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As friends and customers have found out her plans, people have told Kathy Ferrara, "This must have been your dream all along" -- becoming owner of Batavia's Original.

That's not the case, said Ferrara yesterday, hours after closing a deal with the previous owner, Jeff Reddish, of Rochester, to buy the popular local restaurant.

"I never planned on buying it," Ferrara said. "I just enjoyed what I did. I did it 100 percent. I was trustworthy. This wasn’t my plan. It was definitely that God wanted me here. I’ve tried leaving a couple of times and He made it really clear that this is where I’m supposed to be. He made this happen so only good things are going to come from that."

Before Batavia's Original was Batavia's Original, it was Pontillo's, Batavia's first pizza parlor, and Ferrara started working for Sam and Betty Pontillo 29 years ago as a waitress.

Sam and Betty, she said, took her under their wings and taught her the pizza business from top to bottom. She was trained in every job in the restaurant.

By the time Sam and Betty's sons took over, she was a manager.  

When that business collapsed in 2010, Ferrara was the one who broke the news to the staff.

When Reddish bought the business and the building at 500 E. Main St. out of bankruptcy, it was Ferrara that Reddish called to run the business.

"Jeff Reddish taught me the ins and outs of the business," Ferrara said. "He taught me how to make payroll and meet food costs together. He was a good teacher. He was great to work for, a really good boss, fair, basically let me do things the way we've been doing all these years."

Earlier this year, Ferrara asked Reddish, who owns restaurants in Rochester, if she could become a partner in the Batavia location.

"He wasn’t looking to sell," Ferrara said. "He wasn’t going to put it on the market. That wasn’t in his plan at all. I approached him and he said ‘I’m not looking to sell, but I would sell it to you.’ He’s the one who got the ball rolling and made it happen.”

Ferrara is a graduate of Pembroke High School and Genesee Community College. She is married with three children, Ashley, Mary-Grace, and Daniel, and one grandson.

Local ownership of the restaurant is important to Ferrara, she said. She will have more control over local promotions, support of local charities and organizations, and who she hires as vendors.

"Now that it is locally owned again, that makes a big difference," Ferrara said. "Everybody I’ve dealt with so far, the website designer, maintenance, plumbers, they’re all local. So everything is back local, in Genesee County, so that only helps the community."

She will keep the name, Batavia's Original, picked after Reddish learned he couldn't retain the name Pontillo's. Ferrara said it only makes sense.

"This is the original pizza of Batavia," she said. "It’s the same recipe. We haven’t changed any of the recipes."

The return of Pontillo's/Batavia's Original to local ownership will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting at noon on Saturday.

Ferrara said she will also continue Sam and Betty's tradition of taking good care of the staff and ensuring restaurant guests get great service.

"Everybody is treated fairly," Ferrara said. "It’s a fun environment to work. I always work around their schedules. The staff is mostly college students and high schoolers."

Being able to do more for the staff of 35 employees is another reason Ferrara was motivated to buy the business, she said. Taking care of employees pays off in better customer service.

"Anybody who comes here to eat will always leave with a good experience," Ferrara said. "Everyone who works here gives 100 percent. I get compliments all day long about the staff. People say they look like they love it here and they do. That’s something the Pontillos taught me, is how to treat the staff. Sam and Betty treated everybody like family."

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

As they approach the Thanksgiving holiday, Tim and Amanda Gleba are thankful for being able to “live off the land” on their 50-acre organic farm and, most recently, for the Batavia Town Planning Board’s approval to build a pond for agricultural purposes.

Town planners on Tuesday night OK'd a special use permit for the couple to construct a half-acre pond behind their home at 3726 South Main Street Road.

 “The pond will be used for irrigation and for watering our livestock,” Tim said, adding that working the farm is a labor of love. “It’s a hobby of ours; something we really enjoy.”

Both Tim and Amanda, Batavia High School graduates who got married in June 2016, have full-time professions.

