Town of Wheatfield supervisor shares update on significant projects

Guest Editorial by Supervisor Don MacSwan

Reflecting back on 2024, many things were accomplished in our town.

The addition of turning lanes and pavement improvements on Niagara Falls Boulevard at Witmer Road and Ward Road are finally complete, making both intersections much safer for our residents. In addition to the road improvements, two decorative walls were added – one at each intersection. In the spring of 2025, emblems representing Wheatfield’s history will be installed on both walls.

The Greenway Trail in the Town of Wheatfield is now complete! This was the last section to be completed, connecting the trail from Buffalo through Wheatfield to Niagara Falls and on to Lake Ontario. The project was a major undertaking, finding a path through our town making that final connection.

Also in 2024, a Gold Star Mother’s Monument was dedicated at our Veterans Memorial. This monument represents mothers who have lost a son or daughter during war time. I invite all our residents to stop at our Veterans Memorial at the Town Hall campus and view this beautiful monument. Each year, ceremonies are held on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, and we welcome everyone to attend.

A generator was installed at the Town Hall to supply power to the facility in the event of a major power outage. In the case of an emergency, Town Hall has been designated as our command center, which, of course, would require power at all times. In addition, our Community Center has had an emergency generator installed to use the facility as a place of refuge during a major emergency. Town Hall has had the single pane windows removed and replaced with energy-efficient insulated windows, saving the town a considerable amount in energy costs.

Our inclusive playground at Fairmount Park has been completed to include a new pavilion for parents to observe the children at play. Additionally, two tennis courts and two pickleball courts have been resurfaced at Fairmount Park.

The Town Clerk’s Office continues to offer several options to make payments on water bills, tax bills and other fees. You can find copies of water bills and tax bills on the town’s website at www.wheatfield.ny.us. Go to the home page, the gold box on the left side – click “bill pay” – click “water or tax” to find billing information and paid receipts. Sign up for direct withdraw for water payments at no cost, or receive your water bills by email with paperless billing.

Our Highway Department paved 15 roads with a total of almost 7 miles of paving. This is in addition to ditch cleaning, leaf and brush pickup, and, of course, snowplowing.

The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office now has a substation located at our Wheatfield Town Hall. This allows for a more efficient response times to any incidents with having deputies located in our town.

The town is preparing to bid our garbage/recycling pickup contracts this year to include the purchase of town-supplied garbage totes to be used for garbage pickup in 2026.

Along with having completed all of these great projects – many using funds from the American Rescue Plan for much of the expenditures – Wheatfield officials continue to watch our spending, and we are in a strong financial position.

In closing, I hope residents will take advantage of the numerous events and activities that our town offers at the Community Center, Youth Center/Gym, and at our parks and trails.

May you enjoy a safe, happy and healthy 2025.

God bless.