batavia

The internet provides opportunities for people to connect in a way that is not tied to time, space, or location. This site has the potential to provide the base for a stronger Batavia through the exchange of ideas and information that people might not otherwise have access to. As the incoming President of the Batavia Lions Club I hope that this exchange grows to help the betterment of this city we call home.

Well, the thunderheads that rode my back all afternoon finally broke and clapped out a fine downpour that soaked me through and through as I jogged from the old county courthouse to my car. It was an apt climax to an ominous day that smelled alternately of manure, garlic bread and peonies.

Not much to report as the day has been spent more in preparation than any actual news gathering. In characteristic style, I made my introductions by getting lost all over the place. Lost in the tunnels of the VA Medical Center. Lost in its auditorium. Lost in both courthouses (old and new), in the county office building and in a parking lot — don't ask.

I met some more great folks indoors and out. Paul Figelow stopped by Main Street Coffee to say hello. He's the owner of a sort of video production company: theinfochannel.us. Dan Jones introduced himself via Instant Message. Dan seems like a fellow who has a lot to say, so, hopefully, we'll see some more of him on here. He heads up a Young Democrats group in Batavia.

There were others as well. Maybe they will come by and introduce themselves.

I'm off to continue my urban wanderings, maybe make a few phonecalls. None yet returned today — it's Friday. If I don't see you back here today, have a fine weekend.

From Kathie Scott, public information coordinator for the Batavia City School District:

Small City in Spotlight for Big Technology

Behind the scenes, The Batavia City School District has been preparing diligently for the national spotlight.

On May 4-6, the District will host a National School Boards Association (NSBA) Technology Tour. Approximately 75 participants from around the United State and Canada have signed up so far to spend a few days in Batavia to see first-hand why the District has dubbed this tour, Small City/Big Technology.

The event will include some “history” and current overviews of how technology is utilized for student learning throughout the District, information outlining the hardware and software installed or accessed, as well as tours of all the schools. During the tours, participants will be able go into our learner-centered classrooms to see the various technological tools in use by teachers and students in diverse subject areas, K-12.

Except for the visitors, it will be a fairly typical day in the District. Some students, for example, will be collecting data, analyzing and converting it into meaningful statistics and then creating circle graphs. Others will work independently on skill-building in subjects from reading to math. Partners will research topics on the internet to help them better prepare for their arguments in a debate. Groups will interact with students from across the District (or in other cases, from across the country) to discuss and critique literature.  One class will take digital photos and then edit as part of creating a multi-media presentation for the entire school.

To conclude each school’s tour, small instructional focus groups for the participants will enable District staff to share more specific information and answer questions about how technology fits in with instructional programs, age groups, and subject matter. A small sampling of those topics includes Using the Interactive Whiteboard, The Use of Technology in Data Mining, Educational Games, Technology and Special Education, Videoconferencing in the elementary Class, Technology to Enhance Foreign Language Instruction, Blog It!, Geochaching, and Technology in the Primary Classroom.

Another highlight of the visit will be a technology-on-stage performance, Cinemagic. For Cinemagic, students from all three elementary school choruses will perform a choral revue consisting of 38 songs from well-known movies. This particular multi-media performance was chosen for the NSBA Technology Tour participants because of its integration of technology with music. The schools' three music teachers began holding rehearsals with the 150 students several months ago in preparation for the production, which also was performed for District families, and for students at the three elementary schools. As part of their preparation, students were given rehearsal CD’s, produced with music software, so they could practice at home. In addition to lighting and staging techniques, the performance is notable for incorporating the use of PowerPoint and Moviemaker software.

From the Daily News (Friday):

• Rochester teen Andrew Figgins was sentenced to 25-years-to-life for shooting and killing Desean Gooch in a robbery attempt in 2006. Gooch was an Ohio native attending Genesee Community College.

• Head down to Hairitage Salon at 103 Jackson St. for a chicken barbecue to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society starting at 1:00pm Saturday — until the food is gone. Tickets can be purchased at the salon for $8.

