From our news partner, WBTA:
Feral cats, a new police station, a gift of a sundial, and the restoration of a "rocket car" are all on the agenda for tonight’s meeting of City Council. A local automobile collectors' group is seeking to restore what is being called a “Rocket Car” developed and built in Batavia almost 80 years ago.
In 1938, Charles Thomas, of Batavia, built an egg-shaped vehicle that many car enthusiasts consider to be very advanced for its time.
David Howe is among the group looking to restore the car.
He says, "The car ended up touring around the country to dealerships as 'the car of the future' and attracted big crowds wherever it went around the country."
During the national tours, Ford liked the car, but since it was so radically different, the company did not think they could retool and make the vehicle.
The group restoring the car knows what needs to be done and plans to put it back together exactly as it was built. Upon completion, the group seeks to present the car to the City of Batavia as a gift.
Tonight, Howe plans to ask City Council for permission to present the car as a gift to the City for public display, highlighting not only its local historic value, but the national history within it as well.
"They're interested in bringing the history back and giving it back to the City of Batavia. I think it could be a real source of civic pride and a good sense of history for our city," says Howe.
City Council meets tonight at 7 at the Batavia City Centre.
Could be a good idea for a
Could be a good idea for a display in a city museum. There's lots of history in Batavia and the Holland Land Office is a museum for the Holland Purchase, not the city.
The Holland Land office
The Holland Land office serves as a local history museum, I don't think the City needs to build it's own and have a duplicate service. If anything, we as a community should invest more in the HLO in order to help it expand and grow as a regional tourist attraction.