Dunkirk's Fisher defends work

To the editor:
This is a reply to what went on in the last (Dunkirk) council meeting. I didn’t know I had to be present to keep one of my council members over the water plant from stabbing me in the back during this meeting. I was asked to come up to the water department to try to get it straightened back up. When I came up to help them out, there was 14 leaks running, and was having five to nine leaks per day we were having to deal with.
I am not saying that the workers at the water department was not doing their jobs, because they were. They was just overwhelmed with many leaks and old lines at once. There was between 400,000 and 500,000 gallons of water pumped per day then. Now we are pumping 190,000 to 250,000 gallons per day.
The first year they were trying to get me to take a pay increase for running the water department on top of running the street department. But I did not take this increase because I knew the water department did not have any money. This way I could help us get more parts for new lines. Now I am receiving $100 more per week. This consists of working seven days a week and also on call 24 hours a day. But this is still not good enough for some council members.
Mayor Ron Hunt told me he was tired of seeing yards and streets torn up, and having to go back over and over, putting repair clamps on lines that were worn out. He told me, “the people of Dunkirk deserve more than this, so whatever you need to get the job done, then I want you to do it.” So we have been putting in numerous new lines. This is a process that takes parts and pipe. It also takes help, which I have had a hard time getting the OK for from council members. They only want to hire temporary and train these people while trying to put in new lines. Once you have them trained, they find other employment.
And you know, it seems to me the canine unit is being brought up numerous times. This was voted in by the city council. But apparently they have now changed their minds. And Bobby Johnson that is over the canine dog, he was the mayor’s son-in-law before he ever got elected as mayor. It sounds like this is being blown out of proportion. This is supposed to be a drug dog to keep drugs out of your community. This is not an attack dog.
As far as the street department goes I was using WorkOne workers I applied for at Portland. This did not cost the city one red cent. Now I have a temporary laborer helping us.
The leaves were to be picked up only for two weeks. But being they did not come off the trees soon enough, we have extended it for another week. And the curbs that we have been painting are being done between trimming brush out of alleys, grading alleys, patching holes in the streets, mowing and cleaning up all the vacant properties. Besides, I never got the OK to paint curbs until about five weeks ago.
If I am not doing a good enough job, maybe you all need to hire a water superintendent. Cause now I have things getting under control. I have put in, in two years, somewhere around $400,000 to $500,000 in new lines if a contractor would have been hired to put them in.
Howard A. Fisher, street and
water superintendent,
city of Dunkirk[[In-content Ad]]