Press release from the Genesee County Economic Development Center:
Several projects designed to create play spaces for thousands of kids will receiving funding from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation's "Built to Play" initiative, in conjunction with the nonprofit organization KaBOOM!
One of the projects includes space along an existing art trail in Batavia that will feature interactive musical instruments, and a musical-themed mural. The project from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, or GO ART!, is called "Play Me a Tune Garden," and should be completed by the end of August.
“I know as a kid, my parents could send me outside and I could go play,” said Gregory Hallock, executive director of GO ART! “And now it takes a little extra work to do that because you have to be out there with your kids. So I'm excited they're making it possible for parents to go out with their kids and have fun with them at the same time.”
Hallock says GO ART! received $70,000 from the “Play Everywhere Challenge” for the project, which will be part of a larger cultural garden along East Main Street in Batavia.
“Eleven drums going out there, there's chimes, xylophones, there's 18 instruments in all that are going to be taking up this entire space," he said. "They're meant for little kids, all the way up to teenagers, and I'm pretty sure adults will be playing with them as well."
Hallock says the “Built to Play” initiative is about making play happen in everyday places.
Some sights and sounds from GO ART's annual Picnic in the Park today in Centennial Park.
This year GO ART! has added classic family games to the event schedule at Picnic in the Park in Centennial Park in Batavia this 4th of July.
Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle is helping with a hula hoop contest.
Roth Insurance is sponsoring the main event, the egg toss contest. The egg toss is open to adults and children over 13 years old.
Keith Roth is providing a $50 prize to the winners of the egg toss. He says it will take "good hands" to win in this competition.
The contests will start at 2 p.m.
Pictured below is Libby practicing for the event.
The Yngodess Shop is sponsoring the sack race, which is also set to start in the 2 o' clock hour. Owner Christine Crocker was in her shop giving tips on sack racing to all her customers that were interested.
Jessica at Whole Life Fitness must be feeling extra fit opening her larger new location and changing the name of the gym.
She is challenging EVERY child in Batavia under 13 years old to a tug of war against her and her crew.
She stresses that exercise and physical fitness is not only good for you but it is also fun. The tug-o-war will be at 3:45 p.m. and all children who participate will receive a prize.
The 41st annual Picnic in the Park runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Thursday July 4th. For more information click here.
Press release:
The Original Red Osier Landmark Restaurant in Stafford presents GO ART!'s 41st Annual Picnic in the Park on Thursday, July 4th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Centennial Park in Batavia.
Event kicks off with a Kiddie Parade. Decorating bikes begins at 10:30 a.m. The parade takes off down Ellicott Avenue hill at 11 o'clock.
Food vendors include Red Osier Landmark Restaurant, Abbott's Ice Cream, Kernel Cravin’ Kettle Corn, Lonsberry Concessions, and Over the Border! Mack Truck, and Ali's Concessions.
Musical performances by Batavia Concert Band at noon, Byrne Brothers Irish Band from 12-2 p.m., Grizzwoode at 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. and again from 4-5 p.m.
Don't miss Old Time family activities between acts, such as sack races, tug of war and a kids’ hula hoop contest.
Explore Arts Tent with kids’ art activities, face painting, bounce house. Mad Hatter performances at 12, 1:30 and 3 in Artisan Alley. Six Senses Escape Room will hold a scavenger hunt starting in Artisan Alley.
More than 30 arts and crafts vendors on North Street and nonprofits in the lower park.
Uncle Sam wants you at GO ART!'s 41st Annual Picnic in the Park!
The executive director of GO ART! spoke plainly to Batavia Development Corporation board members this morning -- it needs funding ASAP in order to make badly needed improvements to its headquarters -- the historic Seymour Building at 201 E. Main St.
GO ARTS!'s Gregory Hallock asked board members to provide financial backing for a $50,000 loan, which would make the nonprofit eligible for funding from the NY Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Arts and Cultural Facilities Improvement Program Mid-Size Capital Project.
The NYSCA grant is available through the Empire State Development Regional Council Capital Fund (REDC) initiative. GO ART! must prove its ability to finance restoration projects in order to qualify for $150,000 in state funding.
