Category: PostEvents

It’s an exciting time for development along Elmwood Avenue. As we have seen, the future of the corner of Elmwood and Potomac looks very bright. Not only do we get to retain the building’s fabulous historic facade, we also get to see tremendous growth of the property, with awesome mixed-use potential.

Of course I’m speaking of Douglas Development’s proposed 5 -story development, with 50 apartments and 7,275 square feet of commercial space. It’s investments of this nature that can really have a positive impact on a commercial street, which will see a healthy infusion of life once complete.

Of course, as the project continues to unfold, Douglas Development is front and center, as it keeps the neighboring community informed about the updates and the progress.

On Tuesday, January 10, at 6pm, Douglas Development invites individuals and businesses that live or operate near to the development, to attend a community meeting and conversation. Following are the details:

The post Douglas Development will host Community Meeting and Conversation, to discuss Elmwood-Bidwell Project appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

What was the brand of the last luxury bag that you purchased? Now, think about the actual bag. Is it unique? Is it exquisitely made? Do you actually know the person that made it? Is the artisan from Buffalo?

When it comes to luxury leather bags, there is a local artisan who is making a name for himself.

Dame Powell, owner of “Dame” Luxury Leather Goods, got his start a few years ago when he applied his graphic design skills to screenprinting t-shirts. Before long, he began to examine the way that the t-shirts were made. He deconstructing the shirts, and then reconstructing the patterns. From there, he started playing around with the stitching in jackets.

I asked Dame how he drew inspiration, to enter into the world of fashion in the first place. He told me that when he was young, he would draw girls’ names because they liked “seeing their names in art.” His friends wanted to “get into something,” but he decided that he liked the attention from the girls, and soon realized that there was money to be made by creating things that people wanted.

“I wanted to be an artist,” Dame told me. “When I was young, I couldn’t afford to buy lunches at school. I realized that I could get paid to make art, and then treat myself to something. The girls also liked seeing their names on bags. The women in my life have always supported me. I’ve seen my male friends shot right in front of me. Not many of them are around anymore. Designing was my way to have the means to having freedom. My driving force is to be extraordinary. My talent is to attain skills quickly.”

Photos by DJ Carr

Upon realizing that he had a knack for sewing and design, Dame went out and purchased his first sewing machine for $140. His first stitched garment was a parka. Then a book bag. Soon, he found himself walking into brand name shops, looking to see how the top selling goods were made. He realized that the materials of these respected brands were often faux in nature, which he felt was not only inferior, they were bad for the planet.

“The first book bag that I made was based off a bag that I bought on the boardwalk of Santa Monica, California,” Dame told me. “I took the bag apart and put it back together. I wanted to have the knowledge. I also wanted my first bag to be in leather. I thought to myself, ‘Can I think in 3D?’ ‘Can I envision how the bag will look, how it is stitched, the shape, the colors… how it will sit?’ Once I had that epiphany, everything came easier. Now, I don’t look at clothes or bags the same way. I look at the stitching and the techniques. I began by emulating, but then I found my own patterns. I was looking for individuality, because I noticed that all of the bags in the department stores began to look the same, except for the logos. I started an exercise with my girl (Dayna Culp), to take away the labels to see which bags came from which stores… it was hard to tell.”

When Dame created his first hand stitched leather duffle bag, he immediately realized that people reacted to it differently. They would pick it up, rub their hands along it, and smell it. It was a much different nuanced experience than the way that they reacted to the bags in the department stores. Customers loved that each of Dame’s bags were subtly unique… even bespoke.

As for Dame’s reasoning that real leather is better for the planet, he told me that he makes sure that he sources his materials from post markets.

“I get the hides as a bi-product from a butcher, for example,” Dame explained. “Or post consumption. These hides would otherwise be thrown away. By handcrafting a beautiful bag, they become usable goods that will become heirlooms. My customers understand the origins and the process. It’s all about building a culture of knowledge. They know the bags, because they know me.”

Photos by Adam Kellerman at Legacy House

As for Dame’s current limited line of bags, his signature model is The Regatta purse, in green. His intention is to concentrate on the design of the bag, while releasing additional colorways in the future. Another bag that he is releasing is called The Mariner handbag, which is an ode to his mother, Melissa, who raised him in the Mariner Apartments in Allentown – the bag was designed for her. Dame hopes to produce a higher volume of this bag, as he taps into additional resources. One resource that he is looking for is a studio where he can produce the bags, while offering an educational component to other young artisans who are looking to learn a new trade.

