very happy with the comments. It's a better plan than it was when we started, and that's the process.”

He expects to be attending the ZBA’s meeting in September and then back to the planning committee with “our whole engineered site plan and all the landscape plans” in November for the beginning of a formal site plan review. That would most likely leave construction for the spring of 2024, he said. 

Sorgi and site engineer Patrick Mahoney reviewed those updated plans before a slightly different committee — alternate Jim Krencik sat in for Ed Flynn, who was absent. During the last meeting, Flynn raised concerns about the skewed ratio of pavement to landscaping, preferring and recommending to see more green space and taking issue with a 17-foot lane, which he said he felt was excessive. 

“Right now, I may be the only one talking about the 17-foot excessive lane over here, but I want more landscaping along Lyon Street,” Flynn had said.

No one seemed to have a problem with the updated landscaping; however, member David Beatty questioned the right-turn exits. 

"Have there been any traffic studies done … that would show how this actually works? In reality, I mean, you've got a situation where people get their food, and they're going to be either going out to West Main, right? Or they can go all the way around to Lyon Street. Are there any studies that would show you how many people would go one way or the other, for instance?” he said.

There haven’t been any such specific studies, Sorgi said. That would come up along with the state Department of Transportation environmental review, he said. Mahoney added that it’s not unusual to have both a side and front exit and to provide a sign, “which we would be willing to do, saying exit to south Lyon with an arrow direction.”

“I still think it is somewhat problematic,” Beatty said. 

Code Enforcement Officer Doug Randall asked if they were expecting the trip count to change with the new Burger King location at the corner of South Lyon and West Main streets. Mahoney estimated that it could go up at least 10 percent with increased visibility. That being said, he also doesn’t believe that folks are going to bypass other Burger Kings just to visit this new one, he said. 

Real Estate Manager Doug Beachel spoke on behalf of the company, representing “1,100 of these throughout the East Coast,” he said. 

“Typically, we do cell phone analysis that shows a heat map in terms of where they're coming from in the city of this size,” he said. “You know, most of your business is within five miles, they’ll show us where your outliers are, and then it’ll kind of take the highs and lows … it’s really, you know, three to five miles max.”

Beachel was there as the new real estate manager and said that things have been moving too slowly up to now. He would be part of the process to ensure it would be more swift, he said.

Click HERE for prior coverage.

On Monday morning, Graham Corp. President and CEO Dan Thoren, accompanied by executive team members, rang the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange to commemorate the company's 55th anniversary as a publicly traded company.

In a statement, Thoren said, “We are proud to commemorate fifty-five years as a public company by participating in the opening bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.  This is a tribute to every associate at Graham who worked hard this past year to bring us to record sales and orders.  Their dedication to Graham and their deep engagement with their work for our valued customers and the security of our nation makes me excited for our future.”

Deputy Trevor Sherwood, a Batavia High School graduate who was a star athlete in baseball and basketball, was approved by the Pavilion Board of Education on Monday night as the school district's new resource officer.

The board voted unanimously to approve a new memorandum of understanding with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Superintendent Mary Kate Hoffman told the board that a committee interviewed four deputies for the position and recommended Sherwood.

Sherwood joined the Sheriff's Office on road patrol in early 2021.

The SRO position became vacant after Deputy Jeremy McClellan was reassigned to road patrol at the end of the 2022-23 academic year at the apparent request of the school district, which was a move several parents protested.

The Batavian will have a more complete story on Tuesday.

After Jim Kelly, the Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer and host of the annual tournament at Terry Hills that bears his name, the celebrity who invariably gets the most attention upon his arrival year after year is sports broadcasting legend Chris Berman. 

On Monday, after local businessman Russ Romano introduced him, Berman took extra time to talk with Griffin Della Penna, a Batavia High School graduate now working on his Master's degree in broadcasting and digital media at Syracuse University. 

Della Penna said Berman was his earliest inspiration.

