Frozen Water Lines, The YMCA - Two Major Issues That Need to be Addressed

There are two major topics that are currently in the spotlight in our city. The first is the water problems throughout the community and the second is possibility of the YMCA closing.

Mayor Paul Dyster and his administration have made no effort to talk about or put a plan in place for either of these issues.

There have been many people in our city that have been faced with the problem of not having running water, especially, the residents on 72nd, 77th streets and Independence Ave.

Some of these residents have gone without water for months.

We need the Niagara Falls Water Board, the city, and the private contractors that worked on these streets to put a plan in place to fix the problems that have left our citizens without water.

The casino money that we have been fortunate to have received should be used for emergencies such as this to help our residents. I have received many calls from residents asking for someone to help them with the water situation.

Mayor Dyster has not addressed the issue and people still remain in the dark.

The council does not run the day to day operations of the city and we can't force the Mayor to step up and take care of problems. I can only hope that he puts the needs of our citizens first and takes care of these issues before another winter is upon us.

The YMCA has a long history in our community. It has provided many programs and services to our residents. I believe we need this organization to continue to be a part of our city. I think the mayor should put more of an effort into helping to keep the YMCA a part of our community.

The Mayor has supported many other projects in the past such as the Holiday Market fiasco, Hard Rock Concerts, the Hamister Hotel Project etc. I hope he will support the YMCA as it has been a long standing organization that many people have benefited from.

I have always said, "it's simple, it should be about our community, our families, our pride." Issues like water problems and the YMCA affect our everyday lives. Issues that should be top priority to our local officials. We need to bring back city hall to the people. No more hiding, no more personal agendas. We need leadership that will put the people first. Leadership that will face tough issues and get the job done right.