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FALL 2005 VILLAGE NEWSLETTER
The Village Board has set hours for Halloween Tricks & Treats between
5:00 pm and 8:00 pm on Monday, October 31, 2005.
BEWARE!!!
There have been Solicitors going around the Village trying to take advantage
of situations and events such as Katrina and Rita, or soliciting funds
for college that likely are not legitimate. The most recent was a “college
student selling magazines in a contest to win a trip to London”.
Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for us, he made a stop at Officer
Yueckstock’s residence. Upon questioning the young man, Officer Yueckstock
caught him in several lies, at which the young man bolted. Luckily Officer
Yueckstock was ready for it and apprehended him. Please be very cautious
about donating to solicitors. We try to watch out for them to make sure
they get a permit and are legit, but can’t catch them all.
COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT
We have received several complaints from residents regarding dog owners
not cleaning up after their dogs as they walk them.
PLEASE, PLEASE, CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOG! IT IS THE LAW!
“Dog Control Law of the Village of Corfu”, Local Law #1 of 1992,
states that it shall be unlawful for any dog owner to permit or allow
a dog to create a nuisance by defecating, urinating or digging on public
or private property other than the property of said owner.
FALL CLEANUP
Leaf Pickup: During the months of October and November, leaf pickup is
scheduled on Monday through Wednesday through the month. Residents are
requested not to move loose leaves to the curb until designated pickup
days.
Brush Pickup: Brush pickup is separate from leaf pickup, on Thursdays
and Fridays. Please remember brush should be placed in garbage bags or
containers, or in bundles no longer than 4 feet in length
VILLAGE OFFICE HOURS
Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday & Thursday, 10:30am - 6:30pm
We are now closed on Saturday
Village Board meetings are held on the second Monday of each month at
7:00 P.M. Committee Meetings are the Fourth Monday of each month at 7:00
P.M. Public is welcome to attend.
PLANNING BOARD & ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
The Corfu Planning Board meetings are the Fourth Wednesday of each month
at 7:00 P.M. at the Village Office. The Board requests one day notice
from individuals planning to attend.
There is presently one opening on the Planning Board and three openings
on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Anyone interested in the positions may
contact the Village Office at 599-3327.
REMINDER: NEW MAILING ADDRESS
Please note the Village of Corfu Office no longer has a Post Office Box.
The mailing address is now:
Village of Corfu
116 East Main Street
Corfu, NY 14036
TRUSTEE NEWS
The Village Board would like to thank Erin Spring for his service on the
Board of Trustees. Erin resigned due to moving out of the Village. We
wish him and his family well in their new home.
HELP WANTED
We now have a vacancy on the Village Board that needs to be filled until
April 3, 2006. Now is your chance to get involved in how your Village
is run. Anyone interested in a Village Board position, please contact
the Village Office at 599-3327.
SEASONAL POLICE OFFICER
The Board would like to thank our seasonal Officer, Richard Retzlaff,
for his fine work during his time with the Village.
TRASH PICKUP
The Village will cease trash pickup (roll-off) until Spring 2006, if conditions
are favorable.
JUST A REMINDER
Sewer bills are to be paid directly to the Village of Corfu within thirty
(30) days from billing date. A penalty equal to ten percent (10%) of the
original bill will be assessed to all accounts unpaid thirty (30) days
from the date of billing and interest shall accrue on the unpaid balance
at a rate of two percent (2%) per month retroactive to the date of the
original billing.
NEWS FROM THE MAYOR & TRUSTEES
Mayor Todd Skeet
I am happy to report Sandy Thomas is now in her new position as Clerk-Treasurer.
She has done very well with this transition, along with accommodating
our residents
Many thanks to Rich Retzlaff who has completed his seasonal position with
our Police Department. Rich’s service to our Village has been over
the top.
Completed Projects
Beautifying the Village: I hope that you all have enjoyed the flower pots
throughout the Village as much as my family and I have. Thank you again
to Don Scott’s Greenhouse for choosing flowers that did well with
our weather conditions. Also thanks to Jay Feitshans for attending to
them, as well as the residents that pitched in too. We are working on
a plan to obtain more for next summer. The person who vandalized our flower
pots and some other residents’ property has been apprehended and
convicted.
Projects in Progress
As you have seen around the Village, our sidewalk project is approximately
80% complete. The 20% remaining is mostly repairs, which should be completed
this month.
VRI continues their cost cutting efforts at the Sewer plant and should
be reporting their findings soon.
The Village has hired a “Grant Writer”. This individual also
writes grants for the Town of Pembroke and has had much success on their
behalf. Our goal is to seek out and apply for as many grants as the Village
is eligible for.
