The City of Batavia is seeking applications from income-qualified home owners for housing repairs.

The City of Batavia received federal Community Development Block Grant Funds (CDBG) to provide grant assistance to 10 income-qualified homeowners within the City of Batavia. The Residential Rehabilitation program offers assistance of up to $25,000 per structure for repairs and basic structural deficiencies. Repairs include foundation work, exterior work, roofing, siding, windows, heating, electrical, plumbing, and more.

Interested applicants should submit a Residential Rehabilitation Program application and accompanying documentation by June 1, 2024. For more information, details on program requirements, and applications visit https://www.batavianewyork.com/ or contact Julie Dahlie, Grants Administrator at jdahlie@batavianewyork.com, 585-565-4423.

The Law Street Yard Waste Station will open for the season on Monday, April 15, for city residents.

The station will be open from noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until Daylight Savings Time in November, when time changes to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The station will also be closed on May 27 for Memorial Day, July 4 for Independence Day, September 2 for Labor Day, and November 28 for Thanksgiving. The station will close for the season in early December.

City residents may bring yard waste material (grass, leaves, and limbs) to the Law Street Yard Waste Station as there is no spring curbside pickup of these materials. 

The following items cannot be accepted at the station:

• tree stumps
• building materials
• rock
• fill (soil and stone), other debris

Yard waste shall be free of trash (paper, plastic, bottles, cans...etc.), as this material cannot be processed.

Use the Law Street entrance to enter and exit the City Yard Waste Station only.

The City of Batavia Water Department will need to temporarily turn off water in the Jackson Street area on Tuesday, November 7th, for the duration of the day to replace a valve. The following streets will be without water: 

Chestnut Street, Kibbe Avenue, Elmwood Avenue, South Jackson Street, from Jackson Street to Liberty Street, and Jackson Street, from Central Avenue to South Jackson Street.

Surrounding streets may be affected as well.

As always, when the water is restored, it may be discolored. Please refrain from doing any laundry until the water runs clear.

We apologize for any inconvenience, and the public’s patience is greatly appreciated.

There has been some ongoing discussion, debate and confusion online about lights in the city of Batavia: who is responsible for repairing them, replacing burned out bulbs, and whatever happened to that deal where the city was going to replace all of the lights with energy-efficient LEDs?

Please be advised that Blue Heron Construction will be mobilizing equipment in preparation for construction on the Jackson Street Water project within the City of Batavia. 

Construction on this project is scheduled to begin the week of Oct. 30 and will include the installation of approximately 2,250 linear feet of new 8-inch water mains and appurtenances to replace existing 4-inch and 6-inch water mains on Jackson Street from Chestnut Street to Ellicott Street.

Traffic delays are to be expected; however, no street closures are anticipated at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we work to improve our community.

Press Release:

The City of Batavia Police Department would like to remind everyone of the following safety tips to ensure a safe and Happy Halloween.

Walkers  

• Wear bright-colored costumes or attach something reflective to your costume or candy bag 
• Cross the street only at marked intersections 
• Follow traffic signals and use crosswalks 
• Look both ways before crossing the street 
• Put phones down and watch where you are going 
• Walk only on sidewalks (where provided, if none walk facing traffic) 
• Be on the lookout for cars at all times 

Drivers 

• Drive slowly and stay alert 
• Look for children at every intersection and take extra time 
• Back up slowly and check multiple times for pedestrians 
• Eliminate distractions (put down phones and keep radio volume at a low level) 
• Make complete stops at all intersections and allow pedestrians to cross the street 

The City of Batavia will observe Halloween Trick-or-Treating activities between the hours of 4- 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31 only.

Residents are asked to rake leaves into piles and leave them in the parkway (un-bagged). Please, place it close to the curb line/edge of the roadway without placing it in the street. Do not pile around fire hydrants, trees, utility poles, or signposts. Leaf piles should only contain leaves and no branches, grass clippings, or other materials.

Leaf operations typically have one crew on the Northside working from Grandview Terrace moving West, North of Main Street, and a second crew on the Southside beginning on River Street moving East in areas South of Main Street. A third crew will work using a vacuum along main roads and numbered routes. It takes about 2 weeks to go through the entire city and fluctuates from there depending on the size of the leaf loads.

Any resident with leaves can also bring them to the Yard Waste Station until it closes for the season on Dec. 9. The Yard Waste hours are 12 - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Nov. 4, and then 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. from November 6th through December 9th due to the hours of daylight. The Yard Waste Station will be closed on Nov. 23 for Thanksgiving Day and will officially close for the season after Dec. 9.

