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Weekly Jackson Square concerts start tomorrow night

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) has released its Summer 2012 line-up for the “Friday Night in the Square” Jackson Square concerts. For more than 12 years, the BID has provided free concerts downtown to make our community a fun and active place to play. 

The "Friday Night in the Square" concert series begins June 29 and ends Aug. 31. Time is 7 to 9 p.m. The square is located in the alleyway of Jackson or Center streets. Bring your own seating. Food and refreshments will be available for sale. If it's raining, venue changes to Batavia City Centre, inside the mall.

The following is the concert schedule for “Friday Night in the Square”:

Friday, June 29 --  Penny Whiskey (Celtic/Folk)
Friday, July 6 – Bonnie & Collide ( R & B)
Friday, July 13  -- Skiffle Minstrels (Country/Cajun)
Friday, July 20  – Ghost Riders (Country)
Friday, July 27 -- 78 RPM (Big Band)
Friday, Aug. 3 – Kelly’s Old Timers (Country)
Friday, Aug. 10 – OHMS Band (Rock)
Friday, Aug. 17 – John Cole Blues Band (Blues)
Friday, Aug. 24 --  Jack Civiletto “Sinatra” (Sinatra)
Friday, Aug. 31  – Craig Wilkins (Country)

***Also, the Ramble Music & Art Fest will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 7, at Jackson Square.

For more information contact the BID office at 585-344-0900 or visit our Web site at www.downtownbataviany.com. Be sure to like us on our Facebook page – Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District -- so that you can keep up with events and updates.

Photos: Opening of Downtown Public Market at Ellicott and Center streets

By Howard B. Owens

Abby Saville, working for The Enchanted Florist, holds sunflowers at the Downtown Public Market, located at the corner of Center and Eillicott streets, Batavia.

The Enchanted Florist is one of a few new businesses participating in the market this year.

The market runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Thursday from now through Sept. 27.

It features locally grown produce, handcrafted goods and, of course, flowers.

Photo: Re-striping on Main Street

By Howard B. Owens

If you tried driving on Route 5 in Batavia this morning, you might have found your commute took two or three times as long. 

DOT work crews had one lane shut down for a re-striping project.

Batavia PD reported just before noon that cones had been removed and Route 5 was two lanes again.

Photos: Hosta planting downtown, next to City Centre

By Howard B. Owens

Two flower beds that in recent years haven't looked like much got a hosta makeover by city staff Monday afternoon.

City Manager Jason Molino, himself an avid gardener, organized the effort and convinced several local businesses, including Genesee Dental, Hawley Insurance, the Bank of Castile and WBTA, to pay for the hostas.

City staff from several different departments turned out today and got the 21 plants in the ground in about 30 minutes.

The plants were selected by Molino, who also drew up the plans on where each should be planted, and purchased from Pudgie's Lawn and Garden.

Asked, why hostas, Molino said, "Partially, because I’m a big fan of hostas myself. Hostas don’t need a lot of care. They’re pretty hardy. They’re a good no-brainer in terms of maintenance and something that will come back every year. As they come back and fill out more, you’ll see more and more the hostas themselves and less of the dirt."

Photos: Above, Molino and Sally Kuzon. Below, Sgt. John Peck, Batavia PD, and bottom photo, most of the staff (and Sgt. Peck's wife) who participated in the planting.

Photos: CASA volunteers walk through Downtown Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Volunteers for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) walked down Main and Ellicott streets today as both a fundraiser and a chance to raise awareness about the agency's programs.

CASA provides services to children caught up in Family Court situations.

Director Ashley Hausfelder organized the event, which was sponsored by Brockport Wegmans, Target, Lucky Ducky Daycare, Floral Fantasies, Five Start Bank, Batavia Signs, Pembroke Family Medicine, T-Shirts Etc., Darien Lake Theme Park and Coffee Culture.

Photos: Johnny Bananas at City Slickers

By Howard B. Owens

MTV reality show star Johnny Bananas dropped into City Slickers in Downtown Batavia tonight. Bananas made the appearance to help support the new restaurant's opening week. The star of shows such as "Real World" signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans.

