batavia

Press release:

The Batavia Boys Varsity Soccer team beat Greece Odyssey 6-1 on Friday evening at Van Detta Stadium. The decisive victory was highlighted with two goals by Troy Hawley (#5), both assisted by Devin Hughes (#20), one goal by Jaziah Ayala (#20), assisted by Hezekiah Doane (#22), one goal by Rylan Bohn (#24), assisted by Trevor Tryon (#8), one goal by Hezekiah Doane (#22), assisted by Aiden Reimer (#14), and finally, one goal by Trevor Tryon (#8), assisted by his brother, Trey Tryon (#16). Odyssey were limited to one goal thanks to the outstanding effort of Batavia's defensive line of Brandon Currier (#10), Will Fulton (#6), Jeremiah Childs (#15), Teddy Cswaykus (#18), and Brody Ditzel (#9), as well as goalkeepers Harry Mellander and Ben Morton. 

Press Release:

The Genesee County Youth Bureau will be hosting its 21st annual Family Game Night! The event will take place on Friday, October 4 from 6 - 8 p.m. at Batavia City Centre, Batavia (Please use the entrance of City Hall). 

The night will consist of interactive booths with activities, games and prizes for families and youth serving organizations. This event is free and includes pizza and a beverage. Each family will take home one brand new board game after they visit the booths so they can start their own family game night!  

Just for attending you will be entered into a raffle to win one of several prizes from businesses all around Genesee County. Adults must be accompanied by a child to receive the board game. 

Please call the Youth Bureau for more information at 344-3960. The Genesee County Youth Bureau would also like to thank Alabama Hotel, Batavia Kiwanis, and Batavia’s Original Pizzeria for sponsoring the event & the Batavia City Centre for hosting the event.

The Batavia Lady Devils beat Honeyeo Falls/Lima on Thursday, 3-0.

Ella Shamp and Ady O'Donnell each scored in the first half of play and Kylee Brennan scored in the second half. 

The win improves the Batavia record to 5-4 on the season. 

Photos by Kristin Smith.

Parris and Holly, a Batavia-based folk/pop duo, headlined the second of a four-night residency at GO ART! on Thursday, with featured artist Alex Feig opening.

The residency continues on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. with Billy Lambert as the featured guest artist and on Oct. 24 with Chris Humel.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Press Release:

Georgia-Pacific, located at 4E-Treadeasy Avenue in Batavia, will be performing its annual water pump testing on Friday, September 27, at 11:30 a.m., as required by applicable fire protection codes. 

This test 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 it is clear."

Press Release:

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers will host the 105th “Great Batavia Train Sale” on Sunday, October 13, 9:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m., at the Richard C. Call Arena, Genesee Community College, 1 College Road, Batavia. Admission is $6 for Adults, $3 for under 18 years, and Free for under 13 years.

The popular train show typically attracts 1,200 to 1,500 model railroad enthusiasts and railfans from across Western and Central NY, Northwestern Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. There are over 100 vendors occupying 250 tables offering merchandise ranging from antique railroad artifacts to the most modern digitally controlled model trains. This bi-annual show has steadily grown to become one of the premiere events of its kind in Western New York.

The train club hosts two shows each year, a Spring show, and a Fall show. A free Open House is held, typically, on the first Saturday of December at the Club’s facilities in Oakfield where club members maintain operating layouts in O Gauge (Lionel), HO & N scale.

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers is located at 50 Main Street (Rte. 63), Oakfield (above the M&T Bank), and is open Tuesdays from 7 - 9 p.m. Business meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month. Visit www.gsme.org. Like us on Facebook. Visitors welcomed. (Stair access only.)

Press Release:

The Museum Quilt Guild of Batavia will present their biennial “Stitches In Time” quilt show on Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. each day.

There will be more than 150 quilts displayed at the Alexander Fireman’s Recreation Hall at 10708 Alexander Rd (Rt 98) in Alexander. All of the quilts have been made by guild members.

