For a few years, residents living along Route 38, from the Port Byron village line south to South Street have been experiencing bad and basically unusable water from a 50-plus-year-old water main.

The pipe line that used to supply water from Auburn to Port Byron was replaced by a new line which follows South Street when the Water and Sewer Authority extended the line to Route 31 and Brutus. But the old line was left in place to continue service to the homes along Route 38.

The Cayuga County Planning Department has been seeking funds to replace the line, but has run into a series of problems with its applications to the state.

Tricia Ottley Ritter from the planning department has asked the town to consider creating a separate water district for this section of water line, a move that she feels will place the request for funds in a more favorable light. Residents along the line will need to formally petition the town and request that a water district be created.

And two public meetings must be held to allow for public comment. Because the next round of funding has a deadline in early April, things must move quickly.

The town plans to hold two public hearings.

The Port Byron High School Drama Club will be presenting “A Little Shop of Horrors” 7 p.m. March 16, 17 and 18. The club members have been working very hard on what Drama Director Joni Lincoln has called a very challenging play to put on and produce. It should be exciting to see.

Tickets will be available at the door. There is a caution that this play might not be suitable for younger children.

This writer, under the guise of the Port Byron Revitalization Committee, has been creating a community Arts and Culture Calendar (any non-governmental related event). I will make copies available to the local churches and usual bulletin boards around the village. I have been surprised to see how much goes on in a small community.

If your organization is planning on hosting a benefit or fundraiser, you may wish to check and ensure that you are not in competition with another local event. Plus I would like to include it on the calendar so others don't “compete” with your event. Feel free to contact me at mmriley@tds.net. I will be happy to e-mail you a copy, as long as you can receive and open excel files.

Remember to return your community planning surveys. Your opinion matters to the members of the Comprehensive Planning Committee. The town residents should be receiving their surveys soon.

Do you have a drawer full of old pictures of friends and family taken around the village or town? If you do, the Revitalization Committee and the Lock 52 Historical Society wants you to dig them out and bring them down the Mentz Town Office on May 6.

We will be attempting to create a digital photo album of the community, hopefully showing the community throughout the past 50 or 60 years. For instance, I have never seen pictures of the Labor Day storm, but I am willing to bet that many residents have a bunch of photos documenting the damage.

I am also willing to bet that many have photos of old stores, homes, streets and people that no longer are around.

The photos will be scanned and returned to you that day. There is no need to leave them. So dig out those long lost photographs; relive and reflect on what once was, and then share them with the rest of us.

Mike Riley lives and writes from Port Byron