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The following are the rough, working notes from the second breakout session convened at the connecting places in the Broadway-Fillmore District of Buffalo meeting held at the Central Terminal on October 3, 2009.
Issue: Restoring the Broadway-Fillmore Area and Re-Inventing Paderewski
Convener(s): Bishop Grosz and Eddy D.
Summary of Discussion:
- Bring in people/keep people
- Preserve the old post office
- Paderewski: NYS/COB/E.C. attend – change laws
- Support each others events
- Creation of a calendar of events
- Need one master plan
- Get a foundation involved
- Urban planner stay involved
- A small group can get things going: talk and share
- Keep “re-entry” initiatives
- Collaboration, communication and planning
- Rebuild on empty lots
- Continue meeting
- Rebuild neighborhoods
- Hit city hall
- All groups work with police (E. Ferry & Fillmore)
- Involve more people
- Get more people to move here
- Unity
- Today – first step-next-develop solutions
- Develop a plan for houses around St. Stanislaus
The following are the rough, working notes from the first breakout session convened at the connecting places in the Broadway-Fillmore District of Buffalo meeting held at the Central Terminal on October 3, 2009. Several topics were discussed, each with their own
notes.
Issue #1: “Successful Re-entry”
Convener: Antwon D.
Summary of Discussion:
- Communication
- Plan
- Help those who come back as good neighbors.
- Help businesses who would do this: politics
- Need help – accountant/lawyer
- Promotion re-entry incentive
- Successful re-entry statistics
- Child molesters
- Make them resources
- Programs to help the comeback
- Occupations in area that need help
Issue(s) #2:”Improving the relationship between the police & the community/Crime & drugs”
Convener(s): Bill C. and Ken K.
Summary of Discussion:
- Police care – know neighborhood, make contact with police, have a “war” on love.
- Abandon Buildings – COB do something
- Drugs & crime
- Absent landlords
Issue #3:”Homeless/Squatters”
Convener(s): Joyelle and Karen
Summary of Discussion:
- Hope Center – help homeless and support network
- Violence against homeless population
- Abandoned buildings – homeless moving in
- Rehab old house/owner occupied
- Helping people
- Volunteers
- Organize
- Jobs in the community
- Money needed
- How do home/business owners find out about $$$
- Council members should be here to help
- Many people want money; help needed to write grant requests
- Strategic planning needs to take a broader look
- Neighborhood needs one large voice
- New generation must be included/involved
- Education
- Have a solution
- Work together
On Saturday, April 18th, the City of Buffalo hosted an all-day summit meeting for Block Clubs and other neighborhood-level leaders, to address issues and opportunities for working together to improve the quality of life in Buffalo’s neighborhoods.
Over 100 participants raised more than 40 issues, clustered and combined them into more than 20 working sessions, most of which are documented in this site, filed under Quality of Life. See also the invitation to this summit.
The summit was organized by City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning and Department of Citizens Services, with support from the Mayor’s Office and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
The following are the rough, working notes from one of the breakout sessions convened at an open forum for block clubs and other neighborhood-level leaders to work on improving the quality of life in Buffalo. See also the invitation and forum report.
Convener(s): Christine Lovett-Schaus
Participants: Lisa, Christie, Pam, Ramona, Jackie, Marilyn, Joan
Summary of Discussion:
Block Clubs set up positive issues to discuss/meet about
- Get to know each other – welcome
- Garden Walk activity to get together – know each other
- Coalition of Block Clubs & AmeriCorps meets to address issues at Bell Center
- Work to Beautify West Side including LaSalle Park
- Involve Children
- Porch Parties – Children Parties
- Park
- Clean up in front of homes & corners
- Survey – number of homes/apartments/repairs (look for help)
- Measure “Social Capital”
- Plan – GNPA – with Council Member
- Email List – Communication
- Phone Tree – Communication
- Blog or Website – Face book Page
- Historic Committee – Document House Tours
Long and Short Term Plans – invite Council Members & County Legislator to meetings
- Traffic Calming
- Dial 311 – track issues
- Pedestrian Crosswalk
Improving the Quality of Life in Buffalo:
Issues and Opportunities for Block Clubs, Other Groups, and
Individuals Working on Neighborhood-Level Improvement
You are invited to help develop planning and action steps for 2009, related to…
- Community Development Block Grants
- Federal Stimulus and Restore NY linkages
- Addressing Housing, Vacancies and Demolitions
- Beautification, Reclamation and Reuse
- …and other important neighborhood work!
