"The Buffalo waterfront is not a dumping ground."
The Buffalo waterfront has seen its unsightly share of trashy-looking boats festering upon its shores. In the past, the docking or mooring of junk vessels was commonplace - partially due to the problem of lack of accountability. I'm sure that we still vividly remember The Aquamarine (or the Marine Star). And even more recently a barge by the name of the Lansdowne has pulled in to fill the vacancy. As the Outer Harbor continues to attract attention in the form of renewed public land use, sites like the Cargill Pool Elevator on Fuhrmann Boulevard are drawing attention from Mayor Brown and Congressman Higgins.
The Mayor has officially filed a communication with the Common Council that would pass a measure requiring permits from the City of Buffalo to dock these types of vessels in the future. It turns out that the party responsible for the Lansdowne did not seek any sort of approval to dock the eyesore. The amendment to the Buffalo Coastal Special Review District in the City Zoning Code would give The City the authority to prevent unsightly vessels from calling the Outer Harbor "Home". The formal inspection results conducted by Building Inspection and Public Works officials will be handed down to the dock property owner within days. It is expected that the Lansdowne would then be vacated from the city's waterfront. This would also give Buffalo the right refuse any sort of floating junk vessels in the future.
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BuffaloSoldier
How was the Aquamarine allowed to sit in Buffalo's outer harbor for so long? Where was the Masiello Administration among other city officials. If we allow our city to treat our waterfront like a garbage dump then that is what it will become. Especially in our citizens' eyes.
If our elected officials paid close enough attention to our waterfront then organizations wouldn't even think about dumping the Aquamarine or Lansdowne there. Even the Lansdowne was there for a long time before city officials decided to even acknowledge it.
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nonono
funny thing, when hard working citizens complained about the abusive parking blitz in the city, we were told that law abiding citizens supported the police action and that 'son of sam' was caught through a parking ticket!
so how does the city explain ignoring a large illegally 'parked' vessel on our shores in post 9/11 western new york? what are they doing with all those home land security dollars???
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kahawa
No, the waterfront is a dumping ground. The garbage plan Higgins is pushing with NYSDOT will complement this rusty eyesore nicely.
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benfranklin
nono raises an interesting point. If it were jihadists in a speed boat at 3 am, I presume an F-16 would swoop down and take them out (we'd have picked up the plan via the Patriot Act...right?). But attack us slowly in a rust bucket and you'll go undetected for months.
Maybe we should call in an air strike on the thing (in the name of national security). Better yet, have a few people go down to the site, and say a few things on a cell phone that would get the fed's attention (one of you would need to be in Canada, making the call international). ("I've landed the craft next to a large concrete tennis ball can....the plan is a go...hope we don't get blown up by a steath bomber..." ..."long live the lackawanna six...." etc..) I'd suggest leaving the scene quickly, with an old t-shirt covering your license plate.
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RisingDamp666
Our Cargill Grain Elevator has been a sitting duck for terrorists since the 1960's. First it was the Puerto Rican separatists who threatened to hijack a number of silo's and fill them with beans and rice. Then it was the SLA which stopped in Buffalo briefly to survey possible hideouts for their final showdown with the Fuzz. Now it's Al Qaida's turn, and yet, the Federal Government predictably turns a blind eye. I predict a "1411" attack in three years that will somehow tie their dastardly destruction of a beloved symbol of industrial ruin with the "directory assistance" theme.
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gaustad
knock this whole thing down - Grain elevators are a way for some to cling to the past; what we once were. Let it go Buffalo.
Leave two or three up and knock the rest down. It is time to move on Buffalo, if you want to reinvent the city, it is not gonna be through grain elevators.
Problem with Buffalo is that it is not aesthetically pleasing. Tidy the place up a bit, make it look presentable.
The appearance of the people and the city have a lot in common.
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BetterThanDetroit
I enjoy these silo's. I head that way everytime I get consumed with cleaning up the city and they simply remind me that it could be worse...I could live in that row of houses on Rt 5 facing them. It could be a little worse people...
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snotnose
So, the co-owner of the boat is Shanghai Reds? Hope this doesn't give more life to the lease. Fred Langdon should be brought into court and jailed and Shanghai Reds closed.
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DerekPunaro
FYI, it was the "Aquarama" or the "Marine Star". Not the "Aquamarine".
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flyguy
If you like the idea of a grain mill converted to a hotel this would appear to be only one of two I can think of that could be feasibly developed in such a way due to location. The one pictured is nicely positioned with waterfront views and city views and located within the outer harbor project area.
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joey
OK!! Who told the Mayor this relic was moored in the HARBOR??
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Geomike
I've got an idea - someone get a tug boat and have it "towed" like an illegally parked car would be. BUT - park it in front of Shanghai Reds, and tell the owner if he wants the boat parked on the waterfront in Buffalo, it has to be in front of his restaurant. See how fast that thing gets taken to Welland to be chopped up for scrap.
Then - get the city council to pass a new law requiring a $1,000 monthly permit to dock or moor any vessel that is not an active passenger/cargo/utility vessel within the city limits. I bet the rent they're paying now to park this rust heap there is pretty cheap. Maybe we should also send city helth and fire inspectors to the site and slap it with some fines. We can say we don't like somehting all we want but it's actions and dollars that get attention.
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simcoe
benfranklin-You probably should have no concerns about getting blown up by a "steath" bomber. If that was an attempt at humor...please stick to your dry comments. I believe the owners of the Aquamarinastar were paying over $10K per month to dock that thing, so I'm sure the owners of the dock were buying a few extra tickets to the policemen's ball.
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Geomike
I stand corrected Simcoe - if that's what they were paying to dock that poor ship there, it's no wonder they never did anything with, they used up their capital on parking fees. Maybe the dock owner knows something we don't about the waterfront, they seem to at least be making money on that desolate strip of land. If we could do that with something didn't make it look a "rust belt" lakeshore.
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BuffaloSoldier
benfranklin, your amazing!
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tourneur
The Lansdowne housed a popular waterfront restaurant in Detroit back in the 80s. As such it is an important historical monument and deserves legal protection regardless of location or cost.
On second thought, never mind.
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EmperiorNortonII
Letter to the editor not published in the Buffalo News---Opposing view not heard---nothing new here.
Shouting Politicians and a beleaguered ship
To the editors
To thine own self be true. So said Shakespeare’s Polonius to his son Laertes as the latter prepares to travel abroad. Being true to one’s self can apply to communities as well as individuals. That is why is so sad to watch the hostility Buffalo expresses towards it’s maritime heritage. Once a great working port, Buffalo seems to aspire to become a gentrified harbor for swells and their yachts. The latest offense is the “outrage” expressed over the presence of the paddle-wheeler Lansdowne, perhaps the most historic ship left on the Great Lakes. Yes the iron ship has seen better days. But it still has a chance for revival. But not if those who lack imagination or hope gin up enough animosity to force it’s demise. Enough of the shouting politicians urging it towed to the Port Colborne ship breakers. We’ve seen this before with the recent loss of the Steamer Canadiana. Buffalo will never be a tony yacht destination like Glen Cove, Long Island. Capitalize on your proud industrial heritage, your authenticity as a working lakeport. To thine own self be true.
Best
Steve Lindsey Apt 1 89 Marlboro St. Keene, NH 03431
For verification, call 603-547-xxxx or e-mail me at SteveLindsey60@hotmail.com
.
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