batavia

Interview with Michael Bromley, athletic director at Batavia High School. Scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

A male suspect was just taken into custody on the Southside of the city following a brief foot pursuit by Batavia police. We did not hear what prompted the manhunt, which was in the area of Wood Street, Cherry Street, and Pringle Avenue.

UPDATE 5:11 p.m.: Per Det. Eric Hill, Batavia PD, this was juvenile matter and no further information will be released.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley is thanking a longtime local business for supporting the community during this current healthcare crisis. Chapin Manufacturing, a staple business since 1884, is donating one gallon and three gallon spraying containers for the purposes of disinfecting buildings during the coronavirus outbreak.

“When the CEO reached out to me last week, I was absolutely thrilled to hear and couldn’t say yes fast enough,” Hawley said. “It’s good to see that despite all of the confusion and concern throughout the state and the country, people are still stepping up to help their neighbors. It gives me the hope and reassurance that after all this is over, our community will come back together stronger than ever.”

The sprayers will be distributed to the Genesee County, Orleans County, and Monroe County Emergency Management offices. The EMOs will coordinate with local hospitals, fire departments, EMTs and schools to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate in using these generous gifts.

A car has reportedly hit a pedestrian in area of 15 Highland Park, Batavia.

City Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:46 p.m.: Batavia PD detectives are responding to the scene. Sgt. Eric Bolles confirmed that the scene is being treated as a crime scene. He said officers at this time do not know what happened and are trying to locate a cooperative witness. The driver was no longer on scene. Bolles could not confirm his status. A woman on scene was offering suggestions of where the driver might be. Bolles did not know condition of the victim, who was apparently taken by Mercy EMS to the Mercy Flight hangar to be airlifted to Strong Memorial Hospital. A man at the scene was yelling at police claiming they weren't doing anything about the situation. Bolles said there probably won't be an update from Batavia PD until the morning.

It is safe to say that the COVID-19 crisis is fostering a spirit of unity here despite mandated social distancing. One door in the city is an example.

The Batavian received two photos from the Sanfratello family on Prospect Avenue in Batavia this afternoon.

"My daughter Kyla and myself did a little something to show others we are all in this together," says Kim Sanfratello. "Thought we would share it with you. We painted it on our front door window."

From Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary:

Together (adverb): with or in proximity to another person or people

Synonyms: at one and the same time; in or by combined action or effort

Related words: concertedly, hand in glove

Press release:

In partnership with FoodLink of Rochester, The Salvation Army of Batavia is hosting a “Pop Up” mobile pantry on Wednesday, April 8, where individuals come in their cars and are provided fresh and shelf stable items distributed by volunteers into their trunks.

It will be held 9 a.m. in the parking lot of Northgate Free Methodist Church, North Campus, 8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia. One box per household. No deliveries will be available. There are a limited number of boxes available.

Currently, Salvation Army feeding programs are seeing a 50-percent increase in participation statewide.

“The reality is much more dire here in Batavia,” said Lieutenant Rachel Moore of The Salvation Army in Batavia. “Our pantry is quickly being depleted as the demand for food has dramatically increased during the COVID-19 crisis.”

According to Lt. Moore, The Salvation Army of Batavia is currently in need of donations to sustain its food pantry including:

• Canned fruits and vegetables
• Canned meat
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Cereal
• Pasta and pasta sauce
• Rice

“With the help of the community, we can continue to fulfill our mission of 'Doing the Most Good' during this unprecedented and uncertain time,” Lt. Moore said.

(Editor's note: The free food giveaway is not residency or income based and is available to all.)

Word that Albany has restored Video Lottery Terminal money generated by Batavia Downs Gaming is good news to Genesee County municipalities, but a couple of other stipulations in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2020-21 budget likely will result in increased financial stress beyond the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assemblyman Stephen M. Hawley confirmed today that the state budget includes the restoration of VLT funds to Genesee County ($200,392), Town of Batavia ($160,388) and City of Batavia ($440,789).

Lawmakers of the three entities previously were advised – late in their budget processes -- that VLT money would no longer be available, and that left sizeable gaps in their budgets. In the case of the City of Batavia, there was a $700,000 shortfall, causing City Council to pass a budget that includes a $7.48 percent property tax increase.

Hawley said getting the VLT money back into local hands is one of the few bright spots of the state budget.

“I worked very hard on that to get it restored from the governor’s proposed cutting,” said Hawley, who is in his 15^th year as a state legislator. “Last year, he proposed cutting a percentage of it to the city, the town and the county, and this year he took the total ax to it in his executive budget. But we were able to get that restored in its entirety and that will be of great help.”

While the state could hold the VLT money depending upon revenues and expenditures during this fiscal year, Hawley and County Manager Jay Gsell believe that the local municipalities are safe for the time being.

“Technically, the governor does have the ability to withhold funds from any entity, but hopefully that won't be the case here," Hawley said. "You never know what the governor or legislature will do with the state budget, but this restores it for this year. Each January when the governor comes up with his budget, it seems to be a favorite chopping block for him. That’s why they can’t necessarily count on it from year to year.”

