The third of five meetings for the Police Facilities Task Force had members looking at drawings and maps and thinking about traffic patterns, parking and floodplains.

The committee reviewed the proposed sites for a new police station, looked at the options for remodeling the current location -- the old Brisbane Mansion -- and asked why a variety other locations in the city weren't considered.

The task of the task force is to come up with a recommendation for the City Council by July 1.

They meet next on March 10 to look at financing options.

Their virtual tour of potential locations started at 56 Ellicott St., the former Santy Tires location.

Advantages include access to Ellicott Street and Evans Street (a driveway would extend along the north side of the Salvation Army building), high visibility Downtown and the opportunity for all new construction.

The downsides include being in the floodplain (though, by a slight margin, the highest of the sites in floodplains), some level of environmental remediation because of the former auto repair shop and gas stations, and proximity to the Della Penna property.

The Della Penna property itself has been taken off the list because the lot size is slightly too small and it will require significant environmental remediation.

Next up was the Salvation Army building on Jackson Street.

The location is not as visible as 56 Ellicott, but not entirely hidden either. It's also in the floodplain, but would offer a good configuration for the actual building as providing separate parking for police and civilians with separate access points.

The current building is not suitable for retrofitting to meet the needs of a modern police headquarters, so would need to be torn down and a new building constructed.

Another location for a new building is 165 Evans St.

The location would offer a lot of space, but it also creates a lot of problems. It would eliminate the current parking for Falleti Ice Arena, forcing new parking behind the building and perhaps changing the primary entrance for the rink to the back of the building or the north side.

"We've identified that there was a parking issue with the ice rink and that we would need to reconfigure it, but we didn't come up with a solution," City Manager Jason Molino said.

There's a seven-acre lot behind that location and Molino said the city is getting some serious interest in redeveloping that land.

Also under consideration is co-locating with the Sheriff's Office on Park Road.

This is not the clear win advocates of shared services might think. One of the big cost drivers (making it a very expensive option) is that the new building would require new mechanicals. If the two buildings had been constructed as one facility or built at the same time, then they could share heating and air and such; but they weren't, so they can't.

"If it's not that much cheaper, why are we discussing it?" Molino said. "Because, for 25 years, people have been suggesting it, so it at least deserves a good evaluation or people will always be asking the question and saying, 'well, you didn't look at this site.' "

The biggest challenge, Molino said, would be for the city and county to come up with an operating agreement -- how costs would be allocated, what would be shared, what would remain separate, and similar operations issues.

The location, being well outside the heart of the city, would also require a satellite office for the department somewhere Downtown.

For the current facility, which is more than 150 years old, there are two options: Tear down the 1963 addition to the facility (the entire back of the building) and build new or remodel the existing wing.

Neither option offers significant cost savings over building an entirely new building at another location. It doesn't solve the parking and access issues currently faced by the department and no new floor plan could be fashioned that meets the needs of a small city police department in 2014.

But officers could have an indoor firing range in the basement.

Another option Molino presented to the task force was maintain the status quo.

Such an option wouldn't improve the layout of the building, because no substantial changes could be made.

The current building isn't compliant with the American with Disabilities Act, so any design changes beyond just the cosmetic would force the city to make the entire building conform to ADA rules. The cost thing skyrockets back up to the range of a complete remodel. 

Enlarging the bathrooms and adding air conditioning to the parts of the building that don't have it are both examples of pressing needs with the current building that would kick in ADA rules.

Chief Shawn Heubusch offered that early on, officials looked at the mall as a possible location, but there's no good solution to some of the access issues it would create.

Any location on Main Street would present access and parking problems.

The city at one time looked at the old armory on State Street, locations around Alva Place and on Bank Street and the Harvester Avenue area and found significant deficiencies in access and traffic patterns with each.

The bottom line: There is no easy answer to the question of where Batavia should house its police force.

Top photo: John S. Brice, architect, Geddis Architects, who facilitated the discussion. Bottom photo: City Manager Jason Molino.

Message from County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens:

Wall Street Journal: College Rule for Police at Issue (subscription required)

An accident with possible serious injuries is reported on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 404. 

The call came from a tollbooth operator. 

A Thruway vehicle is involved; the injury is in the second vehicle. 

Pembroke and Indian Falls fire along with Mercy EMS responding. 

UPDATE 3:58 a.m.: Mercy Flight out of Batavia is only available for eastbound flights at this time. Dispatch on availability of Mercy Flight out of Buffalo. 