“It’s important to give the makers an opportunity to teach others their crafts,” said Dame. “This is an old trade that is still relevant.”

Photos by @dame_digital

“I can’t do it all myself,” Dame added. “I’m still learning to grow the business and build infrastructure. The problems that we have are the problems that we want. Until recently, this was all through word of mouth and social media, but the word is getting out there more and more. I have had clients fly me to cities to hand present their bags. Locally, I have sold my bags to entrepreneurs like Chef Darian Bryan (The Plating Society). These are people that understand what it means to support local crafts people, and a person of color. I make these folks feel like they are special – I give them better customer service than the big brands. I make these bags in my home at this point. And when a customer shows up, I give them a glass of Champagne and out out a charcuterie board. Why would someone want a luxury piece made overseas by someone that they don’t know, when they can get a saddle-stitched bag that is made by hand, right here in Buffalo?”

At this point, Dame is concentrating on product creation and brand development. Dayna is heading up the marketing. Together, they are constructing bags that tell a story… a story that speaks of old world ways, driven youth, realized opportunities, impeccable craftsmanship, and a city that allows for organic growth. Shouldn’t every purchase that we make be accompanied by such a genuine story?

Get connected: DAME | dame@dameave.com | (716) 218-3639 | Instagram

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This year has been in so many ways unprecedented. In truth, this article was supposed to come out the Monday after Christmas as a celebration of our community and a love letter from our team to all WNY residents. After careful consideration, we decided to release this video today as we continue to pray for Damar Hamlin’s recovery, as well as the recovery and restoration of our community after the Blizzard.

Since its launch in 2004, Buffalo Rising has reported on the daily evolution of Buffalo, NY. We have been honored with many opportunities to deliver a wide range of stories to our readers – from new building and development to our expanding arts culture, including new business openings and significant milestones of established organizations, we have watched and reported on this maturation and evolution. 

BuffaloRising.com remains independently owned and locally operated by a small team of individuals and provides editorial and critical reviews on all topics that relate to Buffalo and Western New York. We are dedicated to telling your stories and those of our region. 

We are proud of our community, its residents, and its businesses and we are dedicated to honoring its rich tapestry of culture, history, and heritage.

Our team wants to thank our readers, supporters, advertisers, partners, and the many businesses and organizations we have been honored to feature over the past 18 years. Your support has allowed us to continue to offer our content free for all readers, and for that we are incredibly grateful.

If you would like to support us further, please encourage your friends, that perhaps have not had the opportunity to see our stories, to check us out.

And we know no matter what happens in 2023 and beyond, Buffalo will continue to rise.

Video by Vincent Berbano

The post 2022 Recap appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

A commission of up to $36,000 is available for the chosen artist to create and install their work.

Arts Services Inc. of Western New York (ASI), on behalf of Assemblymember William Conrad’s Office, invites artists in all appropriate mediums (2-dimensional) from throughout Western New York to submit proposals for an outdoor public art project. The selected mural will provide the front and side façade of the building which can be seen by Sheridan Drive and will be the back drop to future outdoor activities in front of the Center, as well as a welcoming indicator into the building.

Project Background and Goals

The Aquatic & Fitness Center has been a long-standing pillar within the Town of Tonawanda. The inside of the facility is currently under renovation. The Town and AM Conrad’s office are looking for a public artwork to welcome and engage the community in this re-imagined space.

Assemblymember William Conrad’s Office is seeking a public art mural that provides an attraction from the main road (Sheridan Drive), while setting the tone as the back drop for future outdoor activities which will take place in front of the Center on and near the patio.

The chosen work should:

Be a design that encourages the next generation to the Fitness Center (not necessarily a design that captures the history of the center);

Convey the modernization of “health and wellness” – this does not have to be a literal interpretation of recreation and/or health and wellness;

Have a design that cohesively wraps around the corner of the building;

Be a design that gives perspective from afar, but also up close (this is due to the distance between the building and the street);

Cover the entire span of building indicated below in Photos A (59’x16’) and B (200’x16’ main part, and 20’x11’ left lower portion). Building material is dryvit stucco. If the artist proposes an alternative, information as to why an alternative is being presented, should be provided in the proposal. Artists should only provide a design for the upper areas of the building (and not the pillars or block windows on the bottom half of the building). NOTE: Photo A – The trees within this patio space are being removed and will not obstruct the final design; the patio itself will be extended and shade structures will be constructed. Photo B – The Town of Tonawanda Logo will be removed from the building and will not remain once the mural is designed.

