Published: August 06, 2008 12:43 am            

NORTH TONAWANDA: Public input on Wal-Mart grows passionate again

City planners on Monday OK’d amendments to Wal-Mart’s site plan, and boisterous input dominating Tuesday’s regular council meeting won’t likely change that.

About 50 residents and others representing the Lumber City Liaisons and North Tonawanda First (for and against Wal-Mart respectively) had it out with each other and members of the council concerning just one of 17 total items on the meeting’s agenda — “permission to negotiate the purchase of city property regarding Wal-Mart.”

A strip of city-owned land on the project’s planned construction site at the old Melody Fair grounds, Bluebird Drive, must be relinquished — in this case sold — to the retailer before construction can begin. The office of Mayor Larry Soos is having the property appraised in advance of the sale.

“We’re not picking numbers out of the sky. We’re getting a full appraisal on this piece of property,” Administrative Assistant Jeffrey Mis said.

Talk on Tuesday only rarely had anything to do with Bluebird Drive, however, and mostly hovered around three points of contention long associated with the proposed store: Expectations by city officials that NT First will sue based on claims that information from previous traffic studies has not been made public, pleas by the same group for a study to determine the store’s long term economic effects and a general clash in opinion concerning Wal-Mart.

North Tonawanda Common Council President Brett Sommer said he put the item on Tuesday’s agenda in part to prod officials “to make a decision” on the various loose ends surrounding the Wal-Mart plans — in this case the need to sell Bluebird Drive.

“I wanted people to be able to vote and take a stance for or against this thing and I wanted people to know that we are trying to take action to move this thing forward,” Sommer said.

The closest point to official debate on the issue, with Lumber City and city officials largely aligned in favor of the project, is the willingness of Alderman-at-Large Catherine Schwandt and Second-Ward Alderman Kevin Brick to entertain calls for an economic impact study. Others think the study, which would take an estimated four to eight weeks and for which NT First has offered to pay, is little more than a stalling technique by the opposition.

“I have no problem thoroughly examining everything,” Schwandt said.

“I don’t believe it’s a stalling tactic,” Brick said. “And it would be the (final) thing I’d like to see done. I do believe that Wal-Mart coming into that area would be (positive) in terms of economic development,” he said.

North Tonawanda Planning Commission Chairman Gary Przewozny said there currently are no major hurdles or points of contention to prevent final approval, which, along with two minor variances, is all that’s keeping construction from moving forward.

“We’ll be looking to the Niagara County Planning Commission to see what they have to say about it. We’re happy with the signs, we’re happy with the plans. Wal-Mart will be coming back to us sometime in September. Prior to that, their plans will be submitted to the (county) as well,” he said.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting:

• A local law that would require landlords of rental housing properties here who regularly reside outside of Niagara, Erie, Genesee or Orleans counties to register contact information with the city was adopted and now awaits public hearing before being made final.

• A recent settlement offer from the city to quell a lawsuit by the North Tonawanda school district was adopted. The district alleged the city, which handles school tax collection for a fee, collected interest on delinquent payments at the wrong rate. The settlement calls for payment of nearly $6,000 to the district and a postage-only payment from the district for the next three years of collection.

• A bid was awarded to Donald Braasch Construction Inc. to mill and pave Payne Avenue in the amount of $260,856. The final paving will conclude weeks of work to replace water mains between Walck Road and Meadow Drive.

• A bid was awarded to Mark Cerrone, Inc. to demolish nine boathouses on city property. Demolition is planned to move forward despite appeals by owners of the seasonal structures claiming the city had no right to evict them. Despite the eviction order, issued by City Judge William Lewis March 16, tenants continue to occupy the boathouses. The demolition will cost $69,854, including asbestos removal.

Contact reporter Neale Gulley at 693-1000, ext. 114.

        

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