Town of Niagara looking to improve snowplowing capabilities

By Benjamin Joe

The Town of Niagara made it through the heavy snowstorm earlier this week, but Supervisor Sylvia Virtuoso said the municipality needs to take action before the next weather event.

“We need new plows,” she said after the Town of Niagara Town Board meeting on Tuesday. “Our plows are at least 20 years old and they’re breaking down constantly. If we don’t have more plows running, this town can’t get plowed properly. So, we’re running into this situation where we need to somehow buy a couple new plows. In the very near future.”

Town of Niagara Highway Superintendent Richard Sirianni said, “I’ll be talking to the board in the next three or four weeks to see if we can get some more equipment in. It’s not definite yet, but I’m hoping.”

In the meantime, Virtuoso praised the Highway Department for its good work in the storm: “We fix what breaks and we plow right through.”

Sirianni said his employees worked diligently: “We work all hours. Coming in 3, 4 in the morning, 9, 10 at night, and we did a good job. We kept up with the roads.”

In other news

•The Town of Niagara Police Department and the Town of Niagara Recreation Department will be driving around in new vehicles from Joe Cecconi, which owns both Niagara Hyundai and Joe Cecconi’s Chrysler Complex, after the purchases were approved by the Town of Niagara Town Board. Virtuoso said the town likes to shop local.

Both the Dodge Durango Pursuit – a $40,775 purchase for the Police Department – and Hyundai Tucson – a $19,800 purchase for the Recreation Department – had been set in the 2026 Town of Niagara budget.

•Tom Cuddahee was approved to serve as an alternate on the Town of Niagara Planning Board. Virtuoso said Cuddahee was a former Zoning Board of Appeals chairman who had to leave because of health reasons, but is able to take on the new appointment.

“We had an alternate opening, so he was willing to come back as an alternate just whenever he had to,” Virtuoso said.