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A public informational meeting on the Town of Batavia’s updated Comprehensive Plan is scheduled for 7 p.m. next Wednesday (Dec. 7) at the Town Hall on West Main Street Road.

Residents, business owners and landowners are invited to attend the two-hour session, which will focus on the Town’s vision of a “regional, rural and resilient” community.

The Comprehensive Plan is a document meant to guide Town decisions over the next 15 to 20 years relating to land use and zoning, natural resource conservation, business and economic development, transportation and other infrastructure, agriculture and farmland, and community services.

The Comprehensive Plan will update the Town’s current plan, which was adopted in 2009. It incorporates key findings and recommendations from several plans and studies that have been completed over the past several years.

These include plans for agriculture and farmland, transportation, recreation and economic development. The Comprehensive Plan will also help to implement the goals and policies of Green Genesee/ Smart Genesee, which identified key natural assets and presents strategies to leverage these resources for conservation, recreation, economic development and quality of life.

In addition to maps, statistics and analysis of existing conditions and trends, the Plan includes a Land Use Plan that shows appropriate locations for agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, conservation, recreation and mixed-use development, and projected build-out over the next 15 years.

The Plan sets goals and recommends actions that the Town can take to:

-- encourage a balance of development types and mixed uses in appropriate areas;
-- conserve natural resources and limit flood damage;
-- retain high-quality farmland and support the agricultural economy;
-- enhance recreational opportunities for residents;
-- continue to grow the tax base with commercial and industrial development, while supporting existing businesses;
-- enhance residential quality of life and accommodate a mix of housing types to meet the needs of people who work in and near the Town, as well as seniors and families;
-- improve transportation connections and extend transportation facilities to meet community needs;
-- manage development and Town expenditures in a fiscally responsible manner.

Those interested can “drop in” any time to learn about the Plan and ask questions of Town representatives and consultants. The formal presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m.

To view more photos, click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page.

For 24 years, Paul Peck covered the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres as part of his duties as a full-time sportscaster for Channel 4, in Buffalo.

For less than a year, the New Jersey native has been the play-by-play man for the "Beat The Champ" show, which has been resurrected on WBBZ-TV (MeTV) out of Buffalo (channel 67.1 over the air and cable 72 in Genesee County).

Peck said he has been overwhelmed by the response from the bowling community and the popularity of the show -- which features the best bowlers in the area in scratch singles (no handicap) competition.

"It has been an incredible experience," said Peck during a break in taping on Wednesday at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, where four shows to be aired in December were produced. "I've had more people come up to me and more feedback than I did in 25 years of covering the Bills."

Peck and company's appearance in Batavia continued the wave of success the show has been riding since about a dozen or so bowling centers in Western New York put up $6,000 each to be able to host qualifying rounds and the actual taping of the shows on a monthly basis.

He said he has found bowlers to be passionate about their sport, and has come to realize than many bowlers throughout the region remember the original "Beat The Champ" show hosted by Chuck Healy and then Van Miller on Channel 4 in the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

"The show has a cool place in people's memories," said Peck, who left Channel 4 about four and a half years ago and now is a financial professional for AXA Advisors in Buffalo and sports personality for the University of Buffalo.

Peck said he was apprehensive at first about joining the show -- since he has a limited knowledge of bowling -- but noted that he has received much encouragement from longtime bowlers, including his co-host Sue Nawojski, of Buffalo, one of the finest women bowlers in New York State.

"Things have gone very well thus far, and my friend and mentor, Van Miller, would be proud to know that we have kept this tradition alive," he added.

John DiSciullo, WBBZ-TV promotion and production coordinator, said the show is getting very favorable ratings and, just as importantly, has "created an awareness of bowling that we haven't seen locally in a long time." He indicated that the show has been renewed for another season.

Mancuso Bowling Center proprietor Rick Mancuso said he opted in as a way to bring "something that is good for the bowling community .... and I think that has been accomplished."

He also said he was pleased that two Batavia bowlers qualified for the TV show -- Rich Wagner and Fred Gravanda.

"Both of them are great guys, at two different spectrums of their careers, Rich being a younger guy (33) and Fred (at 66), the old war horse," he said, acknowledging both their accomplishments over the years.

He said he is contemplating staying with the show for another year, but would like to see it expand.

"We would love to see the show move a bit more east and northeast of Batavia so we can attract a larger market," he said, referring to the Rochester area. "That would definitely affect us in a greater way."

"Beat The Champ" officials said they are looking into the possibility of going into other areas of the state.

