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Deer and Vibrant Batavia funds on City Council agenda for tonight

By Howard B. Owens

Rather than a typical Monday night meeting, the Batavia City Council is holding its conference meeting tonight, Tuesday night, and discussions are expected to include what to do about deer, what to do with funds previously earmarked for Vibrant Batavia, what happened with funding for the Business Improvement District.

The city's deer population has been a point of discussion with the council before, and after researching the issue, City Manager Jason Molino is asking the council for direction on what to do next, how much city staff time should be spent on the issue and what approach might the city take on the topic. Council members received, as part of their agenda packet, a 50-page pamphlet on community-based deer management. There are several approaches the city could take, Molino said in his memo to council, and the best approach depends on the situation in the community and what community members will accept as an appropriate response. "There is no right answer," the memo says, based on the recommendations of the pamphlet authors.

Councilman Adam Tabelski requested an item on tonight's agenda regarding the disposition of funds previously earmarked for Vibrant Batavia, which the council decided to defund at its last meeting.  That creates a pool of $97,000 in unallocated funds. Tabelski is suggesting the money be used for the as-yet unfunded Batavia Pathway to Prosperity Capital and Reinvestment Fund. New PILOT agreements with property developers is supposed to generate funds for that program, which is intended to help mitigate clean-up of brownfield sites in the city. That creates a bit of a chicken and egg problem, because funds are needed to clean up brownfields and there's no money in the fund. "Kickstarting the BP2 fund with a significant amount of seed money will help turn an innovative approach to target economic development into reality," Tabelski wrote in his memo.

The council will also discuss changes in the funding formula for the Business Improvement District. The reduction in funding for the BID prompted its board of directors to cancel Summer in the City.

The City Council meets at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

John Roach

Unless the other government agencies involved also put the same amount in, then no. Why is it the City is always the one having to give up money?

I'd suggest a few different ideas for the money: Leave it in the general fund to offset taxes next year, use it to help pay for the new police station, build the Spray Park that was promised for the South side or put in the equipment fund. Maybe even fix that slide at Austin park

May 24, 2016, 10:31am Permalink
Rich Richmond

I really like the suggestion of a spray park, John. If I remember correctly, one should have put in years ago.

Many native Batavians such as I have fond memories while growing up of Kibbie and the old wading pool with the raised fountain-sprayer in the middle. You could actually sit on that round concrete block, and put your stuff on it; swimming googles and fins. When you're between four and eleven, that was a big deal.

This was deepest wading pool in the City.

We would spend the day there and we had several family picnics-clambakes when relatives would come from out of town.

We would be there until dark and I cut my teeth at Kibbie learning to play Bocce with my father, grandfather and uncles.

Kibbie will be a great location for a spray park and I'd take my grandson there and introduce him to Bocce.

May 24, 2016, 11:21am Permalink

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