Grant St. crosswalk project still grounded

By Mike Chiari and Tim Daniels
Bengal News Reporters
 Imagine you have spent nearly two years on a project to give your community a much-needed facelift in anticipation of a major conference in your city. You have bought the supplies, you have an army of volunteers ready to help and you have laid out your plans for everyone to see.
 But no matter how deliberate your approach is, the project cannot seem to break through all the governmental red tape.
 You now know the frustration of Cornelia Dohse-Peck and other local activists as they hope to improve the look of the West Side by painting crosswalks at five Grant Street intersections before the National Preservation Conference visits in October.
 “It seems that there is no process in place to approve such a project of public art in the City of Buffalo,” Dohse-Peck said.
 She said the group has met with Councilman David Rivera, whose district covers the Grant Street locations hoped to be used for this project, as well as representatives from the Department of Public Works and the Buffalo Arts Commission.
 Kirk Laubenstein, legislative assistant to Councilman Rivera, said his office has been in contact with the Department of Public Works on a regular basis about the project.
 “[The Department of Public Works] said they needed to talk to the state Department of Transportation. They were worried it might be too slippery depending on paint you use,” Laubenstein said. “The public works folks wanted to do a test run in a parking lot, but that hasn't worked out.”
 Susan Surdej, assistant to the regional director of the state DOT, said she is not involved in the project.
 “I have checked with various departments within the DOT, and nobody has any information on this project,” she said. “New York State DOT has ownership and maintenance jurisdiction for state highways only. Grant Street is not a state highway and therefore, New York State DOT would not be involved in issues on that road, including street art.”
 Laubenstein said the Arts Commission has signed off on the project, so the fate of the crosswalks lies completely in the hands of the Department of Public Works.
 The project, which is called “Art on Grant,” has several goals, one of which is making the area more vibrant, which Dohse-Peck believes will have many benefits to the community.
 “We believe that an orderly-looking and beautiful street sends the message that residents care,” she said. “That real or perceived care makes criminals leery of being watched so they end up moving their criminal operations somewhere else, usually into areas which look and feel blighted.”
 Dohse-Peck said although pavement painting has been done in cities such as Minneapolis and Portland, Ore., it has not been done in this area before, so if this project gets approved it would make Grant Street unique.

Art is being considered for the Grant-Letchworth intersection

 The goal is for the project to be approved and completed before mid-October when the National Preservation Conference will be held in Buffalo. The conference is run by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has the motto, “Helping people protect, enhance, and enjoy the places that matter to them.”
 Lori Feinman, director of the National Preservation Conference, said they appreciate the additional hype the project has generated for the conference as well as the improvements that are attempting to be made to the area.
 “We love it. Any kind of exposure that we can get to reach into local communities to make them aware of the importance of preservation is great for us,” she said. “A lot of times in a city like Buffalo, people very much appreciate their local history and their local preservation, and we try to expose them to preservation on a national scale. This is a great opportunity for us to reach into new audiences that aren't familiar with the trust.”

National Preservation Conference Director Lori Feinman on coming to Buffalo:



Dohse-Peck and Laubenstein both said they are hopeful the project will eventually be approved. Dohse-Peck said they are planning on June 5 to paint the “pilot” crosswalks at the Grant and Auburn intersection.
 “All the city has to do is give the ‘OK’ and reroute the Sunday traffic for a day,” she said.
 Department of Public Works commissioner Steve Stepniak referred Bengal News to traffic engineer Eric Schmarder for comment on the project. Schmarder did not return Bengal News' attempts for comment.

Edited by Mike Meiler and Samantha Murphy

BPO makes musical connection with schools

By Dyane Nunez and Corey O'Leary
Bengal News Reporters
 The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has been a prominent feature of the West Side for over 70 years, providing a source of both entertainment and education to its citizens. Recently, the Education Director of the Philharmonic, Robin Parkinson, has developed a program to reach out to young people in the community.
  It’s called the West Side Connection Program- an annual congregation of musicians and educators that visit participating middle schools and high schools on the West Side. Parkinson says that the program was created in an effort to bring something more to the students in the area.
 “I created this, partly because I live on the West Side and Kleinhans lives on the West Side, this is our home, this is our neighborhood, and in an effort to be more a part of the community, we thought we could start with the fschools,” said Parkinson.

Students from West Side schools get into the act with the Buffalo Philharmonic.