• Join neighborhood activists, block club leaders, and other concerned and passionate residents who are about revitalizing Buffalo and ready to get together to get things done in the short term.
• Share ideas about initiatives that are working now and design even stronger, more flexible procedures and programs that might yield more value to Buffalo neighborhoods in the near future.
• Be part of a diverse community of implementers and doers working throughout the City.
Please Join Us…
Saturday, April 18, 2009
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Buffalo Employment and Training Center
RSVP: Space is limited, so please reply by April 12, 2009 to the Mayor’s Call and Resolution Center by dialing 311 or (716) 851-4890. Complimentary lunch is provided.
The City of Buffalo is committed to:
• Helping committed groups develop neighborhood implementation plans for 2009-2010
• Sharing insight and gathering input on local grant opportunities and their community impact
• Compiling lists of Community Assets you identify
• Helping you organize the follow-up in your neighborhood so you can get work done faster
Organized by: City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning and Department of Citizens Services, with support from the Mayor’s Office and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
How Can We Maximize the Local Economic and Social Capital Impacts of Buffalo’s Vacant and Abandoned Residential Properties? Issues and opportunities for supporting the future of Buffalo’s housing and creating value in our neighborhoods.
You are invited… because you have the experience, connections, resources and passion we need to change this city and create new housing value for the future of buffalo. We are a diverse community of implementers and doers. Please join us!
The city is committed to demolishing 5,000 of the worst houses in 5 years—Now, which are in the worst shape or worst locations? After demolition. Then what? What are the issues and opportunities for choosing which homes to demolish, which properties for the city to gain ownership, and then who will bring new uses to them? What are the procedures? Whose help will be needed and how can we invite them to join? What are the projects and how should we measure our collective success?
What do we have to start with and what do you want to happen next? This is what we want to find out in these first two meetings, focusing first on the area…one of Buffalo’s housing priority areas from approximately Main St. to Jefferson Ave.; Best St. to Kensington Ave……
Come with your experience, resources, connections, & ideas. Understand existing residential and vacant land policies and practices as they are today. Shape those that are working now and design even stronger more flexible procedures and systems that might yield more value to Buffalo neighborhoods in the future.
And in the process…become part of (or make connections to) a diverse community of implementers and doers in one of Buffalo’s housing priority areas from approximately Main St. to Jefferson Ave.; Best St. to Kensington Ave.
Orientation session: What exists today?
When: October 7, 2008 - drop in between 6 and 8pm
Location: Belmont Shelter Corporation, 1195 Main Street
At your convenience, browse poster sessions about current government and non profit policies, practices and planned 2008-9 projects. This information will ensure everyone is up to speed and ready to dig deep at the 3 hour working session.
Working session: What do you want to do next?
When: October 9, 2008 - 6-9pm; full 3 hr meeting session
Where: Belmont Shelter Corporation, 1195 Main Street
Bring your knowledge of what is now. Identify what works and what could work better. Consider how you want to strengthen what is now— into better, stronger, more flexible procedures and systems or what project you want to undertake next.
Who should come? Those who care about the issues above and are ready to do something about them as part of their day job, or those who contribute significant volunteer time on implementing solutions and actions on these issues.
Co-Conveners (people and organizations who have agreed that this is an important question, and will invite others they think would be interested)
Mayor Byron Brown • Belmont Shelter Corporation • City of Buffalo, Economic Development Department • Homefront, Inc. • Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors • Fillmore Leroy Area Residents (FLARE) • Western New York Law Center • Bethesda Community Development Corp. • Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) • Ellicott District Community Development, Inc.