• A Super 8 Motel and Days Inn on Oak Street will "split," according to reporter Roger Muehlig, and the Genesee County Economic Development Agency will give them a sales tax exemption to do so. Both motels are owned by the same company, Batavia Hospitality. Can someone explain how two motels can split? Are they connected right now? They must be. But if they're connected, how are they two motels? Muehlig writes: "The two motel corporations involved wanted to split the building, a former Holiday Inn, to improve its appearance." But wait! I thought the two motels were owned by a single corporation. I'm lost. Anyone else?

• "United Memorial Medical Center honored its volunteers at a dinner Wednesday at Bohn's Restaurant."

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Check out WBTA for these and other stories:

• City police officer Ed Mileham was among four area lawmen from Genesee County honored at the Law Day Law Enforcement Awards, sponsored by the Batavia Kiwanis Club and the Genesee County Bar Association.

• A United Auto Workers strike in Detroit could have major repercussions in Western New York as a potential "solution" could mean closing an American Axle forge plant in Tonawanda. An article from the Associated Press on the happenings can be found here. It does not say how many workers would lose their jobs. Are there any Batavians who work at that plant? What do you think of this possible outcome? More of the same? Terrible and unexpected?

• Michael Merrill has been named interim Medical Director at United Memorial Medical Center. He "takes over for Louis Green, who died unexpectedly earlier this year."

Well, folks, we've "officially" launched The Batavian. You can find out all about what that means and why you should be interested by following this convenient hyperlink. In the meantime, please allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Philip.

I'm about five-foot-ten (unless you count my hair which puts me up over six feet, I'm sure). I come from prime Italian immigrant stock with a little Welsh and German thrown in for good measure. I speak French, eat Japanese, and I'm as thin as a stick and maybe as tough. I grew up in Greece, the Rochester suburb that's more crowded and less personable than the city, which is where I live now with my girl, our two cats and many shelves of books — a few of which I've read. I would count Saul Bellow and Henry David Thoreau as two fine specimens of the American race. In the dozen years since I graduated high school, I've washed dishes, studied philosophy, produced short films, taught English, moved pianos and wrote (for newspapers, magazines and other media).

Enough.

Let us on to the business at hand... I'll be doing my best to manage the content here at The Batavian. That means I look for news, for stories, happenings, events and whatever else can be squeezed into a blog post, a short video, an audio podcast, a photograph or just summarized, linked to and let be. What it really means, though, is I want to hear from you, so Batavia can hear about you.

Maybe your organization is hosting a tea party to benefit a rare disease. Maybe you juggle knives. Maybe you are a member of City Council and you have more to say than what makes it into a bi-monthly meeting. Whatever it is, call me. Come by and see me. Send me an instant message. Send me an e-mail. We'll talk. Or... you'll talk. I'll listen. (Please see all my contact information below.)

Just as important, I should mention that I'm here to find my replacement. I need someone who has a love of writing and producing mutlimedia content that matches his or her love for Batavia. Someone who wants to do what I do, full-time, with the skills to do it.

So, let's start talking:

• My number: (585) 802-3032.

• My e-mail: philip (at) thebatavian (dot) com.

• My AOL Instant Message name: thebatavian.

• My office: Main Street Coffee (for the moment).

I look forward to hearing from you.

From the Daily News (Thursday):

• Republican Christopher J. Lee announced his bid for the 26th Congressional District seat Wednesday. Reporter Roger Muehlig writes: "Lee, 44, is a Clarence resident and a Western New York native who is seeking elected office for the first time."

• Underage drinkers beware! The Genesee County STOP-DWI program is passing out a handheld device that can detect if a driver's license has been altered. The device will go to restaurants, bars and retail stores in the county and costs about $10 a pop. Questions: How many sales could this potentially prevent? Are most underage sales of alcohol procured via a "fake" ID? Or are they got by "alternate" IDs — supplied by a look-alike friend — or even someone over the age of 21 who buys the alcohol for those who are too young?

