A lot of people here are posting about how they feel the Highway Department is doing with snow plowing. So I think its time to put up an article about the department and what we all feel about it.
Personally I don’t have too big a beef with the town Highway Department. For the most part they get the job done. I do see some problems with auxiliary departments responsible to the Highway Superintendent but for the actual Highway Department I give them a B+ overall. I would give them an A+ but they never seem to get to plowing my street until the last runs of the snow fall. They never ever put salt down.
I think the poor response time is due to the fact that my street is a dead end and none of the drivers want to go down it and have to screw around with a tight turn around. In the summer the same is true for picking up tree limbs. The Town Highway Department always seems to put us off until the end, but then again they are trailing a big mulcher that is hell to turn around on a tight dead end.
I think the Buildings and Grounds Department needs a big overhaul. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched these workers spend hours on the smallest of tasks, just to kill time. IMO someone really needs to get in there and shake things up. I hope whomever gets the Superintendent job does just that. What are your thoughts?
Highway has been doing a fairly decent job. I am sure that there are some complaints about it, but they usually don’t visit this site. Our neighborhood had a drainage issue by Rush Creek. I had to threaten the T.O.H. to get action. After over 10 years of being tossed back and forth between the Town and the County, Kapsiak and Krautsack finally met and resolved the problem. McKinley used to flood between Estelle and the Rush Creek bridge. Rick Krautsack finally got the permits from the County to upgrade it. Hidden Hollow and Hilbert were draining to Rush Creek through backyards; they improved the roadside pipes to 30″ and it hasn’t flodded since.
The promised bikepath has yet to be seen. Amherst puts $60,000 into a fund every year, even if their North country is undeveloped. When people buy a home in Amherst, the proximity to the path is a seller. Too many people in Hamburg don’t care about exercizing I guess. The T.O.H. has no desire to upgrade its amenities like other Towns.
I guess being back in the dark ages has its benefits also.
Lets all take a deep breath and just listen to some common sense. First off there is a procedure to plowing streets,its called prioritizing and thats what they do. So if your back streets dident get plowed than dont worrry it will. It seems like forever but really its not. Now we in the town dont have the money like the state does and thats because you and I let them tax us to death, toll us to death and fee us to death. That why the State Thruway Authority has the nice big plows that rumble like bunker bombs in Iraq and elswhere in on State Highways, Couty plows are nice to on county roads. These guys dont help us unless they get paid by the town to plow our roads. Back streets are rough and not so smooth, Have more divits and obstacles than county and state roads. Its nice to get up to 35 MPh and push 20tons of snow a mile down the road. we cant here and that beats up the blade and hydraulics. There are many other factors like MONEY that we dont have to get new stuff. In some countries town people pitch in to by a item for the town so it wont raise fees and taxes-Hint Hint. This town need self help thats you and me. Example: If your street is only 200 feet long or 100 feet long and you have a truck with plow, well plow a section and be gone. Self help I mean dont go around and do all the streets just a small peice and if more plows did that than lees abuse on the towns stuff. Im not saying do it all the time but once in a blue moon ya know. The town doe a great job for what it has to work with. Ya know we could live deep in the sticks and have them old WWII trucks plow your streets and thats luck if they have one. You all know what I mean. So lets give the guys a hand and give them some kudos on the job they do already for us.
James Novak
Hey phill, thereason why the path id delayed is it has flws and greedy contractors who lie to there neighbors are in bed with some people and how would ulike it 5 feet from ur front door. Dont tell me u wont get sued for driving over a person and guess what its park land so people can stand on it and look right in ur front window and you cant say crap. Hows that, lets petition one on ur front yard. By the way look at the plans its unsafe. U want ur kids on it at 4 pm when the 2 bars let people drive home drunk. at 4 pm and 5,6 7, pm huh well think man what ur saying.
