Springville Board warned to be ready to tackle the closing of old Route 219 bridge

Despite a substantial Monday night workload, Mayor William Krebs warned, during the Jan. 23 Springville Village Board meeting, that board members should be ready to tackle the sudden closing of the old Route 219 high level bridge. “I’m not just alarmed at this, I’m outraged,” Krebs said. “The NYSDOT need to know that they have not served us well.”

When the New York State Department of Transportation cited a frozen bearing as its reason for the Jan. 5 closure of what is now officially known as the South Cascade Miller Road Bridge, Krebs immediately introduced a resolution to “repair and re-open” the structure as soon as possible. Krebs told the board, “We need to adopt another resolution. This one must request that the NYSDOT waive all regulations and fees and install signs immediately on the Route 219 Expressway. Signs with names and directions. Signs with logos.

“The sudden closing of this bridge is at a terrible cost to our smaller businesses (along the South Cascade Drive strip), and what if something were to happen to one of our big box stores,” Krebs continued. “Springville is a retail center and we have been misled.” Citing a 98-page NYSDOT report to keep the bridge open, as well as mentioning a $134,000 DOT paperwork error, Krebs said, “They have closed a bridge and their actions are having a very negative impact on our community.”

Board members adopted the mayor’s resolution, then readied themselves for round two. Krebs next asked the board to consider a motion to file a lawsuit against the NYSDOT.



“I’d like you to authorize (Village Attorney) Audrey Seeley to begin investigating the possibility of filing a lawsuit against DOT using an outside law office. Our businesses need assistance,” he said. “They need to be compensated.

“No one ever said anything about closing this bridge. Since I was with the planning board back in the 1990s, nothing has been said about closing the bridge,” he added.

Board Member James Bentley questioned the cost associated with such an action and asked, “Is this something we would want to bring the town in on ?” Krebs was quick to respond, “Definitely!” Board members voted unanimously to support the mayor’s request and instructed Seeley to find a law firm or firms that could handle the suit and to get an idea of the projected cost.

As of Jan. 31, the NYSDOT has invoked a statewide emergency contract for bridge repairs and will begin work immediately. The project should be completed by early April, according to DOT representatives Susan Surdej.

In other board news:

- Village Justice C. Murray Regan resigned effective Jan. 31. Village Prosecutor Kelly O’Neal Adams resigned at Krebs’ request and was then named to replace Regan as interim justice effective Feb. 1. Deborah Barone was named as the new village prosecutor.

- Krebs also noted that the March 20 local election will see two trustee seats, as well as the village justice position, up for a vote. Trustee Jean Moncreiff will run for a fifth four-year term, while James Bentley has decided to not run for re-election.

- The board appointed Clarence Jension, Zell Jension and Marlene Ziecker as election inspectors.

- Village officials accepted Aaron Albrecht’s high bid of $525 for the 11-year-old Chevrolet police car recently declared surplus by the board.

- Board members approved the re-hiring of Michael Shaw as a control center dispatcher.

- Moncreiff alerted the board that the control center was looking to have the back door buzzer system replaced with a call box unit.

- Representatives of the Community Development Block Grant Program informed the village that the following projects had been approved: Eaton Street waterline ($100,000) and Rural Transit Services ($265,559). The Erie County Consortium received 29 proposals and approved funding for 12 of them. Board members then approved the recommendation that E&M Engineers be retained for survey ($4,500), design ($6,800) and construction administration ($2,900) at a cost of $14,200 for the Eaton Street project.

- The board approved a utility work agreement with the NYSDOT for installation of a street light at the intersection of Scoby Hill Road and South Cascade Drive in the town of Concord. The arrangement calls for the DOT to pay for the cost of the work, estimated by the Springville Public Works Department to be $35,000.

- After a brief public hearing, the trustees voted unanimously to accept Local Law A-2012 onto the books in order to override the tax limit established in General Municipal Law 3-C. The intent of the local ruling is to allow the village to adopt a budget that requires a real property tax levy in excess of the tax levy limit.

- The board set Feb. 6 as the date for a public hearing to deal with seasonal and all-night parking issues in the municipal lot. Local Law B-2012 is expected to clarify public parking spots from private spaces, as well as designate proper signage locations.

- Board members approved sending Public Works Superintendent Karl Lux and Engineer Greg McCorkhill to the mid-March Trenchless Technology Show in Nashville, Tenn. They will be making a public sector presentation pertaining to the revitalization of the Springville waste water treatment plant.



- Lux reported that the village water department produced 159 million gallons of water in 2011. While 116 million was billed to users, 24 million was used in back washing, flushing, breaks and fighting fires. Now, 17 million gallons are unaccounted for.

- Christy Komenda, representing the Springville Elementary art program, approached the board about the possibility of having students design double-sided lamp post signs for use in the village. The board urged Komenda to proceed with the project while coordinating its efforts through Village Administrator Tim Horner. A successful effort would result in colorful student flags flying down Main Street this summer.

The Springville Village Board meets the first and third Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. in the village municipal building on Franklin Street.