All motorists please be aware the following streets (listed in no particular order) will experience traffic delays beginning Tuesday, August 27 through Thursday, August 29 between the hours of 6 a.m. – 4 p.m. for milling operations:
Dellinger Avenue
Douglas Street
Evans Street
Jackson Avenue
Jefferson Avenue
Kibbe Avenue
Oakland Avenue
Osterhout Avenue
Porter Avenue
Thomas Avenue
Williams Street
While work is being performed in these areas, local traffic will be permitted to and from their residence/property but should plan accordingly for delays.
All residents/businesses within the work area are asked not to park on the roadway during the operation. All motorists that regularly use these streets are asked to seek alternate routes while the delays are in place.
Resurfacing of these streets is scheduled to begin the week of September 9 and will be confirmed with a future press release.
Contact the Bureau of Maintenance at 585-345-6400 opt. 1 if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your cooperation.
In order to keep the public informed on the rules and regulations around parking int he City of Batavia, below are several reminders about the parking regulations as set forth by the City of Batavia Municipal Code and the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Laws.
PARKING REGULATIONS
The link below will send you to the City of Batavia Municipal Code section that outlines specific restrictions on parking in the City, however you should always abide by any signage present at the time as this does take some time to get updated with new traffic orders.
Further the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law prohibits parking in certain areas, such as in front of fire hydrants and too near intersections. Below is a link to the NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law for further explanation rules.
Special note: Section 1202 of the NYS Vehicle and Traffic law prohibits parking on a sidewalk, this includes parking across a sidewalk or any portion of it.
OVERNIGHT PARKING
The City does not partake in any seasonal overnight parking regulations, parking is prohibited on all city streets and public parking lots between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. If you need to park overnight on the street for some reason (driveway sealing, etc.) you may request a "parking permission" by contacting our dispatch at 585-345-6350.
PARKING IN CITY PARKING LOTS
Submitted photo.
Parking spaces in each municipal parking lot are clearly marked and color coded. The color coding corresponds to any time restriction on the parking space. Each lot has several signs that display the color coding as you enter it. The signs should look like the picture to the right.
PARKING TICKETS
Parking tickets are issued by our Parking Enforcement officer and Police Officers as needed. All parking tickets can now be paid on-line, please visit the link below for the site. Parking disputes can also be submitted online approximately 24 hrs. following the receipt of a parking ticket, although handwritten tickets will take an extra business day or two to be entered into the software. https://www.tocite.net/bataviany/portal/ticket We encourage anyone with questions to contact us by calling 585-345-6444 for more information.
The City of Batavia is launching a Hometown Heroes Banner Program as a living tribute for our community to honor past and present members of the Armed Forces and their family members.
The banners will be placed on Redfield Parkway and Richmond Ave. from Memorial Day until Labor Day starting in 2025 and continuing annually. These banners are available for purchase to anyone wishing to honor a loved one and have a life span of approximately 3 years.
If you would like to participate, have someone that you would like to honor, or would like to sponsor a veteran/family, please contact the program administrator at jbest@batavianewyork.com or 585-345-6375. All orders are due by February 1, 2025.
City of Batavia officials are working to get the lead out.
From pipes in a way that’s not harmful to drinking water, that is.
For anyone familiar with the horror stories that came out of Flint, Mich., no one here wants a repeat of that, and they are working hard now to reduce the chances of it happening.
Mike App, executive vice president of Electroscan, Inc., which will be performing work throughout the city to detect lead pipes on properties, gave an overview this week of Swordfish, a technology that can get the job done without having to drill 10-foot-deep holes on someone’s land.
Mike App, executive vice president of Electroscan, Inc.
“We have lead, we have lead everywhere. The reason they used lead, to be totally honest, is because nothing happens to it,” App said during Monday’s City Council meeting. “Unfortunately, reality has come back to get us a little bit. We’re all trying to get rid of it, and when we talk about lead we talk about Flint. Flint was the genesis of the entire thing.”
