batavia

Batavia is a city with a lot going for it, where the pluses more than cancel out the negatives, but to talk with local residents and business owners, you would never know it, according to a trio of consultants who spent time recently studying every aspect of life in Batavia.

The consultants, Charles Buki, with czb LLC, Kennedy Lawson Smith (pictured above), with Clue Group, and David Boehlke, made several visits to Batavia, spending time interviewing people, hanging out in coffee shops and restaurants (sometimes just listening to the chatter a table or booth over), walking residential neighborhoods and visiting local businesses, as well as gathering and studying all available data on the city.

Their conclusion, presented at a meeting Wednesday evening at city hall: There's too much negative talk about Batavia, and the negative attitudes hold down home values and discourage business development.

"The overarching message is this is a wonderful community, " Buki said. "Rarely do we get a chance to be in such a welcoming place, such a beautiful place. This is the kind of community we grew up in, almost everywhere we looked, there are strengths and opportunities."

But, Buki, Smith and Boehlke all said they were taken aback by the amount of negative talk about Batavia.

"Destructive language and sentiment dominates discussions," said Buki (bottom inset). "Public as well as private institutions present Batavia poorly."

Even signs at the city entrance and public parks present a negative image, the consultants said, telling visitors "this is not a fun place," suggesting there are problems in the city that they should worry about.

"Batavia has a habit of seeing the glass as half-empty and half-empty and half-empty until it is dry," said Boehlke (top inset).

Among the positives for the city are more than 200 homes of historic value, several successful locally owned businesses, nice parks, recreational opportunities, a history of volunteerism, affordable housing and a central location between Buffalo and Rochester.

While local residents complain about declining neighborhoods, the city is actually dominated by a core group of good, caring homeowners, Boehlke said. 

While there is an overabundance of single-family homes that have been converted to two-, three- and four-unit complexes -- 25 percent of the housing stock -- there are fewer than 40 troubled properties in the city. Yet most of the chatter the consultants heard about neighborhoods is that there is widespread decline.

The negative attitudes about neighborhoods and housing are hurting real estate values. Homes are undervalued by as much as 20 percent (compared to similar homes in the Town of Batavia) said Boehlke, with a majority of owners and renters paying less for rent and mortgages than they can actually afford.

The perceived lack of real estate value discourages some property owners from making needed investments in their property, which can cause actual declines in value.

"This is not a city with a true housing problem," said Boehlke. "It’s a city with a tremendous opportunity."

Residents and city leaders have a habit of thinking "if only we had more enforcement" all of our problems will be solved, the consultants said. But arresting people on more misdemeanor crimes or (having) stronger code enforcement isn't going to fix much, they said.

The city needs to develop a strategic plan for community improvement and economic development, and downtown is at the core of it.

And one of the biggest problems downtown is what urban renewal wrought -- the mall, which both sucks the life out of downtown and is probably is what feeds a lot of the negative attitudes about Batavia.

Smith spoke about the history of downtown declines across the country, which is a product of interstate highways, the G.I. bill and suburbanization, changes in tax law (rewarding mall developers) and the rise of mega chains such as Walmart.

In some ways, Batavia is not unique, and urban renewal was a reaction to these changes in society, but the destruction of the north side of Main Street didn't just reduce the economic strength of downtown by 50 percent. It reduced it by 80 percent.

Vibrant downtowns need street-facing retail businesses on both sides of the street to thrive, Smith said.

Her suggestion: Deconstruct the mall so that there are more street-facing businesses and a mixture of retail, office and residential space.

There are ways to get it done, she said, if the community makes it a priority.

"We have heard everybody's pain and everybody's feelings," Smith said. "It's something you're going to have to grapple with over the next five to 10 years if you're ever going to fix downtown Batavia."

A pair of Shortsville residents were arrested Wednesday for allegedly shoplifting from Kmart and Walmart.

After being apprehended at Kmart, they were allegedly found in possession of tools designed to defeat security tags at Kmart.

