batavia

With little fanfare, the Batavia City School District staff has taken on a strategy to help families in need as part of an overall effort to care for the whole child and to become a greater asset to the community.

A former kindergarten room at Robert Morris School has been converted into a community center where children and parents can get assistance not just with school work but with many life needs -- from doing the laundry to ensuring everybody has appropriate clothing.

Julie Wasilewski, a district social worker, and Julia Rogers, Batavia High School assistant principal, have spearheaded the effort. They presented the community center idea to the Board of Education during Monday's meeting as part of a presentation of the new Batavia Community Schools Initiative.

The initiative is described as a reform strategy "to promote child well-being, student success, and educational equality."

(NOTE: The school board meeting was held via Zoom and Wasilewski and Rogers were on a shared device and it was impossible to see who was talking when and so quotes are generically attributed to "she said.")

"Community schools are for student education and development," she said. "They are a place where we fundamentally pay special attention to and ensure students' physical, medical, safety, their social-emotional needs are met. When we meet these needs, families can then fully engage in the opportunities afforded by public school education."

A great school is one that cares for the whole town, they said. It involves working with residents throughout the community to support learning. It includes not just educating children but educating parents. 

"We're powered by strong relationships with agencies, businesses, health care providers, clubs and organizations," she said. "Every family and community member can be leveraged as an asset to children's lives. So far, we have 82 of these arrangements with community leaders who are willing to extend the power of their organizations."

The new engagement center is one part of the plan, but so far it's the most concrete effort to serve the community.

"When a family enters the family community engagement center, they are treated with the utmost respect and compassion, regardless of whether they are making optimal life decisions or maintaining a sober lifestyle," she said. "Four hundred and 16 donations have been made to children ... clothing, school supplies, hygiene products, toys, books, housewares, bedding, and food. The closet contains appropriate clothing so an individual can be successful and feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, both in school and in the community."

"There is no Batavia community member who has to skip an interview or a day of work because they don't have appropriate clothing," she said.

Shoes are available to children so they always have something appropriate to wear on the playground or walking outside.

A recent example of how the engagement center assisted community members outside of a school environment was when Tammy Hathaway from United Way contacted the center looking for 30 winter coats. The coats were donated to GCASA because people who are waiting for their methadone treatment are required, because of COVID-19, to wait outside.

The initiative comes at a time when schools are already required to adjust to meet student needs.

"Amid the hardships of COVID-19, community schools have readily adapted to changing conditions and needs, devising innovative mechanisms to deliver food, technology, health care, and other essential services to support student learning and well-being," she said.

Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. called it a "win-win" for the community.

"Batavia is one of those communities where you grow up here, you live here, everyone knows everyone, and everyone wants to support everyone, but we don't always have the conduit to do it," Soler said. "So the hope is the school becomes the hub for the conduit. The school becomes the hub for the community."

From Bill Davis, superintendent of city Water and Wastewater:

The water main on the west side of the City Centre has been repaired and water has been restored to the area.

After undergoing a heart and liver transplant at the Cleveland Clinic last month, former Batavia resident Matt Grammatico was finally discharged Monday, into his wife Rhonda’s waiting arms.

It was the first time the couple had seen each other since Matt was admitted there on Oct. 16. 

He hasn’t been able to have visitors since entering the hospital. Rhonda would sit in the waiting room for hours, just to be near him, until the time came that she wasn’t allowed to enter the hospital at all.

What a long journey is has been, one that actually started when Matt was an infant.

He's the firstborn son of Mike and Mary Jane Grammatico, of Batavia, and his father said they knew at 5 weeks of age something was wrong.

“We thought he had a cold, but our doctor told us we needed to take him to a pediatric cardiologist,” Mike said. 

It was determined at Strong Memorial Hospital Matt had been born with a three-chambered heart with no right ventricle. He underwent surgery a week later and doctors told his parents they didn’t know if Matt would make it.

At the age of 11, matt underwent open heart surgery to make his heart more like a normal one, and until now, he’s made it work, Mike said. The real problem stemmed from a blood transfusion contaminated with hepatitis C that he received unknowingly, which was not detected for more than 20 years.

Mike said it was their faith in the Good Lord which has kept Matt going.

The native of Albion met and married Rhonda in 1997 and they lived in Albion. They moved to Batavia a year and a half ago, then decided to return to live in Albion after Mike was hospitalized.

In a phone call from the Cleveland Clinic two weeks ago, Mike explained his heart defect means he wears out quickly, putting pressure on the liver. 

