batavia

An idea that began with Genesee County Legislator Gary Maha and moved onto the town of Batavia and throughout the county Sheriff’s Office and beyond to erect a well-deserved memorial parkway sign in the name of the late Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello will now serve as a daily reminder for passersby.

A portion of Park Road, from Veterans Memorial Drive to Richmond Avenue, in the town of Batavia, has been designated as the Sgt. Tom Sanfratello Memorial Parkway in honor of the fallen longtime member of the Sheriff’s Office who died in an incident at Batavia Downs March 10. 

“Officer Tom Sanfratello embodied bravery, selflessness and dedication. His service protected our community, inspiring us all,” Batavia Town Councilwoman Patti Michalak said during a dedication ceremony Wednesday on Park Road. “This road serves as a permanent tribute, reminding us of his commitment and sacrifice to the family of Officer Sanfratello. We offer our deepest condolences and gratitude. May this dedication bring comfort and pride, and may Officer Sanfratello’s memory continue inspiring us forever.”

Michalak then read a proclamation that, “whereas, Sgt. Thomas A. Sanfratello served and protected the citizens of Genesee County as a deputy sheriff for 28 years, and tragically gave his life in the line of duty on March 10, 2024. And whereas, the town board would like to honor and recognize Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello for his sacrifice by dedicating a portion of Park Road, the Sgt. Tom Sanfratello Memorial Park Road, now let it be proclaimed that the town board does hereby declare that a portion of Park Road, from Veterans Memorial Drive to Richmond Avenue, shall be designated as the Sgt. Tom Sanfratello Memorial Parkway in honor of Sgt. Thomas A. Sanfratello’s sacrifice.”

Undersheriff Bradley Mazur thanked Batavia Town Supervisor Greg Post, town council members and Highway Superintendent Ray Tourt, the county Legislature and Maha, who was also the former county sheriff.

“Legislator Maha approached the town with this idea to move forward with this dedication, and because of his dedication to that, we were able to make this happen,” Mazur said. 

Sanfratello’s sister, Michelle Panasiewicz, thanked everyone for attending and honoring her brother, emphasizing that it couldn’t have happened without everyone’s help.

“This couldn’t have been done without you, and for the support of all of you as we embark on this journey without him. Yes, it’s been difficult, and I’m sure it will be difficult as we go on, but we appreciate each and every one of you as we continue on,” she said. “As we drive down the road and see this, we truly appreciate it. And again, it wouldn’t be done without each and every one of you who made this possible. So, on behalf of the Sanfratello family, the Panasiewicz family, the Diehl family and the Coffey family, we truly appreciate each and every one of you. So thank you. We truly appreciate what you have done. Thank you, and God bless each and every one of you.”

Barry Flansburg represented state Assemblyman Steve Hawley, who was unable to attend, and presented a certificate of merit from the New York State Assembly. The memorial road will serve several purposes, he said.

“One, it will forever honor the sacrifice that Sgt. Sanfratello made,” Flansburg said. “It will also be a reminder to all his fellow deputies and members of the Sheriff's Department, as they see this, as they come to work, and also to the public, for them to remember the dedication of Sgt. Sanfratello, and all the members of law enforcement in Genesee County and the 139th District. So, on behalf of Assemblyman Hawley, I would like to present this certificate to the family.”

Members of the nonprofit Tour de Force were also there to pay tribute and make a donation to the family. The group has nearly 300 riders each year to raise money for families to “make sure we take care of all the New York police officers” that are killed in the line of duty, Robert DePaolis, a retired New York Police detective, said. 

“So when police officers are killed, we sit together, sit down as a board and pick which police officer across the country that we’re going to make the donations to, based on how many, the number of kids there are,” he said.  “We ride our bike from either D.C. to New York or New York to Boston every year to raise this money. Two years ago we rode from one of the hotels in Amherst, we just did four different rides in the Buffalo area so we’re pretty familiar with the area.”

The group donated a check for $10,000 to Panasiewicz for the family. 

Monday's free lunch for veterans at Batavia Downs meant a lot to Blake Leddick, an 11-year U.S. Army veteran, especially with Western Regional OTB President Byron Brown working among the servers.

"Being a vet is more than just putting on a uniform," Leddick said. "It's coming home after we are done serving to support those who support us, and having Batavia Downs here supporting us today, with meeting Mayor Byron Brown serving food, it's an honor. It's an honor for me to see the face of this company willing to take his time out, giving back to us."

