Town Board moves on parks requests

by Terry Duffy
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, April 19, 2008

You can always tell when the nice weather begins to occupy the mindset of area residents as well as government officials – particularly so when it comes to board meetings. The Lewiston Town Board – minus Sean Edwards and Al Bax who were out of town on vacation with their families – sensed that on Monday at a first-of-the-month, scantly attended work session as it moved to the fast track on reviewing a limited number of items, acting on some and tabling others.

In a nutshell, not too much happened.

Town Supervisor Fred Newlin opened the session with discussion on Niagara Power Coalition relicensing-related concerns with the New York Power Authority and the topic of consensus when it comes to NYPA’s working with Greenway communities on approving projects. “Consensus is ideal,” said Newlin, adding he felt compromise voting among members was more appropriate. “A simple vote should be good enough to avoid arbitration issues,” Newlin said.

Councilman Ernie Palmer piped in, observing how Lewiston is still paying out legal fees regarding relicensing issues with the Coalition, and agreeing that building consensus among Greenway members should be the way to go.

New Signs

Summer planning then took over as attending board members acted on some Parks Department related items, approving:

•Spending $4,700 on a Mike Johnson-Ernie Palmer resolution for the installation of four 36-by-48-inch signs at four town parks – Colonial Village, Kiwanis, the Pletcher Road skate park and at Lewiston Town Park. To be built by Modern, the signs will detail the various activities at each park as well as operating hours, etc.

•The hiring of three part-time parks laborers at $9 per hour, whose work is expected to begin immediately.

•The purchase of a new John Deere riding mower for parks, which would replace a 12-year-old mower whose service life is just about over, according to Johnson. The approved purchase price was $6,790.68 on a Johnson-Palmer resolution. “I could use one of those at my house,” quipped Palmer, adding he has a similarly aged mower at his house that’s “just getting by.”

•The purchase of yet another John Deere riding mower – this one on a request from Water Pollution Control Center administrator Tim Lockhart per Bax, for use in WPCC’s collection system area on Pletcher Road. The board, on a Johnson-Palmer resolution, approved spending $8,712.88 to acquire the unit, which features a 60-inch deck.

Riverwalk Hearing

Moving on to other areas, the board:

•Approved a Johnson-Palmer resolution to set a public hearing for Monday, April 28, at 6:45 p.m., to review the Final Plat approval for Phase 3A of the Riverwalk subdivision. Considered will be the addition of 15 “cluster lots” in the growing Riverwalk development and whether or not such approval should be given. Town Engineer Mike Lannon reported that negotiations with Joe Deck on the plan are “ongoing,” saying he felt the timing for such a hearing is appropriate.

Town Board work that Monday evening opens with a work session at 5:30 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. joint village-town board meeting, the 6:45 p.m. public hearing, followed by the board’s regular 7 p.m. meeting.

•Discussed the installation of two streetlights in the Big Vista Drive area following earlier concerns over darkness voiced by the lone homeowner in the new build development. Lannon recommended placement of a light at the Big Vista Drive-Ridge Road entrance, and another up the hill at Big Vista and Little Vista drives, with an option for a third light as new housing develops.

The board considered this item as currently no streetlights at all are in the Big Vista neighborhood area. Typical procedure sees the installation of streetlights at both ends of a street and at T intersections, according to the Town Clerk’s office. When requests for additional lighting from residents in a growing neighborhood comes before the town, its typical follow though is to approve the establishment of lighting districts where residents would then work with the town on acquiring the street lighting, with the costs shared by a homeowners group and the town. Such approval was recently done by the board to a resident’s request for additional lighting considerations on Chicora Drive.

Quotes for the new Big Vista Drive lighting were expected by the board’s April 28 session.