Bee Heard

(Editor's note: Call The Bee at 632-0390 and record a one-minute comment on our Bee Heard line. It gives readers an opportunity to comment quickly and candidly on items of local or regional interest. Callers do not have to identify themselves and no callers' names will be used. In the interest of fairness and good taste, The Bee will not publish derogatory or insulting comments. All comments are by our readers and are subject to editing.

.As it was explained to me by the Amherst Refuse Office, garbage left at the curb belongs to the town and no collections are issued to anyone other than Waste Management. People who collect garbage are stealing town property.

.Instead of debating about whose responsibility it is to clean up the weeds that are taking over Main Street, how about if we all pitch in and cleanup this neglected mess? Fellow citizens, I did my part and spent Saturday afternoon weeding the area in front of 5500 Main Street. Business owners, please weed the section of sidewalk in front of your stores. Village government, please pull the weeds around the new trees and put down some mulch there and in the empty spaces where trees used to be. Thank you for all your help.

.Amherst Supervisor Satish Mohan continues to refuse to even acknowledge that there is a Town of Amherst budget surplus for the year 2006. All of this is costing Town of Amherst taxpayers dearly.

.It is sad to see how Williamsville has degenerated over the last year, particularly as visitors come for Old Home Days. The creek is a stagnant mass covered with algae and laden with bird droppings. The mill continues to degenerate. The Glen Park wall is still not fixed.

.We're having a problem in the area of Youngs and Maple. The property belongs to the Town of Amherst. We have written to Dr. Mohan twice and have included pictures. He directed a gentleman to view this area, who claims that nothing can be done about it. We have cleaned some of it, and installed a fence; however, there is still much debris. You want to talk about a rodent problem? This is it. What is the problem that it cannot be cleaned by the town?

.Williamsville has been a friendly village with exceptionally courteous people. Suddenly, there are all these uncivil messages in this column attacking an administration that in two years has secured a grant for the restoration of the mill and established the very popular farmers' market.

.Where are all the accusers who were pointing their fingers at Bill Kindel, now that it's shown there was no deficit for 2006, a deficit which Dr. Mohan cried about, demanding that all kinds of cuts be made? Kindel said all along there would be no deficit, but we had to wait until the final audit. He was 100 percent correct. Not only was there no deficit, there was a surplus. To all those people demanding Kindel resign, maybe they ought to stand up and take notice that Kindel only did what he thought was best for the Town of Amherst.

. As a 40-year resident and subscriber, I value the quality of life our town has offered. In The Bee's July 11 edition, pages 1 and 4, shout that we are in a huge financial hole and strongly imply giving town employees all they demand. Page 2 quietly informs readers of an audit - a positive performance for the year 2006. So, is there a crisis or not?

.With regard to the St. Mary's controversy, I think a little sanity is in order. Does the Town of Clarence have a zoning ordinance? Yes, it does. Does the St. Mary's project violate some of them? Yes, it does. Can the town board override these ordinances? Yes, it can. Is personally vilifying members of the planning board Christian? No, it's not. The planning board's job is to match up architectural plans with the law. They recommend, based on the law. Let's treat each other with a modicum of respect.