Maziarz Sees Hamister Site as Perfect for Wallenda

George Maziarz

Nik Wallenda is looking for a site on the American side of the falls to pitch a tent next summer and State Sen. George Maziarz thinks the perfect spot might be the city’s recently acquired property at 310 Rainbow Blvd. which has been earmarked by state and local officials for high-end development by the Hamister Group of Buffalo but which so far continues as a parking lot with no word on an agreement to go forward with the $22.4 million project.

“When Nik was here Aug. 23, we went around looking for possible sites for the Wallenda family entertainment facility,” Maziarz told the Reporter. “We were looking as close to the park as possible for a temporary setting for the circus tent [that he envisions], and you have to have height and there has to be that danger factor like when you ride a bicycle across a wire. The turtle is not high enough, but Parcel 4 would be perfect and is only 300 feet from the entrance to the park.”

Maziarz, who was joined by Assemblyman John Ceretto in squiring Wallenda around during his recent visit, said he plans to send a letter this week to Sam Hoyt, regional president of Empire State Development, asking for an update on the Hamister project and suggesting Parcel 4 as a possible site for the temporary Wallenda family entertainment center.

“I sort of suspect that maybe things are stalled [on the Hamister project], and I haven’t received any updates even though I have asked to be included in the discussions or negotiations on that project,” Maziarz said adding that if the property is going to sit there vacant, let’s make it useful and do something.

We reported in July that according to Hoyt there was still no contractual development agreement with Hamister although talks were continuing. When Empire State Development, USA Niagara and the City of Niagara Falls announced last February that Hamister had been selected as the developer of the prime downtown site over six other developers, there was a great deal of hype about the project but now, seven months later, not a word on where it stands.

Hoyt discounted concerns about the financing package for the winning Hamister bid although he conceded it will require significant public money. The proposal includes plans for 104 upscale rooms, 24 residential units and up to 8,000 square feet of retail space, and construction was expected to begin next year.

USA Niagara, a subsidiary of Empire State Development, joined with the city in seeking a high-end development that would need to be subsidized and asked developers to identify the subsidy amount necessary. Chris Schoepflin, president of USA Niagara, refuses to return phone calls from this newspaper even though he holds a high-paying public job. And Empire State Development has so far failed to provide any financial information about its payroll and development subsidies even though it is subject to the state’s Freedom of Information Law according to the State Committee on Open Government. Our FOIL request was filed Aug. 2.

As we reported in July, the selection of Hamister was made in secret by Hoyt, Schoepflin, Mayor Dyster, and possibly Corporation Counsel Craig Johnson. They did not disclose details of how they picked Hamister or information on any of the seven proposals, including Hamister’s, that were received.

Wallenda, who put Niagara Falls in the world spotlight on June 15 with his historic tightrope walk across the gorge, remains committed to creating a permanent presence on the U.S. side where he and his family of acrobats and circus entertainers can perform and provide “something exciting and happening over on this side.”

Wallenda, a U.S. citizen, prefers a site on the American side even though he has been treated royally by Mayor Jim Diodati of Niagara Falls, Ont., before, during, and after his historic walk.

Maziarz, who helped win legislative approval for Wallenda’s daring feat, said when Wallenda would go across the bridge to visit the other side before the walk, “Mayor Diodati would be waiting for him, and shepherded him around. And when it was over, he didn’t send Nik a bill. He said during a television interview, ‘you brush the teeth you want to keep,’ a sign that he was grateful for the world spotlight that Nik shined on Niagara Falls.”