As community amenities will be added to the outdoor space, the design will be part of a bigger outdoor project for the center.

Adjacent to the building is a school yard and playground; the other side is a shopping center. Designs should take this into consideration.

According to the NYS Department of Transportation and the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council, the average daily traffic passing the Aquatic Center exceeds 47,500 passersby.

Have an expected lifespan of 3-5 years unprotected from the elements.

Budget

A commission of up to $36,000 is available for the chosen artist to create and install their work.

Artists are required to provide most supplies and materials to complete the work, including proper insurance. The Town is able to provide a scissor lift/bucket truck, storage, and some other accommodations, if needed. Please include any and all requests in artist proposal. Artist should detail what assistance or materials are provided by his/her/themself and what may be required or needed by the Town or others in their proposal (if applicable).

Timeline

            Deadline to Submit: No later than 5 pm on Friday January 27, 2023

            February/March 2023: Selection of Artist

            March/April 2023: Public Announcement of Selection

Spring 2023: Mural implementation & Planning Meetings; completed and installed work (weather-dependent)

The timeline will adhere to building status and preparation (if needed) to execute a mural when appropriate; including factoring in proper weather conditions.

Proposals should include:

A description of the work including materials and dimensions;

Sketches of the work;

A budget including artist fees, supplies and materials, and any other costs associated to create the work;

Links to examples of past work; and

Contact information (including email, phone, and address).

Proposals should be sent electronically (in PDF form) to info@asiwny.org with the subject line ‘Aquatic Center Proposal’, as can questions. Since the site is open and available to the public, a site visit to see it can be done at any time necessary. To view the front wall (surrounded by a patio fence), please enter the Aquatic Center and have staff assist you through the building to that particular area. The Aquatic Center is located at 1 Pool Plaza, Tonawanda, NY 14223.

Proposals are due no later than 5 pm on Friday January 27, 2023.

A panel of qualified, arts and business professionals (including community members of the Town of Tonawanda and other Tonawanda parties) will review proposals for their eligibility and appropriateness for the project.

Priority will be given to local artists (Town of Tonawanda and/or Western New York region).

The post Call for mural artists in the Town of Tonawanda appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

The Land Conservancy and Providence Farm Collective (PFC) have hit the road running in 2023. The two organizations managed to reach their $2.3 million fundraising goal, which means that refugees will have a place to farm, and the refugee community will have better access to the foods that emanate from their home countries.

The success of the “Plant the Future of Farming” fundraising campaign means that PFC will be able to purchase the farmland that they have been farming in Orchard Park, while the Land Conservancy will place a conservation easement on it, keeping it farmland forever. This is a significant step towards living a better life in a new world that the refugees call “home” – a life where they are able to tend to their own plots of land, while growing the crops of their choosing. The farmland is also available to immigrant, Black, and low-income farmers, who might not otherwise have access to available farmlands.

“When we started this campaign a little more than a year ago, we understood the challenges we faced as a young nonprofit,” said Kristin Heltman-Weiss, Executive Director of Providence Farm Collective. “But we also understood that through hard work, determination, and perseverance we could and would reach our goal. We never wavered in this belief. Today, we are immensely grateful to all the incredible people who recognized the significance of our vision and supported our cause.”

It is due to the growing need for community-based agriculture, along with the ability to offer farmland protection, that the partnership between the two organizations panned out. What started off as a way for the Somali Bantu community to reconnect with fertile earth in 2017, has now reaped great rewards for refugees from multiple nations at the 37-acre farm.

Dao Kamara, PFC farmer and also their Community Engagement Coordinator, said, “Our farmers are very happy today. This success means that farmers like me, who don’t have a lot of startup funds, will now have permanent access to farmland to build farm businesses. We will always have a place where we can grow culturally relevant food, feed community members, and foster connections through shared traditions with our families.”

Photo by Brendan Bannon

Nancy Smith, Executive Director of the Land Conservancy, echoed Kristin’s and Dao’s remarks. She added: “Now more than ever, we see a huge need for productive farmland so farmers can grow fresh, local food to feed their communities—and ours. Though it takes a tremendous amount of work and the incredible support of an entire community to make fundraising campaigns successful, the outcome could not be more important. This is a banner day. We firmly believe PFC is playing a vital role here in Western New York.” 

