Vibrant Batavia

Among the artists painting fire hydrants Downtown this weekend as part of a Vibrant Batavia project was Brian Kemp, co-owner of T-Shirts Etc. Kemp painted the hydrant in front of the Key Bank location.

Photos by Amanda Earl.

Local artist Brandi Bruggman has been comissioned by Vibrant Batavia to paint two of the fire hydrants downtown. Here she paints the one at Main and Bank, in front of Seymour Place (GO ART!). She said this hydrant will have a colorful paisley design on it. Her other hydrant will be painted like a lighthouse.  

Below, a hydrant on Center Street completed by another artist.

UPDATE: Amanda Earl submitted these photos of Brandi's hydrants from later in the day.

Residents of Morton Avenue came together today for a block party sponsored by Vibrant Batavia.

While Vibrant Batavia has sponsored other community events, this was the first block party, said Leanna DiRisio, director of Vibrant Batavia.

The event was largely organized by residents Bill and Lisa Scott with help from Rick and Dawn Calkins.

Food and drink was provided by Vibrant Batavia and cooked by Bill and Rick. Neighbors brought beer, desserts and side dishes and pitched in with recreational activities from Ping-Pong to sprinklers to basketball.

Members of the Batavia Fire Department stopped by with Ladder 15 and Officer Nedim Catovic represented Batavia PD (in the Ping-Pong battle between Police and Fire, Fire won 21-19, and then fire went on to trounce Local Media 21-6).

Councilmembers Eugene Jankowski and Patti Pacino also stopped by.

Bill and Lisa Scott, who live on Morton Avenue in the City of Batavia, hosted its premiere block party this afternoon, sponsored by Vibrant Batavia. It was a nice get-together. The sponsor provided hot dogs, hamburgers, condiments and cold pop and water. Those with odd-numbered addresses brought sides dishes and those with even numbers brought desserts.

The street was closed off. No music but lots of conversation and kids running around, playing in the sprinklers. Water balloons were tossed and exploded accordingly and there was also Ping-Pong, AKA table tennis, and basketball and a couple of other games. A police officer showed up to greet the neighbors, as did a bunch of city firefighters with their ladder truck.

Above is Howard Owens, who was surreptitiously yet eagerly photographed by Bill Scott. Howard is giving his giant dog Pachuco prompts to do tricks and the rewards are pieces of a hot dog. Bill cooked them and noted they were available "burned, half-burned, or not burned." Not sure which one Pachuco got, but he's not choosy.

More T/K

Press release:

The City of Batavia is turning 100! The City of Batavia along with Vibrant Batavia have announced that they are forming the Centennial Celebration Committee to begin with the planning for the 2015 year birthday celebration.

An outline of events has already started to develop. The Centennial Committee will be the primary lead for an opening ceremony December 2014 and closing ceremony December 2015. In between, we will engage a variety of citizen groups to honor the businesses, people and history of Batavia since 1915. The committee has taken that concept and molded it into a yearlong list of ideas looking for partner organizations to assist. A large birthday cake, banners, Century Club New Year’s Eve party, legacy item installation, memorabilia and more are in the making.

Leadership has also been identified for the Centennial. After hours of deliberations, the Vibrant Batavia Committee identified numerous worthy candidates to lead the festivities as the Honorary Chairperson. The group considered women and men that have family lineage within the City, passion for the history of the community, leadership qualities, respect of the residents, school connections, business relationships, commanding presence and more.

Paul Battaglia, a longtime resident of Batavia, was selected. He is currently the managing director of Freed Maxick’s Batavia practice. Battaglia is involved in many different organizations, from Batavia Rotary to UMMC to the Business Education Alliance and thr Genesee County Economic Development Center. In 2005, Battaglia received the Community Builder’s Award from the Council of Community Services of New York State in recognition of exemplary charitable board leadership with nonprofits. Paul and his wife, Mary, were born, raised and have spent their entire lives in Batavia. They graduated from Batavia High School as did their four children. They live on Ellicott Avenue in the City.

“I was surprised by the request and feel privileged to accept this position as Honorary Chairman of the City’s Centennial celebration,” noted Battaglia. “I am flattered and excited to be a part of celebrating old and new traditions. I’m looking forward to lighting the fireworks in December and cutting the City’s birthday cake next summer!”

