Twenty years ago – 1999

Members of the Greater Dunkirk Area Harbor Commission would like the city to make the most of its harborfront assets. “We have to create an atmosphere for our waterfront,” said commissioner Allan Zurawski, citing the success cities like Cleveland have had. “We need to orient our activity toward the lake.” It was a message with which 3rd Ward Councilman Paul VanDenVouver says he agrees. Councilman VanDenVouver thinks the city needs to become more aggressive in its development efforts.

Thirty years ago — 1989

Dunkirk Mayor Madylon Kubera urged city residents to attend the next meeting of the county legislature to speak out against the legislature’s plan to establish user fees for the county landfill. The mayor does not feel the fees should go into effect until the county is ready to start using a new garbage cell at the Ellery landfill that the fee is supposed to pay for.

Forty years ago – 1979

AL Tech Specialty Steel Corp., which is going to court to seek a $5.7 million reduction in the assessment on its Dunkirk city property, is expected to take legal action aimed at forcing the city to assess all property at 100 percent of full value. AL Tech has asked the court to reduce its assessment by $5,730,486. The company, the city’s largest taxpayer, now pays about $282,000 annually in property taxes.

Fifty years ago — 1969

Strikers at the Dunkirk Lingerie Plant have agreed to limit their time of picketing to just 10 hours per day. They had been picketing 24 hours a day at the entrance of the plant on Wright Street Extension since Aug. 21. The entire work force of 125, mostly women, walked out on Aug. 21. Company officials have stated the Dunkirk plant will never open again.