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"If they help us any more they're going to kill us."
Those were the words of one downtown businessman last week as he ruefully looked out at the "Road Closed" signs diverting car after car away from his store. Over the past month, large sections of Rainbow Boulevard, Niagara Street and Third and Fourth streets have been closed to traffic by the state, which picked the height of the tourist season to install decorative faux brick crosswalks at major downtown intersections.
Aside from turning a simple drive to the falls from one of the downtown hotels into an adventure visitors could do without, the unannounced construction has devastated already struggling businesses precisely during the 90 days when they're supposed to make enough money to last all year.
The project could have been undertaken in May or September, but that would have made too much sense. Like Gov. George Pataki's single-handed annihilation of the city's convention business 418 days ago or the Democratic State Assembly's continued blockage of a final agreement to allow Seneca Indian gaming here, the ill-timed construction serves as yet another indicator of the level of contempt our elected officials in Albany have for those of us who live and work in Niagara Falls.
The taxpayer-funded USA Niagara Development Corp. -- created by Pataki on Jan. 22, 2001 -- has been missing in action ever since. Announced as a force for dynamic change in the city's tourist district, the group has instead squandered hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past 19 months with virtually nothing to show for it. Few here would know USA Niagara President Michael Wilton if they tripped over him.
Meanwhile, the Niagara Aerospace Museum remains unopened because state grants, promised months ago, have not been forthcoming.
There's an election coming up in November and, who knows, maybe three months is enough time to get things turned around. Maybe by that time the casino and a new convention center will be under construction, and cargo and charter flights will be taking off and landing at Niagara Falls International Airport.
We rather doubt it but, as the state is so fond of telling us, hey, it could happen.
If it doesn't, there will be no reason whatsoever to return any of our elected representatives to office.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | August 13 2002 |