Natalie Baszile of the Black Harvest Fund, the renowned author of We Are Each Other’s Harvest and Queen Sugar who visited PFC this past summer, said, “The Providence Farm Collective and Western New York Land Conservancy partnership is the best example I’ve seen of a concrete, workable solution to help Black, Immigrant, Refugee, and low-income farmers. Their work has yielded tangible results and should be a model for Land Conservancies across the country. I continue to be inspired by PFC’s vision and am honored to support them.”

For more information, visit wnylc.org and providencefarmcollective.org.

The post The Land Conservancy and Providence Farm Collective reach $2.3 million fundraising goal appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

The new $13 million amphitheater project at the Outer Harbor is starting to take shape. Once operational, Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation’s (ECHDC) outdoor concert stage will eventually supplant the concerts at Canalside. As Canalside steadily shifts its focus to more permanent development projects, additional lands will be freed up to rethink the ephemeral concert grounds, which were never meant to be permanent.

As the primary focus began to shift at the Outer Harbor, to a more recreational bent, the idea for the 8000-person amphitheater took hold, despite a faction of the community calling for more environmentally-centric proposals. The destiny of this parcel of land, situated near Terminal B, is now clear. The intended use follows in the footsteps of the successful Outer Harbor Concert Series, which formerly took place at a seasonal concert stage closer to the Michigan Pier and Slip #2.

The new amphitheater joins the Lakeside Complex (bike track) as an amenity that intends on drawing thousands upon thousands of people to partake in the Outer Harbor experience.

Photo by Charlie Abbott

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We continue the series on walking Buffalo, from the intrepid couple who walked every day—no matter the weather—in the first 30 months of Covid. They think (without being systematic) they walked every street in Buffalo, and many in other cities and towns, taking some 20,000 photos, some of which are shared in this series. While not itineraries, we hope to encourage others to “walk the walk,” to see, observe and appreciate Buffalo—and beyond. William Graebner and Dianne Bennett are also 5 Cent Cine’s film critics, here.

Today’s Photo-Essay: Murals: Off-the-Beaten Path

It’s no secret that the Buffalo region has murals; there’s at least on-line data base that aggregates many of the most “significant” murals and provides information about location and artist. Your “how-to-take-a-walk” walkers have no desire to replay that tune. No classics (Twain on Hertel), no “institutional” endeavors (murals sponsored by the AKG, Hertel Alley), no “big business” murals (the new Ciminelli group offerings, Gold Wynn Development), no…well, you get the idea. We would guess (and we hope) that most readers will not have seen the murals below.    

We’ll start with one that’s about as inaccessible as any in the area, even in good weather. It’s a tribute to Manuel Rodriguez (1940-2012)—“Spain” as he’s commonly known (he took the name as a Buffalo boy, when, in response to neighborhood Irish kids bragging about their ancestry, he decided that Spain was just as good as Ireland). Spain achieved fame and notoriety as an underground cartoonist. He was perhaps best known for the “Trashman,” a super-hero figure that first appeared in the “East Village Other” in 1968. 

This graffiti tribute to Spain can be found in one of the abandoned (and dangerous) outbuildings of the Central Terminal, on the triangle of land between William Street and Memorial Drive. We don’t recommend that you try to find the artwork, but if you do, enjoy the deer. 

Not so hidden, but probably not well known to most Buffalonians, is another tribute, this one commemorating the service of American military veterans. It covers the façade of American Legion Post 1142, on Buffalo Avenue in the LaSalle area of Niagara Falls. Rather than celebratory and overtly patriotic, it has an understated, subdued, melancholic quality. In the section at right, helicopters conjure the war in Vietnam. A landing craft, first widely used during World War II, suggests that conflict. The centerpiece of the mural, one soldier helping another, a white hand on a darker one, offers a glimmer of a multi-racial perspective. 

There’s not much to say about this clever tribute to Ol’ Blue Eyes, which was sketched some years ago on a garage in an alley somewhere on the lower West Side. If you come across it, let us know precisely where it is!

