BY NICKI MAYO
A Niagara Falls Developer Howard Milstein agrees to work with Mayor Paul Dyster and a U.S. Senator Charles Schumer to revitalize the Cataract City. Nicki Mayo has details on the downtown development project.
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“We take them down to places they would never go to,” said Cataract Tours manager Tom Kerr. The Niagara Falls businessman says he likes to surprise visitors, by showing them the natural beauty behind the horseshoe falls in the states.
“People come here and they don’t realize how much is on this side. It’s hidden away behind the trees and stuff like Three Sisters Island and Luna island,” said Kerr.
Niagara Falls State Park offers natural beauty and an urban park close to the Horseshoe Falls. Developers hope to build around this park and the Rainbow Bridge, in an effort to attract more tourism dollars to the American side of Niagara Falls.
“The more business we attract to the area the better it is. With the snow park opening and the new renovations coming to the area. It’s all going to help the area,” Kerr added.
Buffalo comptroller’s aide Tony Farina is leaving his Queen City post to help spur redevelopment in Niagara Falls, starting with the Niagara Center.
“All we hear about it is everything’s going on, on the Canadian side,” said Farina.“We want to change that and get out of the second class city view that many seem to have about Niagara Falls USA,” Farina added.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer met with Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster and developer Howard Milstein in New York City to discuss future Falls development.
“The city feels Niagara Falls Redevelopment owned by Mr. Milstein let them down. Mr. Milstein feels previous mayors have let him down,” said Sen. Schumer.
Milstein owns the Turtle Dome, the old Nabisco Building and 60 to 80 smaller buildings and vacant lots around the city. Schumer, Dyster and Milstein agreed the mayor and developer will meet once a month to flesh out development plans. The city will also work to help Milsten’s company with several small projects around Niagara Falls valued under one million dollars.
“Does this mean everything’s going to be solved in Niagara Falls, absolutely not!” said Sen. Schumer. “But it is sort of breaking the log jams and opening communication between the two parties that need to get together to move Niagara Falls forward,” Schumer added.