Hey phill. get the facts first about the path u look stupid. We dont have room for it and its unsafe and it sucks. amherst has room woods and hills and it dosent run 5 feet in front of your house. They have rapists we dont they have weirdos and much more and we dont and when you dont have a bike path you have peace of mind and lower taxes. If you want to pay for it on ur own than fine but not our money buddy
I mean this site rocks Sorry
Amherst does not put $60.000 in a fund you bafoon. Its just a show. when they announce every body gets warm and fuzzy when there backs are turned its gone get you facts straight boy. You need to go to the barn son and get with program. Jim retired dufis he retired and thats it. hey how about talking about seperation from Albany and NYC that can happen ya know so think about it. Get rid of them jerks and Welcome to the new State Of Western NY. Capitol Buffalo NO taxes no welfare so everyone get out or get a job. Sounds good Huh
B+ is ok An A would just make it look fishy.
Phill the path is dead like ur brains. Its full of corruption and liers. Joe Kilian is a moron about this. Hes the poster Child for Gov Pattersons soda tax hike. I mean really. His friend Bob Mckensie looks ready to fall on his face and man look at the health these two idiots are in. Do u think they can ride 20 miles a day without droping. Please give me a break. Cyclist do not ride on paths they as I was told are for old people and children. They need a wide road and they have a certain speed they use. A bike path according to them is a speed bump they just dont use them. Lets get our facts straight before we steal money from the tax payers. Pay attention Bob and Joe u might learn a thing or two.
Your all blind to the real agenda That the dem and libs want you as a slave and take your children and inslave them to.
Are Jim Novak and James Novak 2 different people ? I can’t figure out which one needs a muzzle; maybe both of dem.
Wouldn’t it have been easier to write all that in the same thing? And why the hell should I plow the road with my truck when my taxes pay people good money to do that with nice big trucks. Get real.
You can call me Sir the rest of you can call me Jim or james and if you dont like it to bad buddy. As for the muzzle you philly need on for all the crying you do. Harvey Nice Day. Oh phil do you have the brains to run or direct the highway dept if you dont than comment on stuff that makes sense.
Sir, or Jim, or James,
Could you at least post in workds that people could understand. As an absolute neutral observer to this site, you sound like a crazed lunatic. Additionally, one can hardly comprehend what you are even saying with your babble!
Babble is an understatement. After a closer look, i don’t see one complete thought in any of his posts.
I think somebody is on drugs
Well excuse me Mr. Liberal/Dem/Left winger who made you GOD. Let me tell you a thing or two. First off this is my right to speak and say what I want and If its babble like phil best and others than to bad. You may think its babble but the keys stick when I drool coffee on them. So now I will get a new board and spell better just for you and speak louder than you. One thing you so called neutral observers your not. Your Libs and Dems and left wingers and you Sir are the one for the way this State is and the crap we put up with so shut up and deal with it and do not VIOLATE MY FREEDOM OF SPEECH, you will thank me one day for being tougher than you panty waste scared little Americans. You should put your energy into fighting taxes drugs and crime than bothering me. But thats to simple for you. When you decide to grow up and fight the real fight and defend the people then talk to me for now just stay out of my way.
Hey TRUE are you true to the country than true to yourself. Define your version of a complete thought. If I think what it is your in the wrong place, time , and contry so get out if you dont like it HARVEY NICE DAY. PS all you who do not post your names your all scared and hiding so people cant tell you off. So TRUE you and all are scared little Americans who dont car about this great country. Put your name out instaed of a phony name makes you look like a tard instead of a thinker.
All the talk about how great the state plows do their jobs. Earlier this week there was an accident where a person died and today the road is closed again because another is near death. Both accidents are due to road being snow covered and not properly plowed by STATE PLOWS and excess speed. A ten mile wide band of snow through Evans and Hamburg and the EMPIRE state can’t keep the road clear? More than road conditions this strech through Hamburg and Evans is one of the most deadly in Western New York. The speed limit is way too high for the residential traffic but the State refused to lower the speed. How many people must die for the State of New York to Wake up?
