batavia

Scaffolding was erected this week around the tower of the St. Jame's Episcopal Church on East Main Street, Batavia. St. Jame's is undergoing renovation and restoration work to help preserve the church.

Sorry for the lack of posts today -- it's been such a busy week I haven't had time to do the things that, you know, actually get money into our bank account.

At one point, I did pop down Evans Street and saw city firefighters spraying a little water on the ice arena parking lot.

I doubt this was an attempt to cool down. It was probably part of the training course for our two newest firefighters.

Batavia High School JV cheerleaders are washing cars today to raise money for new warm-up uniforms. They've set up their hoses and buckets on West Main Street, Batavia, in between Beverly's Flowers & Gifts and IR Systems/DirecTV.

A city Department of Public Works employee operating a street sweeper thinks he may have hit a car at Ellicott and Liberty streets. But he's not sure.

The worker told a police officer over the radio that "I was swinging out and he made a turn right in front of me. I think I hit him, but I'm not sure. He drove off."

A city police officer is responding to investigate.

The Barker Brothers, jailed in June on drug charges, are accused of using their time behind bars to plot murder.

The brothers, Derick, at left, and Justin, allegedly arranged for a friend from Georgia to travel to New York and snuff out an unidentified target. But when the would-be killer couldn't make the trip, the brothers allegedly asked another person to do the deed.

According to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, money changed hands and an agreement was reached.

The potential target, who was notified by law enforcement about the plot, was never in danger of harm, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Derick W. Barker, 26, of Tera Boulevard, Jonesboro, Ga., and Justin Z. Barker, 22, of North Lyon Street, Batavia, where both charged with one count of conspiracy in the second degree.

The investigation into the alleged conspiracy began two months ago, according to the news release.

Separate from the conspiracy investigation, Justin Barker is also charged with 303 counts of aggravated harassment, 2nd, and one count of criminal contempt, 1st.

Justin is accused of contacting a person protected by court order 303 times by telephone and U.S. Mail between June 1 and Aug. 31.

The order of protection was issued by Justice Thomas Graham in Oakfield Town Court.

Justin is also charged with three counts of forgery and three counts of offering a false instrument for filing, 1st.

Justin and Derick were arraigned in Batavia City Court and jailed without bail.

The Barker Brothers made news in June when police were called to a local hotel where a trio of young men were accused of not paying their bill and refusing to leave a hotel room.

Derick reportedly fled the hotel and was eventually flushed out of a farm field on the opposite side of the Thruway.

The drug charges that put them in the Genesee County Jail in the first place, along with other charges, stemmed from the June 1 incident.

A pair of paving contractors from New Hampshire were jailed yesterday after being accused of soliciting without a permit.

Taken into custody where Stephen C. Batchelder, 31, of Mammoth Road, Hooksett, N.H., and Robert J. Batchelder, 33, of Thorpe Street, Manchester.

The duo was allegedly observed on North Lyons Street in the city soliciting driveway paving jobs. A short time later, Stephen and Robert reportedly arrived at an address on North Lyons to pave the driveway of a resident. 

Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello interviewed the subjects and learned they worked for Affordable Asphalt but allegedly did not have a permit to solicit in the City of Batavia. Sanfratello reports that he learned the duo had been ordered out of service by the federal government.

A State Police inspector was called to the scene. He inspected the vehicle and trailer being used by Stephen and Robert. As a result, Stephen was issued 15 additional license, registration and equipment violations.

Stephen was jailed on $2,500 bail and Robert was jailed on $750 bail.

According to the Nashua Telegraph, Robert and Stephen are tied to the Stanley Paving Company. As The Batavian reported in 2010, some local residents felt they might have been scammed by Stanley Paving.

As we reported in April, Stanley Paving was again reportedly working in Genesee County this summer.

Photos: Stephen Batchelder, top; Robert Batchelder, bottom.

Raymond S. Woeller, 51, of 66 Lake St., Apt. 2, Le Roy, is charged with possession of a forged instrument, 2nd, and grand larceny, 4th. Woeller is accused of forging a friend's signature and withdrawing money from that person's bank account. Woeller was picked up at 11:26 p.m., Wednesday, on a warrant out of Batavia City Court. He was jailed without bail.