In addition to our professionally judged quilt display, we will have vendors, demonstrations, a raffle quilt, silent auction, boutique, basket raffle, and a fabric pool. 

Admission is $6, children 10 and under are free. For more information, contact Elaine 585-880-0456, or visit our website @ www.Themuseumquiltguild.com.

Press Release:

Arc GLOW will be holding its second Annual Meeting and Awards Banquet on October 9 at 5:30 p.m. at Batavia Downs. Rebecca Leclair, the President of Rebecca Leclair Communications, LLC and former anchor and reporter from WHEC-TV (Channel 10), will be the emcee.

Individuals will also be providing entertainment. For a month, Arc GLOW nominated staff, individuals and community members for a variety of different awards.

The award winners are the following:

Self-Advocate of the Year

To honor a person served by Arc GLOW who has grown and is meeting their personal outcomes. They also have positively influenced the lives of others.

Nathan Johnidas, Albion

Supported Employment Person of the Year

To honor a person supported by Arc GLOW who has demonstrated a strong work ethic, dedication to their job, ability to learn new community employment skills and maintain successful employment.

Elizabeth Padilla, Walnut Street, Batavia 

Pre-Vocational Person of the Year

To honor a person supported by Arc GLOW with a dedication to learning about the world of work including new job skills, striving to complete quality work and showing attention to the task of learning.

Tammy Reimels, Hilltop

Residential Person of the Year

To honor a person supported by Arc GLOW who resides in residential services, grew in their independence and learned life skills.

Monica Mineo, Garfield IRA in Batavia

Day Habilitation Person of the Year

To honor a person supported by Arc GLOW who participates in day habilitation activities, strives to learn, and demonstrates effort and commitment to be included in their own communities.

James Gibbs, WOW Day Hab in Batavia

Community Services and Self Direction Person of the Year

To honor a person served by Arc GLOW who shows outstanding participation and contribution to their community. Shows the initiative in trying new activities and gain leadership potential through community involvement.

Brittany Murphy, Genesee County

KidStart Employee of the Year

To honor an employee who demonstrates exceptional support to children and families, and is committed to assist in all areas of their growth and education.

Maggie Putman

Direct Support Professional Person of the Year (DSP)

To honor a DSP who provides a variety of activities to adults with developmental disabilities within a home setting, day programs or recreational activities in the community. Provides excellence in support in living skills, personalized goals, arts and crafts, sensory activities, and facilitates our individuals to take their active role in the community.

Heather Taft, residential manager at Avon IRA in Avon

Employee of the Year

To recognize an employee of Arc GLOW who is committed to the mission and vision. They demonstrate the values of diversity, respect, integrity, visionary, equality, empowerment and excellence.

Heidi Wyant, transportation manager

Friend of the Year

Community friend and supporter of Arc GLOW’s mission and vision.

Hoffman Hanafin & Associates, LLC

Business Partner of the Year

A partner who supports our mission and vision through excellent customer service or providing work opportunities for employment.

Aunt Cookies in Geneseo

Volunteers of the Year

To honor a person who is committed to Arc GLOW, volunteering their time by serving the local community and supporting the Arc GLOWs mission and vision.

Kevin and Dawn Fisher

Reservations are open until Sept. 30. at ArcGLOW.org/event/awards-banquet-and-annual-meeting. For any questions, contact Tracey Jones at (585) 343-1123 ext. 1735 or TJones@ArcGLOW.org.

Kerry Dudek and Kim Folger are animal lovers no doubt, and advocates especially for pitbulls and Rottweilers, both which can experience breed bias and the serious health issue of cancer.

They founded Vanessa & Lola’s Legacy, Inc. more than a year ago in an effort to help out with financial support for the owners of those breeds when fighting cancer, in addition to collecting food for people with disabilities at the Independent Living of the Genesee Region in Batavia.

