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A bowling ball rolls down the wooden lane, striking into the pins and clattering them to the floor.
A whoop and a cheer are let out as the next bowler takes center stage; all this is possible thanks largely to a $5,000 grant from the M&T Charitable Foundation. The grant was awarded to enhance Arc GLOW’s recreation and respite programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Genesee, Livingston, and Wyoming counties. Thanks to this generous support, the people served by Arc GLOW are participating in a wide array of inclusive and enriching activities. From bowling nights and movie outings to dining experiences, museum and theater visits, and local festivals.
“Our goal is to create opportunities for joy, connection, and community involvement,” said Jill Pegelow, vice president of Self-Direction and Community Services at Arc GLOW. “M&T Bank’s support plays a huge part in helping us bring these experiences to life.”
Arc GLOW has several events on tap in 2025, including the Self-Advocate All Stars Annual Talent Show fundraiser on April 26; Johnathan Doherty and Gladys Hopper Self-Advocacy Day on May 31; Arc Night at the Ballpark on June 12; Genesee County fair activities; nature walks at Swallow Hollow Trail; outdoor sports; and many other community activities.
“Arc GLOW’s recreation and respite programs provide meaningful experiences to individuals and their families. We appreciate the support of the M&T Charitable Foundation for making a difference,” Pegelow said.
Arc GLOW’s recreation and respite program provides temporary relief to families from the demands of caregiving, which can help reduce overall family stress. This allows families to better meet the needs of their loved ones with a developmental disability. Respite can be provided in or out of the home, during the day, evenings or nights.
To learn more about Arc GLOW and the recreation and respite program, visit ArcGLOW.org.
The Batavia Muckdogs have officially released their 2025 promotional night schedule. This season the Muckdogs will have four fireworks shows- May 31, June 14, July 3, and 26, $1 Hotdog & $2 Beer Night return, various giveaways, and some new in-game promotions as well!
This season, fireworks shows will be sponsored by Graham Corporation and Turnbull Heating & Air (Saturday, May 30), O-AT-KA Milk Products and Tompkins Bank (Saturday, June 14), Batavia Downs and Rochester Regional Health (Thursday, July 3), and HP Hood and Oak Orchard Health (Saturday, July 26).
The Helicopter Candy Drop (sponsored by Pete Zeliff) will make a return on Saturday, June 7 vs Geneva. Bark in the Park (bring your dogs to the game!) and No Farms No Food Night (a night highlighting agriculture in our community presented by Alleghany Farm Services) makes their return to Dwyer Stadium.
The Muckdogs have also teamed up with local community leaders as well as this season will feature a YMCA Night (Genesee County), Military Appreciation Night (Presented by Geico – Local Batavia Office), Strike out Cancer Night (in partnership with Wilmot Cancer Institute), Stop DWI Night, and the regular season ends with a pet food drive on Saturday July 27 vs Jamestown. The full schedule is available at www.canusamuckdogs.com.
This season will also feature some new in game promotions as well. Making a return is the Tully’s hitman of the game as fans will earn a coupon to Tully’s if the player selected gets a hit. Dewey the dog will have a new “home” this season as Perry Veterinary Clinic sponsor the Muckdogs Mascot. Also, brand new this season if the Muckdogs win you win (a free hamburger) courtesy of the Burger King. For full list of fan experiences & promotions visit www.canusamuckdogs.com.
The Muckdogs opening weekend is set for Saturday May 31 at 6:30 p.m. vs the Elmira Pioneers with post-game fireworks and then back Sunday June 1 at 4:05 p.m. vs the Jamestown Tarp Skunks with meet the team night. Season tickets are on sale starting at just $99. 585-524-2260 or visit www.canusamuckdogs.com for special promotions, season tickets, or group information. See you at Dwyer Stadium this summer.
The 2025 Memorial Day schedule of ceremonies begins on Sunday, May 25, at 2 p.m. with a ceremony at the Western New York National Cemetery, located at 1254 Indian Falls Road in Corfu.
Additional ceremonies will take place throughout Genesee County on Monday, May 26 are as follows:
7:00 a.m. - Genesee Co. Park – Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Sponsored by VVA #193)
8:00 a.m. - Williams Park W.W. I Memorial (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)
The Richmond Memorial Library will welcome local author JG Benedict for an author visit on Saturday, May 17, at 11 a.m. in the Reading Room.
