The very warm weather this past weekend could have fooled anyone. The temperatures were more in line with what we might see in spring and not the last days of January. We have been fortunate to have a mild winter so far, and while we all know there are still plenty of weeks in which we could get buried in snow, we also must recognize that spring, also known as construction season, is coming.
Maintaining Erie County’s 1,200 lane miles is a huge task. My district alone is a huge task, which is why I discuss road and bridge maintenance as often as I do. The Department of Public Works often reports to the Legislature during the winter that they have to wait until the final thaw to see which roads need work. But we all know the major trouble areas, we all know the roads that needed to be done the year prior that weren’t and must be repaired this coming year. Winter certainly didn’t improve their condition. My office is constantly fielding calls about road conditions and I continue to relay each and every concern to the administration. I am hopeful that we will soon see a list of proposed road projects for 2016 from the administration.
Erie County has allocated $28 million for road work in the 2016 budget. I am also looking forward to learning more about the $16 billion in federal funds coming to New York State for infrastructure work and how much of it will benefit Erie County. Working on having an agreed plan in place now will ensure that the Legislature and administration are on the same page when the conditions are favorable to start work.
It was just a few weeks ago that many families were actually hoping for some winter weather to compliment Erie County’s annual Winterfest event. Although it wasn’t as wintery as some had hoped, the lack of snow forced the closure of the sledding hill and toboggan chutes, many families still attended the Jan. 27th event, having a great time doing the other activities. Many thanks to the Town of Orchard Park and the many business sponsors who made this event possible.
I also wanted to call attention to a new highway sign honoring Purple Heart recipients that was installed in Springville. The sign, located at Main Street near Route 219, is one of six erected throughout Erie County. In May 2015, Erie County was designated a Purple Heart County, honoring those who were killed or wounded during combat of war and awarded this distinguished honor. When you drive by the sign, I hope you are reminded to take a moment to honor our decorated soldiers and veterans.
Just wanted to note that this summer will see the return of my annual Hot Dog Roast Fundraisers for the libraries in my district. This is the 10th year I will be partnering with libraries to host these great community events. To date, the fundraisers have netted more than $57,000 for the libraries to use towards building funds, programming, materials and other. The funding is a great benefit to the branches and I hope you will come out and support the libraries. The schedule will be announced in the next few months.
If you have any questions, please contact me at 858-8850 or at john.mills@erie.gov.