The
Elmwood Village Association Executive DirectorJames
Cichocki says improvements have been made to two neighborhood trouble spots greatly
alleviating illegal activity. He thanks the Buffalo Police Department for its
role in making the Elmwood Village a safer place to be. While crime in certain
areas might be improving Areavibes,
a website that calculates a livability score for neighborhoods, gives the
Elmwood Village an overall livability score of 82 but a failing grade for crime.
By Khalid Chapman
Jaymir
Johnson, a volunteer for West Side Community Services
After School Program helps a student find what toy during a recent afternoon.
The program for grade kindergarten to six, runs school days from 2:30 - 5:30
p.m. at the center, 161 Vermont St. The teen program for 7th graders and students
to age 19 will begin Oct. 10 and will operate from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays through
Thursdays. The after-school program has a monthly fee, although Erie County may
offer a credit to specific families. The teen program is free. Intentions are
to host a program for some of the school breaks this year for the first time.
“The hope is to do it this year for at least two breaks. We had an awesome
staff member who ran our summer camp, and we’re hoping to bring her back for
vacation and break camps, although it is not officially set in stone,” Mary
Schaefer, the head of the program, said. By Andrew Forsyth
Buffalo State University announced the
eviction of 44 migrants from campus housing just before the start of the Fall
2023 semester. Matt Tice, Vive Shelter director of Asylum Seekers Programs, saysthe eviction could be detrimental to their progress
and Vive remains committed to stability for migrants and their families. By
Angela Caico
Professor and Director of Television
and Film Arts at Buffalo State University
Aaron Daniel Annas
By Andrew DiMartino
Construction
on the Niagara Street Studio site at the corner of Niagara and West Ferry
Street is well underway and the hopes for impact on Buffalo’s West Side remain
strong. The future site is already generating interest from the community as
the possibilities for new opportunities grow.
Professor and Director of Television
and Film Arts at Buffalo State University, Aaron Daniel Annas believes that a
partnership between the university and Niagara Street Studio is very likely
given the current collaborations with established film studios.
Buffalo Filmworks, for example,
partners with Buffalo State, Annas said.
"There was just a media production
project, a music video, shot at the soundstage,” Annas shared, “it was a
professional project that students worked together on.”
He
suggests the addition of a new studio would offer students looking to enter a
career in the film industry better chances to work on professional projects
right here in the neighborhood.
The studio's impact reaches further
than just college campuses however, since businesses in and outside the realm
of film production could be called on to help with the projects the studio is
working on.
Buffalo
Expendables, 799 Seneca St., supplies productions across Western New York with
necessary equipment ranging from headsets and cords to tape and clamps.
Co-founders Amy Cortese and Matthew Quinn are excited to begin working with the
studio and to provide it with the proper
tools needed to make their projects possible.
“I
am hopeful and anticipate it being a big deal.” Quinn said, “If some series
came and took over that space and needed to be in production five days a week,
that would change a lot of people’s lives around here.”
It
is important not only for big budget films to want to shoot in Buffalo but also
for more consistent, long-running productions such as television series to come
to the city. Some television shows have completely changed the landscape of the
cities they filmed in, such as AMC’s The Walking Dead and its impact on the city of Atlanta.
“With
the larger productions that have been here, I think the nice thing about when
somebody dips their toe into Buffalo is that they always like it here,” Cortese
said. “Our city is very welcoming of them coming here and making movies, being
very cooperative and willing to do what we can.”
The
location of the studio on Niagara Street is also an indicator of the city's
efforts towards investing in the district. Buying the 1155 Niagara St. property
from Rich Products Corp. gave Great Point Media a great spot in the city and
a valued local investment partner, Buffalo NIagara Film Office Director of
Operations Rich Wall said.
"I think
geographically its location in a Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, transportation
access, and proximity to a ready-to-go workforce made this West Side location a
great choice,” Wall said.
He described the
studio as another area of support in the city's investments to Niagara Streets
infrastructure, turning the industrial district into a bustling business
community.
Not only is the
location great but the timing as well. As a way to encourage productions to
film in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul is
implementing the New York State Film
Tax Credit Program.
