This is a paid announcement paid for by Councilman Bill Cox.
There is a school board meeting tonight October 6th at Batavia High School at 7 PM for the Board of Education to explain why they want to develop property known as the North Street Extension into multiple athletic fields. Their project will ultimately cost $1.5 million dollars. They are applying for $600,000 in funds right now and want the city of Batavia, Town of Batavia, Town of Stafford and Genesee county to apply for $200,000 each or more and then those taxpayers to fund the maintenance of this development.
Over 100 residents in this immediate area have signed petitions to protest this development which will change the peace, tranquility, and character of this neighborhood for the next 70 years. This will transform a neighborhood where many retired people live, into a noisy area with streets clogged with traffic and parking problems and liter and noise that accompanies all sporting activities. This property butts up against many private homes and the privacy of these neighbors will be gone during the week and on weekends.
School taxes are a big concern. The property owners of the entire school district will be paying higher school taxes that will be needed to maintain this new development at the same time when school enrollment is declining. On top of that the school has other options available that are better at a much lower cost and this is just one of many areas the school district wants to develop.
One of the most disturbing things in their study is that the school board is counting on many adult user groups that will be invited to participate in sporting events at this site, to help pay the cost of maintaining the proposed fields. Why is the school board asking property owners and school taxpayers to pay for maintaining sports fields for adult groups to use?
This is a prime example of why school taxes go up and runaway spending occurs by members of the school board when it cannot be justified. Our school taxes are too high already and taxes are choking our seniors on fixed incomes and wage earners who are laid off. We need less spending and lower school taxes, not more.
I invite and encourage all school tax payers to come to this meeting and tell the school board not to proceed with this spending project that is totally unnecessary. No matter how much grant money they receive, all of us will be paying new maintenance costs and more school wages and higher school retirement benefits for the next 70 years. Nothing the government does is ever free. Who are they trying to kid?
Again this meeting is TODAY AT 7 pm at Batavia High School in the auditorium. Please come to the meeting and speak out against this waste of your tax money.
I sponsored this message on behalf of concerned citizens of the First Ward and taxpayers of the Batavia City School District.
Bill Cox
Councilman – First Ward
City of Batavia, NY
Howard, Bill Cox paid for
Howard, Bill Cox paid for this? If he did support this position with his own money, that shows a lot of determination. I would hope that people who support this position as well are willing to help by contributing.
Bill Cox paid for this. We
Bill Cox paid for this. We actually came up with a new ad format to accommodate his wish to make it front and center of the home page for a full 24 hours.
This is a great reminder to
This is a great reminder to residents of Batavia since the meeting Tuesday night should prove to be enlightening.
As one of the thirteen property owners whose back yard looks out onto the existing fields, I look forward to hearing more about the plan.
I have read the report on the Batavia City School District website that outlines the need for improving these existing fields between North Street and East Avenue and it seems clear that the benefits will be reaped for years to come.
The residents of North Street extension currently have to tolerate people parking on their lawns in front of their houses because there is no parking area available. I would think that by adding a parking lot as well as a second entrance off East Ave would certainly improve the current traffic problem. I hope the plan calls for placing that parking lot furthest from our residences to reduce noise. I also hope that improving the fields will eliminate the illegal off-road vehicles I see speeding across them.
I also hope that the School Board provides clear information about how school taxes have actually decreased over the recent years.
I hope they provide a better explanation of the intended users of the property. The needs study does not imply that "adult groups" are the intended users but it does imply that the intent is to benefit school-age youth of our community. School Board, please set us straight.
Improving those fields so that it is safe for kids to run and play will likely encourage more of our youth to participate in organized sports. The study reports that, nationally, 55% of high school students participate in organized sports in school. I hope the Board reports what the percentage is in Batavia versus neighboring towns.
It has been my experience (parent of four) that such participation improves the character, leadership and citizenship of young people. Those young people grow up to be responsible, hard-working residents and taxpayers. Those who are discouraged by Batavia tend to abandon it. I voted for my Councilman because he suggested that we needed to do something to encourage our young people to stay in Batavia.
We have an opportunity to make an investment in our future. The School Board will explain Tuesday night how the initial investment will be borne through grants, not Batavia Taxpayers. The fields currently require regular mowing but ongoing maintenance will probably cost a little more than it does now. A small investment with a huge, long term return.
I'll be there - 7PM Tuesday 10/6/09
Mike, you write, "the initial
Mike, you write, "the initial investment will be borne through grants, not Batavia Taxpayers."
And where does the money for those grants come from? Is there a giant money tree in Albany or does the Federal Reserve just print more cash?
I'm not taking a position either way on the North Street Extension, but just pointing out -- Batavia taxpayers will be paying for this, but so will taxpayers in Oswego and maybe in Lodi, Calif., just as we pay, in part, for parks in their towns, etc. At the end of the day it's all taxpayers money, and somebody needs to ask, for how much longer can this go on?
Well, I certainly don't think
Well, I certainly don't think anyone believes that by refusing to accept the Federal or State grant money, our taxes will go down. The grants exist and will be used somewhere.
I understand that the grant funds ultimately come from Federal and State tax dollars. I also acknowledge that Batavia taxpayers have a hand in funding the State and Federal tax coffers. Opponents of the grants can (and likely do) denounce them in Albany or Washington. That's not the focus of Tuesday's meeting.
The fact of the matter is that the grants exist because arguments have been made in Albany and Washington about how we need to improve our youth and improve our future. The grants are offered in order to provide improvements and Batavia needs improvements. Sitting on our hands and hoping that the situation improves around here is unacceptable. As Councilman Cox said in his bid for election, we must do something to keep the young people from leaving Batavia.
My point is still valid. The Batavia taxpayer will see no change in their tax burden if we accept the grant money or if another community accepts it.
We will see additional costs for upkeep and the question we have to ask is if that small increase will provide a bigger benefit in the long run or not.
Mike you must know this but
Mike you must know this but the city has alot of parks to run and play in..Only problem is you never see alot of kids running or playing in them..We have sidewalks all over the city to walk on to promote exercise.With all the parks in Batavia kids still get in trouble..Mr.Cox is right we have to fight an over sized bloated school system in Batavia...Sell the land,create some tax base,help the city taxpayer out..Do you remember River St.The school district bought land over there to build a new school,good thing the taxpayer said NO..Was a waste of money,they lost money on selling that land..All you ever hear from them is don't worry its someone else's money we are going to spend.Its all taxpayers dollars any way you slice it..The city of Batavia has allready said NO..Sounds to me that its the school board that is at war with us.
It's a totally different
It's a totally different argument to say "if we don't get the money somebody else will" (which is the argument I used in support of Batavia getting RestoreNY funds for Masee Gateway) than saying "it won't cost Batavia taxpayers." It will cost us one way or another.
Howard, good point. Not the
Howard, good point. Not the best choice of words for my sentence. I hope that my point is clearer now.
Point is most of us just do
Point is most of us just do not believe that after it is built, it will not add to the school tax burden. It will cost us more in taxes and this idea was voted down once already. No means no.
I want the 12 acres to stay as is, but it could be sold. The School Board has said they would sell some of the land for homes, why not all of it?
The sale would give the school board money to pay down debt. The new property taxes would help the city year after year.
And if the land is not sold, this plan will come up again in a few years, unless all the prsent School Board is replaced one by one.
How about the huge building
How about the huge building across from Miss Batavia. Does anyone know what that will be used for? It is one of the biggest housing developments Ive seen go up in Batavia.