town of batavia

UPDATE -- 11/16/16 - 2:15 P.M.

The Batavian received a return phone call from Jocelyn Bos, Calamar's senior housing development director, and she stated that the project is at the "very conceptual level, with no landowner contracts or business details in place."

She did mention that Town of Batavia officials had asked her company to consider another senior apartment complex due to the "incredible need" for that type of housing, and commended David Ficarella for putting together a "substantial plan."

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The Town of Batavia Planning Board on Tuesday night threw its support behind the idea of a proposed three-story, 110-unit senior apartment complex off Route 33 near Donahue Road, west of the city.

“I definitely like the concept and would be willing to write a letter to the Town of Batavia (board) recommending our approval,” said Kathleen Jasinski, planning board chair, after learning of the plan from David Ficarella, a Lovers Lane Road resident, who said he is working with Calamar Enterprises of Wheatfield on the development.

Ficarella, at the meeting with his wife, Katie, said it will take about $11 million to create the 55-and-over senior community of apartments that would rent at market rate -- $800 to $1,100 per month, with all major appliances and utilities included.

His summary outline to the board states that up to four full-time and two part-time positions will be created, and that about 200 construction jobs will be created to build the facility.

More importantly, he said, his proposed tax structure would generate $1.3 million in county and school tax revenue over the first 10 years, and would provide a sewer system that the town could tap into in the future.

“As it stands now, it’s a piece of land that brings in a couple thousand dollars in taxes, and it would stay that way for the next 30 years if nobody does anything about it,” he said. “The way we have it set up is that this facility will generate long-term tax base without adding demands for services on the school district.”

Ficarella said he is hoping that the Town of Batavia approves a sliding scale, percentage-based tax structure that starts with a low assessment ($250,000) for the first five years and increases to full valuation (estimated at $9 million) by year 10.

The project would not include tax abatements from the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

 “We’ve already been turned down in our request for incentives (from the GCEDC),” he said.

Ficarella owns about 140 acres in the area along Route 33 and would relinquish 10 to 15 acres for the project.

He said he prefers to partner with Calamar based on the company’s “excellent reputation in senior housing” and also is working with East Coast Commercial for financing.

Calamar previously wanted to build a senior citizens housing complex on West Main Street Road, but its request for tax incentives was turned down by the GCEDC Board of Directors. The Niagara County firm then filed a lawsuit against the GCEDC, which it lost. As a result, that project was scrapped.

Phone calls to Jocelyn Bos, senior housing development director for Calamar, were not returned this morning.

This latest proposal also includes the future extensions of Donahue Road north across Route 33 and of Edgewood Drive, which is sandwiched between Route 33 (Pearl Street Road) and the Fairway/Valle/Woodland residential area developed by Gary McWethy, Ficarella said.

“We’re looking to put in some more (single family) building lots, since Gary is out of lots on Edgewood,” Ficarella said. “With the STAMP project coming in (notably the 1366 Technologies solar wafer plant), there will be a lot of people looking for places to live.”

Ficarella said that McWethy has been working toward extending Edgewood Drive onto Pearl Street but has been delayed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which has concerns over wetlands located at the west end of the road.

At the end of his presentation, town planners voted unanimously to accept the conceptual proposal and authorized Jasinski to draft a letter of recommendation to the Town Board.

Photo -- David Ficarella of Lovers Lane Road in the Town of Batavia displays his preliminary sketch of the area of a proposed senior housing apartment complex -- along with single-family building lots -- along Route 33 (Pearl Street Road), west of the city. Photo by Mike Pettinella.

The Town of Batavia's level of staffing -- primarily in its engineering department -- and substantial tax increase came under fire Wednesday night, but Supervisor Gregory Post and the four council members stood up to the questions by communicating a strategy that focuses on providing the services necessary to ensure long-term sustainability and growth.

Eight people attended last night's public hearings on the town's sewer and water rates, and preliminary budget, the latter an $8.5 million spending plan (including fire, sewer and water districts) that calls for a tax levy of $1 million for 2017.

The proposed tax rate of $2.64 per thousand of assessed property value is an 86-percent increase over last year's tax rate of $1.42 per thousand -- with last year bringing the first town property tax in 35 years.