That genesis has since led to the Environmental Protection Agency creating a deadline and requiring that all 50,000 community water systems complete and submit inventory of their lead service lines by midnight Oct. 16, according to Electroscan’s website. The company takes it so seriously, that it has a clock ticking off a countdown by seconds of how much time remains.
There are some half a million lead pipes within the 60 counties in New York State, App said, and the Department of Health has issued grants to help municipalities, including Batavia, complete this task during the next two and a half months.
Electroscan will mail out a letter to Batavia residents informing them that the company will be making a visit, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said.
“It wasn't random samples. It was actually particular homes where we believe lead could be. So if you do get a letter asking you to participate, we strongly advise it right now. There more than likely isn't going to be high levels of lead coming out of your water system. However, the change over to Monroe County Water, that is the issue,” she said of the city’s future plan to make a switch to the new water source. “Not only is it good to get the lead out in general, but right now, you kind of have enough scale built up where you're not having pieces of lead not coming into your water.
"However, when we do the water and the source change, that's a whole different story, and we will need to have either chemical mitigation of the water coming in or elimination of all wet pipes in the city to make sure all our residents are safe," she said. "So it's a process.”
For anyone not familiar with the water crisis in Flint a decade ago, the city changed its municipal water supply source from the Detroit-supplied Lake Huron water to the Flint River, and that switch caused water distribution pipes to corrode and leach lead and other contaminants into municipal drinking water.
Although there hadn’t been issues with the city’s current water source, that introduction of new water created a crisis that reportedly exposed tens of thousands of Flint residents to dangerous levels of lead and outbreaks of Legionnaire disease that killed at least 12 people.
Batavia management doesn’t want to disturb the apple cart in any such way while planning on a switch to Monroe County Water Authority. They are looking for citizens to help out by responding to the letter if they receive one and making an appointment.
To view a video about how Swordfish works to detect lead pipes on a property, go HERE.
There are three ways to schedule an inspection with the company, and these options will be provided in letters being sent out to city property owners.
They are:
1. Scan the QR code.
2. Visit Electroscan’s website.
3. Call the Electroscan Swordfish Help Line at 315-856-3156 and speak to a customer service representative to book an appointment.
In an ongoing effort to obtain information from city residents about water pipe materials, city officials have issued an open letter asking for assistance. Below is the letter from city Water and Wastewater Superintendent Tom Phelps:
Dear Residents of Batavia,
The City of Batavia is reaching out to request your assistance in an important initiative to ensure the safety and health of our community.
We need your help to identify and replace pipes within our water system, specifically the buried service lines that connect the water mains in the streets to your homes. Regardless of the material your pipe is made of, it is crucial for us to gather this information to protect public health.
In the coming days, you will receive a letter from the City of Batavia Water Department regarding Home Lead Line Testing. We kindly ask that you take a few moments to complete the steps outlined in the letter and report the type of pipe that brings water into your home. Your timely response will greatly assist us in expediting the inventory process of the pipes within our city’s water system.
Additionally, some residents will receive a separate letter from our partner, ElectroScan. Their field crews will need to enter select homes to conduct a survey using a hand-held scanner at the water meter. This survey is expected to take about an hour, during which your water will be temporarily shut off, and your pipes will be flushed before service is restored. Please note that this service is provided free of charge, and no digging will be required. We encourage you to schedule the survey as soon as possible upon receiving the notification.
As part of a nationwide initiative mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), all water systems in the country are required to complete an inventory of drinking water pipes from the mains to residences. The goal is to identify and ultimately eliminate any water service laterals containing lead.
The City of Batavia is a recipient of $1,153,534 to install sidewalk connecting the Jackson Street Elementary School with Batavia Middle School. The award comes from Governor Kathy Hochul as part of a $97.7M Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), being administered by the New York State Department of Transportation.
