Board members leave work session
DOT addresses Niagara Falls Boulevard concerns
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

There may have been a full agenda for Monday's Town Board work session, but there wasn't a full board.

(See editorial on page four)

Supervisor Satish Mohan was absent, due to personal business, and Deputy Supervisor Roy Wixson took his place. Calling the meeting to order, the board wasn't able to address the first item on the agenda until 10 minutes later.

Council Member Deborah Bruch Bucki requested that the most senior member of the board lead the work session. Council Member Bill Kindel echoed her remarks, agreeing that Wixson should not be leading the meeting.

Citing Amherst Town Code as his reason for being there, Wixson continued with the agenda and Bucki left the council chambers. She later took a seat in the back of the chambers. Council Member Dan Ward, although in Town Hall, did not attend the work session. He would later explain that his opinion was that Wixson was not officially the deputy and the meeting was not called to order.

The remaining board members held the meeting and finally moved onto business.

Thomas Messano, of the state Department of Transportation, presented a third option for relieving traffic problems at Niagara Falls Boulevard, Ridge Lea Road and Interstate 290.

"It's a very congested place … our department has been addressing the problems at that intersection," Messano said.

He said that to date two plans were considered feasible and a third was recently added to the project - Niagara Falls Boulevard, Ridge Lea Road intersection.

Called simply Alternative 9, the plan would realign Ridge Lea Road to meet the ramp from eastbound I-290 to southbound Niagara Falls Boulevard. The new Ridge Lea Road would cut through the OTB Amherst Turfside Sportsplex at 3820 Ridge Lea Road.

"If you are out in that area now you know traffic backs up past the off-ramps," Messano said.

He added that the backups cause drivers to make unsafe decisions in an attempt to change lanes and get through signals. A plan is needed to alleviate the problems from that amount of traffic, he said.

"The traffic is not going to go anywhere else … it's going to go where it wants to go," Messano said.

Also in the Alternative 9 plan, the eastbound 290 exit ramp would be removed and a new ramp, for northbound traffic on Niagara Falls Boulevard, would be built 500 feet north of the current ramp.

Access to eastbound 290 would be on the new Ridge Lea Road. Both south and north directions on Niagara Falls Boulevard would have three lanes.

Messano said this plan, compared to the first two plans, would have less of an impact on the current parcels on Niagara Falls Boulevard and moves the problem spot, Ridge Lea Road intersection, from residential and commercial areas.

Amherst will not need to take action on this project, but it has been the procedure for DOT to present plans to the Town Board prior to having public hearings. Messano said DOT still needs to meet with the Tonawanda Town Board about Alternative 9.

He anticipated the first public hearing would be held in three months.

Also during the work session the board acted out of character, calling an executive session at 3:20 p.m. after the DOT item. Traditionally the board goes into executive session after all public presentations. Wixson said the topic was a personnel issue.

Ward sat in the council chambers when the remaining board members went into executive session. Bucki did not attend the executive session. Twenty minutes later the board returned, no action was taken.

Council Member William A. O'Loughlin said the scheduled executive session at the end of the work session could not be held because only three voting members attended. Kindel had to leave for a personal issue, and Ward and Bucki did not attend.

The next Amherst Town Board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, May 21 in Town Hall, 5583 Main St.