Press Release:

The GLOW YMCA Riptide Swim Team out of Batavia had a very successful regular season. 26 members met the age group qualification standards for the NYS YMCA State Swimming Championship. 

The meet will be held from March 15 - 17 at the Nassau Aquatic Center on Long Island. The ages of the swimmers range from 7 to 17 and attend local school districts including Batavia, Byron-Bergen, Le Roy, Oakfield-Alabama, St. Joseph’s School, and Pembroke. 

The team will compete in 58 individual events and 10 relays. The team is coached by Jen Pritchett, Andrew Fisher, and Emily Hirsch.

Press Release:

Lion Ron Metz, president of the Lions Club of Batavia, welcomed Josh Bender, executive director of the GLOW YMCA, who updated club members about YMCA's progress with the ongoing Healthy Living campus project in downtown Batavia. 

The director noted that it started six years ago when a casual group of people had an initial discussion about proposals of remodeling locker rooms. With time, the ideas morphed into a $30 million project shared with Rochester Regional Hospital. 

The grand opening is projected for the fall of this year, with most of the glass enclosure facing Main Street nearing completion. Josh noted three-quarters of the new 80,000-square-foot facility will be occupied by YMCA programming and have children, teens, and multipurpose rooms, as well as the gym, workout rooms, and traditional “Y’ spaces. 

The new project has plans to employ 200 full- and part-time staff, and membership is projected to be 4,000 or more.

It was 1959, and our mom just dropped my brothers and me off at the YWCA to take our weekly Friday night ballroom dance lesson. The YWCA at the time was a beautiful older home on the corner of Main Street and Summit Street. We would meet in the back in a big room.  

Learning to do the jitterbug, cha cha, hully-gully, and probably a waltz was a wonderful memory. 

Whenever I hear the song by Elvis Presley, "Return to Sender," I think of that class and learning the double time, break away for the steps to the jitterbug. It was a great time, and my best friend and other students from our school were in the class. 

Thank goodness for my classmates; I would have died if I had to dance with one of my brothers.   

I also remember you dressed up for your dance class. In my day, if you had made your First Communion and did not have anyone to hand down your dress to, your mom would dye your dress either pink or blue. My dress was blue. That dress would be seen in many photos at family gatherings.

In 1903, a group of women headed by Miss Francis G. Fisher met to organize a local Young Women's Christian Association branch. This was the birth of our YWCA.   In 1903, physical welfare was of first importance to the YWCA members, particularly for the younger girls. The second purpose of the YWCA was to provide safe housing for young girls at the YWCA. YWCA on East Main Street was attractive and comfortable, but by 1960, the house on East Main Street needed repairs. In 1968, the new YW was opened on North St. 

I also have wonderful memories of the YMCA. 

Today, I am 73 years old and in an exercise class called Silver and Fit at the YMCA. I love vintage music, and it is a time I can use those dance skills I learned when I took those ballroom dance classes at the YWCA.   As I lifted my three-pound weights and stretched with my resistance band, I remembered learning to swim in the old YMCA swimming pool. I remember a pool in the basement and a room with a window where you could watch the children swim. 

During a swim lesson, the teacher encouraged me to jump off the board and promised he would have the hook to help me when I came up from the water. He didn't help me, but I did swim to the side. That was the day I passed my beginner test. The YMCA swimming program had names of various fish as we progressed on the levels. 

So here I am in 2023 at the YMCA, using the dance steps I learned at the YWCA in the 60s. I can hear the construction of the new YMCA as I did the Cha Cha to the music of the 60s. 

The YMCA was founded in 1889 in the Village of Batavia. 

It began on 7 Jackson St., and over the years, it changed many locations. The first one I remember was built in 1913, where the current YMCA is on Main Street. The building today was built in 1975. 

As I participate in the Silver and Fit Class, I hear the pounding of our newest YMCA being constructed—an excellent addition to our community for all ages. The YMCA and the YWCA will continue offering programs for all ages, focusing on their particular mission. YMCA of Genesee County is a leading non-profit committed to strengthening the community by empowering young people, improving the health and well-being of people of all ages, and inspiring action in and across communities.

