A lot of Batavia residents were busy this morning clearing snow from their driveways and walkways, including Nate Baker on Ellicott Place, above, after a storm dropped about a foot of snow on the city.
Eric Haile on Summit Street.
Cliff Vagg on Ellicott Avenue.
The National Weather Service has warned of possible flooding as the Tonawanda Creek through Batavia nears the 9-foot level.
Currently, the water level, as measured at the bend behind the County Courthouse, is 8.64 feet.
It's been on a steep climb since 7 a.m.
It's expected to crest at 9.1 feet.
The minor flood stage is 9 feet.
Kibbe Park is expected to flood, and possibly Walnut Street and Law Street.
There is flooding in Alexander and the Town of Batavia along the creek.
There is a flood warning in effect until 1 p.m.
Information provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Florida:
A man who was shot -- twice in the head, once in the arm, and once in the shoulder -- at the home of a former Alexander resident who was murdered Jan. 3 in Florida died today.
Kenneth Maier, of 7462 Berkley Road, Polk City, Fla., succumbed to injuries around 1 p.m. (Jan. 12).
William Reiss, 68, formerly of Alexander, died at the scene after a man he had sold guns to previously, came to his home, was allowed in, and allegedly shot the two men before stealing guns and a pickup truck with the aid of two accomplices.
"We are heartbroken to hear that Kenneth passed away today. We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Kenneth's family and friends. This act of vicious murder should have never happened," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
"The three suspects from Mobile, Ala., will be pending additional murder charges in relation to Kenneth Maier's death. We will send another update when additional charges are placed. We appreciate the assistance of the Mobile Police Department in this investigation."
Some of the firearms were recovered, along with the victim’s stolen truck, which was torched. All three suspects will be extradited back to Polk County to face first-degree murder and other charges.
On Jan. 6, three suspects were arrested in the case: 22-year-old Kenley Campbell, 22-year-old Darril Lamar Rankin Jr., and 18-year-old Gerjuan Demarcus Jackson all of Mobile.
Thus far, they have all been charged with:
A caller reported he's stuck in his vehicle, which is in the water on a flooded old Creek Creek Road, south of Peaviner.
Now he says he's out of the vehicle but has a shoulder injury.
Old Creek Road is closed due to flooding.
Alexander fire and ambulance dispatched.
UPDATE 5:53 p.m.: The road is washed out. Responders will need to come in from Hunn Road and should exercise caution.
UPDATE 7:10 p.m.: The assignment went back in service about 45 minutes ago. Fire personnel brought the victim to the medics, who were staged nearby. The truck's rear wheels were on dirt; the front wheels were submerged in floodwater. A tow company winched out the vehicle and removed it.
Heather Adams of Pembroke lived in this tiny house on wheels for a year and a half before buying a bit of land that already had a house on it so now she would like to rent it out as a bed and breakfast room during the summer.
To do that, Adams had to request a temporary use permit.
Thre's no zoning regulation locally that handles tiny houses on wheels.
"Tiny houses are their own unique thing," Adams said. "They're not an RV; they're not a mobile home. They don't really fit any codes existing at this time."
If her experiment using it for a bed and breakfast unit is successful, the Town of Pembroke may need to come up with the appropriate zoning regulation to allow its use.
Last night, the County Planning Board recommended approval of the temporary permit.
Adams said she wants to set it up as a B&B on her South Lake Road lot so more people can experience tiny house living.
"The plan is to rent this out as little B&B so people can learn about tiny houses and try it out for themselves," Adams said. "A lot of people see is such a small space and think 'I could never live in that,' but when you see how they're set up, they are there really nice.They make a great use of space and they're really liveable."
This tiny house (pictured) is actually split level. It's 8 foot by 24 foot with 200 square feet of livable space. Adams said she liked it because the bed was on the first floor so her dogs could sleep with her.
"I lived in another tiny house previously when I lived in Alaska and only had a bed upstairs and I had a ladder," Adams said. "And so I couldn't sleep with my dogs."
