By Joe Saraceni

Lysander Town Supervisor

As I write this, the sun is shining and the temperature is around 70 degrees. Most signs point to spring but this is Upstate New York, so the jury is still out. As the town of Lysander moves into better weather, we are in the process of evaluating the ravages of winter, both on our roads and on our budget.

Our newly elected highway superintendent, Jerry Hole, has been busy evaluating the condition of our roads and determining which ones are in most need of attention. He has presented his list to the board, and, pursuant to the provisions of Section 284 of the Highway Law, we have authorized $180,000 for “primary work and general repairs” for 13.79 miles of town highways. We have also approved the expenditure of another $500,000 for the “permanent improvement of Town Highways.”

The town engineer, the board and the highway superintendent need to work as a team to address the annual maintenance needs of the town’s roads, while maximizing finite financial resources. I am pleased that all three are working well together and that maintenance to our infrastructure is not only being done but it is being done efficiently. So much so, that our recent inter-municipal bid with Van Buren on hot mix paving came in 7.8 percent percent below this year’s county bid. In fact, if the county follows through on rejecting this year’s bid, we will realize a savings of 23.2 percent — in other words, a savings of $66,447.

As unfunded mandates continue to roll out of Albany with little regard as to the impacts on local government, we will have to continue to be nimble, resourceful and team oriented in our approach in providing services, including road repair and reconstruction.