YWCA of Genesee County is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. I could never list all the programs both Y's offer. I am so glad I have participated in many of the programs over the years, along with my children. 

Postcards are courtesy of the Holland Land Office Museum. The black-white photo is Anne Marie Starowitz standing with her ballroom dance teacher, Miss Joy, at the old YWCA in her dyed Communion Dress. 

As construction of the Healthy Living campus in downtown Batavia continues to take hold right under the noses of city-dwellers, another Rochester Regional Health project is about to set sail with an opening celebration just over the city’s north border on Route 98.

The $44.5 million, three-floor Batavia Medical Campus has been in progress for the last two years, and officials are preparing for a ribbon-cutting next Friday, United Memorial Medical Center President Dan Ireland says.

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Press release:

Twelve members of the GLOW YMCA Riptide Swim Team competed in the New York State YMCA Swimming Championships at the Burt Flickinger Aquatic Center in Buffalo on March 18 and 19.  For seven of these members, it was their first time competing on a swim team this season.  All members experienced significant time drops throughout the meet.

Award recipients include Lily Bellamy, 14th in the 50 Back; Tori Davis, 6th in the 50 Back and 12th in the 200 Free; Wyatt Fisher, 7th in the 50 Fly, 8th in the 100 IM, and 10th in the 50 Breast; Caleb Henning, 16th in the 500 Free; and Anna Pritchett, 16th in the 50 Free and 16th in the 100 Free.

Reilly Davis took home the NYS Championship in the 8u 25 Breast.  She also placed 2nd in the 100 IM, 3rd in the 100 Free, 3rd in the 50 Free, and 3rd in the 25 Free.

The 10u relay team of Sarah Pritchett, Reilly Davis, Lily Bellamy, and Matilda Nevinger took home 5th place in the 200 Free Relay and 6th place in the 200 Free Relay.  All of these members were new to the YMCA swim team this season.

The entire GLOW YMCA Riptide Swim Team had an amazing season.  They are looking for new members to join them next year. The Riptide swim team is coached by Jennifer Pritchett and Emily Hirsch.

Submitted photos.

Although it wasn’t as much as officials could have hoped for, a Restore NY grant has been approved to help with the expenses of the Healthy Living project in downtown Batavia.

In August, Genesee County Legislature agreed to serve as the applicant on behalf of the new campus to merge a portion of United Memorial Medical Center and GLOW YMCA services. The grant limit was up to $2 million, and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that a grant of $540,000 had been awarded.

Funds will be used to demolish the old 55,000-square-foot YMCA, and a 10,000-square-foot obsolete boiler house owned by Rochester Regional Health-UMMC, which will provide space to accommodate a new downtown park and parking.

The project was selected as a priority Downtown Revitalization Initiative project and is also supported by the Batavia Brownfield Opportunity Area plan. 

More than $102 million was awarded to 64 projects through the Restore New York Communities Initiative. Restore New York supports municipal revitalization efforts across the state, Hochul’s office stated in a press release.

Those efforts to help remove blight, reinvigorate downtowns and generate economic opportunity in communities statewide. The program, administered by Empire State Development, is designed to help local governments revitalize their communities and encourage commercial investment, improve the local housing stock, put properties back on the tax rolls and increase the local tax base.

Once approved, the grant is to “flow through the county,” County Manager Matt Landers had said during the application process.

The grant is to go toward some of the demolition costs of the GLOW YMCA site between Wiard and Bank streets. The county can charge up to $10,000 for administrative costs, “which should be more than enough for us to cover our costs,” Landers had said.

"These Restore New York grants will help to reimagine downtowns across our state and transform vacant, blighted, and underutilized buildings into vibrant community anchors," Hochul said in the release. "Thanks to $102 million of state investment, we are breathing new life into communities from Hudson to North Hempstead, jumpstarting new economic activity, and ensuring that New York State continues to be a place where people come to live, work, and raise their families." 

