Planned $65M indoor water park follows trend

Bennett J. Loudon
Staff writer

October 9, 2006 12:04 pm — A $65 million indoor water park resort planned for Ontario County signals the arrival of a family-recreation phenomenon that has grown dramatically in other parts of the nation during the past 20 years.

There were only nine indoor water parks of at least 10,000 square feet nationwide 10 years ago, but 95 are expected to be open by the end of this year. A total of 200 projects are currently in varying stages of development in the United States and Canada.

The project planned for Farmington, Ontario County, is expected to generate $36 million in annual revenue for the region and provide about 450 permanent jobs.

Work on the first phase of the project on Route 332 near the intersection of County Road 41 could start by the spring of 2007 and be open by the fall of 2008.

I wish they would have put it in Monroe County, but it's still good news for the region overall.

Voice of the Voter poll: Applause muted for midsized theater

But Ren Square consultants' study shows a great need for it
Democrat and Chronicle

Talk of building a midsized theater in downtown Rochester does not have the support of a skeptical public, a new poll shows. But a separate study by the consultants for the Renaissance Square project concludes that there's a great need for such a theater.

Developers of Renaissance Square plan to unveil new designs Wednesday that will show two theaters — a large and a small one — as part of the project's performing arts center.

But the public appears turned off to initial discussions among arts groups about developing a separate, midsized theater nearby — either as a new facility or as a downsize of the historic Eastman Theatre.

When asked about the need for a midsized theater, 50 percent of poll respondents thought it was a bad idea and 26 percent viewed it as a fair idea.

Only 22 percent thought it was a good or great idea, according to a Voice of the Voter poll conducted for the Democrat and Chronicle, WXXI Public Broadcasting and WHAM-TV (Channel 13).

"We have other issues that need to be addressed," said poll respondent Myra Rossi, 34, who said she moved with her four boys from the city to Greece so they could attend better schools.

But arts groups say the public hasn't been educated enough about a possible midsized theater to make an informed decision.

The Democrat and Chronicle has obtained a 35-page report from Renaissance Square consultants that concludes there is a strong need for all three theaters: a 2,800-seat theater for traveling Broadway-style shows; a 1,500-seat theater for dance, opera and orchestras; and a 250-seat theater for community productions.

If all are built, downtown Rochester could become a booming theater district, boosting the economy and the sustainability of its world-class performing arts, the long-awaited report suggests.

So after a decade of indecision over new theater space, arts groups appear to be coalescing around that same vision, spearheaded by plans for Renaissance Square.

The plan "does two things: It helps support the arts and expands our (arts groups') economic possibilities and acts as an economic driver for the city of Rochester," said Ruby Lockhart, executive director of Garth Fagan Dance, a likely prime user of a midsized theater.

Some poll respondents said the grand theater idea, first discussed in mid-2004, would be beneficial for Rochester. City resident Luis Ruiz, 45, remembers as a child in Puerto Rico when his whole family would go to arts events together. The same type of offerings should be available downtown, he said.

"I don't see why they can't build another (theater), where we can go with our wives and kids and enjoy a date out," he said.

The whole concept is in its infancy, though. Even Renaissance Square, set for construction next year, is surrounded by a bevy of unanswered questions, such as how much it will cost to operate, who will run it and whether it will require annual public subsidies.

And for a community bitten by the city's failed high-speed ferry to Toronto endeavor, skepticism about public projects is rife.

"Can you afford it and will it be used that frequently to pay for the cost of it?" asked poll respondent Jeanne Wasmuth, 74, of Webster.

New details

The $230 million Renaissance Square project, being built largely with taxpayers' money, calls for a new bus terminal, a Monroe Community College campus and a performing arts center on one square block off East Main Street between North Clinton Avenue and St. Paul Street. About $194 million in federal, state and local aid has already been designated for the project. The renowned Boston architect on the project, Moshe Safdie, is expected to unveil new drawings at a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Clarion Riverside Hotel, 120 E. Main St. A public workshop will follow.

The basic design hasn't changed, but there are some significant modifications because of cost constraints, Safdie said in an interview last week. County Executive Maggie Brooks, the project's biggest backer, has vowed to keep the project within the $230 million range, a price set more than two years ago though construction costs have since risen.

As a result, Safdie said the 250-seat theater had to be scaled back and will have amenities more in line with a rehearsal hall rather than a full-scale community theater. The other significant change is that a courtyard-type entrance into the MCC campus will be outside, rather than enclosed with a half-acre glass window.

"We've sort of made it lean and strong," explained Safdie.

County officials downplayed the changes. Mark Ballerstein, the county's point person on Renaissance Square, said the small theater will be fully functional for community arts groups.

