Residents attending an Erie County Sewer District #4 (ECSD #4) meeting this past week heard Lancaster Supervisor Robert Giza, Chairman of the sewer district board, ask Mike Quinn, Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Sewage Management, whether the county would be interested in purchasing the town owned property behind the district’s Walden Ave. building. The town owned property houses the Dog Control facility that serves the residents of the Town of Lancaster and Villages of Depew and Lancaster who may have problems or questions related to dogs.

Supervisor Giza said he is interested in selling the property because the dog control center costs $24,000 to operate and he has a vacant building that is not in use. He could sell the Walden Avenue building and move the operation to the vacant Columbia Avenue library in the Village of Depew. Here are some questions for you:

1. Is Giza posturing to get this statement back to the village to leverage them to approve a project that does not fit with the village’s idea of a project fitting the zoning code or character of the neighborhood? Is Giza just yanking someone chain to see where it goes?

2. As it is a town building, does the village have any say in the matter of a dog pound coming to one of their more primo locations?

3. Can Giza made this decision by himself, or does he need board approval? Its election time and would others be willing to commit political suicide?

4. What will the residents have to say? What would neighboring Joseph Manor have to say on the matter?

I am posting this on both the Town of Lancaster and Village of Depew sites as it impacts both municipalities.