Summer in the City is cancelled for 2016, and quite likely, in any future summers, according to Laurie Oltramari, executive director of the Batavia Business Improvement District.

Oltramari is in her first year as BID director and since taking the position learned that city is clamping down on the BID's operational budget, restricting spending to just $55,000 a year.

In recent years, the BID has spent $120,000 on operations, but City Manager Jason Molino said the BID has been allocating more of its special tax levy to operations than state law allows.

The law allows only 20 percent of the city's levy on properties in the BID to go to an improvement district's operations, plus an additional levy to service any debt.

The BID took on nearly a million in bonds in 1999 to fund a series of upgrades to downtown, such as new street lamps, paving stones and landscape improvements. The BID's final $15,000 payment will be made this year.

While Molino's insistence this year that the BID follow the budgeting requirements of the General Municipal Law, a memo Molino prepared for next week's City Council meeting makes it clear that prior to Oltramari taking the director's job, he tried to bring the requirement to the attention of the BID.

"When reviewing prior records, budgets and the district plan, the BBID (Batavia Business Improvement District) has struggled to comply with the GML regarding oversight of assessment funds and consistency with the district plan," Molino tells council members in the four-page memo. "In addition, as recent as 2013 and 2015 the city has advised the BBID of both budget management concerns as well as compliance with the GML faults."

Dropping Summer in the City is the biggest change in the BID's budget, Oltramari said, but there will be other cuts, including cutting down the hours worked by her part-time assistant.  

There are other annual programs that the BID sponsors that will continue, Oltramari said, because they both make money and do a better job of promoting downtown businesses, including the Fall Wine Walk, Beertavia (in June) and Christmas in the City. All are self-funding, if not profitable, and help boost local business, but downtown merchants have long complained that Summer in the City took away parking while doing little to generate foot traffic into their stores. Oltramari said it generated very little revenue for the BID.

Even without Summer in the City, the BID can continue to work hard to promote downtown, Oltramari said, and seek out opportunities for "small victories" that in the long run can pay off big for the local business community.

To purchase prints, click here.

As always the Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) strives to bring great entertainment and events to Downtown. Unfortunately, due to medical reasons, Flatop Gypsy can no longer play at Summer in the City. Although the BID is sympathetic to the band’s situation, they are pleased to announce that the OHMS Band will be playing in their spot.

Therefore, the line-up for bands for Summer in the City includes the Old Hippies (1-2 p.m.), OHMS Band (rock music; 4-6 p.m.), and of course Terry “Elvis” Buchwald (7-9 p.m.).

The BID, which is an independent non-profit organization, is dedicated to the revitalization of Downtown. Every year it has a group of dedicated volunteers to help organize the event and/or help the day of the event. If anyone would like to help the day of the event, they are still looking for strong volunteers for take-down at 9 p.m.

The BID would like to thank its major sponsors Alpina Foods, The Batavian, The Home Depot, and WBTA Radio as well as several other sponsors who helped make this annual event happen once again.

For more info contact the B.I.D. Office at 585-344-0900 / e-mail Laurie at LOltramari@DowntownBataviaNY.com, visit  us at www.DowntownBataviaNY.com, or  LIKE us on Facebook at DowntownBataviaBusinessImprovementDistrict.

CALLING ARTISTS OF ALL AGES: Enter for a chance to win one of several great prizes, including our top prize of $250 for 1st Place! Right now we have very few adult artists signed up to chalk so your chances of winning big are, well... BIG! We also have a People's Choice category for the public to vote on their favorite with the winner receiving a gift basket from Alex's Place Restaurant!

Teens can walk away with a $75 cash prize and our youth prize is a $75 gift basket from Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle! The contest takes place during Summer in the City this Saturday, Aug. 15th. Artists can start at 9 a.m. and work until 5 p.m. Judging and awards will be presented immediately after and announced on stage!  Artists can enjoy food, drinks and entertainment from the Summer in the City festival.  

With every artist's registration, you will receive a goody bag consisting of a box of 24 chalks to get started, an event T-shirt from T-Shirts Etc., and a Snapple beverage from CH Wright!  

If you are an area artist and are a member of GO ART! or Batavia Society of Artists, your registration is discounted by 50 percent!   

This contest is raising money for future art events through GO ART!, and will help fund the youth art program at GO ART!, which helps bring art programs to children all around our county.  

A huge shout out to our platinum city sponsors that have made this event possible: Main Street Pizza Co., Alex's Place, Batavia Business Improvement District, Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle, CH Wright and T-Shirts Etc.! And many many more! Register today by click here.

