West Seneca is getting another acre of land for Fireman's Park and losing a building it won't miss. The land is being split off from the vast state property that includes the Western New York Children's Psychiatric Center and used hold an array of mental health operations. Those operations required a lot of staff housing, but many of those buildings are currently empty and deteriorating.
Now, one piece of land on East and West Road will go to the town after the state knocks down the building. State Assemblymember Mickey Kearns says it is a forward step, but Albany has to come up with a plan for the larger site.
Kearns says the town has been working with the state for a resolution about bad buildings and the future of the center.
"Whether it's where the sex offenders were housed or whether it's any property along East and West near the West Seneca Developmental Center that the State of New York has to be accountable and responsible to the people of West Seneca," said Kearns. "They've been good neighbors. They've been responsible with their property. This is a very high end of West Seneca. People pay a lot of taxes there and they deserve the State of New York to take care of their home."
Those sex offenders were only there for two years until Kearns and town officials forced them to move out of the state-owned homes, also left over state housing. Kearns says some of the buildings are worth saving and should be sold off and put on the tax rolls.
"Some of the properties are in excellent shape. Those properties could go to auction and we could have a great outcome and put them back on the tax rolls," Kearns say. "This property here has been abandoned for a number of years. It was a former doctor's office. So, actually, the demolition of this property, that'll be a good thing for the community and the neighborhood."