Gsell said it was his understanding that the VLT funding was voted on as a separate appropriation, a line item not subject to the governor’s power to incrementally reduce aid reimbursements to local governments and others, including school districts, based on revenue streams.

“We got a summary from NYSAC (New York State Association of Counties) of all the good, bad and indifferent, and VLT funding was one of the things that in the last two weeks of the budget deliberation -- before the three people in the room made the decision – that would be voted on as part of the full package,” Gsell said. “And that’s exactly what happened.”

'Unilateral power' designation raises eyebrows

The county manager said he’s a bit wary over the legislature’s granting of “somewhat unilateral power” to the governor, calling it “unchartered territory as far as local governments are concerned.”

Hawley said he voted “no” to every budget bill for the first time ever, pointing to a flawed process and the decision to give Cuomo more authority.

“For many, many, many reasons I voted for the first time ever “no” on every single budget bill, even though there were things in there like restoration of CHIPs funding (Consolidated Highway Improvement Program), extreme winter recovery, sales tax renewals for the counties I represent,” Hawley said. “Every bill always has good stuff and bad stuff in it, you just have to decide what the general impact is, but because of the way this was done and the way it was held off until the very last minute without appropriate legislative review, I had a huge problem with it.”

He said he was in favor of a “continuing resolution” that would have allowed the state to continue operating and then have the legislature return to Albany when the pandemic was under control.

“Additionally, we would have some sort of -- because this will affect us for years and years to come -- idea what the revenues actually will be and what the expenses may be and then we will be able to approach it with some knowledge,” he said.

Hawley said the “made-up figures were really catastrophic and not an appropriate way to run the state or any business.”

“How do you make up numbers when you have no idea? I thought we could have averted all of this – bringing all 213 legislators back into the buildings -- who knows who brought what with them in terms of this disease. And then we ceded power to the governor to make any changes that he wants to as the budget goes on as opposed to having legislative input on that … that’s not what the election process is all about in a democracy.”

City to use VLT funds to offset costs

City Council President Eugene Jankowski weighed in on the new VLT development, stating that he expects the restored funds to be used to offset some of the spending cuts in this year’s budget and the loss of sales tax revenue caused by the coronavirus shutdown.

“It’s too late to change anything in our 2020-21 budget,” he said. “Since it’s already been passed, we can’t do anything about the tax rate. But it’s great that we will have it to use next year.”

Gsell said having the $200,000 certainly helps the county, which has put its capital projects – including the construction of a new jail – on hold as it calculates the impact of COVID-19.

He is troubled, however, by Cuomo’s creation of a fund to skim county sales tax revenue to support “distressed hospitals and nursing homes” and continuation of a program to use county sales tax money to assist other municipalities.

“I guess you could say it’s a double-edged sword,” Gsell said. “The governor and the comptroller are establishing a $250 million fund over the next two years to help finance distressed hospitals and nursing homes, and we could be hit for about $250,000 in the first year,” Gsell said. “Previously, this had strictly been a state commitment in that regard.”

Gsell: 'Taxation without representation'

Noting that he has no idea whether United Memorial Medical Center or the local half-dozen long-term care facilities would be targeted for assistance, Gsell said this “assessment” is putting Genesee County back into a deficit funding situation – something it removed itself from when it sold the County Nursing Home three years ago.

He also bemoaned the fact that the state, for the second year, will be taking county sales tax to distribute as part of the AIM (Aid and Incentives for Municipalities) program.

“Again, in the past the state fully funded this out of their own coffers,” Gsell said. “They use a formula -- I believe it’s about a 2 percent equation in there – and last year, we saw $320,000 of county sales tax intercepted by the state so they could make those payments to the villages and towns and, in some cases, the city. This year, it could be another $250,000 hit to county sales tax before we even get the standard distribution that they’ll provide. This is taxation without representation. We had no input into how this fund was set up or what the calculation of the formula is.”

Gsell said the county “dodged a bullet” in regard to increased Medicaid funding as the governor’s proposal to remove the cap of local shares was not included in the budget.

“He had a three-pronged proposal that could have significantly changed how much we are paying on a weekly share on our present $9.6 million a year that we’re already committed to sending to the state,” he said.

William R. Metz, 48, of Batavia (no address provided), was arrested April 4 and charged with: criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree -- a Class C felony; second-degree menacing; reckless endangerment in the second degree; and fourth degree criminal mischief. NYS Troopers responded to a 9-1-1 report of a possible domestic incident on Batavia-Oakfield Town Line Road in the Town of Oakfield. After an investigation it is alleged that Metz threatened the victim with a weapon and fired multiple rounds in the residence. Metz was arraigned in Town of Oakfield Court and put in Genesee County Jail on $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bound. The NYSP Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) assisted in this investigation.

Alex S. Dumbleton, 26, of Batavia (no address provided), was arrested for petit larceny. It is alleged that at 1:05 p.m. on April 4 that stole 22 items from Walmart totaling $115.50. Dumbleton was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia Town Court on May 28. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth.