The small theater will have a flat floor rather than a sloped one, which will save money. And the seats will be retractable, allowing theater seating for stage performances or an open floor for cabaret-style shows.

The removal of the glass enclosure at MCC will save about $9 million to $10 million, Ballerstein said.

New homes

The large theater at Renaissance Square will be home to the Rochester Broadway Theatre League, which now operates in the aged Auditorium Theatre on Main Street and hosts traveling Broadway and family shows.

The report, by New York City-based Webb Management Services, shows that a large theater would be used 170 days a year between the RBTL and conventions. It estimates that 19 theater groups — mainly Downstairs Cabaret Theatre and the Shipping Dock Theatre — would use a small theater about 331 days a year.

As for a midsized theater, the report predicts that 23 groups — but largely the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Garth Fagan — would use it about 313 days a year.

While arts groups believe there's a need for a midsized theater, they aren't sure on much else about the project. Discussions are centered on what should be built and where and at what cost — and who will pay for it.

And there's no determination on who will be the lead group overseeing construction and operation.

Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy has indicated that the city could take the lead, but no formal decision has been made.

Some arts officials estimate a midsized theater could cost about $80 million, and there's growing sentiment that a private fund drive for it could be tied to a planned fund drive for Renaissance Square.

Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, a proponent of a midsized theater, has threatened to pull back state money for Renaissance Square if planners don't also pursue a midsized facility.

Yet rather than build new — likely in a parking lot diagonal from the Eastman Theatre — some arts leaders are considering whether to simply downsize Eastman from its current 3,100 seats to the more manageable 1,500-seat range.

The problem, however, could be scheduling conflicts if all the groups tried to squeeze into Eastman, especially around Christmas when the RPO, Garth Fagan and other groups put on major performances. Currently, groups rent space at a variety of venues, including the 1,128-seat Nazareth College Arts Center, the only theater in the area with between 1,000 and 2,000 seats, the report found.

New theater space would allow arts groups to expand programs and lengthen their seasons.

Downstairs Cabaret already operates three theaters.

Chris Kawolsky, the theater's producing director, said he's encouraged by the discussions, but he cautioned that it's hard to get excited when so many unknowns exist.

"Most smart people in Rochester support enhanced arts activity, and I think there is a tremendous opportunity for that — if we take advantage of it in the right way," he said.

If you go
Moshe Safdie, design architect for Renaissance Square, will present the latest design for the project at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Clarion Riverside Hotel, 120 E. Main St.
A public workshop will be held after the presentation. The workshop will run from 7:30 to 9, and individuals can stop in at any point to ask questions of the design team and offer feedback. This will be the fifth public workshop on the project.

Findings from arts facilities report
There is significant growth potential for arts in Rochester. Musicals, for example, are reaching only 46 percent of market potential.

A large theater with 2,800 seats would be used about 125 days a year by the Rochester Broadway Theatre League and 45 days for convention-related events.

Groups such as the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Garth Fagan Dance, Mercury Opera Rochester and about 20 others would combine to use a midsized theater of about 1,500 seats about 313 days a year.

A theater of 250 seats would be used about 331 days a year by groups such as Downstairs Cabaret Theatre and Shipping Dock Theatre.

About the poll
This poll was commissioned by the Democrat and Chronicle, WHAM-TV (Channel 13) and WXXI Public Broadcasting as part of their Voice of the Voter collaboration to engage local citizens in the democratic process. The poll and the television production of Voice of the Voter discussions are funded by the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
The poll was conducted Sept. 15-20 by the Rochester Research Group, which did telephone interviews with a random sample of 519 likely voters in Monroe County. The poll findings have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. WXXI-AM will air a discussion of the poll with Jocelyn Goldberg-Schaible of the Rochester Research Group at 1 p.m. today on 1370 Connection with Bob Smith.

http://cmsimg.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A2&Date=20061009&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=610090343&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=430

Spacious homes putting the squeeze on Brighton
Town grapples with fit of new builds on old lots
Democrat and Chronicle

Like most homeowners, Roger and Julia Ng had a wish list of sorts when they came here from California and started shopping for their house.

Neither of them has much experience with home repairs, so they wanted something with a new roof, a new furnace and no leaky basement.

Julia didn't want to live in a neighborhood where all the houses looked the same and — even though they didn't have 1-month-old Gavin yet — they knew they wanted to be in the Brighton school district.

And then, they found it: a new 2,860-square-foot brick house in an older, established neighborhood on Highland Avenue.

"(The developer) gave us exactly what we were looking for," said Julia, who has a full bathroom on the first floor for when her mother comes to visit and a great room with a two-story ceiling.

As perfect as these large houses may be for the owners, the homes have drawn fire from some in town who say they overshadow smaller ones and interrupt the quaint neighborhoods for which Brighton is known.

