David R. Roefaro, Mayor

City of Utica, New York

         It was a CONCEPT, not a VICIOUS circle

On June 4, 2008 The Observer Dispatch authored an editorial in which it urged my administration not to move the Oneida Square monument. They cited incorrect information, and presented an unfair tone, which mislead readers to believe that money for this proposed project came at the expense of paving city streets. Those assumptions are false. 

In the editorial, the Observer Dispatch alleged that I failed to provide the costs associated with this project. Let me be clear - this is just one version of a preliminary, conceptual design which we are in the process of working on with the New York State Department of Transportation. There are no cost projections yet, because there is no finalized project. This is a smaller part of the overall arterial re-design, which must also address access roads and connecting streets to the north bound arterial.

Should this plan, or a version of it, become a reality, Utica will receive federal and state funding. These monies can only be spent on specific projects, and this pool of funding CANNOT be used for street paving. However, those same federal funds can be spent on traffic lights, and the issues associated with them. I know first hand that we have to do something about all of the traffic lights in our city, especially on Genesee Street. This conceptual plan is just one option to address part of this concern at Oneida Square.

The paving of our city streets this season is an entirely separate issue that has nothing to do with the roundabout. My administration has already allocated $2 million dollars for this season's paving job, and we will do so next year as well. I support this because our streets are in the worst shape that they have ever been. Please remember, we inherited a crumbling infrastructure, and we're working hard to fix it. In fact, it is important to note that my administration is overseeing the quality of work performed by those who pave in our city as well. We are using an independent firm to monitor the work, and we have inspectors at the job site.

The Observer Dispatch had no concrete information about the Oneida Square proposal, because there isn't any information yet. Yet, they publicly took a stand. This does a grave disservice to all of us. As your Mayor, I will always include you, the taxpayers and citizens, in everything that involves our city. Please do not let ill-informed gossip misguide you. If you want the facts, or you have a question about anything that I or my administration is doing, just call us. My office not only wants to talk to you directly, we prefer it.

Submitted: David R. Roefaro, Mayor

Questions: Angelo Roefaro, Public Relations