"I’ll never forget watching Sportscenter for the first time with my dad when I was six years old, and Chris Berman was on the screen," Della Penna told The Batavian. "I loved his passion and how you could tell that he genuinely loved his job. Since that day, I’ve admired him, and he ignited a dream of being in his shoes someday."

It was Della Penna's first time meeting Berman, though he had hoped to meet him last year.

"For years, I’ve known that he’s been to the tournament and spent time in Western New York, but our paths never crossed," Della Penna said. "I worked the tournament last year and was bummed to know that he wasn’t going to be in attendance. To be able to meet one of my heroes today is something that I’ll never forget. While people are coming up to him telling him where to go for registration or to sign autographs, he politely told them to wait because he wanted to learn more about me and my broadcasting journey! That was the best feeling in the world when he asked me about my time at Canisius and how my program at Syracuse has been so far. He asked how much I love this profession, and he had a huge grin when I told him, 'this isn’t work to me because I’m so passionate about it.' He told me how he had that same mentality with his first job at a small market in Rhode Island and carried that into his big break at ESPN. At the end of our conversation, I told him how much it meant to me to talk to me, and he said, 'I look forward to hearing you when you make it big, Griffin.'”

In addition to a stint as "The Voice of the Muckdogs," Della Penna has held down various internships and freelance sports journalism gigs while attending Canisius. He's also received a couple of awards and scholarships while in college.

Berman, along with the other sports stars and celebrities in attendance, was at Terry Hills for the annual Jim Kelly Celebrity Golf Classic, which is a fundraiser for the Kelly for Kids Foundation. The foundation provides grants to assist disadvantaged and disabled youth in Western New York.

Smoke in the building is reported at Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road.

The building is being evacuated.

Town of  Batavia Fire responding.

UPDATE 5:01 p.m.: The fire is out. Somebody on location used a fire extinguisher. There is smoke in the building.

UPDATE 5:09 p.m.: Confirmed. The fire is out. Firefighters are ventilating. 

Last week, The Batavian published photos of the new traffic signals at Oak Orchard Road and Federal Drive and noted that the new street signs read "Federal Rd."

We asked a Department of Transportation official about the discrepancy and this morning received this statement:

“A contractor installed an incorrect sign on Federal Drive. The sign will be replaced and the new traffic signal will be activated into its 3-color operation later this week, weather permitting.”

We sent a follow-up question about the cost of replacing the signs and have not received a response.

Press Release:

The HEALing Genesee Work Group, City Church, and the City of Batavia Police Department are joining forces to offer the public an opportunity to safely dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired medications.

The St. Anthony’s campus of City Church on Liberty Street will be the site of a Drug Take Back Day from 9 a.m. to noon on Aug. 26. The event is part of a continuing effort by HEALing Genesee, a component of the GOW Opioid Task Force, to help end overdoses in the community.

“Drug Take Back Days have proven to be effective in reducing the prevalence of opioid overdoses, and we’re thankful for the Batavia police department and the staff at City Church for making the August 26 session happen,” said Sherri Bensley, program manager for the HEALing Communities Study.

Bensley said a table will be set up at the site to collect prescription medications. As required by New York State, law enforcement personnel will be on-site to assist in the collection process.

Workgroup representatives also will be on hand to provide Naloxone training and share other resources with residents. Free snacks will be provided.

For more information about HEALing Genesee, contact Sherri Bensley at sherri.bensley@co.genesee.ny.us.

There are 2,133 National Grid customers without power in an area that stretches from the northeast quadrant of the City of Batavia to the Town of Le Roy on the east, and from north of Clinton Street Road in Bryon to Route 63 in East Bethany.

The power outage was reported at 6:23 and is expected to be resolved by 8:30 p.m.

UPDATE 7:18 p.m.: National Grid is on scene on Clinton STree Road but has not yet located the source of the outage.

