Town finally sells Hovercraft

[WNYresident]

My gawd all of them agreed to this?

A that time was mark Cheektowaga Democratic Party chairman? Or was it Frank?

RESULT:
ADOPTED [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER:

Jeff Swiatek, Councilmember

SECONDER:
Mary Holtz, Supervisor
AYES:
Holtz, Jaworowicz, Swiatek, Rogowski, Zydel, Markel, Kaznowski

Cheektowaga

Mark Wegner NEEDS TO RESIGN as he is as incompetent as they come with running a department and spending our money!

Cheektowaga,

Let us put the blame squarely where it belongs. The crew of The "Cheektowaga Democratic Party". From this point forward they will be referred to as CDP.

The social club must have all thought this idea was good. All 8 party members thought this was in the property owners best interest. They never met a dollar they won't spend of ours.

[cheektowaga]

Even funnier is now Mark Wegner wants to buy a Argo 8 wheeler to do the work the hovercraft was for? So this Moron wants to spend more of our money (after losing 50K plus) on something to replace the Hovercraft that was never used! Is he ever Sober in his thinking?

[WNYresident]

You know what is funnier? Your lack of open mindedness.

The creek does need to be clean out when required. Beside figuring out how to do it in house I would research a private sector company who is qualified to do that type of work.

So this Moron wants to spend more of our money

You guys never met a pay raise you didn't allow to go threw or negotiated the contracts so that our hands weren't tied. It's not like the employees are making minimum wage. We are talking 6 figures+ insurance and beni's. You might like driving a Mercedes all the time but you get to a point where you might have to trade down and drive a used Ford. Seriously.

The employees might not like what needs to be done but it's coming.

[WNYresident]

This is just a waste of time in the scheme of things.

Our property taxes are not high because of an extra hovercraft ($70,000) spread over the last 7 years. It's the non negotiable monopoly of service that gives us the property taxes we have.

Electric, how many properties (commercial properties/homes) are taxed in Cheektowaga?

This hovercraft basically cost each physical town resident about .93 cents each.

$70,000 / (75,178 residents) was about .93 cents per person on our tax bill. Maybe it was a grant but it's still .93 cents spent in the behalf of the home owners. A few water drains or lamp posts could have been replaced instead. In the end it was only .93 cents per person so not a whole bunch of time should be spent on this other than dumping it.

The .93 cents was based on the information from the below website.

https://suburbanstats.org/population...in-cheektowaga

This was on channel 2

Cheektowaga Super. blames Channel 2 for hovercraft sale fail

When asked by a town board why the hovercraft was still in the town's possession, Diane Benczkowski confirmed the sale had fallen through, and blamed Channel 2 for that having occurred.

https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/lo...l/71-575656000

After an attempt to sell it at an auction a few years ago drew a top bid of only $11,000, the town decided to keep it, until this spring when it reached an agreement with Universal Hovercraft of Rockford Illinois to purchase the hovercraft for $20,000.

They need to stop talking in the "we" voice. The "town" didn't decide to keep it. The elected "management" team assembled by the Cheektowaga Democratic Party decided to keep the hovercraft.

Gorja? Can you find me the resolution so we can see who voted yes on this purchase in the first place?

“We thought it was a done deal,” town councilman Jerry Kaminski said.

From a previous BN article

Universal Hovercraft, headquartered in Rockford, Ill., agreed to purchase the 19XR-IC for $20,000, said Councilman Gerald P. Kaminski.

https://buffalonews.com/2018/04/25/c...ime=1524668808

So who told Gerald it was sold? He said it was in an article April 26th 2018

But...

After an attempt to sell it at an auction a few years ago drew a top bid of only $11,000, the town decided to keep it, until this spring when it reached an agreement with Universal Hovercraft of Rockford Illinois to purchase the hovercraft for $20,000.

Jerry being a equipment dealer must have skimmed the agreement correct? What gave him the idea it was a done deal?