TAP grants promote alternative, environmentally friendly modes of travel, such as walking, biking or riding mass transit. The funding supports initiatives that improve access to the transportation system for all users and advance New York State’s nation-leading agenda to fight climate change by constructing new sidewalks, shared use paths and other enhancements that facilitate the use of non-motorized modes of travel and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"The City of Batavia continues to plan and pursue funding for sidewalk projects that promote walkability and healthy living across the City. The $1.1M will help to make needed improvements to the sidewalks on Swan, Ross and South Jackson Street. Keeping sidewalks maintained, especially those on school routes, is beneficial to all our residents" said Eugene Jankowski Jr, City Council President.
The City of Batavia will install over 10,000 linear feet of sidewalks on South Swan, Swan, South Jackson and Ross Streets to connect Jackson Elementary School with Batavia Middle School.
The TAP grant program provides up to $5 million in grant funding for communities to implement alternative transportation projects, funding 80% of the total project cost. The 20% local match is typically covered by CHIPS funding received from New York State to support continual street maintenance.
Currently the project estimates are being refined but the total project cost is estimated to be $1.4 million, making the City’s local match approximately $240,000. The City can use CHIP’s funding in addition to other City funding as part of the City’s local match.
“The corridor slated for improvement encompasses South Swan Street, Swan Street, South Jackson Street, and Ross Street. These upgrades aim to improve safety and mobility for school children, neighborhood residents, including many seniors, and businesses along the route. The proposed project will not only enhance handicapped accessibility but also increase walkability throughout the entire corridor. Additionally, it will establish a connection to previously TAP-funded sidewalk improvement projects along Washington Avenue, near Batavia Middle School,” said Batavia City Manager Rachael Tabelski. “We would like to thank Governor Hochul and our local state representatives for making this award possible.”
File Photo of the spray park at Batavia's Austin Park, where water usually seems plentiful. Photo by Howard Owens
If you haven’t heard or been paying attention, there's been increased focus on water in Genesee County, from drought in some areas causing residents to drive several miles to haul water to their homes and a $150 million Phase 3 water project being mapped out for funding and the physical work, to appeals for citizens to use water judiciously in the face of potential shortages.
The city fire department had to curtail its hydrant flushing this week due to hot temperatures to conserve water.
City management is dealing with other issues as well, which have been dragging on for the last two years. Here are a few updates:
Seneca Power Partners sought to draw water from a city well, while both Seneca and city management argued their cases to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2022. City Manager Rachael Tabelski said the case is still ongoing.
After a more than four-month review process of paperwork and supporting documentation from the applicant, Seneca Power Partners, and from city, town and county management and legal sources, the DEC has opted to grant Seneca a permit to “add Well D at the Batavia Well Field as a new permanent source of water supply.”
The permit has been granted for five years, with the option for Seneca Power Partners to reapply when that time is up.
“We have the same concerns we had when we issued the letters of concern (in July),” Tabelski said. “We outlined our concerns to the DEC, and we will meet with DPW and our legal counsel to determine the next steps.”
At the time, Tabelski wasn't quite certain how the DEC arrived at its decision, given some confusing supporting information.
“It is my understanding that Seneca Powers’ Application with the NYS DEC to draw water directly from the aquifer is still under review,” she said. “The city, county and town of Batavia continue to work together to prevent this draw of water because the aquifer is a historical low. The aquifer is the city’s primary drinking source of water, which must be protected. Depending on the demand of water and the termperatures we could see shortages in water for customers, and we encourage water users to continue conservation techniques.”
In short, the permit authorizes the withdrawal of up to 698,400 gallons per day, or a total of 26 million gallons per year of water for the purpose of system maintenance, boiler make-up water, and non-contact cooling to support the generation of electric power in accordance with the terms and conditions of this permit. Water will be withdrawn from a new groundwater supply, Well D, located at the Batavia Power Plant.
Given the tenuous condition of the city’s and county’s water supply — with the county issuing similar appeals to taper water usage each summer — The Batavian asked if the city has or is formulating a plan to counteract future potential water shortages.
“The City purchases water from the county but we see ourselves as a partner to the water issues that the county is facing. We work constantly to assist the county with projects at the Water Treatment Plant to increase water production closer to the permitted level at the plant," Tabelski said. "Over $4 million has been invested in the last four years to make improvements at the Water Plant.