Back on the East Side, and somewhere west of the Central Terminal, bad boy O.J. can be found strutting his stuff on a muraled “Hall of Fame” wall. Still a hero after all these years, including some spent in prison. Bruce Smith is there too, among other Buffalo Bills idols. It’s by the local artist “New York” and probably was finished in 2019. Like the Sinatra rendering above, we’ve been unable to re-find the exact location. It’s not far from the Eugene Debs Hall on Peckham Street. 

Jackie Gleason’s “The Honeymooners” (1955/56) is fading from memory, but TV’s favorite bus driver Ralph Kramden is doing his “away we go” thing on a wall of the Crave King building at the corner of Nason Parkway and South Park Drive. There’s no artist signature to be found, but the presence of a faded “Talking Proud” logo indicates the mural dates to the 1980s. Why Gleason in Lackawanna? Maybe because his mother was Irish—from Farran, County Cork. 

The last of our “tribute” artworks resides on Jefferson Avenue, just a few blocks from a recently completed mural commemorating the Jefferson 10 who died at the Tops Market across the street. The one we’re presenting here isn’t nearly as dramatic or important as the Tops mural. It isn’t even a mural, really. But it does shed light on the community along and around Jefferson Avenue. Let’s call it the “totes” mural, because it’s essentially a set of pictures, painted on a few trash totes in front of a local business. Accomplished by Jay Hawkins, a member of the Urban Arts Collective, the paintings are dedicated (as a nearby sign says) “to the pillars of any community, the black barber shop.” Three businesses are celebrated: the Metropolitan Style Shop (owned by Leon Gresham), the Mr. Love & Sons Barbershop family, and the Carl & Jeff Barbershop. Leon Gresham died on September 3, 2019, just days before the muraled totes were installed. 

Many area businesses have commissioned art work. Murals are especially common on the sides of delis and mini-marts. We are especially fond of a piece we found at Super Mario’s Market and take-out restaurant on Pine Avenue in Niagara Falls—heart of the city’s “Little Italy” —an establishment that was founded by Cesidio DiGregorio in 1932. The mural on the east side of the building features a sophisticated Euro-looking couple enjoying a fine-dining experience. 

“Before and After,” a 1233 Michigan Avenue (Buffalo) classic, once advertised the benefits of a salon, long since converted to Young’s Texas Hots, then abandoned. This one’s an easy drive-by.

The purpose of “Before and After” is obvious. Not so for the mural on the east side of Cold Spring Taxi–Dispatch & Service, located at Jefferson and Northampton. It appears to depict watercraft and the Erie Basin marina, before its redevelopment. What that has to do with taxis we don’t know, but island and water motifs are not uncommon among the city’s murals. 

Several murals fulfill “community” functions, though in remarkably different ways. At the intersection of Centre and Highland in Niagara Falls, a 2019 mural by Left-Handed Bandit (signature in yellow, below left) depicts 5 civic leaders of color and adds a political, and economic, manifesto: “Anything less than Ownership is Unacceptable.” At right, a montage of the site and Niagara Falls buildings. Details include a sign for Bus 52 and, at left, 2 policemen. 

The mural that decorates the east wall of Lanigan Field House (150 Fulton Street in Buffalo) is less easily deciphered, nor does it contain a signature. It presents an evocative cityscape, which includes a reference to the nearby Perry Projects, as well as faces we don’t recognize. One man wears a #7 jersey. The field house was an early (1964) project of distinguished Black Buffalo architect Robert Traynham Coles, who worked mostly on the city’s East Side. There’s another mural of interest on the north side of the building. 

Just a few feet from the intersection of Genesee and Jefferson, west on Genesee, is a non-descript building housing an agency providing 24-hour emergency shelter for homeless adults during the Covid-19 crisis. Non-descript, that is, except for several murals, simple and yet poignant, that grace the front and west sides of the one-story structure. The murals represent what clients might expect to find inside: calm, a place to cook, a television to watch, books to read, a pet. One of the murals bridges interior and exterior, with two men inside communicating on a corded phone with a girl outside. Another features a young woman doing laundry while her dog looks out the “window.” 

Our penultimate offering might have been included under “business” murals, because we found it on the wall of a parking lot in a small business complex at 320 Grote Street, just west of Elmwood Avenue. We were taken by its whimsical quality: a man and a woman, each working to excavate one side of a heart, apparently working toward each other—to find the other—while also, paradoxically, rending the heart in two. It’s by the artist “Tabby.” As we later learned, Tabby is an Austrian artist, specializing in works that combine stenciling with spray-painting, who in May 2022 completed 20 pieces in 5 days while visiting Buffalo. This work appeared in a profile of the artist published in Buffalo Rising. We’re also fans of her “Money Laundering,” on Grant Street.