• The Batavia Society of Artists opens the first of two 2008 exhibitions with a reception at the Richmond Memorial Library Wednesday from 7:00 to 8:30pm in the library's Gallery Room. More than 30 works — including oils, watercolors, acrylics and mixed media — will be on display through May 29.

• The Genesee Chorale will hold its "From Prose to Song" concerts this Friday at 7:00pm at New Hope Ministries, 8052 Bank Road, Batavia; and Sunday at 3:00pm at St. Peter's Catholic Church, 44 Lake St., LeRoy. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and student, and $14 for a family (no mention of how large the family can be). No number is given to call for more information.

• An exhibit of multimedia photographs by artist Melissa Newcomb is now on display in the lobby gallery of Genesee Center for the Arts at Genesee Community College. "A Fragment in Time" will run through August 15. Call (585) 345-6814 for more information.

• Genesee Community College will host a symposium titled Creating Smart & Good Schools: Integrating Ethics & Excellence. The talk will be held Tuesday from 7:00 to 9:00pm in Room T102 of the college. Registration is required in advance. Call Christine Belongia at (585) 343-0055 ext.6278 to register or for more information.

• Richmond Memorial Library will host a slide show and talk titled "Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House Complex" from 7:00 to 8:00pm May 8. There is no charge to attend. Call (585) 343-9550 ext.8 for more information.

• The Batavia office of Brighton Securities received thanks from the U.S. Army in the form of a certificate and an American flag that was "flown on a combat reconnaissance mission with Task Force Odin over Baghdad, Iraq, on December 9, 2007." Brighton Securities sponsored phone cards and sent care packages to different units serving in Iraq.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

I came across this spectacle during my travels around the city yesterday. Do you know where it is? Do you know what it is? (This is, of course, just one small section of a much larger artifact — if we can call it that.) I'll put up a medium cup of java from Main Street Coffee to the first person who can guess both what and where this thing is.

Jackson Square Concert Series 2008 — Downtown Batavia:

• Friday, June 20th (7-9 p.m.) Civilletto Sings Sinatra

• Friday, June 27th  (7-9 p.m.) Ghost Riders (Country)

• Friday, July 4th, (7-9 p.m.)  Pre-Ramble Concert (Ghost Riders, Sierra & Friends)

• Saturday, July 5  (11a.m. - 9 p.m.)  Ramble Music & Art Fest (Variety)

• Friday, July 11th  (7-9 p.m.) Westside Blues Band (Blues)

• Friday, July 18th  (7-9 p.m.)  Joe Beard & The Blues Union (Blues)

• Friday, July 25th (7-9 p.m.) OHMS Band (Rock)

• Friday, August 1st (7-9 p.m.)  Penny Whiskey (Celtic/folk)

• Friday, August 8th (7-9 p.m.) Julie Dunlap (Country)

• Friday, August 22nd (7-9 p.m.) Bart & Kevin (Family)

• Friday, August 29th (7-9 p.m.)  Craig Wilkins (Johnny Cash Tribute)

Major sponsors of the "Friday Night in the Square" summer music series are: M&T Bank, the Batavia Buisness Improvement District and GoArt!

The series is hosted by the Batavia Business Improvement District. Call (585) 344-0900 for more information.

"We assist new and existing businesses, locate space and provide economic incentives for businesses to locate in downtown Batavia," says Don Burkel, president of the BID. "We also host: the Downtown Public Market, Summer in the City Festival and Christmas in the City Festival."

Check out WBTA for these and other news stories:

• Assemblyman Stephen Hawley announced his bid for re-election to represent the 139th District in the state Assembly.

• Batavia will receive nearly $400,000 in state grant funds. About $150,000 will be used to build a booking facility at the Genesee County Jail that would be shared by both county and city forces. Another $150,000 is slated for sidewalk improvements. And about $90,000 will cover the cost of a new ambulance for the city.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that Batavia doesn't have good food. You have already heard us rave about the tacos de asada at Margarita's on Jackson Street — personally, I've already been back a few times. And, if you've entertained even a passing interest in our daily goings-on here at The Batavian, you would know that we've happily sucked down our fair share of lattes at Main Street Coffee, our current base of operations.