Owner Ken Mistler said a big crowd showed up during the piano bar portion of the evening for the restaurant and bar's first Saturday night, even though there was a two-hour power outage downtown.

Sponsored Post: City Slicker's is now open in Downtown Batavia

By Press Release

Batavia's newest All-American restaurant is now open -- City Slickers, at 59 Main St. (the former South Beach location) -- featuring a completely renovated interior with original art and an Americana theme.

The menu is all new, too.

City Slicker's serves 24 different draft beers and there are 10 big screen TVs in the bar area.

The new menu offers a variety items, from steaks and ribs, rotisserie chicken, and cheeseburgers, to quesadillas and a large selection of salads.

Be sure to try the Freedom Fries!

Join the fun on select evenings for City Slicker's upbeat piano bar of Americana and Southern Rock music.

FRIDAY NIGHT: From 7 to 11 p.m., Wes Chapman on piano and starting at 11 p.m., MTV's Johnny Bananas will be at City Slicker's for pictures and autographs.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Wes Chapman is back at the piano from 7 to 11 p.m.

And, The Patio is Open! Come on Down!

Downtown parking controversy kicked back to BID to solve

By Howard B. Owens

The issue of overnight parking downtown was put in reverse by the Batavia City Council on Monday, when by unanimous consent members sent it back to where the controversy started -- the BID Parking Committee.

The council was following the recommendation of City Manager Jason Molino, who suggested the parking committee -- which according to him, initially asked for parking restrictions to be enforced -- come up with a compromise plan.

"We want to try and do what’s best for everyone," Molino said. "Sometimes you can’t satisfy everyone, but we’re going to try to. I think the best thing is have the BID parking committee review the issue further and come back with recommendations."

Molino said the situation is a balancing act of various interests. Parking lot clean-up and plowing requires overnight parking be limited and ideally confined to a defined area, and downtown business owners are worried about employees and customers who need to use the parking lot between 2 and 6 a.m. getting tickets.

About a dozen local business owners attended Monday's meeting, along with BID Director Don Burkel.

Burkel informed the council that the BID board met earlier in the day and agreed that overnight parking fees should not be increased.

"In light of trying to promote downtown for residential use, as well as for shopping and restaurants and other various businesses, the board is in favor of avoiding any increases so as not to shortchange (downtown) in any way," Burkel said.

Louis Kingsbury, an employee of Ken Mistler and Jerry Condello, spoke as a representative of local businesses.

Kingsbury listed off a number of concerns: Where are employees supposed to park whose shift ends after 2 a.m. or starts before 6 a.m.? Who's liable when a plow hits a parked car?

"I'm just trying to figure out a solution to the whole scenario so it's feasible for everybody," Kingsbury said.

Condello delivered pages of signatures on petitions of people opposing overnight downtown parking restrictions.

Council members had a variety of initial reactions. John Canale wondered why people pay for parking when they've already paid for the parking lot through their taxes. Jim Russell said some sort of order and structure is necessary to the parking situation.

And if bar patrons decide not to drive home and still wind up getting a ticket, well that's a small price to pay compared to a DWI, Russell said.

Bar owners argue that customers won't necessarily look at it that way, but Molino said there is an application process in place for anybody who gets a ticket under extenuating circumstances.

The fee for the overnight parking permit is necessary, City Attorney George Van Nest said, because there are court cases that prevent government agencies from giving away taxpayer-owned property. A parking spot is a piece of real estate and if you're going to give a person special permission to use the property when others can't, there needs to be a fair-market price attached to that use.

Molino established the overnight parking fee -- which he can set under local law -- at the same rate as a garbage Dumpster fee, under the premise that the fee establishes market value for that much space being used by a private party.

So far, a total of nine overnight parking passes have been purchased by downtown residents. Tickets and fees account for only about $1,000 in city revenue, Molino said.

BID fills 14 planters with flowers along Main and Ellicott streets

By Howard B. Owens

About a dozen volunteers associated with the Business Improvement District hit the streets of Batavia today to plant flowers in a series of terracotta planters placed at strategic locations.