Town government has been studying the issue for close to eight months, first issuing a six-month moratorium on demolishing homes and now limiting the size of construction so officials can take time to study further recommendations.

Many of the recommendations will be unveiled Oct. 23, said Thomas Low, commissioner of public works.

A task force has been grappling with things like setback requirements, maximum heights and how to ensure that there's not too much house on too little land. The group's preliminary results will be discussed at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall, 2300 Elmwood Ave.

But the issue is already being discussed over backyard fences and at soccer games in one of the few towns in Monroe County where builders can make a profit by tearing down older homes and rebuilding.

Why Brighton?

"There are three areas where this makes sense business-wise: along Lake Ontario, Canandaigua Lake and Brighton," said Michael Millner of MGM Homes, the company that has built most of the houses at the heart of the controversy. When someone is hired for a good-paying position at the University of Rochester, the first question is, "Where are the best schools?" The answer is always Brighton, Millner said. Then, those new hires want to see new homes in the area, and that's where the problem comes in.

Much of Brighton's housing stock is older and sometimes outdated, he said, and there aren't many vacant lots for residential building. "These people don't want to live in a remodeling project for two years."

Some of the buyers are moving from such areas as Boston or San Francisco, where they have a great amount of equity in their houses, said Bob Miglioratti, a Realtor with Executive Realty Group LLC.

Buyers want homes to be between 2,800 to 3,800 square feet, and they want short commutes, sidewalks and easy access to grocery stores and places of worship.

That's what new homes in Brighton offer.

"We don't have to worry about lead paint," said Roger Ng, a 33-year-old anesthesiologist, as he sat on the couch next to his wife and young son. At his back was a wall of windows, all new and energy efficient.

The wiring in the house made it easy to add a security system and Internet access.

The four-bedroom home was slightly cheaper than houses they were looking at in Pittsford, said Julia Ng, a 31-year-old piano teacher, who had her feet on the couch and Gavin on her lap.

Brighton Town Supervisor Sandra Frankel understands that prospective homeowners come in wanting new houses that fit today's lifestyle, but she also hopes to protect the quality of life of those who already live in Brighton's neighborhoods.

"What we are striving to do is to strike an appropriate balance between the interests of new-home buyers for the larger homes and the impact and existing needs of homeowners in established neighborhoods," she said. "We want our beautiful neighborhoods to continue to be strong and attractive and inclusive for a full range of houses people want."

What Michael D. Salzman wanted was to live in the area where he grew up. In February, when he and his wife, Ami, were looking for houses in the Brighton area, there weren't many options.

A few older homes were available but they needed major renovations, which would have been expensive and difficult to coordinate while the Salzmans were living near Philadelphia.

They hadn't planned to try for a new house but they found an empty lot on Clover Hills Drive, where Michael Salzman had gone trick-or-treating as a child. "I loved the neighborhood," he said.

Salzman, who is 45 and in the shopping center business, will move into his 4,000-square-foot house this weekend with his wife and two sons, who will attend his alma mater.

Neighbor reaction

Salzman's new home, which is at the Brighton and Pittsford border, is a welcome addition for Lisa Gutenberg, who can see two new MGM Homes from her house on Clover Hills Drive.

"What nobody ever says is that the homes that came down were eyesores," she said. "I can't figure out what anyone's problem is."

The houses fit in the neighborhood, and several of the original homes are in the 3,000- to 4,000-square-foot range, she said. "On this street, no two houses are alike."

On Clover Hills Drive, many homes are valued in the $233,000 to the $407,000 range, while the three new homes built by MGM have an average assessment around $600,000, according to records at the town assessor's office. In other parts of Brighton where MGM has built, some new homes are actually on the lower end when compared with nearby houses. For example, on Clover Street, the two new homes are assessed around $600,000. Many of their neighbors' homes are worth close to $500,000 and at least one neighbor's assessment creeps up over $1 million.

It's more the view than the money that bothers Sid Braverman, who lives just down the road from a new home at 46 Thackery Road.

He had become used to a vacant lot in that space and he liked how it balanced out with the other side of the street. Now, that sense of balance is off, he said.

"I think the guy who built it did as good a job as he could," Braverman said. "But the houses are too close together and the driveways are too close together."

Another common concern is that new homes will drive up property assessments on older homes, but those fears are unfounded, said town Assessor Elaine Ainsworth.

"We look at what 'like' houses are selling for," she said. "If you live in a 1950s colonial that's 1,700 square feet and next to you is a 3,500-square-foot 2007 colonial, those are not comparable."

There's actually a slim chance that taxes might go down because new houses often bring in more money for the till — assuming town and school budgets stay relatively flat, she said.

