Apartments, hotel rooms next on Statler agenda

 

Property Manager Joe Konze, stands in the newly renovated Terrace Room in the Statler Buffalo.  Also renovated were the main lobby and Golden Ballroom were recently renovated.  The major event that led to the renovations was a call from the mayor’s office, in 2022, stating that the mayor wanted to host the State of the City address.  The rooms were painted and plastered giving an updated look but keeping the nostalgic feel that the Statler Buffalo is known for. The next phase, which will begin next year, is to update and renovate the hotel rooms and apartments.  Historic hotel room floors will be on

Golden Ballroom

levels nine, 10 and 11.  Residential units will be on levels three through eight and levels 12 through 18.  The reasoning for this is that the goal was to put the hotel rooms in an area with beautiful views.  The goal for the Statler Buffalo is to have a cohesive ecosystem in which hotel guests and residents can come and go without bothering the other. “We are going to put the hotel in first and then we will do residential above and below,” Konze said. “We are going to have different banks of elevators, meaning the hotel guests will have their elevators and residential will have their elevators.  Residents will not have access to the hotel floors and hotel guests will not have access to the

Terrace Room

residential floors.” Konze is excited for the future of the Statler Buffalo.  “The idea is that while we are doing the renovations to the hotel, we are still able to provide Buffalo with nostalgia, a nostalgic building that people maybe had their proms and weddings at or where they attended a wedding here.  That is what we wanted to do, is get people in the door to host these special days.” 

                   By Jim Tammaro

Community asked to help keep stray cat population down

Veterinarian Timm Otterson at the Summer Street Cat Clinic, 25 Summer St., has worked with the stray cat population for over 20 years. Whether the cat is an indoor cat or outdoor cat, Otterson says the best practice to help keep the stray cat and feral cat population at lower numbers is to spay and neuter all cats. Community members are encouraged to work with local vet offices and rescue groups to take stray cats they are feeding or partially taking care of in for health checkups and treatments of common illnesses carried in stray cat colonies. The community can also take cats to free rabies clinics hosted each month by the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society and the Erie County Health Department. By Rylee Shott

Christmas performances add to season's festivities

 

Theatre of Youth staging Junie B in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells this month

By Matt Szucs

    Many West Side Theatres and performing arts centers are choosing to end the year with a Christmas play, and the Theatre of Youth (TOY) is no exception.         

    This year, the Theatre of Youth is presenting Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells. Written by Allison Gregory, the play is an adaptation of a book in Barbara Park's popular children's book series Junie B.

    The play's director, Annette Daniels Taylor, said of both of her daughters had grown up reading the Junie B. book series and had also seen this very play at the Theatre of Youth years ago.

    The play follows Junie B. Jones, a first grader who for her class's Secret Santa gift exchange pulls the name of her rival, the tattletale May. Junie decides to set a prank for her, but will the Christmas spirit interfere?

    Ashleigh Chrisena Ricci, who plays Junie B. Jones, is a first-time actor with the Theatre of Youth.

    "This is my first show with TOY and it's going great having a lot of fun getting to play and be silly and make Theatre," Ricci said.

    The play will run at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. .Dec. 14 and 15.

    Lizzie Arnold is the understudy for Lucille/Elf Ellen.

    "One of my favorite scenes to watch and be a part of is the parents' night play. The Columbus night play. Even the scene before it, just the whole like lead into it. All of the chaos, the boats. It's hilarious and it's so much fun to be a part of," Arnold said.

    Kayla McSorley, the executive assistant for the Theatre of Youth, said staging a Christmas play is a tradition at TOY.

    "We always try to find a holiday-themed show to the best of our abilities for the December slot so that local families and students can potentially be experiencing their first-ever trip to the Theatre while celebrating the holiday season with their family," she said. 

    Founded in 1972, the Theatre of Youth is the only professional theater in the area that presents child and family-friendly plays.

   Kavinoky Theatre also has a holiday play underway: Charmagne Chi's Blue Xmas, a PG-13 Christmas Spectacular. Chi is a local performer and comedian, and this performance will be the first full-scale run of the play written by Chi. The play will run at 7:30 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 21.