Photo at top -- The on-air trio of Janelle Sabin, left, scorekeeper; and commentators Sue Nawojski and Paul Peck spent the day at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia on Wednesday for the taping of four "Beat The Champ" bowling shows, which will be broadcast on WBBZ-TV (MeTV) during the month of December. Click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page for more photos by Mike Pettinella, bowling columnist and reporter for The Batavian, the region's No. 1 source for online news.

An 805 series by Jason Quilliam at Mancuso Bowling Center and a 300 game by Jeff Baes at Medina Lanes highlighted league bowling action during the week of Nov. 21.

Click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page to view the scores.

The next Pin Points column by Mike Pettinella is scheduled for Dec. 8, exclusively on The Batavian, the region's No. 1 source for online news.

City Council passed three measures relating to digital signs on Monday night that back its claim as a business-friendly governing body.

The board's unanimous votes modified recommendations by the City Planning & Development Committee, which had worked with the Genesee County Planning Board to revamp the city's sign code.

The first change reduces the amount of time that the message on an electronic digital sign could be changed -- from once every hour to once every 10 seconds. The second eliminates an annual $25 fee that would have been imposed upon a business owner to operate a digital sign, and the third "grandfathers" in digital signs that currently are located in zoning districts (such as Residential and/or Industrial) not authorized to have electronic message boards. 

"We're promoting small business, so I think we should leave it up to them (business owners)," said Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr., who instructed Council in the voting procedure. "Ten seconds ... keep it reasonable."

Prior to the discussion and vote, Council heard from Guy Clark, owner of Cedar Street Sales & Rentals, who has a digital sign but, under current rules, was unable to use it. Clark had previously addressed Council and the City Planning & Development Committee about the one-hour restriction.

Once again, Clark asked Council to permit the message to be changed every 10 seconds and to allow those with "nonconforming" signs to be phased into the code. He was supported by Batavian John Roach, who added that he thought the $25 annual fee was just another name for another tax.

"You (City Council) call it a fee, but it's a tax," Roach said. "I call it a money grab."

Council members agreed fairly quickly to approve the 10-second measure, and change the annual $25 fee to an initial fee of $25. They discussed for several minutes, however, the pros and cons of digital signs in residential/industrial zones.

Before the vote to grandfather the six property owners affected by the zoning requirement -- Cedar Street Rentals, United Memorial Medical Center, the two city high schools and two churches -- Councilman John Canale asked why digital signs weren't allowed in Industrial zones in the first place, noting that commercial ventures sometimes pop up in those areas.

City Manager Jason Molino said the rule of thumb is to keep digital signs in certain areas and away from people's homes as much as possible.

Following the vote, Council asked Molino and city planners to look into this issue and report back to the board.

Afterward, Clark said he was relieved by Council's actions.

"I think it's a very fair decision, and it certainly pleases us," he said. "And I was also concerned about an industrial center (that) opens up and a commercial business wants to go in there. So they left the door open a little bit for that down the road if someone did want to do that."

Clark said that along with messages that promote his business, he wants to put information such as time and temperature, and "put a funny little quote up there -- offer a free service for public, for not-for-profits. We'll put your message up there for you."

Another important change to the sign code is the elimination of county and city planning board reviews and special permits for those seeking area variances (example, changing the size of a sign), and enabling the applicant to go directly before the Zoning Board of Appeals. This modification would cut the approval process from 30 to 45 days to a day or two, Molino said.

Moving forward, Molino advised Council to schedule a public hearing on the sign code at its Dec. 12 business meeting for its first meeting of the new year (Jan. 9).

A nearly three-year in-depth look into the environment and its relationship with economic development has come to a close and the results should be beneficial to varying degrees across Genesee County.

That’s the perspective of Felipe Oltramari, Genesee County Planning Department director, concerning Smart Genesee/Green Genesee, an initiative that focused on the towns of Batavia, Alabama and Oakfield, and Village of Oakfield.

“It’s a scientific approach to looking at the natural environment – floodplains, wetlands – and its connectivity to development,” Oltramari said Monday. “This has enabled planners to view it as a system, and to come up with a ‘green’ road map for the county.  It’s another layer that helps us make decisions.”

The planning department worked with Sheila Hess of CC Environment & Planning of East Bethany, Barbara Johnston of LaBella Associates Inc. of Rochester and Matt Ingalls of Ingalls Planning & Design of Fairport, as well as town and village officials, to study each municipality’s environmental and economic strengths and weaknesses, and come up with recommendations to support future growth, policy and zoning procedures.

Some of the “strengths” that were identified included natural resources, location, new infrastructure, low taxes and low crime rate, while some of the “weaknesses” were New York State policies, regulations, laws and taxes; transportation issues; competing land uses; and an aging population.

