Highway Superintendent Andy Slotman and the Town of Orchard Park .............................................. 9 Lots of news, products and services throughout!
NEW YORK STATE STAFF
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The Buffalo Bills are finally getting what fans have long argued they deserve: a modern home to match one of the NFL’s most passionate followings. The new Highmark Stadium, currently under construction in Orchard Park and will be ready for the start of the 2026 season, represents more than just an upgrade — it’s a statement about the future of football in Western New York.
For decades, the Bills have thrived in one of the league’s most oldschool environments. The current stadium, while beloved, reflects a different era of sports economics and fan expectations. The new Highmark Stadium aims to bridge that gap.
However, large-scale stadium projects often rely heavily on taxpayer funding, and this one is no exception. That debate is valid and necessary. Civic pride should never come at the expense of fiscal responsibility, but dismissing the project outright misses the broader cultural impact.
The Bills have been a unifying force across generations in Buffalo, and a new stadium helps ensure the team’s long-term stability in the region, preventing the all-too-common story of relocation that has haunted other cities.
The design choices also signal a respect for tradition. Unlike many recent NFL builds, the new Highmark Stadium will not have a permanent dome. That decision preserves the cold-weather mystique that defines Bills football — snow, wind and all. It’s a nod to the fans who see harsh conditions not as a drawback, but as a badge of honor.
- khogeboom@cegltd.com
PRODUCERS OF THE ANNUAL NEW YORK STATE HIGHWAY & PUBLIC WORKS EXPO Amanda Hogeboom-Guilfoyle: General Manager of the NYS Highway & Public Works Show 518-396-7659 email: aguilfoyle@cegltd.com OCTOBER 28, 2026 • SYRACUSE, NEW YORK
Mailed 11 times a year by name, to every Town, County, Village and City Highway Superintendent, Public Works Director and D.O.T. official in NY State.
Subscriptions are available to all interested persons at a cost of $25.00 per year within the USA. To subscribe, send your check, voucher or money order for $25.00 to the address above. Single issues $3.00 each With the exception of Highway Superintendents, Public Works Directors & D.O.T. Officials, material may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.
Ultimately, the success of this stadium will not be judged solely by architecture or balance sheets, but by experience. The challenge now is execution — financially, structurally and culturally. If done right, the new Highmark Stadium won’t just host games; it will help define the next era of Bills football.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this month’s profile on Andy Slotman, highway superintendent of the town of Orchard Park. Andy mentioned that the stadium brings in 80,000 people on game days — considerably more than the local population. So, certainly with the new stadium, the hype will be even greater. And note that we at Superintendent’s Profile have a tradition of awarding free tickets to a Bills game during the NYS Highway & Public Works Expo, so later this year in October would be a good time to attend for a chance to win. P
Craig Mongeau
HBy Lori Lovely PROFILE CORRESPONDENT
Highway Superintendent Andy Slotman and the Town of Orchard Park
Snow is frequently on the mind of the highway superintendent of the town of Orchard Park — whether that means plowing roads, purchasing new equipment in preparation for the next winter or skiing down the hills at Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville most weekends throughout the winter with his family and friends.
With 106 mi. of paved roads to maintain, Andrew Slotman, the town’s highway superintendent, yearns for a large snowblower — either a loader-mounted blower or a tractor with a blower.
“We’ve talked about it for a couple years, but it’s difficult to budget for,” he said.
Without it, moving a lot of snow can be tough.
“The roads get narrow” when using traditional plows, he said. “We can push the snow, but it falls back. A blower widens the road because
it throws the snow, or you can load it into trucks and haul it away.”
Snow clearing is critical in a town that sees an average of 114 in. of the white stuff each year. The highway department plows 106 centerline mi. owned by the town and 20 mi. for Erie County. This arrangement is a contract between Erie County and the towns within Erie County.
“In total, Orchard Park plows approximately 126 centerline miles with 11 plow routes,” Andy said. “Each of those 11 routes takes about 3-1/2 hours.”