The tiny house movement began years ago, Adams said, when people wanted small, unencumbered, uncluttered spaces to live in but the places where they tried to build them would run into building code issues because they were so small. So people came up with the idea of putting them on wheels and then they were unregulated.
She thinks they really meet a need for people who want to live a simpler life.
"It's simple living," Adams said, "just really simple living. You don't have a lot of stuff so you don't have to spend a lot of time cleaning, your expenses are a lot less, and you can just spend much more time enjoying life."
Press release:
On Friday Jan. 12, City of Batavia Manager Jason Molino delivered to the City Council a 2018/2019 Recommended City Budget. The budget supports quality City services; sustained investment in infrastructure; reasonable and reliable employee wages and benefits; and a budget that proposes a 3 percent tax rate decrease to $8.99 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The Proposed Budget supports total expenditures of $24.3 million (an increase of 1.9 percent). It meets the City Council’s budget goal of staying below the City’s tax cap. Due to a substantial 4.1 percent increase in the City’s tax base, half of which is due to the Genesee County nursing home becoming privately owned and taxable, the budget contains a property tax rate that will go down, to $8.99 per $1,000 -- a reduction of 3 percent.
This is the lowest City tax rate since 2006. Under the Proposed Budget, the City property tax bill for the owner of a home valued at $90,000 would decrease by $25.20.
“The Proposed Budget is a result of growth in our tax base,” said City Manager Molino. In his budget message to City Council he said, “We are committed to our focus to an unabashed “all in” approach to growth.”
Last year the City set a path to achieve $100 million of new investment through the efforts of four distinct priorities: FOCUS on growth, operational excellence, neighborhood investment and BIG Collaborative projects. While the City has made significant gains with all priorities, none are more noticeable than the City winning the Governor’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
“Through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, the City of Batavia will accelerate the redevelopment of existing buildings, and create additional business and residential opportunities downtown,” the manager states.
“By investing in the entrepreneurial climate and downtown environmental qualities, and by encouraging ethnic diversity and active lifestyles, Batavia hopes to foster a creative class of workers who will spur continued job growth.”
Currently, the City has made significant movement towards our goal of $100 million. As of Dec. 31, the City’s “I’m All In!” Scoreboard revealed over $8.8 million in completed investments, $15.8 million in-progress for completion in the next two years and another $58.8 million planned by 2022. In total, after just one year of commitment, we have over $83.5 million on our horizon for completion by 2022, and more still to come.
The Recommended Budget includes:
Completion of Healthy Schools Corridor sidewalk project, a $1 million federal grant for the construction of over 12,000 linear feet of new sidewalk;
Completion of Highway PM grant, $2.55 million federal grant for the resurfacing of six streets;
$256,000 of additional annual street resurfacing;
$285,720 of additional annual sidewalk replacement;
Resurfacing of the East Parking Lot at the City Centre;
Supporting the Town of Batavia in the construction of the Ellicott Trail;
Sales Tax: The budget projects that sales tax collections will increase slightly, .4 percent for next year, a somewhat improvement from the past two years of decline.
Water & Sewer Rates: The proposed rate adjustment for FY18/19 includes a water rate increase of $.18 or 3.5 percent. In addition, the plan includes a capital improvement fee increase for all meter sizes. The impact to a typical residential customer with a 5/8-inch meter will be $.54 per quarter. The proposed water rate for a typical residential user is $5.30 per 1,000 gallons and the capital fee per typical residential user is $5.99 per quarter. The total impact to a typical residential customer (approximately 95 percent of customers) from the proposed rate and fee adjustments is approximately $4.49/quarter. There is no rate increase proposed for the sewer rate this year.
“I wish to thank City Department Heads and Bureau Chiefs, and their staff, for their professional approach to the challenges that mark every budget,” Molino said. “They continue to serve the community with highest standards, and it has been an absolute pleasure to work with them.”
The 2018/19 proposed Budget is posted on the City website at http://www.batavianewyork.com/office-of-the-city-manager/pages/city-budget.
