Getting All Geared Up
Getting All Geared Up
Ellicottville DPW Receives Grant for New Equiptment
Mark Chudy DPW supervisor (Left) with Caleb Rinko DPW laborer, standing in front of their new 2023 International dump truck. Photo / Mark Chudy
Have you ever walked around Ellicottville and thought about how nice our roads and sidewalks are compared to other places? I mean, head out of the 14731 and some towns and cities (not naming anywhere specific) have potholes that will eat your car. We are fortunate to have an excellent Department of Public Works (DPW) team to keep things safe for our community members, walking or driving. But what about their safety?
The DPW relies heavily on its equipment for their crews. Things like safety vests and hard hats for the members, traffic cones and signs, etc. These are all necessary and unfortunately very expensive to replace. Luckily, the Ellicottville DPW was chosen to receive a grant to help.
Mark Chudy, the Department of Public Works Supervisor, said they first heard about the grant opportunity last October in Lake George during the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM). The week after, he contacted the Cornell Local Roads Program in Ithaca and filled out an application. It took six long months of waiting before they found out that their application was accepted and that they were receiving a grant.
Said grant went a long ways to increasing the DPW’s equipment supply. “The Village DPW received class 2 safety vests, hard hats, two 18-inch stop/slow paddles, six 36-inch rollup signs and bases, and twenty 28-inch cones,” said Chudy. “All that adds up to about $2,000 dollars. We now are more than able to outfit our road crews.”
When asked why receiving this grant was so important to the department, Chudy answered, “Our crews are out all hours and in all conditions. Many times visibility is poor. The reflective vests help our crews stand out and the signage lets motorists know roadwork is happening ahead of them. These items help keep everyone safe and the work going smoothly.”
And the work going smoothly is a good thing, since the DPW has a lot of plans for the rest of 2023. This fall they will replace some damaged sidewalks, repave Elizabeth Street, get Fall Festival signage in place and of course prepare the plows and salt trucks for the winter season.
“We are very happy to be able to not only equip our team but to also provide the best work for the Village we can safely,” Chudy spoke candidly. “We want to keep our roads easy to maneuver, our sidewalks smooth and our community members happy.”
So next time you are out and about around Ellicottville, if you happen to see any of our DPW crews, give them a wave. ellicottvilleNOW would like to say, “Thank you Mark and the entire Ellicottville DPW team for all the hard work that you do throughout the year. And congratulations on receiving the grant!”
