Business Improvement District

Sponsorship space available. For applications and information, contact Laurie Oltramari at 585-344-0900. Click here to purchase your tickets today or visit Angotti Beverages at 61 Jackson Street in Batavia!

The Batavia Improvement District held its annual luncheon this afternoon at the City Church Generations Center on Center Street.

Top photo: Steve Krna, vice president of Genesee Patrons, an insurance company, accepts a Spirit of Downtown Award.

David Boyce, CEO of Tompkins Insurance, receiving a Spirit of Downtown Award for Tompkins.

John Roche, Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle, was honored as a volunteer.

Mary Valle, Valle Jewelers, was also honored as a Volunteer of the Year.

The keynote speaker was Michael Schmand, executive director of Buffalo Place.

Press release:

Centennial Arts Fest, Tuesday, June 16th, 4-8 p.m., in Downtown Batavia, will feature artists and crafts people exhibiting their art work in celebration of the City of Batavia’s 100th Year. This will take place in historic Jackson Square. Rain date: Tuesday, June 23rd.

This is free to all artists and crafts people who wish to be a part of our outdoor gallery. We are hoping to have 100 participants to make this a grand celebration of arts and culture in our community. The B.I.D. Promotion Committee is offering a "$100 Prize" based upon the “People’s Choice” award for the best all-around artist. Deadline for applications: Monday, May 18th!

Applications and info are available at: Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District, 200 E. Main St., Suite 12, Batavia NY 14020

585-344-0900

visit: www.downtownbataviany.com

The craft beer business is growing in Western New York with new breweries popping up from Watertown to Buffalo, and Batavia stands at its epicenter.

Tapping into the renewed fascination with craft beer, the Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) is hosting "Beertavia" to introduce people to regional brews. Beertavia will be held from 3 to 6 p.m., May 16, in the Angotti Beverage Corp. parking lot, off School Street, between Jackson and Center.

The event will highlight Downtown Batavia, as well as recognize the city as a geographic center for beer-making. The agricultural resources within the county -- hops are grown locally -- makes Batavia a hot spot for local breweries. Additionally, local production, consumption and distribution make craft beer an attractive business venture. Plus, by-products or waste from the beer-making process can be sold to farms.

BID believes that craft breweries have great potential to benefit this community.

Beertavia is more than a beer festival. It is a community event showcasing local restaurants and acts as a host to microbreweries from all over the state. Fare from Papa Pasquale’s Italian Eatery, Sweet Pea’s Cupcakery Cafe, and Sunny’s Restaurant are on the menu thus far.

The BID is encouraging all local restaurants to participate. Breweries planning to attend are: Abandon Brewing (Penn Yan), Big Ditch Brewing Company (Buffalo), Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown), Custom Brewcrafters (Honeoye Falls), Empire Brewing Company (Rochester & Syracuse), Keuka Brewing Company (Hammondsport), Resurgence Brewing (Buffalo), RG Brewery (Brockport), Rohrbach Brewing Company (Rochester), Rusty Nickel Brewing Company (West Seneca), Sackets Harbor Brewing Company (near Watertown), and Upstate Brewing Company (Elmira).

See BID’s Facebook page for a complete list of breweries and other updates.

Brewers can also pit their brew against others in a contest to win the title Western New York’s Brew of the Year.

Tickets are $40 per person – 800 are available for general admission – and $55 for a limited number of VIP tickets. Additionally, special tickets for designated drivers will be available. This event is for those 21 years of age or older. Music will be provided by Stone Row.

BID is currently seeking sponsorship and volunteers for the event and is excited to name The Batavian and New York Craft Malt as leading sponsors. Craft Beer Week runs in conjunction with this event. BID encourages local bars and restaurants to have a tap takeover in their establishments, by which BID will promote the brews each restaurant will be serving.

Tickets or more information can be found at: Beertavia

Photo: Laurie Oltramari, Corey Wolcott, Don Burkel and Patricia Hawley.

Hundreds of people lined Main Street in Downtown Batavia on Friday night for the Christmas parade that was the highlight of a successful Christmas in the City for 2014.

To purchase prints, click here.

City workers were busy with tasks Downtown today getting things ready for Christmas in the City tomorrow evening, including making sure the snowflakes on the light poles are ready to illuminate correctly.

Tomorrow's events:

4 to 8 p.m., Photos with Santa
97 Main St.

Lighting of Downtown Christmas Tree, 5 p.m.

Horse and Wagon Rides ($1), 5 to 9 p.m.
Tickets available at Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle, 8 Center St. Proceeds benefit the Business Improvement District.

Trolley Rides to the Wonderland of Trees at the Holland Land Office Museum, 5 to 9 p.m.
Jackson Street Parking Lot (across from Valle Jewelers)
Trolley will continue throughout the night to bring people back and forth to the museum and Jackson Street parking lot. Trolley runs approximately every 15 minutes. The Holland Land Office Museum (HLOM) will be offering free refreshments for the event as well as gift baskets and discount sales in the gift shop.

