batavia

Police officers unselfishly protect the community, Batavia Det. Matthew J. Wojtaszczyk said Monday at St. Joseph's Cemetery during a ceremony to honor those who worked the streets of the city and were eventually laid to rest.

"I want to sincerely thank everyone who had a hand in this process of locating and honoring former members of the city of Batavia Police Department," said Wojtaszczyk, who is president of the Batavia Police Benevolent Association. "They dedicated their lives to a career of service for our community. From the inception of our police department in 1915 to today, the world of policing has certainly changed. But a constant throughout time has been the continued sacrifice of our men and women in blue. The officers we honor today face the daily risks of being police officers. They knew that when they put on their uniform, they would selflessly protect our community and our citizens, and that often meant placing themselves in dangerous situations."

The ceremony's purpose, said Chief Shawn Heubusch, was to honor those who gave a good portion of their lives to protect Batavia's people and property.

"Members we're recognizing today spent a significant amount of time as members of the department," Heubusch said. "Generally, they all retired from the department with at least 20 years of service to our community, many in excess of that. There are approximately 50 deceased officers buried in four cemeteries across Genesee County, including 34 here at St. Joe's and in Elmwood Cemetery."

Flag holders and Batavia PD flags, donated by H.E. Turner Funeral Home, were placed at the gravesite of each of these officers.

"It took an extraordinary effort and commitment to research the names of our deceased brethren in their final resting places," Heubusch said. "I want to recognize the two individuals who rightly deserve our gratitude and thanks. That's Rich Schauf and Steve Robinson."

Steve Johnson, of H.E. Turner, said the funeral home stepped in to assist with the donation because of the company's history, going back to 1910, of supporting local law enforcement. 

"We're honored to be here to be a part of today's event, and are committed to ensuring that no Batavia police officer's final resting place goes without recognition," Johnson said. "To that end, I'd also like to announce that we have extended this offer to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and both the Le Roy and Corfu police departments, to provide resources and funding for similar memorials at their officers' graves." 

At the gravesite of Anthony Horsch, Batavia's first chief of police, his great-great-grandson David Pixley noted that seeing the gravesite flags was meaningful to his family because so many of its members, in various parts of the nation, have or do serve in law enforcement. 

Wojtaszczyk said local officers were grateful for the recognition because they give up a lot to serve their community.

"There are many things a police officer knows when they sign up for this career,"  Wojtaszczyk said. "Police officers know they will work difficult hours. Police officers know they will miss birthday parties, family events and holidays. Police Officers know that at a moment's notice they will run toward danger without hesitation. Police officers know that we'll see people who are at their worst and perhaps lowest points. And finally, police officers know that we'll be expected to make split-second decisions that will be scrutinized and critiqued afterward. In spite of this, they all choose a life of service and sacrifice."

Table: Former Batavia PD officers whose gravesites are located locally.  Heubusch invited family members of former police officers were weren't included this year to contact the department to correct the unintentional oversight.

Name

Date of Birth

Date of Death

Years of Service

James J. Aquino

1920

2003

1950 – 1974

Gasper S. Baudanza

1906

1983

1931 – 1969

Robert G. Casper Sr.

1929

2008

1957-1977

Robert L. DeFreze

1927

2010

1959-1980

Albert G. DelBridge

1897

1960

1915-1952

Larry J. Falkowski

1921

2009

1942-1975

John J. Gravante

1934

2021

1959-1979

Anthony J. Horcsh

1854

1919

1890-1916

William C. Krantz

1901

1971

1933-1946

Frank A. Lachnicht

1937

2008

1966-1996

Andrew J. McCulley

1854

1931

1886-1931

Anthony J. Monteleone

1927

1984

1956-1977

Peter N. Nichols

1929

1980

1952-1978

Richard F. Pastecki

1928

1994

1957-1979

Frank S. Rodon

1911

1993

1936-1966

Bernard J. Ronan

1933

2015

1963-1985

Frank J. Rugala

1924

1990

1952-1974

Edward J. Santora

N/A

2007

1948-1969

Milford J. Smith

1904

1961

1923-1961

Grandview Cemetery:

Robert R. Currier

1930

2012

1964-1984

Earl F. Davis

1923

2001

1947-1981

Robert S. Dombrowski

1939

2016

1962-1993

Matty W. Hamera

1927

2002

1957-1976

Arthur J. Luplow

1881

1962

1915-1941

George K. McCurdy

1907

1977

1936-1971

Salvatore I. Sanfratello

1915

2001

1950-1972

Lloyd “Bud” G. Silvernail

1959

2013

1987-1993

Herbert Snyder

1887

1966

1915-1944

Richard F. Vanderwalker

1931

1996

1962-1987

Elmwood Cemetery:

