Federal Funds for Buffalo
There may be an infusion of over $3M coming Buffalo's way because our FY08 House and Senate Appropriations Bills were approved.
In an effort to procure federal funds for Buffalo, Mayor Brown and a contingent of key city hall staff met with members of our Federal Legislative Delegation in Washington this past March. As an upshot, Senators Clinton and Schumer were instrumental in getting $1.3M earmarked for the city in the Senate, while Representatives Slaughter and Higgins collectively went after $2.4M in the House.
Tim Wanamaker, Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning, said that Mayor Brown worked very hard in going after this money. He said we had excellent lobbyists, good strategy, and it didn't hurt that Rep. Slaughter resubmitted the Bill a second time that aims to put $1.6M in the Fruit Belt for much needed infrastructure improvements such as sewer, water, streets, sidewalks and lighting.
"We're really starting to attack quality of life issues in order to continue to change the city in a positive way," Wanamaker said. Wanamaker said that the top priority is law enforcement--police and fire—and the Senate is considering $600K, while the House is looking at $700K. It is not likely that we will get all of this funding from each source, but we are in a good position to get one or the other.
$200K in the House would help with the planning phase of the proposed Urban Arts Center slated for the Michigan Avenue Corridor, though Wanamaker said that $500K would be needed in total to solidify plans and get basic strategies in place. Still, he acknowledged that this House money would make the project a go. There is also $500K identified for micro and small business loans in the Senate Appropriations Bill.
Beyond that, $100K is in the bill for a Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Program. "Mayor Brown has made it a point to work with "at risk" youth in respect to reading and summer programs. Idle kids are kids who get into trouble," Wanamaker said.
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Jefferson
what's that picture of when was it taken and why is it associated with this article? Also, considering the USA has spent billions in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 3 million dollars is a drop in the bucket. But better than nothing.
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ECB
The bulk of the money is going to law enforcement. It was either the police (that it is), a pile of money (that I wish I had), or that crazy eagle with the olive branch in one talon and the arrows in the other (that makes me wonder). I looked for a 'quality of life' pic, but that's majorly subjective.
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hamp
What were you thinking with the photo?
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AtwaterLouse
Agree with comments saying that's an unusual photo selection for this story about pork funds, especially since this site usually does not consider crime part of its topic set (which is fine - I'm not complaining, and there's plenty of other places for people to discuss that).
About the money, I'm sure I'll be in a small minority but most of those things listed in the article sound like relatively poor spending decisions.
I'd much rather use the funding to remove fire trap eyesore vacant houses that are a real danger to fire fighters and adjacent neighbors.
But maybe congress people don't consider that as nice for press releases, or maybe it doesn't create as much patronage opportunities as Urban Arts Centers and Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention Programs - uh, yeah right more programs like that sound much more useful than removing arson targets from our neighborhoods.
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GraphicRage
Agreed AtwaterLouse, seems like all the funding is going to the East Side. Not to say the East Side doesn't need it, but recent events obviously point out the need for the city to refocus on the West Side as well. Spread the wealth!
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Jas
Maybe this money will be wasted too just like our Homeland Security money being used to hire more security to do nothing at the Italian Festival.
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queenseyes
OK, I fess up. Elena asked me if I had a photo of a number of things and one of them was police. I snapped this shot of a drunk guy being booked at a concert while the crowd looked on. It was a fairly harmless incident, and was one of the only photos of police that I hadn't used yet. So that's the story about the photo. I guess we should have used a shield maybe? So give me one star.
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AtwaterLouse
Thanks Graphic - nobody ever agrees with me so it's nice for a change!
Queenseyes, if you have any pictures of pork products one of those might been good too for these kinds of announcements. I wonder who will be hired as the directors, assistant directors, deputy assistants, etc. for the Urban Arts Center and "Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention" Programs. Probably those funds will be very efficiently spent with lots of accountability and no hiring of politician relatives, petition circulators, etc.
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VictrolaMan
Quit wasting money on areas, such as the 'Fruit belt', where people have demonstrated NO desire to live. Spend it where it might help, around the West Side, South & North Buffalo, which still have some hope of survival.