The planters are part of an ongoing beautification effort for downtown and in all 14 were purchased and filled with flowers and grasses.

"When you look at Niagara on the Lake, Saratoga, any of those cities, when they have flowers, people do talk about them," said Don Burkel, executive director of BID. "They make people feel better. It also attracts people to come here. They lend a vibrancy to our community."

The planters were placed at the main intersections on Ellicott and Main, as well as some along Ellicott Street, where Burkel said the area could use a little more color.

Above, Marcia Gann and Mary Valle fill a planter at the corner of Main and Court streets.

City council to take up the issue of overnight parking downtown

By Howard B. Owens

The Batavia City Council will take up the issue of downtown parking, especially overnight parking, at its next conference meeting, probably May 29.

Downtown business owner Jerry Condello spoke Monday night during the public comments section of the council meeting and spoke out against overnight parking enforcement.

That prompted Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian to ask for the issue to be brought to the council for a full discussion.

Condello brought up issues about employees parking after the closing of businesses at 2 a.m. or before they open at 6 a.m., and the issue of responsible drivers electing not to drive after drinking and hence leaving their cars in a city parking lot.

City Manager Jason Molino said the Batavia PD isn't simply writing a ticket for every car found in a city lot between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., but they're using discretion, looking for repeat offenders who haven't gotten an overnight parking pass.

He said keeping the parking lots clear wasn't just about snow removal, or even keeping RV and truck traffic out -- which can easily go to Walmart -- but also parking lot cleanup by sweepers overnight.

He said if somebody who has been drinking at a downtown bar and decides not to drive home but still gets a ticket has ample opportunity to appeal the ticket.

Condello said he hopes there's a big turn out at the May 29 council meeting in order to bring more pressure on the council to change the rules.

Big turn out expected with move of motorcycle rally to Downtown Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

It was a big event last summer and it promises to be a bigger event in 2012, in large part because it's moving downtown.

The 2nd annual WNY Round-Up Rally will occupy Jackson Street and could bring thousands of bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts to Batavia.

"Everybody watched how the event came off last year and we approached the city this year they said, 'we want it downtown, we want people to see our city,'" said Dave Kasinski, who is organizing the event.

Jackson Street will be closed Aug. 10, 11 and 12 for the rally.

The event will include live music, food, vendors, games and, of course, lots of motorcycles.

"Being able to walk down a row of 100 bikes and see all of the different types and models and different do-dads, that's an event in itself," Kasinski said.

City Manager Jason Molino said city officials are very excited that the event is moving downtown (last year it was held at the Clarion Hotel) and praised Kasinski and his team as very organized and professional.

"If it's a nice day out, you could see thousands of people coming to downtown," Molino said.

The event falls a week before Summer in the City and Kasinksi said his organization is ensuring Summer in the City is also promoted on the rally's marketing material, and that the two events should work together well.

Kasinski said he hopes downtown businesses will sponsor and otherwise support the event, which he said would help tremendously in how it's perceived by vendors and attendees, which will help the event grow in future years.

Putting the rally downtown is important, Kasinski said, because it makes the event easier to walk and easier for people to get to and provides more amenities for attendees.

"Every rally we go to throughout the Northeast are held in downtowns," Kasinski said. "It's more convenient and it's easier to see a lot of stuff when it's all in one location."

Downtown bar owners say new overnight parking restrictions could hurt business

By Howard B. Owens

Years ago, O'Lacy's co-owner Kent Ewell was concerned about his customers getting tickets for parking overnight in the lot across from his pub on School Street.

Ewell marched down to city hall and complained and, he said, and the tickets stopped.

Now, they're starting again and he's none too happy about it.

"I don't think it's the right way to look at the situation," Ewell said. "Somebody has made a good decision not to drive and they get a ticket."

Bar owners downtown say it's not unusual for customers to have an unexpected drink, have one more than they planned, run into an old buddy leading to a later night, or have some other circumstance change, and find themselves walking home, taking a cab or getting a ride from a friend.

Derek Geib, co-owner of Bourbon & Burger Co. on Jackson Street, said he's worried that human nature being what it is, some people will make an incorrect calculation and risk a possible DWI charge, costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars, when confronted with the certainty of a $25 ticket.

