VIDEO: Sunset Grass

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June 29, 2007

By Tasha Kates/katest@gnnewspaper.com The Niagara Gazette Fri Jun 29, 2007, 05:30 PM EDT

TOWN OF LOCKPORT — After a year of waiting, seven homes on Sunset Drive have the greenest right-of-ways around.

Earlier this month, water department crews showed up to dig up about four inches of dirt and failed attempts at grass, add new grass, plant grass seed and covered it with straw.

Resident Lee Smith waited anxiously, but the worry wasn’t necessary.

“The grass started coming up pretty quickly,” he said.

Thousands of the dark green blades seem to signal an end to a years-long fight to return Sunset Drive’s lawns back to their original condition.

The argument over the right-of-ways began when the town installed a new water line along the street. Several landscape companies tried to seed the rectangular patches of dirt, but the plantings never worked.

The landscapers claimed residents like Smith hadn’t watered the grass enough, but a Cornell Cooperative Extension study of the soil showed the top two inches of dirt in the right-of-way had elevated levels of salt. The salt content decreased the deeper the dirt.

Supervisor Marc Smith the runoff from Sunset Drive flows into the right-of-way, taking road salt with it.

“The salt will kill it,” Marc Smith said.

And so began an attempt at compromise. Smith reportedly offered to have the ground tilled and give the residents the seed to plant, but was turned down because at least two neighbors weren’t physically able to plant the grass. The residents countered with a $1,085 estimate to have a landscaper fix the problem, but the town declined.

The residents mentioned it to the Union-Sun & Journal, and the grass quandary was featured in the first “What’s Your Problem?” column in the Aug. 16 edition. No immediate solution was found at that time.

Lee Smith said the Sunset Drive residents talked to the town board in the fall, but they said they would wait until the spring to see what they could do because growing conditions weren’t good yet.

The residents’ new grass is courtesy of the water department, Marc Smith said.

“The water superintendent said it was something he could and should so,” he said. “The water department does an awful lot of that type of work.”

Water Superintendent Ken Banker chose not to comment on this story.

Lee Smith said Banker spoke with residents in the spring about the grass.

“He just said I have good news for you,” he said. “We’re going to take care of this.”

After the town dug up and replanted the grass, residents started watering it. It has been more than two weeks, and some people have already started mowing.

Both Lee Smith and neighbor Tom Nicholson said they were pleased with the town board. Lee Smith, however, said he was disappointed in Marc Smith.

“This could have been taken care of with a minimum of aggravation,” he said. “It just seemed like he wanted to aggravate people and he did.”

Marc Smith said he is glad a solution was found.

“I guess the customer is always right,” he said. “I’m glad the residents got what they wanted. Sorry it took so long.”

Contact reporter Tasha Katesat 439-9222, ext. 6241.

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