Home: Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune

Curbing ATVs in Wheatfield

by Susan Mikula Campbell

A wet spring hasn't slowed the complaints from Wheatfield residents about ATVs.

On Monday, Supervisor Bob Cliffe reported he had contacted North Tonawanda Mayor Robert Ortt and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority about the possibility of putting a gate on property owned by the NFTA in NT. The property is being used as an access point by ATV riders, who drive along the property next to the railroad tracks. The town would have to pay for the gate.

Cliffe explained that as you head toward the river on Witmer Road, on the right just before the tracks are two access roadways.

"One goes to the old Niagara County landfill, and that has a gate on it. The other is right next to the tracks themselves, and goes well back into Wheatfield, turns and becomes an access road for farming as well as maintenance of the southern drainage ditch and two large lakes there. As this is next to Doald's Hill, it is an access point for ATVs on trailers," Cliffe said. "Our next step is to get a price for a fence, and see if it is within our reach."

Niagara-Wheatfield faces more cuts

by Janet Schultz

The Niagara-Wheatfield Board of Education at its June 5 meeting answered concerns about transportation service and its costs to the district, as well as continued to look for more ways to cut its proposed budget.

Mark Walsh of Transportation Advisory Services told the board that Niagara-Wheatfield, in the agency's opinion, is not in a position to contract out its transportation department.

He explained that there are several options that allow districts to do this, and N-W doesn't meet any of those options. Many of the obstacles, while not all of them, include labor agreements and the length of time it would take to negotiate and implement sourcing out this service.

"I've looked at the economics of your program and, more importantly, I've had the opportunity to look at your labor agreement, operating protocols and in my opinion it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for this school district to go through a conversion process from public sector to private sector," said Walsh.