William J. Lewis

1944

2019

1966-1987

Carl Salway

1890

1945

1921-1944

Charles Lewis Snell

1907

1979

1942-1971

Top photo: At the gravesite of Anthony Horsch, the first police chief of Batavia PD, he is saluted by his great-great-grandson David Pixley

Photos by Howard Owens

Chief Shawn Heubusch

Steve Robinson

Steve Johnson

Eugene Jankowski

Matthew J. Wojtaszczyk 

Click here for more information on 7964 Lewiston Road, Batavia!
Solid and meticulously kept country Cape in Town of Batavia /Oakfield School system! This home has been with one family and lovingly updated throughout the years so you don’t have to! Most major upgrades done in 2012/13 and include tear off roof, furnace and A/C, hot water tank, kitchen (cupboards, flooring, counter tops) and in 2017 new set of patio French doors and some new windows! There is a first floor bedroom and full bath for those that need and this home has tons of storage-not to mention a great large basement which adds a lot of possibilities! There is an attached 2 car garage, nice backyard shed two awesome patios and a fantastic back yard with such a pretty country backdrop! This one will give you all the feels! Starting out or downsizing this home is just right! Delayed negotiations till May 26 Thursday at 7:00

As he waxed a bit of nostalgia while standing before Genesee Community College’s Class of 2022 Saturday, Daniel Ireland recalled a moment when he walked the very same steps to accept his diploma.

“Thirty years ago I stood where you were, crossing the stage here at GCC with what seemed like a lifetime ahead of me,” said Ireland, president of Rochester Regional Health and keynote speaker. “I was a young nurse, and I had just completed a challenging journey through the rigorous program. I was not an A+ student, but I was dedicated, and through perseverance I proudly graduated.”

Ireland delivered the commencement speech for GCC’s 54th graduation ceremony at the Batavia campus. His challenging journey may have been filled with obstacles, he said, but he worked to overcome them. Ireland not only went on to become a nurse, but head of the Rochester-based healthcare company and in his third decade at United Memorial Medical Center. In 2010 he was promoted to vice president of operations and chief operating officer, in which roles he modernized UMMC’s facilities and oversaw various revitalization projects, including the surgical, front entry and maternity unit areas.

His promotion to president followed in 2013. Ireland was instrumental in leading UMMC through the merger with Rochester Regional Health three years later, and two years ago he rose to the task of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

During those two years, GCC postponed the annual commencement and celebrated an in-person event this year. Classes of 2020 and 2021 joined fellow graduates of this year to take that walk of honor across the stage.

Ireland talked about the choices he made along his career path — from earning a bachelor’s in nursing at Brockport State College after GCC to working as an emergency room floor nurse and being promoted to a leadership position.

It was unforeseen tragedy that shaped his moral code and tested his ability to respond in the face of emergencies, he said.

“One of the first things I learned is that unexpected things happen, and you need to roll with it,” he said. “One early August morning, at about 4 a.m., I received a phone call that no emergency room nurse manager wants to receive. A train had derailed here in Batavia. More than 100 passengers were involved. In healthcare, you plan for these things, but you never fully expect them.”

Some 120 accident victims were transported to the hospital, which had a capacity for about 25 people.  Ireland recalled the fear amongst his staff after the train accident. Due to the perseverance of Ireland and his team, there were no fatalities that day.

“I started out as an orderly, who wanted to get through their Associate’s program and practice nursing,” Ireland said. “I became a leader, with a Master’s Degree, running an emergency room, and leading people through disasters.”

Ireland left the audience with a few key takeaways from his educational and career experiences. He spoke about how fatherhood furthered his mental wellbeing, and how, in that era, he learned how to find safety in failure and lead a life of humility.

He recounted a time in his life when a career opportunity arose outside of the healthcare field, and he was not selected. He reassured the graduates that failure is integral to success.

“When I did not get the job, I was crushed. I had not embraced yet that it is okay to fail,” Ireland said. “But, it was simply fate showing me a path I had not imagined. What I did not know was that a different path lay ahead.”

As Ireland concluded his remarks, three graduating classes prepared to receive what they had worked so hard for: a diploma to recognize their new graduate status. After a two-year hiatus, this ceremony seemed to be — in and of itself — a new chapter for GCC and its students.

Top photo: Daniel Ireland of Rochester Regional Health gives the keynote address to the Class of 2022 at Genesee Community College Saturday in Batavia. Classmates celebrate their accomplishments and family and friends capture the moment. Photos courtesy of GCC.

Click here to see our open positions.

Click here for 9000 South Lake Road, Pembroke.
Click here for 0 Griswold Road, Stafford.
Click here for 0 Galloway Road, Batavia.