Hallock’s request comes after the New York Preservation League conducted an assessment of the GO ART! property and identified areas for improvement totaling $500,000. Hallock determined that at least $176,000 is required for immediate changes to the building.
High-priority needs include the installation of both an air-conditioning unit and elevator. Hallock said he wants second-floor offices and meeting spaces to be available for rent within the next few months in order for the building to remain accessible and easy to use.
Hallock said time is of the essence. The REDC grant application is due July 27, but GO ART! will not know if it received that state funding until December. He's also waiting to hear back about grant applications to organizations in Buffalo and Rochester, but those responses will not arrive until August.
“$500,000 is what [the improvement cost] is marked at now,” Hallock said. “They said this number is going to grow substantially. So, that’s why there is a priority on my list of things to get done to get this grant money. Also, the REDC doesn’t guarantee this money is going to be there from year to year.”
In response, Rachael Tabelski, BDC director of economic development, proposed that the BDC could back the $50,000 loan, so NYSCA could see GO ART! has access to funds for this capital project.
“We would be issuing a long-term, conditional offer to match these state funds,” Tabelski said.
Tabelski offered that BDC could set aside $50,000 of its Revolving Loan Fund for GO ART! and issue a conditional loan approval with an expiration date. Then, Hallock could return periodically with updates on the project scope and costs.
According to this proposed plan, the board could keep extending its conditional loan approval until the grant is potentially awarded to GO ART! Hallock noted that GO ART! may never have to tap into the loan if it qualifies for the grant.
“We get repaid with the funds down the road. One way or another, this will go through. So, this is a fairly safe loan,” said Pierluigi "Pier" Cipollone, BDC board president.
The board did not vote on the conditional loan today, but Hallock is slated to update board members on GO ART!’s progress toward grants and renovations. He will return at the board’s meeting at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 22 in Batavia City Centre.
Genesee-Orleans OUT! will be hosting their first ever Pride Parade and Festival in Batavia from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday, June 28th.
Lineup for the parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Austin Park in Batavia. The parade will conclude on Bank Street at the GO ART! building where there will be food and entertainment! It is located at 201 E. Main St. in Downtown Batavia.
For more information and to register for the Pride Parade please go to www.goart.org and click on the Program & Events tab or contact Gregory Hallock directly at (585) 343-9313 or ghallock@goart.org
City Council gave its blessing to a GO OUT! parade and picnic on June 28th in conjunction with Pride Month 2019, challenging the views of a Batavia resident who addressed the board during tonight's (Monday) Business meeting at City Hall Council chambers.
“I request that you deny the license for the permit,” said the Rev. Henry Pokrywa, pastor of Faith Community Chapel on Rose Road. “I don’t feel that public streets should be used to display anyone’s sexuality, whatever that may be.”
Gregory Hallock, executive director of Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) and leader of the GO OUT! group that promotes LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) causes, filed the application for the event, which will run from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
The parade is set to begin at Austin Park and proceed on Washington, Ellicott and Richmond avenues before ending on Bank Street, near the GO ART! building.
Following the parade, activities will take place on Bank Street near Alva Place. A DJ will provide music and there will be games. Alcoholic beverages will be available, but only on GO ART! premises, according to the application.
Hallock thanked City Council for approving the festival and then listened as Pokrywa questioned its validity.
“The gentleman (Hallock) said that this (local Pride movement) has grown,” Pokrywa said, noting that the parade will include floats. “I don’t know the standards, but I’m pretty sure there should be public decency and morality standards. There will be children there.”
Pokrywa said he was “not against anybody” but when it comes to “public morality, we have to decide where we draw that line.”
Lauren Berger, of Mount Morris, a training coordinator for RESTORE sexual assault services, followed Pokrywa to the podium, reporting statistics that indicate an increase in sexual violence and harassment against those who identify as LGBTQ+ and calling for Batavia to assist in getting the word out to help these people.
“Batavia can be the answer to the LGBT desert,” she said.
After that, four Council members spoke in favor of the parade and picnic.
“I don’t want to deny any group,” Rose Mary Christian said. “Thousands of people (enlisted men and women) have died for us to have this freedom.”
Council President Eugene Jankowski said “we know what (gay pride parades) look like, and we’re going to be better than that (and not discriminate),” adding that any violence would be addressed.
