By Dick Lucinski<br><a href="mailto:lucinskid@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Dick</a>
Niagara Gazette
May 11, 2008 12:22 am
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Whether it’s competing economic development agencies fighting over the same project or governmental agencies battling over the same piece of land, Western New York’s overabundance of local government and authorities have a habit of getting in each other’s way. And while it hasn’t happened yet in the latest potential clash, you can see the conflict coming straight at us.
We’re talking about the future of the U.S. Army Reserve Center on Porter Road in the Town of Niagara. The feds don’t need it anymore. It’s been declared surplus.
The town has expressed interest in the site. In fact, its Local Redevelopment Authority (there’s another one of those bureaucratic creations) has the task of finding a new use for the land and the buildings on it. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is very interested in it. The NFTA wants use of the land and the airplane hangar on it to develop air cargo operations at the adjacent Niagara Falls International Airport, which it operates.
The Town of Niagara is also interested in the site but hasn’t come up with a concrete plan for it.
Let’s see: A positive use for vacant buildings and land that could generate commerce and the jobs that go with it versus a vague “we want it and we’ll figure out what to do with it later” plan of attack. On the surface, it sounds simple: Let the NFTA have it.
Cargo handling is one of the activities cited as critical for making full use of the long-neglected and underutilized airport. The other, passenger traffic, is being addressed with the new terminal being constructed. An official groundbreaking for that project is scheduled for later this week.
Authority officials say they want to be the catalyst for cargo operations at Niagara Falls. “We don’t want to run air cargo,” said NFTA Chairman Gregory Stamm at last week’s county economic summit. “We want to be able to make it an opportunity for you folks, the business community, to run air cargo.”
That’s a good way to put it: Establish infrastructure and the ability to do business, then get out of the way and let private industry do what it does best in a free-market economy.
Now before we are accused of bashing the Town of Niagara, let’s go back to the original premise of this column. We’re promoting the avoidance of a clash of or a confrontation between the two entities. And, as a matter of fact, the town is probably taking the proper first steps in handling the issue. It’s studying the matter.
It’s true that studies are often where dreams and ideas go to die. But in this case it makes sense to examine all the options carefully. There might be better uses for the Army Reserve Center. It’s hard to see right now what they are, but one never knows. The Next Big Thing might be out there, waiting to make us all prosperous and happy and be a perfect fit for the surplus federal property.
But the town should listen closely to the NFTA on this one. It simply makes too much sense. Both the land’s proximity to the airport (on its west end) and the types of buildings on it makes the property tailor-made for cargo operations that could be up and running in short order.
Making sense is not always the strong suit of local government. It should be, given the fact that local government is the one that’s closest to the people. The sensible thing is for the NFTA to approach the town with details on its concept of what should be happening at the site to maximize the economic benefit to not only the town, but all of Niagara County. If those benefits outweigh anything else anyone could come up with, give the NFTA control of the site.
The most important thing is for both entities to play nice in the sandbox. The economic future of our area is so fragile it needs every possible boost it can get, not another turf war involving bureaucrats and public officials.
Dick Lucinski is the managing editor of the Niagara Gazette. His columns appear on Wednesday and Sunday.
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