New life for downtown Batavia is to come from the partnership of RRH-UMMC and GLOW YMCA to develop a $33.5 million, two-story, 78,000-square-foot regional health and wellness facility. The new site will integrate a new YMCA facility with state-of-the-art medical space for the Healthy Living program.

"Restore NY invigorates our urban centers and is a vital tool in the economic development tool kit for rebuilding communities that need it most,” Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said. “This funding will help local governments find solutions to blighted buildings so they can move forward towards a more vibrant future."

As for the county’s sponsorship as applicant, there is no county match, and no county cost aside from administrative expenses, Landers said.

The plan is to have the new building constructed at the former Cary Hall and Elks Lodge space so that YM members can use that during the demolition of the YMCA.

At the time of application, Rob Walker, CEO of GLOW YMCA, said there shouldn’t be any downtime for members, as they will transition over to the freshly completed site while the older YM building is taken down, he said.

“And continue operations without hurting the community and our services to the community — that was important to us, both from a mission standpoint and service standpoint,” Walker said.

The facility has previously been outlined — a pool, updated exercise equipment, and brand new amenities alongside Healthy Living’s teaching kitchen, classrooms and offices — and Walker described the outside space being “a nice streetscape park area” with benches, trees, lighting and an open grassy area for some outdoor activities, plus additional parking space.

File Photo of the beginnings of a new Healthy Living campus in downtown Batavia this August, by Howard Owens.

GLOW YMCA’s annual meeting had a few surprises this year, as the nonprofit’s leaders, including CEO Rob Walker, presented Community Partner awards to two Batavia entities that have been key players in the community.

Awards went each to Batavia Muckdogs and the City of Batavia for their contributions to YMCA’s mission and vision.

In turn, City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said just how much YMCA’s presence here has impacted him.

“The YMCA as been a positive influence in our community for as long as I can remember.  As a young child growing up in Batavia, the YMCA health and wellness programs were a big part of my life,” Jankowski said. “Their mission continues today in partnership with the city to manage Batavia’s after school and parks programs. I’m looking forward to the next chapter as they complete the new Healthy Living campus in our downtown.”

City Manager Rachael J. Tabelski and Jankowski were proud to receive the recognition, they said. YMCA has been “all in” to assist the city in ways that advance the mission of health and wellness, Tabelski said.

“And we share a very strong mutually beneficial partnership.  The YMCA worked with the former Youth Bureau Director, Jocelyn Sikorski, (currently director of Cornell Cooperative Extension) as a founding member of Teen City, an afterschool program for middle and high school aged children,” Tabelski said. “The YMCA stepped up when the city needed to find a private sector partner to run the afterschool program and the summer recreation program, which are both still offered free of charge to families in Batavia. The YMCA has also been a leader in the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) partnering with (Rochester Regional Health and United Memorial Medical Center) to build a new $30 million Healthy Living Campus in the heart of downtown Batavia.

“The City is proud to be partners with Rob Walker, the YMCA, and their amazing staff, and we appreciate the honor of this award," she said. 

A request for comment from Batavia Muckdogs owner Robbie Nichols was not returned by the time this article was published.

Top Photo: Steven Krna, Muckdogs General Manager Marc Witt, Batavia City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr., and GLOW YMCA CEO Rob Walker; and above, Steven Krna, City Manager Rachael Tabelski, Eugene Jankowski Jr., and Rob Walker. Photos submitted.

As some go up, others must come down.

That’s the nutshell version of construction in downtown Batavia. Work is being done to construct a new Healthy Living campus alongside GLOW YMCA, and the fitness facility at 207-209 East Main St. will eventually be demolished to make way for green and parking spaces.

It will take much investment for the entire plan to unfold, and Genesee County’s Ways & Means Committee agreed Wednesday to proceed with an application for a $2 million Restore NY grant to help with the costs.

