This is great, having a thread named after me!

I won the NF Memorial Medical Center "Good Neighbor" award Friday on the Iney Wallins Show. You can hear the rebroadcast on AM-1270 this coming Friday at 1 PM. I was honored for the years of volunteer work at Planned Parenthood of Niagara County.

Also, Niagara Heritage Partnership got in the Niagara Section of the Buffalo News today:

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/niagaraweekend.asp

So lots of good things are going on. Have a good week, everyone!

Jim H.

I'm glad you posted JH. I saw the story in todays paper, very nice coverage. But something jumped right of the page at me when I read it. So now I can ask you about it. Both in the article and on this board you have stated that a very obvious security threat exists. You have repeatedly said that vehicles can travel to close to the power authority. It needs to be closed to protect us from the unknown and underhanded. Loud and clear I get that from you, that's your opinion and that's fine. But this statement from todays paper confuses me.

"Hufnagel points to several cases where dams have been closed to traffic by the federal government due to the vulnerability to an attack. "(At the Robert Moses Power Project), the traffic proceeds directly over the critical turbine room. There have never been restrictions on this critical infrastructure. What's to stop a dirty bomb or half a dozen terrorists with Uzis and military training from getting up over the wall?" said Hufnagel."

If you are truly concerned about a terrorist attack, why did you mention the critical turbine room? To me that just seems like a foolish thing to do. Hey Mr Terrorist in training make sure you don't miss the critical turbine room, maybe you could use a bomb. There is a reason security plans are not published. Are you really worried about security, or are you using this to further your cause?

<However, that doesn't snuff out the thought that NHP is suddenly worried about security cause it conveniently further's their cause.>

Not "suddenly" Scott. The following article was published in the Gazette Oct. 2001, one month after the World Trade Center attacks.

Also, if I grant that it "conveniently furthers (our) cause", (something we readily admit) would you cop to the fact that the Power Project chronically ignores the security risk of traffic through its heart in order to "conveniently further their cause?

Terrorists, Casinos, Creating Jobs

Regrettably, the sorrowful events of September 11 have created yet another reason for the complete removal of the Moses parkway between Niagara Falls and Lewiston, New York.  The elimination of vehicular traffic over the face of the power plant would increase security, significantly reducing the risk of explosives being transported by vehicle to ground zero of this generating facility.  We know all too well the terrible devastation that can be produced by an explosive-packed truck or van.  The Niagara Heritage Partnership does not rejoice in advancing this argument.  We wish that the reason for mentioning it had never occurred, but it has, and we mention it rather than remain silent.

This most recent tragedy has also negatively impacted travel worldwide, seriously compromising the tourism industry.  It may be that the Niagara region can no longer rely on a bountiful influx of international or airborne visitors.  The International Labor Organization estimates that related U.S. job cuts could be “as high as 3.8 million.”  Empire State Development has similar concerns.  No one can say how long this condition will last, or when, if ever, air travel will return to pre-crisis levels.

Now more than ever a concentration on the domestic marketing of Niagara to the millions interested in heritage and ecotourism should be viewed as a new opportunity for maintaining or strengthening our tourism base.  Since the Partnership has long presented this focus as the primary rationale for our gorge rim restoration proposal, we were pleased to hear this view echoed at the “Rethinking Niagara” symposium on 24 October.  At this meeting, leaders from business, government, and the tourism industry had the opportunity to consider the benefits of heritage tourism, especially as it pertained to the market including Buffalo and Canada.  Our proposal, with specific details and suggestions, concentrates on the U.S. side of the Niagara River gorge and the revitalization of a more depressed urban environment—and those interested in this information can find it at www.niagaraheritage.org, especially at “Comments made to Business Associations of Niagara Falls, 31 May 2000.”

This increased interest in heritage tourism is being linked by some as a local response to offset nationally difficult times as money gets assigned elsewhere to protect us in a terrorist-altered economy.  Even more clearly, state officials are citing the September 11 attack as the rationale for swift action on obtaining casino gambling for Niagara.  Casinos are viewed as a new revenue source for the state, which Governor Pataki has estimated will lose $9 billion over the next 18 months as a result of the attack.

While the Partnership believes that the gorge restoration project should be pursued with or without casinos, and recognizes pre-casino construction barriers yet exist, as do disputes over revenue sharing, casinos may indeed provide a source of economic benefit to the region: their construction and operation will provide jobs; a percent of the money generated will be paid to host communities.  If a casino does become a reality for Niagara, many assume that an enhanced investment climate will be created.  This climate should intensify the possibility of Moses parkway removal, natural gorge rim restoration, and the completion of associated projects necessary to realize the proposal’s full potential.