downtown

MTV reality show star Johnny Bananas dropped into City Slickers in Downtown Batavia tonight. Bananas made the appearance to help support the new restaurant's opening week. The star of shows such as "Real World" signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans.

Owner Ken Mistler said a big crowd showed up during the piano bar portion of the evening for the restaurant and bar's first Saturday night, even though there was a two-hour power outage downtown.

Batavia's newest All-American restaurant is now open -- City Slickers, at 59 Main St. (the former South Beach location) -- featuring a completely renovated interior with original art and an Americana theme.

The menu is all new, too.

City Slicker's serves 24 different draft beers and there are 10 big screen TVs in the bar area.

The new menu offers a variety items, from steaks and ribs, rotisserie chicken, and cheeseburgers, to quesadillas and a large selection of salads.

Be sure to try the Freedom Fries!

Join the fun on select evenings for City Slicker's upbeat piano bar of Americana and Southern Rock music.

FRIDAY NIGHT: From 7 to 11 p.m., Wes Chapman on piano and starting at 11 p.m., MTV's Johnny Bananas will be at City Slicker's for pictures and autographs.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Wes Chapman is back at the piano from 7 to 11 p.m.

And, The Patio is Open! Come on Down!

The issue of overnight parking downtown was put in reverse by the Batavia City Council on Monday, when by unanimous consent members sent it back to where the controversy started -- the BID Parking Committee.

The council was following the recommendation of City Manager Jason Molino, who suggested the parking committee -- which according to him, initially asked for parking restrictions to be enforced -- come up with a compromise plan.

"We want to try and do what’s best for everyone," Molino said. "Sometimes you can’t satisfy everyone, but we’re going to try to. I think the best thing is have the BID parking committee review the issue further and come back with recommendations."

Molino said the situation is a balancing act of various interests. Parking lot clean-up and plowing requires overnight parking be limited and ideally confined to a defined area, and downtown business owners are worried about employees and customers who need to use the parking lot between 2 and 6 a.m. getting tickets.

About a dozen local business owners attended Monday's meeting, along with BID Director Don Burkel.

Burkel informed the council that the BID board met earlier in the day and agreed that overnight parking fees should not be increased.

"In light of trying to promote downtown for residential use, as well as for shopping and restaurants and other various businesses, the board is in favor of avoiding any increases so as not to shortchange (downtown) in any way," Burkel said.

Louis Kingsbury, an employee of Ken Mistler and Jerry Condello, spoke as a representative of local businesses.

Kingsbury listed off a number of concerns: Where are employees supposed to park whose shift ends after 2 a.m. or starts before 6 a.m.? Who's liable when a plow hits a parked car?

"I'm just trying to figure out a solution to the whole scenario so it's feasible for everybody," Kingsbury said.

Condello delivered pages of signatures on petitions of people opposing overnight downtown parking restrictions.

Council members had a variety of initial reactions. John Canale wondered why people pay for parking when they've already paid for the parking lot through their taxes. Jim Russell said some sort of order and structure is necessary to the parking situation.

And if bar patrons decide not to drive home and still wind up getting a ticket, well that's a small price to pay compared to a DWI, Russell said.

Bar owners argue that customers won't necessarily look at it that way, but Molino said there is an application process in place for anybody who gets a ticket under extenuating circumstances.

The fee for the overnight parking permit is necessary, City Attorney George Van Nest said, because there are court cases that prevent government agencies from giving away taxpayer-owned property. A parking spot is a piece of real estate and if you're going to give a person special permission to use the property when others can't, there needs to be a fair-market price attached to that use.

Molino established the overnight parking fee -- which he can set under local law -- at the same rate as a garbage Dumpster fee, under the premise that the fee establishes market value for that much space being used by a private party.

So far, a total of nine overnight parking passes have been purchased by downtown residents. Tickets and fees account for only about $1,000 in city revenue, Molino said.

About a dozen volunteers associated with the Business Improvement District hit the streets of Batavia today to plant flowers in a series of terracotta planters placed at strategic locations.

The planters are part of an ongoing beautification effort for downtown and in all 14 were purchased and filled with flowers and grasses.