For example, take 45 Council Rock Ave. The original home on the lot contributed $6,000 in property taxes, but the owner of the new house that replaced it is looking at a tax bill closer to $36,000, said Miglioratti, the Realtor.

None of that matters much to Salzman, who is moving in to 540 Clover Hills Drive.

"I'm not an advocate one way or another," he said. "We found an empty lot on a beautiful street that I had always admired. If there had been more homes available that could have fit our family's needs, we would have considered an older home."

The homes
In the past 11 years, MGM Homes has built 11 new homes in Brighton. Selling prices are from the Monroe County Clerk's Office, while estimated square footage and other details were provided by the developer:

154 Clover Hills Drive; sold for $427,000 in 1997; 3,600 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 2.5 bathrooms.

91 Clover Hills Drive; sold for $470,000 in 1998; 4,000 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms.

1425 Clover St.; sold for $497,000 in 1999; 3,600 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 4.5 bathrooms.

1381 Clover St.; sold for $550,098 in 2000; 4,000 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 3.5 bathrooms.

445 Warren Ave.; sold for $422,500 in 2002; 3,700 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 3.5 bathrooms.

46 Thackery Road; sold for $520,500 in 2005; 3,700 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 3.5 bathrooms.

899 Highland Ave.; sold for $367,500 in 2005; 3,000 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 3 bathrooms.

7 Parkwood Ave.; sold for $415,795 in 2005; 3,100 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 2.5 bathrooms.

540 Clover Hills Drive; sold for $750,000* in 2006; 4,000 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms.

465 Warren Ave.; asking price of $775,000; 4,000 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 4 bathrooms.

45 Council Rock Ave.; asking price of $925,000; 4,200 square feet; 4 bedrooms; 3.5 bathrooms.
*Recent sale. Not available at clerk's office. Price provided by developer.

Came across this today and thought you all might find it interesting.

Ten Coldest Job Markets in the USA per bizjournals.com

At the bottom of the standings is New Orleans, the coldest job market in America.

Hurricane Katrina, which battered the Gulf Coast last year, cost New Orleans roughly one-third of its employment base. The area has 188,600 fewer jobs now than five years ago, an astounding decline of 30.2 percent.

Close behind on the list of coldest markets are Detroit and San Jose, which have both suffered serious losses since 2001.

San Jose, reeling from the dot-com bust at the beginning of the decade, is still down 162,300 jobs from 2001. But it seems to have begun a small rebound, actually adding 3,000 jobs in the past year.

Detroit, heavily dependent on the auto industry, has been struggling because of high gas prices and an inventory backlog. It has lost 123,300 jobs during the past half-decade, including 13,000 in the past year alone.

The remaining markets in the bottom 10 are Dayton, Ohio; Lansing, Mich.; Rochester, N.Y.; Springfield, Mass.; Boston; Milwaukee and Worcester, Mass. (Click here for profiles of the 10 coldest labor markets.)

The 100 areas in the study group collectively have 92.4 million jobs, which is up 2.5 percent from 90.2 million five years ago.

#6 Rochester, N.Y.

There was a time when Rochester considered itself lucky to be the home base of Eastman Kodak and Xerox. No longer. Layoffs at both of those corporate giants have struck heavily at the local economy. Rochester has lost 21,200 jobs in five years, an average of 350 per month.

Quick stats
Jobs as of mid-2006: 514,200
Unemployment rate as of mid-2006: 4.5%
Employment trend since mid-2001: Lost 21,200 jobs
Five-year growth rate: -4.0%
Employment trend since mid-2005: Lost 5,100 jobs
One-year growth rate: -1.0%

Boston?!?! From once living in an outer orbit, I know they do have some issues that run far deeper than impressions would indicate. But I wouldn't think they'd be top 10 material.

I thought Milwaukee was on an uptick as well.

Love all these conflicting reports. Makes you think all of them, the good, the bad, and the indifferent aren't even worth the toilet paper they're wiped on, eh?

Take anything Jerome says with a grain of salt. The kid's a moron who really thinks there is some huge difference between Buffalo and Rochester. Apparently the lack of any real bad news (Besides the old news that he just posted) is getting to him.

I agree on the reports. Every year I see reports proclaiming Rochester among the very best for entrepreneurship while others say otherwise--it all depends on the often limited number of measures that are used. And, I agree some of the cities in there are questionable (like Boston). The fact Kodak is dragging our numbers in the negative isn't really news--but it's also worth noting the job creation numbers lag too (as plants have to be built before hirings begin). And, for the most part, I could find a report that paints any city in a negative light (for example, the Buffalo News' replacement jobs/stuck in neutral article today wasn't exactly uplifting either).