Public copies of the Proposed Budget are available for review at the City Clerk’s office, One Batavia City Centre (1st Floor).
Press release from the Batavia Police Department:
The Batavia Police Department is investigating a car/pedestrian accident which occurred on West Main Street today.
The accident happened at approximately 2:10 p.m. on the area of Settler's.
The pedestrian was walking eastbound on the sidewalk on the north side of West Main Street. While crossing the street, a black Honda sedan struck the pedestrian and continued westbound on West Main Street.
The driver was described as a white female with curly hair.
The pedestrian is currently being treated at UMMC.
Anyone with information in reference to this case is asked to contact Officer Prusak or the Batavia Police Department at 585-345-6350, the confidential tip line at 585-345-6370 or online here.
UPDATE 5:14 p.m.: A caller reports seeing a vehicle that matches the description with front-end damage driving on Willow Street. No information on when the car was seen.
Here's the latest update on Gleba Farms in Batavia and its Community Supported Agriculture opportunities, provided by Tim and Amanda Gleba:
Gleba Farms will offer two CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) options for the 2018 season. We will continue with the Summer Veggie CSA and new for the year is the Meat/ Veggie CSA.
Both CSA options will run for 16 weeks, tentatively starting June 12th and concluding Sept. 27th.
The veggie pickup will be weekly, Tuesday and Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. Pork and turkey will be included in the Meat/ Veggie CSA. Members who sign up for the Meat/ Veggie CSA will receive turkey and pork in addition to their veggie share. The turkey will be ready for pick up just before Thanksgiving and the pork will be ready for pick up at the end of November.
The pork meat is a gourmet meat pig, American Guinea Hog. The AGH were imported by Thomas Jefferson and other Virginia farmers as early as 1804. Also known as the Pineywoods Guinea, Guinea Forest Hog, Acorn Eater, and Yard Pig, the breed was once the most numerous pig breed found on homesteads in the Southeast.
The Guinea Hog is a gourmet meat pig raised on pasture. Chefs and charcuterie artists prefer to cook with this breed. The marbling, and intramuscular fat hasn't been bred out of these special hogs. However, the taste comes largely from the way they are raised.
Members will receive 1/2 a pig which equates to 50 to 60 pounds of meat. From the butcher you will receive a ham, pork chops, tenderloin, bacon, pork shoulder, breakfast sausage, neck bone and hocks (which make great tomato sauce) and lard (optional). The butcher will smoke the ham and bacon.
For the 2018 growing season we have scaled back on the amount of varieties and concentrate on growing what did well for a larger yield. The list of 30-plus veggies is available to view on our website.
As soon as the ground thaws we will start the construction of the deer fence to help protect the veggie crop. Deer was one of our biggest obstacles last year. There are other tactics we will employ to better protect this year's crop; ie. coyote decoy, scarecrows and a motion-sensor water sprinkler.
Our livestock are pastured during the spring, summer and fall months, so they grow at their own pace. We do not use antibiotics or growth hormones. We feel it's a healthier lifestyle for the animals, which in return, produces a healthier, higher quality meat.
The chickens are weathering the cold quite well. They are staying warm in the coop and currently molting. We have had a few members inquiring about eggs this winter. Between the cold and the molting, chickens are not currently laying. We will send an emailing advising when they do.
We will be adding a "guard geese" to the flock to hopefully mitigate any loss to predators. A farmer in the Southern Tier has had luck with geese protecting the chickens, so we thought we would give it a try.
We are adding two beehives to the farm this year. A local apiarist is helping us by providing some guidance on getting started. There are so many health benefits to local raw honey. We will keep everyone posted with the progress.
In a portion of the front field we will be planting 150 Christmas trees (Douglas fir, Fraser fir, concolor fir and blue spruce). As we were planning for the 2018 growing season we concluded we would not be utilizing the whole front field. So, instead of letting the field go to waste, we decided to plant coniferous trees with the intent of cutting them for Christmas trees in several years.
Since we started the farm, we have found if you work hard enough, sometimes you get lucky. There are no short cuts, it takes time and it takes money and it takes reflection to properly care for the land and livestock. We’ve had a few great farmers and members from the community help us along the way.