More than half of the project’s cost – in real dollars and in-kind contributions – came from a $175,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

The four communities along with the planning department, Genesee County Economic Development Center and New York Green Inc., a nonprofit organization that guides conservation and community development in Western New York, provided the remainder of the funding, Oltramari said.

Oltramari said the four communities involved in the NYSERDA project are the ones that will be affected the most by the development of the WNY Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park in the Town of Alabama – which is preparing for the arrival of the 1366 Technologies solar wafer plant and the promise of hundreds of jobs.

“Each of the communities now has a map calibrated specifically for them,” he said. “Additionally, the towns of Batavia and Alabama have incorporated some of the committee’s recommendations into their Comprehensive Plan updates.”

(Toward that end, the Town of Batavia Planning Board has scheduled a training on SG/GG as it relates to its Comprehensive Plan for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 29) at Town Hall).

He noted that the SG/GG maps are serving as models for other communities, with the Town of Bergen and Town of Le Roy using some of its suggestions as leaders update their Comprehensive Plans.

SG/GG recommendations in the area of zoning pointed to a “hybrid” approach – using codes that maintain and protect the area’s rural character and natural resources.

The NYSERDA grant also provided energy audits of the communities’ facilities and vehicles, Oltramari said.

The Town and Village of Oakfield held public hearings on the subject in November. The Town of Batavia has scheduled a public workshop for 5 p.m. Dec. 7 and a public hearing for 7 p.m. Dec. 21 – both at Town Hall – while the Town of Alabama has scheduled a public hearing for 7:15 p.m. Dec. 17 at its Town Hall.

“Public hearings need to be held and then it is up to the local municipalities to decide if they wish to adopt any of the recommendations into their zoning regulations,” Oltramari said.

PRIZE FOR PERFECTION: Bill Hayes, left, owner of Turnbull Heating & Air and sponsor of the Turnbull Heating Junior Bowling program at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, presents a $100 gift card from Dick's Sporting Goods this morning to Jordan Fluker, the 19-year-old Batavian who rolled a 300 game last Saturday in league competition.

"This is a worthy accomplishment -- something to be proud of and something that can carry you forward to future success," Hayes said, as parents and youth bowlers looked on during a brief presentation.

A story about the achievement can be found by clicking on the Pin Points link at the top of the home page. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

With hours upon hours of meetings as well as comments from the public behind them, Batavia Town Board members on Wednesday night formally adopted the municipality's 2017 budget -- an $8.5 million spending plan that moves the tax rate from $1.42 to $2.64 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

And moments after the unanimous vote, Supervisor Gregory Post thanked Deputy Supervisor Dan Underhill, Councilwomen Sharon White and Patti Michalak and Councilman Chad Zambito for their efforts, advised them to take a Thanksgiving holiday break and reminded them that work on the 2018 budget will begin when they report back the following week.

"Discussions on the 2018 budget will start right away," Post said.

For 2017, town residents will be contributing $1 milliion in taxes -- up from the $500,000 that was levied in 2016. The board authorized spending $475,000 out of the town's reserves to balance the budget, which includes the financial needs for the fire, sewer and water districts.

The board also passed the proposed water rates -- $5.10 per 1,000 gallons as the base rate and $3.73 per 1,000 gallons as the agricultural rate -- and set the rates for both sewer districts in the town at $6.13 per 1,000 gallons. The new rates represent increases of about 3 percent (water) and 10 percent (sewer) from last year.

As far as fire protection is concerned, the board scheduled a public hearing for 7 p.m. on Dec. 21 at the Town Hall in connection with the town's contract with the Town of Batavia Fire Department. The 2017 contract calls for the town to pay the fire company $916,858 -- an increase in actual dollars from 2016 but at the same tax rate of $2.34 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

Post said both the board, in conjunction with Town of Batavia and East Pembroke Fire department personnel, spent the past 18 months working to come up with a tax rate that "would sustain the community's fire protection services as far into the future as we can forecast."

He noted that any excess tax revenue will go directly to dedicated fire reserve accounts to cover the increasing costs of facilities and equipment.

"Our volunteer fire departments give extraordinary value," Post said. "Compare their budget to the budget of the city (of Batavia) fire department, and they are providing the same service at a third of the cost."

In other action, the board:

-- Approved a $63,597 contract with New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal to provide the town with insurance coverage (including cyber coverage) from November 2016 through November of 2017, and a $1,111 contract with Franz-Manno Service Corp. for excess employer's liability insurance.

-- Set a public hearing for 7:05 p.m. on Dec. 21 for input on the town's updated Comprehensive Master Plan, which is available for viewing at the Town Hall on West Main Street Road or on the town's website -- www.townofbatavia.com. A CMP meeting has been scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Town Hall.