I've noticed the Buffalo News likes to go in spurts - minor positive news for a while, then one of those sobering reports where they mention nothing positive.

Highland Hospital to break ground on new ER
Democrat and Chronicle

Highland Hospital will hold a groundbreaking ceremony tomorrow morning for the first renovation its emergency room has undergone in more than 30 years.
The $9 million project will more than double the emergency room's footprint and aims to provide enough room to get patients out of hallways and into private rooms.

"It's going to be much better — much better than it is now," said Highland's emergency medical director John Hilmi.

Highland's aging ER is much like others in Rochester and across the country.

As volumes have continued to climb because of the closure of other local emergency rooms and the needs of a rising elderly and uninsured population, older emergency rooms are having trouble handling the load.

Add to that the problem of finding beds to admit emergency room patients, and many ERs are bursting at the seams.

Highland had 27,600 ER patient visits last year — a 67 percent increase over the past seven years.

The hospital will add 1,909 square feet to the outside of the hospital and will renovate 14,842 square feet inside the hospital for the new ER. Beds will be expanded from 18 to 25 and the new ER will include a special room for victims of sexual assault, a decontamination room and a private room for bereaved families.

The new ER is expected to open in 2009.


Harris RF unveils orders worth $178M
Democrat and Chronicle

Harris Corp.'s Rochester-based RF Communications Division unveiled another set of contracts and orders worth $178 million today.

The biggest chunk of that is $130 million in orders from the U.S. Army for Harris' Falcon II AN/PRC-150(C) high frequency radio systems. The orders are part of a larger contract announced earlier this year.

"This significant order demonstrates the Army's continued standardization on the AN/PRC-150(C) that is broadly used by the Army Reserve and Army National Guard," said Dana Mehnert, president of the RF division.

Harris employs more than 2,000 people in Rochester and expects that to grow to 2,200 by the end of the year.

Holy crap, Harris has already passed Baucsh&Lomb, almost doubled them. Does this mean Harris will build a new tower downtown too? lol I actually think a 4th would through it all off balance though, unless It was really stratigically placed to blend in with the current skyline.

http://cmsimg.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A2&Date=20061011&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=610110386&Ref=V1&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=430
85% say safer city is key to revival

78% say better schools is top issue
Democrat and Chronicle

Rochester residents continue to view the revitalization of downtown as key to the health of the region.

But the overwhelming majority see fighting crime and improving schools as the most effective means of achieving that, as opposed to, say, refilling the downtown portion of the Erie Canal — an idea city officials and others have promoted as an exciting, albeit expensive, way to breathe life into the center city.

Residents were asked about downtown issues as part of an annual "Voice of the Voter" poll prepared for the Democrat and Chronicle, WXXI Public Broadcasting and 13WHAM News. The poll was funded by the Rochester Area Community Foundation.

More than 85 percent said improved public safety would have the most critical impact on downtown, while 78 percent chose better-performing schools — and the responses were similar across the board racially, residentially and politically. That's because people's perception of downtown is colored by their thinking about the city as a whole, several respondents said.

Though crime is fairly infrequent downtown — in fact, roughly half of the respondents reported that the possibility of violence had never deterred them from going downtown — it is rampant in other parts of the city, as are poor-performing schools.

And downtown, meanwhile, because of its many empty storefronts, has a ghostly feel that isn't exactly welcoming, one respondent said.

"They associate the crime rate with the city," said Robert Krause, 53, of Rochester. "I don't think a lot of people are differentiating (between) this section of the city and that section."

Correcting the crime and school problems, then, would go a long way toward resurrecting downtown, respondents said. Refilling the canal, they said, seems frivolous in comparison.

"Maybe it's nice to walk along, but actually, what's it going to do for the city?" Krause said. "There's only so much money available to spend. It's just like anybody's home budget: There's certain luxuries you'd like to have, but there's also necessities you need, and you get your necessities before your luxuries."

Anne Wagner, 57, of Rochester went so far as to call the canal idea "kind of dumb."

"We've already got the High Falls," she said. "I think they need to capitalize on what's already there before they go build something else for all that money. Kids needs books in schools, and pencils."

A competing idea — a light rail system that would run along the same route as the proposed canal — was only slightly more well-received. One-third of respondents cited an improved transit system with light rail as "very valuable" to the revitalization of downtown, as opposed to 26.1 percent who said so about refilling the canal.

Much higher on the list of improvements likely to have a critical impact on downtown was the creation of more safe and affordable housing. This was notably more important to nonwhite respondents, 81.5 percent of whom saw it as "very valuable," compared with 54.1 percent of white respondents. Democrats and city residents also placed more value on the impact of safe and affordable housing than did Republicans and suburban residents.