JG is a native of Batavia and the author of paranormal fiction. He will discuss his book The Nightroad (Anthology One), which was published in November 2024 by Media Hatchery. The Nightroad takes readers on a voyage through the paranormal.
JG will share a talk followed by a book signing. Copies of the book will be for sale in paperback ($20) or hardcover ($30). Payment can be accepted in cash or Venmo. Copies are also available to borrow through the library!
JG Benedict is a paranormal fiction author and general essayist. He is a native of Batavia and a current resident. JG graduated from Batavia High School before attending college at St. Bonaventure University and SUNY Potsdam. Over the past forty-some years, he has lived and traveled throughout the United States; he is something of a Renaissance Man when it comes to his experience and skill set.
More information can be found at jgbenedict.com. For more about the Richmond Memorial Library and other programs, visit batavialibrary.org. RML is located at 19 Ross St in the City of Batavia.
Congratulations to the First Communicants from Resurrection Parish and Ascension Parish, who joyfully received their First Holy Communion during the 10 a.m. Mass on May 4 at St. Joseph’s Church.
Behind a one-hitter (an infield single) by Oakfield-Alabama's Savannah Durham, the Hornets beat the Elba Lancers in Softball on Saturday, 12-0 in six innings.
Durham fanned eight hitters and didn't issue a walk. She was also 2-4 at the plate.
The Lady Irish defeated the Elba Lancers Friday night, 11-10.
The Irish took a 7-0 lead into the 5th inning. The Lancers closed the gap with one run in the 5th and then proceeded to go on a scoring run in the 6th, flipping the advantage to a 10-7 lead over the Irish.
Notre Dame battled back in the bottom of the 6th with a single by Amelia Sorochty and a double by Sofia Falleti, driving in the two runs needed to even the score out to 10-10 going into the 7th.
Falleti turned a double play and then had a diving catch to seal all three outs in the top of the 7th.
Amelia Sorochty scored the winning run in the 7th for the Irish and led the team, going 4-5 at the plate.
Mia Treleaven was the winning pitcher, giving up 11 hits and 10 runs (4 earned) while striking out 10. Bri Totten and Brea Smith led the Lancers, collecting two hits each. Smith took the loss, striking out eight and walking none.
“This year’s budget was a missed opportunity -- a chance to confront New York’s affordability crisis, restore public safety, and rebuild public trust. Instead, Albany delivered more of the same.
At $254 billion, this is the largest and one of the most irresponsible budgets in state history. While families struggle with rising costs and small businesses fight to survive, this plan adds to the burden. Modest wins like a small tax cut and one-time ‘inflation refunds’ will be quickly offset by the long-term damage of the runaway spending. You can’t fix affordability by growing government at such a scale.
The failures extend beyond the bottom line. The Governor promised meaningful discovery reform to fix the flood of criminal case dismissals under the 2019 law and the resulting harm caused to public safety. Instead, we got a watered-down tweak that won’t make a real difference. Her proposed mask ban, meant to deter masked agitators and criminals and aid law enforcement, was similarly gutted. The kind of lawless takeover we saw this week at Columbia University will happen again and again. Once again, public safety took a back seat to political appeasement.
There are a few bright spots. The budget finally expands involuntary commitment standards and strengthens Kendra’s Law—provisions similar to legislation I’ve championed for years. These changes are overdue and may save lives. It also pays off the state’s $7 billion unemployment insurance debt, offering long-awaited relief for small businesses. But let’s not forget: those same businesses have spent the past five years unfairly footing the bill while Albany failed to act.
Any goodwill is undermined by one of the most outrageous provisions in the budget: $10 million in taxpayer funds set aside to cover the private legal fees for state officials, including Attorney General Letitia James, if she faces federal prosecution for mortgage fraud. The actions being investigated involve a personal financial transaction and have nothing to do with her role as Attorney General. She should pay for her own defense. Taxpayers should never be forced to bankroll the personal legal troubles of political elites.
This budget is a monument to mismanagement—a missed opportunity to deliver real reform, real relief, and real results. Every year, Albany excuses a late budget by promising it will be ‘worth the wait.’ This year, once again, it wasn’t.”
The Batavia Police Department and National Grid want to warn you about a potential scam in our community. There have been reports of individuals going door-to-door, claiming to represent National Grid, but they are not affiliated with the company.