In spite of this, Matt has been able to work at his auto repair shop and support his family, which includes his 19-year-old son Nate. He said he able to lead a fairly normal life until four years ago, when he learned he would need both a heart and a liver transplant. 

Matt’s dad praises his doctor in Middleport and his cardiologist at Strong, Dr. Michael Joynt, a Medina native and son of former Oak Orchard School Principal Cathy Joynt, for the care they gave him, which kept him functioning until donors could be found. 

Dr. Joynt finally told Matt he needed to get to the Cleveland Clinic.

His dad said Matt has always been a trooper, and Rhonda is a trooper, too.

Rhonda has been staying in a nearby hotel since Matt entered Cleveland Clinic, where he has been bedridden while waiting for his transplants. 

Originally, a donor was found in December and Matt was scheduled for surgery on Dec. 30, but at the last minute, doctors determined the liver was not as good as they first thought and the procedure was canceled.

The family’s prayers were answered however, when another donor was found and Matt went into surgery late in the morning on Jan. 12. The surgery would take 19 hours, ending in the early hours of Jan. 13.

The normal time for a patient to be on a respirator after a procedure like this is a week, but doctors were able to take Matt off in four hours. 

“I’ve cut all their normal times in half,” Matt said. 

Mike said the Cleveland Clinic has done two previous transplants with Matt’s pre-existing conditions, and that they have been studying Matt for the last three years.

New Listing Alert: 1 Lewis Ave., Batavia. A really great city home, super solid, well kept and in a great location! This home has a warm and inviting charm to it with a spacious downstairs with a room for everyone!

Cozy living room with gas fireplace, a really eclectic kitchen with cute built-in bench for your table, overlooking a central dining room with pretty French doors that lead into a room that could be anything from a breakfast room to great home office or toy room or even a first-floor bedroom, if needed as it has a full bath directly off of it!

Pretty wide staircase that leads to second floor with 3 large bedrooms, an awesome second floor laundry room, another full bath and stairs to a semi finished attic area – if you need another place to hang out or more storage! The basement is large and dry and currently used for a game/hang out room. Also tons more additional storage room!

Outside has inviting front porch small well-kept yard, 2-car detached garage, and within steps of Centennial Park if you want to get out and run! This house packs a lot in come see it for yourself! Call Lynn Bezon at Reliant Real Estate today, (585) 344-4663 or click here for more information.

The doors at John Kennedy School are getting extra checks on a daily basis to ensure they're closing completely after a door that was left ajar was used by an unauthorized individual to gain entry and pull a fire alarm.

The man's name has not yet been released by Batavia PD. He is apparently undergoing treatment and will be charged once he has been released from care.

Det. Eric Hill confirmed the incident took place and that charges are pending.  

The incident on Jan. 28 was discussed by the Batavia City School District Board of Education during its meeting Monday night, following a school review presentation by Principal Brian Sutton.

"The first door he pulled on, it was open," Sutton said. "He entered the building. He was in the building for about less than a minute, 55, 56 seconds. He stopped, looked at a bulletin board, and on his way, walking out of the loading docks, he pulled the fire alarm. We then had a fire drill where we accounted for all the students, all the individuals.

"Mr. Smith, our head custodian, and I went and checked out the alarm and could see it had been pulled. As soon as it was deemed safe, we had a headcount on everyone, we re-entered the building. Mr. Dehm, our security aide, pulled the camera up and we got an image of the individual and contacted our SRO Officer Davis, and they then apprehended the man down the street quite a bit, a few moments later."

Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. told the board a man matching the description of the subject at John Kennedy had been seen earlier around Batavia Middle School and police were already in the area looking for him when the call came in from JK.

"He happened to pull on a door that happened to work for him," Soler said. "It was definitely an unfortunate situation. No one was obviously impacted. And we did communicate immediately with families that day of the event."

Sutton said as a result of the incident, the school's custodian is now checking on the doors more frequently each day to ensure the doors are closing after people pass through them.

'It's one of those things where it's a good reminder to make sure we check in multiple times," Soler said. "Now we have an alarm set on them. If they don't close all the way, they'll hear an alarm go off in the main office."

Press release:

Batavia Girls Fastpitch Softball (BGFS) is overwhelmed with gratitude from the community stepping up with very generous donations to allow for the installation of a brand-new electronic scoreboard at Lions Park, the home of the Batavia Stingers. 

In particular, BGFS wants to give a special thank you to the two lead sponsors of the sign, Batavia’s Original Pizzeria and Batavia Restaurant Supply Inc. These two local businesses understand the importance of youth sports for our community and backed up this belief with critical financial support that made this scoreboard a reality.