The Orchard Park Parks and Grounds Department provides plowing and ice control for municipal-owned parking lots, using one wheel loader with a snow push box, one pickup truck with a plow and one small dump with a plow and salter.
from page 9
“The most rewarding days are when we get through lake-effect storms,” Andy said. “They’re challenging and stressful.”
He recalls the winter of 2022 when contractors from Rochester helped with snow removal.
“During the cleanup from the 2022 snowstorm, we worked 24 hours a day with the 30 to 40 loaders and trucks.”
Employees and contractors worked 12-hour shifts to cover a 24-hour operation.
“We get lake-effect snow, especially in November,” Andy said. “In 2014, during winter storm Knife, we received over 6 feet of snow over three days.”
In 2022, they got 66 in. of snow in 36 hours. It was challenging to keep
enough fuel available for the week-long, 24-hour cleanup operation.
“We’re better prepared now,” he said.
They are better prepared, thanks to recent completion of a big project: upgrading their fuel facility, which supplies fuel for all the town, fire and EMT vehicles.
“The underground tanks were at the end of their life,” Andy said. “We wanted to get them out before we had contamination issues.”
Once those were removed, the department installed two aboveground tanks: one, a 9,000-gal. tank for diesel; the other, a 9,000-gal. tank for unleaded.
The other large project the highway department recently completed also helps with snow removal: a new salt storage barn.
continued on page 18
When it comes to equipment, Andy takes pride in having updated and modernized inventory.
Andy Slotman poses for a photo behind his highway superintendent election banner with his wife, Michelle, and his sons, Drew (second from L) and Bowen.
Andy Slotman (L) stands with Randy Geitter of the compost facility.
from page 12
“We tore down the old facility,” Andy said. “Our community is growing; there are lots of new residential subdivisions. We have to keep up with the growth.”
Built by Hybrid Building Solutions and Calhoun Superstructure, the new facility is 82 ft. by 100 ft. and made of concrete-poured walls. He estimates capacity at 3,000 tons but thinks he could get 4,000 tons in there.
Career Highlights
It might seem surprising that the Orchard Park native would be thinking about salt storage. Currently in his second term (a three-
year term as New York State aligns future local elections with federal elections), Andy’s career has been filled with unexpected twists and turns.
After graduating from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2000 with a degree in Biology, the once-pre-med student made a choice to work with his father and brother at the family plumbing, heat and excavating business rather than pursue a medical degree.
But his career made another turn in 2008 when he took advantage of an opportunity to become the director of public works of the village of Orchard Park.
“The retiring director reached out,” he said.
continued on page 24
The town board presents the winner of the truck-naming contest, John, with an award. (L-R) are Gene Majchrzak, Julia Mombrea, John Mariano, Scott Honer, Andy Slotman and Joe Liberti.
Andy (not pictured) is an Eagle Scout, as are both of his sons and three brothers, adding up to six Eagle Scouts in two generations of his family.
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With a population of 3,000, the village was a “great place to get started, learn road and utility maintenance.” In addition, he said the “benefits were appealing at a time we were starting a family.”
He married Michelle in 2001. Also born in Orchard Park, she has worked as a designer for a local florist for more than 25 years. The couple now has two sons: Bowen, 20, and Drew, 18 — both off at
Seen here is the highway department’s new salt barn with a couple of snowplows ready to get to work.
The Village, Town, Local Attractions
Orchard Park Village was settled by Quakers in 1803 when Didymus and Phebe Kinney purchased land and built a cabin in the southwest corner of the township. Originally known as Potters Corners, it was incorporated in 1921. The name change resulted from the suggestion of a local schoolteacher, due to an abundance of trees in the area. The village has a higher population density than the surrounding town and
The department is well prepared for fuel, thanks to recent completion of a big project: upgrading its fuel facility, which supplies fuel for all the town, fire and EMT vehicles. At the new fuel island are Andy Slotman (L), highway superintendent, and Christopher Kuhnle, deputy highway superintendent.