These individuals may be trying to sell services or collect personal information from residents. It's essential to remember that National Grid does not engage in door-to-door solicitation.
If someone comes to your door claiming to represent National Grid, be cautious and take the following steps to protect yourself:
Verify identity: Ask to see photo identification. National Grid and licensed Energy Service Company representatives must carry visible ID with a logo.
Protect your information: Never provide your utility account number or a copy of your utility bill unless you are sure you want to consider an offer.
Be cautious of agreements: Do not sign anything until you understand the agreement terms, rate structures, billing practices, customer service policies, and cancellation procedures.
Be aware of red flags: National Grid will never ask for your account number during a home visit or unsolicited call.
Stay safe: If you feel unsafe or suspect fraudulent activity, lock your doors and call 911 immediately.
If you're unsure about the identity of a National Grid employee, you can always confirm by calling 1-800-642-4272. We appreciate your partnership in helping us protect our community members from misleading or fraudulent activity.
Any other legitimate solicitor must register with the City of Batavia Clerk's office and will be issued paperwork, feel free to ask for this documentation.
Remember, it's always better to be safe than sorry. Stay vigilant, and let's work together to prevent scams in our community.
If you have any questions or need further support, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Batavia Police Department or National Grid.
My mother, Anna Newhouse Reilly, lived about 70 of her 79 years in Batavia. She is not famous. There is no display about her at the Holland Land Office Museum. There is no statue of her by the county courthouse. Ruth McEvoy did not mention her in her History Of The City of Batavia. Nonetheless, due to her gregarious personality and caring and benevolent nature, she was well known in the small city of 18,000 halfway between Rochester and Buffalo. In fact, one of my cousins, who marches to his own drummer, sent her a letter from California. It was addressed only to “Aunt Anna, Batavia, New York,” and one day, there it was in her mailbox.
Childhood
One-year-old Anna with her mother and grandparents, Olle and Amalia.
Anna Newhouse was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1918, the daughter of Danish immigrants Henry Newhouse (Americanized from Nyhuus) and Anna Bernth. Mom's parents married in 1917 and moved in with my grandmother's parents, Olle and Amalia Bernth, who had also emigrated from Denmark after adopting their daughter at the age of 5 and bringing her with them. The Bernths owned and operated a bakery.
Mom's dad, Henry, began an apprenticeship as a tool and die maker, and in 1919, another daughter, Alyce, was born. In 1925, the Newhouses had a third child, Marie, who died at 7 days of pneumonia. Unfortunately, Olle also died that year at age 55, and Amalia could not run the bakery alone. Henry applied for a tool and die making job at a business called Doehler-Jarvis in Batavia, so the family bought a house at 25 North Lyon Street and moved there. That house remained in the family until my grandmother died in 1986.
In 1925, a son, Walter, was born in Batavia, and then in 1930, another son, Robert. He just turned 95 and is the last remaining Newhouse of his generation. That same year, Amalia, who had moved with her daughter and grandchildren from Brooklyn, passed away and is buried in Batavia's Elmwood Cemetery.
When the family moved to Batavia, Mom was in the third grade. She attended Washington and West elementary schools, and when Robert Morris was built in 1929, she was in the inaugural class of the 6th grade. At some point, Doehler-Jarvis closed temporarily due to the Depression, and Henry had to transfer to another of their plants in Toledo, Ohio, so Anna attended school there briefly. The Newhouses kept their North Lyon Street home by renting it, and fortunately, they were able to return when Doehlers reopened.
Mom was bright and inquisitive, and when she entered Batavia High School on Ross Street in 1933, she took a lot of business classes and did very well. She acted in some school plays and was on the girls' basketball team. When she graduated in 1936, she had been elected to the National Honor Society and was always very proud of that. It probably embarrassed her that none of her three sons ever achieved that status, but she was pleased that we all graduated from college.
Young Adult Life After high school, Anna really wanted to attend college. However, when she brought up the topic with her father (called “Pop” by the children), he said he couldn't let her because he had two sons to think about. She was very disappointed, and there is no doubt that she would have done well. As it turned out, both her younger brothers followed their father as tool and die makers and never went to college.
