South Buffalo Blogger

I received a press release in my inbox yesterday. I know the repave project has been put off yet another year for Seneca Street, but reading this comment emailed to me…. I can’t help but to wonder why South Buffalo has become less important.

“Infrastructure investments provide neighborhood enhancements from the ground up,” said Congressman Brian Higgins, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who secured $800,000 in federal funding for the reconstruction of Route 62. “This project, which includes roundabouts and streetscape improvements, will provide for better traffic flow and draw new economic activity to Hamburg’s central business district.”

Neighborhood enhancements and new economic activity? Isn’t that what South Buffalo needs too?

I thought about how shameful politics can be to a neighborhood in distress. It’s become apparent that South Buffalo isn’t worthy enough for the two million-dollar promise for a street repave (and other enhancements), at least we now know that Hamburg gets a ribbon-cutting ceremony and plenty of fanfare on a perfect grandstand just 5 days before Election Day.

If only South Buffalo was important too …..

Discussion Focuses on Future of the Intermunicipal Parks Agreement

Buffalo, NY – South District Councilmember Michael P. Kearns, Chairman of the Common Council’s Finance Committee, held a special meeting on October 29, 2008, to discuss the City of Buffalo’s Intermunicipal Cooperation Agreement with Erie County for the operation, management and maintenance of City Parklands. Councilmember Kearns called the meeting in order to begin “cooperative discussion about this cooperative agreement,” and was joined in attendance by Lovejoy District Councilmember Richard A. Fontana, Fillmore District Councilmember and Council President David A. Franczyk, Delaware District Councilmember Michael J. LoCurto, Niagara District Councilmember David A. Rivera and Masten District Councilmember Demone A. Smith, and representatives from the City’s Law Department and Comptroller’s Office. The discussion centered around a letter supposedly received by Mayor Byron W. Brown on June 13th, in which County Executive Chris Collins gave notice of his intention to terminate the Parks Agreement June 30, 2009.

Council President Franczyk questioned whether a letter from the County Executive could serve as “proper notice,” or if the approval of the County Legislature was needed. According to the terms of the Agreement, a Transition Committee would need to be formed within thirty days of receipt of such notice, which has not been done.

Councilmember Smith, who chaired the Erie County Finance Committee in 2004 when the City agreement was entered into, commented that two committees were supposed to have been created under the Agreement but never were. These committees, the Oversight Committee and the Capital Improvement Committee, were meant to be composed of representatives from the City and the County and could have acted as a watchdog to make sure the two sides fulfilled their responsibilities. The current agreement calls for the County to provide for the operation and management of the parks, while the City is to provide capital improvements. Smith expressed optimism however, that an opportunity still exists to fix the agreement’s shortcomings.

The Councilmembers agreed that the meeting was a good start for continued discussion and will schedule a series of workshops to investigate budget issues regarding the operation, management and maintenance of the parks.

Councilmember Michael P. Kearns and his South Buffalo Neighborhood Accountability Board (NAB) have made notable progress on the housing front during the past several weeks. For starters the NAB followed up with the over 500 problem properties that Kearns, Housing Liaison Matt Fisher and a group of volunteers identified in March of this year. To date, over 200 of these properties have been sent to the City of Buffalo’s Department of Inspections, and approximately 150 of them have either been repaired or are currently in the process of being repaired.

Kearns and the NAB are also working with an outside consultant to gather data and develop detailed maps showing the locations of problem properties and properties owned by absentee landlords throughout the South District. This has allowed the NAB to pinpoint and contact nearly 600 landlords whose properties are in need of care and repair. Property owners were contacted based on the number of non-owner-occupied residencies per street, along with the number of housing complaints per street. Those streets with the highest combined rates of these two items were contacted first, and additional mailings will follow as necessary.

Another active NAB initiative is that of developing and maintaining a working vacancy database. The list will include all vacant structures, but its focus will be on those that are not being properly cared for. In monitoring such unkempt vacant properties, the NAB can ensure that no unauthorized activity is taking place inside of them. So far, thanks to the database and the hard work of area stakeholders, the NAB has requested that 15 properties be boarded and secured, making for safer neighborhoods. If you know of a vacant property that is causing problems in your community, please contact Matt Fisher at 821-0450.

Lastly, Kearns fought to arrange a Clean Sweep on Hopkins Street earlier this month, where a number of vacant properties were cleaned out, some were boarded up, and many lawns were cut and debris removed.

