The Batavia Youth Bureau will kick off its annual summer program to provide children with fun activities and a nutritious lunch next week.

The free summer recreational program runs weekly from July 6 to Aug. 16 at five locations in Batavia. The locations are Lions Park, Williams Park, Lambert Park, Farrall Park and John Kennedy School. Children ages 6-14 who live in the city or the town can participate in the program.

According to Toni Funke, program coordinator at Batavia Youth Bureau, approximately 500 children attend the program every year. Funke thinks the program is a great opportunity for children to engage in activities including crafts, games and field trips as well as receive a healthy meal at lunchtime. 

The meals are sponsored by the Niagara County Youth Bureau. The menu varies daily and each meal comes with fruit, milk and juice.

Although the recreational program is for children, youth ages 18 or younger can receive a free lunch at any of the five locations.

The Batavia Youth Bureau will be holding an open house at 5:30 p.m. on July 1 at Lions Park for parents who want to pre-register their child for the recreational program. However, parents can register their child at any time during the program.

Driving along Bank Street Road, you might notice "Blasting Zone Ahead" signs.  

Workers are removing bedrock to create a channel for the Town of Batavia's new water main being installed along Bank Street Road and Batavia Elba Townline Road.

You can find out more about the project on the Town of Batavia's Web site.

The town is installing 26 miles of water main this summer, according to Tom Lichtenthal, assistant engineer for the town.

Lichtenthal said there is bedrock along the pipeline's path that is from one foot to three or four feet below the surface. The channel for the pipe needs to be six feet deep and about three feet wide.

The blasts, Lichtenthal said, really aren't too severe. An observer wouldn't see much happening above ground and residents might feel a slight vibration.

Blasting is expected to take place along the two roadways for at least a month, perhaps longer.

Press release:

Batavia Business Improvement District (BID), sponsor of the Centennial Arts, an outdoor arts display that took place on Tuesday, June 16^th announces the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

More than 20 artists set up their works of art for display and for sale in Jackson Square. Those who attended the event were able to vote for their favorite artist or display as a People’s Choice Award. The winner of Centennial Arts was Susan Hoak, of Batavia, whose up-cycled furniture was considered “unique and creative” by several customers.

The Centennial Arts event was an effort to celebrate the City’s Centennial year as well as bring about awareness of the talented artists that are within the local region. Most artists were from Genesee County and one was from Warsaw. Pictures of the event can be see on the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District Facebook page.

“Shop Local, Shop Downtown.” Sponsored by: Batavia Business Improvement District.   or more info  contact the B.I.D. Office at 585-344-0900 / visit  us at www.DowntownBataviaNY.com. or  like us on Facebook at DowntownBataviaBusinessImprovementDistrict.

Press release:

For many families who have children diagnosed with developmental and intellectual disabilities, including autism, Project Lifesaver is viewed as exactly that – a LIFESAVER!

Genesee ARC has partnered with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department in support of their effort to bring the Project Lifesaver program to Genesee County. 

The program is part of Project Lifesaver International, a nonprofit organization that bridges the technological gap for “at risk” populations and public safety agencies. It provides police, fire/rescue and other first responders with a comprehensive program including equipment and training to quickly locate and rescue individuals with cognitive disorders who are at risk due to behaviors of wandering and other safety concerns. 

Project Lifesaver has more than 1,400 participating member agencies throughout 48 states in the United States, six provinces in Canada, and Australia, and has performed 3,016 searches over the last 16 years with no serious injuries or fatalities ever reported.

The Genesee County’s Sheriff’s Office has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse for the implementation of the Project Lifesaver program, which provides equipment, training, certification and support to law enforcement, public safety organizations and community groups.

Children identified and their families will participate in training and receive their Project Lifesaver bracelets at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in July. The program is overseen by Sheriff’s deputies trained in the Project Lifesaver program.

For more information on Project Lifesaver, visit www.projectlifesaver.org.

A car has struck a house at 1993 Genesee St. (Route 33), near the intersection of Angling Road, in Corfu.

The house has been evacuated.

Unknown injuries. No word yet on the scope of the damage to the house.

Corfu fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 7:46 a.m.: One minor injury reported.

UPDATE 7:54 a.m.: A zoning officer is in route.

Connie Boyd and Dave Bateman, her son-in-law, show off a new little free library they setup at 16 Montclair Ave. in Batavia last week.

Bateman built Boyd the box for a holiday gift. One of her favorite TV shows is "Doctor Who" so he customized the box to resemble a tardis, a police box the doctor travels around in. The tardis even comes with a working light on top.

Boyd wanted to have a little free library of her own after seeing a box on Washington Avenue. She loves the concept of sharing her favorite novels with neighbors. The purpose of a little free library is to have people take a book from the box and leave one in return.

"Not everyone is able to get to the library so I wanted to make books accessible to everyone and encourage reading in my community," Boyd said.