When speaking with Batavia’s Original owner, Kathy Ferrara, and Batavia Restaurant Supply owners, Stacey Schrader and Nate Charvella, they were all moved by the disparities in girls and boys sports, and we're excited to help provide the girls with the first electronic scoreboard in Batavia for girl’s softball.

We hope people pay attention to these businesses that give back to our community, as they deserve our support the most!

In addition to the very generous lead sponsorships by Batavia’s Original and Batavia Restaurant Supply, BGFS would also like to give a special thanks to the almost two dozen sponsors that are permanently listed on the banner below the sign at Lions Park.

Three of these sponsors listed as Primary sponsors for their generous donations are the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation, Lawley Insurance, and the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation. These are more examples of organizations and businesses that value the importance of youth sports.

Lastly, but certainly not least, BGFS would like to give a big THANK YOU to the project coordinator, and guy that pulled it all together, JC Kabel. He spent countless hours fundraising and leading the project design and installation. 

The BGFS Board is forever grateful for helping us have our ladies look up at that beautiful scoreboard and think it is normal for girls to have the same opportunities as the boys.

Press release:

The City Water Department is responding to a water leak on the west side of the City Centre. Water may be turned off from the corner of Alva Place and State Street to Main and Jackson streets. This will affect businesses in the southwest area of the City Centre and the surrounding vicinity.

This could result in low water pressure conditions for some residents and businesses. Other residents in the area may experience discolored water, which should return to normal once repairs are complete. Residents should check to make sure water clarity has returned before resuming activities such as laundry, which may be impacted.

Patrick Thomas Fuhr, 61, of Union Road, Cheektowaga, is charged with: unlawfully fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree; reckless driving; aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree; failure to stop at a stop sign; and a red light violation. He was arrested on Feb. 4 after a police pursuit that occurred at 9:15 p.m. Jan. 29 in the City of Batavia and towns of Batavia and Pembroke. It is alleged that he fled in his vehicle from Genesee County and Livingston County deputies. Fuhr is due in City of Batavia Court on March 10 and Town of Batavia Court March 11. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Mathew Clor, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Christopher John Raymond Diers, 38, is charged with third-degree burglary and petit larceny. He was arrested at 3:46 p.m. Jan. 5 for allegedly stealing property from Walmart then running from store security personnel when he approached the exit. He was put in Genesee County Jail until his arraignment at 6:15 p.m. in Genesee County Court. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Gauthier, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Christopher P. Thomas, 38, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with dog running at large. He was arrested at 10:25 a.m. Jan. 29 on the Batavia Municipal Code violation for allegedly allowing his pet German shepard to run at large on a neighbor's lawn. He is due in Batavia City Court on March 30. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Connor Borchert.

Zachary John Wayne Marrow, 29, of Manhatten Avenue, Batavia, is charged with failing to appear in Batavia City Court after being given an appearance ticket. He was originally arrested at 12:30 a.m. Nov. 16 at on East Main Street and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated. He was arrested on the city court warrant for failure to appear at 9:10 p.m. Feb. 2. Marrow is due back in court March 18. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Post, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Bill Campbell is the vice president for business development for Chapin International. Chapin is a privately owned, multi-location manufacturing company that started in Oakfield more than 100 years ago and remains based in Batavia.

Campbell's job gives him not only good insights into his own industry, but the economy in general. We'll talk with him about his company, the economy, the pandemic, what business can expect from the Biden Administration, at trade issues. The livestream is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

Batavia residents Mike Pullinzi and Mark Schmidt will have to figure out how to share a brand new 2021 Corvette after winning this year's Batavia Rotary Club raffle, or perhaps they will split the $40,000 cash prize. 

Pullinzi and Schmidt's winning ticket was picked randomly Saturday evening at Roman's by the Rotary Club members.  

All proceeds support Rotary’s charitable causes, which this year included $20,000 in direct COVID-19 relief, in addition to the support of a dozen or more community nonprofits who take care of so many needs right here in Genesee County.

In addition to the Corvette, the following people won $500 cash: Paul George, Howard Kerr, Meghan D'urso, Nathan VanDeeBeck, Gail Kee, Jane Ziad, Deanna Mastin, Lori Lohan, Donna Salmon and Ken Hay.

Photo: Submitted photo.  Tom Turnbull, president of Batavia Rotary, at the start of the drawing.

A Batavia native with a talent for entertaining has taken the activity to a whole new level.

