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KCA members regularly clean the School 36 parking lot,
playground and surrounding area on Hudson Street.
Neighbors are concerned as the site faces an uncertain future.
COMMUNITY MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR POSSIBLE RE-USE OF SCHOOL 36
AS ELMWOOD VILLAGE CHARTER SCHOOL SPLIT CAMPUS
==================================================================
School 36
, located on Days Park with a significant footprint on Hudson Street and Cottage Street, is slated to close at the end
of the semester in June 2009. There are several possibilities for its re-use, including residential. One new
development has been the potential re-use as a split campus component of
Elmwood Village Charter School (EVCS)
, currently located
on Elmwood Avenue north of Allen Street.
The proposal includes purchasing School 36 and using it for its primary grades, while adding seventh and eighth
grades at the
Elmwood Avenue building which would be retained for the middle grades. The expansion plan is subject
to approval in Albany by the New York State
Board of Regents.
Two public meetings on the EVCS's proposed re-use of the building will be held at the Allendale Theater, 203 Allen Street on the following dates:
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Thursday, March 26, 7 PM
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Tuesday, March 31, 7 PM
The Kleinhans community has concerns about the building being shuttered for an extended period of time and
lack of oversight for the playground and parking lots which face Hudson Street.
It is hoped to return Porter Avenue to its
original appearance as an Olmsted Parkway
in 2009.
PORTER AVENUE IS SCHEDULED TO BE RECONSTRUCTED
AS PARKWAY IN 2009.
===================================================
Heavily-utilized Porter Avenue, one of Buffalo’s most historic streets, is scheduled to
receive a make-over in 2009 to return it to its former splendor as an Olmsted Parkway.
The budget for this project is $1.8 million. Of this, 80% will be funded by the Federal
government, 15% by the State, and 5% by the City.
Porter Avenue is one of Buffalo’s oldest streets, pre-dating Joseph Ellicott’s
design of the village. It was once an ancient Indian trail, existing since the
Revolutionary War. It was called “Guide Board Road,” and was used as a
passage from Main Street to the Niagara River and a ferry
that would carry British loyalists to safety in Canada. The street was later called North
Street, being the northern-most boundary of the Village of Buffalo at the time of its creation.
The street played a prominent role during the War of 1812 when the British and
their Mohawk Indian allies arrived on Dec. 30 1813 to burn the villages of Buffalo and
Black Rock to the ground. It was one of the few streets that were in use during that
early time and the British used it to invade. A battle was fought on the street, approximately
between where West and Plymouth Avenues intersect today, and it was a bloody defeat for the Americans. The
street was laid waste with dead, scalped soldiers’ bodies. A historic marker erected on Porter Avenue
in 2008 commemorates the bravery of Job Hoisington, a Buffalo militia-man, who attempted to hold back
the British during the conflict.
The street layout was changed in the 1820s, its original route,
which continued in a straight line westerly beyond West Avenue, was terminated when
the old Black Rock streets were laid out. In the layout, York Street intersected the street at West Avenue.
As a thoroughfare, the street grew significantly in prominence during the late 1860s when
Frederick Law Olmsted “created” Porter Avenue by utilizing the portion of York Street from the
Niagara River to West Avenue and then the portion of North Street from West Avenue to Richmond, calling it
“Porter,” named for Fort Porter, at the northern boundary of his new
park, “The Front.” Porter Avenue would connect The Front to Symphony Circle and
Richmond Avenue, and ultimately to Delaware Park.
As the decades passed, Porter Avenue became home to beautiful mansions, stately public architecture
and the world-famous Kleinhans Music Hall. The street is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places by virtue of
it being part of the Buffalo Olmsted park system. A portion of the street is also included in the
Allentown Historic Preservation District.
Despite all this grand history, Porter Avenue, especially the portion between Symphony
Circle and the Niagara River, has been neglected in the past several decades, but no more.
The City of Buffalo will be implementing major improvements to Porter Avenue
between Niagara Street and Symphony Circle in 2009 (approximately 3,100 feet). The project which is being
overseen by the City of Buffalo’s Department of Public Works, has contracted
Watts Architecture & Engineering to prepare the design and associated
studies for the reconstruction. This is a federal-aid project, requested by the Mayor’s Office and
Niagara District Councilman.
The project’s goal is to restore Porter Avenue as historic Olmsted parkway as much as possible.
The scope of the work is expected to include:
-
a mill-and-inlay of the pavement (not full-depth reconstruction),
replacement of the sidewalks, curbs, gutters, hydrants, drainage inlets, and
lighting.
