Published: February 28, 2009 11:30 pm      

GLYNN: Circle around and check out that art work

It’s hard to stay positive about downtown development when the City of Niagara Falls plans to earmark $335,000 to erect a distraction at a busy intersection.

Don’t be surprised if the final tab is closer to $450,000.

By now you’ve probably heard that city officials have decided to add art to the traffic circle at Rainbow Boulevard and First Street, a short block from the American Rapids Bridge to Goat Island, and close to the landmark Hotel Niagara.

Actually it’s called “the roundabout.” It’s appropriate for those countless out-of-state license plates circling more than once so the drivers can figure out where to go.

What they don’t need is a piece of art, complex sculpture or interpretive displays for confused motorists to look at while they’re trying to text message or take a call on their cell phone. It will just add to the mix.

And visitors hardly need a drive-by exhibit as they circle the downtown to find the other half of the Robert Moses Parkway or that hotel that has changed its name three times since their last visit.

Someone even suggested people may want to park and walk across that intersection to look at the art or sculpture. First, they should be cautioned that with the stiff winds often there, they could end up about a block away.

Don’t misread this. Roundabouts have gained acceptance in many communities in the U.S. and abroad as a way to facilitate traffic. But they shouldn’t feature distractions on a small parcel better suited for a windmill.

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TOUGH TIMES: Area restaurants on both sides of the border are joining forces in special promotions to boost their business in one of the slowest periods of the year — now.

In Buffalo, they call it “WNY Restaurant Week,” starting March 22, with nearly 40 establishments ready to participate. They even will offer their own Web site.

It’s a little strange to see the print media run a long list of “some restaurants” involved. Anyway you cut it, it’s free advertising.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce hired a Buffalo-based public relations firm to lure customers to that quaint Ontario town known for its pricey restaurants and hotels. Through Monday, a three-course lunch will cost $20 to $25 per person. Dinners are reduced to $30 or $35. (You decide if those are bargains).

At this point, there no indication that restaurateurs in Niagara Falls or Lewiston showing any interest in lowering their prices for a week or so. A few restaurants occasionally offer two-for-one and other such specials but there is not sign of collective effort at promotion.

There are some excellent restaurants in both communities and the owners might be mildly surprised by the business they’d generated by reaching out to budget-conscious consumers, if only for a few days.

Sometimes, however, you get the impression that some business owners here would just prefer to complain about the “slow season.”

Did it ever dawn on them that a pro-active approach might help?

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MOVING OUT: Ashker’s Restaurant in the Jefferson Apartments Third Street, Niagara Falls, is expected to soon be under new ownership.

It has been open only for a few months but the family that also operates the popular Ashker’s Coffee House and Restaurant, Youngstown, and Ashker’s Juice Bar, Center Street, Lewiston, said they decided to withdraw from the downtown site.

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MOVING IN: There’s been no official announcement yet but the former Dell’s Restaurant, Niagara Street, will be reopening under new management. Remodeling is under way.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Some people are slow to learn. It took me a long time to realize I was getting older” — Robert Morgenthau, 89, the Manhattan district attorney for 35 years, declaring he won’t run for re-election this year.

Contact reporter Don Glynn at 282-2311, ext. 2246.