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A roomful of business and community leaders heard today from Vincent Esposito, director of Empire State Development’s Finger Lakes regional office, as he talked about the economic development opportunity and effort both regionally and in Batavia.

The gathering comes prior to meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall were officials will discuss Batavia's application for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, which is a regional competiton with a $10 million prize. CORRECTION: It's at 5:30 p.m., Monday, at the Generation Center.

Batavia has a good shot at the prize because of all the work already put into improving Downtown, most notably the Batavia Opportunity Area, which has 10 brownfield revitalization projects already in the pipeline.

The Finger Lakes Region has already been a big winner in a statewide competition fro regional economic development areas, receiving a grant of $500 million from the state for projects in the region.

There are three main areas of focus for those funds, Esposito said:

• Eastman Park in Rochester;
• Downtown Rochester; and,
• The STAMP project in Genesee County.

About 50 percent of the $500 million are going to projects in Monroe County, Esposito said, and the rest is spread out in the other county's in the region; however, about two-thirds of that 50 percent is going to Genesee County, he said.

The primary goals of the Finger Lakes regional office is job creation, regional wealth creation, increase private investment and reduce poverty.

In the past five years, economic development activity has created 20,000 new jobs, he said.

The projects expected over the next five years, he said, will result in $6.4 billion in private investments and a conservative estimate of 8,200 new jobs.

"We want to keep that commitment low and then over deliver," he said.

The main economic engines in growth for the region he said are optics/photonics, agriculture and food processing and high-tech wafer and chip manufacturing.

The third area is where GCEDC's STAMP project comes in and why it's attracting a big chunk of the funds from the Finger Lakes Region.

"If ever there was a time to be optimistic about your future, this is it," Esposito said.

A fire alarm has been tripped in the incinerator room of the Batavia Barracks of the New York State Police.

Town of Batavia Fire responding.

The location is 2525 West Saile Drive, Batavia.

UPDATE 11:43 a.m.: Chief on scene reports the building is evacuated.

UPDATE 11:46 a.m.: Fire was in a paper shredder. It was contained to the shredder and is out. They're clearing smoke from the building.

An estimated 513 National Grid customers are without power along the west side of Bank Street, from just north of Main Street, Batavia, out to the County Airport.

The outage was reported at 8:42 a.m. and there is no ETA yet for restoration of power.

UPDATE: Power has been restored.

With a cast and crew into the dozens of people in Batavia today, scenes for the upcoming bio-pic about Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, were completed today at the Old Courthouse in Batavia.

There are no pictures here of Chadwick Boseman, who is playing Marshall, because producers asked photographers not to take pictures of him in costume. They want to preserve the mystique of Boseman in character until the film is released, one of the co-producers said. We were free to wander the set and take pictures of all other aspects of the production.

The interior of the Old Courthouse was dressed up to look like a county courthouse in Oklahoma in the 1940s. Light switches were removed and the holes covered, the exit sign removed, an old clock and fans installed and pictures hung on the wall suitable to the time and location. There were also a 48-star U.S. flag behind the bench and the Oklahoma state flag.

Carl Hicks, who grew up in Le Roy, is interviewed by Mike Pettinella for the Buffalo News. Hicks was the construction supervisor for the set.

 Movies in Motion, owned by Jeff and Lynda Edenholm, has survived a crosstown move, a couple of recessions, the arrival of red boxes and red envelopes, and even the age of streaming entertainment, for 20 years and that has a lot to do with the kind of customer service you can only get from a mom-and-pop shop, Lynda said.

"We know all of our customers by name," Lynda said. "We don't even have cards."

Movies in Motion opened on Clinton Street Road and Seven Springs Road on May 31, 1996. They moved a little over eight years ago when R&D Outlet acquired the building for its own retail location. The Edenholms picked a small storefront at 511 E. Main St., Batavia.

Some people still like the physical CD, others don't have Internet access and there's no contracts or long-term commitments, and that has kept a core of customers loyal to the store, Lynda said.

