What's Your New Year's Wish For Buffalo?
Now that you’ve had a couple days to think about it, I’m wondering what your New Year's wish for Buffalo is. This could be a time to throw out a bunch of sarcastic remarks, but I figure that in a year’s time I’ll pull up these comments to see which ones (if any) came true.
A couple days ago I ran into a young girl who had not been back in Buffalo for a couple years. She told me that she had come home because she was due to graduate from college this spring. When she arrived to Buffalo she could not believe the number of positive changes that she had taken place since the time that she had left. The changes made her reevaluate the city, and instead of packing up her bags for another two years she made the decision to apply for jobs in Buffalo. She told me that she was majoring in environmental studies and was fascinated with the progressive groups who were making a difference here. She mentioned Buffalo Re-Use, and the alternative energy developments, and Riverkeeper. As a young person, she was very in-tune with the various ‘green’ organizations throughout the region. That, to me, was very encouraging.
It is my wish for 2008 that Buffalo continues to follow the ‘green’ path, and our city emerges as a role model for addressing environmental concerns.
Photo: RoBear
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Comment Options
Wilby
My wish for Buffalo in 2008? Very simple: To get home to it.
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urbansoul
Parking Lot btwn. Ellicott and Washington transforms into something amazing. Or, just something.
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VonBeeble
Keeping with the green theme, I met a guy who works for Buffalo BioDiesel the other day. They pick up local restaurants waste grease and turned into biodiesel. I didn't know that we had such a company here in Buffalo.
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NBJOHN
For Buffalo, More well paying white collar jobs in the city. For the region Lower taxes
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TDSBLO
This is a pretty broad wish, but If we can't grow, I wish for the city to "shrink to greatness."
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Joshua
Where do I start? I guess I need to focus on short term goals or wishes. A goal or wish I have for the City in 2008 is that different neighborhoods in Buffalo continue to improve, in terms of people moving into them and fix and retain the housing stock. Another one would be that more businesses find the value of opening up in the City and thus people patronizing them.
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Joshua
By the way - thanks Newell for making a post like this. I think we always focus on long term goals and aspirations in the City, but it is just as valuable to think about short term goals.
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sbrof
yeah I don't know where to start or if I had such a wish what is best.
I mean seeing the Genesee Village project completed would be simple stunning, but that is already in the works and may be a waste of a wish... If I am going to wish it should be big... so here I go.
I think I will wish for the region to really stand up, and stand together. Enough robbing peter to pay paul, enough fighting about revenue, poverty, sex offender housing or the environment. Wouldn't it be nice for the region.. this is our home, and living next to a dying city isn't something I want. Many issues plaguing the city, the city itself, can never hope to solve on its own but supportive and collaborative region could easily wipe them clean. We should take strives to do what is right for everyone this year. Not just whats good for me, myself and I.
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MRodgers
For businesses located in the city to realize the impact and positives of working within the community and neighborhoods that surround them - partner with groups that prove they are doing a solid job, invest in the surrounding streets, become part of the neighborhoods. A win-win for all parties.
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Kip
that picture is awesome!
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al-alo
i just want to get the rest of the trim painted on my house. . .
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RisingDamp666
I just want to get some trim.
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al-alo
damp, awww, too far man!! too far!
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BetterThanDetroit
-for city hall and Erie County spend their money on local businesses, not just MBE/WBE businesses, but local. Make LOCAL a pre-requisit for even being on the RFP lists.
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chris69
what is my hope for Buffalo in 2008, well its simple, its to continue the momentum in Buffalo that its greatest value is the dedication and productivity of its citizens as well as its deep history and culture.....rather than its albany appointments, its unions, its patronage and political machines.
We need to stop rewarding the insiders with ever increasing taxpayer benefits....and demand the money be put towards civic projects that invest in jobs and invest in communities.
Issa, Iskala, Seneca, Palladino build your towers!
UB build more centers for excellence, lets say in 5 different subject areas as a goal
NFTA and GBNRTC build your light rail extensions
Benderson and others we need millions of square feet of warehouse space and industrial space....and we need it built
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chris69
oh and BECHS .... we need historical richness rebuilt from LaSalles Griffon all the way to a Pan Am fountain.
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JohnB
A concerted effort by Buffalo and the region to plan for the upcoming 200th anniversary of the war of 1812.
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dixiechick
Wow! what a great discussion! And I agree that it is so right to start with short term goals, because they can have such a huge impact. Here are my wishes. They may be simple, but sometimes that is what is needed the most. I wish to see block clubs and community organization continue their good work, but not be divisive, and start to work together. Power in numbers,
Neighbors taking care of neighbors. If an elderly, or injured person lives near you, shovel the walk, When a new kid/family moves into your neighborhood, welcome them. Look those kids in the eye, say hello, talk to them...that lets them know you care, and are both watching out for them and watching their activites too.