Charged with petit larceny and possession of burglary tools were Elizabeth Anne Smith, 26, and Daniel Gordon Vandewalle, 32.

The couple was stopped by loss prevention officers at Kmart and were found to have items allegedly hidden under clothing and in a purse.

When deputies searched the couple's car, deputies reportedly found items allegedly stolen from Walmart.

The case was investigated by Deputy Chris Parker, Deputy James Diehl, Trooper Daniel Hollands and Trooper Brian Pritchett.

A driver is accused of running a red light at the intersection of Seven Springs Road and Clinton Street Road at 5:07 p.m., Wednesday, causing a two-car accident that sent three people to the hospital.

Cited for allegedly failure to stop for the red light was Jonathan C. Pestillo, 17, of Seven Springs Road, Batavia. Pestillo was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital minor injuries.

The other driver, Bonnie M. Behage, 70, of Ellenton, Fla., and her passenger, Jenna M. Aradine, 22, were also transported to Strong with minor injuries.

Pestillo was driving a 2005 Chevy SUV and Behage was driving a 2010 Hyundai SUV.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

(Initial Report)

Press release:

The Genesee Community College Foundation has once again surpassed its $459,000 annual campaign goal. With the help of 119 local volunteers the campaign brought in $491,008 in funds to support local students as they achieve their dreams of earning a college degree.

"We've had an excellent core of volunteers that have made this campaign so successful," said Monica Hale Dawson ('72) secretary-treasurer of Shepard, Maxwell Hale Insurance Agency, and foundation board director and general chair of Genesee Foundation's 2010-2011 annual campaign.

"The diligence of our community is remarkable. Those that give to the campaign know they are investing in the human resources and the economic vitality of our region."

She added that there are nine divisions in the annual campaign. Each division chair is responsible for a portion of the overall $459,000 goal. Division chairs were:

•    Alumni Division: Robert Bennett, ('74) of Batavia, vice president, Bank of Castile, Batavia

•    Associates Division: Jane Scott, of Stafford, branch manager, Five Star Bank, Batavia

•    Faculty and Staff Division: Marirose Ethington, of Pavilion, professor of biology, GCC

•    Genesee Division: Peter Call, of Batavia, president, My-T Acres, Inc.

•    Heritage Division: Patrick Forsyth, of Batavia, CPA, and foundation board director

•    Leadership Division: Robert L. Boyce, of Le Roy, broker, Tompkins Insurance Agency and foundation board director

•    Livingston Division: co-chairs Les Cole, of Caledonia, president, Commodity Resource Corporation and foundation board director, and Robert C. Savage, of Avon, president, WYSL and foundation board director

•    Orleans Division: Wendy L. Hinkley, of Albion, branch manager, HSBC Bank, Albion office

•    Wyoming Division: Teresa Eddy, of Alexander, branch manager, Five Star Bank, Attica office

The campaign includes an Endowment Challenge Grant, a five year federal grant, from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant matches dollar for dollar funds raised for students in need up to $80,000 per year. For the second year, generous donors have met the Endowment Challenge goal.

The 2010-2011 campaign year also introduced five new named scholarship funds established by faculty, staff and caring and community-minded friends of the college:

•    Denniston K. Wood Art Scholarship, awarded to students interested in the arts.

•    Michael Stoll Scholarship, awarded to students in a health career degree program.

•    Richard J. and Maribell Scholl Reid Musical Theatre Scholarship, awarded to students with an interest in the field of musical theater.

•    Seymour Family Scholarship, awarded to second-year students demonstrating financial need.

•    William H. Collins Scholarship, awarded to students pursuing a degree in business or finance.

•    Stuart Steiner Leadership Fund, supports projects that foster leadership excellence at GCC.

Community organizations, businesses, service clubs, families and individuals are welcomed to establish named scholarship funds with the Genesee Community College Foundation. A donor can decide on basic information such as the name, purpose, criteria for making awards from the fund and when it will be established.

