Let's face it, the Seneca Nation of Indians has made for one really lousy neighbor.
It's been seven years since the state gave the tribe 50 acres of prime downtown Niagara Falls real estate in return for them dropping their claim on Grand Island. In other words, the fat cats who live on Grand Island can rest easy at night knowing that the city of Niagara Falls, as usual, took the hit for their benefit.
The thinking was that there would be a spinoff, that the surrounding neighborhood would benefit from the new traffic generated, that casino employees would be glad for the luxury of having low-cost housing within walking distance of their jobs and that new businesses would spring up and thrive as a golden age dawned.
What actually happened has been far different. Like the state parks, the casino is a black hole where tourist dollars go to die. Former city landmarks like the Press Box and George's Restaurant are gone, and the business people who remain are hanging on by the skin of their teeth.
Even Pine Avenue has been hard hit, as gamblers prefer to stay in the casino for meals and locals feed the slot machines rather than themselves. The fact that people can smoke at the casino's restaurants and nightclubs, and that the establishments operate without the add-on costs associated with New York state's ridiculous tax burden, serve to further put non-Seneca businesses at a disadvantage.
The residential neighborhood is worse than it ever was. Landlords who were putting money into their properties five years ago in anticipation of a swarm of casino workers looking for places to live are now letting the places go for taxes. The sense of hopelessness and futility is palpable.
Last week the Senecas became successful in throwing the Niagara Aerospace Museum out onto the street by evicting it from its home in the former Carborundum Building, which they acquired from the late Frank Amendola under threat of eminent domain.
According to the Buffalo News, the museum will be moving to Buffalo. Niagara Falls will lose yet another popular tourist attraction, and its residents will have to pay the increased Grand Island Bridge tolls to go and get a look at their own cultural heritage.
And the Senecas? They don't give a damn.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | Jan. 22 2008 |