But Kaminski, while on a recent tour of the town highway department facilities, noticed that the hovercraft was still parked in its familiar spot.

So .... a recent tour? Really? Franco and Jerry were touring the town highway department and noticed the hovercraft sitting there? They were probably chatting about some hole that needed filling..

At a town board work session on Tuesday, he asked Benczkowski why the hovercraft was still in the town’s possession, and she confirmed that the sale had fallen through, and blamed Channel 2 for that having occurred.

Don't blame Channel 2.

A tape of their conversation at the meeting, provided by the Cheektowaga Chronicle, revealed that after Kaminski asked, “Why is it still here?” Benczkowski replied, “Ask Channel 2 news and their reporters that scared the buyer away…and what changed his mind. Now we have to find a new buyer…that’s why it’s sitting there.”

I think it would be far more interesting if Jim video taped the meeting.

Seeing that Jerry owns an equipment business why isn't he stepping up to the plate and using his experience to get rid of it?

“I looked back at the story and can’t find anything that was remotely derogatory in the reporting about it. It was just reporting that it was being sold for $20,000 according to the resolution,” Kaminski said.

Jerry has a point in this case.

Who was handing the sale having contact with -Universal Hovercraft of Rockford Illinois?

[WNYresident]

I see Dan pointed out that Jerry said ""I think it was a bad investment," said Kaminski"

https://buffalonews.com/2018/04/25/c...ime=1524668808


June 6th 2011
Town of Cheektowga


4. RESOLUTION 2011-309
Award of Bid - One (1) New and Unused Water Way
Maintenance and Rescue Vehicle

MOVER: Jeff Swiatek, Councilmember
SECONDER: Mary Holtz, Supervisor
AYES: Holtz, Jaworowicz, Swiatek, Rogowski, Zydel, Markel, Kaznowski

Was in favor of that bad investment.

Wegner said the town had plans of building eight launch pads.

Or we could have come up with the idea of getting a quote from a professional company who has experience with creek cleanup and removal.

[gorja]

This is just a waste of time in the scheme of things.

Our property taxes are not high because of an extra hovercraft ($70,000) spread over the last 7 years. It's the non negotiable monopoly of service that gives us the property taxes we have.

Electric, how many properties (commercial properties/homes) are taxed in Cheektowaga?

This hovercraft basically cost each physical town resident about .93 cents each.

$70,000 / (75,178 residents) was about .93 cents per person on our tax bill. Maybe it was a grant but it's still .93 cents spent in the behalf of the home owners. A few water drains or lamp posts could have been replaced instead. In the end it was only .93 cents per person so not a whole bunch of time should be spent on this other than dumping it.

The .93 cents was based on the information from the below website.

https://suburbanstats.org/population...in-cheektowaga

This was on channel 2

Cheektowaga Super. blames Channel 2 for hovercraft sale fail



https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/lo...l/71-575656000




They need to stop talking in the "we" voice. The "town" didn't decide to keep it. The elected "management" team assembled by the Cheektowaga Democratic Party decided to keep the hovercraft.

Gorja? Can you find me the resolution so we can see who voted yes on this purchase in the first place?



From a previous BN article



https://buffalonews.com/2018/04/25/c...ime=1524668808

So who told Gerald it was sold? He said it was in an article April 26th 2018

But...



Jerry being a equipment dealer must have skimmed the agreement correct? What gave him the idea it was a done deal?



So .... a recent tour? Really? Franco and Jerry were touring the town highway department and noticed the hovercraft sitting there? They were probably chatting about some hole that needed filling..



Don't blame Channel 2.



I think it would be far more interesting if Jim video taped the meeting.

Seeing that Jerry owns an equipment business why isn't he stepping up to the plate and using his experience to get rid of it?



Jerry has a point in this case.

Who was handing the sale having contact with -Universal Hovercraft of Rockford Illinois?