As living expenses continue to rise and job opportunities dwindle, lower-income residents — the majority of them minorities — get priced out of the housing market, several respondents said, and that has a trickle-down effect on downtown.

"I think that if people were able to purchase homes, particularly some of the lower-income individuals that are renting, I think they would do a much better job maintaining them," said Bobby Anderson Sr., of Brighton. "They would have a stake in the community, and things would change in terms of the crime rate. That would help downtown."

The housing units that have gone up in the city recently — Corn Hill Landing, The Sagamore on East, Buckingham Commons — are nice, one respondent said, but attainable only for some. The people he knows are "struggling to continue to keep up with the taxes and the other things going up," including RG&E bills that, under a new policy, must now be paid in full.

"These luxury apartments are going to be, some of them, a thousand bucks a month, and some more than that," said Cleodis Beaty, 51, of Rochester. "You got to have some type of great income to be able to afford that."

Differences in responses to other questions also followed racial, political and residential lines.

For example, Democrats, nonwhites and city residents were more enthusiastic overall about the potential impact on downtown of: improved parking and transit, additional parkland and retail shopping, and the creation of a festival venue.

Except for parkland, nonwhite respondents placed more value on the aforementioned improvements than any of the other cohorts — sometimes by wide margins. More than 90 percent said that improving the quality and performance of schools would be "very valuable" to the future of downtown, compared with 73.7 percent of white respondents, for instance.

"We have seen that perennially. We have always seen the importance of education being particularly keen among nonwhite (respondents), maybe because nonwhites see education as a path toward progress — whether it's personal progress or the progress of their communities," said Jocelyn Goldberg-Schaible, president of the Rochester Research Group, which conducted the poll.

"It's a big deal for everyone," she continued. "It's just the volume is turned up for the nonwhites on the importance of education."

Goldberg-Schaible noted that the poll results in general showed "a needs versus wants dichotomy."

"We need good schools, we need safe and affordable housing," she said. "People don't necessarily feel the need for a ... canal improvement."

Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of the Rochester Downtown Development Corp., said the poll results underscored what many in the community have said about public safety and schools.

"Those two issues have come up again and again as citywide issues," she said, adding:

"They're critical issues from an economic development" perspective.

"I think anyone working to improve the city as a whole, including downtown, sees public safety as job one. People have to feel safe and be safe."

Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy said the poll results were in line with his thinking about this city's priorities, which he said should include public safety, education and economic development.

Those, he said, are "our most pressing issues."

Wave of skepticism rocks idea for reviving canal downtown
Democrat and Chronicle

Poll respondents appear to have poked a hole in the balloon of excitement over the notion of refilling the downtown portion of the Erie Canal.

Asked how valuable each of 10 options would be to the revitalization of downtown, respondents ranked the canal project dead last, with only 26.1 percent saying it would be "very valuable," compared with 85.3 percent who said so about improving public safety.

But proponents of the idea remain undeterred.

"We expect this at this stage of the game, which is still the relatively early stages," said Michael Hess, publicist for Advocates for the Development of Rochester's Canal.

"They've been burned by the ferry; they've been burned by High Falls," he said. "To say, 'Wait, we have an even bigger project that's going to cost even more money,' there's a natural human reaction to say, 'That's insane.' Right now is a very bad time to be going to Rochester with grand schemes."

The canal plan is indeed that. It calls for peeling back Broad Street, exposing the original Erie Canal bed and filling a bathtub liner inside it with water. Boaters would travel from the Genesee River into the canal, using a round lock just south of the Rundel Memorial Building.

An early estimate put the cost of the project at $200 million. Many respondents balked at the notion of spending that much money while the city suffers from high crime and poor-performing schools. One suggested it was irresponsible; another called it "dumb."

But Tom Grasso, a retired geology professor who is president of the Canal Society of New York State and Inland Waterways International and who came up with the canal idea, said the plan is to have private investors pay for most of it, "and not to use public money." He, Hess and another partner, intern architect Rory Zimmer, also said a redeveloped waterfront downtown could repopulate the place and deter crime.

A lack of understanding about such matters probably factored in to respondents' answers, they said.

"They don't understand it's a job creation plan, not a decoration," Hess said.

As an employer — he's president and CEO of Henrietta-based RoadWired — Hess said he knows how difficult it can be to attract and retain employees. A destination such as the canal could spawn the kind of venues that draw people, he said, naming Oklahoma City's Bricktown as an example. The waterway there has attracted visitors and businesses, and boosted property values.

But Mayor Robert Duffy — who is on record saying he's a "big supporter" of the plan and would "like to see the canal brought back through downtown" — seems to have cooled on the idea.

