ERIE COUNTY, NY— Today, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz joined Legislature Minority Leader John Mills, Parks Commissioner Troy Schinzel, Orchard Park Town Councilmember Eugene Majchrzak and others at Chestnut Ridge Park to announce the return of Winterfest this coming weekend.  Winterfest [...]]]> Popular Winter Event Will Feature Free Family Activities With or Without Snow

ERIE COUNTY, NY— Today, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz joined Legislature Minority Leader John Mills, Parks Commissioner Troy Schinzel, Orchard Park Town Councilmember Eugene Majchrzak and others at Chestnut Ridge Park to announce the return of Winterfest this coming weekend.  Winterfest will be held on Sunday, January 29th, from 10:00am to 4:00pm outside the Casino at Chestnut Ridge Park.

Winterfest will be held this weekend with or without snow and will feature free family activities including:  sledding, snowshoe hikes, marshmallow roasting, arts & crafts, snow sculpturing, hay rides, wood branding and much more.  Additional activities have been added in the event there no snow including:  karaoke, family scavenger hunts, Harry Potter Quidditch, USTA Quick Start Tennis and a wacky kids obstacle course.

“Winterfest is a perfect opportunity to highlight one of our community’s true treasures, Chestnut Ridge Park,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.  “Whether or not Mother Nature decides to cooperate with us this weekend, Winterfest will have a host of free activities for families across Erie County to enjoy.  I would like to thank Legislator Mills, Councilmember Majchrzak, the event sponsors and everyone from Orchard Park for being such great hosts and I look forward to this weekend being a success regardless of the weather.”

“Winterfest is one of the county’s premier events, attracting residents and visitors from around the region to enjoy Chestnut Ridge Park. Last year the park was crowded with children and adults taking part in a variety of activities. It was a tremendous success,” said Minority Leader John Mills. “I hope this year, despite less than perfect weather conditions, is just as enjoyable to all who attend.”

“This event would not be possible without the incredible amount of work Ed Leak and the entire Orchard Park Recreation Department has done to make this event happen again this year,” said Parks Commissioner Troy Schinzel.  “Additionally, I would like to thank our volunteers from the Orchard Park Teachers Association, Orchard Park Youth Rugby Club, Hillcrest Fire Company and the Erie County Sheriffs Mounted Unit for their help this Sunday.”

“On behalf of the Town of Orchard Park, I would like to welcome all the residents across Erie County to the Chestnut Ridge Winterfest,” said Orchard Park Councilmember Eugene Majchrzak.  “As you know, it takes a tremendous amount of time, communication, and cooperation to set up an event like this.  I want to thank everyone at the county level that was involved and our own Orchard Park Recreation Director – Ed Leak.  Please have fun and be safe this weekend.”

Many of Erie County’s Parks offer free activities on a daily basis throughout the winter season.  More information is available by calling the Parks Department at (716) 858-8513 or visiting their website at www.erie.gov/parks.  Winterfest was made possible by the generous support received from Towne Auto Group, Volkswagen of Orchard Park, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Southtowns Radiology and Wegmans Supermarkets.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) – A celebration of winter will draw families to Orchard Park this weekend – and it’s all free.

Winterfest will go on with or without snow Sunday. The annual event usually features plenty of snow activities, but Mother Nature isn’t cooperating. But don’t worry – extra events have [...]]]>

By Don Postles

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) – A celebration of winter will draw families to Orchard Park this weekend – and it’s all free.

Winterfest will go on with or without snow Sunday. The annual event usually features plenty of snow activities, but Mother Nature isn’t cooperating. But don’t worry – extra events have been added this year.

Visitors can take part in karaoke, an obstacle course and a scavenger hunt. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says Winterfest shows off one of Orchard Park’s crown jewels – Chestnut Ridge Park.

“I came here sometimes as a child. Like I said, this is the people’s county club of western New York. This is where people can come any day of the year and enjoy a fabulous facility during winter, summer, spring, fall, or what we have right now is a combination of spring and winter,” said Poloncarz.

All the fun takes place Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. outside the casino at Chestnut Ridge.

http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/erie/despite-no-snow-winterfest-to-continue

Erie County engineers want to know how well the concrete at Ralph Wilson Stadium is holding up as they prepare for lease negotiations with the Buffalo Bills.

The county plans to hire an architectural and engineering firm to assess how the stadium’s concrete has changed since it was last studied in [...]]]>

By Denise Jewell Gee

Erie County engineers want to know how well the concrete at Ralph Wilson Stadium is holding up as they prepare for lease negotiations with the Buffalo Bills.

The county plans to hire an architectural and engineering firm to assess how the stadium’s concrete has changed since it was last studied in 1996.

