Sewer district four has Town-wide issues

[4248]

This is nothing new to residents of Lancaster - backed up sewers - lines collapsing - businesses along Broadway paying large repair bills. The Bufnews decided to write an article after residents boiled over at a recent Village Board Meeting.


VILLAGE OF LANCASTER
(click on title for complete article)
‘Disgusted’ resident enlivens debate on sewer system

It starts with a sewer system in the Village of Lancaster that already is running at capacity. The problem grows as every new housing development in the Town of Lancaster sends more waste churning through the village’s sewer lines.
And it reaches the breaking point when record-setting levels of rainfall, such as those seen in May, overwhelm the sewer system and send sewage flowing into village basements.
“I don’t want that problem in my basement. I really don’t. I’m totally disgusted with it, and I’m disgusted with you,” resident Karen Shafter said in a harsh and passionate rant directed at village officials during Monday’s Village Board meeting.
__________________________________________________ ____________

While its nice to see the Bufnews take interest - they fell short on claiming/identifying the extent and area's in Lancaster being affected.
Sewer district 4 - which is under the watchful eye of Supervisor Bob Giza who chairs that board seems once again to be the target area of complaints. Supervisor Giza and Planning Board Chairman S.Keysa have been warned for over twenty years of existing and future issues. Yet they both kept on ignoring concerned residents and approved hundreds of new homes that now over burden a antiquated sewer system.

They always said concerns voiced by residents were exaggerated and unfounded. They depend like with roads and water supply - that sooner or later they can pass off the financial burden to the County.

The tax funded time bombs thats have been planted by self serving politicians and greedy developers are slowly surfacing. Supervisor Giza and Planning Board Chair S.Keysa will soon retire comfortably on their multi level tax funded pensions. We, the home owning tax payers will get stuck paying the future multi million dollar repairs and upgrades cause in chief by their decisions.

But, as the Judge said, "It isn't illegal - just bad governance."

If any residents want to comment on this article - click on the link above or go to Bufnews on the web and let them know how you feel.

[shortstuff]

on so many fronts:

1. the Colecraft
2. infrastructure
3. the airport
4. the 3.2 million dollar expansion on the town hall
5. water system, low low water pressure
6. the Village problems regarding the sewage
7. rezones ontop of rezones


Is there more?

[gorja]

Supervisor Giza responses to Village Flooding Issues-

“I am not saying where or who is causing the problems. I am not saying that the lady didn’t have feces in her cellar. There could be some illegal hooks up. People that are running things through their basement compromising their [system],” said Giza.

“Let me tell you, the sewer district and the engineers that operate out of there would never give permission to do something that would cause a problem down the street for somebody else and that’s the bottom line. The capacity when the estimates were done was there, now it is not there when it rains, but it is there in a dry spell,” added Giza.

Whenever things go wrong, it's never the town's fault.

Stempniak's response-

Town of Lancaster Council Member Donna Stempniak added that in regard to past comments that the growth of the town and newly built subdivisions are over burdening the system, she thinks a lot of people don’t know how involved the subdivision process can be. Residents may think that the town is the only entity that approves the sewers, but there are other agencies such as the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the sewer district, and the health department who are involved in the process. If there is not enough capacity the houses would not be built.

Isn't the town, the "Lead Agency". The buck stops with them.

http://www.metrowny.com/news/227-Sup...ng_issues.html

[hawkeye]

Supervisor Giza responses to Village Flooding Issues-


Whenever things go wrong, it's never the town's fault.

Stempniak's response-


Isn't the town, the "Lead Agency". The buck stops with them.

http://www.metrowny.com/news/227-Sup...ng_issues.html

The Supervisor and the Town Board has for years has stated, " they should have never have build the site without getting our permission" does this mean the Village NEVER should have been build. Is this the chicken before the egg or the egg before??????? The towns stand -- Sorry just couldn't pass it up!

[shortstuff]

Supervisor Giza responses to Village Flooding Issues-


Whenever things go wrong, it's never the town's fault.

Stempniak's response-


Isn't the town, the "Lead Agency". The buck stops with them.

http://www.metrowny.com/news/227-Sup...ng_issues.html

Wow, this is why we need a regime change. Wait now isn't Bob Giza the Chair on the Sewer board? Wouldn't he have the final say? Who is that engineer anyways, does he not know the difference between a dry spell and a rainy spell? Now I may be dummy but I can figure out if you are going to go ahead with a major install, wouldn't you incorporate all the events that would take place like rain????? dahhhhhhhhhhhhhh the engineer needs to go..............................

[4248]

My street has been and is maintained by the County - its being constantly wrecked by illegal truck traffic caused by Town Board approved developer activity.

Also every winter the Town plows tear up our roads shoulders because the road is rutted from the heavy truck traffic. Yet Mr.Giza says its the County doing the damage - not true.

As someone else posted - our Town Controlling Members cause the over loaded sewers - they approve the hook ups in the homes - then blame the home owner. They helped one Party faithful get tax dollars to fix his water pipe - yet in the Seneca, Broezel area and others they are forcing home owners to pay for the faulty systems the Town Board approved.

They had grant money - they claim no one wanted it - so it was absorbed into other projects - most of them improving build-able areas for developers.

Well - just another day for Bobby and the "Sons of Patronage"

[gorja]

Look at this poor guy from a Letter to the Editor Buffalo News 6/25/11-

I have attended board meetings in the Village of Lancaster to complain about sewage and toilet paper flooding my basement during heavy rains. I filed two insurance claims and my insurance was canceled. I was put in a risk pool and now pay $3,900 per year instead of $690. I also pay a sewer tax, village tax, town tax and county tax, yet nothing gets done. I have no recourse since I cannot refuse to pay my taxes.

For the rest of his letter -
Lancaster Must Address Flooding in the Village

[shortstuff]

Look at this poor guy from a Letter to the Editor Buffalo News 6/25/11-


For the rest of his letter -
Lancaster Must Address Flooding in the Village

Isn't that sad, I feel for this person who seems that his hands are tied by a buerocrat (sp-too early) style adminstration. Well this is how it is all over. No wonder people feel fed up with their government and do not go out to vote because they feel helpless. Cansdale should be ashamed of himself for not fighting for his village. Must be scared of Giza.