“We’re not going to single out people,” Kathleen Briggs said. “We always give our approval.”
And Patti Pacino advised that “you don’t have to be part of the LGBT community to be part of the parade.”
“I will be in the parade, and I’m very straight.”
The GO OUT! event was one of several items discussed by Council, preceding the board’s passage of seven resolutions on the meeting’s agenda.
City Manager Martin Moore reported that, after meeting with Police Chief Shawn Heubusch and department heads, that he is forming a crime task force to tackle the recent spate of violence.
“Our goal is that we don’t want these types of individuals (criminal element from outside the area) in our city and decisive actions will be taken,” Moore said. “The bottom line is that it is unacceptable for our citizens to not feel safe to walk out of their front doors.”
Residents have been on edge in recent weeks as a result of several incidents, including the fatal stabbing of a man outside his home on Ross Street after he went to the aid of a woman who was in a physical altercation with a man.
Moore said that the task force will get started within the next couple and is expected to include leadership from Genesee County, including the district attorney’s office.
“There is going to be a lot of work. We don’t have a committee just to do committees,” he said, adding that he will keep City Council informed throughout the process.
In a related development, Heubusch informed Council members that he is hoping to fill a void in his department by hiring three new police officers by early July.
He said he has a substantial list of candidates who scored well on the Civil Service exam, with an eye of sending the top three – after an extensive interview and background check process – to the police academy in Erie County on Aug. 5.
“Still, even if we hired three officers today, it would be about a year until we could put them on the street,” he said, noting that the academy runs for five months and is followed by four months of field training.
Currently the department lists 33 officers, including the chief and assistant chief.
Moore also reported that a request by Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to provide a social gathering place for recovering addicts at the former North Pole Restaurant at 241-243 S. Swan St. “does not fit within an R-2 (Residential) zone.”
Moore said a letter stating as such was sent to GCASA Executive Director John Bennett, but he has not received a response.
Several Council members (as well as residents in that area) went on record last month against GCASA’s proposal, and Council Member Rose Mary Christian reiterated her opposition tonight, applauding the Code Enforcement office’s conclusion.
Council also heard from North Spruce Street resident Anita Tolejko, who urged the board to do something about motorists who drive the wrong way on the one-way street, primarily from Chase Park to East Main.
She called for a “traffic study, big signs and flashing lights” to put an end to this illegal practice.
“I really don’t know, but I would like something done” (before a head-on collision takes place),” she said.
In other action, Council:
-- Set a public hearing for 7 p.m. June 24 (the date of the next City Council meeting) on a resolution that would relax the residency requirements for new municipal employees per the Batavia Municipal Code.
Jankowski said the amendments focus on expanding the geographical area around the city where new employees may live to include any adjacent town to Genesee County within six months of the date of conclusion of the probationary period for the City. The employee also would be required to live within these areas for the duration of his or her employment.
-- Entered into a contract with a company called three+one, of Pittsford, for cash liquidity and treasury analyses that would lead to increased returns on investments and bank accounts for the City.
The City’s cost to enter the program is $9,900, but that would be returned by three+one if the company fails to find at least $50,000 in additional savings.
The Pittsford firm previously teamed up with the Town of Batavia and Genesee County, with the county reporting significant additional income.
-- Approved agreements with the Batavia City School District that calls for the school to provide transportation of students to the new Teen City site at the former St. Anthony’s School on Liberty Street and to maintain the former City Youth Bureau at 12 MacArthur Drive.
Teen City is partnering with City Church, which owns the Liberty Street property, and the Genesee Area YMCA to offer an after-school youth program. It is expected to begin operation during the week of Aug. 19.
-- Authorized the appointment of City residents Nicholas Harris, Marc Staley and David Leone and Council members Robert Bialkowski and Paul Viele to the Audit Advisory Board.
Press release:
The Original Red Osier Restaurant presents GO ART!'s 41st Annual Picnic in the Park on July 4th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Centennial Park in Batavia.
Event kicks off with a Kiddie Parade. Decorating of bikes begins at 10:30. The parade takes off down Ellicott Avenue hill at 11 o'clock.