On Monday, Veterans Day, Batavia Downs served 350 lunches to veterans from the area.

Press Release:

On November 12, conservation students at the Genesee Valley BOCES Batavia Career and Technical Education Center will have a unique opportunity to learn critical emergency skills through STOP THE BLEED training facilitated by Mercy Flight. STOP THE BLEED is a national campaign developed by the American College of Surgeons that teaches people how to control bleeding in an emergency until first responders arrive. These life-saving sessions, scheduled for 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., will provide students with essential skills to respond to bleeding emergencies—skills that can be as critical as CPR in real-life situations.

STOP THE BLEED training will complement current conservation coursework, where students are learning to operate chainsaws safely and handle equipment responsibly. Recognizing the importance of emergency preparedness in hands-on learning environments, GV BOCES reached out to Mercy Flight to deliver this specialized training.

Mercy Flight recently received a grant through the BJ’s Charitable Foundation to support the purchase of STOP THE BLEED training kits. This funding will make a positive difference in Mercy Flight’s ability to facilitate more training in the community, allowing more students and staff to participate in future sessions. This expanded access underscores GV BOCES’ dedication to equipping students with crucial, life-saving skills and preparing them to respond confidently in emergencies.

The upcoming training not only serves as a valuable addition to the students’ curriculum but also emphasizes the importance of mastering both STOP THE BLEED techniques and CPR. The Genesee Valley BOCES Batavia Career and Technical Education Center remains committed to promoting practical, hands-on education that prepares students for success in both their careers and everyday life.

For more information about the STOP THE BLEED training available through Mercy Flight, please contact Pamela Cherry at PCherry@mercyflight.org. 

The many who have served in the U.S. military throughout the nation's history were honored on Monday for Veterans Day, with multiple ceremonies being held at sites in Genesee County.

At 11 a.m., veterans gathered to honor veterans at the Soldiers, Sailors, & Marines Monument (the Upton Monument).

There were also ceremonies in Genesee County Park and Forest, the Batavia VA Medical Center, the NYS Veterans Home, and the memorial monument at Jerome Center. There was also a ceremony in Trigon Park in Le Roy.

Participating organizations were Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and Vietnam Veterans of America.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A fence has been erected once again around Ellicott Station, though it still appears to be in limbo as a construction project on the city's southside in downtown Batavia. 

Property owner Sam Savarino confirmed with The Batavian this weekend that he ordered the fence to be put up as a response to city management.

"Yes, I sent a crew to install the fence," Savarino said Sunday. "Addressing a city code citation."

The four-story apartment complex has been stalled since summer 2023, when Savarino Companies announced it was shutting down amidst legal and financial issues with the state Dormitory Authority.

There has been no definitive word as to when the project may get going again or whether it will be Savarino or another developer that kicks it back into gear. There were tax credits and exemptions with Genesee County Economic Center that were taken off the table after the economic agency claimed Savarino broke tenets of the contract. He has vehemently disagreed.
 

Press Release:

St. Paul Lutheran Church and School will host their 4th Annual Small Business Craft and Vendor Event on Saturday, November 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. St. Paul's Church and School is located at 31 Washington Ave, Batavia.

Come browse a variety of handcrafted item including, quilts, blankets, children and baby items, wood crafts, jewelry and much more.

For more information contact 585-993-2410. 

City Manager Rachael Tabelski and City of Batavia Fire Chief Josh Graham issued the following statement later Saturday regarding the fire at Baskin Livestock on Howard Street in Batavia:

It was a sectional semifinal game but the battle was decided early as Batavia scored 50 points in the first half on the way to a 56-6 win over East Rochester Prep on Friday night.

Stats:

• Bronx Bucholz, 7-11 passing for 83 yards and three touchdowns. 
• Zailen Griffin, 73 yards on nine carries
• Jameson Motyka, 33 yards and two TDs on three receptions, plus a fumble recover TD
• Carter Mullen, one reception for six yards and for a TD plus a 69 yard punt return for a TD
• Maggio Bucholz, seven tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery
• Luke Gutman, seven tackles

Batavia gets a shot a block on Saturday at SUNY Brockport. The Class B title game is at noon.

Photos by Jim Burns.

It will take days for investigators to determine what may have started this morning's fire at a animal feed processing plant at 20 Howard St., Batavia, said City Fire Chief Josh Graham.