“We want to redo that study, to a certain extent, to now find out the condition of the concrete, how much it has deteriorated since the study was done in 1996, and how long it will last in the future,” said Jeffrey P. Zack, an engineer in the county Department of Public Works.

County legislators Thursday authorized County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz to hire Di- Donato Associates for up to $210,000 to complete professional services and design work for a package of stadium upgrades required under the team’s existing lease for the stadium.

Those improvements — which include more than 80 items — are expected to cost about $1.2 million. County officials hope to complete the work before the football season starts.

In addition to the study of the concrete, the upgrades include updating the fire alarm system at the fieldhouse, fixing concrete slabs that have become tripping hazards and a second phase of sound system improvements, Zack said.

Under the team’s stadium lease, which expires in July 2013, the county is required to pay for about $3 million in capital improvements to the county- owned stadium each year.

The study of the concrete, Zack said, also will determine its longevity and whether it needs immediate repairs as officials prepare for discussions with the Bills over renewing the stadium lease.

Zack said that the county has regularly sealed the concrete at the stadium but that the material is vulnerable to snow, rain and salt.

In addition to authorizing the design work for the stadium upgrades, legislators approved work on two other capital projects Thursday:

• Contracts for a $6.17 million project to replace the roof and the heating, air conditioning and ventilation system at Erie Community College’s Burt Flickinger Center. College officials expect the project to shut down the athletic facility for three months this summer.

• Paying up to $115,000 to Lauer-Manguso & Associates Architects for design work for a project to restore and preserve the exterior of Old County Hall on Franklin Street.

In other business Thursday, the Legislature, in an 8-3 vote, authorized pay raises for 11 legislative aides assigned to work for individual legislators and set the salaries for several new incoming Legislature employees.

District legislative aides have not received longevity salary increases since 2005, when their salaries were frozen at $35,096. The vote set their salaries at $38,128 and made them eligible for future longevity increases.

Legislator Edward A. Rath III, R-Amherst— who voted against the proposal along with Legislators Lynne M. Dixon, I-Hamburg, and Joseph C. Lorigo, R-WestSeneca— said he felt it was the wrong time to grant raises and wanted to see the issue further reviewed.

“We should have had a conversation about this and studied this before we went forward and approved this,” Rath said. “I don’t understand the rush to judgment.”

The vote also authorized a salary of $79,577 for Jeremy J. Zellner, a former Erie County Democratic Committee executive director who is now chief of staff for the Legislature Democrats. The former chief of staff would have made $83,677 this year.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/orchard-park/article716475.ece

A leaking roof that is dripping water into the pool at Erie Community College’s Burt Flickinger Center has college and county officials sprinting to get contracts in place to work on the building this summer.

College officials hope to schedule a $6.17 million project to replace the roof and upgrade the [...]]]>

By Denise Jewell Gee

A leaking roof that is dripping water into the pool at Erie Community College’s Burt Flickinger Center has college and county officials sprinting to get contracts in place to work on the building this summer.

College officials hope to schedule a $6.17 million project to replace the roof and upgrade the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system during the summer months when there are fewer classes and athletic teams using the gym.

The project is expected to shut down the athletic facility for up to three months, and college officials want to minimize the impact on athletic events.

But a delay in getting approval from the County Legislature to award contracts to four contractors has put the project’s start date in question.

“We’re up against time,” said William D. Reuter, ECC’s chief administrative and financial officer. “We were trying to push this through at the tail end of last year, and things sort of just stalled.”

County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz has asked legislators to vote Thursday on four contracts for the work.

The county sought bids from contractors in the fall, but former County Executive Chris Collins held off on seeking approval from the Legislature to award the contracts until the new county executive took office.

“The Collins administration wanted to leave this to the new administration to handle,” said Timothy C. Callan, deputy budget director for Poloncarz.

The project — initially estimated to cost $3.5 million — has been in the works for more than four years, but several factors have held up its progress.

County officials opened bids for four contracts for general construction, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work in October and will award contracts to the company deemed to be the “lowest responsible bidder” in each category.

Legislators will be asked to approve a $271,000 contract with Frey Electric Construction Co., a $180,000 contract with MKS Plumbing Corp., a $2.8 million contract with D. V. Brown & Associates for mechanical construction and a $2.47 million contract with Rodems Construction Co. Inc.

The county will also set aside $450,000 for a construction contingency fund.

In one case, the county did not choose the lowest bidder for the work. County officials received six bids for general construction work that ranged from $2.33 million to $2.87 million. The county chose the second- lowest bid, which was from Rodems Construction. The lowest bid was submitted by Bliss Construction Inc.

Callan said he could not discuss why Bliss Construction was not chosen because of “potential litigation.”