An agreement is then drawn up and signed, usually by the donor, club president or scholarship chair. The fund may be established with the intention to contribute $500 or more annually. Donors may also establish a fund with the intention to contribute a minimum of $10,000 to endow the fund and to use the income to fund the scholarship in perpetuity. Gifts to establish the endowment may be made over a period of one to five years.

More information on named funds can be found at http://www.genesee.edu/about/foundation/funds_special.cfm.

The Genesee Community College Foundation was formed in the mid-1980s as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing service to and support of the college. Its 30-member board of directors is comprised of business and civic leaders, and last year, the foundation's philanthropic support provided 678 scholarships to Genesee students, as well as other grants, totaling $599,779.

Contributions for support for the college programs and students may be sent to the Genesee Community College Foundation, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020. For more information contact the foundation (585) 345-6809 or foundation@genesee.edu.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Clinton Street Road and Batavia Stafford Town Line Road. Mercy medics and Town of Batavia Fire Department are responding.

UPDATE 5:14 p.m.: A second ambulance is requested.

UPDATE 5:20 p.m.: A third ambulance is called in.

UPDATE 5:42 p.m.: All three ambulances are transporting patients to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

UPDATE 5:55 p.m.: Town of Batavia fire units are back in service.

Press release:

The Batavia Board of Education will have a vacancy as of November 1, 2011, and is looking to fill that seat with an interested District resident. The vacancy is a result of the resignation of Andrew Pedro, whose term was due to expire at the end of this school year (June 30, 2012).

To fill the vacancy in the interim, the Board is asking Batavia City School District residents who would be interested in completing Mr. Pedro’s term (November 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012) to send a letter of interest, including their qualifications, by October 14, 2011, 4 p.m., to Scott Rozanski, BCSD Board Clerk, 39 Washington Avenue, Batavia, NY 14020.

Citing changes in his job responsibilities, Mr. Pedro felt he would be unable to fulfill the duties of a Board member to the degree that is needed to be effective and fair to the community that voted for him - particularly in these challenging economic times. He submitted his resignation at the Board meeting on October 3.

There is a possible electrical fire in a storage shed at 9 Osterhout Ave.

City fire's Engine 12 and Ladder 15 responding.

UPDATE 12:55 p.m.: City fire units back in service.

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A bit of cold and rain didn't prevent residents of the Greens of Le Roy from enjoying their annual fall festival on Sunday -- they just moved the event indoors.

From Kim Pasquale: "Many vendors brought their fall harvest along with some arts and craft vendors. The residents of The Greens truly enjoyed this special event."

Pictured above are resident Paul Emerling and his daughter Donna Mellander providing musical entertainment.

Press release:

The City of Batavia recently engaged the consulting services of CZB, a nationally recognized planning firm. CZB is assisting with the development of a Community Improvement Plan to assist the city with neighborhood and economic development revitalization efforts.

Over the summer CZB met with various stakeholders throughout the community such as volunteers, property owners, property managers, Realtors and business owners in order to better understand the challenges and demands facing Batavia. The information shared during the meetings was helpful in developing valuable strategies for promoting neighborhood revitalization, business sustainability, growth and entrepreneurship and community development.

CZB will be conducting a public meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7 in the Board Room in City Hall to share and present a preliminary report on the housing market, downtown and Main Street, neighborhoods and possible future actions.

The presentation will be followed by an opportunity for the public to give feedback and ask questions. Feedback is crucial to the research and development of community / economic development strategies for the city.

Jon Nelson Roblee, 36, of Linwood Road, Le Roy, is charged with menacing, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Roblee is accused of throwing a coffee pot at a victim, cutting the victim's hand, and displaying two knives at victims and threatening to kill them. Roblee was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Trevor M. Rich, 30, of 7142 Randall Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, and aggravated harassment, 2nd. Rich is accused of sending threatening text messages to a female he was ordered not to contact. Rich was jailed without bail.