-- Received a report from Dan Lang, codes official, indicating that the new East Pembroke fire station is in the early stages of construction, and that the new Chamber of Commerce building on Park Road is nearing completion.

Jordan Fluker has continued to participate in organized youth bowling into his late teens, and the Batavian's dedication to the sport was rewarded at the highest level last Saturday (Nov. 12) when he rolled a 300 game at Mancuso Bowling Center.

Jordan, 19, joined a handful of Batavia youth bowlers who reached perfection by starting with 12 strikes in a row on lanes 17-18 in the Turnbull Heating Junior League, that is coordinated by his father, Tom Fluker, president of the Genesee Region USBC (in photo above).

A second-year student at Genesee Community College, Jordan said he started in the youth program at the age of 9, and has received coaching from his dad, who is a USBC Silver Level instructor.

"I saw my dad walking around behind me, and checking the scores but he didn't say anything to me during the game," Jordan said. "I think that he didn't want to mess up my game."

The slim right-hander said he became more and more nervous as the string of strikes increased, but kept his composure enough to keep the ball in the 1-3 pocket on all but one delivery -- the 11th ball.

"That one came up a little high and I got a good break to carry," he said. "That was the closest one to not being a strike."

The 12th ball was flush in the 1-3 pocket and all 10 pins flew into the pit. Hugs (the first one was from his dad) and handshakes from his teammates, other youth bowlers, parents and coaches followed.

Jordan said he was still shaky in the second game, suffering a few splits for a 181, but bounced back in the third game for 248 and a 729 series, a personal best.

A 200 average bowler, he has competed in two NYS Team Tournament finals and the NYS Youth Pepsi finals. He said that this is his final year of youth bowling, but wants to continue with the sport -- either when he transfers to a college with a bowling program or as part of an adult league.

Jordan, a former Mr. Batavian at Batavia High School, is on track for an associate degree at GCC in the spring, and said he is leaning toward majoring in Accounting or Web Design.

By the way, Tom Fluker rolled his first of his 10 USBC-certified perfect games at the age of 29.

UPDATE -- 11/16/16 - 2:15 P.M.

The Batavian received a return phone call from Jocelyn Bos, Calamar's senior housing development director, and she stated that the project is at the "very conceptual level, with no landowner contracts or business details in place."

She did mention that Town of Batavia officials had asked her company to consider another senior apartment complex due to the "incredible need" for that type of housing, and commended David Ficarella for putting together a "substantial plan."

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The Town of Batavia Planning Board on Tuesday night threw its support behind the idea of a proposed three-story, 110-unit senior apartment complex off Route 33 near Donahue Road, west of the city.

“I definitely like the concept and would be willing to write a letter to the Town of Batavia (board) recommending our approval,” said Kathleen Jasinski, planning board chair, after learning of the plan from David Ficarella, a Lovers Lane Road resident, who said he is working with Calamar Enterprises of Wheatfield on the development.

Ficarella, at the meeting with his wife, Katie, said it will take about $11 million to create the 55-and-over senior community of apartments that would rent at market rate -- $800 to $1,100 per month, with all major appliances and utilities included.

His summary outline to the board states that up to four full-time and two part-time positions will be created, and that about 200 construction jobs will be created to build the facility.

More importantly, he said, his proposed tax structure would generate $1.3 million in county and school tax revenue over the first 10 years, and would provide a sewer system that the town could tap into in the future.

“As it stands now, it’s a piece of land that brings in a couple thousand dollars in taxes, and it would stay that way for the next 30 years if nobody does anything about it,” he said. “The way we have it set up is that this facility will generate long-term tax base without adding demands for services on the school district.”

Ficarella said he is hoping that the Town of Batavia approves a sliding scale, percentage-based tax structure that starts with a low assessment ($250,000) for the first five years and increases to full valuation (estimated at $9 million) by year 10.

The project would not include tax abatements from the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

 “We’ve already been turned down in our request for incentives (from the GCEDC),” he said.

Ficarella owns about 140 acres in the area along Route 33 and would relinquish 10 to 15 acres for the project.

He said he prefers to partner with Calamar based on the company’s “excellent reputation in senior housing” and also is working with East Coast Commercial for financing.

Calamar previously wanted to build a senior citizens housing complex on West Main Street Road, but its request for tax incentives was turned down by the GCEDC Board of Directors. The Niagara County firm then filed a lawsuit against the GCEDC, which it lost. As a result, that project was scrapped.

Phone calls to Jocelyn Bos, senior housing development director for Calamar, were not returned this morning.