Water and sewer rates also are expected to increase in 2017, by about 3 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The session began with town residents Joseph Jaszko and Mitchell Strong seeking answers regarding the town's engineering department.

"How many engineers do we have, and why are we paying them a quarter of a million dollars, plus vehicles, plus their insurance?" Jaszko said, noting that he is on a fixed income. "We never had all these people in the Town of Batavia before. Where do you think this money is coming from?"

Strong, who owns Strong Forge & Fabrication in the City of Batavia, followed up with the question "Why does the town need all these engineers and the city doesn't?" Both men inquired about the number of town employees overall.

Post, as he as stated previously at meetings leading up to the public hearings, said his many years of experience in local government has brought him to a point where having qualified, full-time professional engineers on staff is more beneficial to the town than contracting engineering firms on an as-needed basis.

"These P.E.'s are the biggest problem solvers and components necessary for us to carry out our strategic plan -- to build a model to sustain our community," said Post, adding that two full-time engineers and two full-time engineering technicians are among the 23 people employed full time by the town.

"I feel I did the best that I could do having witnessed 30 years of the town not having a full-time engineer," he continued. "Since our inception of this plan, we have attracted some pretty extraordinary development and leveraged money from numerous grants and loans, which have increased the town's assessed valuation by 40 percent."

The supervisor added that shared services agreements with other Genesee County towns -- in the areas of code enforcement, inspection, licensing and engineering services, for example -- result in money coming back to the Town of Batavia.

"A portion of some of these positions are paid by other communities," he said.

The 2017 budget is about $400,000 greater than last year's, and the 2017 tax levy of $1 million is a half-million dollars more than last year's. The new budget shows a $475,000 contribution from the town's unexpended fund balance.

Post said that leaves about $1.3 million left in the fund balance account.

"All costs to operate this community have doubled in the past 10 years, and they will continue to increase," he said. "It wouldn't be prudent to not have an unexpended fund balance at a $1.2 million baseline."

Strong said when he found out that the tax rate was going to jump from $1.42 to $2.64, "some bells started going off."

"That's why I'm here tonight," he said. "I'm not questioning how you run your business, but 87 percent (actually 86) in one year ... that's crazy."

Post countered by saying the tax rate should have been $2.84 per $1,000 last year, but the board opted for less.

He did say that the $2.64 proposed for 2017 "carries us through the year 2020."

"Our engineers and financial consultants are projecting true costs, looking at the levy versus reserves, and (have determined) that we could keep it at that rate," Post said. "We're anticipating a substantial increase in revenues and would be able to maintain the unexpended fund balance at $1.2 million."

At the close of the session, which lasted about 90 minutes, Strong said he had a clearer understanding of the process, but encouraged the town to shave expenses.

"They have to look at cost reduction," he said. "My customers are constantly after us to cut costs."

Meetings are Open to the Public

Post said he welcomed the public input at the meeting, and advised all town residents that the Town Board meets every Wednesday around 5 p.m. for work sessions at Town Hall on West Main Street Road, and that board meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month, starting at 7 p.m. All meetings are open to the public. More information can be obtained by contacting the town clerk at 343-1729.

Batavia Town Supervisor Gregory Post sees himself as "a merit-based guy" -- someone who believes in rewarding those whose job performances consistently exceed the expectation of the Town Board.

"And we have those type of people here," he said. "Employees who come in early and stay late, who have a high level of expertise, and who warrant a level of compensation that will enable us to recruit the best people and retain them."

But, Post is also a realist, and he has come to the realization that the town's contribution to staff health insurance premiums has reached a tipping point.

The supervisor fielded health insurance-related questions on Wednesday night, following the board's favorable vote on a resolution that mandates that the town pay up to 95 percent of the monthly premiums for its employees for 2017.

Rates under the Blue Cross Blue Shield Gold Standard Plan that the town will be purchasing range from $456 per month for an employee-only plan to $1,300 per month for a family plan. Employees hired prior to Sept. 18, 2013 will contribute 5 percent of the monthly cost and those hired after Sept. 17, 2013 will contribute 25 percent.