"The canal suggestion has been just that. It's been a suggestion and a concept that has been put forth and we have listened (to)," he said. "There clearly is some level of interest in learning more, and we are looking at exploring just the feasibility of even considering that for the future, but it is such a large project and so expensive, in all honesty I can never say that it is anywhere near the front burner."

Grasso and Hess plan to keep it on theirs. They'll continue to spread the word and hope to hold a public meeting.

"I believe if the people of the area really did their homework and Googled 'urban waterfront development' keywords," Hess said, "that 26 percent would jump up very quickly in your next poll."

Our Airport Among the 'Safest'
RNEWS 9

Rochester's airport is one of the safest and secure in the country. That assessment from a Congessional leader Tuesday.

Republican Congressman John Mica of Florida chairs the House Aviation Subcommittee. He toured the local airport Tuesday morning to find out how the new security procedures are working.

Mica says Rochester's private screeners, with oversight from the federal government, is a national model.

A new inline baggage screener will make the airport even safer.

"Using less labor, it's not as labor-intensive; less costs for operations and a better check," said Mica. "That would give us absolute best system you can have in the country, you only (have) one airport that reaches that now, and that's San Fransisco."

That inline baggage screener will keep the baggage on a conveyer belt from the ticket check-in counter through to the airplane, allowing the baggage to be screened with less manpower.

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RenSquare design is a gleaming hub
Officials ready to move forward on fundraising
Democrat and Chronicle

An expansive, elevated park, an enclosed bus terminal and a towering cylindrical theater encased in steel and glass are part of a $230 million plan to reinvigorate Rochester's downtown.

The plan is for Renaissance Square, proposed for East Main Street between North Clinton Avenue and St. Paul Street.

Designs unveiled Wednesday night also show a tree-filled courtyard edged by the historic but mostly vacant Granite and Edwards buildings, which would be renovated as part of a Monroe Community College satellite campus. There is space for some retail, cafés and a smaller "black box" theater, reduced from 500 seats to 200.

If all goes as planned, construction could begin next summer and be completed in 2010. Moshe Safdie, the Boston architect on the project, said he hoped plans for a third, midsized theater being pushed separately by local arts groups could move forward at the same time, making downtown a hub for cultural activities. Renaissance Square, a collaboration of the county, city, Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority and MCC, is envisioned to trigger other redevelopment.

"A process such as this does not begin and end when we design and build Renaissance Square," Safdie said, later explaining that the next two months will be spent refining designs, matching them with engineering plans and generally "getting serious about things."

Other details on operations and subsidies still are being hammered out on Renaissance Square, with a focus on affordability and sustainability. County Executive Maggie Brooks said there also still is discussion about whether the project's small theater will have all the amenities of a community theater or stripped down to a rehearsal space. "It could go either way," she said. Brooks said the midsized theater is not her decision to make, and stressed it must be developed by the private sector.

In the meantime, officials are ready to move forward with a fundraising campaign. Taxpayers will pay most of the bill, with $194 million in county, state and federal aid already committed. Ruby Lockhart, executive director for Garth Fagan Dance, is among those pushing for the third theater, facing a shrinking timeline while still needing to determine feasibility. While she agreed that raising money as part of a single, overall arts plan would be best, Lockhart said she didn't think the project would be derailed if fundraising and construction had to come later.

If Renaissance Square were built today, the large, two balcony, 2,800-seat theater would be a cylinder inside a square glass enclosure, creating a lobby that would double as space for a café. The smaller theater would sit further north with an entrance off Clinton Avenue. Safdie likened the lobby/café space to that of the National Theatre in London. Rochester Broadway Theatre League, which hosts traveling Broadway and family shows, would use the theater, relocating from the aging Auditorium Theatre, 885 E. Main St.

Next to the arts center, would be a large "urban room" lined with shops on the first level, and flanked by MCC's computer lab and library on the second level. Retail also would extend along Main Street over to the Granite Building's ground floor.

Pepsy Kettavong, 34, of Rochester was among about 250 people who turned out for the design unveiling at at the downtown Clarion Riverside Hotel. Kettavong said he was impressed by the latest proposal but also disappointed by the glass enclosures and seemingly stark construction inside, lacking plantings or other features.

"It kind of reminds me (of) what's going on with the War Memorial," he said, adding the urban room gave him the impression of Eastview Mall. "It needs to be, I think, humanized more."

The urban room would lead to the transit center in the back of the property. St. Paul Street and Clinton Avenue would be made two-way streets, allowing buses to enter and exit from either side. A pedestrian skywalk across Clinton Street, connecting to the Sibley Building, would be removed. "We do not need to build more parking ... " Safdie said. "We will make better use of what exists around us."

