Friday Marks Important Date for Future Development of Key City Resources
Eric Ortner
North Buffalo Rocket / West Side TimesJanuary 2000: There are two important dates in January which may significantly shape the City of Buffalo’s future: January 14, and March 16. The later date will decide the future of the Peace Bridge as the Public Consensus Review Panel Steering Committee recommends to the Peace Bridge Authority the bridge design and plaza location. However on the 14th the lawsuit involving the Inner Harbor Project will have its first hearing.
The Preservation Coalition of Erie County, lead by Tim Tielman, has filed a lawsuit which challenges the Environmental Impact Study conducted by the Empire State Development Corporation. Mr. Tielman elaborated, “We have to go to court and present arguments as to why the Empire State Development Corporation, did not follow proper procedure to the Environmental Impact Statement. We are not arguing that their plan stinks or if they restore everything it will be great. That is not what is before the court. It is whether or not proper procedure was followed in the Environmental Impact process.”
Peter Cutler from the Mayor’s office commented on the case. He said, “With that case pending… we’re not going to comment on the case until the courts handle it. Other than that, it is safe to say that everything with the project has gone to the letter of the law and beyond. This means we took extraordinary steps to ensure the preservation of the significant archeological remains in the area including the Commercial Slip.”
However, the Preservation Coalition believes that there were a number of considerations which were overlooked in the initial studies for the final design. According to Mr. Tielman, “They didn’t include (studying) one or all of these boat basins. We said, ‘You don’t have to dig the boat basins.’ What they’re doing, for example in one of the boat basins, the Yacht Basin at the foot of Main Street, what they want to do with that yacht basin is dock various boats like the Miss Buffalo. In doing so they create 900 ft. of piers, but they get rid of 1000 feet of bulk head. So basically what they are doing is removing the parallel parking for boats and changing it to head in parking.”
Mr. Tielman also fears that because all the alternatives were not considered, neither was the cost. He believes that for about the same amount of money as digging the three basins, those being the Yacht Basin, the Replica Slip and the Naval Basin, the original commercial slip could be restored.
That has met much debate from the City planners. The City maintains that if the limestone from the original commercial slip is left exposed, it will crumble from the freezing and thawing so common in Western New York’s climate. However, City government is trying to maintain a happy medium. Almost a month ago now, Mayor Masiello called for the creation of a Blue Ribbon Panel to find or develop the technology necessary to permanently reveal the Commercial Slip remains for future generations to visit and witness. The announcement of the members of the panel is expected to be made next week.
Although most of the panelists have not been announced yet, Dr. Warren Barbour, the archeologist responsible for the dig, and Dr. William Siener, Executive Director of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society will be included on it.
Mr. Tielman has retorted to Barbour’s inclusion on the panel by saying, “Dr. Warren Barbour is a fine gentleman and archeologist, but he is not an engineer nor a geologist. So his expertise lies else where than where is required to determine whether the commercial slip can be used as a working historic waterway.
Secondly, Warren Barbour is a paid developer; he is being paid by the people who want to bury the slip and excavate these other areas. People have to bear that in mind. Further, the historic preservation office is part of the state executive government. However, we hired the best and most experienced canal restoration firm in the United States.”
That firm is Ryan-Biggs Associates from Troy, New York . H. Daniel Rogers from the firm has reported, “Our experience at other sites along the Erie Canal and elsewhere indicates that deterioration of limestone pieces has not been a major problem, provided that they are placed in a structure with their bedding placed horizontal as they occur in nature…While some severely deteriorated pieces will have to be replaced, I believe that a significant number of the original pieces can be reused satisfactorily, if only on the tops of the walls where they will be most visible.”
The report went on to elaborate where replacement stone could be found to fill in what is missing or what cannot be preserved. Tim Tielman maintains, “By building the proposed replica slip it means by definition that Lloyd Street (which was recently uncovered) will be wiped out. If they replicate the commercial slip, Lloyd Street and all the other streets, Hanover and Dayton, will be wiped out. They’re all there, and in fact the central wharf was there; that was a shocker, we didn’t know it was there, and there it is.”
With all the discussion on the proper design for the Inner Harbor Project, it is easy to forget about the group which will be most affected by it, the Naval and Military Park. Colonel Patrick J. Cunningham, Executive Director of the Naval and Military Park, has stated, “Our public position is that we support anything that provides us with a place to dock the ships at the foot of Main Street, a museum building with at least an equal amount of display space as we have now, and outside display with pieces of equipment that we have now.”
Even with the impending court case, “The work is proceeding; there has been no injunction on the project with the work,” said Peter Cutler. Yet there is a great deal of public opposition to the project. The Preservation Coalition has gathered more than 2000 signatures in favor of preserving the Canal District. The outcome of Friday’s Court date should be most interesting.
