Lockport NY

ELockport has the full copy of Mayor Tucker's 2012 State of the City Address in PDF form and both the Buffalo News and LUSJ reported on it.

The good news:

1. The city is in a relatively good financial state with a high bond rating.
2. The new privatized garbage and refuse system is saving money and working well
3. Tourism is up.
4. Online bill payment coming soon
   

The bad news:

1. All 5 union contracts are up and pension and healthcare cost are steeply rising.
2. Taxes still relatively high
3. No real residential or overall income growth.
4. Housing stock becoming more and more outdated every passing year.
5. Parks and Highway still starved to provide sufficient infrastructure maintenance

This could be expanded and feel free to add your thoughts. There is no doubt in my mind that the city is much better of than it was when I purchased here 7 years ago (so is our house ;). So much so that I am even a bit surprised. Still lacking is the overall vision, plan, and tools to create real growth in the city especially in residential investment.

As nice as the Tourism Task Force is, more important would be a Residential Investment Task Force. Residential dollars are here year round, they create semi-permanent investment in rehabilitating housing stock which increases the overall valuation of the city. Their investment also makes the city look better to the eyes of the tourist.



The city has done a great job putting out the budgetary fires. This can only last so long and will only be made more fire-proof by attracting long term investment in the city.

The Buffalo News reported that the Ice Rink Complex in the old Jubilee on Chestnut St is gaining momentum again.

It’s been dormant for several years, but city officials were voicing optimism last week that the Lockport Ice Arena and Sports Center may become a reality as soon as this year.
“Recent developments have given us reason to believe that this project will become a reality very soon, and I am committed to making it happen,” Mayor Michael W. Tucker said in last week’s State of the City address.

Corporation Counsel John J. Ottaviano said Ciminelli Real Estate Corp., hired in early December to mastermind the construction and financing of the arena, has submitted a construction estimate of $10 million to $14 million.

More importantly, Ottaviano said, Ciminelli has a plan to sell federal income tax credits to investors whose payments would comprise 38 percent of the construction cost.

Foundation grants also may be announced soon to assist with the funding of the twin-rink complex, to be built in the former Jubilee supermarket on Chestnut Street. Bank loans also are part of the financing plan.

“We’re within $3 million to $4 million of closing this entire deal,” Ottaviano said. “Now that’s a very significant number, but it’s a lot closer than we were before.” The rather large range in the construction budget reflects some decisions not yet made that could add or subtract costs.

Among them, Ottaviano said, are the exact size and exterior appearance of the building and whether parking should be expanding onto the former Dussault Foundry site at the foot of Washburn Street....

 A good idea that fills a local and regional need while reusing an unused building in DT. The bad idea is using the old Dussault Foundry site for parking. Why pave over downtown's only view over the escarpment for a parking lot? Why park people (potential customers) farther away from Main St and businesses ensuring they will never go there? Using the existing two lots at Locust and Washburn would put overflow parking within two blocks while getting foot traffic walking past store fronts. Other wise best of luck to the project.

The Buffalo News reported that the city has agreed to settle the LPD grievance over LFD dispatching duties. Regardless of how much, it is not a bad pay for the LPD considering we were sold on "no extra cost" by the police chief.

Considering there is no retroactive pay, I feel that the LPD may not have been too confident in an arbitration outcome themselves. I fail to see how we could have lost the arbitration. Did Chief Eggert not have the authority to negotiate during his sales pitch?

From an old Buffalo News Article (01-24-2010)

“Police Chief Lawrence M. Eggert urged the Common Council last week to turn Fire Department dispatching duties over to the Police Department.

For you to hand it to us now would be extremely simple. We could do it tomorrow,” Eggert said Wednesday. “I’m kind of hoping you give it to us. It’s easy. . . . We could do it for no cost.”

D'Vine Wine Bar is opening today in the UCC (former store front of Metropolitan and Indian Grill). They have a (very) basic website that has an all important menu and what appears to be a frequently used Facebook page. With 75 wines by the glass, 10 craft beers on tap and some unique menu offerings they should do well. It is a perfect business for a city which should be known as the epicenter of the Niagara Wine Trail.

Speaking of which, The Niagara region (Ontario and NY) is quite often listed as one of the top wine regions in the world. One would think a city wanting to cultivate a tourism market would latch onto that. Wouldn't they?

An e-mail was forwarded to me today. It apparently originates from Jack Martin of J Fitzgerald Group located a few doors away. Here is the email:

Hey

Doug Bailey from our office told me of a story about a local hardware store in Chagrin Falls, OH, where the community all came together for one day to flood the place with sales. 

Since I love stealing good ideas, Doug and I thought this would be a great way to support one of Lockport's oldest businesses - Grimble's Hardware.  So here's what we'd like to do:

* On Saturday, February 4, we'd like everyone to visit Grimble's and agree to spend at least $20.  They are open from 8:30-5.

* Send this note to at least 10 other people, and encourage them to send it to at least 10 as well

Grimble's has been around since 1920 and, if you haven't been there, it's the place to find practically anything.  And unlike most big hardware stores, they actually know where everything is in the store.

Thanks to Doug Bailey for pointing out this story and idea.  It's hard to run a small business, especially in this economy, so let's see if we can all show support to one of our own just like they did in Ohio.  And while you're downtown, you should also stop by some of the other businesses and show your support.  Thanks.

Grimble's Hardware 

18 W Main St 

Lockport, NY 14094

Here's the link to the story from Ohio: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/cash-mob-viral-email-rallies-locals-to-support-historic-sm all-town-hardware-store/

The Buffalo News reported that Tucker is already giving warnings on the 2013 budget.

Mayor Michael W. Tucker told the Common Council on Wednesday that layoffs might be necessary in next year’s budget if the Council wants to obey the state’s 2 percent property tax cap.

The Council voted to override the cap for the 2012 budget it passed in November, and it increased the tax levy by 9 percent.

Tucker told the Council that all five city union contracts run out at the end of this year.
“If we don’t get some wage concessions, which we probably won’t, and some health care concessions, those things alone will put us over 2 percent,” the mayor said. “If you’re going to hold [a tax increase] at 2 percent, you’re going to have to reduce the force by layoffs. I’m not going to be hiring anybody for a while.”

He told the aldermen he intends to meet with them individually in the next few weeks to sound out their attitudes toward meeting the tax cap in the 2013 budget.

“Sometimes it’s hard to keep expenses low. Health care will go up. It always does, probably 15 percent,” Tucker said...

I'll agree it's hard to keep expenses low and the city has made some progress in the recent past in trying to contain them. But until the city makes an honest progressive effort to start luring investment back into it, the same old record will be playing for the rest of our lifetimes. Most sadly become numb to the situation until they decide to move on.

The Buffalo News reported.

Work on the Walmart supercenter has been stalled by a months-old lawsuit that town officials didn’t even know about until this week, Supervisor Marc R. Smith said Wednesday.

Smith said Town Attorney Daniel E. Seaman briefed the Town Board behind closed doors Wednesday about a lawsuit a town resident filed July 1 in Albany against Walmart and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Since the town wasn’t a party to the suit and it wasn’t filed locally, no one told him about it until Monday, the supervisor said.

The suit was dismissed Oct. 4 by a State Supreme Court judge in Albany, but it is being appealed, said Daniel A. Spitzer of the Hodgson Russ firm, attorney for the plaintiff....

Where are people getting the money for these lawsuits? The lawsuit costs have to be higher than any property value loss. A Walmart half the size of the old mall is going in with new view sound barriers etc. What's the real issue?