Thank you George for covering the on-going political fight to preserve and protect the historical Columbus Park-Prospect Hill district. For years, our community has been forced to live like political pawns because no elected official has been willing to stand up to the Public Bridge Authority and say enough is enough.

Al Coppola is the only ex-politico and citizen living outside of our district who has had the courage to take on the PBA by presenting the truth behind the public authority and expose the double standards forced onto the residents.

On September 23, 2008 I spoke before the Common Council Legislative Committee and asked John Lapping, President of the City of Buffalo Preservation Board why the PB had never addressed the inevitable historical cleansing proposed by the peace bridge expansion project.

I simply didn't understand how the demolition of 45 acres of the last remaining intact residential waterfront community who's history dates back to the beginning of this great city, would not even register a blip on the preservation board's radar screen. Five city blocks, up to 100 or more historical homes and structures, over 300 magnificent trees are in the project "red zone" and will be impacted directly or indirectly by the expansion project. It will be one of the largest historical cleansing of a community since the Scajacuada and Rt. 33 gutted Delaware Park and Humboldt Parkway. The footprint of historical Columbus Park-Prospect Hill will be forever changed.

Yet, not a single letter of outrage from the city's PB. No out cry to landmark the 1865 civil war era home of Col. S. H. Wilenson 771 Busti (painfully deteriorating under the 13 year ownership of the PBA)or the Lucca home currently unoccupied(790 Columbus Parkway slated for demolition under the PBA expansion). Mariano Lucca, an ordinary resident successfully lobbied Congress for 16-years to have the achievments of Christopher Columbus recognized. Thanks to the persistance of one man, we as Americans now celebrate Columbus as a national holiday.

In honor of Mariano Lucca, this community and the City of Buffalo renamed Columbus Park and two streets; Columbus Parkway and Columbus Park West in his memory. How soon we forget.

Mr. Lapping's response was that the PB lacks manpower to address every worthy building and that I would be better served by Preservation Coalition or Campaign for Greater Buffalo. The truth is that every local preservation agency is understaffed, underfunded and mostly volunteer.

The dirty little secret behind the intentional neglect of Columbus Park-Prospect Hill's 23 year occupation by a public authority is about power, money and politics. Most politicians and publicly funded agencies like the preservation board fear political reprisal if they stand behind the wrong position. How does that demonstrate acting in the best interest of historical preservation?

The systematic blighting of our historical community has been intentional with the political blessings of many administrations. We are a perfect example of how a community of innocent taxpayers can fall victim to a half-baked politically driven idea that puts political agendas before the health and welfare of an entire community.

Just last week the PBA announced plans to spend $1.2 million dollars on colored lighting for the peace bridge. A few weeks before the announcment my suggestion to Ron Rienas, General Operations Manager for the PBA, to paint the 7 houses on Busti Avenue and bring them up to housing code standards was rejected. Why? According to Rienas, The PBA doesn't have that kind of money. Apparantly, not complying with the housing code laws of the City of Buffalo is another example of how a public authority manages to operate above the law while the rest of the little people must live within it.

Once again, the PBA arrogantly demonstrates that they have money to "burn" accessorizing the lighting of the peace bridge while continuing to show total disregard for a community they have blighted (a projected $25 million in real estate property). Why have they invested over $2 million in beautification projects over the past few years in Fort Erie but refuse to spend a nickel on neighborhood property they own? Because they can get away with it.

Another entire neighborhood, 19th street will enjoy over $400,000 in revitalization funding. Mayor Brown eagerly announced that this neighborhood was worthy of "saving" instead of demolishing.

While I am happy for the homeowners and residents of 19th street, The Mayor's support for this community and not ours is a painful reminder of how plitically victimized we are.

Al Coppola knows what it is like to have your home, business and life work seized and erased by the government. His family homestead in Dante Place fell victim to eminent domain for urban renewal projects in the late 1940's. His family lost everything including an entire building and thriving business. That is why he is so passionate about not seeing it happen again.

Most readers probably never even heard of Dante Place. But that's my point. Once our history is altered or eliminated, it is gone forever. Whether it is by the hand of political projects driven by Washington or Albany, or demolition by neglect-in 2008 historical cleansing is simply unacceptable.