“Every district in the City has housing problems,” said Kearns, adding, “South Buffalo is no exception. We need to be proactive about housing now before the problems get any worse.”

If you know of a housing issue that needs resolution, contact Matt Fisher at 821-0450, or call Councilmember Kearns’ office at 851-5169.

By: Cindyk. Reusing a picture posted yesterday, this is thought of interest that should be mentioned.

I can’t imagine taxpayer’s money being spent on upgrading the crosswalks without a complete overhaul of the entire street. How are we to enjoy or appreciate the sights of new crosswalks on Seneca Street any time soon if the repave project has been pushed to late fall of 2009?

Who knows the answers?

The only “development” that keeps evolving is the time in which it takes to get Seneca Street moving forward. Skip the political song & dance, save the “dazzle” for someone else. South Buffalo has waited long enough!

By: Cindyk. If only they can work as fast as they talk ….. AND FOR THE LENGTH OF TIME. Following Seneca Street for as long as I have, do these politicians really think we are idiots heading to the voting booths with our eyes shut tight?

Do they think we haven’t been paying any attention to their lack of attention? Do they think we really want to hear for another term of their making & breaking promises to the people of South Buffalo?

Assemblyman Mark J.F. Schroeder & Congressman Brian Higgins are seeking a thrid term in their elected seats, when I walk down Seneca Street and really take a good look around, I can’t help but to wonder what another 2 years would be like if they haven’t had the ability to follow through on anything in the past 4 years? Just talk. I assume they never knew of the phrase…. “TALK IS CHEAP UNLESS YOU’RE BACKING IT UP!” In 6 days we, the citizens of South Buffalo, finally have a choice to put an end to their political nonsense.

Back in 2004 Rep. Jack Quinn made a promise of transportation funds to “revitalize” Seneca Street, since then, until today we have heard several accounts from several politicians stating claims of how this project is being brought about. This picture is the funniest I’ve read to date though.

Never once in all of the past 10 years that these people have been elected into office has there ever been a claim of credit given to NHS or the Chamber of Commerce for the new streetlights for Seneca Street. This was said to be from …. And I quote Legislator Kennedy (May 2007)

But for the time being, there was one more step that needed to happen and the funding for Seneca Street development to surpass one million dollars that was $300,000 allocated from the City of Buffalo. That money is going to go to a specific piece of the revitalization of Seneca Street into the light standards on Seneca Street.

He concluded by saying:

this Mayor saw there was a viable project in the City of Buffalo that demanded attention and demanding commitment from his administration and that came in the form of $300,000.

Can someone please explain the mention of Neighborhood Housing Services on this one?

I never knew NHS was in the market of providing streetlights. From their website:

One of the core functions for Neighborhood Housing Services of South Buffalo is our home rehabilitation programs. The housing stock of our service area is some of the oldest in New York State. Given the age of the houses, the severe winter weather that we experience, and the expense of upkeeping and updating the major systems of a house, we know that there is a steady need for rehabilitation.

More importantly, how does the Chamber of Commerce get any credit for the funding that was allocated by the Mayor of the City of Buffalo?

Some things don’t line up right. All I know is that for 3 weeks streetlight poles have been sitting in Cazenovia Park, babysat by city officials. What a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Friday, October 31, 2008
6:00pm to 9:00pm

Dash St between Remoleno and Macamley Streets
(Off South Park Ave)

This event is open to the public, for kids to Trick n Treat in safety and have fun too

Bounce House and Rock Wall
games and prizes
craft table for the children
Costume Contest
Chinese Auction
baked goods sale

All children that attend will receive a goody/treat bag
proceeds raised will go for future projects for the block club

For more infomration contact Dawn at (716) 805-8985

By: Cindyk. Between the delivery of the new lighting standards and the prep-work on the street this week, the signs are visable in turning years of campaign promises into an actual product. This is good news for Seneca Street.

Hopefully the sidewalks won’t remain looking like this once the streelights are installed:

Kearns and Fontana Offering Assistance to Affected Residents in Contacting Insurers and Lenders

A federal mandate that had previously forced thousands of property owners to carry costly flood insurance on their homes has been lifted by the Common Council’s adoption of new Flood Insurance Rate Maps for the South Buffalo and Kaisertown areas.

