By Melanie Brittain

Mayor Byron W. Brown announced a new plan to have Buffalo’s notorious potholes fixed within 24 hours.

            The 24 hour Pothole Guarantee city initiative intends to fix the potholes in Buffalo streets caused by winter weather. According to the plan, Buffalonians would be able to phone the Call and Resolution Center and within 24 hours one of the seven crews will come and examine the hole and fix it. If the pothole is colossal, Brown promises its repair in 48 hours. The mayor said additional crews may be added if needed.

“Without the potholes in Buffalo it will seem like a much cleaner, inviting city and not look so run down,” said Buffalo State College student Tiana Hoffman, 19. “It could be a step toward making Buffalo a better, more attractive place to live or visit,” she said.

Common Council member Joe Golombek Jr. said the mayor is trying to focus on the little things that aggravate people in Buffalo. He cited garbage removal and missing blue garbage bins as another major complaint in his district, North District that includes Buffalo State College.

Golombek said that a lot of this depends on Buffalonians.

“We very much do need community involvement to have a successful city. We need to have as much community involvement as possible,” he said.

The mayor said his plan is important.

“Potholes can cause serious problems in the winter, such as accidents and damage vehicles,” Brown said in a press release. “My administration continues to focus on the ‘little things’ that improve the quality of life for our residents and that is why this program is so critical.”

The Department of Public Works recognizes 696 potholes in the city, including 61 in the North District that includes Buffalo State College. The DPW claims to have repaired 8.8 percent in the area around the college.

 “The mayor’s plan to fix potholes within 24 hours sounds like a great plan, but it seems like the call volume would be larger than the city could fix in 24 hours,” said Jacquie Schumann, 19, a Buffalo State student.

The support for the proposed plan seemed universal among Buffalo State College students.

“I think the plan that Brown proposed is a good efficient plan to fix the potholes. It shows attentiveness. It is unsafe to have holes in our roads,” said Buffalo State student Jenn Oswald, 18.

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