“People don’t really have the money, so our goal was to help people with pitbulls or Rottweilers help with their vet bills. And then I started volunteering at Independent Living, and a lot of Vanessa's supporters were homeless from Batavia, and they would actually come out to the rallies with their pitbulls, so I kind of wanted to honor her and them at the same time,” Dudek said. “So now we donate cat food and dog food to the homeless that Indedependent Living put up in their houses or apartments. We have about 13 animals through them.

“I’m a mental health therapist. So to me, it really helps people's mental health, especially when they're homeless, to keep their pets with them. A lot of people are having to give up their animals,” she said. “I have a pitbull now that has three legs. She goes to work with me, and they just love her. She’s a pet therapy dog.”

Vanessa was a pitbull in Ogden that had an encounter with a woman on the street, and Vanessa was accused of allegedly biting her, Dudek said. It spread across social media and turned into a huge battle to keep Vanessa alive. Justice for Vanessa has many followers, Dudek said.

Although Vanessa survived that scuffle, she ended up getting lymphoma and died three years ago, after very costly medical treatments and a tracheotomy, Dudek said. Vanessa garnered many supporters and drew much attention in the process, she said. 

Dudek works with people with disabilities and has experienced how much animals can minister to one’s emotional needs. Vanessa also served in that capacity to her own son, the Oakfield resident said. 

Lola was Folger’s Rottweiler who lost her battle to osteosarcoma two years ago. The emotional stress, coupled with the financial challenges, were enough to fuel their motivation to file for a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit to help others going through similar circumstances.

Support comes through online and in-person fundraising, including an event happening this weekend. There will be a basket raffle of nine themed baskets with Buffalo Bills, pet and other items (see some of the items below) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Tractor Supply Co., 4974 East Main St., Batavia. 

There will be a tent in the parking lot throughout the day, and a pizza basket that includes a Ficarella’s gift certificate and another one with a Monroe Muffler oil change certificate, plus other baskets with football-related items, she said.

One basket is dedicated to China, a pitbull with lymphoma, and includes tailgating stuff of Buffalo Bills themed items, such as wine, wine glasses and a football. There will also be harnesses and dog clothes for sale. Proceeds will go to offset vet bills for those with pitbulls and Rottweilers fighting cancer.

For more information, to help out with dog and/or cat food for ILGR clients, or to donate, go HERE.

Show tunes and more show tunes.

If you love Broadway, Batavia Players has just the show for you this weekend.

"Just One More Time & Something New" is a celebration of 100 years of the best musicals to grace the stages of 42nd Street in the heart of Manhattan, better known as Broadway.

The choral review covers the music of Tin Pan Alley to state-of-the-art contemporary Broadway.

You will certainly hear some familiar classics as well as a few tunes that might surprise you.

There are shows at Main Street 56 Theater on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m.  Tickets are $24 at the door or $22 for seniors and students.  There is a discount to buy in advance online. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game
In several of my previous stories, I have indicated that I was an enthusiastic sports fan (especially of Notre Dame University football), even as a little kid. I'm not sure why that was because it didn't really come from my parents, and I was the oldest of three brothers.

My dad was a Notre Dame fan, but other than that, for some odd reason, he chose teams more to dislike than to root for. Also, strangely, he saved his ire for the teams closest to Batavia. He detested the New York Yankees and despised the Cleveland Browns of the NFL. When games would come on ( in black and white, of course), he would quickly identify the underdog, and if they were losing, he'd claim they were being cheated, or the contest was “fixed.” It was almost impossible to watch a game with him.

Apparently, my mom was a big baseball fan of the Batavia Clippers when she was young and single in the 1930s and 40s. My Uncle Bob, now 94, remembers her going to the games even out of town in Wellsville and Olean when they were in the “PONY” ( Pennsylvania, Ontario, New York) League. Back then, the team was community-owned, and I still have a stock certificate that my mother purchased for the team. But after she married and when I was a kid, I don't remember her caring much about sports. Maybe my dad's attitude had something to do with that.

