Probably the biggest service the residents of our town see is the recreation department. They see the good and the bad. I haven’t made up my mind on any position with respect to the department but I do think that what ever facilities remain within town control they must become more user friendly and self sustaining. I absolutely advocate the pro-shop at the ice arena being operated by the rink staff and get rid of the private contractor. I think their should be discussion about incorporating the back party room into the pro-shop for a larger equipment selection.
This would need to be offset by the building of a better banquet facility attached to the arena, possibly even with the building of a second sheet of ice. But before any of this can happen we must first review an offer to purchase the facility by a private investor that’s been made. If this investor can provide us with equal or better service at the arena it makes sense to sell it off. We as a town need to evaluate every aspect of this offer and have a contract signed that protects all involved.
This is what I mean by give me your opinions. I want to do what’s best for all of us.
I do believe that the Recreation Department needs better cooperation from the building and grounds department with regards to playground upkeep. The town playgrounds are falling apart, unmaintained and just a flat out place for hoodlums to be destructive. If we keep so many playgrounds then we must invest in heavy duty steel equipment like they had when when I was a kid. This plastic equipment is money wasted and wood is only an invitation for a bonfire to these hoodlums.
I am going to propose a plan that sells off a few of the playgrounds and we use the proceeds to build and maintain several large playgrounds, strategically placed, to be convenient for the taxpayers. In reality there are a lot of these playgrounds that are seldom used by anyone. If we do this properly I think we would see a lot more participation year round at the playgrounds we keep.
The golf course is a huge issue as well. If it continues to cost us more than it makes it absolutely needs to be privatized. The big issue with this is their is a bond that is supposedly about to be paid off in a year or two. After that bond is paid off will the course be self sufficient? If so we should keep it, if not then it needs to go.
East Aurora is building a PRIVATE ice rink. Sell off the entire Nike base and start collecting taxes on the land and the new homes that will result in the sale. You are correct, there is no need for all of the parks that this town has to maintain. The are just breeding places for crime. Sell them off and let the clubs run, maintain, and pay taxes on them.
Let’s be real here folks, we need these facilities for the children and yes the taxpayers need to pay to support them. I have always said depending on what stage of life you’re in; you will want the Town to provide services that you deem important. I’m in the stage that my children are grown and don’t need the athletic facilities, but I do want a strong Police dept. and good highway system, and I believe all need to be supported including the youth services.
That being said I believe they need to be well managed and run.
Well said PH. As an advisory board it is your responsibility to make sure these places are running at peak efficiency with high fiscal standards. There should be no politics or pre-conceived notions involved in forming the “advice” of the board. It should only be as a last resort to consider closing any of these places that add to the quality of life of Hamburg
I don’t believe that East Aurora is building an ice rink, but that a private entity is building an ice rink in East Aurora.
You are correct, East Aurora is Not building an ice rink! If a private company can make money than there is no need for the Town of Hamburg to own an ice rink for the few who make use of the facility. Let the company make money and pay taxes. That is the point!
I was wondering what the talk is regarding the status of the Hamburg Dem. Chair? And to that extent, the IP County chair as well? Is Tony in or out? Is Vince in or out.
VG, Vinny Sorrentino will never be “OUT” in this town. He has suffered a huge defeat but any great quarterback takes the hits, gets up and goes back to work. I expect that to happen with Vinny. He has to protect two board seats, a clerk and a Highway Superintendent. Here is my take on the situation. Vinny has been humbled, he will now reach out to those who he snubbed in the past. He has no choice in that. If he continues to snub and not make peace it’s his party that will suffer. I don’t think Kesner, Quatroche, Hochul and the Whalens have it in them to vote Vinny out of the Chairman’s seat just yet. His future depends on his ability to make peace where he was at war previously.
As far as Orsini is concerned their are all kinds of rumors flying around. They range from the Dems keeping him as Chairman all the way to the Feds are looking to throw him in jail. No-one knows exactly what is going to happen with Orsini, mainly because Lenihan has a major challenge to his chair right now and he can’t make more enemies in the IP until he gets his own house in order. My take on all this is…. I find it hard to believe anyone will allow Orsini to remain in the Chair. His only lifeblood is this years elections but their isn’t any real close challenges that he can hold over peoples head. I have heard rumors that Orsini is basically threatening Brian Higgins endorsement but the problem for Orsini is he lost control of the executive board after the failed Clark campaign followed by all the local/Federal investigations. No matter how this progresses we must all be careful with Orsini. He is as slippery and slimy as a slime eel and he is great at getting himself out of the most dire of predicaments.
The IP is fractured right now. Their is no clear consensus for the next chairman in the party. Everyone interested has lots of political enemies, including myself. I do believe that if I was fortunate enough to become IP Chairman then all those who oppose me would be surprised at just how much authority and say they would have in our party. my plan is to put as many people as possible on the executive board, keep local control in the hands of the full town committee’s no matter what and run some of our own candidates around the county. those candidates would be funded by the party because I will never have a PAC in my name. All money would be sent directly into the county fund and the executive board would help every town committee organise and have their own funds as well. My plan will be released in May or June.
Heard the Hamburg GOP Chair quit last night, not sure what happened-have your heard anything about this Ford.
I called GOP Chairman Mark Cuda and he did not resign. He says that’s just wishful thinking from the dems and I agree.
Newb:
I’m all for private entities establishing businesses in this town. I haven’t heard of anyone with any interest in running the ice rink. Are there? All I’m saying is don’t put it up for sale until someone crunches the numbers to ensure it can not be profitable. Obviously a well manged facility should turn a profit when there is no real local competition. Why would you want to give a money-maker for the town away?
No matter what happens the town can’t sell recreation property without very specific state legislature approval. So in reality the only thing that can happen is a lease management contract. Their currently is an offer on the table but the particulars aren’t known by the advisory board as of yet.
The details of that offer are being hammered out first then it will be presented to the advisory board. We will then pick it apart piece by piece to see if it’s the right thing to do for the town. This process will take 45 – 60 days before a decision/opinion is presented to the town board.
Any decisions of this magnitude that will affect so many people should not be made by politicians but by the taxpayers. Put it to a referendum so that we do not have to “petition the Government for a redress of grievances”. Thanks.
Instead of selling Town assets like the Golf Course & Nike Base, how about putting out a Request for Proposals (RFP) for firms to run them for the Town?
The Town would get a dedicated revenue stream & maintenance & upkeep would become the responsibility of private businessmen.
Safeguards could be negotiated in the contracts to ensure the properties would be kept up and Town residents would not be penalized by the shift to semi-privatization.
This is not ideal but can be accomplished in a much shorter time frame.
NO WAY SPANKY -WE WILL NEVER LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS.
East Aurora, or those who think they are doing the “best” for the town by building an Ice Rink… we’ll see.
RINK STINKS!!!!!!!!!!!
To all you bafoons. Look at the economy right now. We are almost in the grapes of wrath and you people are still crying about crap. Self help people get your butts out of the chair and start helping the depts clean and fix and what ever it takes to support the town during these hard times. Plant some trees and shrubs,donate one or two. Get rid of the city of NY and Albany and make it change for the better instead of bitching do something about it. Walters is not ur father and hes not going to tell u what to do. He expects the town to think on its own, something the dems and libs and the wackos like joe kilian want u to think hes ur savor. That he the almighty and hes out to help the town when he is a instagator, trouble maker, and cry baby. Thats right. Get off ur duffs and help the town instead of bitching