Yesterday we went over to LaSalle Park on Buffalo's waterfront in search of the perfect place to set up a Micro Park. RoBear and I met with Jay McCarthy, a newfound urban activist who wants to see more people utilizing the parklands along the water's edge. After meeting up at The Coda for brunch, Jay offered to take us on his lakeside tour in order to point out a few of his people-friendly ideas.
Jay has taken an interesting approach to urban activism. Instead of complaining about what he feels should be done in the city, he decided (pretty much out of the blue) that he was going to become pro-active. With no former urban activism in his background - just a few ideas - he called a friend Greg Stevens who suggested calling Assemblyman Sam Hoyt's office. Jay explained to Sam that he had pinpointed key locations along Lake Erie that he felt (without a lot of money) could benefit from a few 'no-brainer' ideas. For example, why is there no dog park downtown?
After listening to Jay and his newfound passion, Sam decided to make a few phone calls himself. One of those calls was to the NY Power Authority (NYPA). NYPA liked what Sam had to say and offered to give Jay, who had now teamed up with Justin Booth at The Wellness Institute, $10,000 in seed money to get his ideas off the ground. The plan was now more than a pipedream... it was taking hold.
Jay's primary concern is how to best utilize the $10,000 in order to prove that a small amount of money can go a long way. While at LaSalle Park he pointed out a former Buffalo Police dog training facility that could easily be turned into a dog park. 95% of the fencing is already in place and bleachers are installed. "Here's the perfect dog park", Jay told us. "A little more fencing, some signage and you're halfway there." We spoke to the owners of Seger (photo) who were throwing a Frisbee within the Micro Park footprint and they agreed that this would be THE perfect spot for owners to unleash their four-legged friends. They pointed out all of the free parking and exclaimed that they could think of no better spot. Seger even pointed out a shady tree that he and his friends could sit under to get out of the sun.
After the visit to LaSalle Park we hopped in the car to head over to Squaw Island where Jay wanted to show us his second idea for a Micro Park. Stay tuned...