UPDATE 4:09 a.m.: All eastbound traffic being blocked. CPR in progress. 

UPDATE 4:18 a.m.: Mercy Flight can stand down. 

UPDATE 5:50 a.m.: We have no further information at this time. The accident is under investigation, according to State Police.

Closures and cancellations announced so far for Friday, Feb. 13, due to weather:

• Batavia City Schools
• Pavilion Central Schools (not closed: two-hour delay)
• Notre Dame
• St. Joe's
• Bingo tonight at St. Mary's is cancelled

E-mail closures and cancellations to howard@thebatavian.com

A 17-year-old has been charged with three felonies after being observed allegedly selling narcotics on school grounds in Alexander.

Nicholas David Frayne, of Chick Road, Darien, is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance on school grounds, criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, and criminal possession of controlled substance as a Class A misdemeanor. 

The alleged sale was reported at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Alexander Central School.

Officials did not say who observed the alleged sale.

The case was investigated by Deputy Patrick Reeves and Sgt. Greg Walker.

Frayne was arraigned in Town of Alexander Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Photo by Thomas Coveny, taken this morning. A plow truck pulls a school bus from a ditch on Bater Road near Route 5, Le Roy.

Darien Lake Theme Park draws thousands upon thousands of visitors from all over Western New York each summer, but General Manager Chris Thorpe says Genesee County residents are going to be especially pleased with what they find at the park this season.

Two new massive rides are going to add a lot more value for season-pass holders, he said, and local season-pass holders are an important customer base.

"We are excited to present these two new attractions this year," Thorpe said. "We think it cements us as the best entertainment value in Western New York, particularly from a local perspective. For Batavia residents, local Genesee County residents, our season pass will offer so much more this year. We're excited to give them the opportunity to come out and visit the park frequently, over and over, to see what a great value we are."

The new rides are called Brain Drain and Rolling Thunder.

Brain Drain is a massive, seven-story waterslide that offers twin free-fall drops through tubes that loop and cross, with riders zooming through at 38 feet per second until they're blasted into a pool of water at the base.

Riders start in an enclosed launch capsule, with both riders dropping into the tube simultaneously when the floor beneath them gives way.

Roling Thunder is a compact steel loop that stands 73 feet at its apex and propels 24 riders at time through a closed loop on a high-speed train. The ride hangs passengers upside down and rockets back and forth through the loop.

Construction will begin soon and the rides are expected to be ready for opening day, May 9.

The expansion gives the park 47 rides for visitors to choose from, with enough variety to please all guests, Thorpe said.

"There's so much to do, but what's even better, is there's something for everybody in the family here," said Thorpe, who is originally from Buffalo and first started working at Darien Lake in 1995, rising to the level of general manager, transferring to other theme parks for the past couple of years and now returns home.

Noting how important Darien Lake is to the local economy in the jobs it creates and the tourism dollars it attracts, Chamber President Tom Turnbull said it was great to see the theme park adding rides.

"One of the things I've learned from our friends at Darien Lake -- they've kind of schooled me on the amusement park business -- is how important attractions are in driving attendance," Turnbull said. "To have not just one new attraction, but two new attractions means, I think, we can expect a banner year at Darien Lake."

Adding rides is a departure from last year's strategy to draw visitors to the park, using entertainment, such as the Harlem Globetrotters, a Latin music festival, and, of course, Nik Wallenda to draw in crowds.

To be sure, Wallenda brought guests to the park, but he's moving on to other venues this season and Thrope said the new rides are a good fit for what the park already offers.

"We'll still have our traditional entertainment in place, the magic shows and things like that, but last year's focus was Nik Wallenda, which was a very strong attraction," Thorpe said. "This year, we're going more with a hardware focus and looking at attractions that will peak people's interest."

The park will still work to maintain its identity as a destination with strong Western New York roots, Thorpe said, a branding effort begun by park management two seasons ago.

"It's important for us to be woven into the cultural fabric of Western New York and those things like the Anchor Bar and Tim Horton's and all the local vendors we work with are critically important to our success," Thorpe said.

Chris Thorpe explaining Rolling Thunder.

Tom Turnbull

Stephen J. Turkasz, 24, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Turkasz is accused of posting photos of people who are the subject of a protective order on a social media Web site, in alleged violation of the order of protection.

Malcolm A. Kea, 27, Porter Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant related to a charge of operating while registration suspended or revoked. Kea was arrested at his residence for alleged failure to appear.