The call came in at 7:47 a.m. and Batavia patrol officers arrived on scene first and confirmed smoke and flames, which led to an immediate second alarm. When the first fire crew arrived he said, they realized the fire was going to require more resources so a third alarm was called.

It took hours to fight the fire, which as of 2 p.m. on Saturday, wasn't completely extinguished as firefighters worked to extinguish hot spots.

"We just started now the investigation," Graham said. "The investigators went in to look around and get an initial look at this. They're gonna work on that probably for the next four or five days to try to figure it all out. There's going to be a massive amount of information to look at."

Baskin Livestock owner Bill Baskin said he is baffled by the fire.

"This is the last place I expected something like this," Baskin said.

There have been a few fires over the years at Baskin's other facility on Creek Road, Batavia. They are generally explainable because of the large furnace used to dry food items—such as discarded baked goods—which are ground into feed for cattle.

The Howard Street facility processes dry dog food into feed for hogs and heat isn't used, Baskin said. Yesterday's work crew finished at 2 p.m. on Friday and when an employee stopped by the facility at 7 a.m. on Saturday, there was no sign of fire, Baskin said.

Baskin said the two facilities are segregated to ensure the dog food doesn't contaminate the cattle feed. Spreading mad cow disease would be damaging if that were to happen, Baskin said.

On Saturday afternoon, an excavator was brought in to move debris so firefighters could attack hot spots. Graham said piles of debris would be moved, the hotspot dealt with, and then debris moved to that spot to deal with the next hotspot until the job is complete.  Even then, Graham expects calls for rekindles over the next few days.

The buildings at 20 Howard were originally constructed in 1946 and it was once a fertilizer plant. The three structures on the property were a combined 82,257 square feet.

Agencies responding to the fire: City Fire, Town of Batavia Fire, Stafford, Elba, Mercy EMS, Office of Emergency Management, Batavia PD, Salvation Army, National Grid, Sewer & Water, and National Fuel. Fill-in companies for departments that responded: Alexander, Bergen, Albion, and East Pembroke.

Photos by Howard Owens.

If you have photos or videos to submit, email howard@thebatavian.com or text 585-260-6970 

UPDATE: Thank you for all the submissions.  I won't be available the rest of the day to post any additional photos that come in.

Power has been cut in the immediate area of the Howard Street fire for the safety of fire personnel on scene.

National Grid reports that 516 people along the north and south sides of Ellicott Street are without power.

Photos by Frank Capuano. 

A structure fire at 20 Howard St. in the city of Batavia has called out the city fire department Saturday morning.

Flames and heavy smoke were still visible as of 8:20 a.m. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

When 1978 Batavia High School grad Phil Zickl Jr. becomes part of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame later this month, he knows his late grandfather Robert E. Noonan (1907-1965) would be proud and cheering him on if he could.

Noonan was an avid football fan and player who aspired to get into the NFL. Despite a chain of missteps, including a twice-broken leg, he never made it. He had been a strong supporter of his grandson, who went on to play football into his sixties, scoring big at 64 this year when he and his team, the Syracuse Express, were named to the Hall of Fame.

“My mother and my aunt, and both are deceased now, but they used to talk about how family-oriented he was and how supportive he was. And so my initial thought is how supportive he would be of this happening, especially because he was so athletic, and he wasn't just successful in football, even though football was his first love … but he would be very positive and very supportive of just the induction,” Zickl said during an interview with The Batavian. “I remember when I first heard, one of my former teammates called me and left a voicemail. But the voicemail,  it was hard to hear everything, it kind of crackled a little but I heard him say something about Hall of Fame, and I thought he was calling to tell me that he got inducted to his high school Hall of Fame. So I called him back, got his voice mail, and I said, ‘Hey, Mike, congratulations; I didn't hear the message completely, but it sounded like you said something that you were inducted to your high school hall of fame.’ 

“So, he called me back and said, 'No, no, Zick, it’s our team, the Syracuse Express.' it's a big deal. It's not that high school Hall of Fames are not a big deal, every Hall of Fame is a big deal as far as I'm concerned. This is the Greater Syracuse Hall of Fame. We’re being inducted as one of the teams of honor,” Zickl said. “And I’ve got to say that it caught me off guard. It's one of those things you don't expect somebody to call you on the phone and tell you that. I'm not going to forget that night any time soon.”