Flip It saves the planet, one piece of clothing at a time

 Maria Chayban and Jennifer Holmes, owners of Flip It Reverse It, 515 Elmwood Ave., let environmental awareness guide them in their business of giving longevity to the clothing by reselling and refurbishing vintage and modern unique pieces.  The owners have passion for preventing carbon and chemical pollution by preventing clothing from going to landfills. “Saving the planet. Yes. If we can get people to continue to shop secondhand because there is enough to go around, and you don’t even need to make another piece of clothing,” Holmes says.  Chayban says they are always considerate of the prices and even make special deals for most of their clothing. “We always have a $5 rack available for anyone,” Chayban said. According to First Research, the used merchandise industry in the US includes about 20 stores with a combined revenue of $15 billion. By Emmanuel Rogers

Provisions 139 announces special hours for Dec. 28

Mary Schaefer, director of operations at West Side Community Services, is stocking shelves at Provisions 139, the organization's food pantry at 44 Breckenridge St. The pantry serves residents living in these zip codes 14201, 14209, 14213, and 14222 and is open on Wednesdays from 12-3 p.m. and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m. It will be closed on Christmas and New Years Day. Instead, it will be open on Saturday, Dec. 28 at noon for special giveaways that include prepacked bags of food and other items. Provisions has been serving the West Side since 2021. Schaefer said Provisions does accept donations and relies on FeedMore WNY and a five-year contract with the New York State Department of Agriculture where it receives over $100,000 a year to spend on food grown, raised, and produced in New York State. If you are looking to donate, the pantry can use non-food items like toiletries or cleaning supplies, or food not covered by the grant like sugar, flour, and coffee. By Alex Miley

 

Buffalo Philharmonic celebrates 90 years

 

Principal harpist Madeline Olson and principal cellist Roman Mekinulov play in the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, celebrating its 90^th year of bringing music to the area. The BPO first started performing under the baton of Franco Autori at the Elmwood Music Hall, originally located at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Virginia Street. The orchestra moved to Kleinhans Music Hall in1940.  Kleinhans was granted National Historic Landmark status in 1989 and is considered one of the most acoustically perfect halls in the world. The current conductor and head music director is JoAnn Falletta. It is under her leadership that the orchestra has received two 2025 Grammy award nominations for Best Orchestra Performance and Best Classical Compendium. By James Tammaro

Winter parking regulations begin Dec. 1

W. Delevan Ave. at Elmwood Ave.

Along streets that are part of bus routes like West Delevan Avenue, the typically scheduled winter parking regulations that usually go in to effect Nov. 15 have been moved to Dec. 1 due to a warm winter season. Originally postponed to Nov. 22, the date was moved further due to continually mild weather. The winter parking regulations put forth by in collaboration with the City of Buffalo Parking Enforcement and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority state that “it is unlawful for any person to park any vehicle on any portion of any street on which passenger buses are legally operated.” The regulations are in place from 1:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. and are active until April 1. The City of Buffalo and NFTA have published a list of the streets affected. By Matt Szucs

 

Apartments coming to Richardson complex

Apartments to add to historic Richardson campus

By Rylee Shott

                  The historic Richardson Hotel is looking to start its next renovation project, apartments.

                  After the current renovation on the porte-cochere in the front of the building is finished in the summer of 2025, Douglas Development plans to work on putting apartments into the six adjacent buildings on the property.

                  Currently the property is being surveyed to start the process of the apartment renovations.

“Over the next few years, the idea is to create a community inside a community. How cool would it be for people to live at a historic property? So, what we would like to do is develop apartments and livable spaces,” Joe Konze, property and operations manager with Douglas Development, said.

                  The Richardson Hotel has gone through several changes over the years from its beginning as an asylum in the 19^th century, to near abandonment, to Hotel Henry, to The Richardson Hotel and now adding apartments to the mix.

                  Mark Saglian whose great aunt was a patient in the

Mark Saglian with a family memento

asylum supports the changes. He is a volunteer with the Richardson Center Corp. who has done tours of the campus for seven years

“I am positive about it in the sense it gives us an opportunity to preserve this historically significant space so that it doesn’t disappear, so that it doesn’t face the wrecking ball,” Saglian said.

Over the years the community has had mixed views on the building that holds The Richardson Hotel, but the community has started to see the building in a positive light Saglian said.

Saglian sees the life coming back into the building benefits the spiritual life and history of the building.

 “For life to come back into those buildings, children’s voices, music, light, art, if you’re a lingering spirit that has to be positive, it has to be hopeful, and it has to be healing. So, for me the development its beautiful and it’s a positive thing,” Saglian said.

                  Since the reopening of The Richardson Hotel, Visit Buffalo Niagara has seen an increase of tourism on the West Side.