A Rochester man was arrested yesterday on a charge of petit larceny after allegedly stealing two crossbows from Dick's Sporting Goods on Veterans Memorial in Batavia.

Staff at Dick's reported a theft of crossbows as the suspect drove away and provided dispatchers with a description of the vehicle. 

A car driven by William Jefferey Gould, 39, of Affinity Lane, Rochester, was later stopped by State Police on I-490 and the crossbows were recovered.

Gould was also reportedly driving a stolen car from Freece.

The theft of the crossbows was investigated by Deputy Eric Meyer and Deputy Ayrton Blankenberg.

Gould was released on appearance ticket and turned over to police officers in Greece.

More than 300 community volunteers turned out today for United Way's annual Day of Caring to perform a variety of tasks for local organizations.

Photos are from Crossroads House and Justice for Children.

At Crossroads, a family paid for a new cement walkway and patio and volunteers are planting a garden so that those staying at Crossroads can be taken outside and enjoy a bit of nature.

The groups receiving assistance: 

• Purple Pony
• Peace Garden
• Holland Land Office
• Town of Batavia
• Machpelah
• Crossroads House
• St. Max Kolbe
• GO ART!
• All Babies Cherished
• UMMC
• Gillam Grant
• ABCD
• Eagle Star
• Lifetime Assistance
• Community Garden
• St. Joe's
• St. James
• Justice for Children
• Batavia Cemetery
• BEA- Jr. Achievement
• CCE
• Notre Dame
• Batavia Housing Authority
• Warrior House
• Arc Glow-Elba House
• Tops Food Drive-Arc GLOW

There are signs on two doors at Genesee County Job Development Bureau that caught the attention of Genese County Legislator Rochelle Stein.

One sign had a locked door with the message “we are not open,” issued by the New York State Department of Labor, while the other sign stated that the development bureau was open for business. Given that kids are in school and people have returned to work, it was surprising for Stein to see the state closed to customers, she said.

“I was shocked,” Stein said during Wednesday’s Ways & Means Committee meeting.

Director Teresa Van Son agreed. She gave a department report intertwined with both the good and bad news. The Job Development Bureau remained open in some capacity throughout the entire pandemic, she said.

“I'm really proud of how our team has moved forward and continues to provide services and adapt, and all that we've accomplished,” she said. “So I'm going to follow the same format as last year; I'm gonna give you the bad news first. “

Last year she predicted an overall shortfall of funding that would cause the department to dip into its reserves. “We did have to do that, and we do anticipate that happening again this year,” she said. Bad news. However, the Workforce Development Board contract has been renewed for next year. Some good news.

“And my last thing of bad news is that all of our programs continue to be provisional. They all didn't take the test that was offered in April,” she said, adding that a new member has been tapped to be on the Workforce Development Board.

“We’d like to present one appointment to the Workforce Development Board. Daniel Ireland, president of Rochester Regional Health, for a two-year term representing private sector business and healthcare.”

Ireland will be especially welcome at a GLOW With Your Hands “2.0” program. A new addition to the 2023 line-up, that program will focus on healthcare, which is certainly in Ireland's wheelhouse. More details are to be available in spring 2023, she said.

Other good news is that all program staff have been cross-trained, she said, including one new staff member. All staff will have have learned about every one of the site’s programs, she said, meaning “no more siloed job development.”

Training is crucial, yet difficult to do with about $150,000 across all four counties, she said, echoing a legislator with “that’s not enough.”

“The cost of running four Career Centers (one each in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties) in GLOW just keeps increasing. And as those costs increase, and the allocation from the state stays pretty level with small increases, that means we have less training dollars to help people with skill upgrades and to get into better jobs or into jobs,” Van Son said. “So the Workforce Development Board is looking at applying for different grants so that we can just provide additional training for folks, but it's going to be tight.”

Aside from statistics, funding woes and program updates — the necessary staples on the menu — she then got to the main course: success stories. These are some of the folks who benefited from the agency’s training and employment programs, she said.

First there’s Tom, who was in a residential recovery program for addiction. He wanted training to become an electrician, and the agency sent him to school. “He did amazing,” she said. “Great attendance, great performance.” From there he received subsidized employment while upgrading his skills to become a journeyman, she said.

And then there’s Karen, who had been unemployed for 13 years. A stay-at-home mom, Karen was getting disability benefits for kidney failure and struggled with anxiety and depression. Karen wanted to be a good role model for her two children, each who had a disability as well. Their mom obtained training to be a phlebotomist and is working at a hospital.

