Youngstown OKs cable deal, local law

by Susan Mikula Campbell
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, February 24, 2007

A new cable franchise agreement with Time Warner Cable and a local law extending the terms of the mayor and trustees from two to four years were approved Thursday by the Youngstown Village Board.

Up for election this year are Mayor Neil Riordan and trustees Peggy Hanson and J. Anthony Collard. Those elected this May, however, will serve three years instead of four, so the village can stagger the terms of office to provide for election of two trustees every two years.

In the public hearing prior to the vote on the local law, former trustee Carl Bykowski said he was in favor of the change. Elections take time and money which takes away from productivity, he said. “There’s other things to worry about other than pounding signs into the ground.”

Voters can challenge the local law with a petition, filed within 30 days of the meeting, bearing the signatures of 20 percent of the eligible voters in last year’s election. There was no objection at the public hearing attended by only four residents other than village officials.

Prior to the 7 p.m. public hearing on the cable franchise, the trustees met for a half hour with Sharon Hanson, community and government affairs manager for Time Warner, to discuss several addendums to the agreement. The 5 percent of gross revenue franchise fee given to the village is the maximum it can be under FCC regulations, Riordan said. The new agreement does include free Internet and cable service for all village-housed facilities, including Village Hall, the Recreation Department, Public Works and the North and South docks, Riordan said.

In other matters:

•The board still is looking for someone interested in taking an old piano housed at the Youngstown Village Hall, 240 Lockport St. The upright piano, manufactured by Kingsbury in Chicago, is available free to anyone who agrees to move it.

•The board approved a notice of sewer increase from the town to the village. Porter has raised the rate 15 cents per 1,000 gallons, which will be reflected in the next billing for residents.

•The next Village Board meeting will be at 7 p.m. March 8 at Village Hall.

•A meeting to bring Youngstown government, business and civic groups together to announce their public events for the coming year has been scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 28. Among activities to be discussed will be Fort Niagara, Village Recreation Department, village concert and soccer schedules, as well as the new walleye tournament. In addition to the village calendar, events will be included in the Lower Niagara River Chamber of Commerce calendar. The meeting is open to the public.

Prior to the meeting, the board met in a work session from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for a first run-through of its budget proposal.

Resident Skeeter Tower had several questions for the board, including what will happen now that the dilapidated building at 344 Main St. has been torn down. Riordan said he has agreed to meet with owner Richard Hastings to discuss future plans for the property. Hastings has suggested in the past that his property could be combined with the DPW property for a senior housing project. Village Attorney Thomas J. Caserta Jr. said it would be a great site for that type of use. However, he noted that the village could not arrange a private sale of the village-owned DPW property to Hastings. Any sale would have to be a public auction.

Tower also asked about plans to merge the village’s public works with the town’s. Riordan said meetings with the town on sharing of services are continuing and the matter is a high priority with the village, but he added that “We want to be sure we provide the same level of service for our villagers.”