“Because of the nature of the property, the historic significance of it, the preservation of it, it has gotten a lot of great press. That has helped tell the story of the neighborhood as well,” Patrick Kaler, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara, said.

Douglas Development’s goal is to put the word out about the city of Buffalo and the growing community on the West Side.

“For those who are local and want to stay the weekend or those who are staying from out of town really get a feel for what Buffalo is about,” Konze said. “I feel like some people don’t really understand Buffalo and I think where The Richardson Hotel sits in the Elmwood Village with the Elmwood Village really showcasing what Buffalo is about.”

Youth need to know about dollars and sense

 

 

President of SC Parker LLC Jeffrey E. Hahn has concerns on the basic fundamentals of financial literacy not being taught frequently to kids and teenagers from elementary to high schools. Hahn’s professional background consists of working with clients to teach them how to build their knowledge of investments, stocks, and wealth planning. Hahn says the basics of financial literacy such as buying, selling, and investing in your assets are important to learn at the earliest age possible. Assistant Principal of Lafayette High School Walter Diaz says that there has been a set of four classes since 2023 that all focus on the basics of financial literacy. These classes are taught to 12th-grade students and consist of subjects such as credit card usage and adjusting to the new age of investing including cryptocurrency. By Emmanuel L. Rogers Jr.

Colleges set policies for student protests

By Antonio Calderon

            During a time in which college students are becoming more comfortable with speaking out on social injustices and other issues within the community, many colleges have the choice of whether or not they want to respect their ways of thinking and actions to bring upon change.

            Colleges in Buffalo have dealt with their own instances of dealing with protests held by their students and now have similar policies and opinions on how to deal with it all.

Buffalo State Plaza where protests are permitted

            Earlier this year in May, students at Buffalo State University held a peaceful pro-Palestine walkout. Students were able to safely display their beliefs, but it was now clear that more protests would now be taking place for months and years to come.

            Bonita R. Durand, the Interim President of Buffalo State is in favor of students having a space to protest but just wants to make sure that it is done properly and follows the schools Campus policy.

            “Our goal is to conduct any demonstrations in a safe, respectful, and helpful manner. We don’t want our students to feel scared to express their emotions,” said Durand said.   

            Buffalo State is not the only school committed to the rights of students. Canisius University is also big on protecting and giving proper freedom to those that attend. Dating all the way back to 2018, a released statement from Canisius stated that it would be joining other colleges and universities from across the nation in supporting students who would exercise their freedom. These values held true then and they still hold true now.

            Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Lawrence T. Potter Jr. said he supports students making their voices heard about issues they deeply care for.

            “Much like with other colleges, we also have our own policies that students do have to follow in relation to their protests but as long as they communicate with faculty ahead of time, it makes the process of giving them that space to express themselves much easier,” Potter said.   

            Jasean Michie, a member of the Canisius Students for Life organization says that Canisius has provided him and the organization a lot of help and resources to help push their beliefs out to the rest of the campus community and others living in the area as well.

            “With our organization being based around a topic that is controversial and can be tricky to speak on, it is nice to know that Canisius still provides us with the resources to share our message when in many other situations I could imagine an organization like ours being shut down to avoid controversy,” Michie said.

           

           

           

Get culture all day at M&T First Fridays at the AKG

Charlie Garling, director of Learning and Creativity at Buffalo AKG art museum, says the $195 million in renovations have taken the M&T First Fridays experience to a whole new level. The renovations, which took three years and wrapped up in 2023, included the addition of a town square where cultures and creativity unite. First Fridays run from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. when attendees can explore the entire museum, take in an array of performances, visit a drop-in art activity or just socialize. Admission to the event is pay-as-you-wish. The AKG, 1285 Elmwood Ave., First Fridays have been a staple of the West Side experience since 2011. By Alex Miley

W.S. Community Services to serve as warming center

 

The West Side Community Services, 161 Vermont St., is the West Side’s warming center for the 2024 winter season. Each city district is allocated a warming center by the City of Buffalo, as listed on the 2024-2025 Winter Plan. Previously Asarese-Matters Community Center was listed as a warming center for the West Side, it has been replaced by the Northwest Buffalo Community Center, 155 Lawn Ave. Director of Operations for West Side Community Services, Mary Schaefer, says it's important to have resources, such as generator-provided heat, blankets, food and water. “Having a warming shelter within each city district is an important step toward accessibility of resources during intense winter storms. As we know from the Christmas blizzard of 2022, energy failures can put our neighbors in dire situations in their own homes." By Tofsekul Ahmed

Trolleys, holiday markets bring festive vibe to West Side

By Jim Tammaro

    The Christmas season is fast approaching and to help people shop for gifts or get in a festive mood, Allen Street Hardware Café, the Elmwood Village, the Buffalo History Museum, and the Richardson Olmsted Campus are making the season a little bit more merry and bright. 