Curt Thomas Randall, 27, of Swamp Road, Bergen, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Randall was stopped for an alleged traffic violation at 4:05 p.m. Wednesday on Byron Holley Road, Bryon, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Benjamin G. Evans, 26, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Evans is accused of stealing from Tops Market, Batavia. Evans was arrested by State Police.

A little bit of snow fell on Batavia overnight and this morning, but that isn't the worst weather news you're going to get today.

It's going to get cold. Very cold.

A wind chill warning is in effect from 6 p.m. until noon Friday.

With winds of 10 to 20 mph, the wind chill value will be 20 to 30 degrees below zero.

The National Weather Service warns of the dangers of frostbite and hypothermia.

Stay warm.

New York Times: Smoking’s Toll on Health Is Even Worse Than Previously Thought, a Study Finds

A black SUV rolloved over several times on the eastbound Thruway but the driver has minor, if any, injuries, according to a dispatcher, who is on the phone with the driver. Location is mile marker 380.2; Le Roy fire and ambulance responding.

UPDATE 7:48 a.m.: Command says the crew is actually in the westbound lane; the vehicle is in the median. State Troopers are en route.

UPDATE 8 a.m.: Troopers on scene.

A band of lake effect snow is passing through Western New York and could come into Genesee County, affecting visibility for those on the roadways within the next hour.

There could also be unexpected slick spots on roads.

The Thruway area affected is between exits 48 and 60.

Caution is advised while driving.

Press release:

State Senator Michael H. Ranzenhofer and Assemblyman Stephen Hawley have introduced special legislation, S.1292/A.4367, in the New York State Legislature to allow the use of rifles for big game hunting in Genesee County.

“In several areas of New York State, sportsmen are allowed to hunt deer with rifles and this change in law would allow the use of rifles in Genesee County,” Ranzenhofer said. “As the this year’s session progresses, Assemblyman Hawley and I will be working together to get this bill signed into law.”

Assemblyman Stephen Hawley is sponsoring the bill in the State Assembly.

“Hunting is very popular in Western New York, and this legislation is being requested on behalf of the Genesee County Legislature. I am pleased to address concerns of local governing bodies from my district and will work with members of the Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee to bring this bill to the floor for a vote,” Hawley said.

Last fall, the Genesee County Legislature and the Genesee County Federation of Sportsman Club requested the special legislation to be introduced at the beginning of the 2015 Legislative Session.

Existing environmental conservation law only authorizes the use of pistols, shotguns, crossbows, muzzle-loading firearms or long bows when hunting deer from the first Saturday after Nov. 15 through the first Sunday after Dec. 7.

The bill has been referred to the Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation in the Senate. If enacted into law, the bill would take effect immediately.

Press release from Assemblyman Steve Hawley:

“The election of Speaker Heastie last week brought hope that ethics reform would be ushered in with the changing of the guard in Albany. We are now beginning to realize that the priorities will likely remain the same despite the leadership change.

"Speaker Heastie stood tough on ethics reform merely a week ago and now we have learned his focus has shifted to rent control for New York City residents. I would like to say I am surprised, but the more things change the more they stay the same.

"As the legislature gavels out for its break, we have not heard a murmur of legislative ethics talk and cannot even discuss it until two weeks from now after the legislative break. It will have been almost two months since the opening day of session when we return to the chamber, and still no substantial legislation or ethics package has been voted on. That is unacceptable.”

Northbound Ellicott Street is temporarily closed, with traffic being diverted into the center turn lane, because of a concrete mix spill from a Hanson Aggregates cement truck. The mixture is thin and covers an area about 100 yards long. Hanson workers are cleaning it up.

After first providing her alcohol in April, a Batavia man allegedly subjected a 16-year-old girl to unwanted sexual contact according to state troopers in Warsaw.

Charged with sexual abuse, 1st, criminal sexual act, 3rd, and unlawful dealing with a child is 24-year-old Preston Matthew Ruble.

Ruble allegedly served alcohol to two teenage girls, one 16 and the other 17, on the night of April 12 and 13, then sexually abused the younger girl.

Ruble was arraigned in Village of Warsw court and jailed in Wyoming County on $20,000 bail or $40,000 bond.

Firefighters clear snow from around a fire hydrant on Clifton Avenue, Batavia. There are some 640 hydrants in the city. A firefighter noted, "I know it's our job, but we can't get to them all." He said it would be great if residents would adopt the hydrants on their streets and help keep them clear of snow. "After all," he said, "it's their property we're trying to protect."