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R VERR CK TIMES

Vol. 5 No. 47 Thursday, February 26, 2026 Covering the Northwest Corner of Buffalo

Public Works commissioner

addresses street plowing approach

By Amber Healy But what makes a street
riving through Black plowable isn’t just the lack of
Rock this winter has new snowfall. It takes cooper-
Dmeant a tale of two cit- ation and awareness from res-
ies: Main streets, like Amherst idents as well.
Street, Grant Street, Delaware A shared responsibility
Avenue and Elmwood Avenue, Bush Street, off Amherst
have been given prompt atten- Street and just to the west of
tion by City of Buffalo road Wegmans, is a street in which
crews, working quickly to try the city’s plow fleet might
and clean up snow and slushy have had some difficulties. It’s
conditions. a street that has posted alter-
Miss Voelker’s? Here’s your chance It’s been a hard winter, nate parking instructions, di-
however, with snow sometimes recting residents and visitors
to own a piece of local history falling for long stretches of to park on the east side of the
time. street Monday, Tuesday and
By Amber Healy Use. “The demolition contractor
For many who live in Black Wednesday between the hours
he corner where the former called us because they didn’t want
Rock and Riverside, it quickly of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., shifting
Voelker’s Lanes used to to throw them away. (They) loaded became apparent that side to the west side of the street on
Tstand remains empty and up and brought a lot of them here”
streets and residential streets Thursday and Friday during
covered in snow for now, but for to the store at 980 Northampton St. didn’t receive the same prompt those hours. While most driv-
those who are missing their old While some of the lanes have
attention as the major road- ers did their best to follow
hangout on the corner of Amherst water damage from a leak in the ways. those instructions, the street
Street and Elmwood Avenue, Buffa- building, a good number of them are Views of Bush Street.
Nolan Skipper, the city’s became narrower as snow
lo ReUse has a solution. in fine condition and ready to have commissioner for the Depart- piled up, creating an obstacle
When the structure was torn a second life in another location.
ment of Public Works, already course and conditions in
down last summer, the demolition “If they get a good sanding, has his eyes on making im- which cars could easily be-
company reached out to Buffalo Re- they’ll be totally fine,” he says of
provements to the city’s ap- come stuck. Additionally,
Use about the lanes where countless the lane sections. “They’ll clean up proach to cleaning up the those drivers who failed to
games were played. The heavy beautifully.”
inevitable snowfall next winter. move their cars on the desig-
wooden lanes needed somewhere to There are currently “maybe 70 “It’s been a couple months nated day made it harder to
go, other than a few that were set or 80” pieces of Voelker’s lanes
of craziness, if you want to call pass down the street – as did
aside for other purposes. available at Buffalo ReUse, sold at it that, with the winter weather, traffic using the former Re-
“We have quite a bit of them,” $10 per square foot, each measuring
and it’s definitely interesting Store parking lot as a cut-
said Michael Gainer at Buffalo Re- between eight and 10 feet in length.
seeing it from the commission- through from Wegmans.
er perspective of how our crews Skipper says it’s also pos-
Buffalo Sewer Authority and our mechanics do their best sible that some plow drivers
to keep things running 24-7,” “might miss a street here or
addresses line safety, new initiatives says Skipper, who previously there,” and that “if there’s a
worked in the department’s en- delivery truck or illegally
By Amber Healy itary engineer, provided some reas- gineering division before being parked cars, there’s definitely
he pipes owned and main- surance about the integrity and named commissioner under challenges. But our goal is that
tained by the Buffalo Sewer safety of the larger, more deeply Mayor Sean Ryan. 24-hour window once the
TAuthority are not at the same buried pipes that carry waste from A learning process snow stops.”
risk of failure or rupture as those homes to the authority’s water treat- There’s been a learning Still, he wants to know if a
that carry drinking water. ment plant just off the 190. curve for sure, including the street is still snow-covered 24
During the Rediscover River- In response to the recent mas- challenges of a city with many hours after a storm passes. “If
side meeting on Feb. 18, Rosaleen sive water main break at Military narrow residential streets, such as life and safety perspective, obvious- we miss a street because our driver