     There will be three holiday trolleys traveling around the West Side this season to help people get to various events and markets, including the annual holiday market that is taking place at the Richardson Olmsted Campus on Forest Avenue.   

    The Buffalo Holiday Market will take place weekends between Nov. 29 and Dec. 22, on the south lawn of the Richardson Olmsted Campus.  There will be two trolleys going between the campus and other locations around Elmwood to help people shop and travel to the various markets taking place this Christmas season. 

    “Some items you can find at the Buffalo Holiday Market include Bills sweaters, Christmas ornaments, food, and Buffalo-themed items,” Patrick Ryan, cultural curator for the Richardson Olmsted Campus, said.  “We will also have about six to eight food trucks on site, as well."

    On Nov. 29 and 30, there will be a holiday trolley going between the Richardson Olmsted Campus and the Buffalo History Museum.  That weekend, to promote Small Business Saturday, the history museum will be having a Maker’s Market running from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.  The trolley that weekend will run both days from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The two markets will be running concurrently at the two locations that weekend.    

    “Their own little artisan’s vendor fair combined with ours,” Ryan said.  “The trolley can bring visitors back and forth between the two locations.”

    On Dec. 7, a trolley will be running up and down Elmwood Avenue between noon and 6 p.m.  The Elmwood Village will be holding a holiday shopping event that weekend.  The trolley will travel from the Richardson Campus to Forty Thieves, at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and Breckenridge Street, and back.

    “The idea is to have a trolley that runs back and forth from our campus to the Elmwood village so people can shop at the stores up and down Elmwood,” Ryan said.  "This can hopefully bring some people and some customers to the Elmwood village.” 

     Area businesses are excited for these weekends.  Plus, it will help to drive some economic action into the local shops.   

Starting point for the BYOB holiday trolley

 

    A third trolley, more for the adults, will be taking place around Allen Street and Elmwood Avenue.  A BYOB holiday trolley will start at Allen Hardware Café, 245 Allen St., and travel around the area.  The trolley will take place every Thursday to Sunday, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 22.  There will be two trolleys per day, one at 1 p.m. and one at 5 p.m.  This is the second year that the BYOB trolley will be running and Tony Cafaro loves that the trolley starts at Hardware.

    “The ladies that run it came in just on a whim and explained that they were shopping the idea of a holiday trolley and I thought that Hardware would be a great hub,” Cafaro said. 

     Not only can passengers imbibe on their favorite libation, but they can also look at the neighborhood all adorned with festive decorations. 

     “Christmastime is always the best time in my book, so people can have a good time, look at all the houses all decked out with Christmas lights and have fun,” Cafaro said.    

    There are plenty of events around the West Side for people to enjoy and lessen the stress from the Christmas season.

    “I would like to do this holiday trolley as many years as possible,” Cafaro said.  “Not just the trolley, but anything that brings people down here and lets people do something different.  I would like to see people get out and about, not just stay in the bar."        

           

Council takes up short-term rental issue

 Delaware District Councilmember Joel Feroleto is opposed to the recent proposal to temporarily ban short term rentals that has been raised by four councilmembers. He says there is a procedure in place and deems the issue as unnecessary, though he is concerned about the existing issue with many Airb nb units out of compliance with city code. In 2019 there were 580 Airbnb units in all of Erie County, and now there are over 1,000 in Buffalo alone. The moratorium was tabled during a recent meeting for greater discussion. By Matt Szucs

Elmwood Bidwell apartments expected to open in April

 

Douglas Development Property Manager Joe Konze is looking forward to the completion of the new Elmwood Bidwell apartments. Construction for the new apartment building started in the summer of 2022 and is expected to be completed in April of 2025. “We were able to remove the steel braces that were holding up the historic facade back in March and since then, we have been able to work our way up to working on floors three through five. Apartments have been laid out and we are excited at the progress that has been made,” Konze said. The building is expected to have around 50 apartments. By Rylee Shott

Italian group pursuing Christopher Columbus bust

 

 