A 16-year-old of Mechanic Street, Byron, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The youth allegedly ran away from a foster home with two juvenile females.  The youth was jailed on $250 bail.

A 16-year-old of Spencer Court, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of stealing $52.58 worth of merchandise from Kmart.

Russell Ray Miles, 43, of East Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Miles is accused of pushing another person during an argument in the parking lot of the Le Roy Country Club. The incident was reported at 8:11 p.m., Wednesday.

Kayla L. Rapone, 20, of 24 Holland Ave., Batavia, is charged with person under 21 purchasing alcohol. Rapone is accused of using a fake ID to purchase beer at a local store.

Kurt H. Hawkins, 18, of 3 Tracy Ave., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Hawkins is accused of punching another person in the face.

It's a place teeming with wildlife, a bit of a birder's paradise. It's 400 acres of accessible open space where local residents can walk their dogs, go for a jog or just enjoy a stroll along well-maintained paths.

Some might call it a park.

We call it the Batavia Wastewater Treatment Plant.

A lot of area residents, even if they know of the plant, may not know it's open to the public, or appreciate its natural aesthetics.

"It's great that the city is able to provide access to this great resource," said Tom O'Donnell, president of the Buffalo Ornithological Society. "It's a unique place to view waterfowl and shore birds."

Some 180 different species of birds have been spotted on the property during its 21-year history, including herons, loons, egrets, hawks, terns, swans and, of course, a variety of ducks and geese.

Birders from throughout the region know of the facility and have even traveled from as far away as Finland specifically to go birding in Batavia.

What makes the plant unique is the lack of reeds and trees between the birder and the birds, said O'Donnell. The vantage point, with the raised berms around the lagoons, give birders an exceptional angle to view waterfowl and shore birds.

It's tempting to call the fenced-in treatment plant a bird sanctuary, but it's prime function is to treat the city's effluent and turn it into something environmentally safe to pump back into the Tonawanda Creek.

The process is all natural -- no chemicals -- and it takes six to nine months for a molecule of water to pass from the facility's mechanical screen to the gravity outflow pipe near the pedestrian bridge at Walnut Street on the Tonawanda.

According to City Manager Jason Molino, the treatment plant is the largest lagoon system east of the Mississippi.

"That plant is a resource that I don’t think people understand," Molino said following a city council meeting last week. "It’s a special plant. It’s 400 acres. It doesn’t use chemical treatment. It’s natural treatment, so there’s no chemical cost. Only four people run it, seven days a week. You find me a sewer plant that has low labor costs like that, low treatment costs -- that's why our sewer rates are some of the lowest in Western New York."

And the plant is paid for. A combination of federal grants and municipal bonds helped get the plant constructed and the bonds are all paid off.

It even generates a little revenue (besides sewer-rate fees). A contractor pays up to $6,000 a year to harvest fat head minnows from some of the ponds. The minnows were brought in to help balance the treatment of the water, and while birds feast on the little fish, they breed faster than even the hungriest herons can consume them.

The plant's natural treatment process is not without precedent, according to Rick Volk, chief operator of the wastewater plant.

"The idea of lagoon treatment is as old as Egypt," Volk said. "What we did in Batavia is take a system that is as old as Egypt and apply new technology."

From 2.5 to 3.5 million gallons of raw sewage arrives at the plant daily (capacity is 5 million gallons per day). It is pumped into a screening process that removes everything larger than a cigarette butt, then goes through an aerated grit chamber to remove sand and dirt (this is the one part of the plant that produces any real stench).

After screening, the effluent is pumped into aerated ponds. The ponds provide oxygen treatment that consumes matter in the wastewater. Air is pumped into the water by 200 horsepower compressors. This process takes about a month.

The aerated ponds are popular with ducks who can be found by the dozens either in the water or resting on the long, black aeration pipes that float on the surface of the water.

The wastewater is then fed alum to assist in phosphorus removal as it flows into two secondary ponds. The 45-acre ponds are up to 8-feet deep where biological activity and settling removes more waste. The process takes up to 42 days.