"When you look at Niagara on the Lake, Saratoga, any of those cities, when they have flowers, people do talk about them," said Don Burkel, executive director of BID. "They make people feel better. It also attracts people to come here. They lend a vibrancy to our community."

The planters were placed at the main intersections on Ellicott and Main, as well as some along Ellicott Street, where Burkel said the area could use a little more color.

Above, Marcia Gann and Mary Valle fill a planter at the corner of Main and Court streets.

The Batavia City Council will take up the issue of downtown parking, especially overnight parking, at its next conference meeting, probably May 29.

Downtown business owner Jerry Condello spoke Monday night during the public comments section of the council meeting and spoke out against overnight parking enforcement.

That prompted Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian to ask for the issue to be brought to the council for a full discussion.

Condello brought up issues about employees parking after the closing of businesses at 2 a.m. or before they open at 6 a.m., and the issue of responsible drivers electing not to drive after drinking and hence leaving their cars in a city parking lot.

City Manager Jason Molino said the Batavia PD isn't simply writing a ticket for every car found in a city lot between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., but they're using discretion, looking for repeat offenders who haven't gotten an overnight parking pass.

He said keeping the parking lots clear wasn't just about snow removal, or even keeping RV and truck traffic out -- which can easily go to Walmart -- but also parking lot cleanup by sweepers overnight.

He said if somebody who has been drinking at a downtown bar and decides not to drive home but still gets a ticket has ample opportunity to appeal the ticket.

Condello said he hopes there's a big turn out at the May 29 council meeting in order to bring more pressure on the council to change the rules.

It was a big event last summer and it promises to be a bigger event in 2012, in large part because it's moving downtown.

The 2nd annual WNY Round-Up Rally will occupy Jackson Street and could bring thousands of bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts to Batavia.

"Everybody watched how the event came off last year and we approached the city this year they said, 'we want it downtown, we want people to see our city,'" said Dave Kasinski, who is organizing the event.

Jackson Street will be closed Aug. 10, 11 and 12 for the rally.

The event will include live music, food, vendors, games and, of course, lots of motorcycles.

"Being able to walk down a row of 100 bikes and see all of the different types and models and different do-dads, that's an event in itself," Kasinski said.

City Manager Jason Molino said city officials are very excited that the event is moving downtown (last year it was held at the Clarion Hotel) and praised Kasinski and his team as very organized and professional.

"If it's a nice day out, you could see thousands of people coming to downtown," Molino said.

The event falls a week before Summer in the City and Kasinksi said his organization is ensuring Summer in the City is also promoted on the rally's marketing material, and that the two events should work together well.

Kasinski said he hopes downtown businesses will sponsor and otherwise support the event, which he said would help tremendously in how it's perceived by vendors and attendees, which will help the event grow in future years.

Putting the rally downtown is important, Kasinski said, because it makes the event easier to walk and easier for people to get to and provides more amenities for attendees.

"Every rally we go to throughout the Northeast are held in downtowns," Kasinski said. "It's more convenient and it's easier to see a lot of stuff when it's all in one location."

Years ago, O'Lacy's co-owner Kent Ewell was concerned about his customers getting tickets for parking overnight in the lot across from his pub on School Street.

Ewell marched down to city hall and complained and, he said, and the tickets stopped.

Now, they're starting again and he's none too happy about it.

"I don't think it's the right way to look at the situation," Ewell said. "Somebody has made a good decision not to drive and they get a ticket."

Bar owners downtown say it's not unusual for customers to have an unexpected drink, have one more than they planned, run into an old buddy leading to a later night, or have some other circumstance change, and find themselves walking home, taking a cab or getting a ride from a friend.

Derek Geib, co-owner of Bourbon & Burger Co. on Jackson Street, said he's worried that human nature being what it is, some people will make an incorrect calculation and risk a possible DWI charge, costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars, when confronted with the certainty of a $25 ticket.

"It encourages drinking and driving," Geib said. "They're going to do it every time because that's the way people think."

One of Geib's employees and one of his customers have received tickets so far.

