Decorative signs standout in the village

Travelers going through the Village of Hamburg may have recently noticed a number of distinguishable characteristics when seeking a certain road or destination site.

That is because nearly two dozen differentiated street signs – located primarily on state roads – have been erected in the past few weeks within the village. Village Board Trustee Paul Gaughan, speaking at Monday’s (April 16) meeting, stated that the 22 signs help set apart the streets as being “of the Village of Hamburg,” stylized with the “H” in Hamburg and showcasing dapper traits.

“(The noted street sign installation) helps distinguish the village,” said Gaughan.

The street sign measure was one of several items of local interest mentioned at the meeting, which included a myriad of recreational and business points. In a move of appreciation, Village of Hamburg Mayor Thomas J. Moses Sr. presented Mike Collins with a Certificate of Recognition for Collins’ six years of service with the village’s traffic safety committee. Collins, who is departing from the committee and being replaced by Julie Hughes, is stepping down from his duties, which included presenting the village board with regular committee updates regarding traffic concerns and other related ideas. Collins also served as a member of a related committee that dealt with issues related to Route 62, presenting citizen updates and concerns with various traffic and project concepts.

“You’ve given a lot of good advice,” Moses said to Collins. “Thanks for a job well done.”

Collins replied to the adulation by stating, “(The committee and village board) worked (effectively) together for six years. That’s the way it should be.”

Among upcoming events, the third annual Hamburg Music Festival was mentioned as a much-anticipated showcase taking place in the village on Saturday, April 28. The event features 12 hours of live music being performed by nearly two dozen bands at 25 village venues. Beginning at The Palace Theatre in the early afternoon with student musician performances, the overall event continues until 11:30 p.m., with a $10 wristband being offered as an entrance to all local venues. Proceeds from the event, which is expected to attract thousands from the Western New York community, will help fund scholarships and grants for local students. Food and various refreshments will also featured as part of the day’s festivities, during which Moses said he expects those attending to act accordingly.

“We ask that (patrons) conduct themselves in a responsible fashion,” said Moses, who described the music festival as an opportunity to promote the talents of the local area.

Moses added that an event that will include a collection of all recyclable electronic items will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 in the parking lot of Evans National Bank, located on Grimsby Drive. The event is free of charge for those who participate from the public. It was stated the village’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, which was directed mainly by the Village of Hamburg Recreation Department, was again a big success, attracting a “huge” turnout with the disspersement of roughly 1,500 pieces of chocolate.

Described as a large-scale active event, the annual Run The ‘Burg For Autism 5-Kilometer Race will take place on Saturday, June 2, beginning and ending at J.P. Fitzgerald’s, located at 4236 Clark Street in Hamburg. At least 1,500 participants are expected to take part in the event, which features a post-race celebration with refreshments and live music at J.P. Fitzgerald’s. Moses said that tweaking to the race is expected to move runners away from McKinley Parkway, with various concerns mentioned about traffic on Buffalo Street.

Also, the 17th Annual Townwide Cleanup, including representatives from and pinpointed areas of the Village of Hamburg, Town of Hamburg and Village of Blasdell, will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 5 beginning at Hamburg Town Hall, located at 6100 South Park Ave.

The cleanup is sponsored as part of the Hamburg Rejuvenation Project and also includes refreshments for participants, with a lunch at noon. Interested individuals are encouraged to call 649-6111.

During business matters Monday, the village board officially moved to adopt an overall property tax levy of $6,130,319 in the Village of Hamburg, accounting for a total appropriated budget of $8,889,480, with $2,759,161 in estimated revenues for the fiscal year beginning June 1, 2012 and ending May 31, 2013. Other board-approved motions included:

• Joseph Kasperek being appointed to a permanent position of laborer-streets in the village’s Department of Public Works, following his six-month probationary period after being hired to the position in October 2011.

• Accepting a revised site plan at the two-story masonry building at 12 Main Street (Kronenberg Building) for exterior and interior renovations that include a light pole being located in the center-south area of the property near the existing utility pole; a dumpster being placed and screened in the northwest corner area; elimination of two parking spaces to accommodate the dumpster placement, leaving 23 spaces and two handicapped spaces; green space being listed in two corners of the parking lot; and a noted 24-foot driveway being maintained to allow for two-way traffic. The site plan is described as having been reviewed and approved by the village’s planning commission.

During committee reports, Village Police Chief Dennis Gleason asked local residents to be cognizant of misbehaving individuals responsible for the spray painting of graffiti on four village buildings during the weekend of April 14 and 15. Gleason mentioned that graffiti-related problems were seen several years ago in the village, trouble the police chief does not want to become an issue again.

“We’d appreciate the public’s help,” Gleason said in regards to the recent spray painting. The phone number for the Hamburg Village Police Department is 649-4501.

The next meeting of the Hamburg Village Board is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 7 at Hamburg Village Hall, located at 100 Main Street.