There were no student loan programs back then, so Mom must have thought that “if you can't beat 'em, join 'em” because she became employed in the Doehler-Jarvis office for a number of years. During these times in her 20s, she had lots of close girlfriends to do things with, such as horseback riding and going on day trips to Letchworth Park and Niagara Falls. Before World War II, Anna went on a date with a guy who had a friend named Jim Reilly. The young man introduced Mom to Jim, and the rest is history. They dated for several years and kept in close touch when Jim joined the Army Air Corps.
On April 10, 1944, Anna Newhouse and Lieutenant James F. Reilly were married at St. Joseph's Church in Batavia by the Reverend T. Bernard Kelly. It always bothered Mom, though, that they had to be married in the sacristy rather than on the altar because she had converted to Catholicism.
Dad was stationed at Mitchell Field in Long Island when they first married, so Mom went there to live. While there, she organized a daycare to help tend to the children of other airmen assigned to the base. After the War ended, Dad was sent to the Pacific for “mop-up” duties, and Mom went back to Batavia to live with her parents. When Jim was discharged and returned home, the couple rented an old mill building at Seven Springs outside of town, which today is a Zen Buddhist retreat.
Kids Arrive In January 1947, I was born, and mom and dad bought a house at 26 Thomas Ave. in central Batavia off West Main Street. Then, in December 1949, my brother Dan came along. During these years, Anna devoted herself to being a good stay-at-home mom and enjoyed caring for and being a part of her children's lives. Dan and I went to Saint Mary's School, and Mom was involved with the “Mothers Club,” which was similar to today's PTA, but apparently minus the dads. She also worked in the school lunchroom.
In 1955, when I was eight and Dan was five, my mom began cajoling Dad to get a house with a bigger yard where we kids could play and for her to have gardens. Our house on Thomas was sold, but the home with the big yard had yet to be found,, so for two years, we moved one block away and rented the upstairs of a huge house at 20 Ellicott Avenue.
In 1957, the Reillys found their big yard, and we moved to the east end of town to 122 North Spruce St. We were the last house on the street at that time, and it was surrounded by woods. We started playing, and Mom started planting. A family room (always called the “back room”) and a garage were added onto the house. In April 1958, the last of the Reilly brothers, Jim Junior, was born, and the family was complete. Mom continued in her role at home, but started taking some part-time jobs such as doing some bookkeeping for the Steak House Restaurant on West Main Road a couple of evenings a week.
Mom's Work Years Around the time Jim Jr. was born, my father switched jobs, and the new one proved to be not so successful. Therefore, it was decided that Mom would get a job to assist with the family finances. Her previous experience at Doehlers and the restaurant, along with her outgoing personality, led to a long string of fice jobs at which she became increasingly successful.
Anna's first position was as a teller at The M&T Bank on Main Street. It was a well-known institution, and she got to know a lot of customers, which led to her next job, which was as the office manager of a downtown travel agency known as the North American Automobile Association. This company was the Canadian version of AAA, and they expanded into the American market for a time. For a number of years, she was fortunate to work at NAA with her longtime friend Henrietta (mom called her “Hank” ) Starrett.
From NAA, Mom moved on to work in the office of prominent Batavia clothiers McAlpine-Barton on the corner of Main and Center Streets. Mr. LaRay Barton had been a long-time neighbor on North Lyon and knew Mom well. She worked with LaRay's wife, Eva.
Finally, Anna took a job as the office manager for the reputable Western New York theater chain Dipson's, which until “urban renewal” had a well-utilized theater on Main Street near State Street. The chain was also a partner in the Mancuso Theater on the southeast end of Main and owned other theaters, mostly in small cities in the area. The owner was William “Bill” Dipson, and Anna was his trusted “right-hand woman” for many years.
In the mid-1970s, Dipson split the Mancuso Theater from one 1,500-seat entity into two smaller theaters so they could show more movies. As part of the renovation, Dipson's offices relocated to a spot in the back of the theater, which is where Mom mostly worked.
Health Issues In her later years, Mom was plagued by health issues. However, she fought through them with courage and determination because she had people she loved and things she wanted to accomplish.
In 1979, Anna, a long-time smoker, was diagnosed with oat cell carcinoma in her lung, which at that time had about a 5% survival rate. She was convinced she was going to die, but when the doctors offered the relatively new treatments of chemotherapy and radiation, she was willing to try. She became a virtual guinea pig for experiments and was the subject of many medical discussions. Fortunately, she survived, but those treatments took a toll, and mom was never the same after that.