It’s back to the East Side, and 2215 Fillmore Avenue, for our final contribution, “Jesus Says Quit Playin.” It’s by J.P. Fox and it’s been around for a while—maybe decades. But that’s all we know. We can speculate that “Quit Playin” might be followed by “Games with God” or “Satan’s Game.” 

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Look Up! Roofs and Roofers

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Buffalo’s Mini-Marts

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Remembering 9/11

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Street Humor

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – The Yard as Spectacle

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Beware of (the) Dog

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo — Halloween

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo: Little-Known Trails and Paths

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo: Church Board Advice

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Coping with Covid

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Planters

How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo: Christmas Tidings

© William Graebner 

The post How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo, and Beyond: Murals… Off-the-Beaten Path appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

By Jeff Wilber

To live in Buffalo, NY is not an easy thing, it’s a strange, yet wonderful, place, but it’s not easy. 

There is the weather, of course, but there’s also the poverty and an undercurrent of generational racism that runs through the streets like the Niagara River and a chasm between the haves and have-nots wider than the Gorge. 

Yet, yet, when it comes to bringing us together there are two constants: being the perpetual underdog, and the Buffalo Bills. 

Having just written that, I guess the two things are one. We are a community, and a team, of underdogs. The butt of jokes nationwide about lost Superbowls and the never-ending snow. Yet, when people come here for whatever reason they do, they find their predispositions smashed by who we really are: we are kind, giving of what little we have, caring, selfless, and, well, as the t-shirt says, ‘The City of No Illusions’. 

Adversity builds character, and we are rife with that!

This past year has been one tragedy after another that has shown our mettle, our character, like no other. We came together after the heinous and despicable Tops shooting. We saved each other after Mother Nature tried to kill us, again. And, now, we come together one more time – we come together for yet another calamity. 

And, amidst all this tragedy, at the heart of us, all of us, is hope – we are a people who, at times, have nothing but our hope. And that’s what the Buffalo Bills are to this community: The Epicenter of Hope. The rallying point and rallying cry of our WNY people. That football team is OUR common ground; our neutral place, our hope.

And to see one of OUR Bills go down in the manner in which he did, the faces of his comrades when did, and the universal reaction because he did, my God, it rips us all to the core! 

Damar Hamlin was our brother, son, and family lying there on the field. 

To see those young men, those players we hold in such high regard, weeping for their teammate, their friend, it tears at the very fabric of our souls and our town. It just seems like too much!

So, what do we do? As usual, anything and everything we can. We forge on! We hold each other, as we do. We support each other, as we do. We pray and we cheer and we continue to hope, as we do. 

Hope. It’s the one thing I know that is available in infinite amounts and available to anyone – especially in this rusty burgh. We hope for Damar and we hope for our City and we hope for better days. Buffalo, the city of hope. We are #BuffaloStrong

Lead Photo by David Ireland on Unsplash

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The City is starting the process of acquiring properties at 110 and 118 South Park Avenue from long-time owner Darryl Carr.  It had better hurry.  Last week’s storm took its toll on the backside of the buildings where significant portions have collapsed.  The inept City has been pushing (and begging) owner Carr to repair the properties for more than a decade. Despite these efforts, the buildings have continued to deteriorate causing health, welfare and safety issues for the area residents and visitors.

In September, Mayor Byron W. Brown invoked eminent domain powers in an effort to obtain and save the two historic properties.  Carr reportedly wants the buildings demolished to construct a high-rise hotel on the site. Many people believe he is only interested in adding parking to the already parking-saturated district. Carr has continuously snubbed his nose at the City, the public, and housing court Judge Patrick Carney.

The properties are the most iconic and most historically significant structures remaining in the Cobblestone Historic District which was established in 1993 by the Buffalo Preservation Board and certified by the Secretary of the Interior as meeting the federal standards for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. 110 South Park originally housed Muggeridge’s Steam Bakery which made hardtack for the Union army during the civil war. As late as the mid-nineties, 118 South Park was home to Rudnicki’s blacksmith shop.

The Common Council Committee on Community Development is scheduled to set a hearing for the eminent domain action at its meeting tomorrow.  Don’t delay.