All told, the town is projecting in the neighborhood of $250,000 in health insurance premium costs.

"Traditionally the town's compensation package has been to provide health insurance, but eventually we will have to find something less expensive (to the town) and less generous (to its employees)," Post said, adding that the current formula is "unsustainable."

 "The staff is already aware that this will be addressed in 2017. Workshops will start in December."

Post said he expects health insurance costs to go up about 2 percent in 2017, although the tentative budget allows for a 12-percent increase to cover possible changes in employee status throughout the year. He said the board will be negotiating with both union (Batavia Town Employees Union) and non-union employees to come up with a more equitable payment plan.

When asked about the level of compensation throughout the town's organization, Post said that salary, health insurance, pension contributions, vacation time, etc., factor into the pay scale.

"One thing that stands out is that the staff here is the community's biggest asset," he said. "We've seen a 40-percent increase in the assessed value in this town over the past 10 years. The return on our investment (to employees) has been tremendous."

In a related development, Post shared a report from Daniel Lang, codes official, that indicated the town has received a more favorable rating from the Insurance Services Office, action that could lead to reduced liability insurance premiums for homeowners and business owners. This new rating, from a 9 to a 4 (the best score is 1), is for all one- and two-family dwellings and for all commercial and industrial buildings in the town.

The ISO is an organization that tracks property and casualty insurance risk, evaluates and rates a community’s ability to handle fires.

In other action, the board:

-- Set public hearings for Nov. 9 in connection with sewer rates (7 p.m.) water rates (7:05 p.m.) and the town budget (7:30 p.m.) for 2017.

The proposed rates for Sewer Districts No. 1 and No. 2 in the town are $6.13 per 1,000 gallons, a 10-percent increase from the 2016 rates. The water rates would go up by about 3 percent, with the base rate set at $5.10 per 1,000 gallons and the agriculture rate set at $3.73 per 1,000 gallons.

As previously reported first on The Batavian, the town's projected tax rate for 2017 is $2.64 per thousand of assessed valuation, up from the $1.42 rate in 2016. The tentative budget calls for a tax levy of $1 million.

Per public hearing notice guidelines, proposed salaries for the elected public officials in the town are as follows:

Supervisor -- $30,000
Deputy Supervisor -- $15,000
Councilpersons (3) -- $10,000
Town Clerk/Tax Collector -- $66,229
Highway Superintendent -- $18,035
Town Justices (2) -- $25,235

-- Transferred $89,600 from the unappropriated unexpended fund balance to cover additional equipment, water meter and meter reading instruments for both water and sewer districts in 2016.

-- Allocated $9,237 as the town's share to support Genesee County school districts' 2017 summer recreation programs. Batavia will receive $3,442, followed by Pembroke ($2,080), Oakfield-Alabama ($997), and Elba, Byron-Bergen and Alexander ($906 each).

Deputy Supervisor Dan Underhill (due to the death of his father, David) and Councilwoman Patti Michalak were absent.

From one end of the town to the other, employees of the Town of Batavia have been extremely busy over the past few months dealing with a truckload full of building permits, construction projects, zoning reviews and maintenance issues.

That message was conveyed to the Town Board on Wednesday night by Supervisor Gregory Post, who shared a long list of projects and recent developments in a report from Daniel Lang, the municipality's senior zoning and codes officer.

"As you can clearly see, much is going on in the town," Post said.

Lang's report indicated that there are 144 active open permits in the town and that 10 single-family homes are being built.

It also provided an update on the status of several noteworthy projects:

-- Batavia Downs Gaming Hotel: Construction is expected to be completed wilthin the next few weeks.
-- Arc of Genesee Orleans: Crews are waiting for the steel to start construction of an addition on West Main Street Road.
-- O-AT-KA Milk Products Cooperative: Information pertaining to a flood plain development permit has been provided to the town as the Cedar Street facility looks to close out its 200,000-square-foot addition by the end of September.
-- Walmart: A new training center at the rear of the store is finished, with ribbon cutting set for 7:30 a.m. Oct. 11.
-- Chamber of Commerce, Park Road: Phase 1 of its construction/renovation (upstairs) is complete and Phase 2 is underway (downstairs).
-- Manning Squires Hennig, Seven Springs Road: Its construction project is 80-percent complete.

