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Highs and lows: Some of the best, worst of the week

Here are some of the best – and worst – of the week:

BEST

BACK ON CAMPUS – Once again, Fredonia State University students have returned to the local area. While some students make headlines doing unfortunate things such as drinking alcohol excessively, or taking illegal substances, there are many students on campus who are respectful of the local community. Give the students some respect. SUNY Fredonia makes our area a lot stronger in many ways. It’s good to have them back.

OPEN ONCE AGAIN – After two years, the Cassadaga Branch Library has finally re-opened. The library was owned by the town of Stockton, but officials there decided to close and sell the building after mold became a problem. People in the community stepped up, donations were made, the building was sold to a not-for-profit and the library is open once again. There are ways to get things done without governmental assistance after all.

GAZEBO FACELIFT – The Fredonia Village Board got some good news this past week, after officials learned the Rotary Club has decided to restore the gazebo in Barker Common. The Rotary built the Gazebo nearly 40 years ago. We’re glad they are able to keep it in shape as well.

WORST

VOTING DEBATE CHANGE – Some Forestville residents are upset because of a proposal to change the election date from March to November. They believe it’s a ploy by the current board to keep the administration in office longer. There’s a number of advantages to a November election. Town, county, state and federal officials are all elected in November. Village elections in November can get higher turnout. It’s also easier for newly elected officials because they won’t be “stuck” with another board’s budget. It’s cheaper because the County Board of Elections won’t charge the village to run the November elections, but they will charge to run the March elections. Earlier this year Fredonia residents voted to make the change. The vote was 738-21. That means less than 3 percent of Fredonia voters preferred a March vote. All villages should have November elections. That should include Forestville.

Highs and lows: Some of the best, worst of the week

Here are some of the best – and worst – of the week:

BEST

PAY IT FORWARD – The Dunkirk Varsity football team has a new assistant this year chalk full of experience. Gowanda native Bob Palcic, a 1966 graduate of the former Cardinal Mindszenty High School, recently retired after more than 20 years of coaching in the college and professional ranks. He’s coached at Dayton, Ball State, Wisconsin, the Toronto Argonauts, Arizona, Ohio State, USC, UCLA, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and SMU. “It worked out so I’m going to be here for three months, August, September and October, and I’m just going to volunteer my services to Dunkirk High School and I’m going to coach the offensive line and really, I want to be a consultant,” he said. What a great opportunity for Dunkirk students. When asked why he came back to Western New York, he notes how a former coach of his gave him a recommendation and passed away an hour later. Palcic got a job at Ohio State and vowed to some day return to the area to “pay it forward.” We applaud him for his decision.

CLEANER PLAYGROUND – Charles “Duke” Medema, a local Eagle Scout candidate and JROTC Cadet Lieutenant Colonel, recently organized a clean-up at the New York Avenue playground, taking care of litter, weeds and more. Area scouts and cadets participated in the clean-up. It’s good to see young people making a difference in our community.

SERVING IN KUWAIT – Silver Creek Trustee Ben Peters will be missing a few meetings for the next couple of months. That’s because the elected official is being deployed to Kuwait. We applaud him for his service and pray for his safety while serving our country overseas.

WORST

OIL AND STONE -No one likes having their streets covered in oil and stone. It creates a lot of dust and the stones can damage vehicles. But the argument can be made that it helps roads last longer. What we’re questioning is timing. On Thursday, Fredonia decided to oil and stone Central Avenue. Literally thousands of people are coming to Fredonia this weekend, bringing their son or daughter to college, and their vehicles are getting pelted. It doesn’t give a good first impression. If you’re going to oil and stone a major road, do it earlier or later in the year, not days before the busiest weekend of the year.

Highs and lows: Some of the best, worst of the week

Here are some of the best – and worst – of the week:

BEST

WRESTLING OVERSEAS – This past week, Fredonia resident Alex Conti has been in Warsaw, Poland for an international training camp tournament in preparation for the World Championships, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary. It’s quite an honor for Conti, the longtime Fredonia High School wrestling coach.

URGENT CARE PROPOSAL – Many Gowanda area residents were understandably upset when news came out that the Lake Erie Regional Health System of New York was not going to construct a hospital, due to financial restraints. Because of this, LERHSNY would like to expand the Urgent Care Facility. A building permit has not yet been issued, but if there’s not going to be a hospital, we encourage Gowanda officials to help LERHSNY move this project along quickly so they can get the necessary funding.

ELECTION DATE CHANGE – A couple of weeks ago, Silver Creek officials agreed to move village elections from March to November. November elections save villages money because the county Board of Elections won’t have to charge for them. Also, our society is used to voting in November, so a November election will bring more people to the polls. This was a smart move. Forestville is considering a similar decision. We encourage them and other villages in the county, to follow suit.

WORST

HERITAGE FESTIVAL TIMING – There’s some concerns by Dunkirk officials that not enough is being done to promote Dunkirk’s new Heritage Festival, which is set for Sept. 7. Another question that should have been asked is why was the date Sept. 7 chosen. Next door, Fredonia will be holding its annual Red, White and Blues festival. That festival brings hundreds of visitors to the region. Heritage Festival organizers should have scheduled the new festival the following weekend, sandwiching it between Red, White and Blues and Silver Creek’s Grape Festival.

Highs and lows: Some of the best, worst of the week

Here are some of the best – and worst – of the week:

BEST

TOASTING AREA WINES – This weekend, America’s Grape Country will be featuring wines from the area as well as some from outside our region. In the last 10 years, the wine industry has become a major player in our economy – and still growing. The festival, which is today and Sunday and includes an appearance from country music band Emerson Drive, is worth celebrating.

WATER DISTRICT – Even without the support of cantankerous Fredonia, the Chadwick Bay Regional Development Corp. is moving ahead with its grant application for a $38 million water district. Dunkirk, which had been slow to offer its support, finally got on board last week. Economies thrive in regions where layers of government are not suffocating its taxpayers like those here in Chautauqua County. All regional efforts to work together as one are a step in the right direction.

NIGHT OUT MILESTONE – It has been 20 years for the city of Dunkirk in celebrating National Night Out. Last Tuesday, hundreds of residents took time to meet city police and firefighters. On top of that, music, frisbees, flashing buttons and balloons were given to the children with an appearance from McGruff the Crime Dog. “I’m happy. It’s a great turnout,” said city Police Chief David Ortolano. “Couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather.”

WORST

NO NIGHT – It is time for the Fredonia Police Department chief to update his Web site page. In his “message from the chief” item, Brad Meyers states, “The department is involved in many community-oriented activities” including “National Night Out.” Well that is not true. Last year, Meyers – without any consultation with village leaders – took it upon himself to cancel the event because he said his department could not afford the $500 it costs. In reality, it was canceled as part of the chief’s protest for his department not receiving a new vehicle and a position being eliminated. This year, the department had its vehicles approved, but National Night Out was missing again. So much for the community involvement aspect.

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