Judge Franczyk:    Doing time
Kasprzyk honored by seniors
Chamberlin thanks firemen
Dusza:   Rails to trails
Pine Hill Chief:   County-wide radio system
County bolsters child safety
Mazur:   Vietnam
Jachimiak:   Cheektowaga Central building project

The TPHA Mobile Citizen Patrol and its Watch Alert Group will use a $1,500 grant from Erie County to maintain its crime prevention programs and work with other members to instill neighborhood quality-of-life issues.

If the April 2 TPHA meeting is any indication of things to come, summer 2002 will have city-line neighborhoods on the north-west part of town looking the best they've been in years.

We're taking back our neighborhoods! All 45 members who were in attendance ~ 83 others are being phoned ~ said they are committed to working with town government by being their eyes and ears to:

• Identify and report every vacant structure in the Harlem district
• Get an early start to identify and report every flagrant resident who is constantly guilty of creating a mess on his property.
• Report large piles of garbage or debris placed at the curb before 6 pm or on wrong day, or for whole weekend
• Report furniture or appliances left at the curb for more than two days
• Report any unlicensed vehicle stored on private property
• Report any vehicle illegally parked on the front lawn
• Report illegal car-repair operations
• Report any business operating in a residential neighborhood
• Report any commercial vehicle constantly parked in a residential neighborhood
• Report any over-size vehicle parked in a residential neighborhood
• Report any sign posted on public property between curb and sidewalk
• Report uncut tall grass (over 6") and untrimmed tall bushes.

The two Rochester companies actually have local offices, and each has a long history of hiring locally when doing work in the Buffalo area. Eugene G. Sackett, which was awarded the tile and terazzo contract ($408,500), has their local office in Elma. Cable-Wiedemer, Inc., which has the food service equipment contract ($558,000), has an office at 67 Benbro Dr., right here in Cheektowaga. They say that by hiring local workers, they avoid travel expenses that would otherwise be paid to employees.

The Syracuse company, Northeast Interior Systems, Inc., also has a history of hiring local workers for its Western New York jobs. It won the contract for casework ($1.26 million). They tell us that other than their Superintendent, a foreman, and a couple of core employees from the Rochester area, all other carpenters will be hired locally out of Carpenters' Local Union #9.

The remaining fifteen companies, which were awarded contracts that total $11.9 million, are all from the Buffalo area. Therefore, in addition to giving this community the most school for its money, this project will also provide a very significiant boost to local construction employment.

The foundation work and site work for the building project are well under way, and the project is on-tract for a Fall 2003

completion. Sufficient parking during construction has been a problem, but this should be alleviated by a new temporary parking lot for teachers, which should be complete in early April.

The Middle School Steering Committee has met twice so far, and each of the other committees that are preparing for the middle school opening have met at least once. Their objective is to prepare their recommendations for presentation to the School Board by this Fall.

Budget is determined by state aid

In other news, the School Board is still struggling with the annual budget, which originally quoted unacceptable property tax increases. The problem this year is related to the state cutbacks after the World Trade Center tragedy. For example, if our spending increases, say, 4 percent, the state's aid would only increase 1 percent. As we slash spending in the budget, there are comparable slashes in anticipated state aid. Nevertheless, I am confident that the School Board will be able to eventually offer the voters an acceptable pared-down budget without having to cut too deeply into existing programs. But no matter how we slice it, the state budget problems mean that a greater proportion of school district budgets must be funded by property taxes.

At this writing, I believe that a contingency budget would result in a net increase of about 40 dollars for the typical property owner (average assessed value 0f $55,000, with Basic STAR), given the anticipated state-aid formula. I think the Board will come up with a proposed budget that would limit the net increase to less than 50 dollars for that same property. In other words, the difference in the school taxes between a YES vote and a NO vote would be less than 10 dollars for the typical property owner who lives in the property. I can be more specific when the School Board finishes its budget work in April. Thanks for your continued support.

Sincerely… Rick Jachimiak

Dusza said, "This funding will help to pay for a town project aimed at turning abandoned railroad lines into vibrant bicycle and pedestrian paths." Johnson was instrumental in securing additional federal dollars for this initiative. "Hopefully the county funds can go toward purchasing and installing emergency call boxes along the route," Johnson said. "The project is going to be bid this spring, if work begins this year, it could be completed early next spring," he said. The eight-mile system of trails is expected to cost about $650,000 with $500,000 provided by federal grants and $137,000 from issuing bonds. "We're also seeking more money for landscaping along the corridor," Johnson said.

Since the 1880s, Cheektowaga has been a major railroad hub in this region. Every railroad entering Buffalo from the east had to pass through town; at one time nine railroads and two trolley lines had right-of-ways. As transportation systems have changed in the world Cheektowaga has seen fewer engines charging down its tracks.

Today, the town has a unique opportunity to transform these unused rail lines into a coordinated bicycle and pedestrian trail system. Town officials are beginning a three-phase 30 mile development project, which, when completed will link residents of the Town of Cheektowaga and Villages of Sloan and Depew to fourteen parks, shopping and commercial districts, the airport, the train station and various local historic points of interest.