As construction of the Healthy Living campus in downtown Batavia continues to take hold right under the noses of city-dwellers, another Rochester Regional Health project is about to set sail with an opening celebration just over the city’s north border on Route 98.

The $44.5 million, three-floor Batavia Medical Campus has been in progress for the last two years, and officials are preparing for a ribbon-cutting next Friday, United Memorial Medical Center President Dan Ireland says.

“Its intended purpose is to create greater access to health care for people around Genesee County, including Batavia, but then Genesee County and the surrounding area. The idea being is we're going to consolidate a number of services into that building. So it's almost one-stop shopping for patients, they can go there and they can get multiple appointments done, potentially at the same time,” Ireland said Friday afternoon at his North Street office. “And have ease of access to all the services that we're moving into the building, meaning that we're already offering them in the area, all are being moved there because they're reaching their capacity limits where they are and they needed more space to grow and offer more availability to patients.

“It's bringing new access to healthcare, it's bringing growth potential for the future. And, again, we chose the location because it really creates the most convenient access for folks,” he said. “We've worked closely with our (Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority) bus service for people who live in the city, they can use their on demand service and have the bus bring them out. We're not necessarily putting a bus stop in out there right now because to do that RG RTA has to do a lot of assessment, but they they've made it clear they're willing to offer services to people who call and request transportation to that campus.”

A merging of services
Coming from the hospital grounds, Batavia City Centre and the Jerome Center will be Batavia internal medicine, Batavia Pediatrics, Sans Constellation Heart Institute, the pain center and neurology, Genesee Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, general, vascular and a bariatric surgery practices, and lab, X-ray, ultrasound and MRI services.

Once services of X-ray,  lab, ultrasound, mammogram and dexascan are moved out of the Jerome Center, what will fill that empty space?

“I already have our teams looking at that,” Ireland said. “What does our community need? That’s a great space. Is it chemical dependency? Behavioral health? We will be talking to GCASA and to (Mental Health Director) Lynda Battaglia.”

While many of those service providers were filling to occupancy with no room left to expand, moving them out will afford more room for other physicians and practices looking to rent space, Ireland said.

“We have a number of services that need space, and we have private physicians in need of space looking to rent,” he said. “We’re in health discussions with them.”

Urgent care, which was closed some time ago, will be moved back into the Jerome Center, and other areas have reached their life limit, such as 207 Summit St., which will be knocked down to create more parking space as part of the new configurations, he said. 

An important term in construction these days, apparently, is “shell space,” carving out empty cavities for future use. There will be some shell space as part of the medical campus for a Phase II down the road, as “we know the needs of the community keep evolving,” Ireland said.

Architects were thinking some time ago at the UMMC campus and built in some of that “shell space” on the second floor over radiology. That’s “on our radar for the next big project,” Ireland said, for a new intensive care unit to shore up the current one that’s circa 1954. 

“We’re navigating the fundraising,” he said, for a cost of somewhere in the ballpark of $12.5 million.

There’s no definite timeline for that project at this time.

Covering the details at Batavia Medical Campus
There is covered parking under the Batavia Medical Campus building for patients to alleviate a need to walk across windy parking lots, he said. All providers are to make the transition at the same time by the end of August, and patients are to be notified of the change in location when making appointments, he said. 

Touted as a “destination campus,” the 112,000-square-foot site will be home to experts in more than 20 specialty areas in a state-of-the-art multi-provider medical complex at 8193 Oak Orchard Road.

Specialties include: cardiac, endocrinology, gastroenterology, general surgery,  imaging, infusion, laboratory, neurology, orthopedics, podiatry, otolaryngology, pain management, pediatric, primary and urgent care, vascular surgery and women’s health specialty services.

And on the other end of town, there’s still a lot of construction going on at Healthy Living, with an estimated 40 percent completion at this point, Ireland said. 

Although not done, it has caused a stir among some people who have come back to visit and noted the new development and flurry of contractor activity. 

