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Town of Dunkirk resident Susan Ehmke spoke during public comments at the regular meeting of the Town Board on what she deemed a matter of safety in the town.
Ehmke shared her concern about the South Shore Motor Lodge, located at 5040 W. Lake Road in the Town of Dunkirk. "We live right next door," Ehmke said.
Ehmke initially expressed her concerns through written letters to Code Enforcement Officer Ryan Mourer and the Town Board a week prior to the recent meeting.
"There's been so much trouble there. We were really enthused to find out that there was a new owner, but there hasn't been much progress going on," Ehmke stated. "... I wonder what the holdup is."
Citing various safety concerns, Ehmke "would really like to see something done," with the property.
"We've got grandchildren coming over, and there's drugs and weapons in cottages 30 feet from our property," Ehmke said. "I would just like to find out what we can do to push it along and get (the property owner) his permits, to get the work done and improve it."
Dunkirk Town Supervisor Juan Pagan responded that the property owner has not fully complied with Mourer's requests as Code Enforcement Officer. "With some of the work that's going on there, it's not up to code," Pagan said. "It's (Mourer's) determination that they will not get any permits until they address their violations. Until they do that, there's no movement."
Pagan continued, "Unfortunately, the residents face the consequence, but we'd rather have the Code Enforcer deal with the violations before (an incident) than after, for everybody's sake."
Pagan also expressed confidence in Mourer's abilities and his judgment. He also thanked Ehmke for attending the meeting.