Interesting fact: Nobody named "Wanamaker" owns property within the City Limits; he must REALLY believe in Buffalo, yes? He and all the other frauds at City Hall, living in the 'burbs with fake addresses in the City, committing voter fraud among other crimes. This is one reason why people have no hope around here : the crime starts at the top & goes through every layer of government. 100% corruption.
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IMADIVA
VictrolaMan...why the assumption that you have to own property in the city to work for the city. My understanding is that Tim Wanamaker has lived in the Elk Terminal lofts since they first opened. That's hardly the burbs. Lack of ownership doesn't connote lack of commitment to the city. Also, to infer that all levels of government are corrupt is beyond cynicism...it's ridicules.
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aka_mouse
Actually hasn't the fruit belt turned around quite a bit since the way it was in the 70s? (when apparently it was really bad)
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ECB
The Fruit Belt is definitely in need of help in order to make people want to live there. That's why the money is earmarked for infrastructure improvements. I remember another reporter telling me that there was a blighted area he was covering for a news story, and there was a sense of wonder about one house on the block that hadn't been broken into, destroyed, literally trashed like all of the other houses on the street. Then he went back for a night shot. Have you guessed yet?
It was the only house with a working street light in front of it. The city needs to take care of basic infrastructure improvements to allow the people who live in the belt to stay and, hopefully, attract others. I have a lot of friends whose parents and grandparents grew up there. They typically refuse all offers of rides past the old homestead--too depressing. Streets, lights, sewers, sidewalks and some dedicated homeowners willing to stay and replace some of the fruit trees (I understand there's one left) is what that neighborhood needs.
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MikeInWNY
Keep the pork flowing and the taxes up. Government can't hold a candle to the improvements that would occur if the money was left in the private sector. But that would require a lot of government workers to get real jobs at real wages with real benefits, not the pie in the sky pay and benefits they receive now.
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Denizen
Some food for thought that loosely related to the subject matter of this post:
"In Violent Neighborhoods, Adults Too Fearful To Intervene With Most Young Offenders": http://tinyurl.com/2tvp9q
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chris69
I dont bregrudge a black mayor Brown and a black city department appointment responsible for development Wannamaker.....lobbying for grants to help the african american community.
The Irish funnelled money to south Buffalo and the italians funnelled money to the westside and black rock in their day.....though today....even under Masiello...South Buffalo and the westside were just as ignored as the eastside.
But the Fruit Belt is alittle different because in a few years....a new research center, a new startup, a new medical instruments company or pharmaceutical company (etc) is going to come knocking and wanting to build a new building.....and the response is that....what should be a Center for Excellence about 7x its present size IS GOING TO BE TRUNCATED AND OBSTRUCTED BY LOW INCOME AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO CRY RACISM IF ASKED TO MOVE FROM THEIR LOW INCOME HOUSING!
I THINK THIS IS MYOPIC, MORONIC, RETARDED, SHORT SIGHTED AND A SIGN OF UTTER INCOMPETENCE.
HEY XYZ GENOMICS....FIND SOMEPLACE ELSE FOR YOUR 100 EMPLOYEES WE HAVE FILLED THE FRUIT BELT WITH LOW INCOME SLAVE SHANTIES LIKE SWAN STREET! THERE IS NO MORE ROOM FOR YOU TO BUILD WITHIN THE FRUIT BELT AND ADD JOBS TO OUR ECONOMY!
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Charger
Lest anyone forget, Masiello first appointed Wanamaker. As for the BNMC outgrowing its footprint, with adequate planning (which is happening) that's not going to happen for a very long time, if ever. There are more shovel-ready sites on the campus than you can shake a stick at, the huge Trico building that the BNMC org is seeking to purchase, and even surface parking lots that could be built on.
Constraining the growth of the campus within its current boundaries will lead to a more efficient use of space, and better R&D collaboration to boot. Without that it would be all too easy for short-sighted nitwits to build single story buildings with half the lot used for parking (see Smartpill, former Fertility Acoustics, building for example.) Current boundary really too constraining? Look south of Goodell to massive parking/vacant lots.
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