The new flood maps were approved by a unanimous vote of the Common Council at their September 2nd meeting. As of September 26th, sections of South Buffalo and Kaisertown where the federal government had long required flood insurance as a condition for obtaining a loan or mortgage are no longer considered part of a “Special Flood Hazard Area” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In all, nearly 2,700 South Buffalo and Kaisertown residents are potentially affected by the changes.

South District Council Member Michael P. Kearns and Lovejoy District Council Member Richard A. Fontana, longtime critics of mandatory flood insurance who had lobbied hard for FEMA to update its local flood maps, recently sent letters to potentially affected residents to notify them that updated maps have gone into effect and provide direction on how to contact their insurance and mortgage carriers with the information they will need to verify whether their individual property has been affected.

“We’ve been told by FEMA that it is up to individual property owners to contact their lender and flood insurance provider to notify them of the map changes and communicate their desire to discontinue or modify their flood policy if it is determined that their specific property has been removed from the flood plain,” said Kearns. “By providing potentially affected residents with a form that they can quickly fill out and mail with the information that FEMA is telling us that lenders and insurance companies need, we hope to save residents time and frustration.”

Council Member Fontana echoed Kearns’ statements, and urged residents to call his or Kearns’ office if they needed any help filling out the forms or had questions regarding how they are potentially affected by the map changes. “We want people to understand that although the maps have changed, that they still need to contact their respective lender and flood insurance provider to ensure that their not paying anymore if they don’t have to.”

Additional information on the new flood maps or the information that should be supplied to lenders and flood insurance carriers can be obtained by contacting either Council Member Kearns at 851-5169 or Council Member Fontana at 851-5151.

There are two different, yet equally questionable documentations on the Internet that should be known to determine what might be headed for South Park Ave. and it’s recent revitalization project.

The first, Titled: New economic development program offers a business makeover to city commercial areas, dated: Wednesday July 27th, 2005 and it reads in part:

The CARE program was created to promote the economic vitality of older neighborhood commercial districts by providing a comprehensive revitalization program. The six commercial areas identified as targeted CARE areas are Seneca Street, Jefferson Avenue, Lower Niagara Street, Grant/Ferry, Broadway/Fillmore and Fillmore/Leroy.

“I am very excited about what’s happening on Seneca Street,” said New York State Assemblyman Mark J.F. Schroeder, whose district office is located on the South Buffalo business strip. Schroeder thanked Mayor Masiello, Timothy E. Wanamaker and Jeanine Baran of BERC for their efforts on Seneca Street. “The CARE program will make very significant improvements to Seneca Street and is an important part of the effort to return this strip to its past glory.”

Here is a series of current photographs illustrating how well CARE has worked for Seneca Street in the past 3 years. (in random order from Seneca Cityline to Southside Parkway) Where is the “vitality”? Where’s the “past glory”?

The second is a press release on letterhead of “The County of Erie” (available for printing on the Erie County Legislature website), subject: South Park Avenue Revitalization Committee Holds First Meeting, dated: August 29, 2008, which reads in part:

During his address, Mayor Byron Brown announced the implementation of the Commercial Area Revitalization Effort (CARE) program along South Park Avenue. The CARE program, designed to aid businesses and help with façade improvements in the city’s older commercial districts, will further enhance the South Park Avenue project by offering matching loans to commercial owners.

“It is extremely important to me that those stakeholders who have invested their time, effort, financial resources and business energy into South Park Avenue over the years, and who have demonstrated a genuine commitment to the neighborhood, have their voices heard in the commercial strip revitalization.” ~ Erie County Legislator, Tim Kennedy.

If for what CARE couldn’t do for Seneca Street in the past three years (as the documentation proves), does this mean 3 years from now the people of South Park Ave. will come to realize any revitalization plans with all their hopes will be just as Seneca Street is today?

Though, it’s a double-edge sword our politicians are waving around.

If South Park Ave. is completed in the next 3 years (2011), with all that is being planned for its project, why hadn’t anything been accomplished for Seneca Street within the past 3 years? Our Assemblyman once spoke about “very significant improvements to Seneca Street” then, yet today, the only change is the year on our calendars. Notwithstanding of promising progress, this may read as a warning for the future of South Park Ave., the feel-good words and “taking pride in our neighborhoods” speeches had already been given to the people of Seneca Street….. and you see what 3 years and the City of Buffalo’s CARE program has brought us?