The first phase of the trail network stretching 8.6 miles, will provide a direct east-west route across the town providing access to the Reinstein Nature Preserve, Como Lake Park and Stiglmeier Park. The 1.6-mile Sloan portion of the Phase I trail will connect users from Sloan to Cheektowaga, West Seneca, Lancaster and Depew including links to the Raymond Avenue Park and connecting the village's Wrazen Street Park with points east. The 1.95 mile Hitchcock trail portion of the first phase will link the French Road residential neighborhood to Stiglmeier Park, the State Nature Preserve and the rest of the trail system.

Amenities such as rest areas, benches, shade trees, historic site informational signs, bicycle racks and lighting will be placed throughout the pathway. The 12-foot wide path will also meet ADA guidelines for handicap accessibility.

"Existing paths in Amherst, Ellicott Creek Park and along the Tonawanda and Buffalo Riverwalks are popular outdoor attractions for residents of all ages. This path in Cheektowaga will connect with trails in Depew, Lancaster and West Seneca. Ultimately we will have an integrated bicycle and pedestrian trail network that recycles unused railways into scenic recreational outlets for all to enjoy," Dusza said.

Chief: New county-wide radio system is needed

Dean said, "As an emergency service provider I am aware that the fire and emergency service radio system throughout Erie County is a hodgepodge system that fails to allow for inter-operability amongst the various agencies."

"The fire radio system utilized by volunteers in the county was created in 1955, and is outdated and unreliable. The police services are on their own individual channels, which does not allow for intra agency communications," Dean said.

"Every day emergency service providers throughout Erie County are putting their life on the line. We need a reliable radio system to help insure our safety and help us fulfill our duty to the public."

"New York State has collected revenues from cellular telephone customers since 1982 to provide a public safety response to their calls for assistance. The time to share these funds with those responsible for providing this service is long past," Chief Dean said.

"I strongly support proposed legislation that provides for the distribution of wireless surcharge dollars to the counties. With the passing of this proposed legislation bill in both houses of State Legislature, I am hopeful that Governor Pataki will approve and sign this into law," Dean said.

TPHA neighborhood activities

National Grid was contacted regarding a low-hanging guy wire across the sidewalk at 2337 Genesee St. We thank Matt Knerr for bringing this to our attention.

We are asking members living on Kemp, Lyman. and McParlin Avenues to help with a survey of sanitary sewers and storm drains. We will be consulting with sanitary sewer foreman Jim Burst and deputy highway superintendent Bob Sprada on this project. We thank William Tedesco for bringing this to our attention.

Help is needed from members living on Pine Ridge Terr. with a survey of storm drains. We will be consulting with deputy highway superintendent Bob Sprada on this project. We thank Matt Knerr for bringing this to our attention.

National Fuel was contacted to replace street signs on Winkler Rd. that they removed while installing outside meters. We thank Ron Kaznowski for bringing this to our attention.

NYSEG and the town were notified of the streetlight at McNaughton and The Avenue that was knocked over exposing wires during the last storm. The power has been cut. The town will replace the pole and NYSEG will install a new light. It will take a while because the town has several streetlights to replace. We thank Gene Sroka for bringing this to our attention.

We reported to Lt. Mark Nacke and the town sign shop that the speed limit sign on Herbert Ave. is knocked down and the no parking sign at 5 Olcott Place is down, is faded and must be replaced. We thank Matt Knerr for bringing this to our attention.

by Tom Mazur (TPHA member)

My naïve nineteen-year-old feet set down In a country I knew only from fragments Of the six o'clock news, I sucked The dusty humid air and waited for my Innocence to be erased. I hardly remember how often I thought Of death before, but from that foot forward It became my knapsack. Sure every now and again, I forgot I'm Carrying this sack, but its weight returns. Sometimes a warm August rain or some sad Scared eyes that lose contact with my glance Will trigger a response from me, Like déjà vu. Most nights it just hangs heavy on me As I fold my hands across my chest To mimic those in bodybags, coming home.

Tom Mazur wrote Continuing Education Vietnam while at UB taking a creative writing class with Carl Dennis who just received the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in poetry.

June meeting location changed

Beloved wife of Joseph C. Kulczyk; dearest mother of Christine, Robert (Noreen) and Elaine (Clifford) Pomerantz; grandmother of Beth Ann and Katie Kulczyk and Sarah and Carrie Pomerantz; sister of late Mary Kowalczewski and the late Harriet Wozniak; survived by nieces and a nephew.

Mrs. Kulczyk together with her husband joined the Town Park Home Owners Association in 1956.

Interment was in St. Adalberts Cemetery. She will be sadly missed by her family and friends. May God have mercy on her soul.

We thank Sue Pietrowski, Frank Bush, Dawn Gammack, Matt Knerr, Wally Wawrzynek, Joe Greenauer, Gene Sroka, Elsie and Richard Allyn, and Ron Kaznowski for their outstanding efforts performing crime prevention while on citizen patrol and checking for utility failures and housing violations; Ben Kline and Stan Kaznowski III for furnishing transportation to meetings.

We also thank Larry Kensy, supervising inspector, housing and neighborhood preservation office; Frank Max, foreman, Sanitation and Recycling Department; Phyllis Dennis, Alexander Community Center; Joan Meyers, facilities department; and Captain Richard Chamberlin, Lieutenant John Glascott and Lieutenant Mark Nacke, CPD, for their cooperation.