batavia

Press Release:

Congratulations to our Resurrection Parish First Reconciliation students on receiving the sacrament of reconciliation for the first time on May 4.

Notre Dame beat Oakfield-Alabama and Batavia on Saturday at Dwyer to win the Rotary Tournament Title.

In the first round, the Irish beat the Hornets 5-1.

Also, in the first round, Batavia beat Le Roy 5-2.

In the nightcap for the championship, Notre Dame beat the Blue Devils 3-2.

No stats were provided for the games.

Photos by Pete Welker.

Press Release:

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has collected critical funds in the community since 1954 – one dollar at a time – as part of the Fill the Boot program for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). 

The Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 896 will be continuing this long-standing tradition as its members kick off the annual program raising funds to support MDA’s vision to accelerate research, advance care, and advocate for the support of MDA families.

Dedicated fire fighters from Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 896 will hit the streets with boots in hand asking pedestrians, motorists, customers, and other passersby to donate to the MDA on May 31 from 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., at Main and Court Street, and Ellicott and Court Street in the City of Batavia.

The partnership between MDA and IAFF began in 1954 when the IAFF signed a proclamation designating MDA its charity of choice and vowing to continue raising awareness and funds until cures are found. To date, the nearly seven-decade partnership has raised more than $679 million with involvement from over 300,000 fire fighters nationwide. 

These funds have led in part to over a dozen FDA-approved drugs in as many years for those with neuromuscular disease. Those treatments were created from MDA’s vision to open a new field of medicine and push the boundaries of the medical frontier we call genetic medicine.

“What the IAFF has done for MDA over the past 68 years is unprecedented,” said Donald S. Wood, Ph.D., President and CEO of MDA. “With the support from our partners at the IAFF, MDA is doing the impossible in accelerating research, advancing care, and advocating for people living with neuromuscular disease. We have a mission to empower the people we serve to life longer, more independent lives and we will fulfill this mission together, with the IAFF.”

Press Release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing and testing fire hydrants on Tuesday, May 7 through Thursday May 9 from approximately 9 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. in the general area of North of Main Street and West of Bank Street. 

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

If you do experience a discoloration of your water, run cold water for about 5 minutes or until clear. This annual testing is essential to maintain the communities class III Insurance Services Office (ISO) public protection classification, and to assure that fire hydrants are operating efficiently for fire protection purposes.

Along with maintaining the fire rating, the test monitors the health of the city's water system, identifies weak areas in the system, and removes material that settle in the water lines. Checking each hydrant improves fire department personnel knowledge of the hydrant locations.

If you have any questions, or should notice a hydrant in need of repair, please contact the fire department at 585-345-6375.

Press Release:

Northgate is excited to announce that we will be hosting our annual Rummage Sale on Friday, May 10 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday, May 11 from 8 a.m. - noon at Northgate South Campus located at 350 Bank Street, Batavia. 

The proceeds from this event will go to fund the development of a Women’s Farm Project in Gahanda, Rwanda, which will teach sustenance farming to the women within the community, as well as Northgate's Costa Rica Missions Trip high schoolers within the congregation will be taking in July 2024. 

Drop off times for donations will be Monday-Wednesday, May 6-8, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 5:30- 7:30 p.m.

All acceptable items should be clean and in good condition. Items not accepted are as follows: mugs, VHS tapes, TVs that are not flatscreen, adult clothes/shoes, car seats, cribs, flammable or hazardous materials, and firearms. Electronics that are in working order will be accepted. 

Please consider joining Northgate for this sale and contributing to the important work that these charities do. For more information, call the Northgate office at (585)343-4011. 

Press Release:

Please be advised that Bank Street from Alva Place to Washington Avenue will be closed on Monday, May 6 from 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

We recommend selecting an alternate route to minimize traffic congestion.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we work to improve our community.

Volunteers from Habitat for Humanity loaned their construction expertise to the Batavia Girls Fast Pitch Softball League on Saturday at Lions Park on Edwards Street to build a new equipment shed for the Stingers.

The league supplied the building material and the Batavia Business and Professional Women's Club provided lunch for the volunteers.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Press Release:

Officials at Batavia Downs today announced that in preparation for the Kentucky Derby running this weekend, they will be extra staffing at all OTB Branches to help with those looking to place wagers.

