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City of Batavia Currents—Shop local this holiday season
Don’t forget to Shop Local this holiday season!
Batavia is fortunate to be home to both a wide variety of businesses that can help fulfill your holiday shopping needs and a culture of supportive residents that love to patronize their local businesses.
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This year marks the 11th anniversary of Small Business Saturday®, which will occur on Sat., Nov. 27. According to program founder American Express, it was created to “encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses”.
According to the U.S. Small Business Association, ”77% of consumers said Small Business Saturday® inspires them to ‘Shop Small’ through the year and not just for the holidays. In addition, 66% of consumers state the main reason they support small businesses is because of their contributions to the community”.
The spirit of supporting Batavia small business is alive and well in our community! When you choose to shop locally you are supporting entrepreneurs and innovators in your own backyard, creating jobs and keeping resources within your community.
When you are out and about selecting that perfect decorative item, bath and body product, art or music lessons gift certificate, vintage find, book, or great clothing and accessory item for your loved ones, be sure to fuel up on all of the great coffee, tea, meal, and sweets options in town, too!
And don’t forget, a picture speaks a thousand words! Your indie minded Batavia small businesses gain exposure outside of the community when you tell a friend about your great experience in person and even on social media.
Don’t be afraid to share a picture of your best finds and give your favorite local businesses a shout out by tagging them on Instagram or Facebook using hashtags such as #smallbusinesssaturday, #shopbatavia, #shoplocal, #midwestisbest, etc.
Happy shopping and holidays!
FVPO has holiday gifts
Looking for a holiday gift that demonstrates your love for your family, your community and your country? The Fox Valley Patriotic Organization (FVPO) has the perfect present!
FVPO is selling engraved bricks that will become part of the Flag Day Monument on the Riverwalk in downtown Batavia. Approximately 3/4 of the funds for the building of this monument have already been raised. It is the plan to break ground on Flag Day, June 14, 2022.
The Flag Day Monument is dedicated to Dr. Bernard Cigrand, a longtime dentist in Batavia who spent his life teaching others about the American flag and its history. This world-class monument will greet visitors to Batavia’s Riverwalk for decades to come.
Please consider gifting a unique and long-lasting remembrance to a loved one this holiday season. There are different sizes of bricks with different amounts of letters and lines available. Prices range from $150 to $500, depending on size. Letters are lasered for clarity and endurance.
FVPO is also selling a beautiful challenge coin with a picture of the monument on the red, white and blue enameled head. This would make another outstanding gift for a loved one for only $20 per coin.
Please go to flagdaymonument.com for details on how to order a brick or challenge coin.
FVPO wishes all fellow Batavians a memorable holiday season, filled with love and cherished time with families and friends. May 2022 be a happy and healthy year for everyone!
Batavia Public Works Department is responsible for ensuring that all city streets and facilities are accessible during the winter season. Snow removal and ice control are provided for 120 miles of streets, 168 culs-de-sac, two city cemeteries, 17 city-owned parking lots, and sidewalks in several locations of the downtown area. Please drive with caution during the winter season and adjust your speed accordingly since hazardous conditions may exist due to snow, wind, and freezing temperatures.
Snow and ice control is considered emergency work in that pavement must be cleared any time of the day or night. Such factors as the rate and accumulation of snowfall, moisture content, temperature, time of day, wind direction, velocity, and duration are all taken into consideration in our approach to responding to each individual snowstorm.
During snowfall events, the City of Batavia spreads deicing salt on primary streets. In most cases, salt will be applied continuously to secondary streets; however, the application rate of salt to secondary streets will be less than primary streets and, depending on the events, may not be done. After a snowfall has ended, secondary streets are plowed and deicers are applied mainly to intersections, hills, and curves. A salt brine solution may be applied prior to a snow event to prevent icy conditions. In addition, the city puts additives into the salt to accelerate the melting process.
Best efforts will be made to clear all primary streets to bare pavement during the snowstorm. Secondary streets will be plowed following the end of a snowfall after primary streets are cleared. Depending upon variable conditions, some streets may remain snow packed after plowing operations have been completed. Courts and culs-de-sac will be plowed after primary and secondary streets are completed if snow accumulation is greater than 2". Culs-de-sac can take up to eight times longer to plow than a through street of a similar size. They are generally done during the day after the snow has stopped.