Kevin Noonan is one of the founders of a novel virtual entertainment experience called Majestic Circus that provide friends, family or colleagues with some friendly and safe competition online.

He has loved to entertain since he was a teenager growing up in Batavia.

The son of retired Genesee County Judge Robert Noonan and Marcia Noonan, Kevin started entertaining at birthday parties for Chris Fix at the YMCA in Batavia and summers at Camp Hough.

He graduated from Batavia High School in 1998, and then attended the University of New Hampshire for two years.

His father encouraged him to “go for it” and join Carnival Cruise Lines, where he soon worked his way up to cruise director. At age 20, he met his wife, 18, on the ship. She was from London and a dancer on the ship. 

When Carnival undertook the largest renovation project ever on a cruise ship and created the Carnival Sunshine, Noonan was their cruise director. He cruised the Mediterranean Sea with them during 2012 and 2013.

In 2019, Noonan and his wife and son moved to Mexico for a year, where he directed entertainment for Iberostar Resorts and was responsible for 17 resorts in five countries.

When he decided to move his family back to the States last March, he wanted to come back to Batavia.

He soon realized the coronavirus pandemic was going to affect the cruise industry, so he started brainstorming on a new endeavor with other entertainers who were out of work.

The result was Majestic Circus, which Noonan founded with three of his friends. The company has since restructured, leaving Noonan and James Dunn as cofounders.

In a press release Feb. 5, Majestic Circus is described as a one-of-a-kind entertainment company, which has reimagined fun, giving players an opportunity to host a virtual game night guided by ringmasters.

Noonan said it took four months to build games and set up the company. They launched in the middle of September on Facebook.

They had recruited a total of 22 entertainers, whose combined followers on Facebook and Instagram are more than 400,000. For their launch, Noonan said they simply posted their logo with no explanation.

“People were very curious,” he said. “On the first day we launched, we had more than 100,000 hits. “We’ve had a lot of success so far.”

One corporate event had 700 people playing. Another had 2,500 playing from 38 different countries. 

The minimum to play is four. The games are extremely suited for up to 16 players at home, Noonan said. They can all be in the same room or in 16 different countries.

“Since our founding, Majestic Circus has been focused on providing players with a unique and fun entertainment experience that is unlike any other,” Noonan is quoted in the press release. “Whether your group is together or thousands of miles apart, our live experiences can be enjoyed virtually with our talented ringmasters to guide you while you play.”

Games are family-friendly and good for all ages. Players can join from anywhere across the globe via video conferencing. No two experiences are ever the same, with multiple games and categories to select from in each round. 

Their initial experience is called “Get it!” and “Know it!” They suggest players think of “Get it!” as a game of fetch, as players embark on a high-energy scavenger hunt, right in their own home or office.

“Know it!” is a knowledge-based experience where players will compete in a series of games across four rounds. As rounds change, so do the rules.”

Majestic Circus will also be introducing a new experience to the mix called “Partner Up!” so fans can engage in a new adventure. This is set to be released later this month.

Majestic Circus is also offering players a special Valentine’s Day deal with discounted booking prices, starting Feb. 12 and running through Feb. 16. More details are available at www.majesticcircus.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Top photo: Batavia native Kevin Noonan hams it up in Centennial Park, near his Batavia home. Noonan is cofounder of a unique virtual entertainment experience called Majestic Circus, which is rapidly growing in popularity across the country.

Inset photo left: A couple plays Majestic Circus online in the comfort of their home.

Submitted photos and logo image.

Area residents woke up to a blanket of fluffy snow this morning with snowfall expected to continue into the early afternoon.

Submitted photo and press release:

Recently, a deserving Oakfield, recipient experienced a life-changing event --  the presentation of a vehicle to provide them independence and the ability to work and take care of their family.

This was thanks to the Ken Barrett Collision Center and car donor GEICO, along with the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program.

The presentation was held at Ken Barrett Collision Center in Batavia.

The deserving recipient was selected by Community Action of Orleans & Genesee County. The recipient received a 2015 Chevy Trax.

A hard-working single parent to a 7-year-old, she works 36 hours a week to support her child and herself, while receiving no government support, including child support or housing.

For the recipient, the gift of a vehicle was not an easy task. She didn’t have a driver's license and had to accomplish many tasks, including taking her five-hour course, getting in practice time with friends’ vehicles, and ultimately signing up for and passing a road test.

The recipient has goals of continuing her education and becoming a surgical technician in a hospital or surgical center.