Next, a lift station hoists the water up above the four tertiary ponds, which are from 25 to 35 acres each and have an adjustable depth of 3 to 12 feet. At this point, most of the suspended solids are removed.

This is where you'll find minnows and the waterfowl who feed on them, as well as a variety of other birds flitting through the air, from northern flickers to least flycatchers.

The final step on a molecule of water's journey is to pass through one of three wetlands -- ponds with reeds and other aquatic plants that help "put the final polish," as Volk said, on the wastewater.

The largest of the ponds is popular with ducks, geese, herons and snowy egrets.

The whole process is designed to ensure that only water that is safe for people, crops, fowl and fish is piped back into the Tonawanda.

Plant staff conduct frequent tests -- regulated by the state -- in a lab at the facility to ensure each step of the process is cleaning the waste as it should and that the final product shipped out to the Tonawanda is up to environmental standards.

Staff is on duty from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is the only time the ponds are accessible to the public.

The current four staff members are about half of what the city needed to run its pre-1990s wastewater plant, according to Volk.

While not officially a park, as long as the plant is open, area residents are welcome to visit anytime during plant hours, Volk said.  

Guests are asked to sign a registry in the main building, but are then free to wander the property. With permission, guests can drive their cars -- it can be a long, long walk to the tertiary ponds -- on the well-maintained gravel roads that surround the ponds.

Volk said there are times when work being performed by staff will prevent guests from driving on the roads, which is why it is necessary to ask first.

And if you go, you really want to get back to either the tertiary ponds or the larger of the three wetlands. This is where you will see the greatest variety of birds.

There's also a park of sorts on the west end of the facility, along Donahue Road. There's a small parking lot and footpaths that allow, at points, for visitors to view the tertiary ponds as well as a reconstructed wetland -- abatement for a wetland destroyed when the plant was built. The area is open to the public at all times, but no hunting or trapping is allowed.

More reading: The Wiki Guide to Birds.

If you have trouble viewing the slide show below, click here.

Batavia Downs announced today that Joseph Teresi Jr., one of Genesee County's most tireless volunteers, will receive the 2011 Italian-American of the Year award.

Not long ago, we were writing about Teresi as the 2010 Geneseean of the Year.

In the past he's also been named YMCA Volunteer of the Year as well as a two-time Lions Distinguished Service Award winner and a recipient of "Lion of the Year."

"I'm totally surprised," Teresi said. "With the number of people around here who are worthy of these awards, to be recognized twice in one year is very surprising."

Teresi is being recognized for all of his volunteer efforts, but most notably his effort to start the YMCA's Challenger Sports program and his work with the T.F. Brown's/Lion's Club annual Christmas dinner. He's also a member of the Notre Dame High School Education Foundation and past president of the Genesee YMCA and the Batavia Lion's Club.

"It's always nice to be recognized for your efforts," Teresi said. “I am proud to be an Italian-American and to enjoy the traditions of my heritage, so this award carries a special meaning.”

Teresi was nominated for the award by Joe Gerace, who won the first Italian-American award from Batavia Downs.  

"it's nice to be nominated by the first-award winner," Teresi said. "For him to recognize my efforts, some of the contributions I've tried to make to the community, it's nice, and I'm proud to follow people like Chuck Zambito last year and Ray Cianfrini the second year."

The award will be presented to Teresi on Sept. 9 at Batavia Downs. To make reservations to attend the event, call Sara Tenney at (585) 343-3750, ext. 309.

Photo: File photo by The Batavian.

Sen. Kristen Gillibrand visted the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder clinic at the Veteran's Hospital in Batavia today.

Listen to Geoff Redick on WBTA this afternoon for a report on Gillibrand's visit.

UPDATE: Geoff Redick's report is now available on WBTAi.com.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Galloway Road and Route 63. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 12:56 p.m.: A second patrol car for traffic control is needed and two flatbed tow trucks. The accident is blocking the roadway. One person is complaining of arm pain.

UPDATE 12:58 p.m.: A second ambulance is called for and some absorbent to soak up a fluid spill.

UPDATE 1:08 p.m.: A woman with no visible injuries is being transporting to UMMC to be checked out.

