Public rips absent mayor's dream

At best, Centennial Park, a $150 million NIagara Falls project is a dream.

The first step toward the project proposed by Mayor Robert Restaino is, according to supporters, to use eminent domain to purchase land from Niagara Falls Redevelopment to complete the parcel.

NFR has competing plans for the same site, suggesting it will build a $1.5 billion technology campus.

It has offered an alternate site at no cost as well as $250,000 per year for 10 years to help with maintenance.

The city government, alternatively, doesn’t believe the NFR plan is real because the organization in 25 years has done nothing with the 100s of acres it has purchased and its plans only came forth when plans for Centennial Park were announced.

Almost every speaker last night at the Niagara Falls Community Development Department public hearing on altering the Community Development Block Grant funding spoke against. Restaino would like the authority to borrow up to $9.8 million for site acquisition through a mechanism called Section 108. Up to half of the city’s annual CDBG award would be used to repay the loan, somewhere between $478,522.38 and $957,044.76 of the city’s annual allotment of about $2.35 million. Scott said regulations limit funds spent on public services to 15% and said expenditures are supposed to benefit moderate and low income individuals and families.

The mayor did not attend the meeting. Newly appointed Councilperson Vince Cauley was there. So was recently resigned Council chairperson John Spanbauer and Councilperson Dontae Myles.

The hearing was run by Clifford Scott, head of the city’s Community Development Department. Scott informed the 35-or so attendees he was there only to take comments and report back to the council, not answer questions.

Scott was impressed by the turnout.

“I am flabbergasted to be honest today,” Scott said, “because we’ve never had more than 4 people here. Thank you.”

Niagara Avenue Business Association President Jim Szwedo questioned why the city would not be negotiating with NFR so it could realize both projects.

“Just because it’s legal to use the funds does not mean we should do it,” Szwedo said, noting the government is so dysfunctional it took 21 years to get a bathroom built at Gill Creek Park. “Let’s get both projects built for our children and grandchildren.”

Community Activist Bob Belton called the meeting illegal because no one was present to from HUD or the mayor’s office.

Cherrish Beals recalled the meeting on May 26 to ask the city for help with safety in parks following a stabbing.

“We can’t hire lifeguards or keep parks safe,” Beals said, “there are so many more things $9.9 million or $150 million could be spent on than a park.”

Spanbauer spoke unequivocally in favor of the project citing numerous communities that have used a Section 108 loan for similar projects. He sees Centennial Park as a catalyst that could lead to year round tourism.

One of Spanbauer's examples was the downtown Lockport hockey rink which mostly caters to suburban white people rather than the neighborhood. 

Shirley Hamilton, president of the Niagara Falls Branch of the NAACP spoke for her organization.

“The Niagara Falls branch is against any and all amendment and usage of community development block grant funds to create minimum wage part-time jobs,” she said. “We the people have had enough. We the people want funds used to create a suitable standard of living.”

Saladin Allah spoke of a correlation that comes between government confiscating assets and success.

“Any time you talk about taking something from somebody and building something prosperous on top of that history has shown that doesn’t work” Allah said.

Myles questioned the fiscal responsibility of the entire project and also noted suspiciously that NFR is the No. 2 donor to the Restaino for Mayor Campaign fund.

“Why are we trying to obtain property when Niagara Falls is already piss poor at maintaining the property we already have,” Myles said. “It’s not transparent. Nobody has been honest.”

Mike Gawel, who said he is running for council, spoke in favor of the project but questioned the funding mechanism.

“I think there are other sources of money,” he said. “The only way is to get the Senecas involved.

Jasiah Jackson was the youngest speaker at the meeting. She warned her generation is going to be more politically involved and will rise up to stop such nonsense.

“Trying to build something when there’s stuff that needs to be done here is ridiculous,” she said.

If the funding plan is to move forward, the city council will need to approve it at a later date,