Village of Williamsville Government

[anselmo1]

I still do not want to believe that the Village of Williamsville bought the old cider mill at the expense of the taxpayers! A special village referendum should have been called before a purchase of this nature. In addition, Federal and State government should have been involved declaring the mill a national landmark. How come Rep. Reynolds was not involved in providing the funding? There is so much federal pork barrel legislation that $400,000 would have been a drop in the bucket!

Mayor Lowther as a mayor is way over her head. She has political hack, Robert &&&&&&&, advising her on many of the village's projects and issues. This adviser's company usually wins the contracts for all the fencing in the village. Strange isn't it? Village residents realize that Ms. Lowther will be a one term mayor after this fiasco!

[anselmo1]

Now they are considering building a parking ramp to the tune of $15 to $20 million dollars near the mill! Lowther is out of her element!

[forreason]

Where did you hear about the parking ramp? The mayor was one of those anti-development people not too many years ago. It was her along with some of her friends that would not annex the Centerpointe homes on the escarpment into the village. Those few homes would have added some much needed tax base to the village. How could these 700,000-1+M dollar homes hurt the integrity of the village? They did the same thing recently with some condos being constructed off Wehrle Dr by not allowing the road to tie into Cadman Dr. This was truly "short sidedness" by a few individuals that have the power to nix these types of deals.

[anselmo1]

Read about it in this past Wednesday's Amherst Bee. Apparently, the developer Cerio has indicated this in his plans regarding the mill. Lowther bit hook, line and sinker! Her adviser is well known Williamsville political hack, Bob Kreiter, that has been an albatross for village mayors. In addition, Kreiter is the eyes and ears of Bill Kindel regarding the village. Just ask former mayors Larry Brenton and Basil Piazza.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by anselmo1
Read about it in this past Wednesday's Amherst Bee. Apparently, the developer Cerio has indicated this in his plans regarding the mill. Lowther bit hook, line and sinker! Her adviser is well known Williamsville political hack, Bob Kreiter, that has been an albatross for village mayors. In addition, Kreiter is the eyes and ears of Bill Kindel regarding the village. Just ask former mayors Larry Brenton and Basil Piazza.

She does seem to be all over the map, doesn't she?

I'm having trouble figuring out how a parking ramp fits in with the old-fashioned, quaint downtown she envisions.

I also think it's too bad the board hooked up Skip Cerio. I don't trust him, and I think he can wrap that board around his little finger.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

One idea regarding the village. Everyone will hate this, no doubt, but I think the village needs a community development official -- someone whose sole job is to go out and try to lure in businesses that fit the village's attempt to re-invent itself as its old self.

I'd even suggest the person be paid, but preferrably with the money, grants or whatever that person brings in.

And let's not make the person a village employee., because then the whole issue of health insurance and benefits comes up.

How about an independent contractor?

Just a thought. You never know: a community development coordinator (see, I've already come up with title!) might have been able to find businesses other than ANOTHER DRUG store at Union and Main St.

[WNYresident]

Why do you think you want businesses in your community when you have home owners who can just pay thier share. So you pay a little more but you have NO traffic plus your not giving away green space with tax incentives.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by WNYresident
Why do you think you want businesses in your community when you have home owners who can just pay thier share. So you pay a little more but you have NO traffic plus your not giving away green space with tax incentives.

I was thinking in terms of redeveloping downtown, not paving over existing green space.

Most of the traffic is on Main Street, and it has little, if anything, to do with the businesses in the village. It's linked, IMO, to all the office parks etc. further up Main Street, and the drivers trying to avoid the toll.

Frankly, I don't think congestion is all bad, as long as it due to something healthy -- like people flocking to small shops on Main Street to shop.

[Usually Right]

The congestion is people passing in and out of Town. There isn't any traffic on main on Saturday or Sunday.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by Usually Right
The congestion is people passing in and out of Town. There isn't any traffic on main on Saturday or Sunday.

Exactly. They're commuters, and the traffic they cause isn't helping the village any. It's hurting the businesses, because there is so much traffic people can't park, or are afraid to walk around and shop.

