8/05/09
Senator William Stachowski August Guest Column
It has been a very busy month since my last column with several great developments that will help our area and especially the 58th District.
First on the list is the Historic Development Tax Credit legislation that Governor David Paterson signed into law right here in Buffalo on July 29th. As a proud co-sponsor on this Bill, I know that the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit is a smart economic development program that will stimulate growth, increase property values and most importantly create jobs.
This legislation will encourage developers to refurbish many of the older structures in the community which in turn will resurrect business districts and prevent more suburban sprawl.
This also encourages private home owners to invest in repairs to their older homes and maintain some of the architectural treasures that we still have in our neighborhoods.
The Historic Development Tax Credit Legislation will create thousands of construction jobs and return many abandoned building back to the tax rolls. This is a significant piece of legislation that has had a great success rate in other states where similar laws have been enacted.
Another positive development that I am proud to have played a role in is the ground breaking for the $291-million Kaleida Health/ UB 10-story global vascular institute and research combined facility. This magnificent structure will be located next to Buffalo General Hospital at Goodrich and Ellicott streets. More importantly it will bring together Kaleida Health physicians and UB researchers in a collaborative effort to deliver state-of-the-art clinical care, produce major breakthroughs on the causes and treatment of vascular disease, and spin off new biotechnology businesses and jobs.
The Kaleida Health/UB facility is part of the UB 2020 master plan that my office has been involved in since day one and something that will change the face of Buffalo and the surrounding area. The UB 2020 plan will greatly expand UB’s physical foot print in the heart of the city’s medical campus and create thousands upon thousands private sector jobs.
Another exciting event took place at the Roycroft Campus in East Aurora recently as I awarded a $350,000 grant to rebuild the historic Power Plant. This national landmark needs to be protected and cherished by both the public and private sectors as a regional treasure. It is my hope that the grant we provided will be a stimulus for future funding and assure a bright future for the entire Roycroft Campus.
Most know that this area has a number of architectural treasures and none more so than the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Darwin Martin House. That is why I stood with fellow Senator’s Antoine Thompson and Malcolm Smith last month as we announced a $3 million dollar grant to continue the restoration of that world renowned complex.
This month I will continue that trend as we award the Frank Lloyd Wright-Fontana Boathouse a $250,000 grant to assist in start-up operational expenses. The boathouse is yet another beautiful structure in our backyard that was designed by the legendary architect.
Finally, New Yorker’s are owed over $9.9 billion dollars in unclaimed funds. New Yorkers can call (800) 221-9311 or visit the New York Comptroller’s website at http://www.osc.state.ny.us [2] and search the list of unclaimed funds by entering their last name, first name and middle initial, or the name of a business along with a city in the search fields. You can also go to www.stachowski.org [3] for more information on this and other items mentioned in this column.
Enjoy the final official month of the summer and we will have more exciting announcements regarding local development and financial support for my District and western New York come September.
