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Guest Column: Mayor Keith T. Pierce “Looking back, moving ahead” ODESSA, Oct. 24 -- I know what you've been thinking: Where is the next article from the Mayor? I must have written this article over and over in my head a thousand times. There have been a vast number of various versions of it depending on what day of the week it was. There have been two board meetings since the last article -- meetings where I was informed that I was "the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to the Village of Odessa." Yes, ever! On those nights I knew exactly what I was going to write in this article! Thank God, as they say, with age comes wisdom! So even on those nights, and with pressure from the fine publisher of this page, I waited until the time was right. What I decided was there was never going to be a "right time." The other thing I decided was that if I didn't get it all out of my system, the only people that would suffer were my friends and family that were having to live with my increasingly short temper and bad moods. I knew I could handle it one of two ways. I could behave negatively in response to the small group of detractors in the village, or, as I have always tried to do, I could be positive and reinforce the good things that are happening here. Even though my first and strongest feeling was to react to those who chose to berate me, I know that the only thing to do is go forward with all that is positive and try to get this village past the sad events of this past summer. With that in mind, there is one aspect that needs comment,
and it will be my last one about those events. To those who wish to somehow
blame the Odessa Fire Department for what took place this year, I suggest
you reconsider. Don't rely on the word of someone from outside the department.
Not one person to my knowledge has ever gone to one of the Odessa Fire
Chiefs and asked for their version of events. These hard-working volunteers
will be the first ones to your door if you are sick or if, God forbid,
you are stuck in your burning house. They won't stop to think "these
people don't like us; I don't think I will answer that call." Not
one person involved in these events went into it to ruin a man's life.
We went into it to do what was best for the Village of Odessa. Enough
said, end of story. The next positive news concerns the legendary pedestrian
bridge. Let me say this: We were so close! The board voted to accept a
bid from Blades construction to remove said bridge; it was finally going
to happen! Then the fish stepped in! They said "we spawn in these
waters; you can't do that now!" So, we can not be in the creek until
after May 1st. (It was the DEC and the County Soil and Conservation that
said that, not really the fish!) I do wonder, though, what the powers
that be will do about the chunks of concrete and rusted steel that are
continually falling down into the water. I guess those don't harm the
spawning fish? My other thought is what happens if one of those young
ones that still choose to walk over that bridge -- even though it is blocked
off and is clearly marked not to use -- falls down into that creek (about
20-25 feet). Can you sense my disappointment with this issue? That bridge
has been closed to traffic since 1934. In 1994 we had a quote of about
$25,000 to take it out. The quote from Blades Construction this time was
roughly $13,000. Think it will still be that good a price in May? I am
beginning to see why this hasn't been able to be done over the last 50
or so years! E-mail: villageofodessa@stny.rr.com Photo in text: Mayor Keith T. Pierce
Village Board membersPictured below, from left: Mayor Keith Pierce and Village Board Trustees Peggy Tomassi, Rita Decker, Robin Thoman and Shawn Crane..
Mayor: Keith Pierce Trustees: Rita Decker, Peggy Tomassi, Robin Thoman, Shawn Crane Village Clerk: Kristi Pierce, 300 E. Main St., Odessa, 594-2100 Deputy Clerk: Kay Collins, 300 E. Main St., Odessa, 594-2100 Department of Public Works: Vacant Municipal Building: 300 E. Main St., Odessa, 594-3792 Dutton S. Peterson Memorial Library: 106 First St., Odessa, 5942791
Schuyler County OfficialsLegislature Members:Top row (from left): Thomas Gifford, Delmar Bleiler, Doris Karius, Glenn LarisonBottom row: Michael A. Yuhasz, Dennis Fagan, Paul Marcellus, Stewart FieldLegislature Chairman Thomas M. Gifford, 535-9517 Legislature Members: Michael A. Yuhasz, 535-4967 Doris L. Karius, 546-5544 Delmar F. Bleiler Jr., 594-3437 Glenn R. Larison, 594-3385 Dennis Fagan, Tyrone Paul Marcellus, Watkins Glen Stewart Field, Reading Center County Clerk: Linda Compton, 535-8133 Sheriff: William Yessman, 535-8222 Undersheriff: Breck Spaulding, 535-8222 County Treasurer: Margaret Starbuck, 535-8181 District Attorney: Joseph Fazzary, 535-8383
State, Federal Officials for Schuyler CountySen. Charles E. Schumer United States Senate United States Senate U.S. Rep. Eric Massa United States House of Representatives State Senator George H. Winner, Jr. -- Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Yates, western Tompkins, Enfield, Ithaca (Town and City), Newfield, Ulysses(Trumansburg) Room 415, Legislative Office Building Assemblyman Tom O’Mara
-- Chemung, Schuyler, Tioga Assemblyman James G. Bacalles
-- Steuben, Yates
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Charles Haeffner P.O. Box 365 Odessa, New York 14869
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