Seneca Nation of Indians FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact Steve Bell Eric Mower and Associates 716.880.1449 716.548.9199 (c) sbell@mower.com
Senecas Award 15 Buffalo Waterfront Fund Grants Seneca Gaming designates $1 million for areas near Buffalo Creek casino BUFFALO CREEK TERRITORY, Buffalo, NY June 5, 2012 – The Seneca Buffalo Creek Development Advisory Committee today announced 15 awardees of grants totaling $764,879 for projects designed to boost infrastructure, landscaping, lighting, signage, and establish an innovative bicycle program for areas around the growing waterfront and riverfront. Completing the $1 million commitment from the Seneca Nation of Indians and Seneca Gaming Corp. will be $235,121 in overall neighborhood lighting and signage the committee will coordinate independently. “We are extremely pleased with this whole process, but especially with the quality and vision of the projects we funded,” said Robert Odawi Porter, president of the Seneca Nation. “We set out to enhance the neighborhood around our Buffalo Creek Territory and casino, which we are doing. But at the same time, we’ve developed lasting friendships and collaborations with a great many people working to achieve the same goals.” The awardees, which include public- and private-sector projects, were selected during a competitive analysis and presentation to the committee, with Seneca Gaming officials having the final say over amounts and projects. In all, 31 grant applications were filed with the committee. P.O. Box 231, Salamanca, Allegany Territory, NY 14779 • Ph: 716-945-1790
Highlights of the awards include: Edward M. Cotter Fireboat Project. $100,000. Grant is for dockside enhancements to improve public access and informational signage to create awareness and attraction to the Historic Landmark firefighting vessel Edward M. Cotter. Old 1st Ward Community Association. $100,000. Grant will go to an improvement fund for the Buffalo Creek Community. The plan mirrors the Larkin District Community Improvement Fund and will provide assistance for four property classifications: commercial, owner-occupied, landlords and vacant lots. Established guidelines for eligibility will be strictly adhered to and used for publicly visible improvements to qualified property. Buffalo River Rowing Center. $100,000. Grant is to complete street-side and waterfront site improvements surrounding the yet-to-be-built rowing facility. The designs will improve the safety, access and attraction value for residents and visitors. Valley Community Association. $100,000. The grant funds a decorative railing on the perimeter of Buffalo Riverfest Park and a gateway entrance. This continues the development completed last year and enhances safety and attraction value. Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority. $79,500. The award consists of two grants, one for $29,500 that includes landscaping, park benches, trash cans and sign banners at specific locations in the site area. The second part, for $50,000, is for development of a commercial revitalization plan for South Park Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods. Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society. $52,000. Grant is for a Buffalo Creek Interpretative Trail along the waterfront that will tell the story of the Buffalo Creek Territory and its significance to the history of the region. Wayside signage will be located at Canalside, Riverfront Pavilion, Riverfest Park, at the Department of Environmental Conservation fishing access on Ohio and at Mutual Riverfront Park. A trail map and audio tour will augment the signage to enhance the visitors’ experience and keep the content fresh. Buffalo BicycleShare, Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo. $24,000. Grant is for a 15-bicycle network that provides a bicycle-sharing program available to residents and P.O. Box 231, Salamanca, Allegany Territory, NY 14779 • Ph: 716-945-1790
tourists. It enhances mobility and provides visitors with another attraction when visiting the waterfront. The company is currently running a successful car-share program in Allentown, Hamlin Park, Elmwood Village and the West Side. The program could launch in August. Re-Tree WNY. $20,720. Grant to fund planting of 150 trees along public thoroughfares and in the perimeter of parks and rail corridors. The goal is to create a network of treelined passages that form a green link radiating from the river. Other recipients include Chef’s, 291 Seneca St., $43,125 for exterior enhancements; J.H. Dodman Co., 116 Michigan Ave., $60,627, exterior upgrades in lighting and landscaping; 311 S. Park Ave., $26,500, exterior improvements in landscaping; Kellner