He is a precision machining instructor for Genesee Valley Educational Partnership at the Batavia campus on State Street Road, and Amanda (maiden name, Torrey) is a senior food tech at Perry Ice Cream in Akron.

They farm about five acres of their property, growing organic vegetables and keeping free-range chickens for eggs, Tim said. They are working toward certification through the Northeast Organic Farming Association.

The Glebas also planted Christmas trees that will be ready for sale in about five years, and plan to develop a certified tree farm.

The couple says they are committed to this lifestyle -- and sharing the fruits of their labor with others. They credited Tom Ryan of Ryan’s Rose Organic Farm on Rose Road for helping them in their endeavor.

“We’re homesteaders,” Amanda said. “That was the main thing that got us started … for us to benefit from the land. Now, the community can benefit as well.”

Public participation is possible due to the fact that Gleba Farms LLC is a Community Supported Agriculture farm that offers yearly memberships to people interested in obtaining their vegetables and eggs. Vegetables include corn, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, squash and pumpkins.

When available (produce is seasonal, of course), folks can come to the farm to pick up their vegetables, Amanda said, noting that membership dues enable them to keep the service going.

The Glebas also sell meat from heritage breed turkeys and American guinea hogs (a gourmet meat), which they send out for processing.

For more information about the CSA, go to www.glebafarmsny.com.

Tim said they will start work on the pond next May or June. The only requirement of the special use permit is that town engineers must approve the design to ensure that elevations and overflow systems are built correctly.

In other action, Planners:

-- Set a public hearing for 7 p.m. Dec. 19 in connection with the proposed re-subdivision by developer Peter Zeliff at Oakwood Estates off East Main Street Road.

The modifications, which have been approved by the Town Zoning Board of Appeals, focus on dividing 35 parcels into 70 parcels, paving the way to build duplexes or smaller single-family homes.

-- Approved a request for two signs at the new T-Mobile location at 8400 Lewiston Road, next to Total Tan. The business was expected to open today.

-- Learned that QDOBA Mexican Eats will occupy the building on Veterans Memorial Drive, next to Home Depot, that is being constructed to also house Five Star Urgent Care. The structure is about 25 percent complete.

QDOBA, according to Wikipedia, is a chain of fast casual restaurants in the United States and Canada serving Mexican-style cuisine. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jack in the Box since its purchase from ACI Capital, Western Growth Capital, and other private investors in 2003.

There are QDOBA locations in the Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Rochester areas.

Photo -- Amanda and Tim Gleba at Gleba Farms LLC. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Around 61 percent of firefighters get occupational cancer in the line of duty, according to an article in the NFPA Journal. (NFPA stands for National Fire Protection Association.)

Lieutenant Mahlon Irish Jr., of the City of Ithaca Fire Department, is one of those 61 percent. Irish was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. Firefighters from four different counties traveled to Batavia City Centre on Monday to hear him share his story as a prostate cancer survivor.

“We have proof that there is a link between our job, whether it's volunteer or career, as a firefighter, and cancer,” Irish said. “We have proof that’s happening.”

Irish has almost 44 years in the fire service. He spent 30 years as a NYS Fire Instructor, served the City of Ithaca for more than 22 years as a firefighter and lieutenant, and past chief and current member of the Homer Fire Department.

“The risk doesn’t end when we hang up our gear,” Irish said. “Our exposure to some of these chemicals go on for [a long] time.”

Irish educates firefighters about the increased dangers of cancer. He said a lot of the information from studies he shared is relatively new.

“We did not know about a lot of this five years ago,” Irish said.  

Multiple chemicals are released in fires, including hydrogen cyanide, an extremely poisonous gas that was used in gas chambers.

“Because of what is burning today, we are seeing more and more hydrogen cyanide,” Irish said.

Fires 20 or 30 years ago were “natural fires,” mostly wood, Irish said. They are seeing more hydrogen cyanide being released, because of carpets, plastics, TVs, and other objects that are burning.

Irish spoke about the contamination of firefighters' bodies from today’s fires and how it affects them. He recommended for firefighters that go into a fire, they need to shower and wash their gear immediately afterward.

