NIAGARA FALLS — If Dave Bieksza sounds like a guy who keeps repeating himself, it’s because he is.

The lifelong East Side resident who for many years operated an automobile repair shop on 24th Street has been after city and community leaders for more years than he cares to remember.

In his eyes, things don’t seem to be changing for the better. The same problems persist year after year, administration after administration — boarded-up buildings, neglectful property owners, questionable characters roaming the streets, crime, vandalism, you name it.

“It just keeps going on and on and on,” Bieksza said. “I don’t see any light for me and my family living on the East Side anymore. Everyday it hurts me a little bit more.”

City officials and representatives from the Niagara Street Area Business Association say they feel Bieksza’s pain and share in some of his frustrations.

They also have a more optimistic view for the area, believing with stepped up police enforcement and the right kind of attention from City Hall the neighborhood will thrive once again.

“It’s coming along and we are working with as many people as closely as we can,” said Jim Szwedo, president of the Niagara Street Area Business and Professional Association.

Problems and solutions

The 19th Street corridor, which includes the intersections of Niagara Street and Ferry Avenue, has long been considered one of the most notorious high-crime areas on the East Side.

More recently, neighbors have voiced concerns to the city council about suspicious activity near a convenience store on 24th Street near Monroe Avenue.

For residents and business owners, sometimes it feels like when police are successful in reigning in crime in one area, the criminals simply pack up and move over to the next block.

“What ends up happening is the police put a big push on 19th Street and they move to 27th (Street),” Szwedo said. “They move to 22nd (Street). They put a push on 22nd and they move to 24th (Street).

The department does not have unlimited resources which is why Police Superintendent John Chella says it must use what it has wisely. Part of the strategy involves devoting extra attention to problem areas like 19th Street. That includes additional patrols and manpower and involvement in the city’s targeted neighborhood improvement program known as ZOOM. In 2009, the city, using funds from the Community Development Department, established a substation on 19th Street near the corner of Ferry Avenue. Some residents have complained the substation, while a nice thought, has not worked well in practice because it is rarely occupied by officers.

“Personally, I think that substation without representation by the police force is a waste of time,” Szwedo said. “It’s there, but I don’t think on a given day that you could see a police officer in there for more than 20 minutes on a 24-hour schedule. It’s not that they don’t want to, they just can’t. It’s difficult.”

Chella maintains substations provide an added law enforcement presence in the neighborhood and said he does not want officers assigned to the area to be sitting in the office when they could be out in the community.

“I’d rather have officers out patrolling the streets where the crime is occurring than have them sitting behind a desk in an office,” Chella said.

The day is coming soon when the police will be able to monitor suspicious activity along several block of 19th Street using surveillance cameras the department is in the process of having installed. Chella said he’s hoping to have the cameras in place later this year and he’s confident the enhanced surveillance will be effective in deterring crime in the area.

For officials from the local business association, the cameras can’t come soon enough.

“It’s a quality of life issue,” Szwedo said. “The people and the older residents feel safer when you have these cameras there and they can call the police and say ‘look, check your camera, these kids were out there doing this.’”

Ron Anderluh, revitalization coordinator for the Niagara Street Business Association, said the police department is also working with his organization on another initiative — a police liaison that will spend a few days each work working with East Side business owners in hopes of addressing some of their concerns about crime and questionable activity in the neighborhood.

Anderluh believes funding, not desire, has hampered efforts to crack down on crime on the East Side in recent years. He said Chella and his department are working hard to address local concerns, but said he would like city officials to find more ways to generate revenue that could be used to enhance their law enforcement efforts. He pointed to casino revenue as one example, saying he believes $180,000 in casino funds currently used to support the annual Hard Rock Cafe series downtown would do much to bolster the city’s police force.

“Money’s tight all over and we understand that,” Anderluh said. “We just want to keep the wheel moving, keep on oiling it to make sure we get our fair share if not more to keep things moving.”

Signs of change?

Bieksza did credit city officials recently for their handling of the 24th Street situation. He said the city installed a temporary fence off Monroe Avenue to deter people from passing through the residential area to get to the convenience store and it has helped. He adds that there’s still plenty more work that needs to be done.

Szwedo and Anderluh said they are working with city officials and department heads in an effort to clean up derelict properties and combat crime. They know quality of life issues impact the neighborhood and one bad neighbor can do a lot of damage to a single street or block.

“We don’t sit back and wait for the city to do it,” Anderluh said. “We work with the city on it.”

“We have the same problems that everyone else does, but we have a good core,” Szwedo added.

Contact Mark Scheer at 282-2311, ext. 2250.