This lot across from City Hall was suggested by a councilman to be “beautified,” even though it is private property.

I am writing in response to an article in the Sunday OBSERVER (Feb. 4) that outlines Councilman Shaun Heenan’s proposal that the city take over vacate private property across from City Hall and “beautify” it by grading it, seeding and mowing it.

Is this forever? I am a property owner in the city of Dunkirk and I am against this use of our taxpayer money and labor on property owned by a corporation. The city taxpayers should not pay one cent to maintain private property.

What about “beautifying” the rest of the city properties, such as the paper streets that the city owns. The city does not mow my paper street – all of the adjacent neighbors on my paper street have to maintain this city property or it will be a jungle.

We spend our money and labor to “beautify” it by mowing the grass, buying gasoline, grass seed, clearing drainage ditches of leaves to keep it flowing and hauling branches. The paper street was severely damaged several years ago next to my property when a city front loader hauling tree branches got stuck in the soggy ground up to the axles and had to be hauled out with heavy equipment.

Thankfully, the city brought in special equipment to level out the ruts, however, I bought the bags of grass seed and worked many hours for weeks to get grass growing there again. I never sent a bill to the city, but I am not a wealthy corporation.

The city should enforce its own code regulations and cite the owner of the vacant lot if they are not maintaining it. Why should the taxpayers give a hand-out to a private corporation that owns a prime downtown location that is long overdue to be redeveloped again? This property should be adding to our tax base, not draining it.

Where is the progress in Mr. Heenan’s proposal? Has the city Development Department ever talked to them about their plans for this lot? If they won’t develop it then they should sell it to someone that will build something. The city has just agreed to maintain a new dog park in addition to all our other city parks that a few remaining city workers work so hard to keep up.

Is this proposal just to hold pep rallies across from City Hall? If this corporation refuses to grade and maintain their own property, the city should make them put up a fence so City Hall does not have to look at an eyesore.

Doug Hamernik is a Dunkirk resident.