Published: June 11, 2008 08:46 pm      

LEWISTON: Landfill magnate Steve Washuta passes away

Steve Washuta founded company in the 1960s

Steve J. Washuta, who came to area in the 1950s to work on the Niagara Power Project and ended up founding a multi-million dollar business in Lewiston, died Tuesday at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital. He was 75 years old.

As owner of Modern Landfill, Washuta presided over a number of hard-fought expansions at his Model City facility and gained a reputation for being a generous community philanthropist. He was an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Lewiston for 45 years.

“He believed strongly in servicing his community, not only as a businessman but also as someone who gave back,” said Gary Smith, Modern’s chief operating officer. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a group that he hasn’t contributed through his efforts or financial support.”

Smith also pointed out Modern’s financial impact on the community, employing over 700 people, many of them based in Lewiston.

“He treated employees the way he’d want to be treated and had a rare respect for the people who worked for him,” Smith said. “People in turn respected him for that.”

From 1992-95, Washuta was the subject of a well-publicized run-in with the law. He was arrested on bribery charges in May 1992 and later indicted on federal racketeering charges for bribing the Lewiston town attorney at the time, Edward Jesella, who was acting as a government witness.

The bribe attempt was given to Jesella to share with two town board members at the time to influence their support of a proposed Modern expansion and to settle several related lawsuits. In March 1995, Washuta pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a $1.2 million penalty. Because of a heart condition, he was spared possible heavier penalties and sentenced to six months of home arrest.

A number of high-profile community members spoke glowingly of Washuta on Wednesday, praising his character, business acumen and willingness to give to the community.

“He was a very giving guy and a nice man and we’re going to miss Steve,” said Village of Lewiston Mayor Richard Soluri, who called Washuta “a very dear friend.” Soluri sold insurance to Modern for 17 years before Soluri retired and they were fellow Kiwanians.

Washuta founded Modern in 1964 and began a small landfill in 1968, which he later moved and expanded to its present site. The company was incorporated in 1979 and has since obtained several permit expansions — often in the face of community unrest. Based on its current permits and the rate it accepts garbage, the landfill is expected to close in 2033. His wife, Sonia, son, Richard, and daughter, Lorie, now run the family business.

“Nobody wants a landfill, but I think we’re pretty fair,” Washuta told the Niagara Gazette in a interview in 1991. “We’re not the bad guys.”

Sandra Hays Mies, president of the Lower Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce, said businesses in the whole lower river region, not just Lewiston, benefited from his generous donations.

“Any one of our organizations in the greater Lewiston region can pick up the phone and call Modern and they’re right there,” Hays Mies said. “That’s the example that Steve has set.”

Washuta was also a longtime member of the Mount St. Mary’s Hospital Board of Associates. He donated the land that is now Washuta Park and was also a member of the Lower Niagara Moose Lodge 584. Among the endeavors he supported were Artpark, the Arthritis Foundation of Western New York, Lewiston Fire Company No. 1, Upper Mountain Fire Company, the Youngstown Recreational Department and Youngstown Veterans Park.

On Wednesday, many of his fellow Kiwanians convened for one of the organization’s biggest events, the annual Clam Bake. Washuta, traditionally heavily involved in the event, had been the honorary chairman each year for the past decade.

Thomas Baia Sr., a Kiwanian and friend of Washuta’s, spoke from the event: “There’s a little bit of a damper on the thing, especially for the people who knew him and worked for him. He was a large part of our community. A very generous person.”