east pembroke

The developer of a proposed Dollar General Store in East Pembroke was willing to do a little trading with the Town of Batavia Planning Board on Tuesday night.

If the town will let him reduce the number of parking spaces from 47 to something closer to 30 he would ensure there is a sidewalk installed along Route 5 in front of the store.

"I would be more than willing to remove the parking spaces, whether it gets down to 30 or some number down there that makes sense based on the layout," said Todd Hamula of the Zaremba Group. "Then I'd stripe across here to a sidewalk that I would build either on the property or just in the DOT right of way."

Quickly, plans were made then for Hamula to rework is the site plan and get it before the County Planning Board again -- which last week recommended a sidewalk be included in the project -- and then in front of the town's Zoning Board of Appeals before coming back to the town planning board again in a month.

The ZBA would need to approve a variance for the reduced parking because the current zoning code requires a building of the type and size of the proposed Dollar General to have at least 47 parking spaces.

Hamula said that anybody who has frequently driven past a Dollar General knows there's usually only an average of five or six cars parked out front most of the time.

The Town of Batavia is in the process of reworking its comprehensive plan and adopting a planning philosophy known as form-based code. 

One of the goals of the process is to make East Pembroke a more walkable community, which means sidewalks are needed.

Paul McCullough, board member and East Pembroke resident, spoke up in favor of making the hamlet more walkable and argued in favor of a sidewalk installed with the construction of the Dollar General.

He expressed concern that the presence of the store would cause people to walk on Route 5, which is busy with fast moving traffic and isn't well lit at night.

"Let's at least get that section in and then figure out how to get that extra 100 feet in," McCullough said.

At that point, Hamula said he was amenable to working something out.

The store will be 7,100 square feet and will become the seventh Dollar General in Genesee County.

McCullough said in his informal survey of East Pembroke residents, people are excited about the potential of the store opening.

A proposed new Dollar General store for East Pembroke should meet the goal of making the hamlet more walkable, according to county planners.

That would mean removing parking from the front of the building and bringing the structure closer to the sidewalk.

Last night, the County Planning Board approved the site review with that recommendation. It will be up to the Town of Batavia's Planning Board to decide whether to implement the recommendation.

Planning Director Felipe A. Oltramari explained that the Town of Batavia is adopting form-based planning as part of its comprehensive plan and has already adopted a policy that should help the town, which includes East Pembroke, become a walkable community. 

East Pembroke currently scores a 15 at WalkScore.com and is considered car-dependent.

Since the policy is not yet part of the town's codes, the Planning Board could only make a recommendation and not take a stronger stand.

There are already six Dollar General stores in Genesee County.

This location will be on Main Road at Barrett Drive.

The developer is Zarembra Group Inc., based in Cleveland, Ohio.

The single-story building will be 9,100 square feet.

Press release:

There will be a Pancake Breakfast & Pictures with Santa on Sunday, Dec. 10^th at St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in East Pembroke.

Please bring your camera for a picture with Santa and receive a gift bag.

Time is 9 a.m. to noon. Church is located at 8656 Church St., East Pembroke.

Breakfast includes: pancakes, sausage, applesauce and a beverage.

Adults -- $6; children 5 to 12 -- $4; and children 4 and under eat free.

Any questions, please contact Penny at 356-3413.

Press release:

Genesee County Highway Department will be replacing the Pratt Road bridge over the Tonawanda Creek, with a likely construction start date of May 2019.

As a design of the replacement is underway, a public information meeting regarding the project will be held at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7th at the East Pembroke Fire Hall, located at 2623 E. Main Road in the Town of Batavia.

Timothy J. Hens, P.E.
Highway Superintendent

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries and entrapment is reported at 2745 Pearl Street Road (Route 33) at the intersection of Wilkinson Road in West Batavia. East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. The availability of Mercy Flight is being checked.

"We believe the vehicle may be underneath a tractor-trailer," says a dispatcher.  "...Multiple vehicles." A BLS ambulance out of Darien is called for evaluations of patients. Fire police from Corfu are asked to shut down traffic on Route 33 at Read Road; Town of Batavia Fire Department is asked to close Route 33 at Hopkins Road.

UPDATE 1:26 p.m.: This is a fatal accident. More T/K.

Smoke in the residence is reported at 9430 Ridge Road, East Pembroke. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding and mutual aid from Darien and Corfu is requested.

The cause is a possible lightning strike at the residence. A first responder reports debris in the roadway and advises responders to approach with caution. Code enforcement is requested; there appears to be electrical damage inside the residence.

UPDATE 2:46 a.m.: A thermal camera will be used to try and detect heat in the walls.