-
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The Olmsted Conservancy, who is participating in the Porter
Avenue reconstruction, would like to see a uniform parkway from
Niagara St. to Symphony Circle. The parkway "right of way" includes
sidewalks, the grassy area from sidewalk to curb line and a few feet of
what people consider their "front lawn." Design elements that the Conservancy believes are
inappropriate in lawn area include (but not limited to): privet hedges, fencing, etc.
-
The project team also includes representatives from Wendell Duscherer, who is also reconstructing
Porter Avenue from the I-190 Thruway to the Niagara River/LaSalle Park. The
team hopes to begin construction in July 2009 with completion 4-5 months later.
A public informational meeting was held on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009 from 5-7 PM at D’Youville College,
Madonna Lounge, inside Madonna Hall. From 5 to 6 PM there was an open house where attendees discussed the
project with City of Buffalo staff and the design consultant team. A
short presentation of the project was given at 6 PM with questions and comments following. From
the Kleinhans Community Association, Chris Brown, Donna Raczynski, Elisabeth von Hahn, Barbara O'Neill and Beth Kauffman
were in attendance.
The new sidewalks will be made of exposed aggregate. All existing 100+
year-old slate sidewalks are planned to be removed and it is hoped that
the existing slate sidewalks will be reused at bus stops.
The new lighting will be the
historic-style "Central Park" luminaires (like those in Symphony Circle).
It is expected that there will be
crosswalks
at major intersections.
The newly constructed roadway will include one
lane for cars, a bike path, and parking on both
sides of street. Retention of the brick gutter
alongside the curb in the roadway will also be accomplished, a distinctive feature of Porter Avenue, but may be made
of simulated stamped concrete.
During construction, two-way traffic will likely be able to be maintained on-site by
paving one side of the road at a time. Also, driveways will remain open and
provisions for pedestrians will be maintained throughout the duration. To construct
the sidewalks and curbs, much of the area between the sidewalk and the curb will
need to be excavated. The construction is expected to take about 5 months.
Restoration of disturbed areas will be performed. A full-time inspector will be present
during construction to monitor the performance of the Contractor and to work as a
liaison between property owners, the City, and the Contractor.
Several concerns were express by those in attendance:
-
CURB-SIDE BRICK GUTTER - Stamped colorized concrete does not allow for
drainage as well as individual bricks had done. There is also concern that stamped concrete
fractures during hard cold, plowing conditions. Many expressed that they
would prefer that the bricks be put back. But, if they cannot be,
measures should be taken to ensure that the replica is sturdy and
sensitive to drainage issues.
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CUT-GRANITE CURB - The sandstone curbs will be replaced with granite. There was concern that
the edges of cut granite are so sharp that they may punchture tires.
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CROSS-WALK & BIKE-LANE MARKINGS - It was expressed that white and yellow tape is not going to do
much to calm traffic at crosswalks and in bike lanes and that changes in texture would be
far more effective and permanent. Specific to bike lanes and pedestrian crossings "at the bend" from
West Ave to Fargo Ave on the Holy Angels side of the street: This area
needs some special handling because there is no parking allowed there
most of the time. That makes it TWO LANES WIDE on an outside curve
where cars race around the bend without much regard for wh
at lies ahead
(a "blind" Alley, a traffic light and a school zone).
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LIGHTING - There was concern expressed that the bulb/ballast/socket combo inside will be
warmer color-rendering index (CRI) than the cold white used on Bidwell
Pkwy. Something
around 3100 degrees Kelvin would be warm (like gaslight) but not
yellow. The Bidwell Pkwy light is rather cold, almost blue-ish.
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SIGNAGE - There was concern expressed that this would be an excellent opportunity to clean house on all the
visual clutter of extraneous signage and duplicate street signs. There
are Buffalo Zoo signs and who-knows-what other irrelevant
markers. For some unknown reason, HUGE street signs were added to the
normal-sized ones at intersections. Those huge signs are ridiculous and
inappropriate.
For such an important street, it is high-time that these improvements are taking place. It is often
the first impression of Buffalo that visitors receive after crossing the Peace Bridge from Canada.
DONNA BERRY, POLICE CHIEF OF THE B DISTRICT
UPDATES NOISE ORDINANCE COMMUNICATION
============================================
Increasingly residents have been disturbed by loud noises in the Kleinhans neighborhood. Cheif Berry has updated
the noise ordinance communication that lists some of the specific issues to which police can respond. Specifically, "yelling,
shouting and hooting" has been identified as has operating lawn mowers at night.
For a complete list of all the items for which you can call police,
click here.
Several more trees will be planted in Spring 2009 to contribute
to the Kleinhans' neighborhood reforestation effort.
KCA TO PLANT MORE TREES ON SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2009
=================================================
As part of the Buffalo Re-Tree initiative, tHe KCA is continuing to reforest the neighborhood by planning to plant a few more trees this spring!
