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West River Homeowners Association celebrates 32th anniversary

Sat, Oct 1st 2016 07:00 am

Members hear Madigan, discuss parkway options

The West River Homeowners Association celebrated its 32nd anniversary Sunday night, Sept. 25, at the Beaver Island Clubhouse restaurant with a dinner meeting attended by about 80 members. Councilman Mike Madigan was the guest speaker, filling in for New York State Assemblyman John Ceretto, who was originally booked as guest speaker, but had an unexpected engagement that he had to attend.

Madigan talked about his plan for the West River Connector Trail, called Option No. 4, which keeps the West River Parkway open and builds a 12-foot bike/pedestrian pathway on state property at least 10 feet from the West River service road. His plan, built according to Department of Transportation standards, would not require guardrails and will maneuver around trees where practical. He felt this option should be at least cost-competitive with the state's preferred Option 3, which involves closing the parkway to vehicular traffic. Madigan further stated this was the safest option, best for the environment, best for complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and would get the most use based on proximity to the residential neighborhoods.

Madigan's proposal was approved as the WRHOA preferred option by a 60-1 vote. The members also voted 60-0 to spend WRHOA money on legal proceedings as necessary to defend keeping the parkway open.

Another important news item to come out of the meeting was the announcement by Madigan of a community meeting on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. in the Grand Viking Theater of Grand Island High School, 1100 Ransom Road, to discuss the parkway's closure. Madigan indicated that New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has been invited to the meeting to hear community input.

Madigan also commented on the current effort to repeal the 2015 local law making tourist homes illegal. After a lengthy discussion, the WRHOA members voted 60-2 to go on record to keep the 2015 law as is and start enforcing this law immediately.

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