Lang also reported that the East Pembroke Fire Department has awarded contracts for its new 9,000-square-foot fire hall on Barrett Drive, east of the hamlet of East Pembroke, and that project updates are expected over the next several weeks from Koolatron, Fairfield Inn & Suites, L&M Fabricating and others.

Post said that the board will be receiving budget requests from department heads and other town employees prior to releasing its 2017 tentative budget at a special meeting on Oct. 5. He noted that the board is prepared to "do what needs to be done" in the areas of infrastructure and staff, as well as "the mechanics necessary to keep the community safe and sustained."

With that, he acknowledged that a deficit spending strategy that prevailed in the town for a decade and a half is a thing of the past and that residents can expect a town tax for a second straight year. In 2016, the tax rate was $1.42 per thousand of assessed valuation.

In other action, the board:

-- Approved a pair of resolutions connected to the Ellicott Trail Project, a walking/bicycle path project between the town and city of Batavia.

One measure will allocate $13,860 to renovate the CSX railroad bridge off of East Main Street Road, behind the Town & Country Restaurant, turning it into a pedestrian overhead walkway, and the other is to appropriate $30,000 to Clark Patterson Lee for structural design work of a new pedestrian bridge over Tonawanda Creek (at a site to be determined).

Post said that funds from a grant provided by the NYS Department of Transportation will be used for these projects, and added that an additional $200,000 in funding has been obtained recently through the efforts of State Sen. Michael H. Ranzenhofer.

-- Reappointed Engineer Technician Joseph Neth to full-time status effective immediately as the employee has completed a five-year commitment to further his education.

Solid and cute three bedroom, country property located in the Batavia School System! This charmer has been totally upgraded and is basically move in ready-perfect for that next step up from renting-why rent when you can own for less? This home features a great walk in mud room and first floor laundry area that opens to pretty and upgraded eat-in oak kitchen, first floor bedroom and bath and all major upgrades within last ten years. Located in the Town of Batavia, this home is the best of all worlds, close to everything but just country enough to enjoy the large deep private and quiet yard! Call Lynn Bezon at Reliant Real Estate today at 585-344-4663 or click here to view the full listing.

From the Town of Batavia Planning Board's meeting last night:

• Jeff Price met with the board to discuss his plans for two or three off-road truck events at the Genesee County Fairgrounds this year. Called Flex Rock 4x4, Price organized two events last year and he said they went very well. The first event wasn't well publicized and the turnout was mostly local drivers and truck owners, but by the time the second event rolled around, word had gotten out and drivers came from as far away as North Carolina. He said neighboring residents attended the first event to see what it was about and he hasn't received any complaints. He said the fair board is happy with his events. He asked the planning board for a letter approving the events, which the board will provide.
• Chris Moiser, owner of Area 51, presented his plans for the 2016 season and received board support. He is planning races June 4-5, July 2-3, July 30-31, Sept. 3-4 and Nov. 13, with an MX race Oct. 29-30 and the Dirty Girl Mud Run on July 16.
• Dale Banfield presented plans for outdoor concerts at the Waggin Wheel restaurant on Park Road. He's planning on hosting a couple of concerts featuring country bands and '80s classic rock. The concerts will be in a fenced-in area with proceeds from food sales going to local volunteer fire departments. Ticket sales would cover the cost of the bands. He said he's already spoken with representatives fo Batavia Downs and COR Development about parking and traffic and he said both are willing to work with him. He said he plans to have the venue entrance behind the Waggin Wheel, along the property line with Batavia Towne Center. A special use permit is required and a public hearing was set for June 21, by which time the board expects Banfield to have more details worked out.
• The board approved a site plan review for Alpina Foods, which is planning a 3,360-square-foot expansion. No representatives of Alpina attended the meeting.

Town of Batavia, Bethany and Alexander fire departments responded to a fire at Baskin Livestock. The fire is in a silo at the east end of the building, located at 9778 Creek Road in Bethany. The fire is contained and under control. 

