BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown sat down with News 4’s Kelsey Anderson on Wednesday to discuss the city’s plan for pool openings and usage this summer.
Brown said all of their available pools will be open for the summer, including five outdoor pools and two indoor pools.
Anderson mentioned lifeguard shortages the city has had in previous years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown said the city has been working on this issue, along with pool closures, year-round.
“We have more than 110 applications for lifeguards, so we will have more than enough lifeguards this year,” Brown said.
Anderson and Brown also discussed the city’s 40,000 lead lines that need to be replaced, which would cost nearly $500 million to finish.
Buffalo started the project a few years ago with their ROLL (Replacing Old Lead Lines) Program, Brown said.
“The city has spent nearly $30 million replacing about 2,400 lead lines at this point,” he said. “This can’t be done without federal and state assistance. We’re going to need assistance from the federal government and the state government, as are municipalities all across the state and the country.”
Brown shared his thoughts on the discussion of Buffalo bars closing at 2 a.m. instead of 4 a.m. following recent shootings, saying the decision is up to the bar owners themselves. He went onto say that he supports business owners in making either choice.
This construction season, $30 million is going toward residential paving. Brown said the city will be working in every city council district.
“We will be in all of the residential areas and we will be repaving streets, and also, in some areas, replacing sidewalks,” he said. “That is in addition to our business paving that will happen in the commercial areas of our city.”
If an area hasn’t been paved yet, Brown encouraged residents to call 311, the city’s Call and Resolution Line, or the Department of Public Works.
Watch the full Ask the Mayor interview in the video player above.
Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here.