With a vehicle, her life and the life of her son are sure to change for the better. The possibility of continuing education and getting a job outside of Oakfield is a huge step for her.

About National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides

This is a unique program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation.

Since the inception of the program in 2007, members of the National Auto Body Council have donated more than 2,600 vehicles valued at more than $36 million. Additional partners in the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation included 1-800 Charity Cars.

We plan to speak with Rachael Tabelski, Batavia's interim city manager at 2:30 p.m.

The livestream will appear right here on The Batavian's home page. Or you can view it on YouTube at this link, where you can ask questions in the live chat and we will try to get them answered for you. Or you can go to The Batavian's page on Facebook and watch the interview there and ask questions through that chat.

Michael S. Tomaszewski, the funeral home director accused of stealing money from customers, is apparently set to accept a plea offer from the District Attorney's Office but COVID-related delays in town courts are holding up the process.

Tomaszewski made a virtual appearance in Genesee County Court yesterday.

He faces one SCI (Superior Court Information, like an indictment but without a grand jury hearing, which Tomaszewski waived) with more than 200 criminal counts and there is another SCI coming but he has not been arraigned on those counts because courts in the towns of Batavia and Oakfield have been closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Judge Charles Zambito indicated that he could possibly arraign Tomaszewski on those counts under specific circumstances, but said he would need to check with the court supervisor to ensure those circumstances are met in this case. Zambito said these are uncharted waters and the rules are changing a lot. 

Tomaszewski is accused of taking money people used to prepay for funerals and, instead of depositing the money in appropriate accounts, he allegedly used the money for other purposes.

The SCI indicates the majority of customers lost from more than $2,000 up to $15,500 each.

The charges include 67 counts of third-degree grand larceny, 28 counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, four counts of falsifying business records, 93 counts of failure to deposit, seven counts of petit larceny, and counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, and scheme to defraud.

Attorney Thomas Burns, representing Tomaszewski, said his client intends to accept the plea offer. Tomaszewski would admit to a Class D felony, a Class E felony, and a misdemeanor public health law offense. There is no cap on Tomaszewski's possible sentence but his time would run concurrently on all three counts. 

The case is adjourned until 1:30 p.m., March 8, and will resume virtually.

Alecia Kaus/Video News Service contributed to this story.

At 7:34 a.m., Town of Batavia fire was dispatched to a report of a box truck that had overturned on the Thruway in the westbound lane near mile marker 390.7.

There were no injuries nor leaking fluids.

Rescue 20, 24, and Brush 23 all responded. All crews were back in service by 8:35 a.m.

Information and photo courtesy Town of Batavia Fire Department.

Protests were held at several Walmarts around New York today, including Batavia, over concerns that Walmart has reportedly pressured GE-Savant to lower prices for lightbulbs, forcing the company to move a LED light factory from Ohio to China.

Press release:

On Saturday, Jan. 30, at Walmart stores at four locations in New York state, a coalition of labor and community groups will hold a protest as part of a national consumer awareness campaign informing the public of Walmart’s two-faced stance as a champion of “Made in America” products. 

LED light bulbs that are sold at Walmart are currently made by IUE-CWA workers at the GE-Savant Systems LLC lighting plant in Bucyrus, Ohio. GE-Savant recently announced that they intend to move the LED residential light bulb product line out of the facility to China, permanently laying off 80 workers, and putting the future of the plant in jeopardy.

The GE-Savant facility is one of the only residential lighting plants left in the USA, nearly all other residential light bulbs are now made in China.

Walmart’s website and TV ad campaign says “We are committed to American renewal. We believe we can create more American jobs by supporting more American manufacturing.” The coalition is calling on Walmart to live up to this promise. 

“This should be easy for Walmart,” said IUE-CWA International President Carl Kennebrew. “Walmart’s brand of LED Bulbs that now carry an ‘Assembled in the USA’ label are scheduled to be moved to China.

"Walmart can tell their supplier (GE-Savant) to cancel plans to ship them overseas. If Walmart is serious about supporting American manufacturing, this is how they can show it.”

“This is only the beginning,” said Ron Herrera, president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. “Americans are waking up to the power of their spending dollar. When we choose to buy American, we are purchasing a product of the highest quality while investing in our communities and in our fellow Americans.

"Walmart must be part of the solution and invest more in our great nation and its people. The bulbs currently manufactured in Bucyrus, Ohio should continue to be made in Bucyrus, Ohio.”

For 5216 E. Main St., Batavia - click here.
For 268 Maple Road, Pembroke - click here.
For 42 Redfield Parkway, Batavia - click here.