City Manager Jason Molino stands by the city's decision to enforce downtown parking regulations. He said it's necessary to ensure transient trucks, RVs, abandoned vehicles and such don't clutter the parking lot, and during the winter, maintain control of what vehicles are in the lots.

He said so far there's been good compliance, with apartment tenants buying the necessary permits and fewer cars without permits being left overnight.

As for bar patrons, Molino said there is an appeal process and any patron receiving a ticket is welcome to submit the ticket to the city for review.

"Discretion will be exercised if needed," Molino said. "But I would suggest that somebody make better arrangements (when going to bars).

Ken Mistler, owner of the former South Beach and soon-to-be City Slickers said that's not good enough.

"I'm concerned because if a customer finds a ticket he's not going to say anything, he's just going to be discouraged from coming back," Mistler said.

According to Mistler, he's been told by the city that only cars that are seen in the lots on a regular basis but don't have permits will receive tickets, but even then, he said, that is still a potential problem with customers.

"I hope I have lots of repeat business," Mistler said.

Local resident John Condello has started a petition that will be presented to the city council at its June 14 meeting, he said. The petition is available at any downtown restaurant, he said.

A lot has changed in downtown since the current downtown parking regulations were written into law and city officials should reexamine the rules, Ewell said.

"They were written before there was an O'Lacy's, before there was a South Beach, before there was a Larry's," Ewell said. "There was only the Candlelight."

The price of the $25 ticket is about six gallons of gas at today's prices, Ewell said, which is just about the amount somebody might spend to get from Brockport to Batavia, or just enough to discourage a trip from out of the county to enjoy a night on the town in Batavia.

The bar owners we spoke with all believe the new enforcement effort is just an attempt by the city to generate more revenue.

"You can tell it is because there was no plan, no questions (of local businesses), they just started ticketing," Ewell said. "That just leads me to believe they said, 'let's just get the money.' "

Driving down Main Street late this afternoon, I spotted Ken Mistler, left, and Louis Kingsbury and a third person hauling a large painting down the sidewalk. I drove around the block and caught them pulling the painting through the Jackson Street parking lot.

Mistler is installing the painting -- this is one of at least three -- in his new restaurant, City Slickers, the former South Beach.

Dozens of local residents walked through downtown late this evening in memory of crime victims as part of Crime Victims Week. After the walk, people gathered at City Centre for a talk by Sandie Bellows, a survivor of a harrowing crime.

Coffee Culture won the Spirit of Downtown Business Award on Friday, presented by the Business Improvement District.

Brenda Richardson (center in the photo above), manager of Coffee Culture, accepted the award and was praised for her efforts to make Coffee Culture a vital part of downtown life and business. 

Another Spirit of Downtown Business Award went to Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union and the BID Volunteer Award went to Susan Blanchard. Blanchard is out of town and accepting on her behalf were Travis Minor and Carolyn Pratt.

Dorian Ely, of the Genesee County Office for the Aging, was also presented with a BID Volunteer Award, for her the time and effort she volunteers for the BID.

BID Director Don Burkel

BID President John Roche

Design Committee Chair Victor Gautieri

Promotion Commitee Chair Mary Valle

The Downtown Spring Carnival for 2012 has been cancelled.

Originally scheduled to be held this year in the parking lot adjacent Alva and Bank, the carnival has fallen victim to weather.

The Fun for Everyone Shows troupe has been unable to leave Florida and won't be able to make it to WNY in time for the carnival, which was set for April 25 through 30.

Some of the current residents of downtown apartments were surprised a couple of weeks ago to get a warning about parking on city streets or parking lots overnight.

City Manager Jason Molino said the warning is part of an effort to ensure only vehicles with permits are parking overnight, and that they're parking in recommended areas.

"We initially issued warnings to remind people there is no (overnight) parking and give them a chance to get permits," Molino said. "There have been no tickets issued at this point."

If a resident wants to park a vehicle downtown overnight (from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.), he or she needs to get a permit from the city.

That permit costs $100 annually (raised recently from $50 per year).

The permit covers up to two vehicles.

When a resident receives the permit, the resident is asked to park his or her vehicles in specific areas, with other overnight parking, so that vehicles are grouped together.