Our crews will make best efforts to plow aisles of city-owned public parking lots during and after a storm to maintain access to the parking lots during business hours. The major clearing of these lots is performed during the early morning hours.
The City of Batavia plows most streets within the city limits; however, there are several roads that are the responsibility of other government agencies. Kane County-maintained roadways include Kirk Rd., Randall Rd., Fabyan Pkwy., and Main St. (west of Randall Rd.).
Please follow these regulations and guidelines to make your streets safer for travel during the winter season:
Street regulations: Snowplows are designed to unload snow to the side, forming a windrow along the curb or edge of pavement. We understand that this leaves a windrow through driveways, but this process is the most efficient way to remove snow from our streets.
Please do your part to help keep our town free of hazardous conditions. It is very important not to shovel, blow, or plow snow/ice onto the street at any time.
This could create an unsafe driving surface. Property owners should notify their snow removal contractors that snow is not to be deposited on the public roadway, meaning it cannot be plowed across the street. Parking prohibited: Residents are advised that parking is not allowed on any street during or after a snowfall in which there is an accumulation of 2" or more of snow. This prohibition is in effect until 24 hours after the end of the snowfall or until the street is plowed and all snow is removed, whichever occurs first.
Your elected city officials
continued on page 12
Mayor—Jeffery D. Schielke City Clerk—Kate Garrett
Treasurer—Jennifer Fox Aldermen Serving until May 2023 Aldermen Serving until May 2025
Ward 1 Christopher Solfa csolfa@cityofbatavia.net Ward 1 Jennifer Baerren jbaerren@cityofbatavia.net Ward 2 Alan P. Wolff awolff@cityofbatavia.net Ward 2 Leah Leman lleman@cityofbatavia.net Ward 3 Dan Chanzit dchanzit@cityofbatavia.net Ward 3 George Ajazi gajazi@cityofbatavia.net Ward 4 Tom Connelly tconnell@cityofbatavia.net Ward 4 Tony Malay tmalay@cityofbatavia.net Ward 5 Abby Beck abeck@cityofbatavia.net Ward 5 Mark Uher muher@cityofbatavia.net Ward 6 Michael Russotto mrussott@cityofbatavia.net Ward 6 Nicholas P. Cerone ncerone@cityofbatavia.net Ward 7 Keenan Alexander Miller kmiller@cityofbatavia.net Ward 7 Sarah Volgelsinger svogelsi@cityofbatavia.net 9
Final citywide brush collection is week of Nov. 29
The final curbside residential brush collection for the season is scheduled to begin on Mon., Nov. 29, for both sides of town. The city’s contractor will go past each residence one time during the week, beginning on Monday. Residents who generate brush after the final collection has been completed will need to store the brush someplace other than the parkway until the program resumes next spring or they may contact a private service to have it removed at the resident’s expense. It is anticipated that this final collection will be completed by the end of the week of Nov. 29, weather permitting. Residents can view the status of the current brush collection cycle on an electronic map. Updates are posted on the city’s website by 9am on weekdays from Tuesday through Friday and will show all areas. If your brush was out at 7am on Monday and not collected by the end of the workday on Friday, please notify the Public Properties & Services Division at
630-454-2400 no later than Mon., Dec. 6. If yard waste items are mixed with your brush pile (twigs are permitted), it will not be collected. Waste Management will collect yard waste bags/containers with leaves, twigs, evergreen clippings, roots, stumps, ornamental grasses, and plants on your regular trash collection day, through Nov. 27. Maximum weight for yard waste is 50 pounds per bag/container; a refuse sticker should be attached to each bag/container. Yard waste containers should be clearly labeled “YARD WASTE” with the label facing towards the street. Please see the article on the Leaf Collection Program for information about leaf disposal. If you have any questions, please call the Public Properties & Services Division at 630-454-2400 weekdays from 7am–4pm or visit the website at cityofbatavia.net/brushcollection.