Free Derby Programs will be available at Batavia Downs, All OTB Branches and all EZ Bet locations.

OTB Branches will open at 10 a.m. as Churchill Downs’ first race of the day will be at 10:30 a.m. The Kentucky Derby is at 6:57 p.m. and will be televised on NBC and Peacock. 

At Batavia Downs, guests may place wagers upstairs at the onsite ITW and inside the Park Place Room. They will be hosting a $30 lunch special which includes a $25 Free Play, $5 Wager on the Derby, Derby Program and a 1/2 Chicken BBQ Lunch from Center Street Smokehouse. Attendees can pay at the door.

The Derby Gala inside the historic Batavia Downs Clubhouse is sold out.

OTB Branches, EZ Bets, and the Batavia Downs ITW will be doing drawings for Derby Glasses and Star Wars Themed Derby shirts as the 2024 Derby falls on Star Wars Day.

Wagers can also be placed on BataviaBets.com from a phone, tablet or computer. People can also wager via the Dial-A-Bet service at 1-800-724-4000.

“This is an exciting year for us,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO of Batavia Downs. “Not only is it the 150th Kentucky Derby, but it’s also Western OTB’s 50th anniversary. Our entire team has been working tirelessly to make sure our gaming facility and branches are ready to welcome guests this Saturday. We wish everyone good luck on their bets and may the horse be with you.”

Find the OTB or EZ Bet near you by visiting https://www.westernotb.com/locations/. 

Wearing pink uniform T-shirts, the Batavia Blue Devils "Struck Out" on Friday to raise $1,900 for Genesee Cancer Assistance.

The softball team also beat Greece 8-2.

Giana Mruczek had Greece's hitters striking out plenty of times, recording nine whiffs and giving up only four hits.

Offensively:

• Hannah Carney, 2-3, 2 RBIs
• Sophia Minuto, 1-2, 2 RBIs
• Libby Grazioplene, doubled
• Drew Stevens, 1-2 
• Kyleigh Kabel had a 2 RBI double 

Submitted photos.

John Roach’s question of what to do with newly found free time was answered Thursday after he was one of two candidates voted in for Richmond Memorial Library’s Board of Trustees.

Up to this year, Roach has been “very busy” the last 29 years helping out with the Boy Scouts, he said.

“It was every Wednesday helping out with a Boy Scout troop and one weekend every month, and then two weeks every summer. But we don’t have a charter any more, we don’t have enough boys to keep the troop going. So as of January I’ve had a lot of free time, and somebody saw that there was going to be two openings and mentioned this to me, and I said you know, I’ve got the time, why not?” he said to The Batavian Thursday. “I’ve always been a library supporter. Even in the age of computers, I still go to the library. I use the reading material, we’ve used the rooms for helping boys from the other troops with merit badges.

“I’ve gone head to head with the Libertarians, who believe that there should be no public libraries, they should be eliminated,” he said. “I’m a big supporter of the library.”

District residents gave candidate Felipe Oltramari top billing with 270 votes, followed by Roach with 159 and Christina Mortellaro 123.

They also approved the proposed 2024-25 budget of $1,696,912, an increase of $13,814 with a property tax levy of $1,395,283, with a vote of 225 yes to 69 no.

It’s the first time in quite awhile there has been a contested race for the library board, Roach said, which didn’t deter him from running. A native of Kenmore, he moved to Batavia in 1974 and has been active in local groups and committees, including having served on the city’s Charter Commission twice and the Mall Operating Committee for one term, and has been an outspoken city resident at City Council meetings. 

Roach is a Vietnam War veteran and is retired from the state Department of Corrections as a senior counselor. 

He said he believes the library “seems to be doing well,” with a 2024-25 budget increase of 1% and an expense line mostly attributed to medical and building contents insurance costs, he said. 

In comparing the duties of a library board member to government entities, he sees his new responsibility slightly different. 

“As far as the trustee job, basically you just oversee what's been going on; if the director thinks that there's a capital improvement or something that needs to be done, she comes and the trustees look at it and if that's a worthy project and they look and see if they have the money to do it. That's basically an oversight, a lot less than say, like City Council or the county Legislature where they're setting policies and everything,” he said. “They don't really seem to set as much policy as oversee the policies that are already there. I'll get to know a whole lot more once I start attending the meetings more regularly.”