Steven Thomas Schum, 52, of Alleghany Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to signal and moved from lane unsafely. Schum was stopped at 2:25 a.m., Oct. 1, on Darien Alexander Townline Road, Alexander, by Deputy Jason Saile.

Charie Marie Oddo, 50, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Oddo is accused of stealing clothing items from Kmart.

Robert Edward Greene, 30, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt. Greene is accused of violating an order of protection by placing a phone call to a protected person.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants at about 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, in the areas of: Apollo and Treadeasy drives; Brooklyn, Roosevelt and Dewey avenues; and Industrial, River and Pearl streets.

Homes and businesses nearby may be affected. These flows may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored.

Michael Victor Blackcloud, 66, of Sackett Road, Bergen, is charged with forcible touching. Blackcloud is accused of touching the intimate part of a woman's body without her consent.

Cody A. Bush Jr., 25, of 7614 Oak Orchard Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Bush is accused of going to Jackson Elementary School and contacting a child he is ordered by Family Court not to contact.

Andrew A. Crimes, 39, of 649 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. In violation of a court order, Crimes allegedly sent text messages and made phone calls to a woman he is ordered not to contact.

Eric James Harter, 36, of Beaver Meadow Road, Bergen, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, failure to stop for stop sign, no seat belt and speed not reasonable or prudent. Harter was charged following an investigation into a motor-vehicle accident at 6:04 p.m., Sept. 3, at the intersection of Cockram and Transit roads. Harter's vehicle hit a tree.

Eddie Lee Miles, 39, of Ellicott Street, is charged with assault, 3rd. At 5:40 p.m., Sept. 17, Miles allegedly punched another person in the face. The alleged victim suffered cuts that required stitches. 

Press release:

The Rochester Red Wings announced today that the New York Yankees Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, will play 37 of their home games at Frontier Field in 2012 while their ballpark in Scranton (PNC Field) undergoes a $40-million renovation.

Batavia’s Dwyer Stadium, home of the New York-Penn League short-season Single-A Batavia Muckdogs, who are managed and operated by Rochester Community Baseball, Inc., will host seven games.

“We are delighted to be able to bring these additional Triple-A baseball games to the fans of the Rochester and Batavia areas," said Red Wings President/CEO/COO Naomi Silver. "This expanded schedule will provide lots more opportunities for our fans to enjoy additional games during the upcoming season. We’ve put a considerable amount of time and effort into working with the Scranton ballclub to make this a reality.

“We very much appreciate the franchises in Rochester, Batavia, Syracuse, Buffalo, Lehigh Valley and Pawtucket welcoming us into their stadiums and hosting our SWB Triple-A team’s games next season. We will establish our base of operations in Rochester with more than half our home games played right there in Rochester.

New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said: "This will be a very interesting experience for our players and we’re looking forward to having our highest-level prospects playing in front of the legions of Yankees fans all across Upstate New york and into Allentown and Pawtucket. In 2013, we will return to Scranton Wilkes-Barre to a dramatically rebuilt stadium which will be our Triple-A home for a very long time."

“We are all excited about this opportunity, but we are also aware of the challenges that are ahead of us as an organization. Without a staff like we currently have in place, we wouldn’t have been able to consider this opportunity. We feel there is no better place than Frontier Field for Scranton to play,” Silver added.

The International League has approved the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees plan to play all 72 of their 2012 home games at alternate locations while renovations to PNC Field take place this off-season.

International League President Randy Mobley said: "As the title of a current article in 'Baseball America' states 'Passion Runs Deep in Rochester.' There are many baseball-loving communities in Minor League Baseball, but there is none that has supported the game for a longer period of time or loves the game any greater than in Rochester. There may not be another community or organization in Minor League Baseball that could tackle this challenge in this manner.