This latest proposal also includes the future extensions of Donahue Road north across Route 33 and of Edgewood Drive, which is sandwiched between Route 33 (Pearl Street Road) and the Fairway/Valle/Woodland residential area developed by Gary McWethy, Ficarella said.

“We’re looking to put in some more (single family) building lots, since Gary is out of lots on Edgewood,” Ficarella said. “With the STAMP project coming in (notably the 1366 Technologies solar wafer plant), there will be a lot of people looking for places to live.”

Ficarella said that McWethy has been working toward extending Edgewood Drive onto Pearl Street but has been delayed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which has concerns over wetlands located at the west end of the road.

At the end of his presentation, town planners voted unanimously to accept the conceptual proposal and authorized Jasinski to draft a letter of recommendation to the Town Board.

Photo -- David Ficarella of Lovers Lane Road in the Town of Batavia displays his preliminary sketch of the area of a proposed senior housing apartment complex -- along with single-family building lots -- along Route 33 (Pearl Street Road), west of the city. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

Believing that the City of Batavia is "on the rebound," entrepreneur Matthew Gray said he and partner Matt Boyd are eager to transform the former J.J. Newberry building downtown into a residential and commercial success.

Gray and Boyd are partners in AGRV Properties Inc., which will be creating the Batavia Brewing Co. and -- as City Planning & Development Committee members found out on Tuesday night -- seven apartments on the second and third floors of the vacant building at 109-111 Main St.

Gray was unable to vote on the special use permit request to convert the upper two floors into dwelling units since he is on the planning committee. But he was willing to talk about the venture afterward.

The committee did vote in favor of the project, which has an expected price tag of around $1.5 million in construction costs and also involves plans to have the building put on the National Register of Historic Places.

When it was mentioned that Gray must be pretty confident in Batavia to make this type of investment, he replied that "we were confident in Batavia to move back here in 2007 (from North Carolina and take over ownership of Alex's Place restaurant on Park Road), and we're confident now..."

"We really think that Batavia is on the rebound."

Nicholas Ryder, job captain for TRM Architect in Buffalo, provided details to the planning committee, stating that there will be four apartments (one- and two-bedroom) on the second floor and three on the third floor. The average size of the units will be around 800 square feet, with one to be about 1,400 square feet. The total space of the building is around 27,000 square feet.

Ryder said his firm is working with the city manager's office on a parking plan -- eyeing lots on Center, Court and Jackson streets -- and will be putting out bids for some exterior modification.

As far as the interior is concerned, he said they have discovered significant historical elements -- walls and ceilings of bead board and decorative wood wilth finite ribbing, for example -- that will not be tampered with per historical registry requirements.

"There also is existing chain link, pendant-like fixtures and milk-glass dome fixtures that trickle throughout the entire building," he said.

Ryder added that historic preservation rules prohibit the altering of hallways and doorways.

Gray said he doesn't expect any problems attracting tenants, noting that "everyone who goes through" the building has given it rave reviews.

Julie Pacatte, coordinator of the Batavia Development Corp. that is steering the project, said the monthly rental rate for the one-bedroom apartments can not exceed $1,142 and the monthly rate for the two-bedroom units can not exceed $1,371.

She said that rates are capped at 90 percent of the median income in Genesee County due to the fact that grant funding is being made available through the state Office of Community Renewal's New York Main Street Program.

The Batavia Brewing Co. will be the anchor tenant, with its brewing tanks in the basement viewable to patrons at the first-floor pub and eatery. The first floor also will contain two as-yet-to-be-selected "freshLAB" concessionaires -- hopeful restaurateurs offering unique menu items. Gray said he hopes to begin construction by January and be open by next summer. 

In other action, as expected, the planning committee held a public hearing in connection with a revised city sign code, and sent its recommendation for approval to City Council.

Prior to the unanimous vote, however, it heard from Guy Clark, owner of Cedar Street Sales & Rentals, who said he objected to the regulation that the message on electronic digital signs could be changed only once every hour. Clark had appeared before City Council on the same issue about a year ago.

"I had requested that the frequency be four to five seconds," Clark said. "Now I saw the once-per-hour, and know that every school and church change their messages every two seconds, and include graphics."

Clark went on to say that digital signs have not caused any accidents or incidents, and he just wants to be able to change his message more frequently.

City Code Enforcement Officer Doug Randall stated that changeable text signs are permitted only on state routes (with the exception of downtown), and that the code -- as currently written -- does not permit these types of signs on Cedar Street.

The city planners' recommendation, along with Clark's comments, will be forwarded to City Council to be placed on its conference agenda and, per City Manager Jason Molino, another public hearing will be scheduled in January or February.