Molino said this is particularly important during snow removal season.

With the city making a push for more apartments downtown, Molino was asked if there is adequate parking for more residents in the heart of the city.

There is, Molino said.

"If you don't have an overnight parking ability -- if you don't enforce it, or you don't have it -- then people can park overnight with any type of vehicle, whether it's a construction vehicle, farm equipment, those sorts of things," Molino said. "We've had requests from truckers or trucking agencies to park their big rigs overnight, which is just something we don't allow."

On the web: Batavia City Code

With some stunning clouds in the sky late this afternoon, I couldn't resist going for a drive and gravitated, as I often do, toward Creek Road in the Town of Batavia.

When I stopped to take some pictures of cows on the property of Baskin Livestock (bottom photo), a car pulled alongside my spot on the shoulder of the road and the driver asked what I was doing. 

"I'm taking some pictures," I said.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because it's what I like to do."

She said, "I used to take pictures and I would develop the film myself."

As we talked, she told me she had some pictures of the Liberty National Bank in the city being demolished. I told her I would like to see them, so she said she would try to find them and invited me to her house.

And so I met Andrew and Antoinette Dempski, decades-long residents of Creek Road.

"I always had a good eye for photography," Antoinette told me, and the photos of her children when they were much younger were much better than typical family snapshots. She had a real artistic flare.

"My father carried a camera with him where ever he went," she said.

He was a Polish veteran of World War I who moved to Buffalo and went to work for the city's sanitation department. The lingering effect of mustard gas, she explained, would sometimes make him a little crazy.

Unfortunately, on the day her mother was buried, somebody broke into her Buffalo home and stole all of her father's photographs, including pictures of her growing up, such as graduation and First Communion photos.

Antoinette was born in Buffalo and her husband, Andrew, was born on Old Creek Road. 

Andrew drew my attention -- not that I could have missed it -- to a gorgeous portrait hanging on their living room wall of a young and fetching Antoinette drawn by an artist from Quebec.

As for Antoinette's pictures, they were taken with an Kodak camera and a professor at Genesee Community College let her use the darkroom there.

"Those kids had expensive cameras and I just had my box camera, but I had a better eye," she said.

And that's no doubt true.

Alas, and sadly, Antoinette would not let me take her picture, though I'm sure it would have been a lovely portrait.

And below, the results of my attempt to take a cow picture:

This Sunday, O'Lacy's Irish Pub celebrates 15 years in business.

The location of O'Lacy's on School Street was the Darien Knitting Mill Outlet and Nancy Bachulak and Kent Ewell originally planned to convert the space into an office building, but after a visit to Rhode Island on St. Patrick's Day in 1996, Bachulak and Ewell decided to raze the existing building and build an authentic Irish pub.

Ewell said he's proud of the fact that no public funds were used in the purchase or construction of the building.

Pub stands for public house, and like the pubs of Europe and the British Isles, O'Lacy's has become a popular downtown gathering place for people from all over Genesee County and beyond.

O'Lacy's has won awards for its Guinness pours and is famous for its Reuben sandwich and homemade potato chips and dip.

Ewell and Bachulak have also supported numerous local charitable causes and events over the past 15 years, including the Michael Napoleon Foundation, UMMC and the Crossroads House.

The celebration will take place throughout the day Sunday.

UPDATED 2:55 p.m. with a little more information about the grant program.

People living downtown is a great complement to commerce downtown and bringing that mixed use to the city's primary commercial district is part of the city's strategic goals.

To help move that process along, on Monday night the Batavia City Council unanimously approved a change to the city's tax code that would provide a tax break to any building owner who converts a commercial property to one that includes second- and third-floor apartments.

"They (the Main Street Grant consultants) said they have a lot of experience with this," City Manager Jason Molino said. "A lot of communities use this. It’s a great exemption to get on the books to encourage, or at least lighten some of the tax burden, as they (developers) go to change and approve some of these mixed-use developments."

The tax abatement -- much like a PILOT -- provides tax relief on the increased assessment that is likely to occur with the redevelopment of the property. The property owner still pays taxes on the original assessment.

