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Street upgrade may be ‘curbed’ by high price tag

OBSERVER Photo by Rebecca Cuthbert This view of South Ocelot Street, on a relatively dry day, shows where water has pooled and damaged the pavement along the sides of the roadway. Some residents would like to see their street curbed, but the city is exploring all options for fiscal responsibility’s sake before making any decisions.

Several residents of South Ocelot Street have decided they’re sick of a flooded roadway and sidewalks. A few of them are also less than thrilled about careless drivers (and parkers) tearing up the lawns they work hard to maintain. So, they brought a petition to the city to ask for curbing, and the new drainage and paving that would come with it.

Dunkirk City Councilman Don Williams Jr. chaired the Department of Public Works meeting Tuesday, which was held at the city’s water treatment plant. He welcomed the South Ocelot residents; then City Engineer Randy Woodbury explained the size of a project like this — and the budget the city would need to make it happen. He compared the proposed project with what the city did to New York Avenue back in the 1990s.

“…The petition is the same, and the process would be to accept the petition and refer it to the (Department of Public Works), and whatever was done in 1995 would (happen the same way),” he said.

After numbers were crunched and studies were completed, the old road would be dug out. New drainage would be put in, then curbs would cap off the sides. Last, the street would be repaved to an even surface. All of this would cost around $300,000, with $75,000 of that being paid for by the street’s residents over a 10-year span (increments get added to their city tax bills). The cost per resident would vary depending on assessment and frontage.

“If you want curbs on your street, then it’s assessed according to frontage, and you pay it back to the city over 10 years. That’s what New York Avenue did, though that’s been all paid for by now,” Woodbury said.

For a curb project, 51 percent or more of the property owners on the street must agree to wanting curbs. For any neighbors in the minority, who don’t want curbs, well, they don’t have a choice. It’s a simple majority wins deal. There are about 25 property owners on South Ocelot, and the “aye” votes already seem to have that majority on their petition.

If the city moves forward with this, the first cost would be for a consulting engineer, Woodbury said.

“There’s a consulting engineer … who did the New York Avenue paving project, and they’re … ready to do it, and they would put together a proposal, a design and bid for the project, and it’s going to be in the neighborhood of $50,000 for that phase of (the project),” he said.

The city might have that first $50,000 in CHIPS money, at least it’s “one of the ideas,” but another possibility may be CDBG funds. However, a third possibility is that there actually isn’t money available for the project, since, as Fourth Ward Councilwoman Stacy Szukala pointed out, that would be a lot of money to shell out for one street, and the city is full of uncurbed streets.

DPW Director Bob Bankoski reasoned that before any money is spent on the project, it would be a good idea to see if the city can afford it. If it can’t swing the full $300,000, it’s pointless to spend that first $50,000 on a study that will gather dust on a shelf.

Another solution for that street’s flooding problems could be extra drainage, though with the city’s backlog of drainage projects, South Ocelot would have to wait until next year or the year after. The upside? It wouldn’t cost the residents $75,000, and it wouldn’t cost the city $225,000+.

As for people parking on the residents’ grass, well, extra drains wouldn’t help that.

Williams told the South Oceloters that the issue would be discussed again at the next DPW meeting, when hopefully, the city will have obtained more information about funding and its feasibility.

Bankoski, seconded by Mayor Willie Rosas and the councilmembers, thanked Bob Lawrie, chief water treatment plant operator, for hosting the meeting. They also commented on how clean the plant was, and complimented Lawrie on its upgraded condition and smooth operation.

Bankoski also mentioned that recycling calendars will be available at city hall, the senior center, and posted in other locations around the city.

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