Krysia Mager, a City of Batavia resident, has been named as the Centennial Committee chairperson. She is a marketing business partner at Tompkins Bank of Castile and is very active in the community. Mager previously served on the Batavia Business Improvement District committees and board of directors. She is also involved with the Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards ceremony. Krysia and her husband, Jonathan, have two daughters, Emersyn and Evelyn.

“I am very honored to represent our community as the Chairperson for this prestigious event,” Mager said. “I am really looking forward to working with the wonderful volunteers in our community to make this Centennial Celebration something to be remembered for another hundred years.”

The Centennial Committee will meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month at City Hall at 8:30 a.m. All interested participants should fill out a City of Batavia Committee/Board Volunteer Application that can be found on the city Web site (http://www.batavianewyork.com/sites/bataviany/files/file/file/committee_application.pdf).

Please complete the application and send any ideas, thoughts and or suggestions for this upcoming event to centennial@vibrantbatavia.com.

Vibrant Batavia is a community network organized to celebrate the past, build on the present and to create a more vibrant future. The volunteers work side-by-side with the City of Batavia, NeighborWorks® Rochester and the business community to strategically improve the City's neighborhoods and to promote a livable community of choice.

Press release:

Vibrant Batavia and City leaders have scheduled meetings to include four designated neighborhoods in the series “Bringing Neighborhoods Together.” The purpose of the series is to follow up from the Coffee Talk hosted last fall and allow more opportunity for questions and sharing concerns. Other topics will include crime prevention and brainstorming on street-wide events and beautification projects for the Spring 2014. Postcard invitations will be mailed to residents within the designated neighborhoods.

Bringing Neighborhoods Together will encourage discussions about neighborhood concerns and start to list projects that will build confidence and pride in their community. Candidates will be recruited in each neighborhood to lead future neighborhood functions, such as block parties, neighborhood clean-up, neighborhood garage sales, etc.

Refreshments and snacks will be served at each of these events hosted 6-8 p.m. at City Hall. Residents living in the designated neighborhood are invited to attend on the following dates:

Southside (South of Ellicott Street, east of Tonawanda Creek)
Date: March 19

West Wedge (Southwest of the Tonawanda Creek)
Date: March 26

West End (North of Tonawanda Creek, west of Oak Street)
Date: April 2

Central Park District (North of Main Street, east of Oak Street and west of Bank Street)
Date: April 9

Vibrant Batavia is a community network organized to celebrate the past, build on the present and to create a more vibrant future. The volunteers work side-by-side with the City of Batavia, NeighborWorks® Rochester and the business community to strategically improve the City's neighborhoods and to promote a livable community of choice.

They call it "The Big Ask."

The Big Ask is the third leg of a fund-raising effort developed by Vibrant Batavia to support it's community improvement efforts and putting together a centennial celebration for the city in 2015.

Fundraising efforts so far involve selling advertising to local businesses for a quarterly magazine and a discount card program to residents, but Vibrant Batavia also needs to raise big money from big donors.

Corporate sponsors are being sought to contribute as much as $5,000 or $10,000 each.

Monday night, members had another kind of Big Ask for City Council members: $45,000 for a second year of funding.

It's part of the plan -- Vibrant Batavia's plan has always included at least $45,000 in funding annually for three years -- but the request needs to be put before the City Council each year.

Council President Brooks Hawley said he's inclined to support the request.

"They've been doing a great job, being put together as many volunteers," Hawley said. "It's been a great effort."

Since the Spring of 2013, Vibrant Batavia has:

• Developed a logo and marketing plan;
• Entered into an agreement with Rochester-based nonprofit Neighborhood Works and hired a coordinator for Vibrant Batavia through Neighborhood Works;
• Conducted neighborhood surveys;
• Introduced Coffee Talks, a Fall Frolic, an advertiser-supported quarterly publication and discount program;
• Started planning the community's centennial celebration.

The second year of city funding is needed, City Manager Jason Molino said, to help continue and expand Vibrant Batavia's neighborhood organization efforts and planning for the centennial celebration.

"It's an energized group," Molino said after the meeting. "They want to do with good things in the community. I think they want to continue that momentum."

For 2013, Vibrant projected $67,000 in revenue, with $45,000 coming from the city. The actual fundraising effort garnered $60,790.

Expenses were $10,000 lower than projected.

Vibrant Batavia spent $31,000 with Neighborhood Works, $500 on logo design, $7,500 on developing a sponsorship plan with Buffalo Block Club, $10,902 on printing expenses and $7,500 on the centennial celebration.