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: A man is being transported to UMMC now. He is alert and oriented and the medic says he may have briefly lost consciousness after the head-on collision in which there was airbag deployment.

UPDATE 1:34 p.m.: Town of Batavia fire crews are back in service.

Two young firefighters have joined the City of Batavia department and are undergoing rigorous training on day shifts.

New to the department are Collin Byrne, 23, of Rochester, and Michael Dorgan, 21, of Gates (originally from Brockport).

Byrne is a graduate of John Jay College with a criminal justice degree and Dorgan has a two-year degree from Monroe Community College in fire protection technology. He's enrolled at Empire College where he's pursuing a degree in fire service administration.

"We're both really excited to learn the area and serve the community as best we can," Dorgan said.

Dorgan said firefighting runs in his blood. Both his father and uncle are career firefighters and his grandfather is a lifelong volunteer firefighter.

"I'm excited to be here," Byrne said. "I became a firefighter to do some good, to help people out and because it's an honest living."

Below is a picture from one of their training sessions on Friday. The training was on low-angle basket rescue, which was conducted off South Jackson near the old bridge that crossed the railroad tracks.

The mother of a child who fell from a second-floor window on Aug. 22 has been charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The woman turned herself in to Batavia Police today following an investigation into the incident.

Charged was Jessica R. Lyke, 23, of 18 East Ave., Batavia.

The 17-month-old child who fell from the window was treated at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester and has since been released. 

It's $6.5 million worth of life-saving machinery and now it's based in Batavia.

Mercy Flight #5 was officially dedicated at the Genesee County Airport on Tuesday morning.

The Bell 429 helicopter equipped with state-of-the-art technology was paid for with a $3 million loan from the USDA and a USDA-guaranteed loan from M&T Bank.

Without the 20-year loan, instead of a traditional five- or six-year loan, said Margaret Ferrentino, CFO of Mercy Flight, there's no way the air and ground ambulance service could have afforded the new helicopter.

The dedication was attended by Mercy Flight and Mercy EMS staff, local elected officials and a variety of local emergency and law enforcement representatives.

Mercy Flight #5 will serve Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

The new helicopter was blessed by Rev. John Gaglione, left, pictured with Mercy Flight CEO Doug Baker and Sister Sheila Marie Walsh.

A Batavia man admitted in Genesee County Court today that he possessed a forged insurance check as part of a plea deal that could have him serve a six-month intermittent sentence and a period of time on probation.

Sentencing on the charge for Ryan Shrauger, 41, of 6 Hull Park, Batavia, was set for Oct. 26.

Shrauger was initially charged in Batavia City Court on Aug. 18 with two counts of possession of a forged instrument, two counts of forgery and two counts petit larceny. On Aug. 22, Shrauger was charged in city court again with new counts of possession of a forged instrument.

Today, Shrauger told Judge Robert Noonan that he possessed an insurance check on June 27 in the amount of $900 that belonged to another person, and that he knew the signature on the check was forged.

The admission satisfies the other forgery charges.

On July 28, Shrauger was arrested on a arrest warrant out of city court and allegedly found in possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia. He was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd.

Those charges are still pending. 

Shrauger remains in jail on $10,000 cash or bond bail.

A person on a bike reportedly ran into a pole on West Main Street near Woodrow Road and sustained an injury.

The description of the bike reportedly matches one stolen earlier from a trailer park on West Main Street.

City fire is on scene with Mercy EMS and police are responding.

It's official -- it's a tie.

Batavia Downs officials announced late this afternoon that, after spending hours reviewing all available pictures and video of the 2011 Wiener Dog Race, the final match ended in a dead heat.

Lindsay Ryan, owner of first-year runner Gordon, will receive $200 in free play at the casnio. 

After Sunday afternoon's race, when Jake Arnold, owned by Jane Smart, was declared the winner, Smart received the $200 in free play prize.

Hours after the race, evidence began to surface suggesting that Jake Arnold wasn't a clear-cut winner, leading Batavia Downs officials to delay certifying the race results.

A rematch is in the works, tentatively set for Sept. 24. Officials are waiting from confirmation from the Jake Arnold camp.