City planners and the Genesee County Planning Board worked together to revamp the city sign code with an emphasis on readability and streamlining the procedural process (see a previous story on The Batavian).

When it comes to rules and regulations pertaining to signs on businesses and other public buildings, there's much more than meets the eye, according to the director of the Genesee County Department of Planning.

Felipe Oltramari provided some insight and background on the City of Batavia Planning & Development Committee's effort to rewrite its sign code, a several month process that initially focused on how to address electronic message board signs.

Tonight (6 o'clock at City Centre Council Chambers) city planners are expected to forward the revamped document to City Council and schedule a public hearing on the matter. Last week, the Genesee County Planning Board gave its approval to the new version.

The new code is "modernized," Oltramari said, and is "more legible and easier to enforce with ample use of graphics and tables."

Just as importantly, the code now lines up with the latest U.S. Supreme Court decisiion that limits governments from regulating signs based on content, Oltramari said.

"The current code addresses temporary signs differently based on whether they were political, for sale signs, event signs, etc.," Oltramari said. "The court case Reed v. Town of Gilbert that was decided last year at the Supreme Court said that signs are a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment and any regulation of the sign’s content was subject to strict scrutiny and had to be narrowly tailored to further a compelling government interest.

"This usually means that the sign’s content can only be regulated if it furthers health and safety of the community. Governments can only then regulate signs based on the time, place and manner -- such as duration, location and type and /materials. The new code sticks to those types of regulations."

Oltramari said other changes deal with procedure.

"The code is being streamlined so that all signs that conform to the standards of the code can be handled administratively only requiring a building permit from the City’s Code Enforcement Officer," he explained.

"Right now, a business that opens downtown and is only changing the sign and is proposing a sign that meets all the requirements of the code still has to go to the City’s Planning and Development Committee and the County Planning Board to get approval to go forward. The new code incentivizes applicants to conform to the code by eliminating the review by these boards ... saving a month or more of time."

Once approved, the new procedure for variances for signs in the city that do not conform because of dimensional requirements will go directly before the City's Zoning Board of Appeals, eliminating review by (and subsequent permit from) the city planning board and review by the county planning board, Oltramari said. 

"Having the City’s ZBA handle these as variances is in harmony with State Law and will ensure more consistent interpretation of the code," he said.

He said that other changes include allowing exposed neon to be used in signage, and recognizing and allowing for backlit illuminated signs -- something that has increased in popularity due to the utilization of LED lighting.

The complexities involved in sales tax distribution, especially as it is related to water usage and water treatment facilities, have prompted City of Batavia and Genesee County leaders to re-evaluate their path to reaching a new allocation agreement.

City Manager Jason Molino, speaking at Monday night's City Council meeting, said that "a lot of different complex issues are on the table" than there were 17 years ago when the sales tax allocation pact between the county and city originated.

"We're looking at how to approach this collectively," he said, in reference to a committee of city and county personnel that has been put together to carve out a new plan to replace the current one that expires in February 2018. "There are hundreds of millions of dollars involved here."

City Council, understanding that negotiations are ongoing, passed a resolution last night stating its intent to extend the sales tax agreement -- without modification -- with the county. Previously, Genesee County legislators voted to terminate the agreement in the event that talks on a new contract stalled.

As it stands now, the terms of the sales tax agreement provide the city with 16 percent of the sales tax generated in Genesee County, with the towns and villages splitting 34 percent (based on assessed valuation) and the county receiving 50 percent.

Molino has stated that the city's 16-percent share is more than it would receive if the sales tax/water treatment contracts weren't in place, adding that the city pays the county a surcharge of 60 cents per 1,000 gallons of water used and in return the county leases the water treatment plant from the city and reimburses the city for operational costs.

Additionally, the city buys water from the county (at a discounted rate) and the county sells water outside of the city. The revenue from the sale of water goes to pay for the infrastructure needed to distribute water to the towns.

The "oversight committee" is comprised of Molino and Genesee County Manager Jay Gsell; City Council members Eugene Jankowski and Kathleen Briggs; Genesee County legislators Raymond Cianfrini, Marianne Clattenburg and Robert Bausch; Bergen Town Supervisor Donald Cunningham, and Darien Town Supervisor David Hagelberger.

Meetings are scheduled over the next few weeks and progress reports will be given to the committee, Molino said.

This is good news to Council President Jankowski, who said Council is invoking "short deadlines (because) we're not going to let this go."

He also said he believes the team approach is the best way to proceed.

"It's important that there are concessions both ways, and that there is an understanding of each other's situation," he said.