“In 2022, a WIIA (water infrastructure improvement) grant was secured by the City and County to complete these projects. At this time, the Batavia Water Plant produces water and services the entire center region of Genesee County."
The Batavian had also asked about the status of the lead survey, however, City Council approved another measure toward this goal during Monday’s business meeting to identify lead water lines in homes.
As a result of a recently passed Lead and Copper Rule, the city will inventory 400 water service lines throughout the city to determine where any lead lines are located. The city issued a request for a proposal to conduct the inventory and made water meter replacements were needed, Water and Wastewater Superintendent Tom Phelps said during Monday’s meeting.
Out of five company bids, a decision was made not to proceed with replacing the meters due to the cost of completing the project, he said. Electro Scan Inc. was the lowest bidder for the inventory portion, coming in at $375,000. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of September, he said.
“We will not be using an intern for this project as the timeline for the Lead and Copper Rule Planning is due in October. Once we have this data collected, the city will be able to use predictive modeling to gain more insight into the actual number of lead lines and prepare our plans for replacement,” Tabelski said. “Currently, we have 28 public sector lines identified as lead, 4,054 unknown, and 0 residential/commercial lines identified as lead, with 5,645 unknown. We need assistance from the community to help us identify lead lines and funding to start replacement.
"A video was recently released to the school district, and we continue to encourage residents and building owners to fill out our survey online that feeds directly into the City’s GIS system for identification, which can be found here: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/40d14e33590842a088144a45cb1eee6c .”
On a related note, a $120 million expansion project at HP Hood was temporarily halted by the city earlier this year because the town of Batavia had been exceeding its wastewater limits and related wastewater facility agreement. That remains on hold, Tabelski said.
“The City continues to remain hopeful regarding the finalization of the updated Wastewater Facility Agreement with the Town of Batavia. Once the agreement is executed the city will rescind the SEQR challenge to the Hood project specific to the town’s sewer capacity,” she said. “It’s vitally important, fair, and equitable for both city and town residents that the agreement reflects the town’s current usage of sewer and that the percent of town usage is purchased via a capacity purchase agreement.
“Once the agreement is executed, both the town and city have agreed and look forward to moving forward with an expansion study of the Wastewater Treatment Plant for the potential for increased capacity,” she said.
Tabelski sent the town Planning Board a letter on March 13 notifying the group that the city had not been informed in a timely manner that the town had been established as lead agency for the proposed expansion of process lines at HP Hood on Feb. 13, 2024, and the city did not receive word of that until March 4. The city, therefore, objects to the town acting as the lead agency, Tabelski said.
In addition, ”due to violations of the town’s contracted wastewater capacity limit, the project cannot proceed,” Tabelski said in the letter.
Brett J. Frank has served the City of Batavia as the Director of Public Works since March 28, 2022, and previously as the Director of the Batavia Development Corporation. His last day in the office will be July 26.
“It is with mixed feelings that I announce my resignation from the position of Director of Public Works. I will be relocating to Portland, Maine with my family in early August. While I’m excited about this move. I am sad to be leaving the City of Batavia,” said Brett Frank, Director of Public Works.
“As Director of Public Works, he oversaw the Bureau of Water and Wastewater, the Bureau of Maintenance, the Inspection Bureau, and Engineering Bureau of the City. He was instrumental in many of the City’s street, waterline, facility and plant projects that have been completed in the last two years. He will be missed by the City, and I know everyone joins me in wishing him and his family well,” said Rachael J. Tabelski, City Manager for the City of Batavia.
“I’ve worked at the City of Batavia for the past three plus years, initially as the Director of the Batavia Development Corporation and then moving into my current role. The City of Batavia has been the best place I’ve ever worked with, and it’s the best group of people I’ve ever worked with. I’d like to take the time to thank all of the employees that I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” said Frank.
The City of Batavia will be looking to hire the next Director of Public Works. I encourage anyone interested in learning more about the job to contact the City’s Human Resources Department.