In closing, we valued the feedback we received from our members. We are in this for the long haul, so we want to ensure we fulfill the expectations of our members. Amanda and I have an appreciation for the relationships we have cultivated with everyone last year!
Lastly, I would like to give a big thank you to Tom Ryan, Ryan's Rose Organic Farm, John Riley, Riley's Family Farm and John Eisenhard, Eisenhard Forestry.
Cheers to a successful and prosperous 2018!
Eddie "Pops" Miles Jr., is also charged with criminal contempt and aggravated criminal contempt.
The incident began Sunday morning just before 9 a.m. when police were dispatched to a report of a domestic at 207 Washington Ave., Batavia.
When patrols arrived, Miles allegedly threatened to shoot police. That caused police to establish a perimeter, evacuate neighboring homes, and initiate a reverse 9-1-1 call to other residents with a shelter in place notice.
Then Miles allegedly started a fire inside the apartment where he was staying with his girlfriend.
His girlfriend managed to climb out on the roof of the front porch and escape with the assistance of police officers.
While the apartment burned, city firefighters could only shelter behind their trucks.
Eventually, Miles surrendered and climbed down a ladder at the back of the building.
There was also a warrant out for his arrest. He is charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd.
He also still has charges pending from 2017.
Miles was arrested in August for allegedly putting his arm around the neck of another person and injecting a dog with an unknown purple liquid.
In July, he allegedly took a car belonging to another person without permission.
He is being held in the Genesee County Jail without bail.
A proposed new Dollar General store for East Pembroke should meet the goal of making the hamlet more walkable, according to county planners.
That would mean removing parking from the front of the building and bringing the structure closer to the sidewalk.
Last night, the County Planning Board approved the site review with that recommendation. It will be up to the Town of Batavia's Planning Board to decide whether to implement the recommendation.
Planning Director Felipe A. Oltramari explained that the Town of Batavia is adopting form-based planning as part of its comprehensive plan and has already adopted a policy that should help the town, which includes East Pembroke, become a walkable community.
East Pembroke currently scores a 15 at WalkScore.com and is considered car-dependent.
Since the policy is not yet part of the town's codes, the Planning Board could only make a recommendation and not take a stronger stand.
There are already six Dollar General stores in Genesee County.
This location will be on Main Road at Barrett Drive.
The developer is Zarembra Group Inc., based in Cleveland, Ohio.
The single-story building will be 9,100 square feet.
The layout is spacious and open with cathedral ceilings and the bedrooms are large with huge closets-the master bedroom suite is every girl's dream! Master bedroom bath and laundry hookups all on main floor for no stairs convenience! The location is on quiet country road within five minute drive of Thruway and shopping.
This home has public water as well-all the pluses of country living with amenities! Definitely one to check out. Why build when you can buy this beautiful home at almost half the cost!
Call Lynn Bezon today or click here to view the full listing.
A minor-injury pedestrian accident is reported on West Main Street, Batavia, in front of Arby's.
City fire and Mercy EMS responding.
UPDATE 4:14 p.m.: The victim, who had not been transported, has traveled to the Emergency Room at UMMC seeking treatment.
Tomorrow the Batavia Players will screen a premier showing of "Macbeth," filmed and produced in Batavia, at the Harvester 56 Theater.
"Though the language is true to the original Shakespeare, the period is modern with a 'West Side Story' flare," said Emily Crawford, publicist for Harvester 56.
"The roles of nobility and the murderous rivalry between them has been adapted to a gang environment. This is the first time many of our actors are appearing on screen, though we do have a few veterans in the mix."
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a reception. The screening starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 at the door.
We've been notified of the following closings and cancellations:
Send notifications of closings and cancellations to howard@thebatavian.com. Send your weather pictures to howard@thebatavian.com
Press release:
Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer (R-C-I, Amherst) has introduced legislation (S7397) today in the State Senate to establish tax parity between Batavia Downs and other gaming facilities in New York State.