Andy Slotman stands in front the Buffalo Bills’ old sta dium.
from page 24
Once a stop on the Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves on their way to Buffalo, Orchard Park today boasts a population of almost 30,000. Located in Erie County, the town is nestled in a hilly area east of Lake Erie.
Local attractions include Chestnut Ridge Park, the first park established by the county in 1926 and the largest park operated by the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry. Its 1,200 acres are suitable for hiking, sledding, toboggan chutes, tennis, disc golfing and snowmobiling. The park is home to the Eternal Flame Falls, a small waterfall containing a natural “eternal flame” — a small cave from which a natural gas flame burns 24 hours a day.
Cattaraugus Rail Trail is converting the railroad into a longitudinal park called “Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail.”
Harry Yates, a local historic figure, donated the property to the town for Yates Park and Green Lake, which is the main focal point of the town’s park system. continued on page 36
New Highmark Stadium is under construction just across the street from the old stadium and is expected to be completed by fall 2026.
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Perhaps the most notable attraction is Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. New Highmark Stadium is currently under construction just across the street and is expected to be completed by fall 2026. Referred to as New Highmark Stadium (colloquially as The Pit), the 62,000-seat stadium will feature 67,000 capacity and will be served by the volunteer fire and EMT service. Andy mentioned that the stadium brings in 80,000 people on game days — considerably more than the local population.
Staff
The population of town employees is divided into departments. There are 27 full-time employees in the highway department, working 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (and on-call) to maintain 107 centerline mi. of road.
The Utility/Special District Department has nine full-time employees, who are responsible for 125 mi. of sanitary sewer pipes and eight sanitary sewer pumping stations. They also are responsible for approximately 125 mi. of pipe and 3,500 catch basins that make up the town’s storm sewer system that is a regulated MS4 with NYS DEC.
The Parks and Grounds Department has five full-time employees and seven seasonal employees, while the composting facility has one full-time employee and three seasonal employees.
Altogether, this accounts for 42 full-time employees and 10 seasonal employees — and the number is expected to grow. One of Andy’s accomplishments is what he calls “the theory of keeping up with community growth.” In the past two years, staff levels have increased.
page 30 continued on page 40
In front of a John Deere wheel loader are Andy Slotman with his two children, Bowen (Bo) and Drew.
from page 36
“We’ve been working with the board on staffing numbers,” he said. “We’re trying to adjust staff levels to meet state requirements and serve the community.”
The town didn’t have an independent, stand-alone, year-round Parks and Grounds Department four years ago. The addition of year-round Parks and Grounds employees has allowed Andy to task them with the winter maintenance of the parking lots.
He anticipates getting a new employee soon due to “quite a few
that supports each other. It’s the mindset that you’re here to help each other. I try to foster, encourage and build a culture of support.”
Department heads include:
• Chris Kuhnle, deputy highway superintendent
• Trevor Crawford, highway department crew chief
• Kevin Masterson, highway department crew chief
• John Blesy, highway department assistant crew chief
• Nick Welch, highway department assistant crew chief
The town didn’t have an independent, stand-alone, year-round Parks and Grounds Department four years ago. continued on
The town of Orchard Park was originally called Ellicott after an early settler, Joseph Ellicott, an agent of the Holland Land Company, but was quickly renamed to East Hamburgh before attaining its present name in 1934.
Building Facilities, Equipment Inventory
In addition to replacing the town’s fuel facility and salt storage building, Andy’s department is busy engineering and designing the replacement of the Henning Drive Bridge.
“The engineering department is taking the lead; they have opened the project to bids,” he said.
The municipal engineer will subcontract out work of completely removing the current bridge and constructing a new one. The construction portion of this project will be completed during the 2027 or 2028 construction season.
In 2026, they are scheduled to replace the Dennis Road Bridge. The engineering department has opened bids this winter and is planning to
award the project in early spring, with the completion date set for fall of 2026.
The town also is in the midst of replacing the Berg Road sanitary sewer pump station. There are two gravity-fed pump stations. Work includes upgrades to the sanitary sewer using a cured-in-place lining program for the underground pipes.