As you know Summer in the City is this Saturday and we are excited to have thousands of people coming Downtown! This is the schedule for street closures.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Laurie at the BID office at (585) 344-0900 or e-mail LOltramari@DowntownBataviaNY.com. We hope to see you and your families there!

Close streets (barricades) at 7:30 a.m.: Bank, Main, Center, School, Jackson, Court & Jefferson:
Bank at Alva Place
Bank at Washington
Main at Upton Monument

Main at Liberty / Summit

Jackson at Ellicott
Center at School
Court at Ellicott

Parking Lot Entrances /Bank Drive-Thru -- Jefferson Avenue at intersection of Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union & Wendy’s Parking Lots
Wendy’s -- Main Street Entrance
 
5K Race / Walk -- Barricades setup at:
                                                Alva Parking Lot
                                                Bank & Washington Avenue

Main Stage: Will be located in front of Wendy’s / County Building #1 on Main Street facing east. Entertainment: begins at 2 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.       
Featured: Old Hippies (1-2 p.m.), TBA (4-6 p.m.), and Terry Buchwald (Elvis) (7-9 p.m.).

Vendors: Crafters and nonprofits & KidsZone will be located on Main, Court & Jefferson. Food vendors will be on the north side of Main Street from in front of Larry’s Steakhouse west to corner of Main & Jefferson. Commercial vendors will be on the south side of Main Street from corner of Court to Center Street.

Super Cruise: Vehicles will be on the north side of Main Street from Jackson Street east to Liberty / Summit and the south side from Center to Liberty Street. They will also be on Jackson, School and Center streets and a segment of Bank Street.

Donny Carroll 5K Race: Start/ Finish line will be at the entrance of Bank of America Drive-Thru. The race starts at 9 a.m. and ends / finishes by 10:30 a.m.

Chalk the Walk: In front of City Hall, registration is at 9 a.m. Event is from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Reopen streets at 11 p.m.

Gena Korn and Jennifer Gray are creating a bit of chalk artwork in front of City Hall this morning to help promote GO ART!s Chalk the Walk event Aug. 15 during Summer in the City. (Photo by Howard Owens).

Press release:

GO ART! will be presenting the second annual Chalk the Walk on Aug. 15^th from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. during Summer in the City. Artists, professional and amateur and young and old, will be able to purchase a square section of concrete by the City Center to decorate with chalk pastels. There will also be a children’s section for fun scribbling.

Using materials available, artists will follow the theme “GO ART!...Where does art take YOU?” to create inspired pieces for a crowd of more than 2,000 people. Prizes will be awarded to those whose pieces are most outstanding. Adult First Prize will be $250. People’s Choice Award will be a $20 Alex’s Place gift card, two T-shirts, and two mugs. The Youth Prize will be a basket of goodies worth over $50.

A jury will select the winners for Adult First Prize and the Youth Prize. People’s Choice will be chosen by the general public by way of donation voting (ie: the art piece that receives the most donation money will be the People’s Choice winner). All donations collected for the People’s Choice Award will go to funding GO ART! youth programs.

To sign up for this event, people need to register online at http://www.goart.org/chalk-the-walk/ or register in person at GO ART!, 201 E. Main St., Batavia, from Tuesday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. People can also sign up and pay the day of the event but it is highly encouraged to do so ahead of time.

Remember, no one is officially registered until payment is received. Fees are $20 for adults (18+) and $10 for Youths (17 & under). Every registered artist will receive a box of chalks and a drink to get them started. There will be a chalk swap area where people can trade out their chalks for other colors they need. Artists are encouraged to bring their own chalks as well.

It is important to assure that each artist and their work, as well as the event itself, is respected, so there will be rules and regulations. These are available on the Web site at athttp://www.goart.org/chalk-the-walk/.

People can find updates on Chalk the Walk by going to the Web site:http://www.goart.org/chalk-the-walk/ or by following Chalk the Walk on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/BataviaStreetPaintingFestival.

Please consider participating! It's going to be a great event! If you have any questions, please feel free to phone 585-343-9313 or visit americorps@GOart.org.

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) will once again host the 13th Annual Summer in the City Festival in Downtown Batavia on Saturday, Aug. 15th, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Last year, the event brought in more than 5,000 people from all over Western New York with over 200 classic cars. This year is expected to be even bigger and better.

