Lewiston Town Board approves funding requests, appointments

By Terry Duffy

Editor-in-Chief

Meeting on an off night – and with two members absent – the Town of Lewiston work session last Thursday was both brief and productive. Funding authorizations were made for pending projects, and appointments were approved, with board actions also taken on a number of procedural areas.

Leading off, the board moved to close the September public hearing on plans to change the structure of the Lewiston Environmental Commission. No residents spoke, and no further action was taken.

Supervisor Steve Broderick said that, with council members Sarah Waechter and John Jacoby absent, the town was not at a point that evening to move forward on its restructuring plans to merge the group into the Town Planning Board. “We’re not going to be making any decisions on the Environmental Commission tonight as far as the new local law. We’re still working on it.”

Other board actions included:

•Emergency funding to address a major water break at Gate of Heaven Cemetery that resulted in a large water bill. Broderick said the town has been working with Niagara County to determine the damage incurred at the nonprofit entity operated by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

“We came up with a figure to settle the water bill of $4,000,” Broderick said as a motion for board approval was presented.

Following the vote, he added, “Towns are allowed to assist cemeteries because, if anything happened ... or if a cemetery financially went bankrupt, the town, by law, is required to take over that cemetery, which we do not want to get into a multi-cemetery business.”

“We’re assisting them as much as we can; it was done at no cost to the Town of Lewiston,” he said.

•The town approved a four-year snow and ice agreement with the New York state. Attorney Al Bax said the new pact provides Lewiston with winter maintenance assistance on town roads, but also county and state highways.

Broderick said, “We get paid on a per-mile basis, and state roads, as well. We’ll take care of (Route) 104 all the way to 425.”

•The board moved to finalize the appointment of new Town Clerk Amy Smith, with some additional titles and responsibilities added.

“Now be it resolved that Amy Smith is hereby appointed to the positions of registrar, records access officer, records management officer, tax collector and dog control officer for the Town of Lewiston, effective immediately,” Broderick said.

•The board approved two proposals from town engineers GHD Engineering, Architecture and Construction Services. Included was funding for an investigation study in the Morgan Farms neighborhood, which experienced major flooding episodes this year following heavy precipitation events.

 “It’s a field investigation phase for borings and a topographical study … for the possibility of running a sewer line down Vrooman Road from Morgan (Drive) to Dutton (Drive),”

Broderick said. The cost of the study, $16,700, was approved with funding to come from the town’s H-97 account.

The second item involved a water storage tank accessory building improvement project in the town Water Department.

The GHD proposal “provides a scope of work on repairs for the building that is in need of repairs, some of them bordering on emergency repairs,” Broderick said. “It is to design a hazardous materials assessment and put (the job) out to bidding. … The building is in need of repair.”

Its cost, $28,700, was likewise approved with funding also to come from the H-97 account.

•Board members also approved the reappointment of Andrew Nichols to the Board of Assessment Review from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2030.