The time has come, says Town of Batavia Supervisor Greg Post, for town property owners to start paying the piper.

They've enjoyed the benefit, as well they should, Post said, of a zero-rate property tax for 35 years, and over the last 12 or 15 years, gotten that benefit while the town has spent cash reserves to keep its budget balanced.

With a drop in sales tax, increased costs for employee benefits, greater expenses in the highway department, and loss of income on certificates of deposits, the town needs to institute a property tax, Post said.

With only $2 million left in the fund balance, Post said it's time to slow the rate of deficit budgets.

"I don't want to risk our bond rating and the security and the financial future of my successor, and I don't think it's fair," Post said. "To be quite honest with you, it's possible to stretch it right down to the wire and leave and let somebody else figure it out, but I'm not wired that way."

The proposed property tax rate is $1.42 per thousand of assessed value. That will raise approximately $500,000 to help cover town expenses, but Post still projects spending more than $600,000 from cash reserves, leaving a projected fund balance at the end of 2016 of $1.4 million.

The total anticipated general fund expenditure for the Town of Batavia is $4.64 million, down from $4.92 million in 2015. Even with the $300,000 cut in spending, there isn't enough money to go around, Post said.

For the past several years, town revenue has remained flat and in some years decreased, Post said. A big portion of the sales tax that flows into the county (shared by the county government with the various towns, villages and the city) comes from the sales tax on fuel sales. With gas prices dropping from roughly $4 a gallon to nearly $2 a gallon, and the expectation that gas prices won't increase anytime soon, Post is projecting a drop in sales tax revenue for the town of $150,000.

"It's like running a business without no receipts," Post said. "You put a donation in and have a Santa Claus in the front ringing a bell hoping someone will throw enough money in to make payroll every week. That's kind of what it's been like here. You have to really work hard to leverage as many dollars as you can from every funding agency that allocates funds, make grant applications and sustain a model that supports success."

Building a sustainable local economy has been a big focus of the town board for decades, Post said, and those efforts have led to Gateway II with Ashley Furniture, Milton Caterpillar, Sanitary Sewer, and more recently Med-Tech Park and the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.

But those efforts haven't come cheap. The town invested $1 million in infrastructure to support such projects and has had to forgo revenue on construction sales tax and mortgage tax, given away in the form of incentives for developers and business owners. While Post doesn't begrudge those incentives, he says he has to budget with the reality he faces, which means he can't forecast those revenues on any potential new projects in the town, no matter how big.

"If we're not in that market (of tax incentives), then we don't get those projects," Post said.

Those projects have brought into the town tens of thousands of dollars in permitting and zoning fees, Post said.

Also, those projects have increased the total assessed value of property in the town by $128 million, with some $64 million of that increase already out of PILOT exemptions and taxable with the new property tax.

Without that increase in taxable assessed value, local property owners would likely be looking at a property tax of $1.75 per thousand rather than $1.42 per thousand, Post said.

Post praised town employees for doing a great job of finding ways to cut spending and gave employees credit for saving the town about $600,000 in expenditures in 2015, but there's only so much that can be cut, he said. There's a public hearing on the proposed budget Nov. 4 and he invites residents to make alternate proposals to the proffered spending plan.

Town of Batavia volunteer firefighters are back in service after responding to College Village when a fire alarm sounded in the laundry room.

Crew members:

"They left the window open again?"

"Yep."

"They just don't get it."

In addition to heating soup and zapping microwave popcorn, laundromats are posing yet another challenge for some villagers.

The Town of Batavia Fire Department is pleased to announce our 14th annual Harley Raffle to be held this Saturday night, July 27th, at 7 p.m.

This year the lucky grand price winner will take home a 2013 Harley Davidson Fat Boy model FLSTFB or $10,000. (Winner Not Need Be Present To Win.)

ONLY 2,500 tickets were sold and we are now officially SOLD OUT!

• 1st Prize - $500
• 2nd Prize - $500
• 3rd Prize - $500
• 4th Prize - $500

GRAND PRIZE - Last Ticket Drawn Is For The Motorcycle! (Winner has choice of $10,000 cash prize or Motorcycle)

Admission to the event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! You do not need a raffle ticket to come to the event.