"It encourages drinking and driving," Geib said. "They're going to do it every time because that's the way people think."

One of Geib's employees and one of his customers have received tickets so far.

City Manager Jason Molino stands by the city's decision to enforce downtown parking regulations. He said it's necessary to ensure transient trucks, RVs, abandoned vehicles and such don't clutter the parking lot, and during the winter, maintain control of what vehicles are in the lots.

He said so far there's been good compliance, with apartment tenants buying the necessary permits and fewer cars without permits being left overnight.

As for bar patrons, Molino said there is an appeal process and any patron receiving a ticket is welcome to submit the ticket to the city for review.

"Discretion will be exercised if needed," Molino said. "But I would suggest that somebody make better arrangements (when going to bars).

Ken Mistler, owner of the former South Beach and soon-to-be City Slickers said that's not good enough.

"I'm concerned because if a customer finds a ticket he's not going to say anything, he's just going to be discouraged from coming back," Mistler said.

According to Mistler, he's been told by the city that only cars that are seen in the lots on a regular basis but don't have permits will receive tickets, but even then, he said, that is still a potential problem with customers.

"I hope I have lots of repeat business," Mistler said.

Local resident John Condello has started a petition that will be presented to the city council at its June 14 meeting, he said. The petition is available at any downtown restaurant, he said.

A lot has changed in downtown since the current downtown parking regulations were written into law and city officials should reexamine the rules, Ewell said.

"They were written before there was an O'Lacy's, before there was a South Beach, before there was a Larry's," Ewell said. "There was only the Candlelight."

The price of the $25 ticket is about six gallons of gas at today's prices, Ewell said, which is just about the amount somebody might spend to get from Brockport to Batavia, or just enough to discourage a trip from out of the county to enjoy a night on the town in Batavia.

The bar owners we spoke with all believe the new enforcement effort is just an attempt by the city to generate more revenue.

"You can tell it is because there was no plan, no questions (of local businesses), they just started ticketing," Ewell said. "That just leads me to believe they said, 'let's just get the money.' "

Photo: Western painting for new downtown restaurant

By Howard B. Owens

Driving down Main Street late this afternoon, I spotted Ken Mistler, left, and Louis Kingsbury and a third person hauling a large painting down the sidewalk. I drove around the block and caught them pulling the painting through the Jackson Street parking lot.

Mistler is installing the painting -- this is one of at least three -- in his new restaurant, City Slickers, the former South Beach.

Photo: Silent walk in Downtown Batavia to remember crime victims

By Howard B. Owens

Dozens of local residents walked through downtown late this evening in memory of crime victims as part of Crime Victims Week. After the walk, people gathered at City Centre for a talk by Sandie Bellows, a survivor of a harrowing crime.

Photos: BID awards luncheon

By Howard B. Owens

Coffee Culture won the Spirit of Downtown Business Award on Friday, presented by the Business Improvement District.

Brenda Richardson (center in the photo above), manager of Coffee Culture, accepted the award and was praised for her efforts to make Coffee Culture a vital part of downtown life and business. 

Another Spirit of Downtown Business Award went to Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union and the BID Volunteer Award went to Susan Blanchard. Blanchard is out of town and accepting on her behalf were Travis Minor and Carolyn Pratt.

Dorian Ely, of the Genesee County Office for the Aging, was also presented with a BID Volunteer Award, for her the time and effort she volunteers for the BID.

BID Director Don Burkel

BID President John Roche

Design Committee Chair Victor Gautieri

Promotion Commitee Chair Mary Valle

Spring downtown carnival cancelled

By Howard B. Owens

The Downtown Spring Carnival for 2012 has been cancelled.

Originally scheduled to be held this year in the parking lot adjacent Alva and Bank, the carnival has fallen victim to weather.

The Fun for Everyone Shows troupe has been unable to leave Florida and won't be able to make it to WNY in time for the carnival, which was set for April 25 through 30.

City warns downtown residents to get permits for overnight parking

By Howard B. Owens

Some of the current residents of downtown apartments were surprised a couple of weeks ago to get a warning about parking on city streets or parking lots overnight.

