Evening News Brief
Written by Dan Fischer on January 18, 2022
Batavia and Genesee County continues to dig out today from snow accumulation measuring at least a foot and a half…some places, considerably more.
For today partly sunny with a high of 23, tomorrow we could reach 38.
But then, much colder air moves in the region on Thursday through the weekend. Wind chills may drop to 15-below zero or colder Thursday night through Friday.
If you haven’t done so already, city firemen ask that you clear snow from fire hydrants in your area.
City Manager Rachel Tabelski issued a snow removal statement Tuesday afternoon:
Due to the volume of snow that fell in the last 24 hours, approximately two feet, the cleanup process will take time to complete for City staff and for residents alike. While this was not the worst snow event that the community has seen, it was certainly significant.
“I would like to take the time to remind residents and business owners that we will continue to make our best efforts to clear the City streets and remove snow from City owned parking lots. These are the primary target areas that our Public Works staff focuses on, and then sidewalk clearing as time allows,” said Rachael J. Tabelski, City Manager, City of Batavia.
“In terms of students who walk to school, there are many sidewalks that have been cleaned and snow removed, however there still remains some sidewalks that are not passable. This presents a hazard that could force students to have to walk in the street. I ask that parents and guardians take this under advisement if they have children that walk, and we urge drivers to be more alert and understand the difficult conditions in the City at this time,” said Jason Smith, Superintendent, Batavia City School District.
”If pedestrians are forced to walk in the streets due to sidewalks being unpassable, pedestrians should walk facing traffic and wear bright colored and reflective clothing. Pedestrians should also be sure to cross at intersections using crosswalks whenever they are visible.” said Shawn Heubusch, Police Chief, City of Batavia, “Drivers should always be more cautious after snow events and keep an eye out for pedestrians in the streets.”
Snow operations by the City of Batavia have run continuously from 10 PM on Sunday January 16th until 8 AM Tuesday January 25th with the primary objective of fighting the snow to allow for safe vehicular traffic. Now that the snow event is over, snow removal will begin.
“For the most part the snowfall was uniformed within the City. The City ran a full plow run, 14 pieces of equipment and personal, for over 36 hours during the snow event. The long duration events are the most taxing on staff and equipment,” said Ray Tourt, Superintendent Bureau of Maintenance.
The city has fielded a few complaints regarding clearing sidewalks in the last 24 hours. The Batavia Municipal Code (BMC) Chapter 159-8 explains that, property owners have the responsibility to clear snow and ice from sidewalks, however as staffing allows, the City will remove snow from sidewalks. The cleanup process will take time for City staff and for residents alike.
The Richmond Memorial Library will be closed today while they try to restore heat to the building. The heat stopped functioning overnight for unknown reasons.
BPD has arrested a Batavia resident on arson and several other charges in connection with a weekend fire at Washington Towers.
Officers accuse 42-year-old Matthew Zakrzewski of setting fire to a chair in the common area of the building. Zakrzewski is now in county jail.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is unveiling a fiscal year 2023 budget plan that covers everything from coronavirus to schools to clean energy.
The $216-billion budget includes $2-billion for coronavirus recovery, $4.5-billion for clean energy including offshore wind and $1-billion for fixing potholes.
As expected, the budget plan does not include an appropriation for a possible new stadium for the Buffalo Bills.
A Hochul spokesperson said those talks are on going and if a deal is reached before April 1st, an appropriation could be inserted into a final budget deal.
The Mega Millions jackpot is still growing, and someone could end up winning a massive sum of money. There will be at least $347-million up for grabs tonight which is the highest jackpot since September.