I wish that when a kid comes to your door, asking if they can (shovel snow, rake leaves, mow the grass etc, for a little cash to go to the movies perhaps) that whether or not we need the help, we say YES. This is an idea that is fading away....it is something that still happens in our neighborhood, and these kids are willing to help, and earn some bucks, and that makes them feel a parrt of the neighbothood, and good things happen when kids feel valued. Find a way to get kids and families involved in your neighborhoodl. Usually, that makes those kds give a hoot about where they live, and what goes on there.
Share stories with these kids...find out what they care about. Oftentimes they don't have the best family life, but one person in a neighborhood can make a differene. Just by taking the time to talk with a kid. Doesn't take much of your time at all. You might be surprised. Don't preach, meet them where they are, and give them the space and time to talk with you instead of talking back at you. I've done it, seen it work, and I wish more folks would consider this the next time you meet a new kid on the block.
Buffalo will rise first through our neighborhood communities. It only takes a vary small investment of our time to grow a big investment for our city.
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dixiechick
And yes, I agree wholeheartedly with JohnB about" A concerted effort by Buffalo and the region to plan for the upcoming 200th anniversary of the war of 1812." We would be missing a HUGE opportunity if we let that slide by. We need to start working on it NOW, because we all know how long it can take for our wishes to come to fruition when it comes to government funding and grants.
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ktl2277
I wish for a shovel in the ground at the Gates Circle condo site!
The world to notice ( in an absolutly huge way) the spectacular achievement in the Darwin Martin restoration, what I mean by this is that we have somthing that should draw in so many tourists I hope 2008 is the start of that draw. I'm talking about 250K paid visitors!
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nonono
that BR will learn the meaning of 'fact checking', hire some competant writers with journalistic integrity. writers with the desire, and the ability, to research that about which they write. lastly, that this site will commit to do more than 'scratch the surface' of happenings in this town, and stop regurgitating press releases.
(......oh yeah, and strike the word H U U U U G E from the lexicon of human languages, and sever the tongues of any who utter it!)
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WCPerspective
Quit my day job, so I can do fact checking, scratch more than the surface, interview, chase stories, conduct independent environmental and economic impact studies on all new development, and background checks on developers, business owners, and their financial backers. And to start getting press releases!
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dpbflo
My 2008 wish for buffalo would be for someone to plan/invest/build a concert venue (big one) in buffalo. Ideally an amphitheater on the water -maybe the freezer queen location.
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Martin
Lower taxes for the city and county, industry to take a keen hold on the area for job growth, people to take an intrest in keeping the streets clean and a killer Prada store on Elmwood.
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urbanesque
My hope for 2008 is that Erie County and the City of Buffalo take steps towards ownership of our natural resources. The Steel Winds project is a foot in the door, we sit on one of the largest fresh water reserves in the world and potentially one of the largest "Green" energy producing systems in the world (wind, solar, hydro), let's leverage this to make Buffalo the obvious place to live in the future. Take control of the Erie County Water Authority, reduce costs and waste, improve governance and control, to give residents the lowest water rates in the country. Do the same with the Power Authority to give us some of the lowest electricity costs in the nation.
Increase governance and control of our finances, reduce county and local government waste and make Buffalo a more competitive place to do business. We control part of that and can set the tone for the rest of the state. This is not too much to ask for in the next 359 days.
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Hospitable
Somewhere to shop on a regular basis in the city....Prada on Elmwood... what an idea To make history and live in the 51st state.. Western New York.. Traffic on main...
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Prodigal-Son
For Buffalo to grow, if only by one, to be bigger than the year before. Investors and others won't fully believe in this town until, for the first time in 40 years, just one year we're bigger than the year before.
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Arete
For the region to develop a national reputation as a destination for learning institutions, whether they be local colleges and universities, private and independent schools, the Albright-Knox or the new Burchfield-Penney, the Science Learning orgainization in the Trimain building, the Science Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright structures, or the thousands of artists, educators, scientists, architects, designers, business people, etc all working to move our culture forward.
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Greetingcard
To follow up on Hospitable...to get national retailers on Elmwood to anchor lesser known local businesses to give everyone a chance to succeed. Also, to stop the bickering over new vs. old buildings and houses.
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Archer
Fire the head of Parking Violations Bureau, Leonard Sciolino. He is a mumbling and bumbling joke who lets officers prey on downtown residents and visitors with unwarranted parking violations then makes up excuses why they are getting ticketed. Now thats how you get people to live downtown! Bravo!
Read the story and watch him spew the typical political garbage response on video here:
http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=7579695&nav=menu41_2
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xosder
Would love to see the start of development of the outer harbor as Rte 5 / Fuhrman Blvd get reconstructed. First project isthe former Freezer Queen site, which is in good local and capable hands, and looks like it is going to be redeveloped into something very cool and spectacular. After the infrastructure is built and the Freezer Queen site is being redeveloped, other projects will follow.
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Joshua
Another event, if you will, that I would be interested in happening is a Buffalo Rising party in 2008. I missed the last one and I would be very interested in meeting some of those who love and appreciate what is going on in the City. As some of those have stated before, power in numbers!
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bison716
A good to go on ISSA"S TOWER! Period.
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