In 1987, while she had a cast on her arm from a fall, Anna was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a mastectomy and again made it through, but going forward, had two hip replacements, a broken wrist, and had her gall bladder removed. Some of this interrupted her work, but Mom was tough and bravely kept on until she finally retired.
Anna lived long enough to welcome three grandchildren whom she adored and spent as much time with as possible. She even went to their schools to work with their classes. One of her great-grandchildren is named after her.
Wanderlust After Mom's cancer treatments, she decided to do some of the traveling she had always yearned for. She loved Cape Cod and Nova Scotia, so she and my dad had gone there a number of times.
Then she joined a group called Elderhostel, which, through universities, sponsored classes and trips for senior citizens. Her first trip was to the Grand Canyon, where she went all the way to the bottom and, at one point, sat in a relaxing mud spa.
In 1989, Anna was part of a very special Elderhostel trip to China. She was so excited to go, and preparation was made for months. Just her bad luck though (and for the citizens of China), just as her group arrived and was billeted at a Beijing hotel, student protests, which had been going on against the Chinese government for some time, were escalated by the army, and the now famous “Tiananmen Square Massacre” took place. Hundreds or possibly thousands of protesters were killed and wounded.
The day before, Mom had gotten to go to the Square and took a photo of the Statue of Liberty replica that the students had erected there. But on June 4th, Mom and her fellow travelers heard gunfire and were quickly escorted to a bus and out of Beijing via back roads. The Elderhostel trip was cut short, and the Americans, much to Mom's dismay, had to return home.
Of course, Dad had been frantic, worrying about his wife. The story was covered in the Batavia newspaper, and a photo of them reuniting at the Buffalo airport was published.
After arriving home, Mom wrote an article about her Chia experience, which was printed in the paper.
Interests, Accomplishments and Friends Mom had the proverbial “green thumb” and was a wonder with plants. When we moved to North Spruce Street, she planted many flowers, bushes and trees. The maple trees she put as saplings are now tall and fully grown. The side of the property bordering North Street still has forsythia and spirea bushes that she planted there. When her children were grown, married, and bought homes, Mom went there and helped with planting, too. In the early 80s, Mom and Dad sold their house and moved to a senior citizen apartment complex on West Main Street. Their back door looked out on Tonawanda Creek, and Anna and her neighbor built trellises and created beautiful flower gardens.
Anna also enjoyed writing, and, along with her interest in plants, she submitted an article on gardening to the New York Times Magazine, which, to her great pride, they printed. I have it framed and hanging in my apartment.
Mom made friends easily and a couple were well known in Batavia circles. Through her job at Dipson Theaters, she met Dianna (pronounced DEE-anna) Dipson, Bill Dipson's sister and a classically trained violinist. Diana lived in the family mansion on East Main Street and was somewhat eccentric, but Mom would stop by, and they would chat about gardening.
Anna was also good friends with Nan Meyer, who wrote for the local newspaper. When Mom passed away, Nan wrote an admiring eulogy, which was printed in the newspaper.
Mom was accepting of all sorts of folks and eventually became acquainted with a guy who claimed to be a member of the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang named Geno. He fancied himself a poet, and Mom would help him with spelling and editing.
Anna was very giving of her time. Along with my father, she volunteered many hours at the Veterans Hospital. She also befriended a woman who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and would assist her with getting to doctor's appointments, shopping, etc.
Learning from her Danish mother, Mom became an excellent cook. Most holiday meals for the family were held at our house, and mom's turkey, ham, or whatever she served never disappointed.
Anna was known for her baking, and rarely did an occasion go by when she didn't make a scrumptious apple, cherry, peach, or some kind of pie. For a time, she made wedding cakes for pay, and our house would be taken over by cake pans, mixers, bowls, layers laid out for assembly, and containers and pastry bags for decorating. Mom made many birthday cakes and wedding cakes for two of her sons and at least one niece.
Anyone who knew Mom would agree that she was “one tough cookie' as the saying goes. But, as is true for any parent who outlives their child, she was devastated by the loss of her son Dan at age 41 in a scuba diving accident at Lake George, where he lived. She bravely tried to soldier on through her grief, but in 1997, she suffered two heart attacks in a week and died on September 7th at the age of 79 in Genesee Memorial Hospital in Batavia. Per her wishes, Anna was cremated, but her ashes were buried at St. Paul Of The Cross Cemetery in Honeoye Falls with my dad, who passed away in 2007.