Well, today, I took off in search of some more unknown territory — political, edible and otherwise. After a stop at the Batavia Town Hall and the county historian's office, I made my way to Oliver's Candies on Main Street... for a taste.

Jeremy Liles manages the place these days. He smiles and jokes the way I imagine anyone would who spent their life and career in a candy store.

He told me that, though the candy is the main draw, Oliver's is sought out just as much for its roadside sign — a relic from an America few of us can even recall first-hand, back when we still danced with flappers, still spoke of Reds and fascists, still made phonecalls through a switchboard operator. But it's exactly that kitschy history appeal that landed a photograph of the sign on the Web site of a cross-country chronicler of "roadside architecture" — a fine profession or hobby, if I say so myself.

That being said, it's most certainly the sweets that run the show at Oliver's.

"People love candy," says Jeremy. "That's all there is to it."

...and from sweet to salty, my day only got better when I ducked out of the cold sun into the warm dark of O'Lacy's Irish Pub next to Jackson Square.

You could almost smell the mutton from outside. You could almost taste the bitter black porter when you're barely through the door. O'Lacy's doesn't mince words. It's as Irish a joint as they come.

And that's all well and good. I've been to plenty of Irish pubs on this side of the Atlantic and the other. They've all got the beer and the decor to make the claim, sure. But O'Lacy's has the nosh to prove that they dive further into the culture than just a few leprechaun jokes and clovers.

Chicken and biscuits were on special. Beef on Weck was likely a can't miss.

But I'm a sucker for a toasty reuben.

Mine came as thick as an elephant's ankle. It was sloppy, hot and delicious. More man than I am, no doubt. Which was fine, since I felt like more of a man having tackled it. Though I must admit that I couldn't quite wolf down the last scraps of corned beef and sauerkraut (slathered in Thousand Island dressing) that squeezed out of my grasp and onto the plate. As my waitress said: It's quite a sandwich. Maybe next time.

Cheers.

From the Daily News (Wednesday):

• Tuesday night's Batavia City School's performance of Cinemagic showcased the district's "technological capabilities," writes reporter Joanne Beck. The "musical revue" was a hodgepode of forms — including live dance, video and special effects. It foreshadowed a "Technology Site Visit" from national school representatives who will tour the Batavia schools next week to see how they use technology in and out of the classroom.

• A former Batavia resident recounts his first-hand experience of wildfires in Sierra Madre, California. "At one point, it looked like a volcano had erupted and you can see flames and embers floating down," James Monachino told reporter Scott DeSmit.

• Residents can vote on the Richmond Memorial Library proposed budget increase Tuesday at the library's gallery room from noon to 9:00pm. A potential increase of $41,000 is needed mostly to cover the cost of hiring an additional custodian and revamping the library's Web site. The article does not say who is allowed to vote. Library members, city residents, anyone who can get there?

• A former member of the Mighty St. Joe's Drum and Bugle Corps in Batavia will be inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. From the article (no author is noted): "Larry Darch of Buffalo has been a leading percussion figure in the Western New York drum and bugle corps community for more than 50 years."

• The YWCA in Batavia will host a brunch at noon on May 10 at Genesee Community College. It appears that the event is connected to the Fabulous Females Committee, but the article doesn't say what that is. This is the 10 year anniversary of the brunch. Tickets are $25. Call the YWCA at (585) 343-5808.

• The Rev. David Scheider was honored with the HomeCare & Hospice Founders' Award at an awards banquet held April 25.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

With the help of historian Larry Barnes, I've tracked down Vincenzo DelPlato, the jazz artist who painted the murals in Jackson Square, plus a few others around town.

Larry Barnes told me that Vincenzo's friends call him Vinny. So I called and asked for Vinny — folksiness often gets you further than formality, I find. I said my name is Philip. He called me Phil. And before you knew it, we were a couple of old pals chatting about art, about life and living it big.

Vinny's up in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire now. He's been there for some time with his wife and his little boy, Theo, he says. Jazz artist seems the best way to described how he paints — and how he talks: with style, a little syncopated, melodic and meaningful.