For 2014, Vibrant Batavia's revenue plan projects another $45,000 from the city and $42,000 in revenue from local businesses, with expenses of $31,500 on Neighborhood Works, $35,500 on programming and $20,000 on centennial planning.

"All of us have come together, community members and volunteers, because we believe in our community," said Vibrant Batavia Board Member Marty McDonald.

With a bachelor’s degree in communications, a record of community involvement and eight years experience in advertising, Batavia native Leanna Di Risio knew when the Vibrant Batavia Community Organizer position came along, it was the perfect fit.

While Di Risio worked for the Genesee Valley PennySaver, she volunteered for the Business Improvement Distirct, and that really opened her eyes to community involvement.

“The first event I took part in was the Taste of Fall Wine Walk, which has become a well-known event for Downtown," Di Risio said. What made that event so worth the effort as a volunteer was seeing the streets filled with people; people who were going from business to business. This created a feeling of exhilaration, just to know that I was a part of making this event possible and it was successful, as it was well attended.”

Vibrant Batavia is a group of dedicated volunteers; both business owners and residents who wish to help Batavia realize its "vibrant" potential.

The City of Batavia and Vibrant Batavia, in partnership with NeighborWorks Rochester, hired the 1998 Batavia High School graduate for the job in community relations. The 34-year-old is paid by Vibrant Batavia, which was given $45,000 from the city to hire a coordinator and plan neighborhood events and the city’s upcoming centennial celebration.

Di Risio was one of six candidates interviewed by a group of city leaders including City Manager Jason Molino and Pastor Marty Macdonald of City Church.

“Leanna was chosen for the position because of her 'can-do' attitude," Molino said. "She brings an excellent work ethic to community development efforts in the City and she’s a natural people person. Working in neighborhoods with residents and business owners requires you to have a positive attitude and genuine interest in what people are telling you. Leanna has interest in the residents of this community and wants to be a part of making this community a better place for everyone.”

Although Di Risio has the education and background to lead the way in community revitalization, during college she did not see herself coming back to live in her small hometown. She was attending Buffalo State College where she was planning to become an elementary school teacher.

“In the course of my experience in a classroom, I realized that it was more than just playing games and doing projects with kids, which was what I desired," Di Risio said. "At that point I gave all of my past teachers MUCH credit for doing what they did and retired the idea."

During this time her mother passed away at the young age of 45 and she came back home to help care for her 8-year-old brother. She transferred and commuted to Brockport State College, where she received her degree in communications.

Di Risio currently lives in Batavia with her husband Dan and their two children: 9-year-old Vincent and 4-year-old Luciana. She is enthusiastic about her new position and has already had the opportunity to meet with many residents throughout the City for Coffee Talk events. The five Coffee Talk Events were successful and Di Risio was able to compile a list of ideas generated by residents through surveys, which are still available at http://vibrantbatavia.com/survey/.

“Leanna is strong on her way to fulfilling some of the objectives that the Vibrant Batavia Team had established based on City Council’s findings,” Macdonald said. “Leanna's passion is recognized in everything she does.”

The goal is to build upon neighborhood strengths and assets. With guidance from residents, Vibrant Batavia will highlight characteristics and unique personalities of each neighborhood in an effort to rebuild connections.

“In some cases, it is a matter of focusing on your own property, planting flowers, keeping up on regular maintenance of your home and then reaching out to help others," Di Risio said. "That could be as simple as helping an elderly neighbor shovel snow in the winter months or chipping in on maintaining a vacated lot by mowing the lawn so these properties represent the tidiness of the street. I have already begun to coordinate block parties, street clean-ups and community events to open the lines of communication between neighbors and make for a stronger neighborhood.”

Last weekend, Vibrant Batavia hosted a Fall Frolic Clean-up covering Bank Street, Tracy Avenue, Hart Street and North Street. The event was supported by Batavia Ramparts Squirt Travel Hockey Team, which Di Risio’s son plays on. Team members, as well as their parents, joined in the clean-up effort. Afterward Tracy Avenue residents Bob and Char Grimm hosted lunch, which was provided by Vibrant Batavia.

Vibrant Batavia is now working with Genesee Cancer Assistance to promote the Holiday Tour of Homes. The event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 8 and includes six homes in Batavia. Interested participants can contact Di Risio at 585-738-7388 to purchase tickets and they will also be available the day of the tours at each of the homes.