Speaking from decades of experience in property redevelopment, Samuel Savarino, chief executive officer of Savarino Cos. of Buffalo, acknowledged the challenges involved in converting the former Santy's Tire Sales and Soccio & Della Penna Construction sites on Ellicott Street in the city into a successful commercial venture.

But he also said he is encouraged by the "great public support" locally and is hopeful that New York State comes through with the necessary grant funding to make Ellicott Station a reality.

Savarino, whose company was selected by the Batavia Development Corp. in the spring to revitalize the rundown, three-acre parcel in the city's Brownfield Opportunity Area, joined Julie Pacatte, BDC coordinator, and BDC Board members Ray Chaya and Mary Valle at Monday night's City Council meeting to update the governing body on the project's progress.

"We've been refining our plan, and after finding that one of the buildings on the site is unsafe, it will be demolished and is no longer part of our plans," said Savarino, who has spearheaded award-winning projects along Buffalo's waterfront.

However, he said, the main building on the Della Penna lot (phase 1 of the project) features "some unusual characteristics that will work well ... and will become the signature part of the development. Driving down Ellicott Street, you can't help but notice it."

Specifically, he said the Della Penna building that once was a transformer repair facility has room upstairs for a party area that looks out over the production floor.  He said he is "pleasantly surprised" that the building's shape, along with concrete beams and columns, will lend itself to a unique look and feel when completed.

Savarino said his company has been working with engineers and consultants in preparation of possible construction next spring. Plans are contingent on the awarding of an Empire State Development grant -- what Savarino called a "substantial contribution to close the gap" -- for the project, which is expected to cost around $17 million. He and Pacatte said they hope to hear from the ESD in December.

The developer also said that he has applied for new market tax credits to lessen the state's commitment to the project, noting that the fact that the site is in a highly distressed census tract and that Batavia is a rural community work in the project's favor.

He said the project likely will proceed in two phases.

"Della Penna is the first phase; Santy's is the second site," he said, adding that the building there also will come down. "That's the site that the city acquired through foreclosure after we were selected in the RFP process."

Savarino said the plan hasn't changed much from his original vision.

"We're still roughly consistent of what we originally proposed. We're using the existing building as a production brewery and restaurant. We've had some in-depth conversations with two established brewers, both of whom have a strong interest in the site -- I don't think that's an issue.

"We've talked to several commercial tenants for the space -- the two floors of commercial space that we have in both of the buildings. But the first phase would have 16 apartments and the second phase would have 16 apartments, for a total of 32. Commercial space on the first floor could be retail or it could just be commercial office. We've had an awful lot of interest from commercial office users and one bank in particular."

Samuel Savarino talks about the Ellicott Station project at Monday night's City Council meeting. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

The Town of Batavia's level of staffing -- primarily in its engineering department -- and substantial tax increase came under fire Wednesday night, but Supervisor Gregory Post and the four council members stood up to the questions by communicating a strategy that focuses on providing the services necessary to ensure long-term sustainability and growth.

Eight people attended last night's public hearings on the town's sewer and water rates, and preliminary budget, the latter an $8.5 million spending plan (including fire, sewer and water districts) that calls for a tax levy of $1 million for 2017.

The proposed tax rate of $2.64 per thousand of assessed property value is an 86-percent increase over last year's tax rate of $1.42 per thousand -- with last year bringing the first town property tax in 35 years.

Water and sewer rates also are expected to increase in 2017, by about 3 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The session began with town residents Joseph Jaszko and Mitchell Strong seeking answers regarding the town's engineering department.

"How many engineers do we have, and why are we paying them a quarter of a million dollars, plus vehicles, plus their insurance?" Jaszko said, noting that he is on a fixed income. "We never had all these people in the Town of Batavia before. Where do you think this money is coming from?"

Strong, who owns Strong Forge & Fabrication in the City of Batavia, followed up with the question "Why does the town need all these engineers and the city doesn't?" Both men inquired about the number of town employees overall.

Post, as he as stated previously at meetings leading up to the public hearings, said his many years of experience in local government has brought him to a point where having qualified, full-time professional engineers on staff is more beneficial to the town than contracting engineering firms on an as-needed basis.

"These P.E.'s are the biggest problem solvers and components necessary for us to carry out our strategic plan -- to build a model to sustain our community," said Post, adding that two full-time engineers and two full-time engineering technicians are among the 23 people employed full time by the town.

"I feel I did the best that I could do having witnessed 30 years of the town not having a full-time engineer," he continued. "Since our inception of this plan, we have attracted some pretty extraordinary development and leveraged money from numerous grants and loans, which have increased the town's assessed valuation by 40 percent."

The supervisor added that shared services agreements with other Genesee County towns -- in the areas of code enforcement, inspection, licensing and engineering services, for example -- result in money coming back to the Town of Batavia.