“She wanted to set a good example and show them that even though you have a disability, you still can be a productive member of the workforce,” Van Son said. “And she's very excited to be back in the workforce. So, I just wanted to share a few stories to give you a sense of the kind of thing that we're doing.”

Stephen S. Bogle, 35, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny 3rd and falsifying business records 1st. Bogle is accused of going to his place of employment on Bank Street, Batavia, and punching in, then leaving for eight to 12 hours, then punching out, without ever physically being present at work. He is accused of stealing $13,148.63 as a result of this scheme.  He was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance. 

Gerald Brinson Jr., 33, of Rochester, is charged with burglary 2nd, grand larceny 4th, criminal mischief 3rd, criminal possession of a weapon 3rd, endangering the welfare of a child, falsely reporting an incident 3rd, and menacing 2nd. At 9:30 a.m., May 17, Emergency Dispatch received a call of a disturbance and burglary in progress at a residence on Oak Street. Brinson is accused of entering the residence of a woman he knew and attacking her. According to Batavia PD, he was wanted on a gun case in Monroe County.  When patrols arrived, officers determined the victim and her year-old son had escaped from the residence but Brinson was still inside, refusing to exit. Officers from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, NYS Police, and NYS Environmental Conservation arrived to assist. While Brinson Jr was inside the residence, he allegedly called in a fake report of gunfire on Ellicott Avenue. Eventually, Brinson Jr came out of the residence and was taken into custody. Brinson was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on $25,0000 bail, $50,000 bond, or $100,000 partially secured bond.

Tonya M. Weber, 38, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Weber is accused of leaving a business on West Main Street, Batavia, at 5:40 p.m., April 13, with a bag of groceries without paying for them. She was released on an appearance ticket.

Steven M. Lindner, 49, of Albion, was arrested on a bench warrant. Lindner was wanted on a warrant out of City Court.  Linder was arraigned and the case was disposed by the judge. Lindner was released and does not need to return.

Dierdre A. Louchren, 56 of Batavia, is charged with failure to appear. Louchren was arrested on a warrant. She was originally arrested in 2020 on an abandonment of animals charge. Louchren was arraigned in City Court and ordered to appear on May 19.

Cheryl M. Figoura, 42, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Figoura is accused of stealing money from her employer on Oak Street at 5 a.m., May 5.  She was issued an appearance ticket.

Christopher P. Thomas, 38, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Thomas is accused of damaging another person's property on State Street, Batavia, at 1:22 p.m., April 23.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Cynthia C. Richardson, 42, of Batavia, is charged with failing obligation of parent or guardian. On 12:59 a.m., May 5, Richardson allegedly failed to stop her child from going outside without a parent or guardian past curfew. Richardson was issued an appearance ticket.

Ashley M. Davis, 33, of Batavia, is charged with failing obligation of parent or guardian. On 12:59 a.m., May 5, Davis allegedly failed to stop her child from going outside without a parent or guardian past curfew. Davis was issued an appearance ticket.

Ronnie J. Flinchum, 63, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Flinchum is accused of threatening physical contact with another person during a dispute reported at 8 p.m., April 28, on Bant Street, Batavia. Flinchum was issued an appearance ticket.

Jonathan Chisler, 31, of Bacon Street, Le Roy, is charged with aggravated harassment 2nd. Chisler was arrested following a complaint regarding an incident reported at 9:38 a.m., May 13, at a location on Union Street, Le Roy. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Ethan Thomas Cifeill, 24, of Bernd Road, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Cifeill is accused of stealing something from a location on South Street, Le Roy, at 8:02 p.m., May 14.

Latoya Denise Jackson, 36, of State Street, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd, resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental administration, and criminal trespass 2nd. Jackson was allegedly at a property on West Main Street Road at 10:11 a.m., May 17, and refusing to leave. Jackson was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and released on her own recognizance.

Michael David Wiedrich, 52, of Boyd Road, Pavilion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and driving left of pavement markings. Wiedrich was stopped at 1:45 a.m., May 18, on North Street, Le Roy, by Deputy David Moore. He was released on appearance tickets.

Suzanne Marie Kennelly, 32, no address specified, Batavia, is charged with unlawful fleeing a police officer 3rd, DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, and moving from lane unsafely. Kennelly is accused of failing to pull over at 7:14 p.m., May 6, when Deputy Trevor Sherwood attempted to stop her on Wight Road, Alabama.  She is scheduled to reappear in Town of Alabama Court at 6 p.m., July 5.

Michael James Fox, 37, of Park Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with forcible touching. Fox was arrested following a complaint lodged at 5 p.m., May 9, on Park Avenue, Oakfield. An order of protection was issued and he was released on his own recognizance.