The planned locations are as follows:
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23 St. Johns Place
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51 St. Johns Place (Orton Place side)
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19 Wadsworth Street
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23 Wadsworth Street
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Wadsworth Street, side of 4 St. Johns Place
Tree planting will take place on Saturday, May 2 from 9 AM to noon. If you can help, please contact Chris Brown at 884-1914.
21 PLYMOUTH AVENUE IN HOUSING COURT ON APRIL 1
================================================
The owner of 21 Plymouth Avenue, which has been vacant for 10 years, is scheduled
to appear before Housing Court Judge Nowak on Wednesday April 1. The houses
on each side of if are owner-occupied and are negatively impacted by the condition of
the property.
The KCA is asking the Judge to ensure that the owner properly maintains the house
or sells it to someone who can. If you have a concern about this property, please notify the KCA at 884-1914.
BILL RAMOS, OWNER AND RESIDENT OF 309 HUDSON AT COTTAGE, DIES
================================================================
The Kleinhans community is mourning the loss of Bill Ramos, a longtime resident of Allentown and
Hudson Street. Bill owned the building at 309 Hudson at the corner of Cottage Street and lived upstairs,
above the "One Stop Party Store."
Bill died unexpectedly on Jan. 31, suffering from a heart attack while driving his elderly father to a medical appointment.
His family, including his father and brothers Luis and Manny are also Hudson Street residents and have long been active
in the community.
Bill was fond of his dogs and will be sorely missed.
ONE STOP PARTY STORE DELI RENEWAL UP ON APRIL 1
=================================================
The
"One Stop Party Store,"
a tenant at 309 Hudson Street is up for its annual license renewal
on April 1, 2009.
Over the past year, a number of complaints have been raised concerning the store including:
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Smoking in the store
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Perishable merchandise with expired labels (or close to expiring)
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Filthy conditions
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Open beer containers
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Litter and trash outside the store
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Loitering
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Graffiti
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Loud music played by patrons who pull over in front of store.
These complaints were shared with Hon. Brian C. Davis, Ellicott District Councilman and Patrick Sole Jr.,
director of licensing and are being reviewed by the Councilmember and administration.
HOUSE AT 331 HUDSON BURNS ON CHRISTMAS MORNING;
IS DEMOLISHED
===================================================
A tragic fire occurred on Christmas morning (Dec. 25, 2008) at 331 Hudson Street. An electrical fire quickly spread
throughout the building; the damage was so severe that it was demolished a few days later. The building
was owned by Jeff Venning, who moved into the Kleinhans community, first renting on Plymouth Avenue and enjoyed
living in the neighborhood so much that he purchased the home on Hudson Street.
Jeff installed a new roof on the house and made other improvements. Fortuantely, no one was injured in the fire.
Volunteers planed a tree in front of the house in fall 2008 that was also lost in the fire.
Mitch Soto, who lives next door at 329 Hudson, has expressed interest in purchasing the vacant lot.
For photographs of the house and fire,
click here
THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR 2009
KCA MEMBERSHIP
==================================
Thank you to all who have renewed their 2009 KCA membership. Membership in the Kleinhans Community
Association enables the purchase of flowers and other beautification supplies that helps to make the
neighborhood more attractive and an enjoyable place to live.
If you have not yet renewed your membership, information on membership can be
found here.
Volunteers are needed to help keep
paint and plant the two unique and artistic bus shelters in the Kleinhans neighborhood.
KCA TO PAINT AND PLANT TWO AREA BUS
SHELTERS IN MAY
=========================================
The KCA plans to paint and plant the two award-winning bus shelters in the neighborhood on Plymouth Avenue
at Pennsylvania street and Porter Avenue near Kleinhans Music Hall. The maintenance will be funded with donations
from the Clapp Family, a grant from the Niagara District Councilman David Rivera, the GardenWalk and from the KCA
Beautification Fund. If you would like to help with this effort, please call Chris at 884-1914. The painting and
planting will happen sometime in May.
Volunteers are needed to help keep
Orton Gardens looking its best!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR ORTON GARDENS
=========================================
Believe it or not, the warmer weather is just around the corner! Volunteers are
needed in the spring and summer to help to weed the
community garden at 20 Orton Place as well as plant flowers in the common areas and keep them watered.
If you are interested in helping, please call Chris at 884-1914.
NEW GROUP HELPING TO PLAN FOR WAR OF 1812
BI-CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION ACTIVITIES
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A new planning group has been created to faciliate events and ideas to commemorate 200 years of peace
as a result of the War of 1812. The Kleinhans/Allentown neighborhood has several significant sites
relating to the War of 1812.
