Former officer Jo Fenske is back on the job part time
LaForge Disposal awarded contract extension
By Andrew Harris
The Monday meeting of the Village of Wellsville board got a lot of big things accomplished. After approving eminent domain action over portions of the “municipal parking lot,” Mayor Shayler and village trustees made two other big decisions.
The first will bring joy to village residents who have recently complained about a lack of code enforcement. It should bring unease to village property owners who are not in compliance with village zoning and building codes. Jo Fenske is experienced and ready to start work on November 1st. Fenske was a village code enforcement officer until her retirement in 2020 and has agreed to return to the job on a part-time basis.
“Jo is very good at this job and comes back to work at a much needed time. The village has some major challenges with our enforcement and Jo will be tackling that work,” explained Mayor Shayler.
Fenske will be joining current code enforcement officer Rich Wenslow, who is also a part-time employee.
In related news, the village will be nominating a new slate of members to the Zoning Appeals Board at the next regular meeting on November 6th.
Mayor Shayler also reported that the village was thrilled to secure a two-year contract extension with LaForge Disposal Service. LaForge has been providing village residents with weekly garbage pickup since 2016 when the village disbanded their municipal garbage service.
The contract extension provides village taxpayers the ability to “lock-in” pricing faced with major concerns about access to landfills. Upstate NY landfills have been filling up and closing down, making disposal more and more expensive. The extension of this contract gives the village some insulation from dramatic price increases.
Mayor Shayler explained why he feels the move was important:
“Since the village has privatized the disposal service and contracted with LaForge we’ve been very happy working with that crew. The village could never provide this service for this price or level of service. It really has been a case study in the benefits of privatizing public services, a big win-win.”
Kevin LaForge, owner of the company bearing his name is happy that the extension has been approved and that village is pleased with the services provided:
“We are proud of the work we do for the village of Wellsville and hope to continue serving residents for many years to come.”
LaForge also provides disposal service to customers outside the village of Wellsville, all of Allegany County, parts of Cattaraugus and Steuben County, and Potter County, Pennsylvania. Visit LaForgeDisposal.com for more information.