The post Wrecking Buffalo: Carr’s Buildings Crumble appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

By Lori White

A recent article by the Washington Post attempted to answer the question, “Why was this storm so deadly?” While hindsight is always 20/20, there’s a grit and perseverance in Buffalonians that makes them suspicious when it comes to the pre promotion of “big” weather events. However, given that weather reporting is becoming much more sophisticated and on target, and we have had two historic storm systems move through our area in the span of a month, I think attitudes are changing. 

As the snow begins to melt, and the government gets back to the routine workings, citizens are calling for time to be spent analyzing the storm response, and (most importantly) updated measures for storm response in the future. Here are a few suggested agenda topics:

Corporate policies, despite a blizzard advisory Friday morning many companies (some feeling the pinch for last minute holiday shopping and food orders) did not shut down. Typically, it’s been corporate policies to wait until government officials issue driving bans to determine if they will be open.

Earlier and more frequent driving bans. For this storm, weather officials were warning all week that this would be a historic storm. Officials knew well in advance that it would hit our region at 7 am. Should government officials have issued the driving ban at 7 am Friday morning, proactively as opposed to what appears to be a “wait and see” how bad the storm is policy? With the understanding that residents have warning fatigue and many adopt a “they can’t tell me what to do” attitude. This is one policy that should absolutely be revisited, with more people able to do their jobs from home, and a system that has defined essential workers, the county, city, and towns could more focus their efforts on making sure this group of workers were in place earlier, with plans for relieving first responders and essential shift workers. 

Weather experts are saying that we are likely to see more severe storms like the Blizzard of 2022. With an aging infrastructure, and outdated technology and policies, maybe it’s time to relook at the following:

FIX AND UPDATE THE POWER GRID in the city of Buffalo, especially on the East and West sides. During my time working for a utility I saw many clear hazards– power lines draped with tree branches, poles that were inaccessible, and general neglect. Why does the power go out in wind, rain and snow? Because of wind, rain, and snow! Bury new utility lines with accessible conduits for upgrades and additional services.

HOLD LANDLORDS ACCOUNTABLE: especially out-of-town owners. It’s time for government officials to put some teeth in the rules and also give landlords the right to evict tenants not taking care of their property – broken windows, leaky roofs, improper insulation, electrical and HVAC systems that have not been serviced or updated. 

EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS: We need a better emergency plan that involves helpful activation before weather events, not more command centers. Also, so much taxpayer money goes to nonprofits and organizations that serve vulnerable communities and when all those services close up for the holiday those same communities have no resources. Orgs that receive public money should submit a plan of record to open in the event of a crisis, with additional essential stock of baby formula, dry, and canned goods.

COMMUNITY CENTERS/WARMING CENTERS SHOULD NEVER LOSE POWER before next winter inspect every one with an industry expert and allocate funds for upgrades and generators out of Build Back Better funds.

EVERY WNY MUNICIPALITY SHOULD HAVE A ROOK OF THEIR OWN & snowmobiles – How about interest-free financing for snowmobiles for first responders?

TABLE THE CLIMATE ACT: incentivize clean tech innovation that can be quickly scaled up for regular everyday use but don’t make people switch, give them a better, affordable option.

COORDINATE ROUTE TRACKING: my school district does it for busses – talk to them about hooking up the same thing for plows.

RIDE SHARING AND ACTIVATION LIST: for private contractor snow plows, the county can run dispatch on emergency clean up or preparation.

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS: each town has to have a better emergency communication system than Facebook! Emergency texting? Again, school districts do it pretty well, how do we make this more wide-scale?

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Focus on Public Transportation over Cars, make narrow city roads passable for all citizens quicker with less focus on vehicle traffic in the immediate aftermath of a storm meaning more buses along major routes, invest in light rail.

Most importantly, our community is filled with helpers, have a plan in place and a CALL TO ACTION for residents that are willing and able to help with their shovels and snowblowers if possible and dispatch them to subway and bus routes throughout the city.

This is not intended to be a comprehensive list, but a start of one based on personal observations – Do you have any items you think should be added? List them in the comments below.

Photo by Vincent Berbano

The post It’s time to look at our regional Storm Response: aging infrastructure, outdated technology, and ineffective policies were all contributing factors in this dangerous and deadly storm appeared first on Buffalo Rising.