Besides Notre Dame in college football, my favorite team was the Cleveland Browns in pro football first. In baseball, it was the Brooklyn Dodgers, but when the team moved to Los Angeles after the 1956 season, I switched to the Milwaukee Braves until they moved to Atlanta. I haven't had a favorite baseball team since then. 

I have also previously mentioned that I have an extensive collection of Milwaukee Braves memorabilia from 1957, when they beat my friend Charlie's favorite team, the Yankees, for The World Series.

Pro Football In The 1950s and '60s
In the 1950s, there were no Buffalo Bills nearby to root for. They didn't become a team until 1960 and didn't join the NFL until 1970, the same year the Buffalo Sabres joined the National Hockey League. There were only eight teams in the NFL in the 50s (now there are 32), and most Batavians are rooted for the Browns or the New York Giants. Those teams were most likely to be televised locally, too, on Sunday, which is the day all games were played. Friday was for high schools, and Saturday was for college.

My team was the Browns with quarterback Otto Graham, speedy pass catcher Dante “Sticky Fingers“ Lavelli and combination offensive lineman and kicker Lou “The Toe” Groza. (they seemed to have cooler nicknames then, too – there was a defensive back on the Detroit Lions named Dick “Night Train” Lane). Then, into the 60s, while the Bills were still in the old American Football League, the Browns had Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly. The Browns won NFL championships in 1950, 1954, 1955 and 1964. I had all the football cards of the Browns back then, but like my baseball cards, they are long gone, unfortunately.

I never got to go to any Browns games. People didn't travel to games as much back then, and as I said, my dad disliked them. But in the 1950s, I got to a Notre Dame game and went to Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, where the Browns played, but to see baseball games.

Cheer, Cheer For Old Notre Dame
In November 1957, my parents drove to a Notre Dame University football game with my younger brother Dan and me (my mom was pregnant with brother Jim Jr.) in South Bend, Indiana. This probably didn't mean much to Dan, who was 7, but it meant the world to me. I had been a devoted Notre Dame football fan since I was 7 or 8 years old. I kept a scrapbook of stories about their games and followed some of their stars like Johnny Lujack, Ralph Guglielmi, and Paul Hornung. The very Saturday before, Notre Dame had pulled off a huge upset, ending the Oklahoma Sooners' 47-game winning streak, which still is the record today, by beating them 7-0. I was ten and watched every second of that game on our black-and-white TV.

My first memory from the trip was getting caught in a whiteout blizzard, probably somewhere near Dunkirk, as that is the time of year when lake-effect snow comes in off Lake Erie. We made it through okay, but it must have been a “white knuckler” for my dad at the wheel.

On the Friday night before the game we went to the pre-game pep rally which I recall was in a big field house. The place was packed with students and fans and the band, coaches, and players whipped everyone into a frenzy with the memories of the previous week's gigantic win over Oklahoma. It was deafeningly loud to say the least. My years were ringing the rest of the night.

The game was against Iowa, and I don't remember much about it except that Notre Dame lost, so I was pretty down afterward. My biggest recollection from the game was when a Notre Dame running back was hit so hard by an Iowa defensive player that you could hear the “crack” of helmets and pads up in the stands. I think the ND player had to be helped off the field.

I do remember that Notre Dame had a beautiful campus and that we saw the famous “Golden Dome.” However, the iconic mural on the Hesburgh Library with Christ's arms raised, commonly known as “Touchdown Jesus,” was not completed until 1964. Oddly, I have continued to be a Notre Dame football fan all these years, but I have never been back to another game.

At the Old Ball Game
The next summer, in 1958, my dad and his friend and customer Leo Reinhart, who owned a grocery in Pavilion, took Dan, me, and Leo's son to Cleveland to see a couple of major league baseball games. This time, mom had to stay home with a newborn, as brother Jim had been born that April.

I have good memories of the games, a bad one of the hotel, and a funny one of an event on the trip home.