“New York State imposes one of the highest tax rates on Batavia Downs, and it’s one of the smallest gaming facilities in our region,” Ranzenhofer said. “This regressive rate deprives taxpayers across 15 counties an equitable portion of revenues.
"Lowering the tax rate will make Batavia Downs more competitive with other gaming facilities while ensuring a fairer share of revenues are returned to taxpayers through our local governments.”
In 2015, the facility had a total economic impact of $83.4 million, generating $21.5 million for state education funding, and $3.4 million to participating municipalities.
“We applaud Senator Ranzenhofer’s legislative efforts to level the playing field for Batavia Downs Gaming. This bill will allow us to return more resources to our member communities,” said Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation (WROTB) Board of Directors Chairman Richard Bianchi.
The legislation would lower Batavia Down’s taxes paid to New York State by increasing the facility’s portion of net winnings from 35 percent to 41 percent. If enacted, the act would take effect on April 1, 2019.
Under existing state law, the oldest nighttime harness track in the country pays one of the highest effective tax rates among gaming centers in the region.
Gaming Operation
Facility’s Portion of Net Winnings* (%)
Batavia Downs
35
del Lago Resort & Casino
70.18
Vernon Downs
41
Hamburg Gaming
41
*2017-18 Fiscal Year
Batavia Downs Gaming, operated by WROTB, is a standardbred racetrack and gaming facility. WROTB is a public benefit corporation – owned by 15 Western New York counties, including Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Wyoming, as well as the cities of Rochester and Buffalo. Since its inception, WROTB has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in operating and surcharge revenues to the residents of those participating municipalities.
Press release:
Nick Stankevich spoke to about 30 constituents in the Town of Pavilion late Thursday afternoon. The gathering was hosted by Sarah Noble-Moag, of Noblehurst Farms.
Farmers, teachers, business owners and other local residents had the opportunity to meet the only rural congressional candidate in New York's 27th District.
He covered a range of questions from rural Internet access to immigration reform.
Stankevich acknowledged that there is a lot of work to do but it must be done by working with the people, making fiscally responsible economic choices and putting people first.
Press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley outlining his budget priorities:
Government is about the people. Making a difference in the everyday lives of individuals should be the central role to which we aspire as legislators. Society flourishes when personal freedom and liberty rule the day, not directives and penalties handed down in the form of taxes and mandates.
Unfortunately for New Yorkers, Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State Address last week was filled with the latter. Lofty expansion of programs and more state spending is what many witnessed but few desire.
According to the Tax Foundation, New York ranks 49th in the country in tax climate for businesses for the fourth year in a row. In addition, our state ranks 49th in terms of tax levies on personal income, 47th in property-taxes and 43rd in sales taxes – all of which have contributed to more than one millions residents who have left the state since 2010.
We have the power to change these embarrassing statistics and rewrite New York’s mantra of tax, fine and harass.
The solutions start with reducing fraud and waste in our Medicaid system, which spends more than Florida and Texas combined, and mitigating the over 140,000 pages of regulations Albany elites impose on our job creators – not bloating government as Gov. Cuomo proclaims. Mandates like these, which counties and local governments cannot afford, are eventually paid by individuals in the form of higher property and state taxes.
We need to build on the success of the Charitable Gaming Act that was signed into law last year and further empower the thousands of fire departments, Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, nonprofits, churches and charitable organizations that provide tremendous community services through their raffles.
Lake Ontario flood victims are still hurting and this year’s budget should include more funding to help these struggling individuals and business owners return to normalcy.
State government should hinge on allowing people to flourish and that cannot happen if disconnected elites like Gov. Cuomo continue to use their tax dollars to tax, penalize and restrict them.
Assemblyman Hawley represents the 139th District, which consists of Genesee, Orleans and parts of Monroe County. For more information, please visit Assemblyman Hawley’s Official Website.
Cancer survivor Mike Mager, above, had the bell plaque engraved with brief instructions: “When treatment is complete, we announce it with this bell. Ring once for what you have endured. Ring twice for today. Ring once more for the future.”