Upcoming Projects
As noted in this newsletter, the brush and leaf removal for the season
will be beginning. As a reminder there is NO burning of brush and leaves
within the Village. This is the Law and there should not be a problem
as the Village provides adequate pickup for each resident as needed. Should
you feel your needs can’t be met, please contact the Village Office
to request some type of alternative arrangement.
Let’s all be safe and have fun this Halloween. Watch for children
walking and light up your walkways so that no one gets injured.
Trustee Matthew Steinberg
My message to all of you this quarter is that we need you! After a successful
Family Day Celebration in June, we’re starting to plan next year’s
event. The event is a lot of work and we need to know what our fellow
Corfuans want, and also their help! Please give us a hand with next year’s
celebration. Many hands make light work. Contact myself or Sandy Thomas
in the Village Office at 599-3327 to volunteer and help us make
the 2006 Family Day bigger and better. It’s also a good way to become
familiar with your local government.
Long time residents will remember the Christmas decorations on the light
poles up and down Main Street. It’s one of my favorite childhood
memories of growing up here. We have the decorations, but lighting them
is an expensive proposition. As nice as this is, we can’t in good
conscience spend your tax dollars on it when there are so many other things
you want and need. So to :light up the night”, we’re asking
as many households as possible to sponsor a pole for $60.00 each. This
is the amount per year it costs the Village to have an outlet on each
pole. If we can get 20 - 30 sponsors, we’ll have the jolliest Main
Street in the county. Contact one of the Trustees or the Village Office
for more information.
As some of you already know, Al Starkweather is the Village Historian.
We have a long and interesting past, and I’m very grateful to him
for taking on this task. With this in mind, I’m asking all of you
(especially the long time residents) to look around your attics, basements
and other nooks and crannies for photos, newspaper clippings, documents
and other Village related ephemera and forward them to Al. He has a scanner
and is currently converting the material he has into digital form, but
can always use more. The highlights from the collection will be posted
on the Village website (once the site is completed) for residents and
expatriates alike to browse and enjoy. If we get enough material, we may
even publish the collection in a small book.
That’s it for my begging. Now for some straight news... The Town
of Pembroke is currently undertaking a comprehensive plan study to plot
out it’s future. Several Trustees are participating in the process,
and we all feel that as the Town’s commercial and residential center,
we need to ensure that Corfu’s interests are taken into account.
It’s a long process, and we’ll keep you informed of the progress
as the plan is developed.
Finally, if you remember the last newsletter, I mentioned that I was building
a Village website. I’m still working on it, but it’s a long
process. Stay tuned to www.corfuny.com and hopefully
by the next newsletter you’ll be able to stay up-to-date on all of
Corfu’s news online!
Trustee Andrea Vogler
Happy Fall! As you read in Trustee Steinberg’s article, we are launching
a campaign to “Light up the Night” for the holiday season in
the Village. Last year the Batavia Lyons Club generously donated holiday
decorations to the Village. However it costs about $60.00/year per pole
to light the decorations, as we are charged a monthly fee of $5.00 regardless
of whether we are using the power.
So we are looking for citizens or businesses to “adopt a pole”
and contribute $60.00 (or go in with a neighbor and split the cost...)
Please let Sandy in the Village office know by Friday, October 21, if
you are interested in contributing. We need to leave enough time for Niagara
Mohawk to install outlets on the poles. Our goal is to light at least
15 decorations.
SPIRITED VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We are already gearing up for next year’s
Corfu Family Day celebration. We are going with a historical theme this
year and have already applied for grant funds to provide for some entertainment
for the event. It is a competitive grant, so there are no guarantees,
but we are keeping our fingers crossed. We are planning the date for Saturday,
August 12, 2006 and are developing a citizen committee, but there is one
thing lacking - VOLUNTEERS. We are only going to meet bimonthly, starting
in November, with monthly meetings as we get closer to the event. This
may sound early, but it is alot less work when we start early and plan
well.
I am looking forward to our upcoming Joint Meeting with the Pembroke Town
Board. This will provide us with an opportunity to get to know what is
happening with each Board. We also hope to find opportunities to save
money by partnering.
We are always happy to see the public at our meetings, so please feel
free to come and learn what is happening in the Village. Who knows, you
might be moved to apply for the position of Trustee that is currently
vacant. The Planning Board is looking for new members as well.
I would like to take a moment to thank our Seasonal Police Officer Richard
Retzlaff for doing an outstanding job while under our employ. Mr Retzlaff
generated record levels of revenue while maintaining the public peace
and keeping our streets safer. Thank you Richard! Job Well Done!
Trustee Glenn Russ
Hi, everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the summer and are ready for fall.
Just a reminder to clean out your gutters and drains. Check sump pumps
for proper clearance of flotation switches, and that they work correctly
and clean out any debris that may lodge or clog up the pump.
