The Peace Bridge expansion controversy refuses to go away. Several recent events added a few twists to the long-running drama playing out on the west side waterfront. Tomorrow, the Buffalo Common Council will be considering a resolution urging the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (PBA) merge with the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.
On January 29, The Buffalo News reported that the federal government will not be contributing to the $300 million Peace Bridge plaza project. It throws a giant monkey wrench into the PBA's wheels:
The absence of funding for the controversial plaza project will mean yet another delay in the oft-delayed expansion of the Peace Bridge, since the environmental impact statement needed for that project's approval is tied to the plaza's construction.
"Given the size of the project and the expected paucity of federal funds in out years, there are not any immediate plans to move forward with modifications to the bridge or structure" at the Buffalo-Fort Erie border crossing, an official at Customs and Border Protection said in an e-mail to the Bar-Code Border, a Canadian newsletter on trade and transportation.
A spokesman for the border agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed that the quotes in the newsletter were accurate.
Funds are so tight, the federal officials said, that the government has no plans to fund any major construction along the border.
On Saturday there was hope that the U.S. Customs facilities on the Buffalo side of the bridge could be moved to Ft. Erie, eliminating the need to expand the plaza into the Columbus Park - Prospect Hill neighborhood. No such luck according to a story the next day that threw doubt on any chance for a "shared border" program that would allow such a move.
A group of neighborhood residents, led by Kathleen Mecca, President of the Niagara Gateway Columbus Park Association, is asking the Peace Bridge Authority to address the lack of federal funding for their proposed expansion project. They believe the PBS should "publicly withdraw the current project and let stand the 'No Build' option. This will allow the community to shift from a 'disinvestment' practice to a 'reinvestment' opportunity."
They further ask that a dialogue between the City Council, Department of Inspections and the PBA commence to repair the blighted homes they own on Busti and other streets using the $25 million earmarked for neighborhood improvements post-expansion, and fix the mess they created on Busti rather than sit on the money.
As Governor Cuomo's Spending and Government Efficiency Commission (SAGE) meets to recommend ways to make government leaner and more cost effective, North District Council Member Joseph Golombek, Jr. and Niagara District Council Member David A. Rivera are seeking a merger of the Peace Bridge Authority and the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.
The Resolution cites:
"At times, the authorities that operate our local international bridges have been accused of ignoring or minimizing the effect of their planning and operations on the health, quality of life and property values of local residents, particularly those who live in close proximity to Buffalo's waterfront in areas such as Black Rock and the West Side."
And also:
"Having two separate authorities manage four bridges that are located within a few miles of one other is government inefficiency that should be addressed."
The SAGE commission will be making its recommendations on agency and authority reorganizations by May 1 and will be issuing a final report by June 1. The City Council meets at 2 PM.
Entry Image: Nate Mroz' Buffalo Scenic Prints
These bridge authorities should be merged if for no other reason than to do strategic boarder crossing planning rather that competing with each other for business.
Right - the major problem in this entire thing is that the PBA operates like a private business improving its bottom line, yet they have the autonomy and power of a public authority.
The ability of the PBA to make money is put before the good of the public and that is just plain wrong.
Why has there been no comprehensive study of all our regional border crossings that can define the role that each plays and what the future should hold for each bridge?
which is a perfect illustration of the folly if not danger of "running government like a business."