The Department of Public Works is responsible for many critical aspects of City government and resident services.
1. Provides adequate, safe and environmentally sound water supply and distribution, wastewater collection and wastewater treatment processes.
2. Provides for a safe vehicular and pedestrian transportation on streets and sidewalks.
3. Provides safe parks and facilities for all citizens and visitors to the community.
4. Provides basic building maintenance services to all City owned facilities.
5. Provides for the administration of the New York State Building Code, Zoning Laws, Building Permits, Planning, Zoning, Historic Preservation and Property Maintenance Ordinances.
The City of Batavia continues to seek funding to address aging water infrastructure and lead service lines across the City.
Currently the City has applied for three separate different water related grants including:
A Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grant for a $4.17 M project to replace two aging water lines including the Cohocton and Walnut.
A Congressional Direct Funding request submitted to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Congresswoman Tenney for a $3.4 M project to replace aging water lines on Pearl Street.
Filed an Intended Use Plan (IUP) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) funding request through Federal BIL Funding for the replacement of 900 lead service lines across the City of Batavia.
“The City is dedicated to improving our water system and making necessary repairs on infrastructure to reduce the amount of annual loss of water in the system and remove lead lines from the City. We have had discussions with County, State, and Federal representatives regarding the importance of these projects and look forward to a positive result related to our grant applications,” said Rachael Tabelski, City of Batavia City Manager.
The City of Batavia tracks lost water within our water system and currently in 2023 we lost approximately 23% of water produced at the Batavia Water Plant. This is defined as leakage. Leakage is water lost during transmission between the Batavia Water Plant and the individual meters at customer locations.
“The City conducts leak reports periodically to identify issues with City water transmission lines as a proactive measure to maintaining our water system. The leak report, along with Water Department field work, help the City identify water lines that need repair and replacement,” said Brett Frank, Director of Public Works.
As the City identifies aging and problematic water lines, they are placed into the City’s strategic capital plan and the cost to replace and repair is identified. The City then works to budget for the replacement of water lines through capital reserves and pursues grant funding for these projects.
In the past two years, the City has replaced water lines on Bank St. and Jackson St. which were identified as problematic based on leaks and breaks. Other water line improvements since 2017 include Harvester Ave., Richmond Ave., Union St., South Main St., Brooklyn Ave., and Summit St.
“Batavia is like many industrial North Eastern City’s with aging infrastructure and water loss attributed to aging infrastructure. We continue to plan for, and execute on projects that will improve the system and reduce the lost water. We are encouraged from the support we are receiving on grants for these projects to lower the burden on City residents,” said Tabelski.
According to the EPA, National studies indicate that, on average, 14 percent of water treated by water systems is lost to leaks. Some water systems have reported water losses exceeding 60 percent. Accounting for water and minimizing water loss are critical functions for any water utility that wants to be sustainable.
The Genesee County Health Department receives funding from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to carry out the Healthy Neighborhoods Program (HNP). Residents in the Town and City of Batavia are eligible to participate.
The program offers free home evaluations for asthma triggers, indoor air quality, lead-based paint hazards, fire risks, and other health hazards. At the home evaluations, residents are educated on asthma management, childhood lead poisoning prevention, carbon monoxide poisoning, radon gas, fire safety and prevention, and other home safety issues. Safety and cleaning supplies are also available to eligible participants.
Staff from the program are going door to door in the City of Batavia to raise awareness about the program and look for participants. At the homes we visit, we leave a door hanger or flyer with contact information for the Health Department.
During the spring we are focusing on Ward 1 (north of East Main Street from Vine Street to the eastern edge of the City) and Ward 6 (south of East Main Street from Liberty Street to the eastern edge of the City). We will be covering other areas of the City later in the year.
Information on the streets we are visiting each week will be posted on the Health Department’s Facebook and Instagram account under GOHealthNY.
Go to https://bit.ly/HealthyNeighbors to request a home visit from the Healthy Neighborhoods Program for yourself or to refer someone to the program. Once the Health Department receives the request, a staff member will reach out to schedule a home evaluation.
