South Buffalo Blogger

As Election Day appoaches we, the people of South Buffalo have to ask ourselves if we really want another two years of the same rhetoric, the same broken promises. Do we really want more of our city neighborhoods to be neglected? Would we remain satisfied watching the suburban territories earn added attention while seeing our own communities crumble?

Tomorrow is the day when voters head out to their polling place and pick the names of those we’d like to represent us. This year we have a choice: more of the same speech-making pledges that go unresolved or a chance at something new?

If for what the past four years have shown us, voting the partyline will ensure that the future of South Buffalo remains uncared for.

Tomorrow could be the dawning of change for our neighborhoods. As we decide on who we select, it’s important to keep in mind what the past has shown…..

here are your candidates:

27th Congressional District

Congressman Brian Higgins (D) incumbent
Budd Schroeder - Conservative Party candidate
Dan Humiston - Republican Party Candidate

145th Assembly District

Assemblyman Mark J. F. Schroeder (D) incumbent
Dennis Merek - Republican Party Candidate

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.

Event: Meat Raffle
Date: Saturday, November 8, 2008
Time: Doors open at 6:00 p.m. - raffle starts at 6:30 p.m.
Place: VFW Post 898 - 2909 South Park Ave., Lackawanna
Cost: $3.00 admission (includes sandwich, snacks, beer, pop)
Meat raffle tickets - $2.00 per chance - 10 meats per drawing - 10 drawings

Door prizes, 50/50 split and live music in the front lounge afterward. Free parking in our huge lot.
Located on South Park Ave. about 1/4 mile south of OLV Basilica.
For further information, call the VFW at 824-1465.

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.