"A portion of some of these positions are paid by other communities," he said.

The 2017 budget is about $400,000 greater than last year's, and the 2017 tax levy of $1 million is a half-million dollars more than last year's. The new budget shows a $475,000 contribution from the town's unexpended fund balance.

Post said that leaves about $1.3 million left in the fund balance account.

"All costs to operate this community have doubled in the past 10 years, and they will continue to increase," he said. "It wouldn't be prudent to not have an unexpended fund balance at a $1.2 million baseline."

Strong said when he found out that the tax rate was going to jump from $1.42 to $2.64, "some bells started going off."

"That's why I'm here tonight," he said. "I'm not questioning how you run your business, but 87 percent (actually 86) in one year ... that's crazy."

Post countered by saying the tax rate should have been $2.84 per $1,000 last year, but the board opted for less.

He did say that the $2.64 proposed for 2017 "carries us through the year 2020."

"Our engineers and financial consultants are projecting true costs, looking at the levy versus reserves, and (have determined) that we could keep it at that rate," Post said. "We're anticipating a substantial increase in revenues and would be able to maintain the unexpended fund balance at $1.2 million."

At the close of the session, which lasted about 90 minutes, Strong said he had a clearer understanding of the process, but encouraged the town to shave expenses.

"They have to look at cost reduction," he said. "My customers are constantly after us to cut costs."

Meetings are Open to the Public

Post said he welcomed the public input at the meeting, and advised all town residents that the Town Board meets every Wednesday around 5 p.m. for work sessions at Town Hall on West Main Street Road, and that board meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month, starting at 7 p.m. All meetings are open to the public. More information can be obtained by contacting the town clerk at 343-1729.

Incumbent Republican Adam Tabelski recorded a resounding victory Tuesday night, outpolling his Democratic opponent Duane Preston in all six wards to hold onto his Councilman-At-Large seat on the Batavia City Council.

Tabelski, 37, a former mayor of the Village of Medina, tallied (unofficially) 2,660 votes to 1,979 for Preston, a Batavia businessman who currently serves as the chair of the city's Planning & Development Committee.

UPDATE (by Howard): The initial totals for this story came from canvassing conducted by the GOP. The county's election site reports totals of 2,776 for Tabelski and 2,006 for Preston.

The unofficial ward totals were as follows:

Ward 1 -- 564-447
Ward 2 -- 292-173
Ward 3 -- 613-478
Ward 4 -- 599-365
Ward 5 -- 226-174
Ward 6 -- 366-342

"I'm really excited -- excited and ready to keep working for the residents of this city," Tabelski said at Terry Hills Restaurant, the Republican Party's election-night headquarters. "I work hard throughout the year, and when the election comes around, the results will speak for themselves."

Tabelski has held the seat since January when former Council member John Deleo left to run (successfully) for a seat on the Genesee County Legislature.

An account manager for Wendel Engineering, he has many years of experience in the political arena, having served as a trustee and then mayor in Medina for five and a half years, and having worked for a state legislator for 12 years.

He said that winning every ward was a "great feeling," but it's not something to dwell upon.

"I'm more concerned about smart planning, and I believe the city is on the right track," he said. "And I want to be part of the process going forward."

Tabelski said he wants to keep taxes "as low as possible" but noted that residents want services, and it's "a balancing act" to weigh the services provided against the cost of such services.

Preston, a longtime Batavian, said he appreciated the chance to run for the position, and hopes his stance of no more tax increases hits a chord with City Council going forward.

"We gave it a try," Preston said at Dibble Family Center, host of the Democrats' election-night gathering.

"I think I shook it up a bit. We've had tax increases in nine out of the last 10 years -- all 10 if you county the trash (pickup). At least I hope it's in Council's head that we don't need to raise taxes every year, and that we can think outside of the box."

Adam Tabelski gives a brief "acceptance speech" at Terry Hills Restaurant after being informed of his win over Duane Preston in voting for the Batavia City Council Councilman-At-Large seat. Preston, left, and Michael Plitt, the new Genesee County Democratic Party chairperson, converse at the Dibble Family Center. Photos by Mike Pettinella.

Several bowlers hit the 700 mark last week in league action at Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia and at Rose Garden Bowl in Bergen.

Click on the Pin Points link at the top of this page to see who's hot on the lanes.

League secretaries from other bowling centers in the area are invited to email their high scores for posting on this website to mikepett2002@yahoo.com.

Watch for a new Pin Points column this Thursday -- exclusively on The Batavian, the area's No. 1 source for online news -- and support the advertisers who support bowling in the Genesee Region.