The festival includes the annual Don Carroll 5K Race, a Summer Car Cruise, and at least 50 food and craft vendors. The KidsZone will include a Eurobungy (NEW), bounce houses, and lots of activities including workshops by The Home Depot. You can also participate in the GOArt! “Chalk the Walk” to win several prizes. (You must register with GO ART! to participate in this activity.)

New to the festival is a Bicycle Wheelie Contest by Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle on Center Street.

Entertainment for Summer in the City includes the Old Hippies (1-2 p.m.), Flatop Gypsy (Country music, 4-6 p.m.), and, of course, Terry “Elvis” Buchwald (7-9 p.m.).

The BID, which is an independent nonprofit organization, is dedicated to the revitalization of downtown. Every year it has a group of dedicated volunteers to help organize the event and/or help the day of the event. If anyone would like to help the day of the event, they are still looking for strong volunteers for setup and take-down.

The BID would like to thank its major sponsors Alpina Foods, The Batavian, The Home Depot, and WBTA Radio as well as several other sponsors who helped make this annual event happen once again.

For more info contact the BID Office at 585-344-0900 / e-mail Laurie at LOltramari@DowntownBataviaNY.com, visit us at www.DowntownBataviaNY.com, or  LIKE us on Facebook at DowntownBataviaBusinessImprovementDistrict.

With any luck, this dude from Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, won't come down and pop-a-wheelie with the locals...

The Batavia Improvement District’s Summer in the City festival presents GO ART!’s Chalk the Walk. As part of the bash that is Summer in the City, which is sponsored by the Batavia Improvement District, there will be some extra artistry and competition.

GO ART! will be presenting the second annual Chalk the Walk on Aug. 15th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Artists, professional and amateur and young and old, will be able to purchase a square section of concrete by the City Center to decorate with chalk pastels. There will also be a children’s section for fun scribbling. Using materials available, artists will follow the theme “GO ART!...Where does art take YOU?” to create inspired pieces for a crowd of at least 2,000 people.

Prizes will be awarded to those whose pieces are most outstanding. Adult First Prize will be $250. People’s Choice Award will be a $20 Alex’s Place gift card, two T-shirts, and two mugs. The Youth Prize will be a basket of goodies worth more than $50.

A jury will select the winners for Adult First Prize and the Youth Prize. People’s Choice will be chosen by the general public by way of donation voting (ie: the art piece that receives the most donation money will be the People’s Choice winner). All donations collected for the People’s Choice Award will go to funding GO ART! youth programming.

To sign-up for this event, people need to register online at http://www.goart.org/chalk-the-walk/ or register in person at GO ART!, 201 E. Main St., Batavia, from Tuesday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. People can also sign up and pay the day of the event but it is highly encouraged to do so ahead of time. Remember, no one is officially registered until payment is received.

Fees are $20 for adults (18+) and $10 for Youths (17 & under). Every registered artists will receive a box of chalks and a drink to get them started. There will be a chalk swap area where people can trade out their chalks for other colors they need. Artists are encouraged to bring their own chalks as well.

It is important to assure that each artist and their work, as well as the event itself, is respected, so there will be rules and regulations. These are available on the Web site at at http://www.goart.org/chalk-the-walk/.

People can find updates on Chalk the Walk by going to the Web site: http://www.goart.org/chalk-the-walk/ or by following Chalk the Walk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BataviaStreetPaintingFestival.

Chalk the Walk is currently seeking financial sponsors to make this exciting event happen and those interested should e-mail or call Gena Korn at americorps@goart.org or at (585) 343-9313.

CONTACT PERSON: GENA KORN
PHONE #: 585.343.9313
E-MAIL: americorps@GOart.org

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) will once again host the 13th Annual Summer in the City Festival in Downtown Batavia on Saturday, Aug. 15th, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Last year, the event brought in more than 5,000 people from all over Western New York with over 200 classic cars. This year is expected to be even bigger and better.

The festival includes the annual Don Carroll 5K Race, a Summer Car Cruise, and at least 50 food and craft vendors. The KidsZone will include a Eurobungy (NEW), bounce houses, and lots of activities including workshops by The Home Depot. You can also participate in the GOArt! “Chalk the Walk” to win several prizes. (You must register with GO ART! to participate in this activity.)

New to the festival is a Bicycle Wheelie Contest by Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle on Center Street.

Entertainment for Summer in the City includes the Old Hippies (1-2 p.m.), OHMS Band (4-6 p.m.), and, of course, Terry “Elvis” Buchwald (7-9 p.m.).