My first recollection of going to the game is the same one I have seen other people comment on. It was in the now-demolished Municipal Stadium, but when we walked through the portal to where our seats were, I was stopped in my tracks by the vista of the big, beautifully manicured green field in front of me. My mouth probably literally dropped open. I had never seen anything like it. Also, as I previously mentioned, it was the home field of the football Browns in the fall.

The games were between the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) and the Chicago White Sox. I was not a fan of either team ( again, my team was the Milwaukee Braves, who had won the World Series the previous year, but that was too far to drive), but there were some great players on the field. The White Sox had the Hall of Fame double-play combination of Nellie Fox at second base and Luis Aparicio at shortstop. Cleveland had slugger Rocky Colavito in the outfield, a young Roger Maris before he got traded to the New York Yankees and broke Babe Ruth's home run record in 1961, and another Hall of Famer from Cuba, Minnie Minoso, who had played for the White Sox the year before. I don't remember who won the games, but I do recollect that Minnie hit a home run and I was very excited by my first big league baseball experience.

I suppose the hotel we stayed at in downtown Cleveland was okay, but we had no prior warning that crews were going to be working all night sand-blasting the edifice of a building across the street. Needless to say, sleeping (when you added in my dad's snoring) was hard to come by.

On our way home at night, we stopped at a gas station to refuel and use the restroom. As we got back in the car to leave, we noticed Dan (about age 8 ) was missing. My dad went looking and found Dan, a notorious sleepwalker, urinating on the rear wall of the station. In his sleep, he thought he was in the restroom. Everyone had a good laugh about that, except Dan, when he woke up and we told him.

Since I became an adult, I have been to many Bills games (especially in the 1990s and early 2000s) and a number of Sabres contests. I have also attended baseball games in major league stadiums in Chicago (both Cubs and White Sox), Baltimore, Montreal, and New York (Yankees). I also became a fan of the Syracuse Orange college basketball team and have attended some of their games in their Dome.

But my childhood memories of going to my first “big time” games in South Bend and Cleveland will always stay with me.

Press Release:

Tailgating, in the context of sporting events, is defined as fans gathering in the stadium parking lot to build excitement for their team's home game. From the backs of their cars and trucks, football fans enjoy food, drinks, and games for hours. It's a tradition unique to American culture and offers a fun, lively experience.

HomeCare & Hospice (HCH) of Batavia is introducing a new event to their Fall lineup – Tailgate Thursday to be held Thursday, November 7 at Batavia Downs beginning at 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. 

This tailgate event is where you will eat, drink, and play games – basically a tailgate before the football game that night (exchange out the Raven’s M&T Bank Stadium for the Park Place Event Center at Batavia Downs)!

HCH operates with offices in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Genesee, and Wyoming Counties. 

"Our staff was tasked with organizing a 'fun' and 'fund' raising event in our northern service area. This time of year, everyone in Western New York is a Bills fan, and we all love chicken wings. What better combination than football, wings, and fun?" stated Melissa Sullivan, HCH Chief Executive Officer.

Tickets are $35 which includes your tailgate pass, wings, additional tailgate foods, and entry into fun and games. The food staff at the Batavia Downs will be (tentatively) serving up wings in these flavors: mild, medium, BBQ, garlic parm, honey garlic, spicy BBQ, Old bay, Original Buffalo, Teriyaki, and lemon pepper. Of course, there will be celery, carrots and bleu cheese – but the menu also includes Buffalo’s Finest Station of house-made potato chips, pizza logs, mini beef on weck, and pretzel bites. Attendees will have 10 wing tix which they can sample/taste from the variety of wings that will be on hand.

“Support from the corporate and business sector plays a vital role in the success of our event. Their involvement helps raise awareness, attract attendees, and spread the message about our cause to a wider audience. With their support, we can reach more people, enhance community engagement, and increase the impact of our fundraising efforts,” added Ms. Sullivan.

