Here are some of the best - and worst - of the week:
BEST
LIBRARY SALE - For two years the Cassadaga Branch Library has sat dormant after being closed due to mold. Stockton officials realized they didn't have the money to repair it, yet there are those in the community that want the branch library restored. So the Mary E. Seymour Library Association purchased the building for $10,000 in hopes of getting the facility open. We wish them good luck and hope they are able to get it back opened. It was apparent the Stockton Town Board wasn't getting anywhere.
CITY PLANNING BOARD RULING - It's tough to lose beautiful buildings, including the former church at 501 Central Ave. But earlier this week, the city planning board voted 3-2 to permit Brooks Memorial Hospital to demolish the building to expand its parking lot. It was a hard call, but the right one. The hospital bought the building for $150,000. Brooks didn't want the building. If someone wanted that building preserved, they should have bought it. Had the city rejected Brooks' request, the case would have likely ended up in state Supreme Court. By letting Brooks take down this church, it not only allows for more parking in the future, it allows the hospital to expand should it need to in the future.
FISHING TOURNAMENT - Hats off to Chautauqua County for playing host to Jack Link's Major League Fishing Summit Cup. Professional fisherman have been fishing in Chautauqua Lake. The tournament will later be broadcast on both the Outdoor Channel and NBC. The tournament will show something that we already know here in Chautauqua County - Chautauqua Lake is a beautiful spot to visit and to live!
WORST
FLOOD REIMBURSEMENT - It's been three years since the flood of 2009, but Gowanda has yet to get its reimbursement of $750,000 from the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was to reimburse the village for costs of repairs up to 75 percent. Sen. Charles Schumer is lobbying FEMA to write the check. Notice how the federal government likes to dilly-dally when it comes to reimbursing communities, but imagine how they would feel if you decided to wait three years to pay that federal income tax.