Moving into the winter months, Vibrant Batavia will focus on community events, such as a sledding celebration at Centennial Park and having NeighborWorks Rochester lead community-wide forums to discuss the opportunities to further improve the community. Batavia residents can follow their efforts on Facebook and see upcoming events at www.vibrantbatavia.com.

Press release:

Vibrant Batavia and the Batavia Ramparts Squirt Travel Hockey Team will be assisting residents in a fall clean-up on November 10th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will cover the following streets: parts of Bank Street, parts of North Street, Tracy Avenue and parts of Hart Street.

The clean-up will consist of: leaf raking, debris clean up and removal of pumpkins, corn stalks and hay bales. Trucks will be provided by volunteers to transport the pumpkins, corn stalks and hay bales to the waste Center that day. For residents interested in removal of these items that are unable to participate, please leave them by the street so we know you wish for us to take them. Volunteers should bring their own rake, gloves and, of course, dress appropriately for the weather.

Invitations were distributed to these residents to inform them of the clean-up effort. Terri Clingerman, a Bank Street resident, helped go door to door on Monday. Clingerman said “this is a great way to get people out of their houses and make it a collaborative effort to do a neighborhood clean-up, while getting the chance to meet neighbors." We will also promote this event through our Facebook page to remind residents of the event.      

Bob and Char Grimm, residents of 59 Tracy Ave., will be hosting a lunch for all of the volunteers and residents from the streets included in the clean-up. Lunch will be held at noon and will be provided by Vibrant Batavia. We welcome all that wish to come out and meet with your neighbors.

Grimm said, “I am happy to host along with volunteering my time for a street-wide clean up. ... this is a great opportunity for our youth to take part in a community service effort, as it teaches them how to work together as a team."

The intent of this clean-up is to open the lines of communication between these specific neighborhoods and work toward getting these residents interested in working on future activities. 

Vibrant Batavia is a community network organized to celebrate the past, build on the present and to create a more vibrant future. The volunteers work side-by-side with the City of Batavia, NeighborWorks® Rochester and the business community to strategically improve the City's neighborhoods and to promote a livable community of choice. 

For more information about Vibrant Batavia or NeighborWorks contact Leanna Di Risio at leanna@vibrantbatavia.com or by phone at (585) 738-7388.

The first of four planned "Coffee Talk" events sponsored by Vibrant Batavia was held this morning at City Hall. The events are designed to collect feedback on what residents think needs to be done to improve life in Batavia and identify potential neighborhood leaders. Today's event was focused on residents from the Northside.

Above, Vibrant Batavia Director Leanna Di Risio.

William Gregory, of State Street, pictured below, said he came out to the event this morning because he's concerned about his commmunity.

"I think it would be nice to know more of my neighbors and hopefully we can solve some of the issues we have," Gregory said.

The next Coffee Talk is from 10 a.m. to noon, Oct. 5, at Williams Park.

For more on the event and the schedule, click here.

The City of Batavia and Vibrant Batavia have partnered with NeighborWorks® Rochester to make the City of Batavia neighborhoods stronger. Vibrant Batavia and NeighborWorks have scheduled five “Coffee Talks” throughout the City so that residents may open dialogue with City leadership about neighborhood issues and opportunities. The forum also sets the stage for NeighborWorks® Rochester to introduce Leanna Di Risio as its Batavia dedicated Community Organizer.

As one of the country’s leaders in community development, NeighborWorks has partnered with the City of Batavia to focus on community development. In turn, NeighborWorks® Rochester hired Batavia native, Leanna Di Risio, to be the dedicated representative to lead these neighborhood improvement discussions.

Over the next few weeks, Di Risio will be knocking door to door inviting neighbors to attend the kick off Coffee Talk series, which will review the proposed neighborhood designations, encourage discussions about neighborhood concerns and start to list projects that will build confidence and pride in their community.

Candidates will be identified in each neighborhood to lead neighborhood functions; such as block parties, neighborhood clean up, holiday house tours, neighborhood garage sales, etc. 

A short survey will also be distributed to attending residents with an incentive to comment. Chosen at random, a $25 gift certificate will be awarded at each of the slated Coffee Talk events. Coffee, hot chocolate and donuts will be provided along with kid friendly activities.

