Town of Lewiston 'actively looking for solutions to the drainage issues'

Highway Department crews busy clearing clogged ditches

By Terry Duffy

Editor-in-Chief

Drainage concerns – and what is being done to correct them – were among the discussion items at the Lewiston Town Board work session Monday.

Highway Superintendent Michael Weiss conveyed his department’s new focus on addressing the issue of overgrown ditches throughout Lewiston. The town, like many Niagara County communities, has been contending with heavy rain events over past months, and flooding issues exacerbated by overgrown, clogged ditches.

“The Highway Department is actively looking for solutions to the drainage issues throughout the town,” Weiss said.

He noted he has teamed with the town’s Engineering Department to get a better handle on the problem. In addition, highway crews are busy with ditch cleanings and new pipe installations in the Morgan Farms and Lewistown Park subdivisions that both encountered flooding problems.

Board members heard of recent work by highway crews in the Langdon Road area adjacent to twelve Mile Creek.

“It’s a main (drainage) outlet for the town. We’ve been out there six weeks right now; it’s quite the undertaking,” Weiss said.

He told board members that highway crews cleaned out 1,200 feet of clogged ditches in these areas over the past six weeks and replaced drainage piping that was inadequate, deteriorated or damaged and contributing to flooding woes. He invited board members and residents to come out and see it for themselves. “The amount of work that we put behind it, the amount of time it takes to do this, help(s) people a little bit more what we’re doing.

“I invite anybody to come down to my office, talk about this. We’re working hard at it,” Weiss said.

Requests outside biding

In other Highway Department news, Weiss proposed to put the town’s brush grinding work out to bid.

“Every year, all the stuff that we’re unable to chip on the side of the road we have to take back (for grinding). I’d like to put that (job) out for bid, so that we can get rolling,” he said

Town Board member Sarah Waechter inquired about using highway staffers instead, and if Weiss had any cost comparisons. In response, Weiss said he’d be happy to provide the information to the board.

“Typically, most days it’s … between four and five guys that are out there for eight hours a day,” he said. “They’re all MEOs, because the truck drivers, the machine operators (with) chainsaws cutting out large trees (are typically used). Once the leaves start falling, and stuff like brush pickup, the snow starts flying, it’s a lot.”

Weiss said a contracted bidder would manage the accumulated brush work that highway already has.

His request went on to be approved by Town Board members.

Regarding announced plans by the Village of Lewiston and state DOT to address drainage flooding on the west side of the Niagara Scenic Parkway, Waechter asked if that work would also address problems with eastside ditches and flooding in the Perry Court area.

In response, Supervisor Steve Broderick, who was out of town for this session but attending online, said the Niagara County Water and Soil District would meeting Oct. 5 to consider a plan for all county towns to address their respective flooding on roadways.

“Niagara County Water and Soil is going to make an attempt to obtain a countywide permit that would allow all towns to basically go and start cleaning these ditches,” Broderick said. “I think it’s going to be more efficient. Niagara County Water and Soil is going to obtain a blanket permit to allow us to clean the ditches.”

Broderick said Niagara County Emergency Services Director Jon Schultz is helping to steer the endeavor with state agencies and town highway department officials in the county.

In other news

•The Town Board approved a request by the Village of Lewiston to assume payment responsibility for village electric bills until June 2027. The town is currently overseeing this cost under an agreement that runs until October. Town Financial/Budget Officer Jacqueline Agnello said the town has covered $66,000 in village electrical expenses thus far though its H-98 New York Power Authority account, and this funding arrangement would continue.

•Following an earlier public hearing, the board approved a local law to create a six-month moratorium on storage containers in the town. It then announced plans for public hearing to consider a six-month moratorium covering battery energy storage systems in Lewiston. That will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28.

For more information on the session, visit the town website at www.townoflewistonny.gov.