Rec center fans, foes talk to Batavia business people
The hot topic in Batavia is the recreation center and parking garage proposed to be built at Wilson Street, Island Avenue and Houston Street.
That was evident again Friday, when dozens of Batavia businesspeople turned out to hear the topic discussed at an “Eggs and Issues” breakfast sponsored by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce.
“What we are talking about here is a huge investment in the future of Batavia,” said Roger Breisch, executive director of the chamber.
Park district voters get to decide Nov. 2 whether the district can borrow $20 million for the construction of a recreation center and part of a parking garage. The overall project, proposed by a private developer, would involve tearing down a strip mall on Island and a McDonald's restaurant on Wilson; building a new McDonald's at Island and Wilson; and wrapping a recreation center, parking garage and stores around that.
The city would spend $5 million to $6 million in tax-increment financing money to help pay for the parking garage.
The breakfast featured park board President Pat Callahan and city administrator Bill McGrath giving information about the project; Batavia resident Yvonne Dinwiddie speaking against; and Building a Better Batavia representative Jim Purcell speaking in favor.
The plan “is totally consistent with our long-range plan for downtown,” McGrath said.
Dinwiddie organized a petition drive in the spring to force the park district to put the issue to a public vote.
“It's pretty bad when citizens can finance a private development,” Dinwiddie said, explaining taxpayers are ultimately responsible for repaying the $20 million plus interest.
Questioning the claim the center will spark business, she noted the lack of takers for incentive business loans offered by the city, and said the efforts of Batavia MainStreet, a nonprofit organization devoted to improving business in the downtown, didn't seem to be working, given the area's empty storefronts.
She also questioned whether a government should be engaged in a business that competes with private enterprise, and asked how private businesses could compete in price against a competitor that collects property taxes from them.
“Thank you very much thank you for doing the referendum,” Purcell told Dinwiddie when it was his turn.
Purcell said he hears complaints from people about the spread-out nature of park district sports programming, which he believes could be alleviated by having a larger recreation center than the present Batavia Civic Center or the Eastside Community Center. Business clients he has brought through the downtown ask why there's a nearly-empty strip mall on such a prominent corner, and also want to know what kind of foot traffic the downtown has. Purcell, the park board and city officials believe the recreation center would increase the number of people visiting the downtown.
During a question-and-answer period, Britta McKenna rebutted Dinwiddie's assertion MainStreet had not been successful. This year, she said, nine businesses have left the downtown, but 27 arrived. “I don't appreciate your comments when you haven't done the research,” she said. Dinwiddie said she had done research, including taking photographs of vacant businesses.
“This is a good plan,” said Gerald Dempsey, chairman and chief executive officer of Batavia Enterprises, after the breakfast. Batavia Enterprises, a 51-year-old real estate development and management company, owns a shopping center across Wilson from the proposed development, as well as other stores and office buildings throughout Batavia and the Tri-Cities. But, he said, he still hasn't made up his mind which way to vote.
“Progress is painful.”