The 24/7 dropbox helps, too.

Like any true entreprenuer in a competitive environment, the Edenholms have never been afraid to try new things. They've sold skateboard and video games, pizza and ice cream, and a year ago they started selling handcrafted wooden furniture and handpainted wooden signs. Both new sidelines have been a boost to the business, they said.

"There's no place else in town where you can get handpainted, custom signs," Lynda said.

Jeff builds all the furniture and the Edenholms are pleased with the progress that business venture is making.

Last March, Jeff and Lynda also celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.  

"It's been hard," Lynda said. "When we get home, there's nothing to talk about because we've enjoyed each other all day, so we watch movies."

Jeff and Lynda have two adult children and a grandchild.

While the furniture and signs have been a great addition to the business, DVD rentals are still Movies in Motion's bread and butter.

Lynda said they enjoy providing family entertainment and serving the residents of Genesee County.

"We don't think of it as work, as a job," Lynda said. "We get to do what we love to do."

Movies in Motion is open from noon to 9 p.m. Sundays thru Thursdays, and noon to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The Edenholms now take holidays off to spend more time with their grandchild. For more information, call (585) 343-0971.

Information provided by the Lawn Fete committee Chair Debbie Mullen and Vice Chair Tom Wescott.

The 2016 Resurrection Parish Lawn Fete will be held June 10-12 and will be a sure-to-please fun-in-the-sun outdoor family event.

Hours are 6 to 11 p.m. Friday (June 10), 1 to 11 p.m. Saturday (June 11) and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday (June 12) at St. Joseph's Church on Main Street in Batavia.

It kicks off Friday evening with a musical spectacular. As in years past, Main Street in Downtown Batavia will be closed from Summit to Ross streets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. But instead of a parade, there will be an hour and a half "Concert in Brass" in front of St. Joe's church. Billed as "a unique musical procession that will electrify spectators."

The Concert in Brass will feature: St. Joe's Reunion Brass, Mighty St. Joe's Alumni Drum Corps, Batavia Middle School Band, and a WNY favorite, The Hit Men Brass Ensemble. Grounds will be open to 11 p.m. for fun and frolic.

A wide variety of tasty treats will be available to enjoy all weekend. They include: sausage with onions and peppers, hots, hamburgers, French fries, waffles, pizza, popcorn, nachos, ice crea,, beverages and more. On Friday and Saturday nights, the beverage tent will features some of the area's well-known musicians.

There will be Kiddie Rides galore, treats and a variety of games.

At about 5 o'clock on Sunday afternoon, there will be a drawing for $10,000 in cash prizes to be awarded. Tickets will be available at "The Cash Booth." Please note that due to NYS regulations, NO CHECKS can be accepted. CASH ONLY!

If you and your family are looking for summertime fun, a place to meet up with old friends and make new ones, enjoy some good eats and treats, and maybe become a cash winner, then plan on visiting the St. Joseph's Church parking lot June 10-12.

Press release:

Partners of the Batavia Pathway to Prosperity (BP2) Program, including the Batavia Development Corp., Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC), Genesee County, City of Batavia and Batavia School District, will host members of the business community for an economic development forum on the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council’s Upstate Revitalization Plan, Finger Lakes Forward.

The forum will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, at One City Centre in Batavia (Council Chamber, 2^nd floor) and will feature remarks by Vincent Esposito, regional director of Empire State Development’s Finger Lakes regional office.

The event will discuss new initiatives specific to the Finger Lakes region, one of three regions awarded $500 million by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative — a competition designed to help transform local economies by providing $500 million over the next five years to support projects and strategies that create jobs, strengthen and diversify economies, and generate economic opportunity within the region — in 2015.

Attendees will hear about Finger Lakes Forward, a long-term strategic plan which will seek to address workforce development and poverty reduction; entrepreneurship and development; and higher education and research. Information about the NYS Consolidated Funding Application process will also be provided.