There are about 20 adult books in the box. Boyd said her neighbors have already been adding and borrowing from the collection. She plans on adding books for children soon.

The preliminary design phase for the Ellicott Trail project, a bike and hiking path in Batavia, has been completed. 

According to Joseph Neth, project manager and engineer technician for the Town of Batavia, the proposed trail will begin at Pearl Street in the City of Batavia and extend east to Seven Springs Road in the Town of Batavia. The trail will be between 4.3 and 4.6 miles long and 10-feet wide. The trail will have both on- and off-road segments. Existing pavement will be used where feasible, and the off-road segments will be composed of stone. 

The trail will cross both public and private land. According to Neth, the project has received letters from private land owners stating they were open to the idea of the trail crossing their land.

"The trail will create an alternative form of transportation," Neth said. "It connects some of the historic and commercial areas of the city and the town. The trail will be a recreational form as well and that's something we don't have yet in Genesee County."

The steering committee held an informational meeting earlier this month to get input from the community on the preliminary draft. Only three members of the community showed up to hear the committee's presentation. Although the period for public comment has ended, the committee will still accept comments on the project throughout the rest of the process.

The next step is to submit a draft report to the Department of Transportation for approval in August. The project has been approved for approximately $1,000,000 in federal grant funding administered by the DOT. The preliminary design phase cost $69,000.

After the draft report is approved, the project will go through a final design phase and then contracts can be prepared so the project can go up for bid. If the project continues on schedule, trail construction will begin in 2017.

I stopped in the office of Ed Arnold Scrap Processors this afternoon to drop something off and found I'd arrived just in time to see Daniel Orr, of East Pembroke, pick up his new Vizio 48-inch smart TV, which he won in a drawing held Saturday.

It was pretty easy, Orr said, "all I had to do was fill out a piece of paper."

Pictured: Brent Arnold, Ed Arnold Sr., Orr, and Ed Arnold Jr.

2015 Oatka Festival Regatta
TIme/Day/Date: 2 p.m., Saturday, July 18th
Place: Oatka Creek Bank, Wolcott Street, Le Roy
Cost: $10 per person
Please make checks payable to: Oatka Festival
Deadline to Register: July 8th

Mail to: Oatka Festival, Attn: Sam Vagg, PO Box 222, Le Roy, NY 14482
Please mail payment, the completed Team Registration Form, the 2015 Oatka Festival Regatta Application, Statement of Physical Condition, and Waiver & Release of Liability form for EACH MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM. All documents & rules are available for download at: www.oatkafestival.org/regatta. Please register your team together.
 
Prizes & Judging
Judging will be based on a points system based on several categories including:

• Overall Boat Design
• Costumes
• Team Spirit
• Originality

In order to be eligible for the overall winner, the boat must also complete the outlined course in the water. The overall winning team will be the recipient of the 2015 Oatka Regatta Cup.

There will also be several runner up prizes based on miscellaneous categories. All participants will receive a T-shirt & participant bag. 

Please contact Sam Vagg at svagg@bhcg.com with any questions.

Nateeka M. Gibson, 26, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Gibson is accused of stealing a bottle of liquor from West Main Wine and Spirits at 4:31 p.m., May 17. Gibson was identified as the suspect after a surveillance photo appeared on The Batavian.

Wendy Sue Pritchard, 39, of MacArthur Drive, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Pritchard allegedly committed thefts from Walmart twice in one day, Thursday, totalling $1,343 in value. She was jailed on $1,000 bail. Also arrested and jailed on $1,000 bail on the same charge was Warren Thomas Cotton, 38, of Minneck Road, Lockport.

Heidi Lynn Harder, 40, of Montclair Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Harder allegedly stole property from Walmart with a value of $695 on Thursday.

Jocelyn T. Carson, 24, of Rodney Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with confinement of a companion animal in a vehicle during extreme temperature. Carson allegedly left a dog in a vehicle for at least an hour with no water around 6 p.m., June 20, at 9993 Alleghany Road, Darien.

Jonathan David Knauss, 21, of Depot Street, Corfu, is charged with petit larceny, operation of an unregistered motor vehicle, no front license plate, unlawful removal of registration plate and driving without insurance. Knauss allegedly stole a license plate from a vehicle and affixed it to another vehicle. He was stopped at 2:41 a.m. Sunday on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Andrew Ziemba Perdock, 28, of Dowd Road, Fillmore, is charged with petit larceny. Perdock is accused of shoplifting from Kohl's Department Store. Also arrested was Scott Logan Marsh, 19, of Main Street, Mount Morris. Perdock was also charged with petit larceny for allegedly stealing from Dick's Sporting Goods.

A 17-year-old of Holland Avenue (name withheld by Batavia PD) was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear and to abide by a release under supervision contract. He was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Scout A. Marble, 20, of Birchwood Drive, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd chage.

Christopher G. Landry, 41, of Howell Road, Fairport, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Landry alleged violated a complete stay away order by sending text messages to the protected party.

