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NOV 27 - DEC 03, 2015

Only in NT - A Wish List for a More Livable Community

By Sweeney Payne

NOV 27, 2015

Citizens (taxpayers, residents and voters) of North Tonawanda need to stand up and insist on what we want our elected representatives to do for us, or we’ll continue having a rut city reputation for our streets, and more taverns and restaurants the majority of us cannot afford to eat in very often with the accompanying noise and litter.

There have been recent efforts to establish an earlier curfew time for bar closings in Buffalo.  In addition to traffic safety concerns (after-hours impaired and drowsy driving), many are becoming aware that the noise and public disturbance issues are substantial. Sources of noise and public disturbances are loud music from local bars, especially those with outdoor patios during the summer months, motorcycles, errant car alarms, and often loud and unruly patrons exiting these establishments.  Sounds like downtown NT!  To have these conditions conclude at 2 a.m., with the outdoor noise ending at 11 a.m., would enhance (or give back) the quality of life to hundreds of NT residents who live within a close proximity of downtown.

Owners of bars and restaurants in the downtown area need to respect the people who made the commitment to living downtown or near downtown.  Downtown has been “reviving” on the backs of residents in lofts and apartments in resurrected old buildings and longtime residents of second ward properties. No one wants his/her ears assaulted by a blaring disc jockey until the early weekend hours.  No one enjoys the view of the over-served barfing at dawn’s light.

Why should we have to drive to Amherst, Niagara Falls, Buffalo or anywhere other than in NT for things we want to buy?  Why not a Save-a-Lot where Car Quest used to be for those who live in the “older” part of NT?

How about Lumber City Development Corp. doing some real work and luring a drugstore to our side of the Canal downtown? With Rite Aid being acquired by Walgreens, they shouldn't need both the existing Walgreens and another location on the Tonawanda side. Can't LCDC get them to relocate to somewhere near downtown?

Since LCDC doesn’t appear to be able to prepare grant proposals for anything needed by the City itself, NT should invest in a professional grant writer and consider seriously investing $25,000 in joining the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise as Niagara Falls did.  They should “repair” the mistake NT made when the Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. began and become a participant in that for tourism promotion.

We need promotion of NT.  LCDC has never yet put up a sign that there is a Buffalo Bolt Business Park behind the fence and doesn’t know how to put up signs to advertise remaining empty lots.  LCDC gets 50 or less of our more than 30,000 residents to come out when they do workshops or presentations of studies they are working on. They just aren’t in touch with residents or industry.

NT should become more involved in the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency and the County Center for Economic Development, perhaps using them to train LCDC to be effective.

It's interesting that Planning Board member Paul Brown and his family figured out how to get free publicity about office space they seek to rent out in the former Ascension Church property they now own, while LCDC doesn't do much advertising about Buffalo Bolt land other than on its website. Someone out there looking for industrial property in NT has to realize that there is something called Lumber City Development Corp. to look for it online. Anyone driving past the Buffalo Bolt "Business Park" has no way of knowing they should contact LCDC or anyone else to see if the land is available. Brown, however, was able to get a full-page free article about his renovations of the Ascension rectory building and vacant office space in the Ken-Ton Bee for free.

Free campaign publicity continues although elections are over, with our elected officials seeming to never have time to do anything they are elected to do because they appear in every photo they can be in anyplace. It would be great if they each made personal donations to every nonprofit and spend personal money in the businesses they pose with.

Before the cold temperatures and road salt have begun taking their toll, if you have a street or a section of one that you feel needs attention by our "new administration," you should of course report it to the Department of Public Works at 695-8585 and to Mayor Arthur G. Pappas at 695-8540, You may also email him at  artpappas@northtonawanda.org. Do remember to report all potholes.

 

 

 

 

 

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