Nogle, the authority’s principal san- Road and Hertel Avenue, Nogle those in Black Rock and Riverside. ly, if you lose your mains and sec- missed it or a parked car forced us
said it is unlikely that the cold “With snow, they only get more ondaries, the city kind of halts as a not to be able to get down it, that’s
weather experienced in Buffalo this narrow. It’s definitely an interesting whole,” he says. “Once the snow where the 311 (reports) are helpful,”
Buffalo Club year will result in a broken sewer challenge from the mains all the stops, our snow plan reads that we he says. “We use it like a heat map
pipe, because conditions are much way down to some of our one-way have a 24-hour window to essential- to see if multiple calls are coming in
‘49ers Easter different for sewer pipes compared smaller streets, trying to get every- ly try to blanket the city with plow for a street. There usually is a reason
to water mains. thing cleared.” coverage once the snow has stopped we missed (a street). In general, we
Egg Hunt set “Water mains are always full of In general, larger, primary for that time period. The goal is, we have a plan over that 24-hour stretch
water, under pressure and at fairly streets and secondary routes are the want to hit every street with a plow to hit every street in the city, and
President Joel Boone Jr. and the
Buffalo Club ‘49ers announced that high pressure. We have very little top priority for Skipper’s office when it’s plowable.”
that is under pressure and, most of when the flakes are flying. “From a Continued on page 5
plans are well on their way for their
71st annual Easter egg hunt to be the time, we’re flowing by gravity.
Most of the time, our pipes are less D District chief says no ICE activity
held in Riverside Park on Saturday,
April 4, at noon. than a quarter full,” she said. That
being said, when the water main reported in Black Rock, Riverside
The egg hunt is held each year
for the benefit of the children, ages broke, the storm sewers that drained
the street of the flooding were wide By Amber Healy the immigrant population is highest Local police officers, like Chief
2 thru 12, living in the Riverside, Mordino and his team, would not be
Black Rock, and Grant-Amherst open, allowing the water to recede Interview with Chief Mordino in Buffalo.
quickly. Part II D District Chief Christopher notified in advance if a federal agen-
communities. This event is super- Mordino says despite what might be cy were to come into this district,
vised solely by the Club ‘49ers, who “We also went and made sure ensions have been high
that there was no damage to the across the country for the circulating on social media, his of- nor would any notification be re-
will absorb the majority of the ex- fice has not yet received any calls or quired or expected, he says. “We
penses. sewer main because that can occur Tpast several weeks, hitting a
when there’s water being broken. fever pitch in Minneapolis and other concerns about ICE activity this have no right to just go up to them
However this event would not be year. and say ‘stop doing what you’re
the success it is every year without The water main can rupture upward, cities in which federal Immigration
but it can also rupture downward and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of- “Not that I know of,” he says. doing.’”
the support of local businesses, or- Even if residents called with con- Not all unmarked SUVs are ICE
ganizations and individual. Boone and then blow out the side of the ficers have been dispatched to arrest
sewer main. We did verify there and deport people in the United cerns about unmarked black SUVs Chief Mordino says he’s aware
says if anyone would like to make a coming into their neighborhood, of situations in which his officers
donation towards this year's egg were no issues with the six different States illegally.
major lines, ranging in size from 48 Buffalo has long been a city possibly transporting ICE officers, have driven out to check on homes
hunt, they can send a donation to: “there’s really not much we can do where people concerned about pos-
Buffalo Club ‘49ers, 144 Mayer inches up to 8 feet, that run in that where people from other countries
intersection below the water main,” have moved and made their homes; about that because they’re a federal sible ICE activity have called po-
Ave., Buffalo, NY 14207. All do- agency, conducting their business. lice, “assuming ICE was involved”
nors will be listed in the RiverRock Nogle said. Black Rock and Riverside are
among the communities in which We have no right as the state.”
Times at the conclusion of the egg Continued on page 4 Continued on page 8
hunt.