We are still working on all the options with the sewer plant and it’s
updates, and on it’s progress with in-house work that VRI is doing.
We have also been attending the Town of Pembroke’s Comprehensive
Planning meetings with the goal of sharing ideas, equipment, manpower
and other joint efforts. We will update you as things progress.
Please congratulate our Seasonal Officer Richard Retzlaff for a job well
done this summer, and for reaching a record high in bringing in revenue
for the Village.
I am working on the budget for next year by going through the same process
in all departments determining what we have, what we need, what we should
have and how and whether we can afford it. Hopefully getting the information
now will ease the unknown factors at budget time. As always, if you have
a concern, idea or have information you would like to share, please let
us know by phone, e-mail or see
us in town.
One last sad note: As most of you know, we lost an icon of the Village
recently. This Board would like to recognize his life and contributions
to the Village as a businessman, fireman, husband, father, grandfather
and friend to all, Frank Doll. He will be sadly missed, and our prayers
go out to all his family.
CORFU FIRE DEPARTMENT NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
The Corfu Fire Department is always looking for new members. In the past
10 years the amount of calls we respond to has increased by 20% and our
membership has declined by 20% in those same 10 years. Fire Departments
in small communities like ours depend on our volunteer firefighters to
protect us and help out in times of need.In the United States there are
31,114 fire departments. 2,028 are paid, 6,450 are a combination of paid
and volunteer members. This leaves 22,636 fire departments that are 100%
volunteer. There is no form of measurement that can adequately capture
the true value volunteers bring to communities like ours.
There are many ways to help out and you can be as involved as you choose
to be. Not every member has to fight fires. Some choose to train as Emergency
Medical Technicians (EMT), Fire Police or help out as a House Person (a
non-emergency responder).
Please consider volunteering with the Corfu Fire Department or your local
department. For more information or a membership application stop by the
Corfu Fire Hall on any Monday night or contact Dean Eck, 2nd Asst. Chief
at (585)599-4123 or Brian Schollard, Firefighter at (585)599-3821.
SEASONAL POLICE OFFICER
HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM AL
In the 1930’s and 40’s, Charles Judd of Corfu had a horse named
“Bob”. “Bob” became known throughout WNY for leading
parades and his clever tricks. When “Bob” died in 1943 he was
buried on Prospect Avenue with several Village residents present. The
following obituary appeared in the Batavia Daily News, July 31,
1943:
THEY BURIED BOB WITH HONORS
Corfu, July 31- “Bob” twenty-nine years of age, a beautiful
dark bay horse, which for about 15 years served on the Mounted Police
Force of Buffalo, died the other day of a heart attack and was given a
fitting burial in a streamlined grave by his master, Pembroke Highway
Superintendent Charles R. Judd. After his retirement from service, the
horse was purchased by Lester Conley of Buffalo with whom he had served.
After unsatisfactorily “farming him out” to various persons,
he decided to dispose of him and called Charles Nehbass of Pembroke. He
knew of Mr. Judd’s love of horses and let Mr. Judd have him. “Bob”
has been seen with his last owner as a mount leading parades at Corfu,
Pembroke, Elba, Batavia, Crittenden, Jamison Rd, Sloan, E. Pembroke, Lockport,
Town Line, Cheektowaga, Alexander and N. Bailey Ave, Buffalo.
The horse is sometimes called “Centennial Bob”, having lead
the Centennial parades in Buffalo and Batavia. One year at the Erie County
Fair at Hamburg he lead the parade down the midway with Mr. Judd following.
Some years ago, when Tom Mix was visiting Buffalo, “Bob” led
his horse up the steps of some Buffalo buildings. The horse was clever
at opening doors and untying knots to free himself.
Don’t forget this year’s Family Day theme is Historical! If
you have any historical artifacts, photos, postcards, letters, anything
you would like to share with fellow residents, we would like to set up
some displays that show what it was like to live in “days gone by”.
Just contact Al Starkweather at 599-4195 or Sandy Thomas
at the Village Office at 599-3327. We would also welcome anyone
who would like to volunteer their time to relate to the younger generation
what Corfu was like in the past. Let’s make the Family days a community
event to remember!
SNOW REMOVAL
Just a reminder that under the law, the removal of snow and ice from the
sidewalks is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. The Village
does try to assist in the removal of snow from the sidewalks, however
this does not reduce the property owner’s responsibility. If everyone
will abide by the following rules, it would facilitate snow removal in
the Village.
SNOW REMOVAL
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Please do not pile snow from driveways onto the sidewalks, particularly after the Village plow has gone through.
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Please remember there is no parking allowed on Village streets between 2:00 am and 6:00 am from November 1st to April 30th. Vehicles in violation will be ticketed and towed.
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Please do not park on sidewalks or block sidewalks.