We know there is a better way to resolve the peace bridge expansion. We have met with several professionals who have demonstrated a better way to facilitate international trade. For much less than the PBA proposed expansion. We have presented bi-national transportation alternatives that are economically beneficial and by far will make this region more globally competitive because they take transporting goods to a multi-modal level that can move freight via water, rail, planes and trucks (locating the expansion and new bridge in Niagara Falls, NY for example).

The peace bridge expansion project is about trucking goods from point A to point B (it costs $2,000 for a diesel truck to travel 700 miles), without consideration of any other type of transport system. The final cost for this project is upwards of $730 million (completion is unlikey before 2018) without one cent of investment in other types of inter-modal infrastructure.

The end result will not be as the PBA proclaims, a silver bullet for Buffalo's economic woes, but a massive truck facility, parking garage and the largest duty free store in North America paid for by Americans.

This thriving community of people will be replaced by 45 acres of gray drab concrete, miles of access roads, ramps, docking stations, inspection booths so that 3.4 million diesel trucks a year can be ushered through the West Side. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

The peace bridge expansion is all about trucking logistics not international trade. It's about tripling revenue for a public authority not the City of Buffalo. It's about an authority who sees itself as a "international super entity" and not an agency designed to serve the public good. It's just another bad transportation project disguised as a multi-million dollar bailout for this region.

This is a public authority that now has more than $45 million dollars but needs over $700 million more to complete the project. It is in Federal court hoping to win a lawsuit against ordinary citizens so they can become a sovereign entity that operates without impunity and obeiance to the laws of the United States or New York State. If they win, they never will be required to complete an environmental impact study or any other kind of study unless they chose to. They can build and expand without being subject to national oversight and they will.

Since 2004 the PBA has had legislative powers for eminent domain seizures of private property. They received a proclamation from the Canadian Government giving them a 6 mile franchise north and south of the existing bridge which means the PBA believes they own the water rights for 12 miles and have exclusive power over who can build another bridge.

The PBA currently claims Home Land Security and the GSA mandated the plaza expansion. When I asked where would the PBA expand it's operations in the future should it be required, they responded they didn't know. How odd? When you have eminent domain powers, super entity status and 12 miles of exclusive water-way rights you have no clue about future expansion? I think I do. Perhaps the entire West Side all the way north to Black Rock, east to Richmond and South to downtown Buffalo would be a logical future expansion zone (Bruce Jackson "Trucking Buffalo" Artvoice,October 2007).

The frightening reality is that we are closer to this scenario than many think. Unless our political leaders stop empowering public authorities because they care more about their political future than making tough decisions on behalf of the people who elected them, ordinary citizens like those of us in Columbus Park-Prospect Hill will continue to suffer.

Before anyone passes judgement, they should walk a mile in our shoes. For over a decade we have gone to bed every night and wake up every day wondering what our fate will be. Not knowing effects every part of your life. It drives every decision you make; financially, socially and emotionally. You live your life in a twilight zone recognizing that few people in the real world understand the complexity behind your anguish.

Anxiety runs high in this community. It has worn some homeowners out while others have hunkered down vowing never to give in. Why spend your life waiting for the other shoe to drop? Why paint your house or repair your roof? Why stand up against a public authority who institutes a policy of divide and conquer? Why stand up to big government for any reason?

If anyone is interested in learning the answer, come and walk our neighborhood with us. We give walking tours with historical commentary. Step inside the architectural world from 1860-1955. Come and see the home of Mayor Jewett, Col. Ward, Col. Wilkenson, Mariano Lucca, Doctor's Row, Michael Shea, Bishop Timon, Hutchinson Chapel, the former Efner estate and many others. Be amazed by the stained glass windows and doors, the Italian craftmanship, the elegant staircases and woodworking of the 19th and 20th centuries. See the view that inspired Frederick Law Olmsted to design his first parkland system. Look out at where Lake Erie and the Niagara River meet for the first time. Call 716-984-4218 for more information. Visit our website at www.movetheplaza.com.

Kathy Mecca,
Columbus Park-Prospect Hill District
A community of good people living in the shadow of the peace bridge

I grew up on 7th Street, what is now 730 Columbus Parkway. My parents lived in the home for over 40 years and raised their eight children there. It is a remarkable home, one of the finest examples of the architecture of the arts and crafts movement. The idea that it could be demolished and that the neighborhood is languishing still, under this threat is heart breaking.

My father was so proud of that house. He remembered it from his youth as Judge Montessano's house. That he, the son of an Italian immigrant who group up painfully poor, could one day own such a fine house was his American Dream.