 Schools that participated include: Lafayette High School, Hutchinson Technical High School, Davinci High School, Antonia Pantoja #18, D'Youville-Porter #3, Herman Badillo Bilingual #76, International School #45 and Frank A. Sedita #30. It also involved the Buffalo Public Schools Adult Education Division.
 The program culminates in a special concert for the students of the West Side schools. This year’s concert, which took place on March 9, focused on how African rhythms and drums have evolved and been incorporated into classical music- specifically, music by Latin-American composers.
 The concert presented an African drum and dance ensemble, from the African American Cultural Center. They played in a Nigerian Dance with the orchestra and had their own song and dance segment.
 This year the Connection showcased guest violinist, Randall Goosby, who lives in Bartlett, Tenn., was the winner of the junior division of the 13th Annual Sphinx Competition, a national classical music competition for African American and Latino string musicians. He played as a solo artist along with the orchestra.
 Students from McKinley High School and International School #45 also played African drums along with the orchestra in one song. They attended a drum workshop affiliated with the program prior to the concert.
 Mark Garcia, supervisor of music for the Buffalo Public School system, is very supportive of the Connection.
 “It’s always good for them (the students) to hear a symphony orchestra,” he said.
According to Garcia, Buffalo Public Schools have been sending 4th and 5th graders to see the Philharmonic for the past 11 years. The West Side Connection is an excellent opportunity for kids to get to some exposure at an older age, he said.
 “I think it’s a real benefit for our students to see a young black violinist like Randall Goosby and hear him talk about how hard he works and what he does to be successful at such a young age,” Garcia said.
 Garcia said Goosby could be an excellent role model for young musicians and students in general.
 Ben Boyer, a band teacher at Hutchinson Central Technical Institute, agrees that the program is a great opportunity for students.
 “Being able to see the philharmonic, and have a conductor come in, sometimes it might get a music student started... it might develop their inner-fire, or passion for music,” Boyer said.

 Ben Boyer talks about his childhood experience with the philharmonic:


 Boyer even credits his music career to a visit from the philharmonic at his school when he was a child.
 He agreed that it was a good exposure for the students, as many young people don’t really know anything about philharmonics. He said this could be a good way to introduce them.
 “My favorite part of the program was having someone from the philharmonic who’s a great conductor, come in and work with the students,” Boyer said.
He cited how students could learn from the different conducting style that a philharmonic conductor can bring to the table.

Edited by Paul Giazzon, Jennifer Waters and Desiree Wiley

West Side awaits status of Grant St. P.O.

By Allison Dunckle, Ariel Hofher and Sharvonne Williams
Bengal News Reporters
 This nationwide retailer has more stores than every McDonald’s, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart put together, but many of them are closing and sealing up faster than a flat rate priority mail box.
  The U.S. Postal Service, which serves over 30,000 locations across the country, is facing a financial crisis that will affect not only the postal industry but the communities that depend on it. Soon, many will be forced to consolidate, reduce the number of staff or offer fewer services than in the past, according to Karen Mazurkiewicz, spokesperson for postal service’s Western New York district.
 “What it comes down to it supply and demand, and how the postal service is trying to position itself for the future,” Mazurkiewicz said. “What we’ve realized over the years is we don’t need as many post offices. Part of the reason is customer habits are changing, and not as many people are mailing a 44 cent letter, to do their mailing, to do their banking, pay their bills, and even keep in touch with loved ones.”
 But many West Side residents still depend on these services.

 “A lot of (West Side) folks have limited means,” said Paul Urbanski, customer service manager of the West Side Station at 465 Grant St. “To them, it’s a gathering point. It’s a place that they do a lot of banking….they also come in to buy money orders and pay their bills.”
 Urbanski said that about a quarter of the West Side station’s business is generated by residential customers. Many of them are refugees who speak little to no English, and depend on the post office to communicate or send money to family back home.
Wide use of the Internet also has affected the way the postal service does business.
  “Technology has eliminated the need for what we used to do,” Urbanski said.  “A lot of companies are going paperless. You can go online now to check everything you need.”
 Mazurkiewicz said there is an increasing realization that post offices must evolve to keep up with competition. The industry, she said, has changed. Stamps can now be purchased online, for instance. Packages can be mailed from their website. Other retailers, including Office Depot, offer competitive shipping services.
“We don’t need as many post offices. We’re trying to restructure our retail footprint so we don’t have as many,” Mazurkiewicz said.
 An announcement is expected to be made that will reveal what branches will be eliminated or consolidated across the country. Urbanski said the Postmaster General will lay out an elaborate plan in the form of a large document that will determine the future of many of these post office branches, though it is unclear how the West Side station will be affected.
 “There’s always been talk of closing post offices. But right now with the financial crisis that we’re in it’s actually going to be happening,” Urbanski said.  “There’s fewer letter carriers, fewer clerks, fewer supervisors than there were five years ago.”
 Many post office jobs will be reduced through attrition, where incentives and early retirement packages will encourage people to leave voluntarily rather than forcing layoffs, Urbanski said.
 Though it’s too early to predict how the West Side branch will be affected, but if it closes organizations that depend on it will likely suffer the consequences of the postal pinch. People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH), for instance, is one such West Side business that frequently utilizes the post office.
 “As an organization, we would be pretty disappointed if this post office closed because we rely on it for our postal needs,” said PUSH Community Organizer Whitney Yax. “The same is true for many West Side residents; this is the only post office in our neighborhood and every time I'm there, it's very busy,” she said.
 Mazurkiewicz said measures must be taken to protect the future of the post office, such as limiting postal carrier routes along the West Side.
 “I think we have to change. If we don’t change we will become obsolete,” she said.