Waste Management schedules holiday pickups
Thanksgiving Day
Thurs., Nov. 25: No collection
South (Wilson to the south between
Kirk/Randall):
Wed., Nov. 24 (no change)
North (north of Wilson to Fabyan between Kirk/Randall):
Fri., Nov. 26
Far West (Randall west to city limits):
Sat., Nov. 27
Christmas Week
South: Wed., Dec. 22 (no change)
North: Thurs., Dec. 23 (no change)
Far West: Fri., Dec. 24 (no change)
After Christmas Week
South: Wed., Dec. 29 (no change)
North: Thurs., Dec. 30 (no change)
Far West: Fri., Dec. 31 (no change)
Christmas tree pickup scheduled
As part of the City of Batavia’s refuse contract, Waste Management will be picking up live Christmas trees on residents’ regular collection dates. Residents do not have to use a sticker for Christmas tree removal on these dates only. After these dates, residents should attach a refuse sticker to the tree and place it at the curb on their regular collection date. All materials such as plastic bags, ornaments, lights, nails, etc. should be removed from the trees. Live wreaths and garland should be placed in your regular refuse. Please use the following schedule: South Side (Wilson to the south between Kirk/Randall):
Wed., Dec. 29
Wed., Jan. 5 North Side (north of Wilson to Fabyan between Kirk/Randall):
Thurs., Dec. 30
Thurs., Jan. 6 Far West Side (Randall west to city limits):
Fri., Dec. 31
Fri., Jan. 7
Main St. reconstruction complete
(Van Nortwick Ave. to Water St., Rt. 31—Elm St. to First St.)
Apart from for a few remaining punch-list items to be wrapped-up this fall, this project is complete. The improvement was a $6.9 million joint federally and city funded project. With the completion of this work the area now has new roadway base and pavement, curb, sidewalk, dedicated on-street parking, watermain, separated storm sewer, a new traffic signal at Rt. 31 and Main St. with decorative brick sidewalk and street lighting on Rt. 31.
Residential leaf collection continues
There are two leaf collection programs available to qualifying residents who pay the monthly leaf/brush fee on their utility bills:
Curbside vacuum collection
Curbside vacuum collection provides every resident with up to three collection opportunities (weather permitting). • Updates showing daily progress will be posted online at cityofbatavia.net once the program is underway. • Dates may change due to the weather and volume of leaves put out for collection, although best efforts will be made to remain on schedule. Snow or freezing weather may significantly delay or permanently halt curbside leaf collection, since some of the equipment used to remove leaves is also used to handle deicing/ snowplowing operations.
2021 Collection Schedule East Side of river
West Side of river
1st Pickup Begins Oct. 18 Oct.25 2nd Pickup Begins Nov. 1 Nov. 8 3rd Pickup Begins (will only be done weather permitting) Nov. 15 Nov. 22
How the curbside vacuum collection program works:
• Rake leaves to the parkway by 6am on the Monday of your scheduled week. Leaves will be collected rain or shine. • Crews will make one pass by every qualifying residence during each collection period. Leaves that are placed out after the collection crew has passed by may not be picked up for another two weeks until the next scheduled pickup date. • Leaves should be raked into piles no farther than 6' back from the curb. Raking leaves into a long windrow will expedite the process. Leaf piles should be in the parkway, as equipment cannot be used in alleys. • Leaves should not be raked into the street. This will obstruct the flow of storm water runoff during rain events and cause street flooding, as well as slippery streets. • Avoid placing leaves near obstacles such as parked vehicles, mailboxes, utility poles/boxes, hydrants, trees, or sign posts. • Avoid placing debris like sticks, bags, and plastic bottles in leaf piles, as this can cause injury to personnel, damage equipment, and cause delays.
Foreign objects also contaminate the leaf material, which is taken to an agricultural site. • The program is intended to collect the majority of leaves residents may have during the curbside vacuum collection program time frame. Residents are encouraged to use other options for leaves that drop after the curbside vacuum collection program has finished for the season. • Various crews are working simultaneously during the program period. Trucks with large vacuum trailers are used for through streets, and a truck with a small trailer vacuum goes into areas where the larger equipment cannot navigate such as cul-de-sacs,
“bubbles,” and dead ends. • Limbs/brush should be placed in a separate pile for collection and may not be combined with leaf piles.
Limbs/brush should only be placed at the curb if there is a scheduled collection. The final citywide BRUSH collection will be done the week of Nov. 29 for both sides of town. • Ornamental grasses, plants, and corn stalks should be disposed of as yard waste.
Leaf bag collection program
From Dec. 1 through Dec. 31 residents may place leaves in brown Kraft yard waste bags and put them out for collection on their scheduled refuse collection day WITHOUT A STICKER. The refuse collection company will collect yard waste bags (no cans) weekly until Dec. 31.