While Andy would like to replace the outdated 21,000-sq.-ft. main garage built in 1959 with a new one, there are budget constraints. The budget is broken down by department:
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The main garage, which includes truck bays, the office and the breakroom, isn’t big enough for all the equipment. Andy keeps the trucks under cover so they’re ready to plow.
The utility department and the parks and grounds department share an 8,000 sq.-ft. building. Both departments use approximately. 4,000 sq. ft. each.
When it comes to equipment, Andy takes pride in having updated and modernized inventory.
“We purchased the right equipment and updated the fleet, he said, but they’ve had some challenges in doing that.
“We try to purchase a new truck or plow every year,” he added.
The department owns 13 — and Andy doesn’t like to let them go past 15 years, but their current oldest truck is 2010 because COVID made it difficult to keep to a schedule.
Snow clearing is critical in a town that sees an average of 114 in. of the white stuff each year. Here, a Windham fire truck helps clear the way during a recent “Snowvember” for Mercy Flight to land at Mac Center.
In front of one of the department’s snowplows (L-R) are Ryan Parker, Mike Carey, two reps from Henderson, Christopher Kuhnle, Andy Slotman, Kevin Masterson and Chase Weber. continued on page 52
DIESEL ENGINES >
Casey’s
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The highway department sponsored a truck-naming contest for its new brush collection truck (grapple truck). The winning name chosen by the town board is “The Claw.” Andy said, “The winner was so excited. We gave him a toy version of the truck he named.” Here, he stands with the winner, John.
from page 48
“We got three trucks last summer. We ordered them in 2022, 2023 and 2024. There was a backlog. It puts stress on the mechanics to keep the equipment working. We have to spend more money on repairs.”
To offset that expense, he said two mechanics do 95 percent of maintenance in-house, saving a substantial amount of money.
“In an effort to make our limited budget go further, we have purchased some quality used vehicles and equipment,” Andy said. “Chris Kuhnle and our mechanics have found and inspected multiple vehicles and pieces of equipment over the last couple years. We have purchased a 2018 Western Star equipped with a Stellar hook lift, an Elgin Pelican Street Sweeper and a John Deere skid steer.”
Best Days, Worst Days … Days Ahead
“I enjoy waking up every day and going to work,” Andy said. “When you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. We try to have a good time at work.”
He enjoys working with local youth groups, who have done two Eagle Scout projects with the town as beneficiary. One project consisted of building a bridge on a walking trail to connect a trail over a waterway. The other involved building an outdoor life-size chess board at the community activity center. He also assisted with a Girl Scout Gold project in which he assisted with the installation of a kayak launch at Green Lake.
continued on page 58
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Highway superintendent Andy Slotman proudly stands in front of his department’s new salt barn.
from page 52
These collaborations hold a special place in his heart because Andy is an Eagle Scout, as are both of his sons and three brothers, adding up to six Eagle Scouts in two generations of his family.
Community service also gets high marks from this superintendent.
“The police sponsor a DARE program,” he said.
They held a “touch a truck” to raise funds, and the Orchard Park highway department joined in by bringing big equipment for the kids to explore.
The highway department sponsored a truck-naming contest for their new brush collection truck (grapple truck). The winning name chosen by the town board is “The Claw.”
Andy said, “The winner was so excited. We gave him a toy version of the truck he named.”
Not one to complain, he doesn’t have a least favorite aspect of his job
— “maybe paperwork.” Nor was he thrilled when he was “stuck battling a snowstorm in a loader when my son left to return to college. It’s hard losing out on family time.”
But the only truly bad day he can recall dates back to his time working for the village.
“I got a call from the police chief,” he said. “The village lost its mayor very suddenly. He was the man who hired me, who gave me a chance.”
Still, he said, “You have to look at the positive side.”
He plans to run for office again when his term expires and hopes to one day retire from this career. “I’m only 48 years old, so I hope to be here a long time.”
In the meantime, he’ll continue to have snow on his mind, for recreation on the slopes and for road clearing on the job. P
(All photos courtesy of the town of Orchard Park highway department.)