GO ART!, Frosted Panes exhibit
The Genesee Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) is pleased to announce its annual holiday show on exhibit through Dec. 19th in Batavia. This year's theme, "Frosted Panes," exhibits 43 pieces by 14 local artists on display in two GO ART Galleries -- the GO ART! Main Gallery in Seymour Place and at the Genesee County Senior Center on Bank Street.
A FREE Meet-the-Artists Reception will be held in conjunction with Batavia's Christmas in the City.

Batavia Concert Band, 6 p.m., City Centre

Holiday Parade, 6:30 p.m.
Parade will take place on Main Street starting at Liberty Street and ending at Jackson Street. More than 40 participants will entertain you with music, floats, singing, a juggler, fire trucks, and more! Santa will choose a child from his "Nice List" to ride with him in the Horse & Wagon!

The following Downtown businesses will be hosting special events as well:

Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle -- 8 Center St.; Enjoy holiday specials, drawing/prizes, coupons, and their famous chili during the Christmas in the City festivities. Tickets for the Horse & Wagon rides may purchased inside of Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle. For questions, call (585) 343-0548.

Amy's Fluffy Friends -- 238 Ellicott St.; Have your pet's photo or group photos taken by Along Photography. Only $5 for a photo shoot! Amy's will also be offering a raffle with doggie treats. For questions, call (585) 343-0052.

Charles Men's Shop -- 200 E. Main St.; Stay warm and enjoy holiday discounts and warm refreshments! For questions, call (585) 343-2086.

City Slickers -- 59 Main St.; Celebrate the season with City Slickers' awesome deal with a Buy 1 Entree, Get the 2nd at Half Price. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a local band playing for the evening. Be sure to also purchase your "Dinner & a Movie" gift certificates as stocking stuffers! For questions, call (585) 345-6788.

Edward Jones -- 7 Jackson St.; Get out of the cold for a little while and enjoy a hot drink and cookies courtesy of Edward Jones. For questions, call (585) 345-1773.

Karen's Yarn, Paper, Scissors -- 39 Jackson St.; 10% holiday discounts on scrapbook paper and yarn! After the parade, stop by Karen's to get a free balloon animal courtesy of Jason the Juggler.

Marchese Computer -- 220 Ellicott St.; With coupons and refreshments, learn more about their holiday specials including computers starting at $349.99! For questions, call (585) 343-2713.

Sweet Pea's Cupcakery Cafe -- 23 Jackson St.; Offering free samples of cookies. Perhaps you'll want to come back to purchase some for Santa for Christmas Eve? For questions, call (585) 344-5627.

T-Shirts, Etc. -- 111 Main St.; T-shirt coloring for kids! Holiday specials include a Buy One, Get One at 50% off. Also, be sure to visit their guest vendor, Butterfly Studio. For questions, call (585) 345-1993.

UMTOO -- 317 Ellicott St.; Will be open until 9 p.m. and will have Christmas refreshments, Christmas stories (traditional and historical), and Christmas songs by local singers who will engage people to join in singing. For questions, call (585) 993-2325.

Valle Jewelers -- 21 Jackson St.; Will be offering holiday specials for that evening only. For questions, call (585) 343-3372. 

The Holiday Parade on Main Street, 6:30 to 7 p.m.

• Photos with Santa -- 4 to 8 p.m.
• Stores & restaurants offering specials and entertainment -- 5 to 9 p.m.
• Horse & wagon rides -- 5 to 9 p.m.
• Trolley rides to the Wonderland of Trees at the Holland Land Office Museum -- 5 to 9 p.m.
• Batavia Concert Band in Batavia City Centre -- 6 p.m.

Sponsors: PLATINUM: Alpina Foods, Java Farm Supply. GOLD: Empire Tractor, Batavia Daily News, Genesee Valley Pennysaver, Tompkins Bank of Castile, & Tompkins Insurance, Turnbull Heating & Air, WBTA Radio. SILVER: Fidelis Care NY, Freed Maxick CPAs, Holland Land Office Museum, Muller Quaker Foods, Oshlag Saleh & Earl, R.A. Haitz Co., T-Shirts Etc., The Batavian, Valle Jewelers & United Memorial Medical Center.

Another event brought to you by: Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District.
(585) 344-0900. For more information, visit us online at: CLICK HERE.

Press release:

Tickets go on sale this Friday for the the Annual Taste of Fall Wine Walk. It will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, with more than 15 stores and businesses participating.

The Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District presents this very popular event, which sold out last year within the first two weeks.

"Bring Your Feet Downtown For The Taste Of The Grape!"

Wine Walk tickets are $20/person and include tastings, a commemorative wine glass, and discounted items at some stores and snacks.

