Amherst, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Town of Amherst held a public hearing Tuesday night to discuss the sale of the former Westwood Country Club for $1 to Erie County. Many protesters outside of the Amherst Municipal Building on Main Street in Williamsville voiced their disagreement with the sale.
Amherst Republican Jay DiPasquale feels the town should not be handing the property to Erie County for just $1. He believes the sale would take away the home rule authority, allowing the county to do whatever they want to with the land.
"The majority of the people that we have all talked to for literally years now say that, no, it should remain as a town asset," DiPasquale said. "It should not be handed over to the county. Sure, selling it for $1 is one issue. But that's not the only issue. The other issue is giving up our Home Rule Authority. We're going to have the county own a piece of property like that, and they can do whatever they want to with it, and the town will have no voice in it."
Linda Gianturco has been a Town of Amherst resident since 1998. She feels taxpayers do not have a voice on the matter.
"I don't know we should sell it. I think we should turn it into a mixed-use golf course, and many other things that families can use," Gianturco said. "We're trying to bring families to Amherst."
Amherst Town Supervisor Brian Kulpa says the county wants to put capital into the land, when asked why they would sell it for just $1.
"It's not an issue of sell it to the county for $1. If there's any transfer to the county, there has to be a stipulated sum," Kulpa said before Tuesday's town hall meeting. "So the idea here is the county says, 'Hey, we want to put capital into this land.' In order for us to put capital into it, we have to own it. That's the same as any state grant."
Liz Burakowski, director of special projects for the Town of Amherst says the country club being sold for $1 is not what is happening. She explains that Erie County will be allocating $6.7 million for capital improvements to the club house, along with the cart path.
"The county plans to spend approximately $1 million a year staffing and operating the park," Burakowski said. "That is a cost that will be avoided by the town because of this transfer."