Annas believes this tax break for filming expenses is going to increase
productions in the state to the levels seen in pre-pandemic years, or possibly
beyond.
Mary Schaefer, senior manager of operations at prepares inventory at
Provisions 139, a food pantry operated
by West Side Community Services. She is looking for volunteers to lend a hand during the summer months. Open since August 2021, the facility provides canned
goods, dog and cat food, diapers, wipes and occasionally, fresh produce to a
large mass of families in the West Side. “It’s kind of fun! I have worked in
the pantry doing all the things that the volunteers do. Especially if you’re in
a group of people that you know. We put on music. It’s a good time,” Schaefer
says. Volunteers will load in, unbox, and shelve shipments from weekly
deliveries. These deliveries are scheduled every Thursday between 12 - 4:30 p.m.
By Julie Ferguson
“The West Side itself is
super diverse. It’s more diverse than anything around here in my opinion,” says
Najja Bouldin, a four-year resident, and professor at Buffalo State University.
Professor Bouldin, originally from East Side Buffalo, moved
west because of what he describes as a “better quality of life”. He also shared
that his ability to go bike riding with his young son and the irresistible
ambiance of the West side is what he loves most about the neighborhood.
“We have people from all over south
Asia, we have people from all over the continent of Africa,” he said.
According to the US Census Bureau
American Community Survey, not only is the West Side proven to have
the highest rate of educational attainment, but it is more culturally diverse
when compared to the Northern and Southern parts of the city. Main Street and
the Scajaquada Expressway border a varied population of 7%
Asian, 18% Black, 21% Hispanic, and 50 % WhiteWest
Side residents.
The culturally diverse population is
reflected in the diverse set of businesses you can find on the West Side.
Located in the Upper Elmwood neighborhood, Origem is an intimate Turkish gift
shop on 830 Elmwood Ave.
Luanna H. Akkurt, the owner, opened the store in December 2022 alongside her
husband to bring a taste of Turkish culture to the West side.
“So many of the customers that are
coming in actually know someone, or it has been on their bucket list, and they
want to get to know the place,” Akkurt said.
The shop features a large variety of
imported items that are handmade and full of culture. Her collection of merchandise
varies from antique lamps, rugs, jewelry, scarves, wall decorations, and
gemstones. Every customer can expect to learn a vast amount about the unique
history of each item in Origem over a cup of Turkish coffee. Customers are also
able to make purchases online and always have access to contact her with any
questions regarding items.
In the Waterfront neighborhood, La
Casa De Sabores, a Dominican restaurant located at 1
Letchworth Street, has gained significant popularity
with close-by Buffalo State students and west-side residents. Owner Carlos
Cabrera opened the restaurant in 2018 after graduating from Buffalo State
University. As a Long Island native, Carlos saw the need to bring his Dominican
culture to the West side.
“Knowing that there was nothing with
your culture here, motivated me to see if we could bring our food and culture
to the buffalo community,” Carrera said.
This house of flavor has gained
popularity because of its great customer service and exquisite-tasting
Dominican cuisine. Customer favorites include mango, sauteed onioned over ripe
plantains, chicken beans, and rive and empanadas. They also make sandwiches for
anyone looking for their take on an American dish. Customers can come in person
to pick up food from the display, or you can make orders on Grubhub, Caviar,
Door Dash, Postmates, and Uber Eats.
Both business owners bring something
unique to the West Side. They equally contribute to the diversity of the West
Side and highlight the importance of different cultures in a community.
Stephanie Crockatt, the current executive director for the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, is leaving her position to become the first CEO of Sarasota's Bay Park Conservancy. During her time as executive director for the Olmsted Parks, Crockatt worked on various different projects that have made a positive impact on the parks to this day. "There have been some momentous things that we have done. All of it. I mean you can't pick a favorite child in your family, it's hard to pick just one," Crockatt said. Crockatt said that she thinks after her departure, she expects the parks to find more funding to help sustain the parks. "We're going to be looking at maybe an endowment campaign to help sustain everything. It's a balancing act between everyone wanting a capital project, but do they want to give to the sustaining fund to make sure that capital project lasts a long time," Crockatt said. By Justin Siejak