Maria Lynn Dimartino, 56, of Rollin Circle, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Dimartino is accused of using the bar code on a 32-inch TV to purchase a 50-inch TV at BJ's Wholesale Club at 7:25 p.m., April 21.  She was issued an appearance ticket.

Press release:

Two new art shows have opened at GO ART! in Batavia

Upstairs in the Rotary Gallery, Karen Crittenden’s exhibit “Slices of Life” can be viewed until June 25, 2022.  Karen's work includes photographs, paintings and mixed media pieces.  

In the Bank of Castile Main Gallery, Richard Della Costa’s exhibit titled "Remnants, Remains and Memory” will be on display, also until June 25, 2022.  

Richard is a retired media teacher and film/video producer currently living on the family farm in Kendall, NY. After Peace Corps service in India and Guatemala, he joined the Peace Corps staff in Washington, DC, where he worked as a public affairs officer and media producer. While living there he produced three independent 16mm films. They were, as best as could be described, collage films, avant-garde and expressionist in style. He has been making collage art and assemblage art, box constructions and sculpture since his return to this area in 1989. He finds that the use of found objects, junk and detritus lying around the farm in Kendall and in the woods around him, is very calming and always interesting. Since his retirement, he has had the time to devote to this work, have fun doing so, and visually reflect on the state of his life and the world around him.  

Press release:

The Batavia High School Class of 1973 has announced that it will be holding its 50^th class reunion on July 8, 2023, at the Batavia Downs Gaming grandstand on Park Road.

The reunion committee will be mailing “save the date” cards over the next few weeks and is looking for the public’s help in finding addresses for 39 members of the class, which graduated 294 students:

Alexander Senovsky, Anthony Scappa, Anna Murphy Rupert;

Barbara Smith, Becky Byrn Schmid, Byron Rodgers;

Cheryl Poteat, Chuck Curd, Ciro Feniello, Crystal Marshall;

Deborah Lee, Deborah Niedzialek, Debra Hale Laird, Dennis Majors, Dennis Tabor, Diane Hale, Donna Mugford;

Frances Kelly Leighton, James Lee, Jamie Richardson Fritz, Judy Porter, Joseph Ball;

Kathleen Lee, Kim Goodrich;

Margaret Cummings Bailey, Michael Stephens, Pamela Richenberg;

Ralph Mullin, Reyburn Campbell, Robin Munt Morgan, Rosemarie Menzie Welty;

Sandra Gaskill, Santa Majors, Sarah Hutton Weinheimer, Steve King, Susan Kitt Crego;

Timothy Mooney, Tom Galbo, Yvonne Rodgers.

Anyone with information about these people is asked to contact Deb Best at debbest@rochester.rr.com.

File photo of a Memorial Day parade. Photo by Howard Owens.

City Councilman Bob Bialkowski, on behalf of the city, invites all community members, including groups, organizations and, especially, veterans to participate in this year's annual Memorial Day parade. 

"The city of Batavia is sponorsing the parade and looking forward to community support," he says. 

The parade is set to begin at 9:45 a.m. May 30 from Eastown Plaza moving west down Main Street to Bank Street, ending at the Alva Place parking lot. Any groups that would like to participate are asked to contact Bialkowski for planning purposes. He asks for everyone to "please keep the theme of respect to all our veterans and first responders."

Veterans can just show up at 9:15 a.m. May 30 at the Eastown Plaza parking lot on East Main Street, Bialkowski says. If any veteran needs a ride in the parade, or for more information, contact the councilman at (585) 409-3624.

"Let's show our support to our veterans and first responders," Bialkowski says. "Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy our annual parade. We will be handing out small American flags to the children."

 

Mega Properties is planning another massive warehouse for the Gateway II industrial park east of Route 98 in the Town of Batavia.

This time it will be a 200,000 square-foot warehouse available for area retailers to store inventory overstock.

Lucas Bushen, with Marathon Engineering, presented initial plans to the town planning board on Tuesday.  

He said there will be few employees at the warehouse at any one time, so only about 20 parking spaces will be needed.

A full environmental review is required for the building, and the planning board approved a resolution to be the lead agency on the review.

The 22-acre parcel is off of Call Parkway. It will be a Butler Building with typical remanufactured metal building elements: concrete foundation, metal siding, and sloped roof. 

The building will be constructed in phases with Phase One including 71,000 square feet of warehouse space and 3,200 square feet of office space.

There are two ponds on the property. In order to construct the building, one of the ponds will be relocated. There are also two federally designated wetlands on the property.  The wetlands will not be disturbed.

Mega Properties intends to invest more than $3 million into the project.

Mega Properties has long-standing ties to Batavia, having launched in Batavia’s Harvester Business Incubation Center more than 30 years ago. The business is currently based at the Gateway I Corporate Park in the Town of Batavia.