"The International League is grateful to both the Red Wings and Muckdogs organizations for being the cornerstone elements in establishing a home base for the Scranton/W-B Yankees games in 2012."

For the last several weeks, SWB Yankees LLC and the International League have been working diligently on a final proposal to have Scranton/Wilkes-Barre play all their home games at alternate locations in 2012.

“From an economic development standpoint it will also be a home run for our community because it will create more jobs, fill more hotel rooms, and spur on more business in our community thanks to the Yankees and visiting teams being here for those additional 37 dates," said Red Wings General Manager Dan Mason.

"This should also be an economic boom for Batavia as well as a great opportunity for Muckdogs fans to see Triple-A baseball in their own backyard for the first time ever."

Scranton, for the most part, will make Upstate NY their home away from home in 2012. In addition to the 37 home games at Frontier Field, Scranton will play six home games in Buffalo, seven in Batavia, and 10 in Syracuse.

Scranton will also play eight games in Lehigh Valley and four games in Pawtucket.

“The International league has always prided itself in helping each other out when needed," Mason said. "The Scranton/W-B club needed a place to play and we were happy to come to their assistance along with our North Division partners in Buffalo, Syracuse, Pawtucket and Lehigh Valley. This is a shining example of the spirit of cooperation within the International League."

Two drivers from Holley, Orleans County, collided on Oak Orchard Road/Route 98 in Batavia this afternoon.

Doris Lusk, 78, was operating her Subaru Forester northbound on Route 98 when she slowed to allow another driver to make a left-hand turn into a driveway. Robert Blosenhauer, 63, was also northbound in a Jeep Wrangler and failed to stop. He rammed into the rear of Lusk's vehicle.

Both were able to exit the roadway safely. No serious injuries were reported.

Blosenhauer was charged with failure to yield following too closely.

Trooper Mark Catenzaro responded along with Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS.

Kayla M. Tyoe, 22, of Market Street, Attica, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, parking on pavement/roadway and no seat belt. Deputy Ron Meides was dispatched at 8:35 a.m., Monday, to a complaint of a car parked in the middle of Colby Road, Darien. Upon arrival, Meides reportedly found Tyoe sleeping in the driver's seat. A male was sleeping in the passenger seat, according to Meides. It was determined, Meides said, that Tyoe was "driving under the influence of some type of drug."

Benjamin Wiliam Muntz, 22, of Knowlesville Road, Alabama, is charged with attempted petit larceny and trespass. Muntz is accused of being on property in Byron without permission and attempting to steal items from the property.

Michael Abdullah Jamil, 27, of School Road, Byron, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Jamil is accused of violating an order of protection by allowing his girlfriend and son to stay at his residence. Jamil was jailed on $500 bail.

Randy K. Wilmet, 34, of 75 Franklin St., Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, and obstructing governmental administration, 2nd. Wilmet is accused of damaging property inside the apartment of another person. Wilmet was arraigned in Batavia City Court, where he allegedly refused to comply with police officers' orders and had to be physically removed from the court and restrained. Wilmet was jailed on $3,000 bail.

Martin F. Jones, 40, no permanent address, is charged with four counts of petit larceny. Jones was arrested on a warrant. He is accused of stealing beer from an Ellicott Street business on four separate occasions. Each incident was reportedly recorded by surveillance cameras. Jones was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Batavia PD is looking for information on three individuals suspected of being involved in a theft and an attempted fraud locally.

The three individuals may also be suspects in similar thefts at hospitals and colleges from Geneva to Buffalo.

In the local case, a male subject wearing a white T-shirt and a necklace went into UMMC at 11:30 a.m., Sept. 11, and stole a wallet from a purse belonging to an employee.

The suspect was driven to the hospital in a maroon four-door sedan (possibly a Ford Fusion).

The male suspect and two female suspects allegedly used the victim's credit cards at a local business.

The three suspects are described as African-American and in their early 20s.

Anybody with information that may assist in the investigation can call the confidential tip line at (585) 345-6370.