Use Ferry as Clean Transportation to Alternative Energy Capital of the World
Our beloved fast ferry remains docked at the Port of Rochester, a sad reminder of our too-quick rush to establish ferry service and our too-quick rush to get out of it. It is becoming increasingly apparent that Euroferries does not have the cash to buy our boat in accordance with the terms that were so publicly announced earlier this year. Recent news stories have suggested that although there are numerous suitors out there, the ferry will not fetch nearly the amount that Euroferries was to have paid for it. And all the money that has been lost over the past year with the ferry sitting at port? That'll be eaten up by city taxpayers, of course.
This situation should reflect badly on Mayor Duffy's "all-star team" of advisors, especially Tom Richards, the man who brokered the deal. But Mr. Richards is somehow immune to such criticism. He managed to sell Rochester Gas & Electric to EnergyEast, a deal which led to the layoff of more than 1,000 Rochester-based employees, without nary a peep from local politicians or the media. Maybe that was because many local stockholders made out like bandits while the proud local institution was looted and its workforce decimated. It is pretty clear now that Richards took his poor business acumen to City Hall and promptly made a decision that is costing the city dearly with each passing day. Are there any solutions that will save the city money? Is there any chance that we will once again have ferry service to Canada's largest metropolis - one of the world's fastest-growing economies?
I can answer both of those questions with one response - yes. It just takes a little bit more risk-taking and a lot more "outside-the-box" thinking. The Democrat & Chronicle recently ran a series of articles under the heading of "Reworking Rochester". The idea was to promote some concepts that could halt the area's economic decline and foster growth in our key strengths. Those key strengths included biotechnology/optics, manufacturing, health care, and alternative energy. It is that last strength where the ferry could potentially play a unique role. We should consider scrapping the sale of the ferry and converting it to alternative fuels. If we are to indeed establish ourselves as a capital of alternative energy, having the world's largest alternative fuel vehicle would certainly be a mammoth exclamation point for the region. Is it feasible? I do not pretend to know whether such a large vessel could be converted, but I do know that this is not out of the realm of possibility. There is a push in the San Francisco Bay Area to convert their ferry fleet to biodiesel with one of the main selling points being the positive effect it would have on that area's alternative fuels industry.
It is likely that our elected representatives in DC and/or Albany could obtain Federal and/or State grants for doing this work with little to no direct cost to local taxpayers. It is possible that converting the ferry to alternative energy would increase its operating costs, thereby rendering it infeasible for commercial service. But who said the ferry must be used for commercial service at all? Instead, it could be a working laboratory for testing various alternative fuel technologies on the open water. Such a research project may have the potential to employ hundreds and further cement our position amongst the world's centers for alternative energy research. Granted, I could be completely wrong about this, but given the potential harm to city taxpayers that a decreased sale price would bring, isn't it worth at least looking into? We can either be an indebted city with a useless ferry terminal or a vibrant center of marine-based alternative energy research, which do you prefer?
Raising Funds for the Renaissance
$36 million. Supposedly that is all that is needed to be raised from private sources in order to have all of the funding for Renaissance Square in place. At first glance that may seem like a lot of dough, especially in this era of economic stagnation. But in a region with large numbers of very wealthy individuals and the administrative and/or operational headquarters for numerous multinational corporations, raising $36 million should be a cake walk. As a downtown-area resident and worker, I couldn't be more excited for construction to get going on what will become the largest development project in the history of downtown.
This week, both the Democrat & Chronicle and WHAM-TV have run stories on Renaissance Square. The D&C points out that there will likely be a separate but coordinated effort to develop a mid-sized theater for use by Garth Fagan Dance and possibly the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. It is unknown exactly where this theater will be built. Most believe that the surface parking lot kitty-corner across Main Street from the Eastman Theater is the best site. But at least one developer has proposed a mid-rise apartment building on that site and, in general, that is a prime site for a private development project. Others, including myself, have called for the mid-sized theater to be built at Midtown Plaza where the McCurdy Building now stands. The theater could serve as a catalyst for the redevelopment of Midtown, which is in desperate need of such a spark. Either way, this new theater will be another significant addition to our Center City. It is expected that Moshe Safdie will be retained to design this facility to provide continuity between it and Renaissance Square. The project is estimated to need roughly $40-50 million in private funds to supplement yet-to-be-obtained public funds. I have no doubt that this community is more than up to the challenge of raising these funds.
The D&C hints that it will be difficult to raise these funds by calling it "massive" and "one of the largest efforts in county history." WHAM-TV too seems skeptical and decided to ask one of the project's leading detractors her thoughts. Louise Slaughter, whom I consider to be a great Congressperson, has been against Renaissance Square since its first incarnation as Rochester Central Station (a.k.a., the Bill Nojay Palace). Have her thoughts changed since then? Absolutely not. "I think the county is really buying into something that will eat them alive, because they're going to be responsible for the operating costs of it," she said. WHAM added that she "worries that Renaissance Square will "sink" like the ferry enterprise." With all due respect Madam Congresswoman, you supported the ferry project with millions of taxpayer dollars so you really have no business making such a comparison. Maybe it's possible that her lack of support is a good sign for this project, after all, Bill Nojay was against the ferry but is a big supporter of Renaissance Square.