“[Chemicals] still get there,” Irish said. “They penetrate our turnout gear, our undergarments, all the way through T-shirts and gets to our skin.”

Stefano Napolitano, Batavia’s fire chief, said they are looking to enact different methodologies and techniques to reduce the exposure.

“Cancer doesn’t know career or volunteer,” Napolitano said. “Cancer doesn’t know urban, suburb and rural.”

Irish shared his story about issues of being diagnosed, his pre-and post-radical prostatectomy surgery, and the physical, mental and financial impacts of living with prostate cancer.

“I am living with cancer and I made the choice to not let this cancer negatively affect my life,” Irish said. “It has affected my life in some ways I can’t change, but I choose to make it on the positive side.”

Irish showed the audience multiple hoods, comparing them, discussing which ones would protect firefighters the best. 

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported at Route 63 near Fargo Road, Bethany. A first responder on scene says the vehicle is off the roadway. Bethany and Stafford fire departments are responding, along with Mercy medics. Traffic control will be needed "to slow people down since we have the curve."

UPDATE 1:43 a.m.: Traffic will be slowed down at Little Canada Road and Route 63 per command.

UPDATE 1:44 a.m.: Traffic will also be slowed at Paul Road and Route 63 per command.

UPDATE 1:47 a.m.: Command confirms the roadway will remain open for now.

UPDATE 2:03 a.m.: When Dan's Towing arrives, road will be briefly shut down to facilitate the tow.

UPDATE 2:14 a.m.:  One person is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital.

The protesters chanted "no more burnt fingers" and carried signs in support today of the invention of Andrew Young Jr., which is a toaster that shoots the toast onto a plate after it's perfectly browned.

Andrew came up with the invention after watching his grandma burn her fingers trying to get toast out of a toaster and entered his idea into a national contest sponsored by Frito-Lay that, if he wins, could lead to a $250,000 prize for the Alexander High School student.

"For far too long, people have suffered with burnt fingers from their toaster when the technology has been invented for us," said the young inventor's father, Andrew Young. "According to Andrew, we can make it happen."

The "protest" today was held to draw more attention to his invention and get people to vote for it in the contest.

To vote, go to AndrewsInvention.com and click on the Vote for Andrew button.

Batavia resident Tom Williams, Andrew's Invention supporter said, "I do agree that this protest is long overdue. For far too long, people, especially grandmas, have been suffering from toaster-burnt fingers when the technology to avoid it has been right in front of us. It took Andrew 'Thomas Edison' Young Jr. to bring us out of the Dark Ages."

The protesters want to remind you: You can vote daily and you can vote once each day from every device you own. You have six days left to vote.

Photos and information provided by our news partner, WBTA.

Press release:

A meeting for those wishing to submit information on potential projects for Batavia’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative is scheduled for 2 p.m. next Tuesday (Nov. 28) at City Hall, One Batavia City Centre.

An update on the goals of the DRI will also be provided. Project information submittals are due Dec. 18.

Downtown business and property owners, developers, arts and cultural organizations, and anyone with an interest in investing in Downtown Batavia’s future are invited to attend.

For RFI forms, visit the City of Batavia’s website – www.batavianewyork.com.

Cory D. "Stacks" Jackson, 34, of Oriole Street, Rochester, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd. 

Jackson allegedly sold crack cocaine to an agent of the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force on two occasions in August in the City of Batavia. 

He was arrested on a sealed grand jury indictment during a traffic stop on Pearl Street yesterday. 

He was ordered held without bail.

Jackson was identified as a suspect during an investigation into the sale, transportation and possession of crack cocaine in the City of Batavia.

Assisting in the investigation was Batavia PD, the Sheriff's Office, and the District Attorney's Office.

Press release:

Plans are already underway for the 16th Annual Celebrate Agriculture Dinner which will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 17, at the Alexander Fire Hall. It is located at 10505 Main St. in Alexander.