The event needs additional local businesses and organizations to become a 12th man sponsor or a blitz backer to put on this FANtastic event. 12th Man OPTION: This option ($250) includes your company logo/name on our poster, social media posts indicating your participation, event signage, and two tickets to the event (value $80). BLITZ Backer OPTION: This option ($500) includes your company name mentioned in radio ads, company logo/name on poster, social media posts, event signage, and four event tickets (value $160).

The complete roster of events is not firmed up yet, but hoping to add music, trivia contests, football toss games, (pre-recorded) football games streamed on tvs, and pre-game of the Bengals – Ravens game.

Tickets will go on sale September 27 online at homecare-hospice.org/events/, at the HomeCare & Hospice office, 29 Liberty St., Suite 6, Batavia or by emailing snegron@homecare-hospice.org. For more information, please call 716-372-2106.

Press Release:

All motorists please be aware the following streets (listed in the following predicted order) will experience traffic delays on Friday, September 27 between the hours of 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. for resurfacing operations:

Kibbe Avenue
Oakland Avenue
Jackson Avenue
Evans Street

While work is being performed in these areas, local traffic will be permitted to and from their residence/property but should plan accordingly for delays.

All residents/businesses within the work area are asked not to park on the roadway during the operation. All motorists that regularly use these streets are asked to seek alternate routes while the delays are in place.

This work is weather dependent and will continue on the next business day if necessary.

Contact the Bureau of Maintenance at 585-345-6400 opt. 1 if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your cooperation.

Press Release:

The Genesee Amateur Hockey Association is offering a Beginner Ice Hockey Learn to Play Program at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena, located on Evans Street next to the Batavia Fire Department in Batavia. This program is open to boys and girls ages 4 and up, and no prior skating experience is needed.

Session I lasts for 15 weeks and costs $125, while Session II is also 15 weeks and costs $75. The program starts on October 5.

A Beginner Orientation will take place on Wednesday, October 2, at 6 p.m. at the rink, and everyone is invited to attend. For additional information, including the schedule and registration instructions, please contact Marcia Barnes at 585-409-1383 or via email at Barnes.marcia21@gmail.com.

For more details, visit www.BataviaRamparts.com. Don’t go through life without goals—play hockey! GO RAMPARTS!

Press Release:

Genesee Community College (GCC) is proud to welcome eight new full-time faculty members for the 2024-2025 academic year. These distinguished educators bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion to our campus, enhancing our commitment to academic excellence and student success.

Ariane Bianchi, Instructor of Nursing

Ariane comes from Golisano Children's Hospital Pediatric Cardiac Care Center and has been a pediatric clinical instructor for GCC. Ariane earned her associate degree in Nursing from GCC and her bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Rochester. She intends to pursue her master's in nursing education in the coming year.

Jillian Eberlin, Instructor of Mathematics

Jillian was a Mathematics teacher at OneSchool Global North America, Rochester Campus, and has taught several semesters as a math adjunct instructor at Bryant & Stratton College. Jillian earned her bachelor's degree in Mathematics and master's degree in Mathematics from SUNY Brockport.

Kathryn Edwards, Nursing Clinical Coordinator

Kathryn was a pediatric nurse practitioner at Stony Brook Pediatrics and prior to that worked at Golisano Children's Hospital. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Buffalo and her master's degree from the University of Rochester. Kathryn most recently completed her post-master's dual certification in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at St. John Fisher University.

Metin Eroglu, Instructor of Mathematics

Metin has been in higher education since 2008 as a student, full-time instructor, and tutor most recently working for SUNY Buffalo and Wyzant. Metin earned his bachelor's degree in Mathematics from The University of Texas and his master's degree in Statistics from Michigan State University.

Katie Jennings, Instructor of Nursing

Katie was a Clinical Resource Nurse at Rochester Regional Health in Batavia and has been a Clinical Nursing Instructor for GCC. Katie earned her associate degree in Nursing from GCC, her bachelor's degree in Nursing from SUNY Brockport and is pursuing her master's degree in Nursing at Western Governor's University.