Did they ever rescind that resolution since the Hovercraft wasn't sold?

[cheektowaga]

cheektowaga hovercraft 001.jpg Here's the resolution to sell...So ask Diane and Tim how this fell apart seeing they sponsored the resolution. There would have to be some type of offer on paper from Universal Hovercraft to create town Resolution?

[Dan Roman]

cheektowaga hovercraft 001.jpg Here's the resolution to sell...So ask Diane and Tim how this fell apart seeing they sponsored the resolution. There would have to be some type of offer on paper from Universal Hovercraft to create town Resolution?

It’s all speakups fault, we mean it’s all the chronicles fault, no now it’s all channel 2’s fault,
these people are something else

[WNYresident]

cheektowaga hovercraft 001.jpg Here's the resolution to sell...So ask Diane and Tim how this fell apart seeing they sponsored the resolution. There would have to be some type of offer on paper from Universal Hovercraft to create town Resolution?

Why ask Diane or Tim?

Cheektowaga lawmakers Tuesday night approved the sale of an underused $70,000 hovercraft to the company that manufactured it.

Universal Hovercraft, headquartered in Rockford, Ill., agreed to purchase the 19XR-IC for $20,000, said Councilman Gerald P. Kaminski.

"I think it was a bad investment," said Kaminski, during a break between the Town Board work session and regular meeting. "I think it had 30 hours on it."

https://buffalonews.com/2018/04/25/c...ime=1524668808

In that article dated 4/25/18 Gerald P. Kaminski stated "Universal Hovercraft, headquartered in Rockford, Ill., agreed to purchase the 19XR-IC for $20,000"

Who told him it was sold? Seeing Jerry knows quite a bite about truck equipment why isn't he stepping up to the plate to help sell the hovercraft. I know they don't specialize in hovercrafts but his knowledge would be beneficial.

[gorja]

It’s all speakups fault, we mean it’s all the chronicles fault, no now it’s all channel 2’s fault,
these people are something else

It's unbelievable that a town supervisor would place the blame to a TV station for a sale not going through.

[Electric Eye]

"This is just a waste of time in the scheme of things.

Our property taxes are not high because of an extra hovercraft ($70,000) spread over the last 7 years. It's the non negotiable monopoly of service that gives us the property taxes we have."

"Electric, how many properties (commercial properties/homes) are taxed in Cheektowaga?"

From 2017:

Property class
200 Residential Properties 31,517
300 Vacant Land 1,689
400 Commercial Properties 1,781
500 Recreation and Entertainment Properties 42
600 Community Service Properties 186
700 Industrial Properties 76
800 Public Service Properties 472
900 Public Parks, Wild, Forested and Conservation Properties 21

---

Total Parcels in All Broad Use Categories 35,784


Source: http://orps1.orpts.ny.gov/cfapps/Mun...fm?swis=143000

These include town owned properties and other exempt properties.

[WNYresident]

It's unbelievable that a town supervisor would place the blame to a TV station for a sale not going through.

What is really unbelievable is that 7 people can sit in one room and approve of the purchase in the first place.

I don't know what is up saying Channel 2 is to blame. Even if they said how incompetent the town was that doesn't change the fact it's still a piece of equipment with some value attached to it. Know what I mean?

[WNYresident]

Electric. Of the list you provided the taxes would be generated from 200,400,700 and I guess 300. Vacant land is still owned by someone

Are the rest town owned? Like 800 and 600?

[gorja]

LMAO

https://cheektowagachronicle.com/che...ts-front-lawn/

[WNYresident]

I see the beast in front of the highway department.

So if we can't sell this hover craft what else can we do with it?

What about extreme hovercraft racing? We have a creek. We start the race from the shores of lake Erie, up the creek and have the finish line behind the town dump by Indian road.

I'll even sponsor a team if the Cheektowaga Democratic party want to race it. Hot pink racing uniforms and we'll call it team Flamingo.