NORTH TONAWANDA: Road repairs coming

By Neale Gulley<br><a href="mailto:gulleyn@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Neale</a>
The Tonawanda News

May 21, 2008 12:14 am

— Twenty six sections of North Tonawanda roadway are now slated for repairs.
The Department of Public Works schedule, released Tuesday by the mayor’s office, outlines the plans for portions of roadway throughout the city’s three wards to be repaved, with a total of $606,328.80 being spent on materials.
Most of the investment will go to the Second Ward, which includes the city’s downtown business district. Work there is estimated at $377,740.
Mayor Larry Soos said it is the most he has seen the city spend on repaving initiatives.
“We’re going to do more paving this year than we’ve ever done,” he said.
Last year, the DPW did about $27,000 in road projects, along with a separate contract for a resurfacing of East Robinson Street, Superintendent Gary Franklin said.
The mayor said he personally surveyed the sections included in the list, and decided to amend DPWs recommendations by removing two sections not included on the document obtained by the Tonawanda News. The money saved there, Soos said, will go toward sidewalk repairs not previously included in the budget.
“I took the paving list. I drove down the streets . . . I’d rather see a little more money put into sidewalks,” he said.
A section of Edward Street slated for almost $24,000 in milling and paving was almost bumped from the list, he said. Then, in conversations between the mayor and Franklin, it was decided the road needed immediate attention.
Soos said much of the work will be funded using state aid money secured this year.
The most expensive single project is a section of Niagara Parkway between Walck Road and Evans Street, at $68,636.
Portions of those funds are granted on a need basis by the state, which makes use of traffic volume and the number of registered vehicles in the grant process.
City officials say efforts to lessen taxes going back to 2000 meant funding for roadwork fell to the wayside for a number of years, and that the city now must spend an average of $5,000 per year “just to catch up.”
Ten seasonal DPW employees are paid to make pothole repairs, as well as collect garbage, among other duties.
Franklin said filling the positions has become nearly impossible.
At a starting pay rate of $6.75 per hour, he said many of the high school or college students typically sought for the jobs opt for more substantial compensation offered almost anywhere else.
The Common Council on Tuesday carried a measure that adds $1.25 to the annually increasing pay scale — meaning employees who have been with the department at least three years will earn about $9 per hour.
“The situation really is, it was difficult getting people to come do seasonal manual labor because when they raised the minimum wage, it caught up to what the city was paying,” Franklin said.
A resolution adopted by the council last summer authorized him to start first-year employees on what was originally determined as second-year pay, a figure just above the current minimum wage of $7.15, adopted by lawmakers Jan.1, 2007.
City clerk Thomas Jaccarino said the previous arrangement was never illegal, despite starting laborers below the minimum, citing a law that allows municipalities to do so.
The Second Ward Alderman Kevin Brick was pleased to hear his jurisdiction would receive the lion’s share of the money because, he said, roads there are some of the oldest in the area.
“I think it’s well deserved — I have the oldest part of the city and it’s an undeniable fact that (those) streets need the most attention,” Brick said.
Residents in areas of the city not included on the schedule, like on Donald Drive, can find plenty of reason for repairs there.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen this street since I’ve lived here, and I’ve lived here for 50 years,” Jake Heckman, 80 Donald Drive, said.
His neighbor, Rob Grehlinger, works for Certified Towing, in Wheatfield, and cited nasty road conditions citywide.
“If I’ve got to go down Buffalo Avenue one more time I’m going to quit,” he quipped. “My truck takes a beating going down there.”
Work will likely continue throughout the summer months, and is expected into the fall.
Contact reporter Neale Gulleyat 693-1000, ext. 114.

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