The event includes Live Entertainment from the band 7th Heaven from 8 p.m. until Midnight. Food from Alex's Place and beverages will also be available for purchase as well as 50/50 and Pull Tabs.

Doors at 7 p.m.

The Raffle is to take place this Saturday night at the Town of Batavia Fire Dept. Rec. Hall, 8380 Lewiston Road (Rt. 63) Batavia, NY 14020. (Across from Kmart, just down the road from the Batavia Downs.)

Everyone is Welcome! Must be 21+ to drink and anyone under 21 years must be accompanied by their PARENT or GUARDIAN.

For more information, visit us online: http://www.townofbataviafire.com/

Proceeds to benefit the Town Of Batavia Fire Department.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a number of daytime, residential burglaries that occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 16.

The burglaries happened along Ridge Road and Lockport Road in Elba, Ham Road in Alabama, and Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road in Batavia. All residences were broken into by forcing open locked rear or side doors. Property stolen consisted of jewelry and electronic devices.

The Sheriff's Office would like residents in Genesee County to be extra vigilant and immediately report anything suspicious such as someone knocking on your door asking for directions, any vehicle being operated in an unusual manner, or if you witness any vehicles or individuals that appear suspicious.

Also, keep an eye on your neighbors' residence and report anything that appears to be suspicious or out of place.  

Contact the Genesee County Sheriff's Office at 585-343-5000 to report any such incidents.

A car struck a pole and there are minor injuries. The location is 2615 Stegman Road in the Town of Batavia, west of Powers Road. East Pembroke Fire Department is at the scene. Mercy EMS is dispatched. The pole is still intact. National Grid will be called to check it out.

UPDATE 1:41 p.m.: Two children were taken to UMMC. A 6-year-old boy has ear pain and an 8-year-old girl has elbow and knee pain.

A car fire is reported on the westbound Thruway at mile marker 385.3. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 10:33 p.m.: Chief on scene, "nothing showing." Assignment held to Engine 24.

UPDATE 10:37 p.m.: A chief reports, "We have a car full of people. The car is not drivable. We'll need a trooper and a tow."

Bontrager's Third Annual Harvest Dinner Dance to benefit Genesee Cancer Assistance will be held on Saturday Sept. 24 at Bontrager's Auction Center, 8975 Wortendyke Road in the Town of Batavia.

Tickets are available the auction center or by calling Bob Stocking at 762.8585 or 409.8439.

Cost is $20 and includes a full dinner and music by the Ghost Riders. Dinner will be from 5 to 7 p.m. and dancing is from 7 to 10 p.m.

If you want to come for the dancing only, you can just show up at the door and pay $10.

A Gibson guitar that has been signed by Alan Jackson, Diamond Rio, Pam Tillis and other famous artists will be raffled off. The drawing will take place Saturday night.

No alcoholic beverages are allowed on the premises.

A three-car accident, believed to be with minor injuries, is reported in the eastbound lanes of the Thruway at mile marker 392. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 8:52 p.m.: Traffic is backed up. Mercy Flight out of Batavia is heading to the scene. A second Town of Batavia crew is called to set up a landing zone.

UPDATE 9:02 p.m.: All patients are out of the vehicles. A landing zone for Mercy Flight still needs to be established. They need to get traffic shut down first. Oakfield ambulance is also on scene.

UPDATE 9:05 a.m.: Mercy Flight has landed.

UPDATE 9:20 a.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne.

UPDATE 9:22 a.m.: Mercy Flight has one patient on board and is going to Erie County Medical Center. Two patients are being transported to Women's and Children's Hospital in Buffalo via Oakfield ambulance.

UPDATE 9:26 a.m.: Troopers are tied up at the accident scene. Some drivers are making illegal U-turns to get out of the traffic snarl, thereby creating a safety hazard. Several motorists have called dispatch complaining about this. The Thruway accident scene is nearest to Lewiston Road.

