OBSERVER File Photo The Festival of Grapes is seeking to expand its open container boundaries at this year’s event.

SILVER CREEK — This fall, the Festival of Grapes is looking to expand its open container permission beyond the Village Ballpark to include the Village Square. The 58th annual Festival of Grapes is set for Sept. 11 to 14.

Mayor Jeff Hornburg has met with members of the Festival of Grapes Committee to express his thoughts on the matter. Merritt Winery will provide security guards for the event, while the Festival of Grapes will provide additional security. Discussions between the Village and the Festival of Grapes will be ongoing leading up to the event.

Mayor Hornburg and Deputy Mayor Kathy Tampio also recently met with Bahgat & Laurito-Bahgat to discuss a water rate increase, which will likely take effect in November. Hornburg stated that the rates will go up, but it is still unclear by how much. Rates have not increased since 2023.

“We want to make it as painless as possible,” Hornburg said.

The Village also met with Mike Borowiak of Nussbaumer & Clark and Andy Johnson of Ecostrategies Engineering regarding plans for improvements to Buffalo Street. The Village is hopeful that the project will take place in 2026. This year, the streets that were improved by the Village were Hawkins Street, Prospect Street, and Webster Street.

Hornburg commended the Silver Creek Emergency Squad for its efforts, especially over the past two months where there were more Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls than days in a month. June had 36 EMS calls and July had 35 EMS calls in Silver Creek. Hornburg noted the Emergency Squad consists of 10-12 active members.

“I give my appreciation to the men and women of that department,” Hornburg said.

The next Mobile Food Pantry event, sponsored by the Silver Creek Food Pantry, the Village of Silver Creek, and Feedmore WNY, will be on Tuesday, Aug. 26, from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., at the village municipal parking lot. The event is free of charge to residents of Silver Creek and other nearby communities. Volunteers are welcomed by the Village.

The next meeting of the Village Board is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.