Elmwood Gets Greener

Elmwood Gets Greener

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It seems as if every year the Elmwood Village Association (EVA formerly Forever Elmwood) adds a new beautification detail to the street. Some of the details are purely for decor while others are a bit more involved and require community participation. I remember the days when there were no spin-bins, hanging flower baskets, color-coded banners, Green Machines, industrial flower planters, etc. If you look at this photo there is a lot going on that most of us take for granted. Fortunately, Elmwood is no longer alone these days - streets like Amherst, Allen and Hertel are taking note and adding many of the same design and functional elements. Elmwood does (usually) introduce many of the urban elements first, which is why the street was recently tagged one of the Top 10 'Great Places In America'.

So where does a street like Elmwood go once it has been placed upon a pedestal? It keeps on doing the same things that it's been doing - making the street even more ‘walkable’ and introducing progressive programs. Just recently the EVA was awarded $18,480 by The Community Foundation in order to implement an on-street recycling program - the first of its kind in WNY. This is a big step for Buffalo since this program will help to contribute to our 3rd Cleanest City designation. Starting in late July, Elmwood villagers can expect to see eight recycling stations (designed by local artist Larry Griffis) appear on the street with compartments/ports for paper, plastic, glass and aluminum cans. There will also be an awareness billboard flying high above Nektar to tune people into the new program.

Having a program like this is a good start, but in order to keep Buffalo clean it is 1) up to people to not litter and 2) up to the individual businesses to keep their streets and sidewalks clean. I would think that The City might put up some 'No Littering - $500 Fine' signage to make people think before they decide to litter. The more awareness the better. And please, if anyone at the NFTA is listening, why is there no place for bus riders to throw out their garbage before boarding a bus? That's where a lot of the crap comes from to begin with.

feed your soul buffalo

What Others Have To Say

  1. jamesbflo

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 13th, 18:08

    they do a fantastic job.

  2. buffaloweiner

    2 ratings12345
    Jul 13th, 18:15

    they do a fantastic job except for a few things

    1) they still refuse to put a real tree canopy (elms or equivalent) along elmwood, hertel, south park, niagara, grant, abbott, broadway, genesee, etc

    2) they still do not have a plan to address all those buildings along elmwood whose owners havent done anything to their property. There needs to be some sort of neighborhood asociation along elmwood to address this. There are still buildings on these streets (especially Hertel) that havent cleaned their gutters, that need new roofs, that have paint peeling and wood rotting, lawns weeded....its these buildings which bring down the tone of the entire street.

  3. Hoss

    1 ratings12345
    Jul 13th, 20:31

    Yes, a fantastic job that all involved should be proud of. But where (in the picture) is the blond dude that is always (like every morning that I get a coffee at Spot) shoving rubbish and such down into the sewers. I know his heart is in the right place, and the street looks better for it, but somebody should tell him that by doing such, it just becomes someone else's problem. Not to mention the poor fishies.

    I'm glad to finally see a recycling effort being implemented on Elmwood. It's about time. Hopefully this will take place city wide. They have been doing it in NYC since like the 80's I'm actually surprised the COOP doesn't have the option implemented in front of their place already. It should be mandatory at every single street festival/public event as well.

  4. leadi

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 13th, 22:42

    A small correction: The large concrete planters along Elmwood were obtained through the extremely diligent and hard work of Don Zintac (Don Zintac Photography) and his group called the Elmwood Avenue Task Force. They worked very hard to get locate a source for these planters, get grants for the planters, find cranes to place them along Elmwood and to get various greenhouses to donate flowers to get this project off the ground.

    Some businesses along Elmwood paid for the planters in the front of their businesses, some did not have to. It depended on if there was enough money available from grants during a particular year. Most of these planters were purchased more than 8 years ago.

    The Elmwood Avenue Task Force group is totally different than EVA. EVA had nothing to do with getting these planters.

  5. TownLine

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 01:47

    Supposedly EVA is making more of those planters available this year.