Food vendors include Red Osier, Abbott's Ice Cream, Kernel Cravin’ Kettle Corn, Lonsberry Concessions, and Over the Border!
Musical performances by Batavia Concert Band, Byrne Brothers Irish Band, and Grizzwoode.
Don't miss old-time family activities between acts, such as onion eating, sack races, tug o' war and a kids’ hula hoop contest.
Explore Arts Tent with kids’ art activities, face painting and short plays are presented in Artisan Alley. Escape Room holding a scavenger hunt.
More than 20 arts and crafts vendors on North Street and nonprofits in the lower park!
Uncle Sam wants you! at GO ART’s 41st Annual Picnic in the Park.
Centennial Park is located at 151 State St. in the city.
Janet Root opened her art show of fabric art Thursday night at GO ART! called "Innovations." The show runs through July 6 in the main gallery.
During the show openings, Thursday, Valerie Antonetty and Katie Elia served as guest bartenders with their tips benefitting GO ART!
A mixed-media show by Lydia Zwierzyanski and Megan Peters (not available for photos) also opened Thursday.
In the bar, there is now a member's art show on display, including work by David Burke (top painting).
Thursday evening GO ART!, located at 201 E. Main St. in Batavia, the Livingston Arts Council is hosting a bartender challenge.
Come see Deborah Bump and Gregory Hallock at GO ART!'s Tavern 2.o.1 from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 9.
Admission to the bar and galleries are free to all. If you would like to have a beer, some wine or mead, Gregory or Deborah will be more than happy to serve you and compete for your tips (donations).
Support them as they compete to be the ultimate celebrity bartender (fundraiser). All donations go toward GO ART!’s many programs offered to the public and cheating is ENCOURAGED here! Who will reign as the victor director in this intense battle?
Tell all your coworkers, friends and family to come and help support ART and CULTURE within our region.
GO ART! will showcase three new exhibits starting Thursday, May 9. They will be on display through July 6.
They are:
There will be an Artist Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 16. Come on out to meet these incredible artists, hear their stories, and support bringing awareness to foster care, too!
On display now at GO ART! is an exhibit of model sailing ships built by Batavia resident Joe Vernon. Many of the ships were built from scratch, with no model kit. They are all based on historic sailing ships, many from the era of the War of 1812.
There will be an artist reception Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at GO ART!, 201 E. Main St., Batavia.
Members of Human Services Committee expressed satisfaction with the job Gregory Hallock has done as director of GO ART! since being appointed to the job in July 2017.
Since Hallock was promoted, he's instituted a number of new and innovative programs, expanded gallery shows, acquired a liquor license for beer and wine sales at Seymore Place, instituted profitable fundraisers, and generally raised the profile of GO ART! in the community.
"We've had a new philosophy," Hallock said. "In the past, the philosophy was just to stay alive so they stopped doing some things to save money. Now we do things so people see us doing things and then they support what we're doing."
In each of the past year, GO ART! has taken in more money than it has spent but because of depreciation on Seymore Place, the organization officially lost money, at least until 2018, when GO ART! was in the black by $40,000.
All of the organization's debts, except for a mortgage on Seymore Place, taken out for building maintenance, have been paid off.
One of the most successful fundraisers for GO ART! over the past year was the celebrity bartender challenge. Various prominent community members competed as celebrity bartenders with tips going to GO ART! as donations. The series of nights with celebrity bartenders bought in $13,000.
Hallock said he wants to continue the concept by bringing in a celebrity bartender every Thursday. One of the benefits is the guest bartenders invite a bunch of their friends.
Nearly 40 percent of the people who attended these events last year had never been to GO ART! before, Hallock said, and the events also helped attract a younger audience, which has been hard for GO ART! to reach in recent years.
The director is continuing to pursue big plans. He wants to get an elevator installed in the building and wants to expand the art garden behind the building. He is seeking grants for both projects.
"You've done an excellent job to bring exposure to GO ART! and the building," said Andrew Young, chairman of the committee. "It's heads and shoulders above what we've seen in recent years. I see and hear about GO ART! activities everywhere and it seems to be paying dividends for you."
Hallock said the credit doesn't belong to just him alone.
"We have an awesome board and staff," Hallock said. "I'm the only one with a degree but everyone is passionate about it."
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