I think it can safely be said that Batavia, New York, was a better place for having Anna Newhouse Reilly as one of its citizens for so many years. I think she would be proud that her biography was written by her son and printed in the publication named for her city.
“There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one. -Jill Churchill-
The City Church invites you to come out to one of our services this Sunday for Mother’s Day. We have two services at our main campus, 210 East Main St., at 8:30 and 10 AM Join us as we honor every Mom that walks through the doors. The red carpet will be out, a photo booth will be set up, and Moms will walk away with a special gift. We will worship together and then hear a message from one of our first ladies,Pastor Patti.Kids ministry available at the 10 AM service.
It will be a special service for all. Hope you can be there. We do life together.
File Photo of a rendering by LaBella Associates for the prospective Creekside Park along Tonawanda Creek on Evans Street in Batavia.
If you have thoughts or ideas about the prospective development of land along Tonawanda Creek near Evans Street on the city’s south side, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has opened the window for comments during the next month.
Known as Batavia Creekside Park Development, located at 26 and 60 Evans St., Batavia, the property, under the direction of the city, Batavia Development Corp., and Director of Economic Development Tammy Hathaway, has been submitted for a Brownfield Cleanup Program application to the state agency.
Part of DEC’s protocol is to allow the public to weigh in on any potential project that may take place on the property. Hathaway said several links are available to review history, research and maps for the site as BDC pursues what is believed to be a future valuable housing asset.
“A key aspect of the BDC’s mission is to identify underutilized real estate within the city for potential redevelopment. Moving a piece of potentially contaminated land through the cleanup program ultimately improves its condition and unlocks its potential for safe use,” she said Friday. “As shared in previous months, the Brownfield Opportunity Area steering committee brainstormed potential uses for the Creek Park property and concluded that its highest and best use would be for housing, a critical need in our community.”
When asked if she recommended certain reading material for folks, Hathaway found that hard to answer, “because I find all of it interesting.”
“The real estate reports date back to when I was a teenager, and give a 450-page history of the property,” she said. “Reading through these and seeing what once occupied the property verifies the reason why the parcel requires attention to improve its condition for reuse.”
Before diving in, a reminder about what a Brownfield Cleanup Program is:
Designed to encourage private-sector cleanups of brownfields and to promote their redevelopment as a means to revitalize economically blighted communities.
This is an alternative to “greenfield” (land not previously developed or contaminated) development. It is intended to remove some of the barriers to and provide tax incentives for the redevelopment of brownfields.
An incentive and catalyst for the cleanup and redevelopment of more than 500 contaminated sites statewide since 2003. There are more than 550 active sites in the program.
Research dates back to 1990, when a walking inspection of the site found the topography flat except for an alluvial terrace and steep slope near Tonawanda Creek; few, if any, buildings that have ever been constructed on the site had a lower floor or basement. The railroad roundhouse on the southern-most parcel apparently had a recessed area from which railroad personnel could inspect the steam-powered locomotives.
Several site sections have exposed concrete structures where buildings or other structures were once located. Compared to local terrain, the northwestern-most portion of the site appears slightly lower in elevation and is likely subject to periodic flooding.
Existing above- and below-grade utility lines are present on-site. Trees and shrubs cover the lower terrace area north of the existing railroad grade.
Because the study was completed during winter, no distressed vegetation was observed on site.
A potentially contaminated discharge was observed flowing out of the pipe located just north of the main storm sewer on Tonawanda Creek just downstream of Dam 2. Though this pipe is north of the site, its source has not been determined.
This pipe could be an old outfall acting as a discharge conduit for local groundwater. This is feasible since the soils in this area are very permeable.
Nearly 40 interviews were conducted with neighbors and past employees — 14 former Doehler-Jarvis employees, one engineer presently working for NL industries, four former employees of the railroad companies, and 20 others, city historian, neighbors, a member of the Democratic Committee, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hazardous Waste Remediation Division of DEC, Genesee County Legislature, IDA, Planning Department, Batavia Town Supervisor, City of Batavia Water and Sewer Department, engineering, zoning, inspection and fire departments.
Not one was observed or familiar with any on-site dumping by Doehler Die Cast Company or Doehler-Jarvis. A few were familiar with on-site dumping of cinders/ash from coal-fired locomotives used by railroad companies prior to the use of diesel-powered engines along railroad spurs and near the creek.