His team will be honored during an awards dinner Nov. 11 in Syracuse. The GP/Syracuse Express went 36/6 across the 1985-86-87 seasons and won a pair of Minor Professional League championships in 1985 and 1987. 

There were 15 former Orangemen who helped the Express to football glory during those title years.  They included Ray Seals — the former Hotel Syracuse doorman who, as a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers, would later sack Dallas’ Troy Aikman in Super Bowl XXX, and Dave Jacobs and Chuck Cassidy.

It was an athletic combination that defeated the Chicago Cowboys (7-3 at muddy Griffin Field in 1985) and the San Jose Bandits (17-10 in glitzy Las Vegas in 1987) for their crowns, a worthy choice for one of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame’s “Teams of Honor” for 2024. Listed on a program titled “Welcome to ‘Express’ Football” is #65 Phil Zickl with fellow Outstanding Syracuse Players teammates. 

The Express competed in the Empire Football League. The team was owned by Greg Portzline, coached by Tom Anthony, and cheered by supportive crowds at old Griffin Field in Liverpool. This year, it’s being recognized as a Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame Team of Honor for the excellence it demonstrated from 1985 to 1987. 

Ever since high school, where he was named Most Outstanding Lineman in his senior year, Zickl played minor league football for 25 years, being named to the American Football Association’s semi-pro records for Most Years of Service, which at the time it was compiled was 20 years. His age when listed as Most Aged Player was 55, having played for the Syracuse Express, Batavia Bandits, Hornell Dragons, Batavia Titans and Buffalo Gladiators.

After graduating BHS, Zikl went on to University at Buffalo and was briefly profiled as an alumnus for his athletic and professional achievements per the following:

“Zickl has continued playing semipro football well into his fifties after a successful playing career at UB as an offensive guard and defensive end in the 1980s.  Since 2018, Phil has expanded his health and wellness business (Total Personal Wellness) to include education on American football.  He is an American Football specialist and has participated in the sport for more than 40 years as both player and coach.”

Before branching out with his own business, Zickl worked in education as a social worker at Batavia Middle School while also still playing ball in Syracuse. He was able to arrange a schedule of driving to only one weekday practice, followed by a second one on Friday that included an overnight stay, and he would then play the weekend game. He was definitely hooked on the sport.

While he loved the game of football, he also enjoyed the ambition taken on by the group of athletes, he said.

“You’re all trying to work for the same goal. You’re everybody’s teammate, just being on a team working toward a common goal,” he said. 

Zickl established his wellness business in 2017, making presentations on various related topics of maintaining and regaining good health; however, the pandemic shut down those in-person activities. The business, as he puts it, “went into hibernation.” He also has a penchant for song lyrics, having written at least 100 sets of parodies that he has licensed, with no certain path for what he’s going to do with them all other than using one as a team warm-up rap song.

He is rethinking the scope of his speaking topics and wants to circle back to what he perhaps knows and loves best: football and the history of American football, dating back to 1869. He has learned plenty of other lessons, though, while immersing himself in the sport, including while with the Express. 

“It was a real city of Syracuse team, and the majority of the players were African American, and so I was a minority. And I was a minority for months at a time. And it really made me think that every human being who is capable of understanding being a minority situation should have that experience. Because to me, I think it allows you, I mean, this is aside from what I said before about the team all pulls together, but it also allows you to feel, like, 'walk a mile in my shoes,' type of thing,” he said. “It gives you that opportunity to walk a mile in someone else's shoes, especially because I'm European American, so I don't remember any other times when I was a minority, but I remember early on, you know, first, second year on the team, I remember thinking, this is a really good experience.”

For more information about the Hall of Fame and upcoming event, go HERE.

Press Release:

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is welcoming anyone from the GOW (Genesee Orleans Wyoming Counties to stop into their office underneath the Green Awning at 319 West Main Street in the Crickler Executive Business Center in Batavia. 

You are invited to stop in anytime between 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 2 to 5 p.m. on Thursday November 21. No appointments are needed!

You can learn about our health-related services for people with disabilities including: Loan Closet Equipment, Housing Employment, Medicaid Applications, Seniors’ Programs, Taking Control Personal care aide assistance; Children and Youth Service /Specialists and MORE!

More information is available at 585-815-8501, extension 400.

The Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies offer an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.