In 2020, just prior to the start of the pandemic, Mega Properties sought financial assistance from GCEDC for the project.  At the time, they were seeking approximately $558,497 in assistance, including a property tax exemption of $400,497, a sales tax exemption of $128,000, and a mortgage tax exemption of $30,000.

There was a public hearing on the request but the application did not go any further because of the disruption of the pandemic.  No announcement has been made yet on when the GCEDC board will next take up the application.

Top photo: Lucas Bushen presents plans for a warehouse off of Call Parkway in the Town of Batavia to the town's planning board. Photo by Howard Owens.  Below, drawings of the project from planning documents.

Press release:

Buckeye Partners will be performing maintenance on their pipeline on Creek Road in Batavia beginning Monday, May 23. The road will be closed from 7 a.m. to -5 p.m. and will be reopened every evening to regular traffic. The work is being performed on Creek Road just north of Dorman Road and will last approximately two weeks.

Applications have been coming in for the vacant assistant city manager position as Batavia City Manager Rachael Tabelski formulates the role’s top priorities.

The interview process is set to begin in the next few weeks, she said.

“I’m looking at neighborhood revitalization. It's a very long-term look, but I'm trying to coalesce all the information I've gathered in the different years of working with the county and in the city, and bring this project forward,” Tabelski told The Batavian on Tuesday. "We'd like to have someone in place by the end of July."

Earlier this month, Jill Wiedrick submitted her resignation letter after being assistant manager for just about a year. She had announced that she was leaving for another job in Fairport.

Tabelski has ideas about what she’d like to assign to the future assistant, and reinvigorating city neighborhoods is the theme. Her top two goals are to preserve the tax base and eliminate blight, she said.

“The ideas I have about neighborhood revitalization include the possibility of looking at our zoning, looking at flood properties, and how we can bring more value to southside neighborhoods,” she said. “Understanding if there are problems in neighborhoods, and what changes in our code could be implemented to help mitigate those types of problems, helping residents stay in their homes and not be foreclosed on.”

She’d like that new person to understand the various types of programs available for assistance to property owners, and know where “zombie” properties are, along with working with banks to stabilize those properties on a “path to homeownership,” she said.

The term zombie properties was coined for those sites that become stagnant due to the prior owners defaulting on payments and the banking institution locking it down in ongoing legal procedures before the city can claim foreclosure. That has also created issues with landscape maintenance -- or lack thereof -- as the particular property remains in limbo with no one specifically responsible for it.

“Because they do cause a drastic effect on neighboring properties when you do have a vacant property in your neighborhood,” Tabelski said. “And lastly, looking into different land banks and how other communities have used those to move property forward, as well as continuing to work with Habitat for Humanity.

"So this is a very multi-prong strategy and (the future assistant is) going to have other ideas than the ones I presented. And that's what I want their first big job to be, is coming up with defining the strategy today, a strategy which would have multiple paths on it to help Batavia’s neighborhoods, and then starting the execution of those plans into the future.”

 

Post-Covid conditions, higher wages, a smaller pool of candidates and veteran worker retirements makes being an employer all the more difficult, Rachael Tabelski says.

“It's just something for investors, government officials and the business community alike to be aware of. We're seeing inflation, you see interest rates rising, we're seeing rising wages and across all sectors, making it very difficult to be in the business of government, where you're hampered by union negotiations and contracts and set wages,” she said during Monday’s City Planning Board meeting. “We're seeing competition for jobs that's different than we've ever seen before. There are so many issues facing employers today. We’re living through a time like no other.”

Her point was not to dole out a big bowl of doom for the city, but to lay out the issues that have become more prevalent. Tabelski’s presentation was an update of the city’s comprehensive plan from its last draft in 2017.

COVID aftermath …
Easing up COVID mandates has also meant the end of child tax credits, remote jobs and direct stimulus checks and resuming rent and utility payments for tenants, evictions and foreclosures, she said. The city has also experienced what she dubbed “the silver tsunami,” a term to describe the retirement of three experienced members of the Public Works Department, and their replacements “trying to get up to speed.”

“And you know, my question that none of us can find the answer to is, will this change the workplace permanently? We just don't know,” she said. “I wanted to just remind everyone on the framework of what we're dealing with in the city.”

Leading the way on lead replacement …
One “enormous” task — that’s an understatement — will be replacing lead water pipes, she said.

“This is an emerging issue that's going to take a lot of time away from our staff, and including myself, to work on a communication plan with the residents and try to (help them) understand,” she said. “So you have the water main, and then you have a lateral that goes through a curve box; this is all city-owned. Then you have the line that goes into your residence, that's all residential owned. So if there's a lead or galvanized pipe in any portion of that system, it now needs to be replaced.”