UPDATE 2:59 a.m.: The code enforcement officer has a 30-minute ETA.

UPDATE 3:13 a.m.: Corfu is back in service.

Press release:

The Batavia Police Department will be participating in the DEA’s 2017 National Prescription Drug Take-Back initiative on Saturday, Oct. 28.

The event will be held in the rear parking lot of the Batavia Police Department (10 W. Main St.) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Citizens can turn in their unwanted, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs for safe disposal.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Many Americans are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Studies show that many abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.

Two other disposal sites are in Genesee County, and these also have collection hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. tomorrow.

• Sheriff's deputies will staff collection at Pembroke Town Highway Barns, routes 5 & 77, East Pembroke
• Le Roy Police at Village Hall, 3 W. Main St., Village of Le Roy (near routes 5 & 19)

(For previously posted press release on how this initiative helps the Great Lakes and New York waterways, click here.)

The students at Pembroke Elementary School in East Pembroke learned about fire services and fire prevention today.

The participating agencies included East Pembroke fire, Pembroke fire, Indian Falls fire, Corfu fire, Town of Batavia fire, Mercy Flight, and Emergency Services.

Reader submitted photos.

A possible residential structure fire is reported at 2317 Angling Road, Corfu. East Pembroke fire is responding along with mutual aid from Town of Batavia and Corfu fire departments. The location is between West Avenue and North Angling Road.

UPDATE 5:31 p.m.: Photos and info from Alecia Kaus/Video News Service: The homeowner was attempting to smoke out bees and his house caught on fire. It got into the attic; a quick response by volunteer firefighters kept the fire from spreading.

Press release:

Please take notice that a workshop meeting will be conducted by the East Pembroke Fire District from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5^th at the East Pembroke Fire Hall, located at 2623 W. Main Road, East Pembroke.

Purpose of the meeting is 2018 Fire District Budget.

Press release:

Please take notice that a workshop meeting will be conducted by the East Pembroke Fire District from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5^th at the East Pembroke Fire Hall, located at 2623 W. Main Road, East Pembroke.

Purpose of the meeting is 2018 Fire District Budget.

Genesee County Sheriff's Office Investigator Tim Wescott will lead a free public workshop at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, on learning how to recognize and avoid scams.

It will be held at the East Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department's pavilion, which is accessible using either Main Road or Slusser Road behind the fire hall. The fire hall is located at 2663 Main Road in Corfu.

Topics to be covered include: identity theft, credit cards, telemarketing, Internet scams, and home-improvement scams.

The presentation is provided by the Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the East Pembroke Neighborhood Crime Watch.

A tractor-trailer rollover accident is reported on the eastbound Thruway at mile marker 394.6. The vehicle landed on its side in the median. It is a refrigeration unit and its cargo is not known at this time. Unknown injuries. East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. 

UPDATE 5:49 a.m.: No injuries.

Lauren Brick says "Tucker" is just like part of the family and she's missing him terribly since he went missing yesterday in the Slusser Road area of East Pembroke.

He's super friendly, she said, and doesn't bark. He has a pizza collar. Call Lauren at (585) 300-8795 if you can help find Tucker.

An accident is reported at Route 5 and Indian Falls Road. Eastbound traffic is being shut down. East Pembroke Fire Department is on scene and Mercy medics are responding. Mutual aid for traffic control is requested from Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments.

UPDATE 2:31 p.m.: A trooper deputy at the scene said the silver pickup truck was eastbound on Route 5 when a black pickup truck (not pictured) attempted to turn left off of Indian Falls Road onto Route 5. Possibly due to either speed or inattentiveness, the silver truck came up quickly on the black pickup truck and tried to avoid crashing into it by swerving. The silver truck hit and broke a utility pole and then struck a parked, unoccupied dark-blue sedan (in photo on right). No one was injured. The accident is being investigated.

A motor-vehicle accident with possible injuries is reported on the eastbound Thruway at mile marker 398.9. A car went off the roadway and crashed into the woods. East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 3:03 p.m.: The East Pembroke assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 3:08 p.m.: Medics are transporting a 56-year-old male to UMMC. He has some glass in his eyes and complains of left elbow pain. His vehicle went "off the road, into a ditch, through some grass and into the woods," says a medic.

There's a two-vehicle collision reported at Wortendyke Road and Route 5, Batavia. One person is complaining of shoulder pain. One vehicle is in a ditch. East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 11:39 a.m.: A trooper said a car was turning onto Wortendyke, and so was another car behind it when a white pickup struck the second vehicle; the truck driver told the trooper he did not see the second car.