City Manager Jason Molino said the warning is part of an effort to ensure only vehicles with permits are parking overnight, and that they're parking in recommended areas.

"We initially issued warnings to remind people there is no (overnight) parking and give them a chance to get permits," Molino said. "There have been no tickets issued at this point."

If a resident wants to park a vehicle downtown overnight (from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.), he or she needs to get a permit from the city.

That permit costs $100 annually (raised recently from $50 per year).

The permit covers up to two vehicles.

When a resident receives the permit, the resident is asked to park his or her vehicles in specific areas, with other overnight parking, so that vehicles are grouped together.

Molino said this is particularly important during snow removal season.

With the city making a push for more apartments downtown, Molino was asked if there is adequate parking for more residents in the heart of the city.

There is, Molino said.

"If you don't have an overnight parking ability -- if you don't enforce it, or you don't have it -- then people can park overnight with any type of vehicle, whether it's a construction vehicle, farm equipment, those sorts of things," Molino said. "We've had requests from truckers or trucking agencies to park their big rigs overnight, which is just something we don't allow."

On the web: Batavia City Code

Photos: The destruction of Liberty National Bank

By Howard B. Owens

With some stunning clouds in the sky late this afternoon, I couldn't resist going for a drive and gravitated, as I often do, toward Creek Road in the Town of Batavia.

When I stopped to take some pictures of cows on the property of Baskin Livestock (bottom photo), a car pulled alongside my spot on the shoulder of the road and the driver asked what I was doing. 

"I'm taking some pictures," I said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it's what I like to do."

She said, "I used to take pictures and I would develop the film myself."

As we talked, she told me she had some pictures of the Liberty National Bank in the city being demolished. I told her I would like to see them, so she said she would try to find them and invited me to her house.

And so I met Andrew and Antoinette Dempski, decades-long residents of Creek Road.

"I always had a good eye for photography," Antoinette told me, and the photos of her children when they were much younger were much better than typical family snapshots. She had a real artistic flare.

"My father carried a camera with him where ever he went," she said.

He was a Polish veteran of World War I who moved to Buffalo and went to work for the city's sanitation department. The lingering effect of mustard gas, she explained, would sometimes make him a little crazy.

Unfortunately, on the day her mother was buried, somebody broke into her Buffalo home and stole all of her father's photographs, including pictures of her growing up, such as graduation and First Communion photos.

Antoinette was born in Buffalo and her husband, Andrew, was born on Old Creek Road. 

Andrew drew my attention -- not that I could have missed it -- to a gorgeous portrait hanging on their living room wall of a young and fetching Antoinette drawn by an artist from Quebec.

As for Antoinette's pictures, they were taken with an Kodak camera and a professor at Genesee Community College let her use the darkroom there.

"Those kids had expensive cameras and I just had my box camera, but I had a better eye," she said.

And that's no doubt true.

Alas, and sadly, Antoinette would not let me take her picture, though I'm sure it would have been a lovely portrait.

And below, the results of my attempt to take a cow picture:

O'Lacy's celebrates 15 years in business

By Howard B. Owens

This Sunday, O'Lacy's Irish Pub celebrates 15 years in business.

The location of O'Lacy's on School Street was the Darien Knitting Mill Outlet and Nancy Bachulak and Kent Ewell originally planned to convert the space into an office building, but after a visit to Rhode Island on St. Patrick's Day in 1996, Bachulak and Ewell decided to raze the existing building and build an authentic Irish pub.

Ewell said he's proud of the fact that no public funds were used in the purchase or construction of the building.

Pub stands for public house, and like the pubs of Europe and the British Isles, O'Lacy's has become a popular downtown gathering place for people from all over Genesee County and beyond.

O'Lacy's has won awards for its Guinness pours and is famous for its Reuben sandwich and homemade potato chips and dip.

Ewell and Bachulak have also supported numerous local charitable causes and events over the past 15 years, including the Michael Napoleon Foundation, UMMC and the Crossroads House.

The celebration will take place throughout the day Sunday.

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