No, this isn’t happening tomorrow,  she said but must be done at some point. Communication with affected residents, obtaining grant monies, understanding the full scope of the project, figuring out financing and viable funding sources all need to be done before pipe replacement can occur. The city of Buffalo has committed in the neighborhood of $15 million for its replacement project, she said.

“This is something that is going to be an enormous project for the city to undertake … it's something we're working on. And we are going to be starting with (former City Manager) Jason's plans. So again, this wasn't something we knew about in 2017. It wasn't on our radar. But I think it's very important that it's on the radar now,” she said.

And the upside …
All of that being said, she also pointed to the positives of city projects, total investments and being able to track those investments as part of a “$100 million I’m all in” initiative that began with former City Manager Jason Molino. In 2017, the city committed to creating at least $100 million of investment by 2022 to revitalize downtown and “reclaim the vibrancy of Batavia.”

“And the goal of this was to try to extract the investment from not only the commercial and residential building projects that went on in the city, but also any public infrastructure monies that were spent in the city,” she said. “We have $132 million invested, and that includes the completed investments and those currently under construction added together. So I think the city has done a wonderful job of fostering this investment and also tracking it. I don't know that any other city has a similar tracking system as we do.”

The most significant contributing properties to the city’s tax base are all downtown, she said, which demonstrates the importance of focusing on that segment of the city. Of the entire city base with 5,700 properties, 75 percent of those are taxable, with 25 percent being tax-exempt nonprofit and government sites. Current taxable value is at $669 million, with $220 million tax-exempt. She reminded the board that those tax-exempt properties “still pay water and sewer costs.”

The city lags behind the town of Batavia with a growth in assessed value at 26 percent to 49 percent, respectively. Completed projects from the 2017 comprehensive plans include Ellicott Trail, a downtown revitalization initiative, the commencement of the Ellicott Station project, securing infrastructures grants, building Liberty Square apartment complex, and focusing on upper floor apartments.

“We secured a lot of infrastructure grants over the last few years. Liberty Square was built so that addresses housing for all different types of populations. Our upper floor apartments have been built, a lot of the building fund projects that were part of the DRI and through another subsequent Main Street Grant,” she said.

Projects that are in-progress and not yet completed include tree management — ensuring to replace trees that are removed from the city landscape with trees of varying species and are appropriate for the local climate; creating an inclusive venue at Austin Park so that “all children” can play there; integrate “traffic calming techniques” for busy roadways such as Route 63/Ellicott Street; lead pipeline replacement; and reimagining properties within the flood plain, she said. Yet to be tapped are plans to design decorative crosswalks, pedestrian scale lighting, create a park and recreation master plan and update zoning to reflect comprehensive plan recommendations.

“I think tonight was nice to give an update to the planning committee who worked on the comprehensive plan,” Tabelski said after the meeting. “And just showing how much progress has been made in the last five or six years here in our city. But yet, there's a lot more things that still need to be done. And this group really has been through many of the planning initiatives and are here to help with the execution as well.”

Top photo: City Manager Rachael Tabelski presents an update on the comprehensive plan during Monday's Planning Board meeting. Photo by Joanne Beck. Above illustrates the varying percentages that city residents are taxed, from 23 percent for city property taxes to 53 percent for school taxes. Image provided by the City of Batavia.

Benito Gay

Batavia PD responded to Subway, 412 E. Main St., at 5:56 p.m. after receiving a report of a robbery in progress, and upon arrival learned the suspect had fled in an easterly direction.

After obtaining a description of the suspect, officers located a man matching the description at an apartment complex on East Main.  He was taken into custody and identified as Benito A. Gay, 34, of Batavia.

He is charged with robbery and another unspecified charge. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held without bail.

There were no weapons displayed during the robbery, police said. 

Additional evidence was recovered after Gay's arrest, according to police. 

He is scheduled to appear in City Court again at 1:30 p.m. May 19.

Gay has other prior arrests in Batavia, most recently in March when he was accused of stealing three beers from the Kwik Fill at Jackson and Ellicott.

PALERMO & BATAVIA DOWNS TEAM UP for BRUCE in the USA CONCERT BRUCE in the USA is The World’s #1 Tribute Band to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as they team up with the Ricky Palermo Foundation and Batavia Downs Gaming on Friday, June 10. Donations from our event will be going to our local UMMC Hospital (Rochester Regional Health’s-Batavia Branch) and our FES (Functional Electrical Stimulation) Bike Program that will be part of the brand-new Batavia YMCA, which is expected to be breaking ground any day now.