Only leaves may be placed in the yard waste bags. No grass or other yard waste can be mixed with the leaves. Please try to keep the yard waste bags as dry as possible.
Alternate options:
• Use a mulching lawnmower and mulch leaves back into the lawn. This provides nutrients for the soil. • Place leaves around plant beds and under trees and shrubs. This enhances the soil and provides insulation for the plants. • Stickered yard waste bags/cans will be collected weekly through Nov. 27.
If you have any questions about the leaf programs, please call the Street Division of Batavia Public Works at 630-454-2400. Residents can also visit the city’s website at cityofbatavia.net for the latest updates to the schedule and to view a progress map that is updated daily.
Keeping streets accessible
continued from page 9 Sidewalk/Driveway snow removal: Clearing snow and ice from sidewalks and driveways is the responsibility of residents and property owners. The City of
Batavia encourages citizens to clear sidewalks, especially for children walking to school. Mailboxes: Best efforts are made to plow as close to the curb as possible; however, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to clear snow away from their mailbox for curbside delivery. The City of Batavia is not responsible for repairing mailboxes damaged by snowplows if the face of the mailbox is less than 6" behind the back of curb or road edge and a height less than 42" above the road. It is the responsibility of individual homeowners to install and maintain their mailboxes properly. Properly installed mailboxes damaged by City of Batavia snow removal equipment will be repaired or replaced with a standard-type mailbox and post for a cost not to exceed $50 each. Refuse collection: If an accumulating snow occurs on
your refuse collection day or the night before, please remember to place garbage cans/carts and recycling carts away from the curbs or edge of road during the snow plowing operation. Garbage cans/carts and recycle carts should never be placed in roadway. Parkways: Occasionally, parkway damage may occur during the plowing process. It will be repaired in the spring when pulverized dirt is available. Please notify the Street Division to have your address placed on a restoration list. Plowing equipment: Allow plenty of space when following snow removal vehicles, as they must back up frequently. Do not attempt to pass a snowplow that is engaged in removal activities.
If a street has been missed or there is a question or concern relating to the snow removal operations, please call the Street Division of Batavia Public Works at 630-454-2400 between the hours of 7am–4pm Monday through Friday.
Watershed plan to be discussed
The City of Batavia is in the process of developing a Watershed Based Plan for the Mahoney Creek Watershed. As part of this process, we will be hosting the first of three stake holder meetings for residents and interested parties on Nov. 16 from 5:30pm–7pm VIRTUALLY from Batavia City Hall in the council chambers. This meeting will discuss: • The process of watershed planning • Summarize the history of the watershed • Present a summary of the existing conditions and characteristics assessment • The next steps
Prairie St. and Wilson St. intersection improvements (Stage 2) design underway
The City of Batavia has been awarded Federal (STP) and Illinois (ICC Grade Crossing Protection) funding for the design and construction phases of the Prairie Street and Wilson Street intersection improvements project (Stage 2). The engineering design of the proposed intersection improvements was started in late 2020 and will be completed in 2022. Construction is anticipated to begin during the spring of 2023.
During the preliminary engineering phase, the project was split into two projects to maximize the funding available. The first project (Stage 1) consisted of the reconstruction of the roadway from Pine St. to the southern limits of the BNSF Railroad ROW and was completed in 2020.
Early on it was determined that the Prairie Street/Wilson Street intersection warrants new traffic signals for existing and future traffic volumes. The Phase 1 design report included an intersection layout with exclusive left and thru lanes for all legs of this intersection. Prairie Street north of the intersection would also be widened and resurfaced.
The proposed design and engineering plans will include the improvements required to interconnect the new traffic signal to the existing traffic signal interconnect system located at Wilson St. and Rt. 25 and throughout the downtown Wilson St. corridor.
The project will also include improvements to the storm sewer system and complete replacement of the water main within the construction limits.
Part of the challenge to this project will be the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railway single track which crosses both Prairie and Wilson Street just east of Prairie Street. Because of the proposed traffic signal and BNSF track crossings railroad protective devices will need to be upgraded. In conjunction with the new traffic signal pre-signals will be installed south of the crossing on Prairie Street and east of the crossing on Wilson St. Roadway gates will be installed at all quadrants of the crossings in advance of the crossings in all directions. Follow updates on this project on the project website: cityofbatavia.net/794/Prairie-Street-Reconstruction.