Registration (4 to 6 p.m.) is at GO ART!, 201 E. Main St..

Be safe. Bring along a designated driver: Cost $5/person, includes everything except wine.

New this year are V.I.P. Wine Walk tickets. Cost: $30/person and includes all of the regular ticket benefits plus early admittance at 3 p.m. and a special wine accessory gift.

Tickets go on sale Sept. 5th at these Downtown locations: Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle, 8 Center St.; T-Shirts Etc., 111 Main St.; Valle Jewelers, 21 Jackson St.; and The YNGodess Shop, 73 Main St.

Only a limited number of tickets are available. Must be 21 years old to participate.

http://www.DowntownBataviaNY.com (585-344-0900

Preperations are under way for tomorrows Summer in the City in Downtown Batavia.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and includes live music, food, vendors and classic cars.

Come on out, have some fun, and wear your T-shirt from The Batavian.

Photographer Amanda Earl captured some shots late this afternoon of the BID's Don Burkel, Laurie Oltramari and Jeff Gillard as they marked off vendor booth space on Main Street.

Summer in the City is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Here's the notice of streat closures for the day:

Streets closed (barricades) at 7:30 a.m.:  Main, Bank, Center, School, Jackson, Court & Jefferson:

Bank at Washington (For Race Only)
Bank at Alva
Main at Upton Monument
Main at Liberty / Summit
Jackson at Ellicott
Center at School
Court at Ellicott  / Parking Lot Entrances /Bank Drive-Thru
Jefferson at Intersection Tonawanda Valley & Wendy’s Parking Lots
Wendy’s -- Main Street Entrance

Main Stage: Will be located in front of Wendy’s / County Building #1 on Main Street facing east. Entertainment begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m.

Vendors: Crafters and nonprofits & KidsZone located on Main, Court & Jefferson. Food vendors will be on the north side of Main Street from in front of Larry’s Steakhouse, west to corner of Main & Jefferson. Commercial vendors on the south side of Main Street from corner of Court to Center Street. BID Businesses south side from Jackson to Center Street.

Super Cruise: Vehicles will be on the north side of Main Street from Jackson Street, east to Liberty / Summit, and the south side from Center to Liberty Street. They will also be on Jackson, School & Center streets and a segment of Bank Street.

Donny Carroll 5K Race: Start/ Finish line will be at the entrance of Bank of America Drive-Thru.  The race starts at 9 a.m. and ends finishes by 10:30 a.m.

Access To Parking Lots:  Court / Jackson access off of Ellicott Street;
                                            Alva access off of Alva Place & Bank Street (after 5K Race
                                            ends at 10:30 a.m.);
                                           Center Street access off of School Street

Reopen streets at 11 p.m.

The annual Jackson Square concert series kicked off Friday night with a return engagement by Stone Row, who first played the series nine years ago.

The electrified Irish band entertained the crowd with traditional and contemporary numbers.

Opening the show was a string quartet from the Genesee Symphony Orchestra playing traditional Irish tunes.

For a line-up of this summer's shows, click here.

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) is releasing its Summer 2014 lineup for the free “Friday Night in the Square” Jackson Square Concerts, June 27th – Aug. 29th. For more than 14 years, the BID has provided free concerts in the Downtown for the Western New York community.

This year we have Greg Docencko and members of  Genesee Symphony Orchestra opening for three of the scheduled concerts in conjunction with the featured groups. This is most exciting and we think everyone should enjoy this new addition to our series.

The following is the schedule of events for “Friday Night in the Square,” located in Jackson Square, in the alleyways off of Jackson or Center Streets, from 7 to 9 p.m.:

• Friday, June 27^th – Opening Group: GSO – Greg Docencko

                                            Featured Act: Stone Row (Celtic/Folk)

• Friday, July 4^th – Northbound Rebels (Southern Rock)
• Friday, July 11^th -- Mitty & The Followers (MoTown)
• Friday, July 25^th  – Opening Group:  GSO – Greg Docencko

                                            Featured Act:  Bonnie & Collide (R & B)

• Friday, Aug. 1st –  It’s My Party ('60s)
• Friday, Aug. 8^th –  Ghost Riders (Country) & Ghost Riders Drum & Bugle
• Friday, Aug. 15^th – OHMS Band (Soft Rock)
   
• Friday, Aug. 22nd – Opening Group:  GSO – Greg Docencko

                                             Featured Group: C’est Bon All Girl Cajun Band (Cajun)

• Friday, Aug. 29^th  – Bluesway Band (Blues / Classic Rock)
• Saturday, July 5^th --  The Ramble Music & Art Fest from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Bring your own chairs. Rain Days – Concerts move into Batavia City Centre. Food & refreshments are available from Sweet Ecstasy during the events.

