Town Board ends year in controversy

by Bill Angus
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 29, 2004

The Town Board meeting got off to what is becoming its usual late start. The reporter beside me commented, “If this was a Lewiston Village meeting, it would be over by now.”

Although chairs turned out in droves to witness the final board meeting of 2004, no one, not even a chair, took advantage of the opportunity to make a two-minute statement to the board.

The board dealt with some old business, awarding duct cleaning and janitorial contracts.

Surplus Vehicles

Discussion ensued on the disposition of town surplus vehicles. The vehicles include a ’95 Chevrolet Cavalier, ’95 Ford Escort, ’99 Ford Crown Victoria and a ’96 Chevrolet Capri.

Town Supervisor Fred Newlin did not feel that received bids reflected the fair market value of the vehicles.

Councilman Dan Kilmer, while recognizing that the bids were low, told the Board, “I know for a fact that two of these (vehicles) probably need about $2,000 in repairs.”

Councilman Mike Johnson said that he could not believe how low the bids were.

Councilman Jim Langlois stated, “The system that we use here is not a very efficient way of doing it. A small little bid gets in, nobody sees it excepting the people of the town that bid on it here. That’s kind of the way it is. They knew they were here and so they put in a bid. Heck, if I can get it for nothing, I’ll take it and make some profit on it. I honestly believe, like Mike (Johnson) that you should be able to get more at a junk yard -- $15 for a ’99 Crown Victoria, $80 for a ’95 (bids).”

Johnson suggested that the town get someone to appraise the vehicles.

Councilman John Ceretto commented, “Fifteen dollars for a ’99 Crown Victoria, that’s huge” apologies to Billy Fuccillo).

The board will attempt to get additional pricing information on the vehicles.

Indian Hill Closure

Some residents would like to make the temporary road closure at the bottom of Indian Hill permanent.

Johnson told the board, “Although the fire and the police are very happy with the way it is now, we’re still having problems (with the Model City and Ridge Road intersection).” Johnson told the board that the Department of Transportation will install “do not drive on the shoulder” signs, and Steve Reiter has already installed signs on Indian Hill. Johnson added, “Maybe the police could be aware of it – maybe – we could start shaking down a few people with a warning or something.”

Johnson wants to wait until January to vote on a permanent closure of the road since major work on the Model City interchange may require it to be used as a temporary route or a bypass.

There will be an update at the next board meeting.

Highway Department

The board, once again, got into a heated discussion over Highway Superintendent Steve Reiter with Kilmer, once again raising allegations of impropriety. The issue concerned a damaged truck, which was likely hit by a snow plow early last year and subsequently repaired by Modern.

Kilmer, not mincing words, stated, “I don’t know how to get it through this guy’s thick head that when he has an accident, he has 24 hours to report it.”

Kilmer only wants to pay Modern the town’s $1,000 insurance deductible.

Johnson, liaison to the Highway Department, told Kilmer, “I’m getting a little fed up with the fact that this keeps going on and on.”

Ceretto, agreeing with Johnson, stated, “It’s unfair to hold up the vendor, in this case Modern. They have to be paid -- they’ve done the work.”

Langlois added, “I would just (add) for the record -- it was almost one year ago, Jan. 19 at 8:30 in the morning, -- Mr. Reiter -- parked this vehicle on Fifth and Plain -- I believe he said -- in order to meet Mr. Johnson.”

Johnson interjected, “He does it all the time.”

Langlois questioned, “At 8:30 in the morning?”

Johnson responded, “Yes -- I think Dave Britton (Town Engineer) was there too.”

(This reporter has encountered both Johnson and Reiter working in Lewiston prior to 8:30 a.m. on numerous occasions.)

Langlois continued, “Three days later the police got a call saying we had a vehicle damaged. I’m reporting this accident. So he reported it to the police but did not report it to the Town.” Langlois further stated that the police did not inspect the vehicle.

Johnson challenged Langlois, “We all know how you guys (Kilmer and Langlois) feel about the highway superintendent. When this occurred, I called -- Steve Reiter and he said there’s an accident report that was filed in the supervisor’s office. I called Chief Winkley’s office and I got an entirely different story (from that of Langlois and Kilmer) This is getting worse and worse by the day . When I called there (the Police Department), they said that Steve Reiter drove the truck right over there from Plain Street. They came out, took a look at it, saw the damage, wrote the report -- and went on their way from there. That’s what Mr. Reiter and what the clerk at the police station tells me.”

Kilmer was told by Johnson to pick up the phone and call Reiter if he had a problem.

Kilmer retorted, “I’m not going to go to him for lies.”

Modern’s bill came up for further discussion.

Langlois stated, “I would rather not pay the entire bill and just pay our deductible and we’ll let the insurance company reimburse Modern.”

Ceretto countered, “They provided a service. We should pay them for their service -- Steve Reiter -- I believe, is a good leader. If there are any questions, we should go back to Steve Reiter and talk to him instead of having chaos. Rather than fighting, let’s try to be amicable with each other.”