The only downside so far is the date of when he will be sworn in for office. That is to happen in July.

“It’s on my wife’s birthday,” he said. 

Oltramari said that he was very thankful and honored for the support of the people who came out to vote. 

“My family and I have been regular patrons of the library, especially when my girls were little. My wife, Laurie, worked there in the past and so we know and care for many of the people who work there and who serve on the board of trustees,” he said. “I was recruited to run for the board because I had mentioned in the past that it would be an interesting position. We love libraries and I don’t have a particular agenda. I just hope to help the great people who work there serve the community and be a good steward of this wonderful community asset and the taxpayers’ dollars.”

Oltramari has been a resident of the city of Batavia for the past 17 years. Along with his wife, they have raised two daughters in Batavia. He has been the director of Planning for Genesee County for more than 20 years. 

Press Release:

Rain or shine, the Genesee County Master Gardeners will be hosting their annual Spring Garden Gala on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 420 East Main Street in Batavia.

This annual plant sale features a variety of perennials, many of which are from the gardens of Master Gardeners.  There will also be a selection of houseplants. The plant sale starts promptly at 10 a.m. No early birds, please.

Visit the Basket Auction for garden art, gift certificates, and a variety of themed baskets. Basket Auction drawing starts at 12:30 p.m. Gently used garden books will also be for sale.

Our garden shed sale was so popular last year, that we’re doing it again!  We’ll have an assortment of gently used or maybe never used, gardening items such as containers, tools, signs, and garden decor. This will be set up in the parking lot area near the garden shed.

Bring in a soil sample from your garden or lawn for a free pH test. A half-cup sample of your garden soil in a clean container is needed for the test. 

Master Gardeners will also be available to answer your gardening questions.

Don’t miss your chance to pick up some great plants at great prices, plus garden art and other interesting items.  Arrive at 10 a.m. for the best plant selection. Proceeds from the sale benefit the educational outreach of the Genesee County Master Gardener Program.

For more information contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, at 585-343-3040, ext. 101, or stop by the Extension office at 420 East Main Street in Batavia.

Visit our website at http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/events for more information. Like us on our Facebook page for Gala and Master Gardener program updates https://www.facebook.com/CCEofGenesee.

Press Release:

The Batavia Society of Artists is having its Spring Member's Art Exhibit for the month of May at the Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St., Batavia. 

Free opening reception in the Gallery Room on Tuesday, May 7 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. 

The Judge is Jill Pettigrew and the winners will be announced at 7 p.m. The Virginia Carr-Mumford Scholarship will be awarded then to GCC student Kathryn Blankenship. 

Light refreshments will be served. Please come and enjoy this Free Art Show, all are welcome! 

A better spot with more room was a strong incentive to change locations, said Ray Smith, owner of Smith's Great Outdoors, which sells most things any dedicated hunter or fisherman might need.

For the past few years, Smith's has been located at Lewiston Road and Veterans Memorial Drive, near Applebees.

The store is now at 8282 Park Road, Batavia. There will be a grand opening from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. 

"We've always enjoyed the outdoors on hunting, and so why not do it (own a store)" Smith said. "The kids work here so it's great. Brayden is in college. He helps out from college, and my two daughters help out here and there with this and that, and my wife helps. Then we've got a good group of employees to make it all happen."

The location also offers more parking, and the lot is easier to get in and out of, Smith said.

"The main thing here is more room, so we can expand some more and put in a range," Smith said.

He said the range is still early in the planning stages, but it will be inside. He's looking at a 40-yard range, but he's not sure how many targets yet.

"We're just kind of in the beginning stages of that," Smith said.

Smith's has a large selection of guns, bows, crossbows, accessories, reloading supplies, and bait and tackle.

There's no gunsmith at the store, but Smith said the staff can clean guns and do minor repairs.

"We got a new full-time archery kid starting in May," Smith said. "He'll be here all week long, and he'll be able to do any bow, fix just about whatever problems people have."

He invited everybody to come out to the grand opening on Saturday.

"We'll have the Elba High School track team here," Smith said. "They will be selling hotdogs and hamburgers, and we'll have a whole bunch of different reps from different product lines here and a whole bunch of specials, and we've got a bunch of good giveaways and stuff going to go on."

