Cantankerous council clashes

There will be funding from the Niagara River Greenway Commission to revitalize 11 different city parks with a grant of $3.05 million.

Included work will include Hyde, Gluck, LaSalle Waterfront and other parks.

Included in Hyde Park the work will include shoreline stabilization habitat restoration as well as repairs to the long-neglected Duck Island.

The application initially included a reference to Beech Avenue Park. That was in error. It meant Beech Avenue pocket park.

Beech Avenue Park is a long-neglected plan strongly advocated for by Councilperson Donta Myles and community activist Arlene Doss.

Myles has been placing the park on the agenda every meeting. Wednesday it failed to make it to a vote because Brian Archie, the only other council member to openly support the park.

Chairperson Perry, as well as councilpersons Traci Bax and David Zajac have expressed verbal support for the park but voted no on funding at every turn.

Myles attempted to use a point of order to speak on and amend the motion even before it failed to make it to a vote for a lack of second, resulting in a terse exchange with Tom DeBoy, acting corporation counsel.

Perry at one point, with hecklers in the audience and Myles attempting to speak referenced “your people” as if somehow the legislators serve different constituencies and also declared Myles as “out of order.”

Myles responded “what am I gonna get detention now and have to stay after class?”

Recent Falls administrations have neglected the 4th District where Beech Avenue is located in an area largely dominated by public housing projects and blighted industrial property.

It is also worth noting in the recent Presidential election it was the only portion of the city to resoundingly support Kamala Harris.