Buffalo Central Terminal

Franczyk: Central Terminal Revival Could Be Coming…Brown Gives In On District Funds
Written by Glenn Gramigna, Editor
newwnypolitics.net
3-24-09

COUNCIL PRESIDENT FRANCZYK MAKES AGREEMENT WITH MAYOR TO DIVY UP BLOCK GRANT FUNDS MORE EQUITABLY…LET’S LAUNCH BUFFALO/ALBANY HIGH SPEED RAIL FROM CENTRAL TERMINAL!

Buffalo Common Council President Dave Franczyk told NewWNYPolitics Monday that he has worked out an agreement with Mayor Brown that will see the Mayor’s plan to spend almost all block grant funds in the districts of his political supporters on the Council reversed.

“Instead, the excess funds will be divided among all the Common Council districts so that the process will be less political and we will be spending that money on good projects throughout the city,” says Franczyk. “The Mayor has told me he would agree to this plan, so it looks like this dispute is solved.”

Imagine this…It’s a bright summer night two or three years from now and everyone is talking about the first journey of the first high speed trains built with some $8 billion in stimulus package money. As the day and time of the first journey approaches, the focus of everyone’s attention is the totally refurbished Central Terminal, now an active rail embarkation point for the first time in years!

This is the dream which Common Council President Dave Franczyk is currently working to turn into reality as part of what he feels is a newly energized movement to revive the Broadway/Fillmore neighborhood.

“I am finding that there is a lot of new energy and commitment being devoted to improving Broadway/Fillmore,” he reports. “The Common Council passed a resolution of support for using part of the stimulus money to make the Central Terminal the home of our new high speed rail service, which is very encouraging. Right now our only choices in terms of rail stations are pretty ordinary, so a redesigned Central Market would be a great alternative.”

But, that is only part of the story in Franczyk’s view.

“It’s true that we’ve had some setbacks in the Muslim building program because of the recession,” he admits. “But, we’ve also had things like the ceremonial opening of the Broadway Market for Easter and the big “Stare Miasto” or Old Town Party at the Market that night, which raised money for the Market’s future. Then there is what’s going on at Corpus Christi Church and the wonderful things happening at St. Stanislaus Church and the Matt Urban Center and the great plans being put together by Marty Biniasz and his colleagues for Dyngus Day, including the coffee house that is going to be operating across the street from Mickey D’s.”

In fact, agriculture may even be coming back to the east side, according to the Common Council President.

“We even have a person who wants to resume farming on Wilson St.,” President Franczyk adds. “He wants to start a vegetable farm, which would be great! But, getting back to the Central Terminal, we are now going to work to convince the Mayor and the Governor and the people in Washington that this is the thing to do, with the help of a lot of people who really care about this community. We just didn’t see this kind of enthusiasm and strong interest in the Broadway/Fillmore neighborhood in the recent past.”