Archive for March 15th, 2007
Organizers of a plan to turn the former North Buffalo library building into museum honoring Grover Cleveland, America’s 22nd and 24th president, have enlisted the help of Cleveland’s grandson.
Members of Free New York, a local nonprofit and nonpartisan research group, Wednesday took George Cleveland on a tour of Buffalo, where his grandfather was elected mayor in 1881. The group is hoping to raise enough funds to purchase the vacant, former Fairfield Library at 1659 Amherst St. and transform it into the Grover Cleveland Presidential Library & Museum.
“We’re trying to think of a way to promote our organization and our ideas and also Buffalo. We started to think that a Grover Cleveland Library would be a very good way to do that,” said James Ostrowski, president of Free New York, during a fundraiser for the presidential library that was held Wednesday in the Sonoma Grille in Amherst.
Ostrowski said Cleveland, who was the only U.S. president to serve two nonconsecutive terms — in 1884 and in 1892 — embodied the political philosophy of the group, which is a support of local rule by local government instead of by Albany or Washington.
“He was a Jeffersonian who believed . . . in small, locally controlled government,” said Ostrowski.
George Cleveland, who is from North Conway, N.H., and had never before visited the city where his grandfather got his political start, is buoyed by the idea of a presidential library in Grover Cleveland’s honor.
“Their plans are not grandiose, which my grandfather never would have wanted, like the presidential libraries you see today. So I think the Fairfield Library is perfect. It’s a lovely building. It’s in a great neighborhood, it’s accessible. It near the Frank Lloyd Wright [Darwin Martin] house,” Cleveland said.
Anyone one wishing to help support this wonderful cultural project can visit http://groverclevelandlibrary.org and Free New York’s website for more details.
Source: Buffalo News - Grover Cleveland’s grandson boosts supporters of presidential museum
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Saturday, March 17, from 10am to 4pm free public tours of the Darwin Martin House will be available to the public. Included will be the new buildings at the complex.
Click any photo for a larger view.
Technorati tags: Darwin Martin House, tours, free, public, Saturday, March 17
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WASHINGTON — Federal regulators today approved a new license for the Niagara Power Project, the final step in an arduous legal process that promises to bring $279 million to Buffalo’s waterfront and $694.2 million in environmental and redevelopment projects to Niagara County over the next 50 years.The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unanimously approved the deal, which was worked out during years of negotiations involving the hydropower plant’s owner — the New York Power Authority — and entities affected by it.
Under pressure from Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, the Power Authority agreed in late 2005 to give $5.5 million a year for 50 years to Erie County to compensate for the project’s environmental impact. Niagara County entities previously agreed to a larger package of environmental improvements, including a greenway along the waterfront.
Thank you, Brian Higgins, for nothing! The New York State Power Authority is emblematic of what is wrong with Public Authorities in New York State. The Power Authority has been running profits of $100 million per year and more recently from the Niagara Power Project while we suffer with some of the highest electric rates in the nation. We are subsidizing inefficient power plants across NYS and allowing the Power Authority to make huge gifts of money to the State. In return we get a paltry $5.5 million per year, approximately 5% of the profits, to buy us off for another 50 year license. Do the math, it doesn’t add up.
Source: Buffalo News
Technorati tags: Brian Higgins, New York State, Power Authority, government waste, 50 year license, electricity rates, highest, nation, Buffalo News
By CAROLYN THOMPSON
Associated Press Writer
March 14, 2007, 5:27 PM EDT
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ninety-nine years after his death, former President Grover Cleveland is experiencing a popularity surge in the city that launched his political career.
Plans are in the works for a Grover Cleveland Presidential Library. The grass-roots effort is meant to resurrect the reputation of a good president “who has kind of gotten lost in history,” organizer James Ostrowski said.
“We just think it’s long overdue,” said Ostrowski, founder of a public policy think tank that shares Cleveland’s disdain for heavy-handed government.
His group, Free New York, has its eye on a shuttered library built in 1897, the year Cleveland left office, and has begun raising money to lease or buy it for the repository.
On Wednesday, one of the late president’s grandsons was in from New Hampshire to learn more about the plans and help with fundraising.
“It’s a fabulous idea,” said George Cleveland, 54, who impersonates his grandfather at Democratic dinners in his home state.
Continue Reading “Grover Cleveland Presidential Library envisioned - Newsday.com” »
Today was a very educational and enlightening day. Tim Tielman delivered a wonderful historical tour of sites in Buffalo related to Grover Cleveland. Our special guest for the day was George Cleveland, grandson of Grover Cleveland.
George Cleveland flew in from New Hampshire to help kick of our drive to open a Museum honoring Grover Cleveland. George was a delightful representative of the Cleveland family, enlightening us with many anecdotes about his grandfather.
Grover Cleveland placed a supreme value on the public trust while serving as Erie County Sheriff, Mayor of Buffalo, Governor of New York and President of the United States.
This is a photo of George Cleveland posing next to the portrait of Grover Cleveland in Mayor Byron Brown’s office in the Buffalo City Hall. Click the pic for a larger version.
This is a photo of George Cleveland in the doorway of the house located at 168 Edward Street. This house was owned by Grover Cleveland’s aunt and Grover resided in this house during part of his time in Buffalo. Most attorneys at that time resided along the prestiges Delaware Avenue. Grover was located a short 1½ blocks from Delaware. Click the pic for a larger view.
More to come tomorrow.
Technorati tags: Grover Cleveland, library, museum, Free New, George Cleveland, culture, tourism, Buffalo, New York
