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Reopening near for some park trails
Three months after an October snowstorm forced Cheektowaga officials to close the trail system at Stiglmeier Park, there is hope that some of the nature trails may reopen within the next two weeks.
Crews from the Federal Emergency Management Agency continue their three-phase cleanup of the trails, said John J. Jaroszewski Jr., who heads the Parks Division.
Jaroszewski said that FEMA workers did not arrive at the park until recently because there were more pressing issues such as roads for the agency to handle.
However, FEMA crews are now in the process of cutting damaged limbs and chipping the limbs after they have been removed. The third phase involves removing trees that are considered a hazard to persons who walk along the trails.
"They're doing a fantastic job," Jaroszewski added.
If everything continues as planned, Jaroszewski said he hopes to reopen trails 1-8, 14 and 15 on the east side of Stiglmeier Park.
Some trails were hit harder than others, Jaroszewski said. He noted that trails along "old growth" portions of the park appeared to have sustained heavier damage.
"Certain types of trees got beat up more than others," Jaroszewski said. "Your willows and maples, the softer woods, took a harder hit."
A tree expert assessed the park's trees yesterday to determine what needs to be cut down. An arborist is expected to examine the trees by the end of the week to confirm the tree expert's findings.
Monday's ice storm is delaying some of the cleanup, Jaroszewski added.
Jaroszewski said that there are no trees on town property that could aggravate a potential flooding threat along Scajaquada Creek, but he observed some trees along the creek near Carefree Lane's mobile homes that may need to be removed.
"They're going to be tough to get at," Jaroszewski said, adding that because the trees aren't on town property, he was not sure who would be responsible for that portion of the cleanup.
In another storm-related development, Supervisor James J. Jankowiak asked that residents either wait until spring before bringing tree limbs and other brush from the storm to the curb, or to bundle them.
"The state and county highway departments are now equipped for winter work," Jankowiak said, adding that Cheektowaga's highway department recently stopped collection.
Residents can still have their storm debris collected if they are cut into four-foot lengths and bundled no heavier than 40 pounds. Correctly bundled debris will be collected by the sanitation department on its normal schedule.
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