Legislator Lynn Marinelli, who is chairwoman of the Legislature’s Community Enrichment Committee, said she is concerned that the project gets done this summer so that it doesn’t impact events, such as swim meets, hosted at the athletic center. Those events, she said, bring in sales tax revenue to the area when parents and athletes stay at local hotels and eat at local restaurants.

Reuter said the college has held off on scheduling outside events at the athletic facility during the summer months in anticipation that it will be closed for construction.

“We have a small window during the summer,” Reuter said.

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/erie-county/article716171.ece

BUFFALO — Niagara County calls itself the highest-taxed county in the nation. How has Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s billion-dollar business boost affected Lockport, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda?

Stakeholders in Niagara County who attended the speech were encouraged that Niagara County will get a fair share of the state economic incentive funds the [...]]]>

By Bill Wolcott

BUFFALO — Niagara County calls itself the highest-taxed county in the nation. How has Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s billion-dollar business boost affected Lockport, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda?

Stakeholders in Niagara County who attended the speech were encouraged that Niagara County will get a fair share of the state economic incentive funds the governor announced last week.

Cuomo stood before a large banner proclaiming “Building a New N.Y. … with you” — the theme of the campaign he rolled out in Albany last week and reiterated at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center on Wednesday. His executive budget pitch, sometimes rousing, advised the Queen City of the Lakes to forget the past and focus on the future.

Cuomo wants the state to invest $1 billion into Western New York, but residents outside Erie County wonder how will that money will be divvied up.

“We’ll see what plans we come up with and what strategies,” Cuomo said. “We’re looking for the business community here to come up with a long-term plan to attract businesses that are going to bring back jobs. We’ll know exactly where it is and what the consequences will be.”

Cuomo changed the way the state gave out money for economic development projects after taking office last year. Ten regional economic development councils were created in lieu of a centralized effort in Albany under his predecessors.

The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council is the driver of where the money will be invested, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz. The Western New York region is made up of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.

Deanna Alterio Brennen, president and CEO of Niagara USA Chamber, attended the Cuomo pep talk. She is the Niagara County resident on the council.

“Everyone knew there would be competition,” she said. “We were told to leave our agendas and egos at the door and come in and work together.”

In Western New York, $100.3 million has been awarded to 96 projects. Many first-round projects went to Niagara County, totaling $8.7 million.

Cuomo met with state Sen. George Maziarz and members of the state Assembly delegation last week. “He envisions this as a regional incentive package,” Maziarz said. “ It’s a competitive grant system. Niagara County made out well  in those grants.”

Maziarz said that he gets calls from Cuomo a couple times a week.

The Newfane Republican added, “I think the fact that he chose me to introduce him today is indicative of the fact that he works across the aisle.”

There has been competition and disagreement, but also cooperation.

“That’s been the beauty of this,” Brennen said. “Five counties coming together. It’s been great. All the counties have projects coming. It’s a great experience.”

Mark Poloncarz said he doesn’t want to see an office park 30 miles outside the city of Buffalo because Buffalo is not going to benefit from it.

“We’ll be cooperating to the extent we find the right business to work with,” the new Erie County executive said. “Right now we’re working. The one thing the governor said, it’s in our hands. He’s not going to be out there publicly advocating on a daily basis to spend this billion dollars. We’re the ones who have to go out there and find the money and he put it in the hands of the Western New York Regional Council to be the driver on that. It’s important that the Western New York Council take the lead and that includes people from all across the Western New York, not just Erie County.”

Brennen found Cuomo’s speech very motivational and exciting, noting that the region not only has the opportunity, but the responsibility.

The WNY Council is led by Satish K. Tripathi, president of University at Buffalo, and Howard A. Zemsky, the managing partner at Larkin Development Group.

http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x1669703327/Cuomo-outlines-WNY-redevelopment-plan

ALBANY (wned) – Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz traveled to Albany to testify at a joint legislative public hearing on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget yesterday.

Poloncarz says he made the trip to show state lawmakers he supports the governor’s mandate relief package.

Poloncarz says he heard rumors it could be implemented in [...]]]>

Chris Caya

ALBANY (wned) – Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz traveled to Albany to testify at a joint legislative public hearing on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget yesterday.

Poloncarz says he made the trip to show state lawmakers he supports the governor’s mandate relief package.

Poloncarz says he heard rumors it could be implemented in one year.

“I certainly would love to see $5 million in savings as we enter into next year’s budget,” Poloncarz said.

“I think that would be very helpful, especially when we’re talking about funding other sources that are close to the community like libraries and culturals. That $5 million would certainly come in handy.”

The County Executive says he also stressed the importance of the Senate and Assembly approving Cuomo’s billion-dollar challenge grant for Buffalo.

As well as the need for the state to be an instrumental partner in lease negotiations with the Bills.

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wned/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1897679/WNED-AM.970.NEWS/Poloncarz.Takes.His.Case.to.Albany