A contract to execute a grant for $193,500 for the City of Batavia to secure engineering and other related services at the City Centre and Harvester (Avenue) campuses is “complete and ready for execution,” according to a memo to City Council from Interim City Manager Rachael Tabelski.
In preparation for Monday night’s City Council sessions (a Special Conference Meeting followed by a Business Meeting) at City Hall Council Board Room, Tabelski updated Council on the Brownfield Opportunity Area Pre-Development Grant that the municipality applied for in July 2019.
The New York State Department of State awarded the grant to the city in December 2019 and now that contract awaits approval through the passing of a resolution on Monday’s agenda.
Tabelski’s memo indicates the grant will cover the majority of the project budget of $215,000, with the remainder coming from in-kind staff support from the city manager’s office, public works director, maintenance supervisor and the Batavia Development Corporation director.
Pre-development activities at both sites include preliminary engineering and architectural studies; legal and real estate services; zoning updates; marketing, and developer communication.
She wrote that the grant will set the stage for utilization of the $1 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative award to renovate the City Centre.
“This will include a full infrastructure review to accommodate more development on the campus, parking reviews, potential redesign of Bank Street … and a full Generic Environmental Impact Statement that will allow future pre-permitted development,” she wrote.
As for the Harvester Campus, engineering work will target potential site layouts, subdivision plans, and legal, real estate and demolition strategy and analysis.
“This work could allow a systematic redevelopment of the 23-acre site into a vibrant campus of commerce in the city,” she wrote.
Other resolutions to be considered at the meetings, include:
- Adding the GLOW YMCA to the building space lease agreement with City Church at 114 Liberty St. if City Council approves, as anticipated, a resolution to enter into a contract with the YMCA to provide services for the city’s afterschool and summer recreation youth program beginning April 1.
- Adopting the 2021-22 budget ordinance as well as a local law to establish new water rates, meter fees and a capital improvement fee.
As previously reported, the spending plan of $27.78 million ($16.855 million general fund) calls for an increase in the property tax rate of 14 cents per thousand of assessed value – from $9.59 to $9.73.
Water rates and meter fees would increase by 3.5 percent while capital improvement fees would go up by 10 percent.
- Extending the lease agreement with Firland Management LLC to operate the Batavia Ice Rink through March 2023 with downward adjustments to the lease and rink capital improvement fund payments paid by Firland to the city.
- Adopting the city’s police reform plan under the governor’s executive order No. 203, which mandated that localities with police departments assemble a stakeholder advisory group and develop policies and procedures that address “the particular needs of the communities served by such police agency and promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy, and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.”
- While not official resolutions, approving requests for the Living Waters Apostolic Ministries’ community outreach on July 18 at Austin Park and the GLOW YMCA Corporate Cup 5K Run on Aug. 5 at Centennial Park.