A list-serve has been created to keep interested parties informed of future meetings and events. If you
are interested in keeping up to date or helping with the Kleinhans neighborhood
portion of the planning activities, visit the
list-serve
and join in!
Kleinhans Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark,
may be the recipient of Federal Stimulus Funds to help with
much needed improvements and renovations.
KLEINHANS MUSIC HALL MAY BENEFIT FROM
FEDERAL STIMULUS PACKAGE
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In an unexpected twist of events, the negative economic downturn may have a positive impact on the Kleinhans
neighborhood in the way of infrastructure investment. It is possible that a portion of the economic stimulus
package may help with portions of the reconstruction of Porter Avenue.
In addition, $800,000 was requested to improve the air-conditioning at Kleinhans Music Hall as well as an additional
$2.5 million to perform much-needed repairs/updates to the National Historic Landmark. These updates include handicap
access improvements, roof repairs, improvements to the lavatories among other items. The improvements were recommendations
that were the result of a City of Buffalo-funded study of Kleinhans Music Hall performed by Hamilton, Houston Lowie architects
and its principal, Ted Lownie, who has overseen the restoration of the famed landmark over the last decade.
The investment in Kleinhans is especially attractive; not only will the capital improvements produce jobs, but the finished
product will make the hall more accessible to additional venues thereby making the hall more viable and helping to stimulate
the event/operational economy.
GARDEN HELP AND GARDEN WALK
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Gardening is not only an enjoyable summertime activity, but it helps to
beautify the neighborhood!
The Kleinhans neighborhood is a favorite destination on the Annual GardenWalk, this
year held on Saturday and Sunday July 25-26, 2009 from 10 AM - 4 PM.
Please consider participating in the GardenWalk this year. For more information, see the
official website.
Remember, gardens are never finished... so don't be concerned that you garden is not good enough -- it probably is.
But if you need help and advice, turn to our friends at Urban Roots Community Garden Center, located at 428 Rhode Island street, just a few blocks
away. They offer FREE workshops. Below are some upcoming workshops:
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Saturday, March 28th, 2009 2 pm, Seed Starting, Richard Price
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Thursday, April 2nd, 7pm, Shade Gardening, Roxanne McCoy
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Thursday, April 16th, 7pm, Spring and Summer Bulbs, Roxanne McCoy
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Saturday, April 18th, 2pm, Vermicomposting, Rebecca Severson
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Saturday, April 25th, 2pm, Clematis for Beginners, Jose Acevedo
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Thursday, June 4th, 7pm, Native Plants, Ellen Folts
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Saturday, June 20th, 2pm, Garden Photography, Don Zinteck
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Saturday, June 27th, 10am, Daylilies, Pam Hoffman
For more information,
click here.
NEW ART GALLERY, "SUGAR CITY"
OPENS ON WADSWORTH STREET
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A new art gallery, Sugar City, has opened in the newly renovated building at 19 Wadsworth Street and
was recently featured in a
Buffalo Rising post
. Several events have already taken place at the new gallery
and have proven to be very popular.
KLEINHANS NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS
PETER MCLEAN AND ERNIE TORRES OPEN NEW
CANDY STORE BUSINESS ON ELMWOOD AVENUE
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Peter McLean and Ernie Torres, who live at 298 Jersey Street and own the house next door at 300
Jersey Street, have recently opened a business, Can Can Candy, on Elmwood Avenue.
The
business was recently featured in a Buffalo Rising Online
posting. Congratulations to Ernie and Peter; best
of luck with the new business!
"S" HOUSE MAY BE GOOD FIT FOR KCA
NEIGHBORHOOD VACANT LOTS
=====================================
While the KCA neighborhood is fortunate to not have a great number of vacant lots, there are a few of them. As
any urban planner will tell you, density is the key to a neighborhood's success. Roger Schroeder, a long-time
Allentown resident and architect, has come up with a perfect solution: a small, economical house that will fit
on small city-sized lots previously thought to be too small upon which to build. Roger calls his effort the
"S-House Collaberative."
Roger thinks that his house design will serve another function as well -- the fact that many people desire to live
in the old city sections, but do not desire a high-maintenace large Victorian house. Roger practices what he preaches: he
built his design for himself at a small lot he purchased on the corner of Ashland Avenue and Bryant Street.
There are several lots in the KCA area that could be suitable lots for such a house:
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259 Hudson Street
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297 Hudson Street
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331 Hudson Street
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390 Hudson Street
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20 Orton Place
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29 Plymouth Avenue
For more information,
click here
.
49 Plymouth Avenue has recently sold and will be renovated;
a continuation of the ongoing
renewal of the first block of Plymouth Avenue.
HOUSING CHANGES IN KCA NEIGHBORHOOD
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Housing changes of note:
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