“That's the exciting part about it. I mean, I think we knew, once we determined what the design was gonna be, it was going to be transformational on Main Street. And I think when we're all said and done, and the new building’s up, and the old YMCA is down, I think it's just going to be a beautiful part of the Main Street streetscape,” he said. “And the goal is just to be inviting people to come in. I mean, the beauty of the partnership with the YMCA is we can bring health and wellness right together and bring doctors to work in closely with people who are going to the Y for their physical fitness or wellness activity, and folks at the Y can easily get to access to our preventative care work.”

So who will be moving into the new digs?
This project has been ongoing this past year, including the razing of the old Healthy Living headquarters in Cary Hall and erecting concrete walls and foundational structures for what will eventually house services from 164 Washington Ave., including breast cancer and colon screenings, diabetic educators, smoking cessation classes, and Baby Cafe, plus Batavia Primary Care from the Jerome Center and a big meeting room to provide education classes for employees, a computer training lab, and a multi-purpose room for a teaching kitchen.

“So we can offer bigger classes and better access to people for learning and growth, and on the Y side, the state-of-the-art pool and gymnasium and workout equipment. Really, it's going to be an exciting place to go. And as I said, very inviting, it's designed to draw people to come in, you know, use the multi-purpose room, use the services at that location, gather there,” he said. “And the outside landscape that we're putting in will be inviting to do outside programs.

“So, like you said, we started with a beautiful day like today and want to be out, I mean, you could have meetings like this right out on the terrace that's going to be built there, or if you want to do exercise or yoga or things like that, I mean we're envisioning those things happening during the nice sunny days,” he said. “But then when it's cold and damp, we'll be able to come inside and be warm inside with the bright colors and the, really, I think, the inviting atmosphere.”

So while spectators are seeing scaffolding and rubble, wondering just why it’s taking so long to reach the endpoint, what’s been happening at this new facility spot?

All of the plumbing is being dug, the decks are being poured, as the goal is to get it enclosed before winter, he said. 

The pool is slated to be dug out for installation soon, with a completion date still set for mid to late summer 2024. 

“The whole intent of the project is to build the new (YMCA) before closing this one,” he said. “We want to keep it open for as long as possible without disruption.”

Foundations and footers have been poured, and steel girders put in along with block walls, he said. But there are also open spaces, and that’s intentional. 

“What I think what's really cool about that location is, there's a lot of space that still looks like what's supposed to go there because it's wide open. But a lot of that's glass, and that's what's going to be nice because it's going to create a nice footprint, they'll be glass and panels that'll be going out there,” he said. “Our biggest thing we didn't want to do is turn it into just a brick structure that was just, you know, brick, we wanted to make it more of a feeling.” 

That layout is every bit symbolic of the way in which this project began — it originated from a feeling communicated by the city, school district, county, Youth Bureau, hospital and YMCA leaders.

The numbers spoke loud and clear that this was no small or easy task: $10.5 million from UMMC, which received a $7.5 million state transformation grant, used $1 million from capital reserves and raised another $2 million from donations, and about $22 million from YMCA, a substantial amount to come from an ongoing fundraising campaign.

“I think when we started, people weren't sure it was going to be possible. And it was, and is, and so it just goes to show the testament of our community. I mean, Batavia and Genesee County, we want to have good services here, we want to have places for people to go that are safe and welcoming and whatnot. And I think when you introduce something and bring the community in like we did … it wasn't like one person saying, I want to build a Y or one person saying I want to build this campus, or I want to build a hospital building or whatever … everybody was talking together, saying what can we do and what would be the most impactful? And that's the genesis of what is now being built,” he said. “So it's truly a community building that came from the needs of all parts of the community coming together. So that's what makes it very special for me. Because when it's said and done next year, I mean, we're going to open the doors for a lot of people to get access to stuff that they may not have experienced previously.”

Photos by Howard Owens.