This annual event is a celebration of Genesee County’s number one industry – Agriculture. The highlight of the night is a delicious meal using locally produced foods prepared by Penna’s Catering. The dinner is open to the public.

Tickets go on sale Dec. 1 at the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce (8276 Park Road, Batavia). Tickets are $30 each or a table of 10 can be purchased for $275.  Sponsorships are also available which help support agriculture educational events in Genesee County. Only 400 tickets will be sold. Order your tickets now as they will not be available at the door.

The Celebrate Ag Dinner is coordinated by the following partners: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District and Genesee County Farm Bureau.

Sponsors of the 2017 celebration were: Alleghany Farm Services, Arctic Refrigeration, Carolina Eastern - Crocker, Clark Patterson Lee, CY Farms, Farm Credit East, Farm Family Insurance, Five Star Bank, Freed Maxick CPA, Helena Chemical Company, Lamb Farms, LandPro Equipment, My-T Acres, National Grid, Rochester Regional Health – UMMC, Scott Adams Trucking, Tompkins Bank of Castile/Insurance Agency, Torrey Farms, Wendel, William Kent, and Windy Acres Farm.

Farms and businesses that donated locally grown food or other items for the dinner included: Bonduelle, Farm Fresh First, Dairy Farmers of America, Fenton’s Produce, First Light Farm & Creamery, L-Brooke Farms, LaPoint’s Hill ‘n’ Hollow, Jeremy Neal, New York Pork Producers, O-AT-KA Milk, SJ Starowitz Farms, Torrey Farms, Upstate Niagara Cooperative and Yancey’s Fancy.

For ticket information contact the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce at 585-343-7440 or chamber@geneseeny.com

Lionel J. "Chicago" Anderson, 45, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Anderson is accused of selling crack cocaine on two occasions in August to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force. 

Anderson was arrested at his residence last week. 

He was jailed without bail and held for further court proceedings.

Anderson's arrest comes as part of an investigation into the transportation, sale and possession of crack cocaine in and around the City of Batavia.

State Police, Batavia PD, and the District Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation.

John J. Caez-Gonzalez, 30, of Exchange Street, Geneva, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, aggravated family offense, and second-degree burglary. Caez-Gonzalez allegedly had contact with several individuals he was ordered by court order not to contact at 7:44 p.m. Nov. 14 at a location on State Street. Caez-Gonzalez was also charged with second-degree criminal contempt stemming from an alleged incident reported at 12:02 p.m., Nov. 15.

Anna R. McCue, 30, of Norris Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI and moving from lane unsafely. McCue was reportedly involved in an accident at 6:28 p.m. Nov. 10 on Bank Street, Batavia. The accident was investigated by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

The City of Batavia ranked favorably when compared to other cities in New York State in taxes per capita and expenditures per capita, despite receiving less in state and federal aid, according to 2016 local government and revenue statistics compiled by the Empire Center, an independent, nonprofit think tank located in Albany.

“While I haven’t taken a real close look at the report, I can say that it does reflect positively on the city’s budget compared to other cities based on the rankings,” City Manager Jason Molino said this morning.

The Empire Center’s report lists the city’s per capita dollar amounts for taxes, debt, revenue and spending and breaks them down into 33 different categories. It has Batavia’s population in 2016 as 15,465.

The city’s assessed value per capita was $35,595 – less than the Upstate area’s medium city average of $40,516 – and its taxes per capita were $803 – less than the $921 Upstate area average. The $803 figure is on the low end of the state’s rankings at 39^th out of 61 cities, other than New York City, and 27th out of the Upstate area's 48 cities.

What that means is that residents of 38 other cities in New York and 26 other cities in the Upstate area paid higher taxes on a per-person basis.

Furthermore, Batavia’s debt per capita was $653, well below the $1,640 Upstate area medium city average, ranking 51^st across the state and 39th in the Upstate area.

On the revenue side, Batavia received $1,903 per capita in total revenues, less than the $2,301 city average, which ranked 44^th in the state. The city received $193 in state and federal aid per capita, again much less than the average of $356 and ranking in the mid-40s across the state.