Before anything else can happen, a public hearing must be conducted about the project to demolish 207-209 and 211 1/2 (rear) on East Main Street. Led by the county, the grant is available for “projects to demolish/deconstruct and/or rehabilitate/reconstruct vacant, abandoned, surplus and/or condemned residential, commercial, and/or mixed-use buildings.”

The hearing was set for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Old Courthouse, 7 Main St., Batavia.

The project has already passed historic preservation and environmental reviews, and has a developer, said Ed Flynn, director of planning at LaBella Associates. Having those items taken care of “I think will make it a competitive project,” Flynn said.

An important goal of Restore NY is to revitalize urban centers, rural areas, and disadvantaged communities. It is anticipated that upon completion, the projects funded by Restore NY municipal grants will attract individuals, families, and industrial and commercial enterprises to the municipality, according to the resolution.

“It is further anticipated that the improved community and business climate will result in an increased tax base, thereby improving municipal finances and the wherewithal to further grow the municipality’s tax and resource base, lessening its dependence on state aid,” it states.

Populations of less than 40,000 can apply for up to $2 million in grant funding. Since the City of Batavia meets that stipulation, Flynn suggested going for the entire amount.

Genesee County will be assisting with the administrative portion of the grant and applying on behalf of the city. The $2 million would go towards a $33.5 million Healthy Living project between Bank and Wiard streets downtown.

The future site is to be a 78,000-square-foot integrated medical and wellness facility. It's to include state-of-the-art exercise equipment, a new pool, an indoor track, a teaching kitchen, a children’s adventure room play area, plus 22 exam rooms and two medical procedure rooms for primary care, telemedicine appointments, behavioral health and crisis intervention support, cancer prevention, chronic illness, and community education services.

Rochester Regional Health, United Memorial Medical Center and YMCA officials have said the site will serve as a one-stop-shop for many health concerns and fitness goals, and there will also be a drop-in childcare center. 

For prior coverage, go to Healthy Living.

Illustration: File Photo of future Healthy Living campus rendering.

Rochester Regional Health and United Memorial Medical Center officials would like Genesee County on board to assist with a $2 million grant for the Healthy Living project in downtown Batavia.

Working through Ed Flynn of LaBella Associates, hospital officials plan to apply for the grant and, if approved, funding would “flow through the county,” County Manager Matt Landers said Wednesday.

“There would be no county match, and no county cost,” he said to legislators during their Ways & Means committee meeting at the Old Courthouse.

Restore NY grant
The grant is to go toward some of the demolition costs of the GLOW YMCA site between Wiard and Bank streets, he said. The county can charge up to $10,000 for administrative costs, “which should be more than enough for us to cover our costs,” Landers said.

“I would liken this similar to a (Community Development Block Grant) project where the (county’s Economic Development Center) usually comes to us and has a private business out there that wants to secure funds for a project for economic development and their job creation,” he said. “And then we basically utilize grant ministries, grant administration services … So this will be a very similar arrangement, but less intensive. According to Ed Flynn, the CDBG project is a little more intensive. This is less intensive. So I don't see a drawback.”

The unusual part, he said, was that this request is to approve an intent to apply before actually applying for the grant. That letter of intent was due Thursday, and the next step would be to get the Legislature’s blessings on the actual grant application, he said.

“So if there are reservations around, they can still be raised,” he said. “So it's a little nontraditional process where I'm coming to you with the intent to apply. And then we'll be voting on formal permission to apply, within the attached resolutions, that will come forward probably in September.”

The committee approved his request, and Genesee County will be submitting a Restore NY round six grant to support the development of the Healthy Living Campus. United Memorial Medical Center – Rochester Regional Health (UMMC-RRH), and GLOW YMCA have partnered to develop a $33.5 million, two-story 78,000 square-foot regional health and wellness facility, which will integrate a new YMCA facility with state-of-the-art medical space for the Healthy Living program.

New versus old YMCA
Restore NY funds will be used by the development team to demolish the old 40,000 square-foot YMCA, and an 8,500 square-foot obsolete boiler house owned by UMMC-RRH, which will provide space to accommodate a new downtown park and parking lot. The project was selected as a priority Downtown Revitalization Initiative project and is also supported by the Batavia Brownfield Opportunity Area plan. UMMC/RRH will lead the development team.

