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Facilities director urges replacement of aging trucks, seeks modest shelter fee increase
Summary
Facilities Department head Mark Mez told the board his crew is operating with worn vehicles and recommended modest fee increases for park shelter rentals while noting recent small capital successes at Lawson Park and larger needs for HVAC and rink maintenance.
Mark Mez, director of the Cheektowaga Facilities Department, told the Town Board he is managing a 19‑vehicle fleet with several trucks dating to 2008 and warned that “any one of these trucks could fail at any time.”
Mez said facilities oversees 19 town parks, three pools and a broad set of buildings and grounds, and that modest procurement and contract changes have already generated savings — for example, lower carpet‑rental and porta‑john costs. He described completed capital work at Lawson Park (new comfort stations) and said the department continues negotiations on a multi‑year HVAC contract.
Mez recommended the board consider an increase in shelter rental fees (shelters without electricity currently rent at $40 and with electricity at $50) and reported that shelter rentals produced roughly $33,052 in revenue during 2025 from 646 rentals. He asked the board to consider raising rates to match comparable towns that charge up to $95 per shelter without electricity.
Mez also described an urgent fleet maintenance need: multiple parks trucks are more than a decade old and several are heavily worn from frequent short‑distance use. He asked the board to authorize at least one replacement vehicle this year, noting a plan to rotate newer trucks through the fleet and auction the oldest vehicles to stretch the capital investment.
On the ice rink, Mez said the roof and RTU units are in poor condition and that the department is seeking quotes and exploring grant support and contract options for complex repairs. He asked the board to weigh modest fee increases and a targeted, phased equipment replacement plan rather than across‑the‑board service cuts.
The board did not vote on any facilities capital purchases during the hearing; Mez said he will follow up with detailed fleet and HVAC quotes for future consideration.