James A. Mitchell, 37, of Center Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Mitchell is accused of stealing cash from his employer, The Little Ridge Restaurant.

Darrell Smith, 48, of La Salle Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, criminal possession of stolen property. Smith was arrested on a warrant and jailed on $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond.

Nina M. Kelso, 31, of Columbia Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a failure to care for an animal case.

Joseph Antwon Fletcher, 18, of South Main Street, Mount Morris, is charged with violation of probation. Fletcher was arrested on warrants.

Tonya L. Buzzell, 32, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd, and disorderly conduct. Buzzell allegedly refused to leave a residence on Ellicott Street at 11:28 p.m., Friday.

Jesse A. Russell, 25, of Basom, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, operating while registration suspended, unlicensed operator, inadequate muffler and unlawful possession of marijuana. Russell was stopped by a trooper on Route 33, Batavia.

The Sheriff's Office made the following arrests during the Brad Paisley concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Sunday.

Dalton Matiasz, 19, Cambridge Road East, Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada, is charged with false personation after allegedly providing false identification information. Dalton was arraigned in Darien Court and put jail in lieu of $250 bail.

Antho M. Ilacqua, 23, Cary Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with unlawfully dealing with a child after allegedly providing alcohol to a minor.

Matthew J. Wiza, 30, Lordan Drive, Cheektowaga, is charged with harassment, 2nd, after allegedly grabbing another person and placing them in a choke hold.

Brandon J. Kuklewicz, 21, Frederick Street, Cheektowaga, is charged with trespass after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being ejected by Live Nation staff.

Nathan D. Addenbrooke, 21, Willow Drive, Niagara Falls, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

Joseph G. Melcher, 22, Ridge Road, Ransomville, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

Danielle Stolfa, 20, Lightwood Lane, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

Nicholas J. Jones, 24, Hawkins Road, Selden, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

Bailey A. Dawson, 18, Pennsylvania Avenue, Lockport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

Silver Shoe Farm, on Pratt Road, Batavia, hosted today its 8th annual carriage driving competition, drawing drivers from throughout the region.

A two-car accident with one person injured is reported at Telephone and Ellicott Street roads. Pavilion Fire Department is responding. A person has a four- to five-inch laceration of the left arm.

Medics is being dispatched to an address on Lewis Place, Batavia, for a male who has been sprayed in the eyes by a skunk.  

A power pole, transformer and wires are down in the roadway blocking both lanes of travel at 10694 East Road, Bethany. There is a power outage in the vicinity as a result. The pole is covering one lane and the wires are across both lanes. The location is between Broadway and Raymond Road. Bethany Fire Department is responding. National Grid is notified. No ETA provided.

UPDATE 6:22 p.m.: The Bethany assignment is back in service. The wires have been de-activated. Debris is being removed from the roadway. National Grid is on scene. The road will reopen once it is cleared.

She had a job to do. There was no time for playing. This was serious business. 

With all the attentiveness her little 4-year-old body could muster, she reached into the bin holding the slips of paper and drew out a name. 

“She was very serious about doing her job pulling the ticket,” Yvonne Freeman, the little girl's mom, said. “Most kids, when you put them in the bin to draw the name, play with the paper, not Teaghan, she was very serious about the whole thing.”

For more than 25 years the Stafford Fire Department has raffled off a car; for more than a decade, it’s been a classic Corvette. About every other year, someone from the local area wins the grand prize. This year, Cortland Kopp, of Attica, won his choice between a 1967 cherry red Corvette convertible or $50,000 cash.

“I own a 1972 Corvette,” Kopp said, “have for 30 years. I decided to take the cash.”

The Attica corrections officer has been buying the raffle tickets since 1976. This is the first year he showed a return on his $30-a-year investment.

“After taxes I figure it’ll be about $35,000,” Kopp said. “It’s been a wild, surreal week.”

Raffle organizer and Stafford Fire Department social member Robin Krenzer reported thousands of tickets are sold for the raffle. While there is one Grand Prize winner, there are 10 winners of $1,000 each as well.

“There were only 200-something of that car made,” Krenzer said. “We will sell this vehicle and then purchase a different one for next year’s raffle.

“The last time we had a local winner was two years ago and she took the cash, too,” Krenzer said. “A man from Texas won last year and he took the car.”

While the cars are purchased yearly, this ‘67 ‘vette has an appraised value of $92,000. Additionally, organizers scour the region for a different car every year. Occasionally they are bought from individuals, other times, car dealers, they really never know what year the next model will be.

According to Krenzer, proceeds from the raffle helps to fund the department’s budget for the year. Additionally, the Stafford Fire Department donates $5,000 to Mercy Flight every year from the proceeds of the raffle.

But right now, in this moment, Kopp is living a surreal sort of life, getting ready to enjoy his new windfall.

A motor-vehicle accident with minor injuries is reported at 1278 Broadway Road, Darien.

Darien fire and ambulance responding.