“It is important that we continue to educate and keep the business community apprised about the unique collaboration taking place among private and public sector stakeholders to stimulate new growth and development opportunities in our regional economy,” said Steve Hyde, GCEDC president and CEO.

The event is free and open to the public. A lunch sponsored by Clark Patterson Lee and Harris Beach, LLP, will be provided. For more information and to register, please contact Rachael Tabelski, director of Marketing & Communications at GCEDC, at 585-343-4866 or rtabelski@gcedc.com.

The cast and crew trailers are ready, but few are on location yet for the filming of the bio-pic about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, which is using a couple of locations in Genesee County, including the Old Courthouse.

Filming was scheduled to start this morning, but has been pushed back to 1 p.m.

The trailers are located in the courthouse parking lot behind Falleti Ice Arena.

City Church is expanding, but it's not moving. The popular Downtown evangelical church recently closed escrow on its purchase of the St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church on Liberty Street on the city's Southside, which was owned by the Diocese of Buffalo.

The purchase also includes St. Anthony’s School, with a full gymnasium, a full kitchen and adjoining dining area, the rectory and a house.

But it's keeping the old movie Mancuso Theater that is now City Church, as well as its meeting facility off Center Street called The Generation Center. 

"We're 100-percent owners -- signed, sealed and delivered. We're very thankful for the property," said City Church Pastor Marty Macdonald this afternoon. "We're excited about the future. We felt this was a God-honoring opportunity."

"We're very interested in the gymnasium, and in helping preserve the heritage of the building," Macdonald said.

There are repairs to be done and plans for things to come, but the pastor said those are not yet finalized. But the name will remain the same, he said.

Meanwhile, City Church is planning a blockbuster block party this summer.

"We love being Downtown, on Main Street in Batavia," he said. "That is our home and will always be our home. We want to continue to help and brighten the city."

St. Anthony's Church closed more than three years ago. The school closed in 2006.

Ross Fanara and his wife found themselves the unexpected babysitters of a newborn fawn over the weekend.

Fanara said they fed the baby two containers of goat milk and waited for mom to return, which she did less than 24 hours after the fawn turned up on their doorstep.

Click here for more information or to register for the Walk Against Cancer, Yoga or Pull & Trot!

Photos from Memorial Day observances at Williams Park, the VA Center, Upton Monument, Elmwood Cemetery, the Batavia Memorial Day Parade, and the service at the War Memorial at St. Jerome's.

To purchase prints, click here.

Law enforcement is searching for three subjects in a black vehicle after a report of attempted larceny on Linwood Avenue in the city. A crew employed by a landscape company returned to their work truck and found three people attempting to steal items from it. The subjects fled in a black car.

Members of the local law enforcement community completed a competition at Batavia Cross Training on Swan Street called the Memorial Day Murph.

The competition is held at cross-training facilities across the nation in honor of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, who died in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.

The event is a competition and a fundraiser. This year, participants raised $1,625 for the family of Deputy Frank Bordonaro, who died in 2014.

Officers invited to participate by training for two months for the HERO workout. This year, nine teams of four athletes each competed, working together to help motivate each other and push through their limits in a grueling workout.

The workout consists of a one-mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and finishes with another one-mile run.

Batavia Cross Training is owned by Jessica Pratt.

A lost dog has been found on Pike Road by an area resident.

The dog was pulling 50 feet of cable.

A deputy is responding.

Members of the Genesee Kickball League came together today to help raise funds to defray medical costs for Zachary Kaus.

Kaus was diagnosed with acute aplastic leukemia in September. Both of his sisters were perfect matches for a bone marrow donation, and on Dec. 22, he received a bone marrow transplant from his oldest sister.

"It took perfectly, everything is good and I’m leukemia free now," said Kaus, pictured above.

Kaus was a member of the kickball league, but he's still amazed that so many people turned out to Batavia Sports Park today.

"It’s crazy," he said. "I didn’t think there would be this many people, this big a turnout. But they love playing for a cause, obviously. It means a lot for sure. I want to thank everybody for coming out. It’s a little overwhelming, but it’s awesome to watch."