By: CindyK. I found some recent quotes from our elected leaders on the importance of improving infrastructure and here posted the newest South Buffalo Blogger pictures of Seneca Street, a city roadway being put off yet again. In 5 weeks, we, the taxpayers of South Buffalo, will be heading to the polling booth and we’ll be asked to cast a vote for those who have shamefully neglected the very same infrastructure their quotes tell us are important to them. The bigger question, do we vote for their longstanding name in the community or on the broken promises made to Seneca Street since they took office? Matching their words with the reality in pictures, we have to ask ourselves, what should be expected from the next set of elected years if the past couple have brought nothing but disgrace and despair to South Buffalo?

Press statements to the news, standing in front of a rolling camera, or printed in the media realm, touting the importance of economic growth by way of better infrastructure, it’s all so trite in comparison to what is proven as counter productive every year for Seneca Street. And the most South Buffalo residents can do is abide by the cold-hearted truth that our neighborhood will have to wait until late next year, like it was said in 2007 of this year…. and in many year’s past.

If to defend on the part of their jurisdictions and in what powers their authority holds, I have to ask, why the need for awe-inspiring quotes on “improving” what they cannot fix because it’s within city limits? Or because they say the $2 million allotted by the previous Congressman simply “went away” with his choice to not run for another term. So many years later, we should all wonder, or better yet, we should be asking if the funding for Seneca Street had ever been there in the first place?

This November 4th, should the taxpayers of South Buffalo make their votes for the same deception from the last time we voted? What holds for next year when another elected leader of the same political con has his name on the ballot? Will we remember what is today and what we’re still waiting on? Will we be asked to vote for them then on their same falsehoods as those of this year? Will we ever see a year of serious change in the community we work so hard for?

I also wonder, how quickly would state & federal funds be shelled out to take care of a rusted streetlight wrapped in duct tape down on the waterfront? Then I wonder thereafter what makes Seneca Street (or any street in South Buffalo) less of a factor because some see the expedience of our waterfront extra-essential to that of the rest of their disticts? Yet, in 5 weeks polling will be opened so the taxpayers can vote on the streets our so-called “elected leaders” have abandoned. Below it’s easy to see how the pictures tell the words much better than any statements they feed to the press.

http://higgins.house.gov/newsroom.asp?ARTICLE3116=8050

“Improving our declining and aging infrastructure not only provides for safe and efficient travel for residents, it opens up new doors of opportunity for economic development,” said Congressman Higgins, a member of the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This project will transform South Park’s business district providing a boost to existing small business owners, creating new attractive destination for consumers and drawing additional entrepreneur investment.”

http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/Home/Mayor/Archive_Press_Releases
/Leadership/2008Archives/February2008/
MayorAnnouncesCityFundsForSenecaStrBusinessDistr

“Investing from the ground up along primary corridors like Seneca Street builds stronger neighborhoods and creates a more attractive place for business growth,” said Congressman Brian Higgins, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “I applaud Mayor Brown, Assemblyman Schroeder and Legislator Kennedy, my partners in government, who have each played a role in reviving Seneca Street.”

“I would like to thank Mayor Brown for this major contribution to Seneca Street, and for playing such an active role in this critical project,” said Assemblyman Schroeder. “These unique street lights, based on historical designs from a century ago, are going to give Seneca Street a whole new, very distinctive look.”

http://higgins.house.gov/pressreleases.asp?ARTICLE3116=5681&SRCH3116=Seneca+Street+

Higgins Announces $42.8 Million in Transportation Projects for Western New York
July 27, 2005

• Seneca Street Improvements: $480,000

“Finally, long-stalled projects will see real progress, putting thousands of Western New Yorkers to work and making many vital road, transportation and access improvements to our region,” said Congressman Higgins. “It has taken years for this bill to get out of countless logjams in Congress and I am pleased that there is finally forward movement. It is especially gratifying to know that these funds will not sit untouched, and that the proper local oversight will be given.”

http://www.uber.com/243635951

Since first being elected to the county legislature in 2001, Schroeder has compiled a growing list of accomplishments. He started the South Buffalo Education Center, which offers free GED and computer classes. To date more than 90 students have earned their G.E.D at the school and more than 700 have completed the computer training. The school also has the highest graduation and retention rates of any G.E.D. school in the county. He also started The Greater South Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, which now has more than 150 members, and he spearheaded the Seneca Street Redevelopment Project, a multi-million dollar project that will completely remake the strip.