For more information, call Healthy Neighborhoods Program staff at 585-344-2580 ext. 5555 or visit www.GOHealthNY.org.
The City of Batavia Fire Department would like to announce that Firefighter Craig Huntoon will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant effective June 12.
Firefighter Huntoon has served the residents of the City of Batavia since 2019. Prior to that, he was an Aircraft Rescue Firefighter in the Marine Corps.
He has continually displayed a great deal of fire service knowledge and leadership ability. He has been and will continue to be an asset in his new role as Lieutenant for the 4th Platoon.
All motorists please be aware Redfield Parkway, River Street, and Jackson Street will experience traffic delays on Thursday, May 16, Friday, May 17, and Monday, May 20 (respectively), from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for milling operations.
While work is being performed in this area, local traffic will be permitted to and from their residence/property but should plan accordingly for delays.
All residents/businesses within the work area are asked not to park on the roadway during the operation. All motorists that regularly use these streets are asked to seek alternate routes while the closures are in place.
Contact the Bureau of Maintenance at 585-345-6400 opt. 1 if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your cooperation.
A reader who lives on Holmes Avenue in the city of Batavia has spotted this white cat hanging out at the corner of East and Holmes avenues for the past week, apparently without a home. The cat has a collar on, and the reader is hoping to reunite it with its pet parents.
The City of Batavia is seeking applications from income-qualified home owners for housing repairs.
The City of Batavia received federal Community Development Block Grant Funds (CDBG) to provide grant assistance to 10 income-qualified homeowners within the City of Batavia. The Residential Rehabilitation program offers assistance of up to $25,000 per structure for repairs and basic structural deficiencies. Repairs include foundation work, exterior work, roofing, siding, windows, heating, electrical, plumbing, and more.
Interested applicants should submit a Residential Rehabilitation Program application and accompanying documentation by June 1, 2024. For more information, details on program requirements, and applications visit https://www.batavianewyork.com/ or contact Julie Dahlie, Grants Administrator at jdahlie@batavianewyork.com, 585-565-4423.
The Law Street Yard Waste Station will open for the season on Monday, April 15, for city residents.
The station will be open from noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until Daylight Savings Time in November, when time changes to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The station will also be closed on May 27 for Memorial Day, July 4 for Independence Day, September 2 for Labor Day, and November 28 for Thanksgiving. The station will close for the season in early December.
City residents may bring yard waste material (grass, leaves, and limbs) to the Law Street Yard Waste Station as there is no spring curbside pickup of these materials.
The following items cannot be accepted at the station:
tree stumps
building materials
rock
fill (soil and stone), other debris
Yard waste shall be free of trash (paper, plastic, bottles, cans...etc.), as this material cannot be processed.
Use the Law Street entrance to enter and exit the City Yard Waste Station only.
Christmas came a few days late this week for city of Batavia officials, but it was well worth it to open a package worth $350,000 in the form of a Community Development Block Grant, issued by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office on Thursday.
Details will be ironed out over the next few months about how the money will be allocated and who the recipients will be for home improvement funding, Assistant City Manager Erik Fix said.
“We are very pleased to have received the CDBG Grant this year. It is a bit early for us to make any formal announcement and/or notifying eligible homeowners. Aside from the announcement, we have not received any information in regards to how or when the grant can be distributed,” he said Friday. “We have multiple trainings and webinars in the next couple of months and should have all of the details ironed out by late-winter, early spring in time for summer renovation projects.
“In the meantime, we do have funding available in the Batavia Home Fund,” he said. “The application and details can be found in the Citizen Action Center on our website, www.batavianewyork.com.”
Fix had previously said that the grant would coincide with the city’s comprehensive housing strategy “that we are in the process of developing.”
“It goes hand in hand with the Batavia Home Fund that the City, GCEDC and Town of Batavia signed an inter-municipal agreement to fund this past fall,” he had said to The Batavian earlier this year. “The CDBG will provide funding for rehabilitation projects on owner-occupied, single-family home rehab projects throughout the city. The hope is that when one neighbor makes improvements, others will as well, and the city can help foster rehabilitation throughout our communities.”
