Concerned merchants address village officials about proposed road work

Concerned merchants address village officials about proposed road work

Downtown Brockport merchant Anthony Peone has been requesting action from the village board on the formation of a committee to address proposed Main Street reconstruction. At the October 2 board meeting he presented village officials with a petition listing signatures of merchants on Main Street from State Street to Ryan's Big M. "We are the group that will be sacrificing our livelihood for this project," he said.

Peone is the owner of Brockport Computer and has been spearheading a merchant's group to address the issues that will arise with the reconstruction of Main Street by the NYS Department of Transportation. During the construction it has been said there will be alternating traffic on Main Street while the road surface and water and sanitary sewer lines are replaced.

According to Ian Coyle, village manager of the Village of Brockport, the DOT plans to commence work in the summer of 2007 or spring of 2008. The village board decided to put together a committee of a dozen individuals to serve on a Main Street Rehabilitation Committee. "Overtures have been made to the various groups and individuals that board would like to serve," Coyle stated prior to the meeting.

Membership is to include representatives from the SUNY College at Brockport, the Brockport Central School District Transportation Department, Village Planning and Historic Preservation Board, a Town of Sweden elected official that lives in the village, a Walk! Bike! Brockport Action group member who lives in the village; a Brockport merchant/small business owner north of the canal and one south of the canal; a Chamber of Commerce member; a Main Street and non-Main Street resident, and the Town of Sweden highway department superintendent.

Peone said, "We feel that more than half of the committee the village is putting together should be comprised of Main Street business people."

Coyle said the village board hopes the membership on the proposed committee will provide "community insight and ideas" regarding the project as it moves forward. "Village officials, including representatives from administration, public works, police and fire departments will be available upon request to serve in an advisory capacity to this committee," he said.

The committee will be further broken down into a three-tiered subcommittee composed of: transportation/logistics/safety; marketing/business planning and design/conceptual planning.

Individuals interested in serving on the committee can contact Coyle or Trustee Carrie Maziarz at the village hall at 637-5300.