Regardless, the timing is right to get the private fund-raising effort off the ground. The economy is turning around locally, businesses are embarking on major expansions, and there are thousands of job openings in the area. I have heard from anonymous sources that there have already been multi-million dollar private commitments to Renaissance Square. Hopefully we will learn who these generous benefactors are when the fund-raising effort holds its public kickoff. If you think this community will not be able to raise these funds, consider this: the Schuster Performing Arts Center (see picture below) in downtown Dayton, OH was built with more than $40 million in private donations. Dayton is a smaller and less economically prosperous city than Rochester; if they can raise $40+, we can raise $80 million without a doubt.
Construction is supposedly set for Spring 2007, although the first round of demolition (the Mortimer Street Garage) is likely to get underway this Fall. Renaissance Square will rid downtown of its ugliest block of real estate and replace it with a Moshe Safdie-designed architectural masterpiece. The iron wall of idling RTS buses will be relocated to the new central bus station, creating a much more walkable (and retail-friendly) Main Street. The new MCC campus will solidify this important post-secondary institution's presence in downtown and is rumored to be attracting considerable interest from out-of-town real estate developers keen on building student housing nearby. There may be some question marks about this project, but the benefits to our City and region more than outweigh the potential problems. We'll see the detailed renderings next month, and hopefully many of us will loosen up the purse strings and help support this incredibly beneficial development project.
Historic Preservation & the Disabled in Pittsford
UPDATE: To ease confusion, I added some pictures of the building where Ben & Jerrys is located (see below).
The Americans with Disabilities Act was a groundbreaking piece of legislation that made it mandatory for, among other things, buildings to provide accessible entrances for the disabled. While we still have a long way to go before those in wheelchairs have the same freedom of mobility as those of us who are able to walk, it is undeniable that the ADA has had a significant positive impact on the lives of disabled Americans. But sometimes, buildings simply cannot meet ADA requirements. These are typically older historic structures in dense urban areas which are either physically impossible to make accessible or, by making them accessible, their architectural/historical integrity would be caused irreparable harm.
Case in point, the newly-opened Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop in the Village of Pittsford. As News10NBC reported, the popular shop is located in a historic structure on South Main Street in Pittsford's quaint downtown area. The building, which probably dates from the late 1800s (update: see history of building following pictures below), cannot accommodate handicapped accessibility in the front entrance without severely damaging its character. In cases such as this, ADA allows for the establishment of an accessible rear entrance to the building. However, in the case of the building which houses Ben & Jerry's, an accessible rear entrance is precluded by the location of an adjacent building. The shop's owners provided a solution in the form of a portable ramp that can be brought out should a wheelchair-bound patron desire some of their ice cream.
Unfortunately, this is just not good enough for some people. Amy Wallace, whose son has muscular dystrophy, is upset by the lack of accessibility to the new Ben & Jerry's. She claims that the portable ramp is not wide enough for motorized wheelchairs, poses a safety hazard, and is degrading for disabled persons. Her solution: hire an architect. My solution: don't patronize Ben & Jerry's. The fact of the matter is, this is a beautiful historic building in a great location where vacant storefronts are few and far between. Hiring an architect to design a handicapped-accessible ramp for the structure would likely be a financial drain for the entrepreneurs and would either result in no change or developing an out-of-scale ramp that would ruin the integrity of this historic block.
As someone whose father was in a wheelchair for much of his life, I can understand Ms. Wallace's frustration. However, I completely disagree with her premise. Apparently, it would not be a problem for her had Ben & Jerry's never come to town. There have been various businesses in that location for many years and she has never come forward before. Just because a business that she and her son would like to patronize has taken up shop is no reason to come out of the woodwork claiming discrimination. If you do not like the accommodations that the business has provided for you, you can go elsewhere for your ice cream fix. Bill Wahl's for instance, is just a few blocks away.
There is another story here though. If it weren't for Ms. Wallace's issue, I never would have known that Ben & Jerry's had opened in our region. While I don't expect myself to make a trip to Pittsford just for them, especially with Corn Hill Creamery open not far from my humble abode; their opening is a good sign for our local economy. Ben & Jerry's only locates in vibrant areas, and while I would have preferred them to open up in the City, their decision to bring their popular store to our area is further proof of greater Rochester's continued resilience. Please do not make them regret their decision by forcing costly and unnecessary changes upon them and their historic building.
Update: The following pictures are borrowed from the Village of Pittsford. Ben & Jerry's is located where Walker's Landing was. The history of the Parker Block follows the pictures.
"This rare surviving early nineteenth century commercial building was constructed by Leonard Clapp and Sylvanus Lathrop in 1826. The south half of the building is believed have been built several years later than the north half. Built in the federal style, the Parker Block, like many early Pittsford buildings, had its eaves extended in the mid nineteenth century. Over the years the building has housed a general store, barber shop, tin shop, furnace store, bakery, Post Office, second-hand furniture store, telephone offices, the American Legion, and Town Court." (Village of Pittsford Walking Tour)
