Town Supervisor Nate McMurray posted to social media this week and reiterated that the West River Connector Trail project is still going as planned and that reports to the contrary are misleading.
Without mentioning Councilman Mike Madigan by name, McMurray called a letter on the topic (July 21 Island Dispatch) "misleading."
"Speaking about the councilman's letter and his behavior is what he wants. And I no more want to be play into his antics than I'd want to pour kerosene on a wild fire," McMurray said. "He is no more a lawyer or a traffic safety expert than I am an astronaut."
McMurray said Madigan has been told the decision to close the parkway and replace it with the West River Connector Trail project is final. He said Madigan "endures in willful denial" and "is either deliberately or negligently working to nurse and expand divisions in our community rather than work towards healing it and ensuring the West River Project is as good as it can possibly be."
After Madigan asked the state for an "official verification of the apparent project cancellation" for the West River Connector Trail, Mark Thomas, Western District director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation responded saying, according to Madigan, that the parkway closure plan was "delayed but not cancelled."
Madigan said Thomas responded to his letter July 25 and said bidding on the project has not yet been started and that Thomas hopes to start the bidding in the fourth quarter of 2017, the start of construction eyed for the spring of 2018.
"In his response to my letter expressing concerns regarding breaches in the contractual agreement by him and his department to the town and its residents, Thomas states there is no legally binding contract signed," Madigan said. "Apparently his argument is that the signed agreement is not legally binding and therefore any such signed commitment or agreement by him, his office or NYS is not worth the paper it is written on. This is unethical and abusive government."
Madigan claimed Thomas has "refused numerous requests to meet with the Town Board (we have met once in 19 months as a board with him) and no amendment has yet been submitted changing the scope of the project to include closure of the Parkway - a significant scope change. These actions by him and his department are all breaches in the commitments made to the Town of Grand Island and its residents. Such breaches in trust should have consequences."
"The parkway will close and the project will move forward," McMurray said.
McMurray said this week, "The time to move on and prepare for the future has long since arrived. We need to unite as a community and make this project something great. You may or not agree with the project, and you may or may not support my advocacy for it. But at least you know where I stand, and you know it's REAL.
"If you choose to believe the rumors and deception rather than the facts, nothing beneficial can come of it except continued disappointment and false hope. Don't let anyone sell you FALSE HOPE so they can buy political noise. Shame on those who work that trade."