Northside                                                                      

City Centre on Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. to noon

West End                                                                                                           

Williams Park Pavilion (rain or shine) on Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. to noon

Central Park District & Downtown                

Lambert Park Pavilion (rain or shine) on Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. to noon

Southside & East End                                   

Kibbe Park Pavilion (rain or shine) on Oct. 19 at 10 a.m. to noon

West Wedge                                                    

Williams Park (rain or shine) on Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. to noon

For more information about Vibrant Batavia or NeighborWorks contact Leanna Di Risio at leanna@vibrantbatavia.com or by phone at (585)738-7388. 

The City Council was given an update of the community network Vibrant Batavia at its business meeting Monday evening. With the goal of making Batavia better, a series of "Coffee Talks" are planned so residents can discuss ideas for increasing citizen participation to improve neighborhoods.

Five talks are scheduled, all from 10 a.m. until noon on a Saturday. Coffee, hot chocolate and donuts will be provided, along with kid-friendly activities. A short survey will also be distributed to attendees. In a random drawing, a $25 gift certificate will be awarded at each event.

The first one will concentrate on the Northside and is set for Sept. 28 at City Centre, followed by West End on Oct. 5 at Williams Park, Central Park District on Oct. 12 at Lambert Park, Southside on Oct. 19 at Kibbe Park and the West Wedge on Oct. 26 at Williams Park.

Vibrant Batavia was organized to celebrate the past, build on the present and to create a brighter future. Volunteers work side-by-side with the City of Batavia, NeighborWorks Rochester and the business community to strategically improve the City’s neighborhoods and to promote a livable community of choice.

“The focus of Vibrant Batavia is to really foster pride in the neighborhoods of the city, promote and enhance citywide celebrations, improve connections, communication and the story of our community,” committee member Marty Macdonald told the council.

Vibrant Batavia “branded” its efforts by adopting a logo created by Batavia native Christie Hale. It reads “open spaces, vibrant places” and depicts the building skyline, representing the mix of architecture in the area; a hint of a silo, illustrating the rural nature of the community; two roadways, epitomizing Batavia as the crossroads of Western New York; and a leaf, symbolizing the growth and renewal of the city.

“Having lived in Batavia all my life and now raising my children here, I look forward to meeting residents from every neighborhood to bring our community together,” said newly hired Community Organizer Leanna Di Risio.

For more information about Vibrant Batavia or Coffee Talks, contact Leanna Di Risio at leanna@vibrantbatavia.com or call (585) 738-7388.

A committee that was asked by the city council to come up with a plan for improving the quality of life in Batavia delivered a report Monday night asking the city to commit to $50,000 annually to support the effort.

"Vibrant Batavia" is the product of a recommendation by consultants from czb, LLC, which initially recommended something similar, but at a higher cost and over a longer period of time.

The Vibrant Batavia Committee plan is a three-year effort culminating in Batavia's centennial celebration in 2015.

The $150,000 would be combined with $86,000 the group would raise -- with the money going primarily to a marketing campaign and hiring a part-time coordinator -- for the project.

"We really want to develop a powerful brand story for Batavia that will really foster pride in the community," said Marty McDonald, a committee member, who joined Brian Kemp for the presentation to the council.

Everything hinges on the build up to the centennial celebration, said Councilman Kris Doeringer, who also served on the committee.

The celebration will help attract sponsors to contribute to the $86,000 goal; it will bring out volunteers who will get involved in block clubs and other neighborhood efforts; it will help develop a marketing message for Batavia.

"All of those things will happen with the goal in mind of the centennial celebration," Doeringer said. "Remember, all of this hinges on coming together because we're shooting for that one goal."

Kemp said a marketing effort is needed for Batavia because there isn't one now, and such an effort would be aimed both at residents to help them better appreciate what we have, and at outsiders to help convince them to relocate here or bring businesses here.

McDonald said it's time to respond to all of the negative voices that try to bring Batavia down.

"I just get so tired sometimes of hearing the voices of the people who say all the negative things," McDonald said. "I want to get up on the biggest platform and say, 'Hey, we live in a great place.' "

Council President Tim Buckley praised the effort and said it is important enough to keep it going.

"Obviously, this is budget time and like anything else, it's a tough time, but I don't want to see Vibrant Batavia go away," Buckley said. "I don't want to lose this. I don't know where we're going to come up with $50,000 for three years, but we're going to try."