OBSERVER Photo by Jo Ward Director of Public Works Randy Woodbury, discusses concerns faced by the residents of Lucas Avenue with concerned citizen Jodie Bamasuto as City Attorney Richard Morrisroe looks on.

Jodie Bamasuto, a concerned resident of Lucas Avenue, met with Department of Public Works Director Randy Woodbury, First Ward Councilman Don Williams, Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas and a host of other city employees Wednesday, to discuss the existing and growing problems the road’s residents face when dealing with the City Barns.

Touring the location Bamasuto pointed out several issues, from dirt piles, an open dumpster, tires and brush overgrowth.

“Rats, mice, mosquitoes come from there,” Bamasuto stated, as she gestured to an excessive amount of weeds in the back next to the train tracks; the area, littered in spots with old tires.

While the city dumping area is cleaned up on the right side of the building across from the high school, the worries fall on the left side, which in Bamasuto’s and apparently several other residents listed on a petition opinion, leaves much to be desired.

One of her greatest concerns is that people from all over the area are dumping at the location, her reasoning being the lack of fencing.

“The trees are beautiful, but they don’t keep anybody out,” Bamasuto said, pointing out the row of evergreens planted to beautify the area in place of a barrier.

Another issue dealt with the piles of dirt left ignored in the back of the facility. According to her and others on her petition, there’s dirt blowing off of the piles and ending up in some resident’s homes.

“I’m inhaling it everyday, it’s in my pool and it’s disgusting,” she added. “The smell is terrible too, though for people living on the other side of the barns.”

As the tour concluded, Bamasuto sat down with Woodbury and the two compiled a list of bandaid solutions to temporarily fix some of the issues. The most pressing of these included the cutting back of the brush, the removal of the tires, the piles of dirt and clippings being moved and kept watered and a more secure fix to the illegal dumping taking place.

“People are trying to get beyond this gate,” Bamasuto said. “They park in front of it and then haul stuff back between the trees.”

“Maybe we can continue keeping it looking good, but also make it more secure,” Woodbury responded.

All and all most of these solutions are only temporary, the real crux of the situation is to move the facility all together.

“We’ll do these fixes as a bandaid and then work with Nate Aldrich (the community economic development specialist in town) and other resources like that to find a permanent solution, not just for your area, but for other areas around the county.”

Other things that the city is also addressing include a fix for a sewer problem on the road right in front of the city gate, a new paint job for the barn itself and a camera that has been purchased by the city to look for obstructions in sewer drains which will first be used on Lord Street.