Bros. Inc., 222 Chicago St., $15,000, create park-like exterior; Monroe Fordham Regional Waterfront Memories & More Museum, funding for equipment needed to display art works and a Seneca Nation exhibit, $23,407; Watts Architecture & Engineering, Perry Street Streetscape enhancements, $20,000, preliminary designs and scoping for streetscape improvements in Perry Street Corridor. The awards culminate 12 months of work and a series of meetings that involved input and guidance from stakeholders such as the Seneca Nation Council; Erie County; the City of Buffalo; the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority; Seneca Gaming Corp.; the Seneca Nation Planning Department; the Old 1st Ward Community Association; the Valley Community Association; the South Buffalo Chamber of Commerce; Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp.; HSBC; the Oishei Foundation, and the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority. “Seneca Gaming Corporation, our employees and the many local businesses and organizations with whom we have partnered over the past 10 years understand the important economic role our operations play in Western New York,” said Robert Mele, chairman of the Seneca Gaming Corp. board of directors. “As we continue to grow, we are committed to working with our partners here in Buffalo, as well as in Niagara Falls and Salamanca, to help build strong communities for our patrons and other visitors to enjoy.” On May 31, 2011, President Porter and Seneca Gaming officials announced the $1 million allocation to fund the initiative. The money, from Seneca Gaming, directly results from a series of community meetings held in late 2010 and early 2011 between Nation leaders and P.O. Box 231, Salamanca, Allegany Territory, NY 14779 • Ph: 716-945-1790
waterfront, Old 1st Ward, Erie County and Buffalo stakeholders to create the committee. The money is designed as a resource for casino neighbors, nearby developers, residents and businesses. The aim for the Seneca Gaming grants is to use the money in a manner consistent with existing community plans. Municipalities were not eligible and committee members applying for grants recused themselves from the evaluation process. Earlier this year, Seneca Gaming unveiled its plans for a new $130 million Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino that will feature approximately 800 of the latest slot machines, table games and a 100-seat American-style restaurant. Construction on the project is expected to begin this summer and opening in 2013. The casino, located on 9.5 acres of sovereign territory on Michigan Avenue, is within half a mile of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp.’s resurrection of the Erie Canal terminus; it is close to the Old First Ward neighborhood, the Cobblestone District and the Buffalo River; it borders the Perry Choice Neighborhood, where a major redevelopment effort is underway; and its neighbors include First Niagara Arena and the Buffalo Sabres; HSBC’s back office building; the Buffalo News; the Buffalo Bisons’ Coca Cola Field; the soon-to-be redeveloped Donovan Office Building; and One HSBC Center. The neighborhood has a residential mix that ranges from public housing to upscale lofts.
More About The Seneca Nation of Indians The Seneca Nation of Indians, one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee [Iroquois] Confederacy, continues to live on its aboriginal lands in Western New York, including sovereign territories in Niagara Falls and Buffalo where the Nation operates resorts. The Senecas’ long history includes passing on constitutional and governmental traditions used by founders of the United States like Benjamin Franklin. Historically a warrior nation, the Seneca Nation traditionally controlled trade and protected the Western territories, earning the title “Keeper of the Western Door.” The Nation’s five sovereign territories are comprised of 31,095 acres along the Allegany River and the Southern Tier Expressway, known as the Allegany Territory; 22,011 acres along Cattaraugus Creek near Lake Erie known as the Cattaraugus Territory; one square mile in Cuba, called the Oil Spring Territory; 30 acres in Niagara Falls, and 9 acres in Buffalo. The Allegany Territory contains the City of Salamanca within its boundaries. Tens of thousands of acres of land in southern New York and northern Pennsylvania were taken from the Nation when the federal government built the Kinzua Dam and forcibly evicted Senecas from their land in the early 1960s. The Nation today operates a $1.1 billion economy that employs more than 5,000 people, native and not.
P.O. Box 231, Salamanca, Allegany Territory, NY 14779 • Ph: 716-945-1790