Demolition of YMCA won’t be for a while, as the new building site at the former Cary Hall and Elks Lodge needs to be in place for the facility’s members to use, said Rob Walker, CEO of GLOW YMCA. There shouldn’t be any downtime for members, as they will transition over to the freshly completed site while the older YM building is taken down, he said.

“And continue operations without hurting the community and our services to the community — that was important to us, both from a mission standpoint and service standpoint, but also fiscally being responsible as well,” Walker said Thursday to The Batavian. “So the demolition is all dependent on completion of, and a certificate of occupancy for, the new YMCA UMMC building.”

The facility has previously been outlined — a pool, updated exercise equipment, and brand new amenities alongside Healthy Living’s teaching kitchen, classrooms and offices — and Walker described the outside space being “a nice streetscape park area” with benches, trees, lighting and an open grassy area for some outdoor activities, plus additional parking space.

“That's the beauty of what we're doing. There'll be additional parking there that kind of complements the site. There's two main entrances to the facility, one is on the northwest section, and then one is on the south section, that both enter into and through a nice corridor to the welcome desk, where a member services representative will direct them to where they need to go.”

He also emphasized that the nonprofit’s board and volunteers have talked about this eventual move for the last four or five years, and the county’s Senior Center was always part of the vision.

“Our true hope is that we can add on to the YM space where the current one is to include the Senior Center. It’s really important to volunteers and board members,” he said. “It’s our hope that the Genesee County Senior Center would join the Healthy Living campus.”

The former Cary Hall and Elks buildings have been razed, and new construction is to begin this fall. It was important to YMCA leaders not to disrupt the many services offered, including childcare, swimming lessons and exercise classes and offerings to varied age groups, he said.

“We want to be able to continue to do those services and keep the momentum that we have with those programs as well. They're all doing really well, there's a lot of wait lists, and we're going to be able to serve more people in the new facility. So that's going to help. Our capacities are pretty much limited in the existing YMCA,” he said. “It takes a little while to line up these contractors. We'll have a better idea this fall, or even late summer, on the timing of that lineup. Obviously, there's a lot of labor shortages, supply issues, that are affecting all these contractors.”

Construction plans
As has been said early on, the plan remains for completion to be in late 2023, or early 2024, depending on the labor and supply availability. A project such as this typically takes 16 to 18 months, and that’s if “everything flows under the construction timeline,” he said. But it’s a fluid timeline, he added.

Walker is grateful for the local support of municipalities and donors. Project costs are about $23 million for YMCA and $10 million for the RRH-UMMC portion.

“We appreciate the county and the city support on earmarking, this. Our escalation costs have been tremendous in the last two years. So we've had to dig deeper than we already have. We've raised over $14 million on our side, on the Y side, so we've got to keep going,” he said. “And we will, but we've got 95 percent of what we need. So we're confident that in the next four months we'll be able to close the small gap.”

Top photo: 2022 File Photo of demolition for the new Healthy Living Campus in downtown Batavia. The next phase to knock down YMCA is set for this fall, and officials are in the process of applying for a $2 million Restore NY grant to help with costs. Photo by Howard Owens.

You may not like baseball, or have been to a Muckdogs game here in Batavia, but, from all appearances, the Muckdogs seem to make Batavia a better place when they interact with the community, and today was no exception.

Batavia Muckdogs and GLOW YMCA volunteers held the Challenger Baseball Series Saturday at Dwyer Stadium. The event was for children with developmental or other disabilities between the ages of 5 and 21. Even though YMCA has had this event before, again, by all appearances, it seemed as though the Muckdogs players enjoyed the event as much, if not more than, the kids did. 

In case you missed the event this afternoon, you can still see the kids at 7 p.m. tonight. Each child that participated received four free tickets to the game, a team hat, and will be on the field with the team for the National Anthem.

Photos by Jim Burns.