A few were familiar with neighbors dumping household waste on-site several years ago, evidenced by local collectors acquiring bottles in that area. No one was familiar with on-site spills, explosions, fires, or emergencies related to petroleum, hazardous materials, or hazardous wastes used by the railroads or Doehler companies.
All that information is in a Phase I real estate investigation, followed by a Phase II investigation. In 1992, there was a quantitative environmental analysis and supplemental remedial investigation of remedial work.
Work continued in 2014 with a Phase I environmental site assessment when City Manager Jason Molino was here. The assessment reviewed unanticipated hazardous materials, external observations, and an executive summary about the aftermath of various manufacturing and industrial operations on site between 1919 and 1980, including Batavia Steel Products Corp., Doehler Die Casting Co., Adria Motor Car Corp., and Gray Machine & Parts Corp.
The parcel at 60 Evans St. had also been listed as a DEC State Superfund site; however, “no information was available from the DEC or other sources regarding that listing, it stated.
Investigative methods included advancing test pits, test trenches, soil borings, and groundwater monitoring wells. Soil, groundwater, and surface water samples from the site and creek were collected and submitted for laboratory analysis.
Contaminants identified included metals, petroleum constituents, and chlorinated solvents, prompting remedial work associated with the former Doehler-Jarvis, including:
Remove one 500-gallon underground storage tank, two 10,200-gallon underground storage tanks, and two in-ground hydraulic lifts.
Excavation and off-site disposal of lead-impacted soil.
Excavation, stockpiling, and bio-remediation of approximately 1,700 cubic yards of petroleum-impacted soil.
That work was completed as of April 5, 1995 as other concerns were identified, such as chlorinated solvents being detected in groundwater samples and fill materials consisting of ciders, ash, glass, brick, metal fragments and concrete located throughout the site seven feet down, with additional assessment of fill materials being warranted for redevelopment purposes.
Yet another Phase I and II environmental investigation report, 10 years later in 2024, now under City Manager Rachael Tabelski, shows updated findings of petroleum impacts, product globules on the groundwater entering test pits, and a heavy sheen coming out of the ground at a boring.
The company Roux Environmental Engineering and Geology recommended the site as a candidate for the Brownfield Cleanup Program and to apply “if the city of Batavia or other entity is interested in pursuing redevelopment of the site.”
A final link is the completed 2025 application, which includes history, maps, environmental assessments, and a project description—six three-story, 16-unit multi-family residential complexes with a first-floor garage, private drive, stormwater management areas, a walking path, a natural park, landscaping and green space.
8515 E Lake Road Stafford. Super opportunity to ownwaterfront property in Genesee County! This lovingly kept and well maintained ranch sits directly on waterfront edge of super peaceful Horseshoe Lake. Updated throughout the years this home is move in ready and will surprise you with how much space you have! Starting at road front this home has extra parking space across private road for all your guests as well as ample parking at house. As you walk in back door you are immediately in large enclosed porch in case you want a change of scenery and a perfect place for your extras and coats and shoes! Walk into pretty kitchen with plenty of cupboard space and work island and with easy viewing out through dining area to the lake-the scenery makes all cooking better! There is also an open office room or sitting room/hobby area off of kitchen! The formal dining area of course looks over "front" yard and lake and leads to large deck for outside entertaining as well as private dock for your water toys(Lake rules and regulations apply) The home has three good-sized bedrooms with plenty of closet space and then best of all there is large and brite family room with cathedral ceiling, wet bar and cozy gas fireplace! Furnace and hot water tank are 7/8 years old approximately, there is PUBLIC water and a BRAND NEW septic system install in 2021. Conveniently located to dining shopping college and thruway!! This year round waterfront property checks all the boxes! Any accepted offer is subject to approval by Horseshoe Lake Corporation.. Call Reliant Real Estate today - call 585-344-HOME (4663)
NOW HIRING seasonal agribusiness positions. CDL A & B Drivers to deliver bulk crop nutrients. Potential long-term opportunities. Great for retirees! GENERAL LABOR positions. Daily variety of indoor/outdoor responsibilities. Loader experience a plus. SIGN-ON BONUS and plenty of OT during spring/summer months. Apply in person at: 8610 Route 237, Stafford, NY www.cecrocker.com
