OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Village Trustees Danna DuBois, left, and Cathy Cruver, right, have asked the Village to keep better track of the ongoing projects in the Village.

CASSADAGA — At previous meetings of the Village Board, residents have criticized the Board and employees for not getting things done. Now, the pressure is coming from the Board itself.

At a recent meeting, Village Trustees Cathy Cruver and Danna DuBois each pushed the Village to keep better track of its ongoing projects. Cruver created a chart with each of the active projects in the Village listed and presented the handout to each member of the Board, Village Clerk Annette McChesney, and Deputy Clerk Roxanne Astry.

S“We need to be more intentional about what we’re doing,” Cruver said. “… It is our responsibility on this Board to understand what’s happening.”

Part of the issue has been a lack of communication, as the Department of Public Works (DPW) often performs duties that residents — and even Board members – are unaware of.

“When we get asked questions like, ‘Why didn’t this get done?’, we have no idea because it’s not really discussed,” DuBois said. “… It’s really hard to defend things that are not being done when nobody knows what is being done.”

Last month, DPW Supervisor Sam Alaimo was notified by National Fuel that new gas lines would be installed on Main Street within days of the notice. On short notice, the DPW needed to locate the water lines underground along Route 60 and onto Main Street. Trustee Bill Astry estimated 4-5 hours were spent locating the water lines.

“This is one of the reasons why Sam can’t get things done, because of things like this,” Trustee Cindy Flaherty said.

A representative from National Fuel also recently stopped by the Fire Hall in September to speak about line replacement along Mill Street and seeking an easement.

Regarding the door replacement project at the Fire Hall, DuBois presented a list of Fire Department members willing to let the contractors into the building to replace the door. The Village purchased the door several months ago, but has struggled to coordinate with scheduling, in part due to a lack of communication.

Cruver, a teacher at the Fredonia Central School District, created the handout she distributed at the recent meeting “so we can start looking at how we can help Sam (Alaimo) get these things done.”

Cruver stated that by tracking the progress of ongoing projects, the Village would be better equipped to answer concerns of residents. DuBois shared Cruver’s desire to keep better track of ongoing projects in the Village.

“It would be good for us to have this, not only for our own purposes, but also when we get questions that we’ve gotten in the past year,” Cruver said.

At a previous meeting, Cassadaga resident Rudy Abersold called for repairs to Frisbee Road after a woman was recently injured on the road.

“I don’t know where the priority lies with the DPW,” Abersold said. “Let’s get something fixed. Get it done, it’s ridiculous.”

Another guest at a previous meeting, Jeff Frick, followed Abersold’s comments by also criticizing the Village’s record of getting things done. Frick highlighted the Bathhouse at the Beach project, which has been in the works for several years.

Designs for the bathhouse, created by architect Chris Cooke, were presented to the Board more than two years ago. Still, at the most recent meeting, Trustee Bill Astry stated the Bathhouse at the Beach project is “at a standstill” until the remaining electrical work is completed. Alaimo has allegedly attempted to speed up the process, and Astry recently installed wall coverings and brought flooring samples to the Board at a recent meeting.

Alaimo and Astry will also be ordering and installing an on-demand hot water tank at the Fire Hall after the existing water tank sprung a leak that was not worth the hassle of repairing.

Frick also mentioned Christmas lights hanging until April among his list of complaints. Flaherty asked the DPW to hang snowflakes prior to Light Up Cassadaga on Dec. 7 at the most recent meeting. She urged the department to take them down in January, if possible.

DuBois also previously asked for an update on the rewriting of the Village Zoning Laws. As of earlier this month, the Rewrite Committee reportedly has one final review before it will be presented to the Board, but it was not presented at the most recent meeting two weeks after DuBois pressed the Village for an answer.

DuBois was complimentary of the report at the recent meeting by Bill Astry on behalf of Alaimo. DuBois told Astry, “I appreciate the report today. That was a very detailed report from you and Sam (Alaimo) that we don’t typically get. … When that information is shared, it is very beneficial.”

Also of note, as of Oct. 23, the Village maintains a general fund balance of $337,136.73 and a water fund balance of $72,747.80. Reserve fund balance for Fire Department equipment is $20,983.52; the Department of Public Works equipment reserve is $12,492.83; the water repair reserve fund balance is $50,382.34; and the reserve fund for debt service is $363,568.55.

The next meeting of the Cassadaga Village Board is Wednesday at 7 p.m.