Rescue plan funding for DPW building, Duke HVAC project explained

In the never-ending dogfight, Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino declared during his Friday Youtube epistle that the Pit Chic contract to harbor 17 Niagara Falls stray dogs will be extended by mutual agreement.

There has still been no plan announced to deal with the overflow of stray dogs in the city or the fact the city has only one dog control officer who cannot work 24/7.

When the last city sheltering services provider took the contract, it was at capacity of more than 60 dogs within two weeks.

The problem with stray dogs is the same now or even worse. One 17-cage shelter is insufficient any way you cut it.

Meanwhile, City Council Chairperson James Perry has called for a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26 for the council to vote on using American Rescue Plan funds to revamp the HVAC system at the John Duke Senior Center and to build a new headquarters for the Department of Public Works.

The senior center work was tabled at last Wednesday’s council meeting because no one representing the Mayor’s office was available to answer elementary questions about work done on the HVAC system in recent years.

The truth is, city workers patched up the system as best they could to keep it going but it is worn out and inefficient.

The DPW building vote failed because no one from the Mayor’s office was available to answer elementary questions about a capital budget projection showing a $5.03 million new building released as part of the budget summary several weeks ago. The proposed new DPW building would cost more than $8 million.

Again, the truth available with a simple phone call was the initial plan was for a smaller building. The more expensive building is 75-feet longer which means it will accommodate indoor storage for forestry trucks.

A forestry lift truck is an expensive piece of equipment with steel and hydraulics susceptible to harsh weather. The last one was replaced at half its serviceable life, a victim of weather. Ditto the corrosion and decay caused by the outdoor storage of other equipment.

The failure to address the stray dog (and cat) crisis ensures that city council meetings will still feature an endless parade of concerned citizens speaking on the topic but hey, the American Rescue Plan expenditures will likely pass. It’s just too bad it took a SNAFU to get there.