Krysia Mager, Instructor of Business

Krysia worked as an adjunct at GCC and is coming from Tompkins Community Bank in Batavia where she was the Assistant Vice President of Creative Content. Krysia earned her associate degree in Communication from GCC, her bachelor's degree in Journalism Communication from SUNY Brockport and her master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Marist College.

Dr. Timothy McCorry, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences/Coordinator of Special Programs

Timothy has 25 years of experience teaching various courses in sociology, psychology, and criminal justice at the University at Buffalo, Buffalo State University, and Medaille University. This past spring, he began to adjunct at GCC. He earned his associate degree from Nassau Community College, his bachelor's and master's degrees from St. John's University and his Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo.

Dr. Scott Wilson, Assistant Professor of Veterinary Technology

Scott was an Associate Emergency Veterinarian/Urgent Care Veterinarian at the Greater Buffalo Veterinary Emergency Clinic. He received both his associate and bachelor's degrees in Veterinary Technology from Medaille College and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Ross University School of Medicine.

"As we welcome these talented educators to Genesee Community College, we look forward to the fresh perspectives and innovative teaching methods they will bring to our classrooms. Their arrival marks an exciting chapter in our ongoing mission to deliver high-quality education and support the success of our students," said Genesee Community College President, Dr. Craig Lamb.

For more information contact Vice President, Development, Admissions and External Affairs Justin Johnston at (585) 345-6809, or via email: jmjohnston@genesee.edu.

Money was committed, a state Department of Transportation grant obtained, TY Lynn International was hired, and a Walkability Study literally laid the groundwork and surveyed pedestrians last fall to find out how people felt about landscaping, bump-outs and painted pavement along Bank Street from Main Street to Washington Avenue.

A tentative plan was unveiled Monday to complete the city’s mission to slow down traffic in that area of downtown Batavia. Much of the plan unfolds as painted pavement for bike lanes, decorative crosswalks, bump-outs, benches, and tree and perennial landscaping.

“So project objectives, basically, the ultimate goal is to provide a safe and comfortable, pedestrian- and bike-friendly community along Bank Street, from Main Street to Washington,” TY Lin Project Manager Nate Buczek said during the presentation at City Hall. “It does include a little bit of Alva Place, not a lot due to the funds of the project, but it does include at least the intersection a little bit to the west.”

The project's objectives are to provide traffic calming with streetscape enhancements, curb bump-outs and ramps, new decorative crosswalks with flashing crossing signs, improved street accessibility, dedicated bike lanes and complement the new police and YMCA facilities in progress on the east and west sides of the Bank.

A focus is to improve the pedestrian experience via more seating and planters as part of the infrastructure, he said. Perhaps some Honey locust, serviceberry, black-eyed Susans and Salvia Blue Hill.

At issue is that Bank Street is too wide, and “the wider the lane width, the faster they want to go,” Buczek said. 

How to improve it? Dedicated five-foot-wide bike lanes that may be painted green, moving landscaping out toward the street as bump-outs, moving the senior center crosswalk north a bit and make it stand out with lights and fluorescent signage and adding a second crosswalk near Alva Place near the new police station. 

There would also be a bus lane in front of the senior center to accommodate a bus that regularly drops off and picks up seniors for outings, he said.

A member of the audience who drives the bus was concerned with the available space for a bus with bump-outs, an adjacent bike lane, and especially during winter when snowplows have to get around. 

One answer was that there shouldn’t be as much congestion since children will be dropped off in the parking lot off the street toward the back of the new YMCA entrance. But that concern should be checked out, and the recommended plan should be verified before moving forward, City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said. 

“There’s a lot of pavement in the roadway, a lot of pavement and more concrete within the sidewalks. So we’re looking to break that up, add some green space, similar to Main Street,” Buczek said. 