Photos by Howard Owens

Buffalo-Native Timothy Onello has been named president and CEO of Chapin International, taking over from Jim Campbell, who is retiring.

Onello is taking over a company that now has production facilities in the U.S. and overseas but was founded in Oakfield 140 years ago.

The firm is celebrating its 140th anniversary in June. 

From 2020 until February of this year, Onello was VP and general manager of ITW, a Fortune 200 company. He was based in San Luis Obispo, Calif.   Prior to joining ITW, he spent nearly 12 years with JPW Industries in Nashville, rising to the position of VP and general manager.

He has MBAs from Thunderbird School of Global Management and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a bachelor of science in marketing and psychology from Northern Michigan University.

He's also held positions at Hilti Tools, Positec Tools, and Irwin Industrial Tools.

Chapin manufactures sprayers, broadcast spreaders, handheld spreaders, ATV sprayers, backpack sprayers, and specialty sprayers.

Press Release:

This year Mr. Batavia 2024 raised a total of $5,200. Since 2013, the annual event has raised more than $43,000 for local organizations. 

$2,600 went to Mr. Batavia Elijah Abdella, whose chosen charity was Genesee Cancer Assistance.

$1,300 went to runner-up Harry Southall's chosen charity, which was Batavia VA.

$1,300 went to runner-up Brian Calderon's chosen charity, Suicide Prevention of Genesee County.

Submitted photos.

Press Release:

GO ART! is running a 4 week Saturday morning kids Culinary class starting May 4.

This class is tailored to students in grades 1-6. Each week we will be baking, cooking or learning about proper safety in the kitchen. All supplies will be included. 

For more informations go to https://goart.org/programming/exlporeart/exlporeart-children/, call (585) 343-9313, or
email Jodi at jfisher@goart.org.

Press Release:

Genesee County is upgrading essential infrastructure at County Building No. 1 and the Old County Courthouse to address water penetration concerns and ensure the safety of all occupants and visitors.

Project Details:

• May 3 - Protective enclosures will be installed around entrances to County Building No. 1 to ensure safety during roof and exterior masonry work.
• May 6 - Masonry work will commence on the parapet walls, followed by the roof recovery of County Building No. 1 and copper installation at the east entrance of the Old County Courthouse.
• During the project, all entrances will remain accessible.
• A protective enclosure for material storage will temporarily block off the central sidewalk, but access will still be available on both the east and west sides of the courtyard.
• The projects are expected to be completed by the end of June with a 2-week additional window for inclement weather.

Although minimal disruption to daily operations is expected, a safe working zone is of top priority, and the following safety measures have been implemented: 

• Designated areas for materials and equipment storage.
• Parking adjustments, including dumpsters in a street parking zone and coned-off contractor access to the lawn.
• Protective enclosures around entrances to County Building No. 1
• Please see the included staging plan for more details.

We appreciate the cooperation and understanding of all during this construction period.

Spring into action and mark your calendars for the 2024 Spring Consignment Auction starting May 1st and wrapping up on May 8th.

Get revved up to bid on an array of vehicles, equipment, trailers, farm implements, machinery, lawn & garden tools, power tools, building supplies, and much more! There are over 1000 lots on the auction block.

Don't miss out on the fun - hop online to bontragerauction.com to place your bids.

Swing by for a sneak peek at the auction on Saturday, May 4th, from 10 am to 12 pm. You'll find it at Bontrager's Auction Center, 8975 Wortendyke Rd, Batavia, NY.

Merchandise pick-up is scheduled from Thursday, May 9th through Saturday, May 11th.

You just never know when you’re going to make a difference in someone’s life, Sandy Wojtaszczyk says.

“We don’t always know what difference we make; no matter where you volunteer or what you do in your job, we never know. You never know what impact you have on anybody,” Wojtaszczyk said during this year’s Women of Inspiration Awards lunch at Batavia Downs. 

In her line of work in Social Services, with 15 out of 25 years as supervisor of the Child Protective unit, she had to do some of the hardest jobs by removing kids from their home situations and then wondering if she made a positive difference. 