The report showed Batavia’s total expenditures per capita to be $1,479, more than $500 less than the state city average of $2,051, which resulted in a ranking of 52^nd out of 61. Among expenditures, only Batavia’s spending for utilities per capita was higher ($229 compared to $154) than the average.

City Councilman Adam Tabelski said the report's "key indicators -- taxes, debt and spending -- are things that are directly under our control, and the objective data shows that we're managing things well."

According to its website, the Empire Center’s mission is to make New York a better place to live and work by promoting public policy reforms grounded in free-market principles, personal responsibility, and the ideals of effective and accountable government.

A two-vehicle accident is reported in front of 47 Lake St., Le Roy, with injuries.

One vehicle may have been a parked car.

Traffic is not blocked.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance dispatched.

The theft of a cash box from Plaza Spirits in Eastown Plaza in Batavia last Thursday had a familiar ring to Kevin Rathod, owner of Mr. Wine and Liquor in the Tops Plaza, so he went back and reviewed his own surveillance video from a similar theft in his store this past August.

In that video, at least one of the suspects looks to be the same man suspected in photos from the Plaza Spirits heist.

According to Rathod, two men worked in tandem one afternoon in August to enable one of them to steal a casher's purse from a backroom. The thieves made off with $500 cash and a credit card. The credit card was used to run up $1,100 in charges, including purchases at another local liquor store.

Batavia PD confirmed the crime was reported in August and it's possible the larcenies are related.

At least one of the same men, using the same mode of operation, appears to have been involved in a theft from a liquor store in September in Rochester, according to this 13WHAM report. In that case, the accomplices allegedly made off with $10,000. 

The system these alleged thieves are using, Rathod said, is for one subject to distract an employee or employees while the other scouts for something to steal and then makes off with the item.

"I think local business owners should be aware of what's going on," Rathod said.

Below, video shared with The Batavian by Rathod. Note that we edited it to remove as much as possible views of an unrelated individual who walked into the store. The suspect who looks similar to the suspect in photos from Plaza Spirits is the man in the white T-shirt.

Press release:

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center in Batavia has been awarded re-accreditation by National Children’s Alliance following an extensive application and site review process.

As the accrediting agency for Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) across the country, National Children’s Alliance awards various levels of accreditation and membership to centers responding to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first. Accreditation is the highest level of membership with National Children’s Alliance and denotes excellence in service provision.

Accredited CACs must undergo a re-accreditation process every five years to ensure that best practices are continually being applied. With accreditation standards being updated in 2017, re-accreditation this year reflects the Justice for Children Advocacy Center’s commitment to providing high-quality, evidence-based services to children and families impacted by violence.

Long, successful history

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center has a long and successful history of providing services to children and families in the GLOW region. In 1992, Genesee Justice, a department of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, helped establish a multidisciplinary team to serve the unique needs of children in Genesee and Wyoming counties alleged to have been physically or sexually abused.

In 1998, with the support of many dedicated members of the community and the multidisciplinary team, the Justice for Children Advocacy Center opened its doors at 108 Bank St. in Batavia. The goal of the Justice for Children Advocacy Center is to provide a child-friendly location to offer forensic interviews, medical examinations, mental health counseling, and advocacy services to children from birth to age 18 and their non-offending family members regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or financial status.

Since 1998, approximately 2,500 local children have received services at the Justice for Children Advocacy Center, and in 2016, a total of 239 local children benefitted from the services available.

Comprehensive, coordinated, compassionate services

As an Accredited Member of National Children’s Alliance, the Justice for Children Advocacy Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse.

National Children’s Alliance awards Accredited Membership based on a CAC’s compliance with 10 national standards of accreditation to ensure effective, efficient and consistent delivery of services to child abuse victims.

Accredited Members must use a functioning and effective multidisciplinary team approach to work collaboratively in child abuse investigation, prosecution, and treatment. National Children’s Alliance also considers standards regarding a center’s cultural competency and diversity, forensic interviews, victim support and advocacy, medical evaluation, therapeutic intervention, and child-focused setting.