  6. leadi

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 07:06

    Townline - That is awesome - the more planters, the nicer Elmwood will look.

  7. tjc246

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 09:07

    leadi- you are correct in saying that Don Zintac and the Elmwood Avenue Task Force did get the original planters for the street. As the first executive director of Forever Elmwood (EVA), I worked with Don to get a dozen more planters on the street. Don was great to work with and offered his assistance and knowledge of how to get it done with ease.

    The EVA works incredibly hard to maintain the street and I for one give them kudos to a fine job. They can always use volunteers. If you have some time to donate give them a shout.

    Keep up the great work Justin and Dan!

    Tom Cooney (the original recipe executive director;)

  8. onestarmartin

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 09:45

    Elmwood looks great with the hanging baskets and planters. In fact, their planters are awesome [I love the lily's !]. I wish we could pull this type of streetscape off in Allentown, but the vagrants and drunks are too destructive. Our baskets last only becouse they are to high up to be grabbed, the planters are used as seats or the flowers are yanked out, urns outside of stores eventualy are stolen or destroyed. Maybe as once the tide has turned in Allentown we can look like the Elmwood village!

  9. WholeLottaJibbaJabbah

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 09:58

    What I want to know is why during the spring/summer months we have alternate parking, besides sucking more money out of the tax payers wallets by giving them outrageous parking tickets? During the winter/fall months I get it, plows need to go down the streets without having to dodge parked cars. But then I thought maybe its because the City Street Sweepers need to get by and go down the streets uninterrupted. I have yet to see a city street sweeper go down any street this summer. I ride by the same garbage on Richmond Ave every day. That same chunk of metal is sitting between Bryant and Connecticut St. to this day. (I know because it blew out one of my tires) The metal flattened now and has become embedded into the street, but it's there. EVA way to always be ahead of the curve! The city could take a couple pointers from you.

  10. jamesbflo

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 10:58

    if you dont disregard the signs then you won't get a ticket. plain and siimple.

  11. MJWorthington

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 12:43

    with both sides of many streets full of vehicles on both sides they do become very tight for opposing traffic to pass each other safely. Some wider streets is could be possible.

  12. sbrof

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 12:51

    yeah alternate parking is also about emergency vehicles, firetrucks, ambulances being able to get through during traffic hours. If both sides of the street are full and there is traffic in both directions without anywhere to move then a firetruck or ambulance would then just be stuck in traffic like everyone else. Not a good idea.

  13. eliz

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 12:58

    Gee Onestar, I was looking at the Allen street planters and thinking how nice they looked. Guess I should go by them again and realize their horribleness.

  14. fill

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 13:06

    I like the idea of $500.00 fine signs. Problem is - The litterers can't read !!! (Based on observations of the people who drop junk on my property.)

  15. fill

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 13:07

    I like the idea of $500.00 fine signs. Problem is - The litterers can't read !!! (Based on observations of the people who drop junk on my property.)

  16. fill

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 13:08

    I like the idea of $500.00 fine signs. Problem is - The litterers can't read !!! (Based on observations of the people who drop junk on my property.)

  17. fill

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 13:11

    what's going on here.....................I did not submit my comment 3 times !!

  18. TownLine

    0 ratings12345
    Jul 14th, 15:31

    Lancaster Ave has parking on both sides after 4pm every weekday and throughout the weekend. Its a two way street and I love it. I actually find it to be far safer because cars can not speed down the street. People don't seem to have any problem with slowing down to let other cars pass by. It relieves parking congestion and provides natural traffic calming. Also, Gates Hospital is right at the end of Lancaster Ave, and it doesn't seem to have an adverse impact. There was a fire a couple years ago and the several firetrucks and other emergency vehicles didn't seem to have much of a problem. I'd rather have kids playing on the sidewalks of these streets where the traffic is very slow than other streets where theres plenty of room for two cars to pass at 40mph. They should follow suit with every street.

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