When I ask him why he paints murals, he tells me this, he says: "An old professor of mine at Buffalo once asked me: Vinny, do you want to be a Chinese firecracker or an A-bomb?"

Take a stroll through Jackson Park to see how Vinny answered that question. He started on the downtown murals in 1994, having got practice painting backdrops for a theater company in Leroy.

"I didn't want to work small," he says. "I want to make an impact with my life. So I took it upon myself to paint the walls that needed painting."

Outside in people's faces is where Vinny wants his art, inspired, he says, by a line from Claes Oldenburg, a sculptor who once said that art belongs anywhere but rotting on its butt in a museum somewhere. "He became one of my heroes," says Vinny.

He took his paint and brush out into the streets. Eventually, the city caught on that this jazz artist was doing great things, and they commissioned him to paint murals all over downtown. So he did it.

Larry Barnes laments the loss of one of Vinny's greatest city murals that was on the corner of Ellicott and Liberty streets. A photo of it can still be seen on Vinny's Web site. It was jazz art at its best: a rollicking, frenetic jam of just good old neighborhood folks, the very folks who lived around that corner, in fact.

"There's so much out there that can be brought back to life with a little paint, a brush and a lot of hard work," says Vinny. "A little sweat mixed with paint can go a long way."

Twenty-year-old Moriah Schoen just launched a Web site for his video production business, Schoen Productions. Don't let his age fool you, he's already got five years experience. Samples of his work — weddings and mock music videos, for example — are available on the site.

Moriah got his start, he tells us, when he was 15 years old and shot a video for a Batavia Youth Football Game, "and I fell in love with video editing." From there, he became the cameraman for his church, New Hope Ministries on Bank Street, and just kept on making videos, until he decided he was where he wanted to be, and it was time to start a business.

I guess you're never too young to be an entrepreneur. Best of luck, Moriah.

From the Daily News (Tuesday):

• Reporter Joanne Beck writes that "a pair of measures" passed by the City Council at last night's meeting "will save $78,000 this year." By replacing a traffic signal with stop signs instead of new signal lights, the city should save $75,000. Another $17,000 would be saved, we are told, by signing a lease agreement with Toshiba Business Solutions for "office equipment purchases." How are the savings measured? Was the city paying more before? Will the city purchase less? Also, I'm left scratching my head at the $78,000 figure — $78,000 + $17,000 = $95,000. Sure it's more than $78,000. But it's also more than $5. As for the big savings, I wouldn't mind finding out more about how a city decides to downgrade from a traffic signal to stop signs. If it means an easy savings of $75,000, why not do it more often?

• All 58 graduates of the Genesee Community College nursing program have already found employment thanks to high demand in the industry.

• Doug Hawley sold his family's dealership, Hawley's Motors at the corner of West Main and North Lyon streets, after 92 years of business. Clarence residents Gregory Strauss and Stephen Castilone will take over and rename the business Castilone Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep.

• A Batavia teen faces tresspassing charges for entering a home on Holland Avenue earlier this month, allegedly looking for a 17-year-old girl there, city police said. The same teen was charged with criminal trespass and second-degree sexual abuse last year, following a similar episode involving a 14-year-old girl.

• The town Planning Board met Monday.

• Batavia native Sean Comer was part of "the Rhythm & Hues visual effects team that won an Academy Award for the fantasy adventure The Golden Compass."

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

All cities have their quirks and foibles.

Rochester has abandoned button factories filled with artists and evacuated tenements full of asbestos. Or, at least, that's how it is on my street. Buffalo has the Bills. Albany has our state government. New York City has the entire island of Manhattan.

What of Batavia, you ask? Some might say the high school football team. Though I'm less quick to judge, even if I'm told the tradition is to root against the home team at homecoming. (Everyone loves an underdog. Look at the Chicago Cubs.) Instead, I say just take a walk downtown. There are more murals painted on the brick of downtown buildings than... I don't know... homecoming wins for the football team.