“It’s simply too close to call," said Todd Haight, general manager of live racing. “I know there is video out on the Internet that appears to show Gordon in front, but our official photo-finish camera shows both dogs hitting the line simultaneously. So in all fairness a dead heat was the right way to go.”

The rookie Gordon came a breath away from upsetting defending champion Jake Arnold.

In a statement released by Batavia Downs, Lindsay Ryan said, "We came to the dog races because we wanted to get my friend's mom, who has cancer, out of the house. We knew Gordon would run his heart out for her and he did. She had so much fun. I am so happy with how things turned out." 

James R. Straub, 37, of Stoneham, Mass., is charged with DWI and refusal to take a breath test. Straub is accused of driving a golf cart on a public road while under the influence of alcohol. Witnesses contacted dispatch at 8:40 p.m. Sunday to report that a man in a "clown suit" (as the photo shows, more like a wild golf outfit) had taken off in a cart owned by Terry Hills and was heading toward the City of Batavia on Clinton Street Road. Straub was eventually located at a residence in the city where he was taken into custody by Deputy Bradley Mazur. Straub was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and committed to the Genesee County Jail without bail. Straub is reportedly out on $500. Batavia PD assisted in the investigation.

Douglas Brian Uberty, 39, of South Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with two counts of disorderly conduct. Uberty was taken into custody by Deputy James Diehl following an investigation into reports of a man in the Target store at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 17, attempting to look up the shorts and skirts of women in the store. Uberty is also accused of peeping over the wall of a fitting room in the women's department.

Shawn Dowain Phillips, 18, of Bartlett Street, Rochester, is charged harassment as a violation. Phillips is accused of dragging a person outside and punching the person in the face. The incident was reported at 1:44 a.m., Sunday.

Rexine Evelyn Johnson, 45, of Seldon Road, Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Johnson is accused of pushing a female friend twice.

Vincente Antonio Torres, 20, of Willowen Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWAI, speeding (63 mph in a 40 mph zone) and driving out of class. Torres was stopped at 2:48 a.m., Saturday, on Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Howard Carlson.

Ryan Andrew Grady, 20, of Pearl Street, Lancaster, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Grady was found to allegedly possess marijuana while in the parking lot at Darien Lake at 11 p.m., Aug. 7, by Deputy Brian Thompson. 

A 17-year-old of Black Street, Sloan, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was charged after allegedly being found with marijuana while in a car parked at Darien Lake Theme Park by Deputy Brian Thompson.

Paul Anthony Swartz, 36, of Route 20 A, Orchard Park, is charged with unlawful imprisonment, 2nd. Swartz was arrested in Darien on a warrant out of Tonawanda. Swartz was turned over to Town of Tonawanda Police.

Charnika Darshae Givens, 19, of Northumberland Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with petit larceny. Givens is accused of shoplifting from the gift shop at Darien Lake Theme Park at 5:30 p.m., Aug. 6.

The Batavia Bulldawgs Youth Football Team sold raffle tickets for a 2011 Johnny Pag Spyder motorcycle provided by Grease Lightning. The tickets were $40 each and only 150 were sold.

The winner was Chris Schafer of West Falls (He was not present.)

More pictures of the game can be found here.

Officials are reviewing the photo finish of the Wiener Dog Race at Batavia Downs on Sunday afternoon.

The official results will be announced Monday morning, according to Todd Haight, general manager of live racing.

Haight said he wants to review the photos more closely and talk with officials who were in the upstairs booth to better understand what they saw.

A handful of people on the ground after the race thought Gordon won, but a ruling came from the upstairs booth that Jake Arnold had pulled out another victory.

Haight released photos of the finish that seem to show Gordon, owned by Lindsay Ryan, beating odds-on favorite Jake Arnold (wearing pink and #7) by a head. Jake Arnoald is owned by Jane Smart.

"I feel bad for Jane and Jake Arnold, but as of right now it appears Gordon won by a head," Haight said.

If the results are overturned, Arnold will have failed at his try at a threepeat. If Gordon is declared the winner it will be a major upset for the first-time competitor.

Photo below: Gordon and Lindsay Ryan.

Previously: Wiener Dog Races: Jake Arnold does it again