By Dennis Phillips
CELORON - There is no controversy this time as Celoron will be changing its code enforcement officer, again.
The Celoron Village Board has appointed Frank Fonti as the new code enforcement officer. Fonti has been the code officer for the village of Falconer. Now his services will be shared between the two villages.
''We are lucky to have him,'' said John Keeney, Celoron mayor. ''He is very knowledgeable and experienced... a perfect fit for the village.''
Keeney said former code enforcement officer Terrilyn LaRose had received a full-time job in Dunkirk, which is why the position was vacant.
The last time there was a change in code officers in the village, it came with a lawsuit and two court rulings. In August 2009, Keeney had appointed Ms. LaRose as code officer while removing Rick Slagle from the position.
Slagle then followed by suing the village and the mayor for wrongful termination.
A judgment in November 2009 in state Supreme Court ruled that Keeney and the village were wrong when they removed Slagle from the position.
However, that decision was then overruled in May by the Fourth Judicial Appellate Division that ruled the termination of Slagle was not done illegally.
In other business, the village has formed a committee and has sent a letter to town of Ellicott officials in hopes of opening a dialogue on sharing services. Keeney said some services are shared now, like a substation for the police department and assisting the town with dog license collection.
However, Keeney said the two municipalities should work together to find more activities that possibly could be shared.
''We want to investigate areas to end the duplication of services when possible,'' he said. ''Hopefully, we can share services to reduce taxes. I don't know the answer or if there are any answers.''
Keeney said drainage problems have hopefully been fixed at the corner of Jackson Avenue and Duquesne Street. He said after initial rains this spring, drainage problems occurred at the corner.
The village then put in a new pipe to alleviate the problem. Keeney said after the latest rain storms, last month during the weekend of the tornado that hit the Mayville and Randolph areas, there was no drainage problem.
Six new barbecue grills will be placed in Lucille Ball Memorial Park. The village has also added new signs to the park and renovated the pavilion this summer as well.
''I think it is important to improve the park, to make it better so people can enjoy the beauty of the park when they come to visit,'' Keeney said.
There will be a community picnic in the park on Sept. 6.