Frustrated with overgrown parks, hazardous street trees, and trash, aldermen handed Mayor John Lombardi III criticism for the unkempt state of the city at this past week’s Common Council work session.
After describing the complaints he received from residents, an exasperated Jon Wiley, 5th Ward alderman, asked Lombardi if he ever drove the city to observe its condition.
Wiley said Joseph Kibler Park remained unmowed with “grass up to knees” until last week and trash was accumulating among tall weeds on the city-owned parking lot between South Street and Elmwood Avenue.
While the grass at Kibler Park had been cut, wood debris and a fallen sapling remained scattered on the driveway Thursday with three-foot ragweed sprouting around the swing set. While Lombardi has referred to Kibler Park as closed since the driveway is blocked to vehicles, it was never submitted to the state for park alienation, which is required to close it. Without that process, the park remains the city’s responsibility to maintain for taxpayer use.
Wiley told Lombardi Wednesday that he had walked the Elmwood Avenue parking lot and found beer bottles, used needles, and various broken items.
When asked following the meeting if maintaining the Elmwood parking lot was a secondary matter for the city, Lombardi replied, “No. It’s city property and we maintain it.”
On Thursday, the Union Sun found the parking lot in the same neglected condition as it was photographed in September. The same discarded plastic tarp found last year remains on the pavement, shredding in the weather.
While Lombardi has spoken frequently of the work done by a team of volunteers to weed and restore the city’s flower beds, including Ida Fritz Park, he has not provided information about addressing neglected city property that is the responsibility of paid employees. Lombardi told aldermen Wednesday that he meets with Clayton Dimmick, director of highways, parks and water distribution, every day, but it was unclear why he could not answer questions about maintenance based on those meetings.
“That’s a big area,” Wiley said of the two-acre parking lot. “We focus on a little property to beautify it. I don’t understand what’s a priority to do. It’s a big eyesore.”
Wiley complained that residents face code enforcement penalties when they fail to maintain their lots, but the city’s property increasingly doesn’t meet those standards.
“I sit here and say this is not a problem that’s just started.” To Lombardi, Wiley asked, “When you go around Lockport, do you really drive your city? It looks like (expletive). Point blank. We’re supposed to have code for people to mow lawns. … What do we want the city to look like? Do we know?”
Marcus Wyche, 2nd Ward alderman, told the council that he had reviewed job specifications for public works employees, and found that certain responsibilities were not being fulfilled.
“The job specs — they’re not being done,” he said. “Who’s auditing it?”
Kevin Kirchberger, alderman at large, told the council that he learned that three of the city’s lawn mowers had been out of service for two months.
“We have mechanics, and they can fix the fire trucks,” Kirchberger said. “Why aren’t they fixing these?”
“Why wasn’t this being tracked?” Wyche asked Lombardi.
Kirchberger said recently he had been contacted by a Niagara Street resident about a hazardous tree repeatedly submitted to the city for cutting since 2021. Kirchberger said he had reviewed multiple documents filed with the city about the tree, which had cracked limbs.
Lombardi asked about the documentation, to which Emily Stoddard, city clerk, responded that all correspondence is attached to the bi-monthly council meeting packet he receives.
Monday, Kirchberger said the tree was removed by the city.
In an interview, Wyche said of the council’s relationship to the mayor, “We were voted in to do the right thing and make sure it’s done correctly. When we’re hearing from constituents, we need to let him know, so he can do something about it. If he does know it, shame on him.”