Federal funding threatens West Side services

By Craig Learn and Taylor Steinberg
Bengal News Reporters
 Imagine thousands of workers being ripped away from organizations that could possibly collapse without them. That is what will happen if the federal government passes a critical bill.
 Currently, there is a resolution budget bill that could cut nearly $60 billion in federal funding for the remainder of 2011. This bill has already been passed in the House of Representatives, and now the Senate will vote within the next two weeks on whether federal funded organizations, like the Corporation for National and Community Service, the parent agency for AmeriCorps programs is ended mid-year.
 This could disable many West Side organizations and businesses that utilize AmeriCorps workers, such as the New To You thrift store on Grant Street. New To You sells used household furniture, appliances and clothing at affordable prices.
 Rose Gandy, an AmeriCorps worker for New To You, thinks AmeriCorps is misunderstood.

Shoppers at the New To You store on Niagara Street

 “ I think AmeriCorps are underrated, they really need for people to understand what really good deeds they do for the community,” she said.
 Kim DeFlyer, executive director for New To You, worked with AmeriCorps for three years prior to her current job and feels that AmeriCorps is needed.
 “Through those three years in AmeriCorps, it allowed me to get a job, understand a culture I don’t live in and then developed my skills,” DeFlyer said. “I think it cultivates this culture of people that are bringing services to areas that need it.”
 DeFlyer said she does not know if her business could afford to keep Gandy if AmeriCorps was not paying for her services.
 Western New York AmeriCorps and Buffalo AmeriCorps released a press release stating that this is more than politics; it is a culture that could vanish on the West Side.
 “Hundreds of non-profits, schools, and educational organizations would be damaged by the elimination of AmeriCorps funding in Western New York, with some valuable non-profits possibly left unable to operate. These non-profits provide healthcare services to needy families on the West Side, they feed our neighbors in hard times, they provide a place for the homeless to escape our freezing weather, and they provide education to our children.” said Mark P. Lazzara, chief executive officer of WNY AmeriCorps.
 “These are not luxuries, these are basic human needs. These are basic human rights.”
 One of the educational services that make use of AmeriCorps workers to teach youth is the Jericho Road Ministries. The Focused Learning for Youth, a service offered by JRM, uses four AmeriCorps employees who assist middle school refugee students by helping them to improve their educational skills.
 With the FLY program using primarily AmeriCorps workers, the program is in danger of shutting down.
 “If AmeriCorps ended now, or even next year, then we would lose four out of five of our FLY staff. The success of FLY has to do with a low supervisor-child ratio,” said Suzy Derksen, the program support coordinator for JRM. “Our AmeriCorps volunteers are very one-on-one with helping kids improve reading and writing skills, doing their homework and learning science experiments.”
 Erika Grande, the program coordinator for FLY, could potentially be the only staff member remaining. Although the staff is necessary to run the program, the children receiving the services are the main factor.
 “There would be thirty refugee kids who would fall through the cracks of the school system, said Derksen. “Thirty refugee kids would not be able to get the extra support they need to succeed well in the Buffalo school system.”
 People United for Sustainable Housing is another organization that utilizes workers from AmeriCorps. Whitney Yax, another AmeriCorps worker, believes this too is not good for the community.
 “I think altogether there is hundreds of AmeriCorps that serve in this area, not just at PUSH, but I think it would make a really significant negative impact on tons of non-profit organizations around the area,” Yax said.
 Aaron Bartley, executive director for PUSH Buffalo said this bill would hurt his organization and the amount of AmeriCorps workers he has.
Aaron Bartley talks about the effect AmeriCorps has on PUSH:

 For Gandy, it is not about the money.
 “Even the money is not really what boosts me in here, I get a very good pleasure out of being able to help somebody,” she said. “I don’t have the money to put it on the table and say ‘here do what you got to do’ so my services are valuable as well. I may have been able to make a couple more dollars but I need to feel good about what I’m doing.”
 DeFlyer added that AmeriCorps won’t go down with out a fight.
 “We see the big protests going on around the teachers union, using their voice,” she said. “I think there would be a lot of Corps members that would want to have their voice heard on this one.”

Edited by Max Borsuk and Becky Ebert