Neighborhood Health Center Communications Director Ginger Geoffery stands beside the former location of a bust of Christopher Columbus, which was removed during construction in 2020. There are efforts being made to ensure the bust is put in the hands of the Federation of Italian American Societies of Western New York.  Federation President  Peter LoJacono says says the organization wants to preserve its history by restoring and relocating the bust. The bust was life-sized and installed on a pedestal that included four bronze plaques with names of notable hospital officials. The removal of the bust from 300 Niagara St. corresponded with the removal of the full-body Columbus statue located at Prospect Park, which was vandalized and damaged. Lojacono wants to keep the Columbus bust safe. Geoffery says the statue was part of the purchase for the building replacement back in 2020. It was removed during construction, and it is in storage. By Emmanuel Rogers

West Side schools ahead of state with cell-phone policies

Erin Clifford, principal of the West Buffalo Charter School, with a cell-phone home

 By Alexander Miley

Violence is on the rise, students' test scores are dipping, and students are just not paying attention in schools. Many believe these situations can be attributed to the increasing use of cell phones in schools.

Teachers and administrators do not want them in the classroom, it is a distraction, but students want to be on their phones and parents want to be able to contact their kids in case of an emergency. This is a struggle that schools have been dealing with for years. 

In New York State this is becoming a big topic of discussion as there is a bill that will be debated in the Senate in January that will ban smartphones from schools. Flip phones will still be allowed so parents can keep in contact with their kids. 

According to govtech.com Gov. Kathy Hochul went on a listening tour across New York to get input from teachers and parents about the potential bill. 

New York State United Teachers is in support of this bill with  85% of NYSUT members supports banning cell phones and personal electronic devices for the entire school day with approved exceptions. 

Schoharie Central School District, west of Albany, banned cell phones along with ear buds and smart watches two years ago and district officials have seen a decrease in violence and increased academic scores.

West Side schools have their own policies. 

At West Buffalo Charter School, from kindergarten to eighth grade, has a no cell-phone policy. Students have two choices: either put them in their locker or put them in a cell phone home, which is a locked-up transportable box, that travels with the students from class to class in case they need their phone due to an emergency. 

There are medical exceptions to this policy, such as for diabetic students who use a phone to track their levels. 

“I think that the students are doing well without having their cell phones attached to them,” Erin Clifford, West Buffalo Charter principal, said. 

If parents need to contact their children, they are allowed to contact the main office, and the administration will get a hold of the student. This calmed down a lot of parents who were worried they wouldn't be able to contact their children in the event of an emergency.

Clifford is not totally on board with the looming cell phone ban because she believes that it is important for students to have access to their phones in case of emergencies.

At Lafayette International High School, students are allowed to have their cell phones but are only allowed to go on their cell phones at breakfast from 8 - 8:20 a.m. and during their 30-minute lunch period. Individual teachers are allowed to collect students’ phones at the beginning of class periods if they choose.

There are exceptions to this rule for emergencies but if you’re caught abusing it then you lose that ability.

This is a new policy that was just implemented this year and there is an adjustment period for the students as many people are addicted to screen time, but overall, it has had a positive impact.

“The teachers feel heard,” Walter Diaz, assistant principal of the Lafayette International, said.

Diaz, who made the jump from teacher to assistant principal this year understands the struggle of teaching students who are constantly being distracted by their cell phones and supports their new policy.

Buffalo Holiday Market moves to West Side

 

The Richardson Olmsted Campus is set to host the annual Winter Market, previously held on South Park Avenue across from the Buffalo Creek Casino, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 29 to Dec. 22. The new location allows for a more spacious and comfortable shopping experience. It is expected to hold 70 vendors at a time and rotate around 500 total vendors for the season.  The Buffalo Holiday Market hosted its first-ever Falliday Market at the Richardson Campus for five days in October. Co-owner Jillian Cannan estimated that around 85,000 to 90,000 attended the event overall. At the same time, about 150 vendors participated in the event. By Evan Harrington

Olmsted Conservancy prepping parks for winter weather

 

 

Maisy Bennett cleans up some brush as part of Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy's clean up in preparation of the winter season. Director of Engagement and Inclusion Zhi Ting Phua said that the conservancy has been putting its focus clearing  trails of fallen branches from trees as well as any other objects that can become a hazard when walking on these trails that can become slippery. She said protecting plants and trees by covering them up to avoid any sort of frost from the low temperatures is important as well. The conservancy is asking for volunteers to help with the cleaning efforts. Phua is confident in the conservancy's plan to protect the parks ahead of winter. By Antonio Calderon