We are honored to be partnering with Batavia Downs Gaming, so if you would like to have a fun night and pitch-in to support our local Hospital and brand new YMCA, come and join us at Batavia Downs Gaming.

Now in its fifth year as a concert venue, Batavia Downs has been averaging about 3000 to 5000 concertgoers per show as part of their Rockin The Downs Concert Series. Although our Concert is not part of this series and tickets must be purchased separately, we are hoping to draw the same kind of crowd with our Nationally recognized headliner Bruce In The USA and local guests including 97 Rock’s Dave “DJ” Jickster and Comedian Nick Marra. As an added bonus from our friends at Batavia Downs everyone that buys a ticket will receive a $15 free play. Tickets from $15 to $75. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if a bunch of the concertgoers went back inside at the end of the night and won lots of money, with their free play”?

Tickets are selling nicely so if you want to look into joining our concert you can go to my site www.RickyPalermofoundation.org OR go to EVENTS while looking on the Batavia Downs concerts website. Check out our poster and if you have any questions, contact Ricky at: 585-739-8522 or Rickypalermo24@gmail.com

 

Aside from the brick-and-mortar details of constructing a new, 184-bed Genesee County jail facility, Senior Project Superintendent Randy Babbitt offered a reminder Monday about what’s most important.

“My top priority is safety. Safety, safety, safety is paramount with me. I want everyone returning home the same way they show up every day. And we all have families, kids, grandkids. So that's one of the biggest things I stress to the guys: safety first,” Babbitt said during the first update given to the Public Services Committee. “And then I go into quality and a lot of other things, but my main concern for my walk is to be safe every day. So please be assured that's gonna be on the top.”

Most of the contractors have provided their own site-specific safety plan, reviewed and approved by Pike company's corporate safety director, Bollin said. It's also been reviewed and approved by Senior Project Manager Carl York.

“They did submit one to us, and we kicked it back because they didn't address a few things that we want to address,” Bollin said. “They are complying with their safety plan that they have submitted, and everything is off to a good start.”

York outlined work that has been completed and future ongoing collaboration.

“We're collecting everybody's detailed schedules that will go in … we’re gonna start having our project manager meetings every week, starting next week, and our coordination meetings with the contractors coordinating all of the MEPs for all the buildings are also starting next week. And both of those will go on every week until their coordination tasks are completed,” York said. "Randy's on-site superintendent meetings will probably start in about another two, three weeks or so when there's a few more subs working on site. Everybody's very eager to get as much done before the snow flies. We're all very excited to be here. And I'm very eager. You're going to see it's smooth (moving) forward.”

Work has begun at the site of the new larger jail on West Main Street Road next to County Building 2. Equipment at the site will be a mainstay for several months, with a final completion date to be in March 2024, Bollin said. 

He reviewed what’s already been approved — six prior packages with contractors Bayside Paving for site work, LeChase Construction Services as general contractor, Joseph Flihan Company for food services equipment work, Thurston Dudek for plumbing and fire protection, Bell Mechanical Contractor for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, Kaplan-Schmidt for electrical and security electronics work and a seventh contract with CME Associates, which is to provide special inspections and testing.

Bayside paving began “mobilization” earlier this month, with temporary fencing, soil erosion control, clearing and grubbing construction entrances that were completed on May 13. Stripping topsoil began that same day, Bollin said.

The notice to proceed was issued to all contractors on Monday, he said.

“It was dated today. Based on the timeframe that we gave the contractors to complete the project, a substantive date for substantial completion will be Jan. 14, 2024. The date for final completion is March 15, 2024,” he said.

Given this has been a project in the making for at least five years, it was a drum-roll moment as he announced an official groundbreaking ceremony date has been set. Genesee County officials will celebrate the jail’s formal inception at 10 a.m. on May 26.

All private contracts have been fully executed and both Genesee County and the contractors have signed them, he said. The latest agreement with CME Associates is being drafted, he said. All forms, payment bonds and insurance have been provided by all of the contractors and have been “carefully reviewed by Genesee County’s insurance agent and Pike's risk management department,” he said.

He said the contracts are signed for a total project cost of $57,272,800. 

Top photo: 2022 File photo by Howard Owens

The Batavia Society of Artists' Member Spring Art Show opened last week at the Richmond Memorial Library's Gallery Room, 19 Ross St., Batavia.

The event included awarding the Virginia Carr-Mumford Scholarship to Ben Wilkins.

Submitted photos.

Richard Ellingham, 1st place and two honorable mentions.

Adrian Morris donated his painting to raffle off for the BSA.

Brian Kemp, 3rd Place

Julie Lambert, honorable mention

Nicole Greenbaum, honorable mention

David Burke, honorable mention

Julie Jensen, honorable mention