Submitted photo and press release:
When Mike Mager, of Batavia, finished his seven weeks of radiation therapy, he was relieved and happy. But after the 33 grueling treatments in Wilmot Cancer Institute’s Radiation Oncology facility at Strong Memorial Hospital, he wished he could have done more to mark the occasion.
“It was like crossing the finish line, but there wasn’t anything there,” Mager says.
As he continued his recovery, he decided to change that. Mager, who does carpentry in his free time, found a bell and created a plaque for it.
The bell, now hanging in a corridor near the treatment rooms, was dedicated on Tuesday, Jan. 9. It’s low enough for pediatric patients or adults in wheelchairs to reach and ring when they’ve finished treatment.
“Mr. Mager is very creative to create a beautiful piece of art for patients who have completed their radiation treatment course,” says Yuhchyau Chen, M.D., Ph.D., chair and the Richard T. Bell Endowed Professor of Radiation Oncology at Wilmot.
“We hear the lovely bell chime 20 to 30 times per week on average. Our patients are so appreciative of Mr. Mager's kindness and consideration. With this bell, patients share a common bond in completing treatment and starting the new chapter and new hope in cancer survivorship.”
In 2016, Mager was diagnosed with a head and neck cancer. He underwent complex surgery with Paul van der Sloot, M.D., to remove the tumor before he began the intensive radiation therapy with Deepinder Singh, M.D.
“My doctor said the first week would be easy but the last weeks would be hell,” Mager recalls.
By that final week, the side effects of the treatment left him feeling so sick and dehydrated that he required IV fluids.
“It’s an achievement to make it through what I went through,” Mager says, and he wanted the bell to reflect that.
He had the bell plaque engraved with brief instructions: “When treatment is complete, we announce it with this bell. Ring once for what you have endured. Ring twice for today. Ring once more for the future.”
“It takes a special heart to convey feelings like this,” says Singh, Mager’s radiation oncologist. “Dedicating this bell is important to our patients and our department. It recognizes how hard our staff works to take care of our patients, and it is inspiring to those going through the ups and downs of treatment.”
Even though more than a year had passed between when Mager finished treatment and when he rang the bell, he said he looked forward to it.
“It made me feel complete,” he says.
###
UR Medicine’s Wilmot Cancer Institute is the Finger Lakes region’s leader for cancer care and research. As a component of Strong Memorial Hospital, Wilmot Cancer Institute provides specialty cancer care services at the University of Rochester Medical Center and a network of locations throughout the region. The Institute also includes a team of 100 scientists who investigate many aspects of cancer, with an emphasis on how best to provide precision cancer care. To learn more, visit wilmot.urmc.edu
Press release:
Christina Hietala-Johnson, age 35, of Rochester, was sentenced to five years’ probation in Genesee County Court on Thursday (Jan. 11) as a result of her guilty plea last October to a felony count of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree.
In addition, Hietala-Johnson was also ordered to pay $2,245 in restitution to the Genesee County Department of Social Services, will be disqualified from receiving Food Stamp benefits and Temporary Assistance benefits, and must perform 500 hours of community service.
Hietala-Johnson had been charged in June 2017 with two counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree and one count of grand larceny in the fourth degree. Those charges were filed when a social services investigation revealed she had submitted various recertification forms to the Department of Social Services and failed to report that she was married.
Anyone wishing to report suspected cases of Welfare Fraud in Genesee County can contact the Genesee County Department of Social Services Fraud Investigation Unit at (585)344-2580, ext. 6417 or 6416. All calls are confidential.
Dozens of people turned up at T.F. Brown's last night for a goodbye and thank you party for Jason Molino, who is working his last day as Batavia's City Manager today.
Above, Molino with County Manager Jay Gsell and Max Pies co-owner Steve Pies.
Molino with council presidents. From left, current council president Eugene Jankowski, and former council presidents Marianne Clattenburg and Bruce Tehan, who was council president in the 1980s, before Molino came to town, but wanted his picture with Molino and the other council presidents in attendance.
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