RICK MILLER
Olean Star
Members of the Olean Common Council appeared already Tuesday to discuss expanding city sidewalk snow removal to much of the downtown business district.
During a meeting of the Public Safety Committee where shared use path plowing was on the agenda, Council President Vernon Robinson Jr., D-Ward 6, suggested the city could provide help to homeowners along East State and South Union streets where sidewalks are eight-feet wide by plowing the sidewalks along Walkable Olean 3 and 4.
Councilwoman Sonya McCall, D-Ward 4, which includes the downtown area, said downtown merchants need help with sidewalk snow removal too and asked to put a proposal on the Dec. 16 agenda for further discussion.
Snow piles up in front of some unattended stores and some of those that shovel have a hard time finding a place to put the snow.
McCall said she hoped the side by side vehicle the city recently purchased that will be fitted with a plow and sander can be used to clear downtown sidewalks this winter.
There was discussion about how far the downtown designation for sidewalk plowing by the city would extend.
“If we can do a portion of it, it will go a long way” for downtown merchants, McCall said.
Robinson suggested city assisted sidewalk plowing on South Union Street from Henley Street to East State Street, North Union from State Street to Wayne Street, West State Street from Union Street to Seventh Street and East State Street from Union Street to the bridge over Olean Creek.
Robinson noted the new shared use paths along East State and South Union streets are where he’s talking about assisting property owners with sidewalk snow removal, not the downtown area. “I’m not saying I’m against it,” he said. Downtown sidewalks were rebuilt to the same specifications as before, he added.
McCall noted she was more concerned with the clearing the downtown business district’s sidewalks, but agreed the shared use path (8-foot sidewalks) merited further discussion as well.
Ward 1 Alderman Lawrence Bennion thought the extra work of plowing downtown sidewalks would stress the Public Works Department, which is already short staffed.
ON ANOTHER ISSUE, aldermen discussed the need to hire an architect for a priority project of replacing the current City Garage.
A report from Public Works Director James Sprague suggested the city look into pairing the City Garage replacement with a capital project to upgrade the Municipal Building, which could cost between $4 million and $8.6 million according to initial estimates.
In an email to aldermen, Sprague said the next step will be to prepare a request for proposals for an architect for the projects. Further delays could find the city missing out on state grants.
Strategic Planning Committee Chairman John Crawford, D-Ward 5, suggested moving forward with requests for proposals. He noted there are many more city buildings needing repairs and improvements.
There was also discussion about moving the public comment portion of council meetings back to the start of the meeting. Earlier this year, the council moved the public comment to the end of the meeting.
Bennion thought it was better to have public comment at the beginning of the meeting before aldermen vote.
Alderman Joseph Keary, R-Ward 2 agreed, saying the public should be able to speak before aldermen vote
“I don’t have a problem moving it back,” said Robinson.