[anselmo1]

Lowther and her stooges (trustees) have not developed a village master plan since they are incapable of making sound decisions through extensive planning.

Case in point is the purchase of the mill in the village without having a referendum regarding its purchase. Only a small group of taxpayers were ever consulted regarding the purchase. After the acquisition, Lowther and her stooges didn't know what to do with the purchase. So what did she do, she turned it back over to the developers! These are the same people that wanted to buy the mill! Only two came forward and one now wants to build a parking ramp!

In addition, Mayer Brothers has leased the mill for its intended purpose and Lowther will not let them put a sign up on Main Street advertising fresh cider. When Warren Miller owned the mill, each weekend he parked his old green Willy's Jeep pickup with a big sign at the corner of Main Street and Spring Street advertsing "Fresh Cider". I personally saw this sign up during cider season for the past 15 years every weekend. Now, the village is to profit from the sale of cider and Mary Lowther will not let Mayer Brothers advertise. What an idiot!

[absolivious]

Like many other administrative redundancies, the Village of Williamsville, and the whole concept of villages in NY state, is obsolete.
At best the village should be dissolved as a political entity and made a special historical preservation district within the Town of Amherst.

[forreason]

Historical preservation district? There is no way to obtain such significance since almost every building (especially on Main St) was allowed to remodel without any guidelines typical of a historical district. Many, many years ago, a village trustee tried to disslove the village and received very little support. At the present time, the only departments that the village looks to the town for service are police and I do believe assessors office. Not too long ago, I believe their was some talk of the building & highway departments and the court, but their were not enough votes to do so. In fact the village still has their own water department for some reason.

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by anselmo1
Lowther and her stooges (trustees) have not developed a village master plan since they are incapable of making sound decisions through extensive planning.

Case in point is the purchase of the mill in the village without having a referendum regarding its purchase. Only a small group of taxpayers were ever consulted regarding the purchase. After the acquisition, Lowther and her stooges didn't know what to do with the purchase. So what did she do, she turned it back over to the developers! These are the same people that wanted to buy the mill! Only two came forward and one now wants to build a parking ramp!

In addition, Mayer Brothers has leased the mill for its intended purpose and Lowther will not let them put a sign up on Main Street advertising fresh cider. When Warren Miller owned the mill, each weekend he parked his old green Willy's Jeep pickup with a big sign at the corner of Main Street and Spring Street advertsing "Fresh Cider". I personally saw this sign up during cider season for the past 15 years every weekend. Now, the village is to profit from the sale of cider and Mary Lowther will not let Mayer Brothers advertise. What an idiot!

Actually, Mayer Bros could park a truck on Main Street during the weekends, but isn't doing so, for whatever reason.

Seems to me Mayer Bros really has been treated badly by the village. The company came in at a time when the village was desperate for any revenue at all, was gaining in popularity, and then told it couldn't put its truck on Main Street during weekdays because of parking restrictions.

Why the village couldn't have made an exception, I don't know. The cider operation is only open a few more weeks.

The trustees talk, talk, talk, but they don't really seem interested in helping out the one business that really does belong in the mill.

I fear the village will be taken to the cleaners by Skip Cerio. They over-estimated the interest in the mill site for redevelopment, and were basically stuck with Cerio -- the only real development proposal they received.

But they had to take what they could get, because the next payment on the mill is due in March.....

If Cerio comes in with something the village doesn't like (in January), the trustees will be hard-pressed to be selective, won't they?

[atotaltotalfan2001]

Originally posted by forreason
Historical preservation district? There is no way to obtain such significance since almost every building (especially on Main St) was allowed to remodel without any guidelines typical of a historical district. Many, many years ago, a village trustee tried to disslove the village and received very little support. At the present time, the only departments that the village looks to the town for service are police and I do believe assessors office. Not too long ago, I believe their was some talk of the building & highway departments and the court, but their were not enough votes to do so. In fact the village still has their own water department for some reason.

I think it would be fine to dissolve the village as a legal entity -- but only if it retained total control of all land-use issues. I hate to think what a development-crazy bunch like the Amherst Town Board would do to what's left of the village's quaint astmoshere.