The Federal assistance Community Development Block Grant funds would enable homeowners to make home repairs with grant and deferred loan funding. Any single-family homeowner was encouraged to apply and the goal of the program was to provide “vibrancy to communities” similar to recent improvements made to Summit Street to create vibrant transformations throughout the city.
This program is to tie in with the city’s housing improvement plan and the recently created Batavia Home Fund.
Hochul said that 1,400 households will benefit from more than $46 million in grant awards to support affordable homeownership. The grants will help low- and moderate-income families make repairs or safety upgrades to their homes, replace manufactured homes, and provide down payment assistance for first-time buyers.
Batavia is part of the Finger Lakes region, which was awarded nearly $2.8 million in grant funding.
The City of Batavia Water Department will need to temporarily turn off water in the Jackson Street area on Tuesday, November 7th, for the duration of the day to replace a valve. The following streets will be without water:
Chestnut Street, Kibbe Avenue, Elmwood Avenue, South Jackson Street, from Jackson Street to Liberty Street, and Jackson Street, from Central Avenue to South Jackson Street.
Surrounding streets may be affected as well.
As always, when the water is restored, it may be discolored. Please refrain from doing any laundry until the water runs clear.
We apologize for any inconvenience, and the public’s patience is greatly appreciated.
This file photo illustrates traditional street lights, left, versus what the new LED versions will look like once the city of Batavia's LED Street Light Conversion program is completed throughout the city. City management is to close on the purchase of National Grid lights Nov. 16.
There has been some ongoing discussion, debate and confusion online about lights in the city of Batavia: who is responsible for repairing them, replacing burned out bulbs, and whatever happened to that deal where the city was going to replace all of the lights with energy-efficient LEDs?
Some confusion may be justified, as both the city and National Grid have jurisdiction over parts of city street lights, though National Grid seems to have responsibility for the larger section — which it just this week was spotted out and about fulfilling by replacing several burned out bulbs in time for the annual trick-or-treat night.
Hopefully that will not be as much of an issue in the near future, after the city completes what it began in June 2022, to contract for the purchase and replacement of all National Grid street lights and convert them to LED versions.
“We close on the purchase with National Grid on Nov. 16,” City Manager Rachael Tabelski said Wednesday. “It has been a yearlong process to get to this closing date, that has included multiple administrative steps and approval by the Public Service Commission.
“Once the sale is complete, Power and Construction Group (P&CG) will begin the light replacement process across the City,” she said. “The LED street lights that we are installing have many benefits and include a 10-year replacement warranty.”
The city worked last year with the New York Power Authority and its engineering consultant, Wendel Engineers, for the replacement project. The nearly $1.7 million plan (Phase I) has an estimated savings of more than $161,000 annually.
City Council approved the purchase of 948 street lights at a cost of $226,038, and future replacement of all National Grid street lights in the city.
The Batavian also reached out to National Grid spokesman David Bertola in an attempt to initially find out about the recommended procedure for burned-out street lights and how many lights were out in the city, and he said it was “difficult to know, as some lights are owned by the city of Batavia, whereas others are owned by National Grid.”
He referred folks to complete an online form to report any street lights with nonworking lights.
“Damaged street lights can be dangerous” he said, and he also encouraged people to call 1-800-642-4272 to directly report those.
“Typically, once National Grid is alerted about a non-working street light, a crew will investigate within 24 hours,” he said. “Repairs are frequently made shortly thereafter.”
Please be advised that Blue Heron Construction will be mobilizing equipment in preparation for construction on the Jackson Street Water project within the City of Batavia.
Construction on this project is scheduled to begin the week of Oct. 30 and will include the installation of approximately 2,250 linear feet of new 8-inch water mains and appurtenances to replace existing 4-inch and 6-inch water mains on Jackson Street from Chestnut Street to Ellicott Street.
Traffic delays are to be expected; however, no street closures are anticipated at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we work to improve our community.
