Published: November 17, 2009 10:38 pm      

LEGISLATURE: County adds fuel to fire over gas company move

Add Niagara County lawmakers to the list of people who aren’t happy with National Fuel’s plan to close a customer service center on the outskirts of the City of Niagara Falls.

Members of the county Legislature on Tuesday voted unanimously to support a resolution in opposition of the fuel company’s move to shutter its customer assistance center at 6250 Packard Road.

Lawmakers representing the city and the towns of Niagara and Wheatfield spoke out against the gas company’s decision, saying the loss of the center would pose a hardship for many of their constituents, especially those who are elderly or on fixed incomes.

“I understand that they are trying to cut costs, but not at the expense of our seniors and our residents,” said Minority Leader Dennis Virtuoso, D-Niagara Falls.

National Fuel announced earlier this month its decision to close the Packard Road customer assistance center effective Dec. 31 as part of a consolidation of the company’s local operations.

The move would result in all accounts currently being handled at the Packard Road office to be serviced at the next closest customer center at 455 Main St. in the City of Buffalo. In its release announcing the move, National Fuel said it would not affect regular billing or meter-reading activities and customers accustomed to paying their bills at the Falls center could still do so by paying online, enrolling in the company’s automatic withdrawal direct payment plan, pay by mail or by visiting other Western Union or MoneyGram locations were gas bill payments are accepted.

On Monday, members of the Niagara Falls City Council voted in support of a resolution of their own that called on National Fuel to reconsider. The vote came after council members heard from a handful of residents who voiced their displeasure with the company’s decision.

County Legislator Dan Sklarski, D-Town of Niagara, said closing the facility would be harmful to the community and should not be tolerated.

“We need to a send a strong message when it comes to protecting our residents and services that are provided by the utilities that they use every day,” he said.

Chairman Bill Ross, C-Wheatfield, said Mike Casale, the county’s deputy commissioner of business development, would be asked to set up a meeting to discuss the situation with officials from National Fuel. Ross said he would also make a personal telephone call to company representatives.

“I will make my points about the movement of this service headquarters,” Ross said.

In other matters, the Legislature:

• Set a public hearing on the tentative 2010 county budget for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Niagara County Courthouse in Lockport. Also set a public hearing on a proposed countywide Silver Alert system for 6:45 p.m. at the courthouse. The system would aid law enforcement officials in locating lost individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other cognitive disorders.

• Approved a $60,000 settlement with Traci Haner, a female corrections at the county jail who filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the county in federal court.

• Observed a moment of silence for Jonathan Miller, the 17-year-old Lewiston-Porter High School student who lost his life in a car accident Sunday night in the Town of Lewiston.