Proven dedication

“Because the Justice for Children Advocacy Center and members of our multidisciplinary team are so dedicated to responding to child abuse, we recognize the importance of maintaining accredited status from the National Children’s Alliance," said Theresa Asmus-Roth, Justice for Children program coordinator.

"Re-accreditation not only validates our organization’s dedication to proven effective approaches of child abuse intervention and prevention, but also contributes to consistency across the child advocacy center movement as a whole. A team response to child abuse is what we stand for, and it is our entire team that allows us to provide the highest level of care and service to children and families in our community.”

Teresa Huizar, executive director of National Children’s Alliance, said: “The Justice for Children Advocacy Center is to be commended for its continued commitment to effectively serve victims of child abuse. As the national association and accrediting body for Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country, our goal is to ensure that every victim of child abuse has access to high quality services that result from professional collaboration.

"By requiring Accredited Centers to undergo re-accreditation every five years, we ensure that evidence-based practices are being implemented and the highest quality of service is being provided."

What the mission is about

The mission of the Justice for Children Advocacy Center and Justice for Children multidisciplinary team is to seek to reduce the incidence of child sexual and physical abuse, to minimize trauma to alleged child victims, and to promote healing for victims and their families by collaborating with a variety of professionals to provide services at a single child-friendly facility.

The Justice for Children Advocacy Center and Justice for Children multidisciplinary team work to improve the response to child abuse by eliminating multiple interviews and examinations of children, providing quick access to medical and mental health, victim advocacy, and support services for children and families, and enhancing multidisciplinary communication and coordination with a singular focus on the best interest of the child.

Press release:

The 63rd Annual Conference for the New York Community College Trustees (NYCCT) was held last month in Syracuse and it provided a unique opportunity for Genesee Community College.

In her dual role as chairman of both GCC and also NYCCT Board of Trustees, Laura J. Bohm welcomed more than 100 participants to the event including sharing tips to get the most out of the three-day conference entitled "Trustees Making an Impact!"

Meanwhile, GCC student trustee Benjamin B. Martis, a native of Curacao in the Caribbean, was immersed in learning all the responsibilities, laws and resources available to enable trustees at every level to do their essential work.

As a voluntary nonprofit association, the NYCCT was established to strengthen the effectiveness of New York's community college trustees and represents the appointed board members who govern the 30 community colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

The annual conference is an important part of the group's mission, and this year two awards were presented to Genesee County. The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) was presented with the Edward J. Pawenski Business/Industry Partnership Award, the highest recognition that can be bestowed upon a business or individual recognizing partnerships and commitments with a community college. In addition, Craig Yunker, founding partner of CY Farms in Elba, received the Benefactor Vision for Tomorrow Award recognizing his longstanding support of the College and particularly his leadership efforts to help raise funds for development of the GCC's new Student Success Center and Richard C. Call Arena. 

In other business last Monday evening (Nov. 13), the Board of Trustees:

Approved the minor updates and rewording of the following Board policies: Graduation and Release of Official Documents (Policy 3002); Signatory (Policy 5012); Authority for President to Accept Grants and Contracts (Policy 5012.1); Child Care Center Facilities (Policy 6003); and Security and Access to Campus Facilities and Security Consideration in Maintaining Campus Facilities (Policy 6009). 

Heard of the successful reaccreditation of GCC's Veterinary Technology Program with the American Veterinary Medical Association under its Veterinary Technician Education and Activities Committee.

Heard Student Trustee Benjamin Martis report that GCC's Student Government Association is actively supporting students and even rebranding the SGA to further its abilities to foster successful projects that could potentially span multiple years. A new Facebook page has also been introduced and a new monthly "mixer event" is being planned to encourage the exchange of ideas and information leading to more collaboration across campus. 

Heard William Emm, executive vice president for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness reported that the "punch list" items for the $25 million construction of the Student Success Center and the Richard C. Call Arena is nearing conclusion, and the new configuration of the parking lot is almost completed.