It took the City Council 20 minutes to debate whether the city should reimburse the Business Improvement District $1,900 for flowers.

In the end, the resolution passed 5-4, but not before some sharp words where shared in the council chambers.

Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian looked around the room during the debate and wondered why Don Burkel, BID director wasn't there, "so we could rip his ass."

The request for the reimbursement didn't quite come from Burkel, however, it came from Councilman John Canale, who invited Burkel to submit a request for reimbursement. Canale saw it as a symbolic gesture to show common cause between the City Council and the business community. 

Councilwoman Kathy Briggs said the city already does enough for Downtown. The sidewalks are clean, the medians are beautiful and city crews hang the flower baskets.

"The fact is, we just saw this for the last time in our last packet and I'm like, 'oh, what's this,' " Briggs said. "The fact that a few council people were talking about it beforehand, planning it, then why didn't we know about it in a committee report? Why weren't we told about it. I got it in my packet and I'm like, 'what's this?' They didn't come to us at budget time. If you want this done, come to us and let's talk about it, but for me to find it in my packet and then decide it, no."

Councilman John Deleo also opposed the idea.

“I promised voters I would be financially responsible with their money,” Deleo said, “but flowers don’t rise to that level.” 

“It’s not just about making Downtown pretty,” countered Councilwoman Patty Pacino, “it is about making Downtown attractive to new and existing businesses.”

The BID fronted about $3,900 for the hanging baskets.

"I supported Vibrant Batavia because I wanted to bring pride back to the city," said Councilman Pier Cipollone, who spoke at length about the need to restore pride in Batavia. "If more people have pride they'll have a better feeling about being Downtown."

Also Monday: 

The city spent a total of $10,700 during the last fiscal year defending itself against a lawsuit filed by the City Centre Mall Association.

The figure was obtained by resident John Roach through a Freedom of Information Request. Roach complained that the bills he obtained were not “itemized.”

City Manager Jason Molino countered that Roach only requested a total amount for mall litigation and if an itemized accounting was requested, it could be provided.

The legal services summarized in the 2012-2013 fiscal year were incurred before the city filed a countersuit against the Mall Association earlier this year.

Ben Franklin famously warned, "If we don't hang together, by heavens we shall hang separately."

City Councilman John Canale thinks it's time the various agencies working in the City of Batavia do a better job of hanging together.

To that end, he's asking his fellow council members to authorize a little extra spending: About $1,900 to help the Batavia Improvement District pay for the colorful hanging baskets lining Main Street again this year.

"Unfortunately, there's a lot of division of agencies in the city that are all working for the betterment of the city, but nobody wants to get on the same page," Canale said.

The BID stepped forward and paid $10,000 toward the cost of garbage dumpster containers off School Street. Now the city can reciprocate by pitching in for the flower baskets.

City crews hung the baskets at the behest of the BID on Friday, in time for Memorial Day.

Canale acknowledged that the city funding Vibrant Batavia has been a sore spot for some, and the city pitching in on the hanging baskets can smooth things over a bit.

"The BID doesn't have to do all the things they do," Canale said. "They don't have to put up flowers to make our Downtown more beautiful and more attractive to future businesses or businesses that may want to relocate. I think it would be great for the city to partner on a project like this."

Flowers Downtown are part of the city's economic development efforts, Councilwoman Patti Pacino said.

"Whether people choose to believe it or not, STAMP is enormous," Pacino said. "The ag park. These are all new people who don't live here, haven't lived here, and I'm going to guess they're married and have children. I'd like them to come in and see this is a good city to raise children in and live in. Flowers in the city, it sounds like such a small thing, but it makes it that much more interesting, that much more available, and that much better to come here."

Councilwoman Kathy Briggs suggested the city already does its share by watering the baskets.

Asked after the meeting about the city's contributions to hanging flower baskets Downtown, City Manager Jason Molino said, "The city does a lot of participation and cooperation with the Business Improvement District because we value improving our Downtown and our business community, and that helps the community as a whole. This is another one of those circumstances where we're going to partner with them to do more in the future."

Story and photos by Dan Fischer, WBTA.

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) honored two local businesses on Friday with its “Spirit of Downtown Business Award.”

The new business Spirit award was given to The YNGodess Shop. Proprietor Christine Crocker received the award with her son, Ben, at her side.

Accepting the Spirit award for the Established Business of the Year was Gregory Gluck, proprietor of Alberty Drugs.

Also recognized for their volunteer efforts on behalf of the BID were Steve Coraci and Beth Kemp.

The BID was created in 1997 creating a core group of Downtown property owners and city officials to organize a formal Downtown management association. Today, the BID is comprised of 143 properties that pay a total annual assessment of $120,000 and the City of Batavia’s contribution (for capital projects) is $41,300 to fund the organization.

The BID will meet on Tuesday to elect a new slate of officers.