<!--Rick Forgione--><table width="234" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" background="http://static.cnhi.zope.net/flashpromo/niagaragazette/images/byline_234x60.jpg" height="60"><tr><td><div align="center"><font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By Rick Forgione</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></font><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="mailto:rick.forgione@niagara-gazette.com">rick.forgione@niagara-gazette.com</a></font></div></td></tr></table>
A top state park official reiterated his support Monday to remove at least a portion of the north Robert Moses Parkway but warned the process is still in its infant stage and a lack of money is a major detour.
Mark Thomas, western district director for the regional State Parks, met with members of the Niagara Falls Tourism Advisory Board and gave a report on planned improvements for Niagara Falls State Park and the gorge area. He noted with the current state of the economy, more visitors are looking for low-cost attractions, which should benefit park attendance.
As for the north parkway, Thomas said the state park is supporting the city’s application for federal stimulus grant money that, if awarded, would fund the removal of the road from the park entrance to Findlay Drive. The city submitted the application back in September and requested $40 million through the federal stimulus’ Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant.
“We’re hopeful,” Thomas said. “I think it’s a solid application but it’s a very competitive process.”
While the push to remove the north parkway up to Findlay is the first major action in years, Thomas pointed out the grant application won’t be ruled upon until likely February and there’s still a lengthy process to go through if funding is awarded.
“It’s not even a design concept at this point,” he told Tourism Board members.
Thomas also said the ongoing debate to remove the entire north parkway from the state park to Lewiston lacks the proper funding to be resolved anytime soon. The project could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars depending on its scope, he added.
“There’s no money for construction,” he said about the north parkway. “There’s only money to open public conversation on it and write a report about it. That’s the only thing that has ever been funded.”
A lack of funding also is holding up plans to reconfigure the south parkway’s entrance into the city and Niagara Falls State Park — a process started almost two years ago through a memorandum of understanding by the city, state park, state Department of Transportation and USA Niagara Development Corp.
Last April, state park officials presented three different scenarios to the public on how to modify the parkway from John B. Daly Boulevard to the Rainbow Bridge. However, most of the 100 plus in attendance appeared to be underwhelmed and instead supported the complete removal so the city could reconnect with the waterfront.
Thomas said Monday comments from that forum have been taken into account and the design process is moving forward. Like the north section, however, all of the needed funding isn’t in place to undergo any construction. He said another round of public meetings will be scheduled next spring.
The south reconfiguration is expected to cost about $15 million, but only $5 million has been budgeted, mainly for the scoping and design process. A request for the remaining money is part of the city’s TIGER application.
Tourism Board member Lisa Vitello said she understands the cost factors of removing the parkway but said things are not happening fast enough.
“If people are indeed looking for lower cost recreation activities like Mr. Thomas said, then what we have here is an untouched jewel,” said Vitello, a vocal supporter of removing the entire north parkway. “If you develop that land at a quicker pace, it could bring much more money in than what you would spend to do it.”
In other news, Thomas shared the results of a recent survey taken by visitors to Niagara Falls State Park. Conducted by University at Buffalo students over two consecutive weekends in October, the survey included responses from 363 visitors. Of that total, 297 of the people were from the U.S., covering 41 of the 50 states. The other 66 visitors said they were from other countries, with nearly 25 percent from India and China.
Thomas said 83 percent of the respondents said they were planning on staying overnight in the Falls area and the average amount of money being spent in the city, per family, during the trip was $248. The top three reasons listed for visiting were sightseeing, dining and shopping.
Monday was the final meeting of the year for the Tourism Advisory Board. Appointments to serve on the voluntary board in 2010 will be made by the City Council in January.