Here's a pair from Ellicott Street, part of an Air Force theme on a few buildings there:

Properly curious, I've set out to see what the city thinks of its peeling treasures. Larry Barnes, the city historian, is on the case. He should be back to me by the end of the week with whatever research he digs up that tells us more about just why this city wants to paint all of its buildings. Maybe we'll find out who started it, too.

The few folks I've chatted up so far don't know what to think of the murals nor how they got here. If you have thoughts, please share them. In the meantime, I'll keep hunting for answers.

Check out WBTA for these and other news stories:

• Batavia's Water Bureau put out a notice that a disruption in the water line this afternoon could cause discoloration of the water around State and Bank streets near Batavia High School.

• Other city business from the council meeting last night: A failed attempt to consider changes to the city's event policy regarding overtime fees paid by the city. And a new lease for copy services was signed.

Prologue

Full of cheese and bread and sauce — thank you, Belladessa's Pizzeria — I'm slightly bloated and ready for my first Batavia City Council meeting. It's about six minutes shy of 7:00pm, and folks are still shuffling in, chatting. The board room seems so new it almost sparkles, despite the orange and off-white chairs that look plucked from a middle school classroom circa 1970. It smells like a dentist's office in here. There are maybe a dozen people in the audience, including myself and a man with a video camera. Everyone seems friendly.

That's that for atmosphere.

Part One (The one they call the Business Meeting)

Meeting called to order. (A solemn Christian prayer precedes the Pledge of Allegiance).

Council President Charlie Mallow jokes that he found some "new things" while cleaning up the skatepark during the "green-up cleanup" over the weekend. Wonder what that means.

Of the few decisions by the council tonight, there was only one that may immediately affect folks. That is, the traffic light at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Ross Street will be removed and replaced with all-way stop signs. Watch for that.

Not much else worth mention. First meeting adjourned. Five minute break.

The man with the video camera left. Why did he only tape the business meeting? What is the point of a second type of meeting if it isn't worth recording? Who makes that call?

Part Two (The one they call the Conference Meeting)

Councilman Frank Ferrando told me earlier that the "conference" half of these meetings are spent determining the agenda for the next "business" meeting, giving the council a chance to hash things out before they come up for vote. That being said, there's not much to say here. At least, not tonight. Just a lot of procedural minutiae — deciding whether something is worth deciding. Maybe that's why the guy with the camera took off.

Really, elected officials ought to be lauded if for no other reason than their patience and willingness to go through such process, while we recline in a sofa with a bowl of popcorn and drool at the television in the comfort of our home. Seriously. What do they get paid? Maybe $5,000 per year. Maybe. It may not be entertaining to watch the gears turn, but we should at least rest assured that they're turning.

I must admit, I'm impressed by the general politesse at this meeting. Council members raise their hands to be acknowledged by the president before they speak or ask a question. They often thank each other and whatever guests take the mic. If they raise their voices, it's out of passion, not anger.

Meeting adjourned — 8:35pm. Goodnight.

From the Daily News (Monday):

• Batavia's volunteer city cleanup Saturday was a success. City Councilman Bill Cox told the Daily News, "I bet I picked up 500 butts" — that's cigarette butts. And he wasn't alone.

• Another group of Batavia volunteers are picking up (literally) where Councilman Cox and others left off following Saturday's clean-up. They call themselves Helping Hands: Bringing Pride Back to our Neighborhoods. The first of a series of three cleanups starts Saturday at 10:00am and runs to about 1:00pm at the corner of Evans and Watson streets. Call New Hope Church at (585) 344-2997 for more information.

• The VA Medical Center will host an Award Recognition Ceremony tonight at Bohn's Restaurant.

• Reporter Scott DeSmit wrote: "A teacher at Rainbow Preschool in Batavia remains on administrative leave as an in-school investigation into alleged sexual misconduct wraps up." An investigation by state police found that the allegations were unfounded, so the school decided to perform its own investigation "as a matter of policy."

• The City Council will meet tonight for a business meeting at 7:00pm followed by a conference. Both meetings will be held in the Council Board Room on the second floor of City Hall.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.