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.

.I want to extend thanks and a job well done recognition to the buildings and grounds maintenance workers at Daemen College. You see them out every day cleaning up litter on the public highway surrounding the college and on the college campus. During the winter, they do an outstanding job with snow removal and clearing snow from public sidewalks on the campus itself. Not often a recognized job, but most appreciated and done very well.

.You would never know we have only about two inches of snow by the amount of salt dumped on the road. Check out the intersections of Renaissance and Youngs and Cedarwood and Klein. You can even taste the cloud of salt as you drive down Klein Road.

.There have been letters and an article in The Bee the past couple of weeks regarding leaf pickup in the Town of Amherst. The law states to place the pile of leaves between the sidewalk and the street, not in the street. If you have no sidewalks, place the leaves at the edge of your lawn, again not in the street. A major problem when not following the law pertains to when the pouring rains come, at which time the leaves in the street clog the nearest storm drains allowing no water to pass. This is followed by flooded basements. Please help your neighbors by not putting your leaves in the street. Dana Heights has been especially hard hit in the past few years; please do not place your leaves in the street.

.I agree with the caller on having the town board stop dragging its feet and pass a resolution to consolidate the three school districts into one before the school boards' budgets are presented to voters. (Editor's note: Town governments have no jurisdiction over school districts.)

.I find it amusing all the people who call in about parking tickets regarding the snow ban. People need to understand there are eight or 10 police officers working on a midnight shift, and in between all the other things they are doing they might have time to write parking tickets. They can't be everywhere at once all the time. If you're going to park in the street, you know better. Take your chances. If you get a ticket, you had it coming. Buck up and pay the ticket. Also, read about the nice drug arrest that one of our officers made from writing parking tickets; kudos to that officer.

.Why is it so hard for the parents of Forest Elementary to understand that the student drop-off area is a stop and drop area, not a place to park to walk your kids in? That is what the new parking lot is for. You cause a lot of traffic backups by parking in the stop and drop lane.

.As a Williamsville resident, it's nice to see the photo of a lovely Clarence family strolling through Glen Falls Park, but it makes me wonder why do the Clarence parks say for residents only? Even though it is not enforced, it still sends the message that we are not welcome in their parks.

.The water meter issue between the Erie County Water Authority and the Village of Williamsville is a serious and costly matter. The village has been aware for at least eight years of a significant discrepancy between what volume of water was purchased and what they billed residents. A properly managed water system would have investigated this inconsistency eight years ago. The village administrator should have been on top of this predicament immediately because of the cost effect on taxpayers. At over $200,000 a year, we could be looking at $1,600,000 for the eight years which village taxpayers needlessly paid.

.Mayor Lowther's vote against hiring a mill consultant last Monday was purely political and inconsistent with a prior position. When she voted for the hiring of Baer Associates in 2006, she did not ask for other proposals to be put in place, and that cost the village over $50,000. She should stop playing politics with the village mill and allow it to grow and prosper and be restored under this board.

.It became readily apparent at last Monday's public hearing regarding McDonald's that Trustee Geary is extremely pro-business and he will do anything to protect them rather than the quality of life for residents. He should realize that residents come first and business come second. I'm disappointed that Mr. Geary seems to indicate he will vote this measure down and not consider the qualify of life for residents, not simply having corporations make more and more money.

.I wish the members of the Town Board would pay attention to the businesses which sit unoccupied rather than than dig up unspoiled land and upset the peacefulness of the former gun club on Maple Road. They are on Maple, Niagara Falls Boulevard or Sheridan. Prosperity would come to them; these locations are good. What more do you want? Give us residents a break. Residents should speak up.