The Corona Convoy, honoring the workers, especially truckers, who keep our economy rolling even in tough times, rumbled through Genesee County today.  

We'll have photos and video later but I'd really like to supplement the video I shot with the video you shot. If we get enough submissions, we should be able to cover the convoy's entire route through the count.

Send your short video clips to howard@thebatavian.com. For longer clips, use wetransfer.com (enter the same email address in the form). Please try to send the video within the next couple of hours.

Video: Palm Sunday message from Pastor Roula Alkhouri, Batavia First Presbyterian Church.

The residents of Redfield Parkway came together and raised money to cater meals to the employees of Tops Market in Batavia from T.F. Brown's and Los Compadres. 

Video shot by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service; edited by Howard Owens.

Staff at UMMC received a free lunch paid for by community donations organized by Ben Macdonald to thank them for "strength, courage, and service" during this difficult time.

Macdonald started a GoFundMe campaign last week with the goal of reading $2,000. The community contributed $3,325.

Workers were served lunches from food trucks for Center Street Smoke House and Public Coffee Hub.

Social distancing was maintained throughout the food service.

Quentin I. Bloom, 22, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt in the first degree and second-degree harassment. Bloom was arrested after a domestic incident at 2:18 a.m. March 31 at an upper apartment on Edward Street in Batavia. It is alleged that he struck a person who had an order of protection against him. Bloom was arraigned in Batavia City Court at 7:01 a.m. on March 31 then put in jail on $2,000 cash bail, $4,000 bond, or $8,000 partially secured bond. He is due back in court on April 27. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller, assisted by Officer Alec Roberts.

Michael R. Lanze, 30, of Pearl Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal contempt in the second degree and burglary in the second degree. Lanze was arrested after an investigation and arraigned in Batavia City Court at 4:12 a.m. on April 1. It is alleged that he was found at 11:48 p.m. March 31 in the upstairs apartment on Hutchins Street in Batavia of person who had an order of protection against him. He was jailed on $500 cash, $1,000 cash bail, or $2,000 partially secured bond. He is due back in court on April 27. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Alec Roberts, assisted by Peter Flanagan.

Genesee County emergency dispatcher a minute ago: "There are some individuals in the lobby who have cookies for BPD."

City of Batavia Police officer buoyantly: "Received."

Press release:

There are many families within the greater Genesee region that, during normal circumstances, don’t know where their next meal may come from. During this time of uncertainty, it becomes clearer that as a community, it is our call to help those around us.

Have you felt that urge to help, but just can’t figure out where to plug yourself in?

• FOOD COLLECTION: Northgate Free Methodist Church will be assisting The Salvation Army with food collection. They are setting up a drop-off point for donations on Monday, April 6, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at their North Campus (8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia).

The Salvation Army is in need of the following items: canned meats, peanut butter, jelly, soups or chili in cans, pastas, rice, beans, breakfast items, snack items for kids and shelf stable milk.

There will be volunteers available to unload items from your vehicle, and safety precautions will be made to maintain social distancing.

• FOOD DISTRIBUTION: Beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, The Salvation Army, along with the assistance of FoodLink, will oversee a “Pop-up” Mobile pantry at Northgate's North Campus (8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia).

This will be done as a “drive thru” distribution to insure social distancing and proper hygiene. Residents are asked to pull into the church lot and go around the back of the building via the north side.

Pull up to the pallets and volunteers will load the items for you. Do not get out of your car or attempt to help. This will continue until all the product is gone. Items vary. Please arrive no earlier than 9 a.m.

There are NO residency or income requirements.

In a time where we are being asked to remain apart, let’s do what we can to help those who are in need right now.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported in the city at Clinton Street and East Avenue. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 9:27 a.m.: The westbound lane is completely blocking traffic. Two vehicles are involved. Law enforcement in on scene and asking for assistance in traffic control.

UPDATE 9:42 a.m.: Occupants in both vehicles required no medical attention; bother were sign-offs. How the accident happened is being determined. 

In response to the significant increase in need for food, The Salvation Army in conjunction with Northgate Free Methodist Church and FoodLink held major food distributions on the grounds of the church in Batavia.

These took place on Friday March 27th and again today, April 1st. Well over 600 families were assisted in this effort.

Volunteers from four area churches and several community groups assisted in handing out urgently needed food supplies.

The food items included milk, fresh produce, cheese and dry goods. Items were provided by area church food drives, Star Growers and FoodLink.

“None of this would have been possible without the help of the amazing volunteers," said Todd Rapp director of Emergency Disaster Services for The Salvation Army here in Batavia. "They went above and beyond.”

The Salvation Army has been active in Batavia since 1865 and they intend to be here as long as possible through this crisis.

“As long as we have access to food, we will be getting it out there,” Rapp said.

Mark Logan of Northgate said the church will do all it can to support this effort.

In order to keep abreast of future distributions go to The Salvation Army Batavia NY on Facebook and “like” the page. Announcements will also be made through The Batavian.