You could say streets in Niagara Falls are being paved with casino money. Mayor Paul Dyster says he will ask the City Council to approve a second round of street re-paving projects now that a deal has been reached between the state and the Seneca Nation of Indians over the operation of the tribe's three Western New York casinos.
The agreement announced last week means $89-million in slot machine revenue for Niagara Falls.
Dyster says the city has been forced to limit road projects in recent years because of a lack of casino money.
"Where we have deferred maintenance that needs to get done before the snow flies, we need to move quickly in order to start replenishing accounts that were depleted by the casino crisis," Dyster said.
Dyster says the re-paving work also provides badly needed jobs.
"This also provides employment to people, seasonal employment. If we can do all these other good things and then give somebody a pay check with casino money, not tax money, but casino money...why wouldn't we do that," Dyster said.
Dyster says once the casino money is received, the city will also repay its general fund nearly $23 million.