Important information about leaf collection:

• Leaf piles must be clear of sticks and all animal waste – if animal waste or other debris is found in the piles, they will not be picked up.
• Grass clippings, flower potting, branches, and pumpkins cannot be picked up and residents may bring those items to the Yard Waste Station on Law Street (which will be open through Dec. 9).
• Leaves should not block traffic or be piled near intersection corners. This causes sight issues for motorists/bicyclists/pedestrians.
• Keep leaf piles clear of drainage ways and catch basins. Blocked drainage leads to localized flooding.
• Leaves should not be piled around mailboxes, power poles, fences, fire hydrants, or other obstacles. 
• Do not park on leaf piles. The heat from a vehicle exhaust system could start a fire. 
• Do not wait to get your leaves out. We will normally collect leaves twice within the month of leaf collection.
• If it is snowing, we plow first. If it continues to snow, then leaf operations will be suspended.
• There is no leaf pickup in the spring.

Contact the Bureau of Maintenance @ 585-345-6400 option 1 if you have any questions.

City of Batavia and Genesee County fire department and management leaders have been on site with fire trucks, issuing reminders and presenting a proclamation, all in an effort to recognize and promote the importance of Fire Prevention Week, which ends on Saturday.

Although the week officially runs from Oct. 8 to 14, Batavia Fire Department Lieutenant Bob Tedford wants citizens to remember that cooking safety begins with you, no matter when that is. Cooking is the leading cause of home fire injuries, according to the National Fire Protection Association, with nearly half of all home fires involving cooking equipment, according to a press release sent from Tedford on behalf of the NFPA.

The City of Batavia Fire Department, therefore, wanted to share the following cooking safety messages to support this year’s cooking safety theme, he said. 

• Always keep a close eye on what you are cooking. For foods with longer cook times, such as those simmering or baking, set a timer to help monitor them carefully.

• Clear the cooking area of combustible items and keep anything that can burn, such as dish towels, oven mitts, food packaging, and paper towels away from the cooking area.

• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.

• Create a “kid and pet-free zone” of at least three feet around the cooking area and anywhere else hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

As the biggest annual campaign at NFPA, Fire Prevention Week works to educate people about the leading risks to home fires and ways they can better protect themselves and their loved ones. Local fire departments play a key role in bringing Fire Prevention Week to life in their communities each year and spreading basic but critical fire safety messages.

To learn more about Fire Prevention Week, its 100th anniversary, and this year’s theme,  go to www.nfpa.org/fpw.

County legislators also recognized the week during the Legislature’s Wednesday meeting with a proclamation, which was presented to Emergency Management Services and Fire Coordinator Timothy Yaeger and Assistant Coordinator Gary Patnode on behalf of the 17 volunteer and one career fire department in Genesee County.

The proclamation states:

WHEREAS, the week of October 8 th through the 14 th , 2023 is Fire Prevention Week where the goal is to raise fire safety awareness and help ensure your home and family is protected, and

WHEREAS, fire is a serious public safety concern both locally and nationally, with homes being the location where people are at the greatest risk from fire, and

WHEREAS, cooking is the leading cause of house fires, with nearly half of all house fires involves cooking equipment and the other involves unattended cooking, and

WHEREAS, residents should stay in the kitchen when frying food on the stovetop, keep a three-foot kid-free zone around cooking areas and keep anything that can catch fire away from stove tops, and

WHEREAS, residents who have planned and practiced a home fire escape plan are more prepared and will therefore be more likely to survive a fire, and

WHEREAS, in reported house fires, working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in half, and

WHEREAS, first responders are dedicated to reducing the occurrence of home fires and home fire injuries through prevention and protection. Now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Genesee County Legislature does hereby proclaim October 8th through the 14th, 2023 as Fire Prevention Week and we urge all residents to participate by checking their smoke alarms and kitchens for fire hazards and use safe cooking practices during Fire Prevention Week.

Press Release:

The Organizational Meeting of the Genesee County Republican Committee was held on Tuesday, October 3 with a huge majority of members present. Due to the decision of Richard Siebert, Chairman for the last 20 years, to not seek re-election, the position of Chairman was the main item on the Agenda. 

All officer positions were available and were re-elected as follows:

• 1st Vice Chairman Stephen M. Hawley, Town of Batavia 
• 2nd Vice Chairman Mary Alice Panek, Town of Stafford 
• Treasurer Michael Cianfrini, Town of Oakfield 
• Secretary Kathleen Jasinski, Town of Batavia
• Scott German, City of Batavia, was elected as Chairman. He is the present Genesee County Treasurer.