She began her career at Genesee County Department of Social Services in 1998. In 2009, she became a department supervisor and was charged with training new workers in her unit regarding child abuse and the safety of children in Genesee County. In 2013, Wojtaszczyk received an award for her Outstanding Achievements in Law Enforcement. In 2021, she received the Leadership Genesee Outstanding Alumnus Award. 

During her career, she collaborated with many agencies, including YWCA, CASA, Juvenile Justice, Genesee County Family Courts, Genesee County schools, and law enforcement to ensure the safety of the children she served. 

“And I always hope that removing kids from a situation that's really, really bad. That is what can be done, knowing that I could have saved a child's life somewhere along the line. Will I ever know that? No,” she said. “I worked with teenagers for a period of time prior to being a supervisor. And I still am in contact with some of those girls. They sometimes call me, and they see me on the street … I still have Facebook friends, a lot of Facebook friends out there. 

“But you know, I look at that, and I don't think that I have an impact, but I did have an impact on their lives,” she said. “They were in foster care, and they didn't have good role models. And hopefully, that's what I was for them.”

She also talked about being involved in volunteer activities, from the early days of Jerry Lewis telethons and 4-H walkathons to current Salvation Army food drives to help out families at Christmas. 

It’s that giving spirit that she shares with the other recipients, including Judy Fuller, Susie Ott and Sue Gagne. 

Fuller volunteers many hours coordinating and managing My Sisters Closet for the YWCA of Genesee County. She has taken this on as her own and is always trying to come up with new ideas to help the program grow and reach more people in the community. The Closet supports and provides clothing to women in the nonprofit’s Domestic Violence program.

Fuller said that her primary role has been to help victims of domestic violence access clothing and other items “that they might not have,” she said.

“And anybody who hasn’t worked comes in for a job interview, and they get free clothes, so I help anybody who needs it,” she said. 

Ott is very active in the community, supporting many agencies and projects. She is currently the president of Batavia Rotary, chair of the United Way Day of Caring, treasurer of Batavia Job Development, board member of United Memorial Medical Center, and committee member of the Wings Over Batavia Air Show. 

She has received several awards for her volunteer work and community support, including the 2011 Leadership Genesee Outstanding Alumnus Award, the 2007 and 2022 Rotary Club Paul Harris Award, the 2015 Geneseean of the Year and the 2017 United Way Barber Conable Award.

Ott shared a quote that echoed Wojtaszczyk’s sentiments: Your impact on other people is bigger than you think. 

“Someone still giggles when they think of something funny that you said. Someone still smiles when they think of a compliment you gave them. Someone silently admires you. The advice you give has made a difference for people,” she said. “So I encourage everyone to continue giving back to the community and have fun while doing so. If you’re ever looking for ways to be involved, I have some ideas. And I’ll leave you with a quote by Les Brown: It’s in every day there are 1440 minutes. That means you have 1440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.”

Gagne has been a proactive human service advocate, volunteer and employee for decades. She has an extensive background in mental health, criminal justice and substance use disorders. 

Early in her career, she worked at ARC and as an assistant for the Genesee County Mental Health Association, later becoming a director. She volunteered on the board of directors for NAMI NYS, The GOW Opioid Task Force and the Suicide Prevention Task Force for GOW. She was instrumental in the founding of the GCASA Recovery Station and worked as coordinator of the Recovery Station through COVID.

Gagne is currently the assistant director of Adult Services at Wyoming County Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Coordinator for Genesee County. While working, she completed her degree in nursing at GCC and received the Leadership Award. She is now furthering her education at Brockport State College.

She shared a tip that she has learned from author and speaker John Maxwell about being an inspirational leader. It has to do with performing a daily habit that includes others throughout one’s day.

“He wakes up every morning, looks over his calendar and starts thinking about who he will see that day and how he can add value to them. He’d intentional about it,” Gagne said. “In the Bible, the book of Ephesians tells us that we are God’s handiwork, and if we think about that, you might be the answer to somebody’s prayer. Remember, you have a gift to give this world.

Her final words were to encourage others, especially if anyone struggles with knowing “how special and unique you are.”

“Get around good people,” she said. “My pastor continually tells us the person you will be in five years depends on the books you read and the friends you keep. So get around people who will encourage you, value and help you grow.”

To view or purchase photos, click here.