UPDATE 9:31 a.m.: Town of Batavia fire crews are back in service.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at the intersection of Lewiston Road and Veterans Memorial Drive. One driver is said to have lost consciousness but is now alert.

Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding. A responder at the scene says the vehicles are blocking traffic. Two flatbed tow trucks are called.

UPDATE 3:18 p.m.: A second ambulance is called and there are three patients.

UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: Mercy Flight is called to respond. A second Town of Batavia fire crew is called to set up a landing zone in a field behind BJ's Wholesale Club.

UPDATE 3:36: Mercy Flight has landed in the field. A victim who was trapped inside a vehicle has been extricated.

UPDATE 3:40 p.m.: A 61-year-old woman is being transported to UMMC.

UPDATE 3:43 p.m.: A second patient is being transported by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 3:55 p.m.: The third patient is on board Mercy Flight, which is headed to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 3:58 p.m.: All Town of Batavia fire units are back in service.

A two-car accident, blocking traffic, is reported at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Drive and Lewiston Road. There are minor injuries. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 8:14 p.m.: There are three patients, one of whom has chest pain and the other two are diabetic.

UPDATE 8:16 p.m.: The actual location is Lewiston and Park roads.

UPDATE 8:28 p.m.: So far, two patients are being transported to UMMC in separate ambulances, one for chest pain, the other for low blood sugar. The Town of Batavia fire assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 8:33 p.m.: The last patient is transported to UMMC.

This information in this story comes from WBTA.

The Town of Batavia Board approved a resolution on Wednesday night to buy 19 acres of land on Park Road to build a new shared court facility.

The approval comes four years after the idea was first discussed at a staff meeting, according to Supervisor Greg Post. He told WBTA news that in 2007 town council members proposed a merger of Elba, Oakfield and Batavia town courts to save money on prisoner transports, utilities, District Attorney's Office travel, etc.

The building was planned on unused parcel of land along Park Road in the City of Batavia., which the town agreed to buy. But state law would not permit the land to be used to consolidate municipal courts. So the town contacted newly elected Sen. Mike Ranzenhofer who subsequently announced easement legislation to address the issue.

Once in Albany, everything stalled. In 2010, the bill finally passed. And after still more delays, the town board took action this week to buy the Park Road land.

Next, the Batavia City Council will consider the sale and Post says he expects it will be approved for $150,000. He predicts each of the towns and the county will save tens of millions of dollars over the course of several years by having a consolidated court facility.

By federal law, the Town of Batavia will need to install a sidewalk along Park Road, add direction signs, and make improvements to a pond on the property. But the town plans to do even more, including stocking the pond with fish and putting in nature trails for veterans at the nearby VA Hospital. In addition, the town will rent building space to the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce for a tourist visitors' center.

The additional improvements are estimated to cost another $150,000.

If the city approves the land sale, town engineers hope to begin demolition and landscaping before winter begins.

The engine compartment of an RV is on fire on the eastbound Thruway and Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding. The location is mile marker 388.7 by the Bank Street overpass. State Troopers are on scene.

UPDATE 11:31 a.m.: The RV fire is fully involved. Both water and foam will be used to put it out.

UPDATE 11:40 a.m.: The fire is knocked down.

UPDATE 12:22 p.m.: The Town of Batavia assignment is back in service.

A possible structure fire is reported at 3643 Dodgeson Road in Alexander. The caller reported turning on the furnace and the basement started filling with smoke.

Alexander and Town of Batavia fire departments are responding. The location is between Alexander and Wortendyke roads.

UPDATE 9:43 a.m.: A firefighter on scene reports nothing is showing.

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: Residents say the house is now full of smoke.

UPDATE 9:49 a.m.: A firefighter says the furnace temperature gauge "reads nothing, so I don't know what we've got."

UPDATE 9:51 a.m.: A firefighter says "we're gonna hit 'em with an exhaust fan, that way we can suck some of this (smoke) out." It is advised that another responding unit come to the scene in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 10:01 a.m.: A fire chief says "if you've got interior (firefighters) send them." A crew is going to check out upstairs.

UPDATE 10:25 a.m.: The situation was deemed a possible furnace malfunction and all units are back in service.