For example, if the assessed value goes from $200,000 to $300,000 because of the property improvements, the abatement applies to the extra $100,000 in assessed value.

In years one through eight, the property owner gets a 100-percent abatement, and the tax relief decreases 20 percent a year over the next four years and is eliminated by year 13.

"This promotes the types of uses we want downtown," Molino said. "We want commercial on the first floor, residential on the second and third floor. We want to promote that livable-community concept. You get the grocery store downtown, so it’s got a great complement. We’ve got the available space. It just needs to be developed."

There are currently 10 properties that have applied for grants through the Main Street grant program and Molino said four of those properties would be potentially eligible for this new tax exemption (the others are already mixed use).

Last year, the City was awarded a $450,000 grant from the state's Main Street Grant program. Of that, $400,000 is earmarked for improvements to existing structures downtown. Three projects have been funded by the BDC, which administers the program.

Ideally, Molino said, both the county and the school district will pass the same exemption.

The Easter Bunny is downtown today, hanging out outside the Enchanted Florist on East Main Street.

A plan for Ken Mistler to remodel the patio of the former South Beach Restaurant on Main Street received glowing reviews and eventual approval from members of the city's Design Review Committee on Tuesday.

The board opened its meeting with a field trip to South Beach were Mistler explained the concept.

Mistler intends to enclose the patio, but use retractable glass panels (something like a garage door made of glass panes) so that he can operate the patio as a bar, dining room and music venue 12 months out of the year.

"We'll close the windows for weather or when it's windy," Mistler said.

The concept has already received a positive recommendation from the Genesee County Planning Board and once the Design Review Committee approves his final plans in 30 days, Mistler will be able to proceed with construction.

Mistler is planning a Southwestern/Western theme with urban flair for the new restaurant and bar. It will be called City Slickers.

While the restaurant continues to cater parties in the basement bar and dining area, Mistler is completely remodeling the inside of the bar and dining area (the new custom-built wooden bars are stunning).

He expects to open City Slickers around the third week of April.

Photo below: Mistler holds a picture of the former Kiwanis Park that was west of South Beach from before Mistler remodeled it to the present patio.

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District has awarded two more façade improvement grants to downtown businesses. The recipients were Francis Marchese, owner of 238 Ellicott St., and Brian and Beth Kemp, owners of T-Shirts Etc., 111 Main St.  

Both businesses received matching grants for improvements to their facades. Marchese received $1,550 for installing new windows and frames at his Ellicott Street property. The Kemps were awarded $447.66 for signage that brings back some nostalgia by mimicking the old J.J. Newberry-type letters. These funds were awarded based upon the Business Improvement District’s design guidelines  

The B.I.D. Design Committee has now awarded 78 matching grants totaling over $319,933 in funds to revitalize businesses within the district.  Currently, there are two more projects that have been approved and should be completed within the next two months.

The Business Improvement District façade improvement program was established in 1998 to provide economic assistance to property owners and tenants for exterior improvements to their buildings. It has contributed to the renewed vitality of downtown by providing economic assistance and preserving the character of its structures. 

According to Don Burkel, B.I.D. downtown manager, these improvements demonstrate a long-term commitment by these business owners to downtown and  positive steps for its future.  When you consider that 78 businesses have reinvested in total project costs of over $2,626,600 in the district, that’s pretty impressive.

Find out more about why it would benefit you to set up shop in Downtown Batavia. Contact Don Burkel, B.I.D. downtown manager, at (585) 344-0900 or visit www.downtownbataviany.com.

Downtown Batavia was hoppin' on Saturday night with hundreds of local residents out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We stopped by Delavan's, T.F. Brown's, Bourbon & Burger, Center Street Smoke House and, of course, O'Lacy's.

If you can't view the slide show below, cick here. To purchase prints of any of these photos, click here.

The Batavia Business Improvement District and Shop Batavia are now working together to help promote downtown businesses.

In a special arrangement for BID members, extra features and discounts are now available through Shop Batavia and participating BID members will be part of an association page, helping customers more easily find downtown businesses on the site.

BID members will be able to more effectively use Shop Batavia to promote their businesses and sell merchandise online with the enhanced features.

Details available in this PDF.