OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen
Village Trustee Cindy Flaherty, left, and Mayor Bill Dorman, right, listen to public comments at a recent Village Board meeting.
CASSADAGA — Residents of the village of Cassadaga have not been shy to voice their frustration with the Village Board in recent years. The latest Board meeting was no exception, as several residents were vocal about issues they had with the Board.
Village Historian John Sipos spoke first, and whether it was intentional or not, his comments were somewhat of a preemptive strike in defense of the Board.
“I want to thank the Board for being on the Board, because I don’t want to be on the Board at all. I appreciate you allowing me to come to the meetings like this,” Sipos said. “… Thank you very much for allowing us to be here. I feel you people are doing a wonderful job. … I’m happy with what’s going on in the village.”
Not everyone felt the same way.
The two most vocal residents at the recent meeting were Rudy Abersold and Deborah Metzger. While both have attended many meetings over the past few years, Metzger, in particular, was more fired up than usual due to the way her lawn was impacted by the Department of Public Works. She brought in a bag full of rocks that were placed approximately 3 feet into her property to pass around to the Village Board.
“This is horrendous,” Metzger said. “… I’m asking the Village to act immediately on this.”
Metzger said she paid “a fortune” to fix up her lawn on Lakeview Avenue over the summer. The Department of Public Works has been working on the road to address the shoulder and a six-inch drop-off that exists on the road.
Trustee Cindy Flaherty responded to Metzger’s criticism by defending Department of Public Works Superintendent Sam Alaimo. Flaherty explained the village right of way is 10 feet on either side of the road, but that Alaimo is trying to impact the property of residents in the village as much as possible.
“He’s trying to do what he can to not compromise our yards. He’s trying very hard,” Flaherty said. “… I think you shouldn’t complain because it could go 10 feet into your yard.”
Flaherty also dismissed Metzger’s preference for pea gravel to be used rather than the large rocks because the pea gravel will wash away in a storm.
“I walked by your house and I thought they did a great job,” Flaherty said.
Metzger concluded her comments by saying, “You people are very, very disappointing — beyond disappointing — but I’ll keep coming back because people have to keep coming back.”
Trustee Cathy Cruver later responded to Metzger’s issue by saying, “I don’t think we need to be talking about going 10 feet into somebody’s yard to fix a drop-off that we should have been addressing over a year ago.”
Abersold began his remarks by highlighting a recent injury a woman suffered on Frisbee Road. He shared his concern that another person could be hurt on a “known safety violation” that has not been addressed.
“I think that needs to be addressed versus putting millings in the Department of Public Works driveway last week. I don’t know where the priority lies with the DPW,” Abersold said. “Let’s get something fixed. Get it done, it’s ridiculous.”
Jeff Frick followed Abersold’s comments by also criticizing the Village’s record of getting things done. From a long list that included Christmas lights hanging until April, Frick also mentioned the Bathhouse at the Beach project, which has been in the works for several years. Designs for the bathhouse, created by architect Chris Cooke, were presented to the Board more than two years ago.
Later in the meeting, the installation of a new door for the Fire Department came up again, as it has consistently for several months. Trustee Danna Dubois stated at a previous meeting that members of the department would be available to assist with getting the door installed, but Trustee Bill Astry, who was out of town when Dubois made such a statement, was unaware of who to contact to move the process forward.
While the recent Village Board meeting was not very pleasant, Cassadaga Beach was far more positive throughout the summer. In all, 3,024 guests visited the beach this summer during regular beach hours. There were no reported injuries or rescues for the entire season, while 62 swim lessons were given.
Various Wilson Endurance Sports events brought approximately 750 participants and approximately 950 total guests to the beach this year. Including regular hour guests combined with the summer concert series and other events in the village, approximately 6,000 people in all visited Cassadaga Beach this summer. Flaherty credited Tammie Wichlacz for doing “a great job” as Beach Director.