City's west side looking for support
As 200th anniversary events for the Erie Canal approach, 3rd Ward residents are quick to point out that West Avenue is attached to the downtown corridor.
'This is a major artery into the city,' said Joe DiPasquale who is running for the 3rd Ward alderman's seat. '(Route 31) brings people in from Niagara Falls. We are going to have visitors from all over the world. We need to have positive, permanent spin-off from that event.'
'There's no reason it has to look dirty and unwelcoming,' added Kathy O'Keefe, owner of Windsor Village Artisan & Antique Market at 43 Stevenson St. 'My grandma lived over here when I was growing up. So it kind of hurts me that it goes totally ignored.'
DiPasquale, who purchased his grandmother's home on Bright Street, echoes the sentiment.
'When I was growing up, we had car dealerships, a grocery store, and an Italian import store,' DiPasquale said. 'It needs to be picked up. We're not doing any of those wonderful businesses on West Avenue any favor by turning our back on how it looks.'
Roland O'Malley III, a Park Avenue resident running for the 3rd Ward seat, has similar memories.
'Years ago, Pelicanos had a meat market on West Avenue,' he said. 'It's a unique little area. There were five or six car dealerships. On South Niagara Street, there's a lot of work that could be done there. There's a lot of shops and they have employed people.'
Mark Devine, 3rd Ward alderman, could not be reached for comment. Devine has missed a number of Common Council work sessions this year and has decided not to run for another term.
All three residents point to the many businesses that continue to operate along West and Park avenues and deserve the city's support.
O'Keefe said revitalization efforts need to continue from the Pot-O-Gold Bar and Restaurant and go down West Avenue. Having written grants, O'Keefe questions why city grants can't benefit the west end.
'The excuses are that none of the grant funds can go to the west end. The west end just doesn't qualify,' she said. 'Yet it has the largest base of businesses and employees. It's absolutely a false statement, 100 percent. You've always got to balance things. You've got to think — what is going to create a tax base?'
'All they focus on is three blocks of Lockport,' O'Keefe said. 'They never focus on incorporating a bigger area for commerce and business and tying it in together. I think the key to look into is industrial heritage and create an industrial heritage zone and get grant funds,' O'Keefe said. 'There are industrial buildings there from the turn of the century. You could tell those stories. We have a bike lane on 31 and we have the trail right here. We could literally just do a loop.'
While there are a number of unoccupied homes and buildings on the West Avenue corridor, O'Malley points out that a number of successful businesses continue to operate, such as Precision Cycle Shop and Candlelight Cabinetry. He said vacant properties could be turned around.
'You could have a restaurant. There's some smaller buildings out there,' O'Malley said. 'There could be bed and breakfasts. Little by little, working with these people who are already there, we can create an environment where people will want to come.'
O'Malley said code enforcement is another tool for correcting problems like accumulating junked cars and unmaintained exteriors. Speaking of property near New York Street with wrecked cars, he asked, 'How is a junkyard allowed to be there now? It's unsightly.'
DiPasquale also noted a location on West Avenue.
'You've gotta take care of that pile of tubing,' he said. 'I know there's industry on the west side, but we have to work hand-in-hand to clean it up. You can't expect this part of town to rejuvenate with it looking like that. We've got to work with all of them to make it look better.'
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