Welch issues statement on Ellicott Development plaza plan; Burg offers additional details on town-village project at Red Brick

DPW identifies paving sites; pickleball court update

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

Prior to Monday’s Village of Lewiston monthly board meeting, Mayor Anne Welch addressed the recent public response to Ellicott Development’s plans for building No. 3 inside its Lewiston plaza – namely, the possibility the street level space will be leased to national chain Ace Hardware.

“Before we get started tonight, I’d like to briefly address the recent discussion in our community regarding the ‘possible’ tenant at 780 Center St.,” Welch said. “The recent Historic Preservation and Planning Commission application is for a proposed exterior change to enclose the existing drive-thru lane – not the selection of any future tenant.

“While there has been a lot of public conversation about a potential future occupant, the village does not have the authority to approve or deny specific businesses, provided the use is permitted under our zoning code. Hence, we have numerous restaurants, bakeries, real estate offices, drugstores, coffee shops, banks and retail shops – which all do well. People have a choice of what businesses they want to support. 

“As for Warren’s,” the village’s locally owned hardware store, “it seems like they have many faithful customers that will continue to support them.

“We understand that residents care deeply about our village and its future. At the same time, reinvestment in existing buildings – especially those that may otherwise remain vacant or underutilized – helps strengthen our local economy, supports the tax base that funds essential services, and can improve convenience for residents by bringing additional goods and services closer to home. It can also draw more people into the village, which benefits our broader business community.

“We appreciate the community’s engagement and continued support, but this is not on our agenda tonight and therefore not open for discussion.”

See below for more on Ellicott Development’s proposal, and the plan’s current status with the Village of Lewiston boards.

>> Ellicott Development plaza plan put on pause, as village calls for fulfillment of prior commitments

>> Ellicott Development eyeing Ace Hardware for Lewiston plaza

Town-village working together on Red Brick windows

Trustees, Treasurer Stephanie Longwell, and Town of Lewiston Councilman Bill Burg provided additional details regarding a project to replace windows at the Red Brick Municipal Building gymnasium (basement level), and to repair them on the first and second floors.

Longwell said, “At the Town of Lewiston board meeting (last week Monday), the Town Board approved to pay the 2026 electric bills to free up already budgeted money for the village to have the windows on the first and second floors repaired. …

“They also approved to pay up to $80,000 to redo all 24 windows in the basement/recreation department.”

“That’s great,” Welch said.

“We thank you very much,” she told Burg.

“It’s an appropriate expenditure and a good opportunity to use those funds,” Burg said.

“Recreation can use it down there,” Recreation Department Director Brendan McDermott said.

Burg said he expected replacement of the 24 gymnasium windows to cost around $65,000.

On the first and second floors, “The windows are in relatively good shape,” he said. “They just need some adjustments and some repairs. So, you’ll be saving a lot of money there. That’s going to be a time and material discussion” as each window is evaluated. “Some windows might take two minutes; some might take an hour and a half; some windows might not need anything.”

A condition assessment will be prepared as bid specs are formulated for window repair/replacement outfits.

“Some of the windows, it’s just a matter of them having the old weight system in them,” Welch said. “Some of them are broken. The windows are very heavy and they’re hard to lift. Once they take them apart and fix them, then we won’t have that problem. The windows themselves are good.”

Money is coming from the Town of Lewiston’s H-98 account, funded by the New York Power Authority as part of its relicensing agreement.

DPW sets paving sites; looking for water leaks

Department of Public Works Superintendent Anthony Mang shared his department’s 2026 milling and paving targets. The DPW intends to resurface Water Street from the south dead-end to Onondaga street; Cayuga Street, from Portage Road to North Ninth Street; and Seneca Street from Portage Road to the dead-end at the day care.

Mang said that, once the times and dates are finalized, notification letters will be sent out to affected businesses and residents.

He also noted the DPW completed its annual water quality report, “and there’s some good news and bad news.” The former: “We have no contaminations, or anything like that, for our water quality” for 2025. The latter: “It looks like we have a significant (water) loss within the system.”

Mang said the loss is likely due to a series of small leaks, which will be identified by the New York Rural Water Association.

“We pay a fee every year, so we’re going to utilize their services, and try to pinpoint some of these locations,” he said.

Pickleball update

Welch said she’s spoken with Lewiston-Porter Youth Football & Cheer, and the recent plan for pickleball courts at Richard F. Soluri Park at the spoils plateau will be tweaked to accommodate space needs for each group. Courts will now be lined up in a row parallel to the roadway, instead of stacked.

The Town of Lewiston is seeking Greenway money to fund this project.

Agenda items approved

Trustees voted to approve the following motions:

•A request from the Niagara Falls Country Club for Skylighters of WNY to set off fireworks in the window of 9:30-11 p.m. May 30, to celebrate the NFCC’s 125^th anniversary.

•To accept the resignation of Jillian Stokes as a member of the Historic Preservation Commission, and to appoint James Baptiste (now an alternate) to a permanent post. He will fill Stokes’ unexpired term to June 2029.

•A facilities use request made by Barry-Harden Productions for use of Academy Park and the bandshell from noon to 11 p.m. to host concerts on June 13, July 17 and Aug. 16.