Mayor Irene Elia, her puppets on the City Council and appointees on the city Planning Board are conspiring to eliminate dozens of private sector jobs, drive a longtime business out of the city, create another abandoned industrial property here and further shrink the tax roll.
All in the name of good government.
Wendt's Dairy has existed at the corner of Troy and Buffalo avenues since 1948. Unlike much of the city's traditional industry, it is a clean business. Since opening 55 years ago, the Troy Avenue neighborhood surrounding it has expanded. Especially during the 1960s, developers built homes within a stone's throw of the plant, and people bought them.
Marc Lagamba bought a house near Wendt's eight years ago. This week he told a reporter that the trucks that go in and out of the business every day make him and his wife nervous. He says the trucks are too wide for the street and the fumes and noise they create decrease the value of his home.
He doesn't mention the fact that the truck traffic, noise and fumes were a factor in the neighborhood on the day he bought the house. Quite likely, Lagamba got the place at a bargain price because of its proximity to the milk-processing plant.
About a year ago, Wendt's approached the city with a plan to eliminate the truck traffic on Troy Avenue by adding some loading bays on the Buffalo Avenue side of its building. Lagamba and other area residents oppose the plan and make no secret of the fact they'd like to see Wendt's close altogether.
We wonder why anyone would buy a house next door to a factory if they didn't want to live next door to a factory. We wonder why the mayor -- who has repeatedly harped on her "pro-business" stance -- would acquiesce to the demands of a few dozen homeowners and risk driving one of the city's oldest and most successful businesses out to Wheatfield or the Town of Niagara.
A Planning Board decision on the Wendt's plan is expected by the end of the month. And, given what we've come to expect from municipal government here, Mayor Irene Elia will have yet another industrial loss to put on her list of "accomplishments" when she seeks re-election in November.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | April 15 2003 |