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Our thoughts on scams, bans and cans
Today we offer some quick thoughts on issues brought up during the past week around town.
Home improvement tips: The Cheektowaga Police Department offers some important tips to residents who may be preparing for their annual spring cleaning. Fly-by-night contractors can soak a victim for thousands of dollars, but the department offer tips to avoid getting bilked and also some pointers on how to spot a scam artist. Make sure you deal with a company or person you trust, and turn to page 5 to read these vital tips from the police.
Answers instead of excuses: A planned parking ban along Como Park Boulevard has some residents and business owners wondering how to address spillover parking. One business owner specifically wonders what will happen to his weekend crowds. Many drivers park along the side of the road when they visit his establishment. At one point he said he would agree to parking on one side of the street, but later said that parking across the street at a nearby fire hall was not an attractive option. A person's vehicle could get broken into, or one could be assaulted in the parking lot. This excuse doesn't fly with us. The owner's acceptance of single-side-of-the-street parking indicates to us that he would accept either his side or across the street. Suddenly there is a problem with walking a few additional feet from a parking lot?
Sanitation pickup: Some residents, particularly the elderly, are balking at the prospect of waiting until 6 p.m. before they can lawfully haul their garbage to the curbside for the next morning's pickup. The intent of this specific portion of the sanitation code is to prevent residents from leaving their garbage cans at the curb for days at a time. Setting specific times helps develop good habits. A potential mugger lurking in the darkness is a legitimate fear. However, the dark should not qualify as an excuse until late October. Sunset yesterday was 6:12 p.m. Throw in daylight savings time- which begins this Sunday- and next week it will still be bright at 7 p.m.
Sanitation pickup, part II: Residents complained at Monday's town board meeting that sanitation crews don't respect their property and "fling" garbage cans after they are emptied. Town officials say that sanitation workers receive instruction on how to properly handle garbage cans. One councilmember observed sanitation crews correctly handling the containers in her neighborhood. While we believe that there are many workers who handle the cans correctly, we're also quite certain that every town employee likely knows where the town supervisor and all six councilmembers reside.
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