Kilmer then stated, “I won’t allow the Board to ‘Linda Tripp’ me -- when you turn someone in that did something wrong, I refuse to be blamed for shining the light on someone’s incompetence. I will not be accused of following this guy around (pause), I will follow this guy around. If he does something wrong, then I’ll know it.”

Newlin, saying Modern deserved to be paid, called for a vote to pay Modern. The vote passed 3 to 2, with Langlois and Kilmer voting no.

The Sentinel contacted Reiter after the meeting. Reiter told the Sentinel that he was at a meeting with Johnson at Johnson’s office when the vehicle was hit. He told the Sentinel that a police report was filed within minutes of the accident. Because of orange paint left on the vehicle, he assumed a plow had struck the vehicle. Reiter confirmed that Lewiston police saw the truck.

Reiter stated, “What I remember is that I took it over to the police station and they met me there. The report didn’t come out for two or three days, but they have five days to get the report out. I didn’t wait five days -- there’s nothing to be gained by waiting.”

Golf Course

The proposed golf course hit yet another snag. Ceretto, liaison in charge of the golf course, told the gathering of chairs and board members that it was time to approve the SEQR findings statement and to have a public referendum in 60 to 75 days. Ceretto stated that for the board to move forward, it is necessary to get a vote in favor of the course from the electorate. Ceretto wants the public to be the final decision-maker on the project.

The timing of the vote caused considerable confusion and the board voted to delay any further action on the course until the reorganizational meeting on Jan, 6. Kilmer wants time to market the course.

Newlin, abstained, stating, “I’m not in favor of this project as it stands right now -- I think the sooner we deal with this, the better. We’re spending a lot of time on this golf course as it is. I’m pretty confident how the public is going to vote ... I have a bias against this project.”

Power Authority

Ceretto moved to pay the Niagara Power Coalition the $30,000 that was budgeted by the town. Ceretto stated that there’s a lot of money on the table and there have been successes for the coalition. Ceretto feels that the coalition will work with Lewiston and that Lewiston will benefit by being part of the organization.

Kilmer stated,”This coalition has treated Lewiston with a lack of respect for it’s position They have dragged us through the mud, calling us unfavorable names. I choose not to give them another dime. I would make a motion to leave the coalition because we’ve been poorly represented. When the rubber met the road on the money, none of the six other (members of the coalition) respected our position. None of the six other actually understood the location of the Power Authority.”

Johnson wants the supervisor to work within the coalition, stating that the Power Authority has made a fair proposal to the coalition, but further discussion needs to occur on how it is to be divided.

Langlois commented, “We hope to be able to renegotiate something within the coalition --There isn’t any doubt that we have not been treated fairly.”

Newlin added, “The door has not been shut. At this point, I think we all stand to benefit trying to work within the coalition.

Ceretto’s motion passed 4 to 1, with Kilmer voting no.

Fisherman Park

There has been discussion of opening up town land across from the Senior Center on Lower River Road for fishermen.

Ceretto told the meeting that the town is only at the fact finding stage.

Paul Jackson, vice president of the Niagara River Anglers’ Association, told the board that his association is in favor of having a fisherman’s platform accessible to people with disabilities. Currently, Jackson stated, that there is very limited access to the water.

Johnson suggested moving the project to Joseph Davis Park.

Jackson countered that the town owns the property and has never used it. Jackson asked, “Why not use it for something that’s good for the public?” Discussions continue.

Riverwalk Update

New plans have been submitted for the proposed Riverwalk development. There are more cul-de-sacs, and the main road has been curved.

Ceretto stated that it appears that the developer has met some of the requests of the surrounding residents.

The new plan will go to the Planning Board on Jan. 20 to begin the process again with public input.

Ceretto wants continued discussions with the residents to ensure smooth sailing for Riverwalk.

Johnson told the Board, “John did a good job -- getting this thing off the ground.”

Final Comments

At 9:50 p.m,. the public part of the meeting came to an abrupt end, and with it, so did my regular reporting duties for the Lewiston Town Board meetings. I started reporting the board meetings back in October 2000. At that time, one of the major issues facing the town was the proposed golf course. Not a lot has changed. There are some things I’ll miss. I’ll miss caring residents challenging the board. I’ll miss the chairs. I will not be leaving Niagara Frontier Publications, however. I enjoy my work at the Sentinel, but due to increasing demands upon my time, I will, by necessity, limit my reporting to editorials and special projects for now. Of course, I will remain a back-up for Lewiston Town Board coverage.

Sentinel reporter, Larry Austin, will cover future board meetings. Ironically, Austin was the last reporter to cover town meetings prior to my arrival in 2000, so he knows what he’s in for.

Finally, for Lewis the Town mouse and myself, may your lives be filled with love, health and happiness and may the majestic Niagara River region, which we call home, finally receive the environmental health, leadership and prosperity it so richly deserves.