Jankowski asked if the design team had considered actually doing what was done on Main Street and adding a median down Bank Street instead of bump-outs on the side. Buczek wasn’t certain why it wasn’t proposed, but thought it had to do with cost. He was asked to keep the design within an $800,000 budget, he said. 

“It’s going to be much safer for pedestrians,” Buczek said. “The bump-outs are going to provide, basically, or close off or make the driver sense that they need to slow down to become aware of the area. And then we’re going to have pedestrian LED signs at both crosswalks,” he said. “Basically, you’ll walk up, push the clocks in and we’re going to look at automobile versions or sensor versions when there’s someone waiting to cross. We also are going to relocate the access driveway into the city parking lot west side of Bank Street as part of the project.” 

City Manager Rachael Tabelski has said the city committed more than $1 million to help reduce the street’s girth and slow down the hustle of motorists, with $944,943 coming from the state TAP grant. The streetscape project is targeted for a fall 2025 completion.

There are still some questions and concerns to address, however, it seemed as though GO Art! Executive Director Gregory Hallock summed up the general consensus of the project.

"I think all of this is going to make people slow down," he said.  

In fall 2023, members of a county health committee had set up displays of potential future curbing, lights and artistic license to demonstrate ways to help slow down traffic and make crosswalks a more viable way to cross over from the east and west sides of Bank Street at three points between Main Street and Washington Avenue. 

Ninety-four people gave positive feedback during the nearly four hours the Genesee Orleans Health Department staff surveyed walkers.

There’s an expected surge in traffic on Bank Street with the impending new police facility right on Bank and Alva in the next year, and the Healthy Living campus on the opposite side behind where the current YMCA is now, to be completed by the end of 2024. City officials have an infrastructure project planned to coincide with the developments, at which time there would also be upgrades to the streetscape layout. 

City officials will consider a tax exemption for seniors over the age of 65, similar to what Genesee County passed in late February.

The county’s exemption of Section 467 of the Real Property Tax Law grants a reduction in the amount of taxes paid by senior citizens based on a sliding scale of income amounts from less than $23,800 for a 50% exemption up to $32,200 for 5%.

Deputy County Treasurer Kevin Andrews proposed the move earlier this year for the county and also emailed the city about this municipality considering doing a similar exemption, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said this week. 

“And it's something. If you'd like, we can have staff look into it and get back to you with a recommendation at a future meeting,” she said during Monday’s City Council meeting. “We do know that it would affect the taxable status of properties to the tune of about $2.6 million, but as a whole, in terms of how much our entire assessment value is, this is a very, very small percentage. So, like I said, we can come back to this if you'd like us to email the information so you can take a look at it and get a little better analysis of what that would look like if we were to implement it.”

City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said that “it's definitely worth looking into” the exemption as an option for seniors to save some money.

“Anything we can do to help people keep their homes and sustain their homes,” he said. “If they’re qualified for the exemption, then they definitely should be getting it.” 

When the county approved the measure that took effect on March 1, The Batavian asked Andrews for a tangible example of how much savings that could mean for an eligible senior. At the maximum end of the scale, if the income qualifies and they were to receive 50 percent exemption on their taxes with a home assessed at $100,000, that would equal roughly a $400 savings for county tax purposes, he said. County taxes for 2024 are $5.80 per $1,000 assessed value versus city at $8.96 per $1,000.

The full table for the county is below to show how the sliding scale works:

• Less than $23,800 - 50%
• Equal or more than $23,800 but less than $24,800 - 45%
• $24,800 but less than $25,800 - 40%
• $25,800 but less than $26,800 - 35%
• $26,800 but less than $27,700 - 30%
• $27,700 but less than $28,600 - 25%
• $28,600 but less than $29,500 - 20%
• $29,500 but less than $30,400 - 15%
• $30,400 but less than $31,300 - 10%
• $31,300 but less than $32,200 - 5%