Late budget shuts down 190 construction

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The late budget means dozens of state parks remain closed, and has now forced a local construction company to bring its projects to a halt.

DiPizio Construction is halting work on road projects because New York State is no longer paying on time because of its budget crisis.

Roseanne DiPizio of DiPizio Construction said, "We found that right now there is no emergency spending appropriations so that we would get paid and, in fact, our checks were not cut last week as we expected them to be."

With contractors like DiPizio pulling out, construction delays could cost the state, already sinking in financial problems, even more money to complete the projects.

Senator Antoine Thompson said, "They will get interest payments, which is the part that doesn't make sense why the Governor isn't paying some of these folks."

Foreman Mark Kupco said, "It means that my family is going to struggle. Bottom line."

For people who work on these projects, their patience is being tested.

"This is when we work. This is when we fill our pockets and our bankbooks. We get ready for the coming year, for the winter. Winter is always a hardship in this business," said Kupco.

Many taxpayers are dealing with a different kind of hardship: the closure of 55 state parks. The budget-related move isn't popular with people fed up with politics.

Senator Michael Ranzenhofer said, "There was movement here in Albany around 7:30 with negotiations going on where they were going to take $6 million and use it for the parks. Instead, the Governor insisted they take over $100 million from the Environmental Protection Fund."

"I believe that if the Governor wants to open the parks, he can open them today," said Sen. Thompson.