I agree and I want to say I never said they do a good job they can just move it faster and in heavy loads. The problem with this type of weather is that the cars and trucks leave oil and other fluids on the snow and then pack it in. Once you pack it in and mash it like potatos it gets slippery and then add salt and poor plowing you get a problem. If we where to enhance snow plowing technology we could make the roads better. PA incorperates some kind of liqued and its safe to. I heard that it works well also sand is used in Canada and PA. With all the money wasted on bike paths to no where and bike path construction grants that some people want to waste lets use Grant money to invent better road conditions during the winter months. I mean really why waste grant money on that project on rt5 the old water pumping station in Wannaka if thats it and how you spell it. I saw the records and the DEMS spent close to $500.000 dollars and about 50 people show up per year and their local residents, not out of towners. BUT ITS YOUR MONEY
The Town of Hamburg has absolute ZERO authority over Route 5. I n fact, their plow drivers are instructed NOT to plow that road, because if they drop their plows and someone gets into an accident (and later says they thought the road was clear because they saw a Hamburg Highway Department truck plowing on it), the Town could possibly be held liable.
There Jim, James, or Sir, I used my real name…and yes, you are still a lunatic.
Mr. James Novak, I have put up with enough of your bad mouthing people here on this site. I have tried to allow you to voice your comments in a manner that provokes conversation but you keep getting more and more offensive. I have been forced to delete at least half a dozen of your comments because of the way you attack people here. So this is your one and only warning. Do it again and you’re black listed. I will stop any comments you make from getting posted if you don’t stop with the BS right now. Got it? Hope so!
Big Brother Laying the smack down….
haha
just kidding!
I am a delivery boy in the town of Hamburg and I can say sure its great for those of you who get to go home around 5 pm and not go out til the morning and the roads are all pristine. Unfortunately (after being laid off at my full time job) I am forced to work usually til 2 am driving the roads all night.
Sure the next day the roads get the proper attention, but some relatively main side streets in the village ( Lakeview/union/scranton/Buffalo and Main street) go untouched until usually very late. Making my job a hard one. Not to mention most of you people are awful cheap. Here’s a tip, when its a blizzard outside and you order food for delivery, tip the damn driver…especially when you refuse to shovel your driveway and i have to walk through 2 feet of snow to your door and risk my life driving with the elderly/drunk/stupid drivers out there!
So I think a little more could be done for the village to be honest, but for the most part, the plow drivers have been less *destructive* this year than in those in the past, so thats a good thing.
-Bubba
To Hamburg First:
It is my democratic right to defend myself when those who attack me and make fun of me and say I am babbling or for that matter to put a muzzel on it. Mr best has started this as well as another. They should not be concerned about my name just issues. You should let others know that as well. If your going to talk to me than talk to them also and be fair about. My comments are more to the point and gut. This is my democratic right to speak. This is an open forum as I am to assume and not to be supressive in manner. If you have such a web site where we all can voice than tell one and not another you cant do this and you cant do that then it plays on being selective and then becomes unfair. If there are rule than then how does it become equal. I have no problem in scalling back hits on people in a manner thats not verbaly fair but you need to say the same to BEST and others. I guess I will use bigger and fancy words to get my point accross this way some will have to open a dictionary to find out what I mean and say. The Country was founded on words and attacks and a lot more of other things. I just hope this is’ent turning into a liberal place to talk. If feelings get hurt we should be strong enough to deal with it and press on and some attack late and hash it up agiain. Go Figure??
Dear hamburg First:
It is my democratic right to defend my self when others attack me. You should talk to BEST also he started this. It is not his or others concern about how my name is spelled just the issues. I am right to the point and gut and if people are gut less, weak and feel offended than thats the breaks. This contry was founded on attacks and verbal hits and offending people. If its the case than I will use fancey and big words to get my point out this way folks have to use a dictionary to understand what Im saying. But if your talking to me than talk to the rest who slam me and hash the same thing up. I hope where not being liberal to much out there we have enough already
James,
Maybe you should use a dictionary so we can understand the little words you are saying. At the very least, use a complete sentence once in awhile instead of rambling!
I think a bike path for Hamburg is a good idea