To get to the street-level bus terminal, people would go up stairs or escalators then head down. The roof of the terminal would be an elevated park, interrupted by a narrow skylight extending nearly the length of the block. The skylight would let natural light into a glass-enclosed area where passengers can wait for their bus or move between buses.

Steve Lovi, 44, who has worked with the county as part of an advisory group on accessibility, said there are pluses and minuses to the latest design. While the bus terminal is no longer below ground, it is some distance from Main Street. He said discussions need to resume now about accessibility to the performing arts space, now that those designs exist as well.

Wednesday's unveiling was the fifth public meeting on the project, and officials promised there would be many more.

To Janet Glocker, 60, Renaissance Square is beginning to grow into its own, taking particular note of the MCC campus she said now appears worthy of the students, faculty and staff.

"You start with the grandiose plan, then the realities set in," she said, referring to what Safdie said has been an unprecedented inflationary period in the construction market. "I'm pleased its such an integrated and exciting project, even though construction prices have gone up."

See more here: http://democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061012/NEWS01/610120339

Much better story by watching the video seen here by WHAM 13: http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=A34187C1-3321-428A-8356-57EEADEBC46C


http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/merismus/gallery/c457702a.jpg
First Drive: GM's Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Pickup
MSNBC

An exclusive drive in a hydrogen fuel-cell pickup recruited by the U.S. Army.
During a presentation at General Motors' Fuel Cell Activities Center in Honeoye Falls, N.Y., a quiet village on the outskirts of Rochester, the world's first hydrogen fuel-cell pickup was inducted into the U.S. Army for a 16-month tour of duty.
More story here: http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4023502


Duffy: Base aid to city on merit
Mayor wants to test new state funding idea
Democrat and Chronicle

Mayor Robert Duffy on Wednesday asked a state Assembly panel to consider using Rochester as a testing ground for a new way of allocating state aid.

In testimony during a daylong hearing at City Hall, Duffy proposed divvying up aid based on performance.

In separate testimony, city economic development Commissioner Carlos Carballada encouraged officials to consider economic incentives that reward companies not only for creating jobs but also for retaining them.

"We need to keep what we've got," Carballada said, and incentive programs based on retention would assist businesses that have been in the state for years to continue to grow and thrive.

The purpose of the hearing was for lawmakers to hear ideas from government and business leaders who are struggling with the economic problems of upstate New York.

Duffy said the Legislature and Rochester could agree on goals in economic development, education and public safety. If the city hit those goals, state aid would increase. If those goals weren't hit, reductions in aid would occur until the city met the standards.

"New York state deserves a return on its investment, and I am ready and anxious to offer it," the mayor said.

In an interview after his testimony, Duffy said aid could be tied to job creation, crime statistics and graduation rates or scholastic achievement.

Duffy was profuse in his thanks to lawmakers for the 33 percent boost in state aid the city received this year, an increase he and business leaders lobbied hard to get.

In the future, Duffy said, he wants to make sure city government earns an increase from the people of the state.

"We're not looking for a handout," he said.

City Budget Director William Ansbrow told the panel that Rochester faces a $27 million budget gap in 2007-08.

Sandra Parker, president and chief executive of the Rochester Business Alliance, encouraged lawmakers to continue to boost Rochester's share of state aid relative to Buffalo and Syracuse.

Rochester has long maintained that it has been shortchanged compared with its Thruway neighbors.

"It will take more than one state budget, more than one adjustment to the city's aid, to correct the decades-long inequity and to give Rochester the financial support it needs to recover from this downturn," Parker said.

James Brennan, D-Brooklyn, chairman of the Assembly's committee on cities who also chaired Wednesday's hearing, called Duffy's goal-setting proposal "a very interesting idea."

But he also expressed some concerns. Brennan said he would like a "hold harmless" provision if the city were affected by an economic decline that was out of its control.

The hearing was one of several being held around the state by several assembly committees. A similar session takes place Friday in Syracuse.


Xerox to demolish two buildings in Webster
Democrat and Chronicle

Xerox Corp. plans to demolish two unused buildings on its Webster campus.

In an internal memo sent yesterday, Wim Appelo, vice president of paper, supplies and supply chain operations for Xerox and the executive in charge of the Webster site, said Building 215 and a high-rise warehouse next to Building 200 will come down.
The demolitions, which start next week, will save Xerox money on maintenance and utility costs, Appelo wrote.

Both buildings were used for parts storage.

Xerox employs about 8,250 people in Monroe County, about 6,500 of those are in Webster.

Worldwide employment is 55,000.

"Since we no longer hold large quantities of parts or equipment as on-site inventory, and have consolidated operations around the globe, these specialized buildings have become obsolete," Appelo wrote.

The moves come as Xerox constructs a $59 million toner plant on the site.

Im sure Xerox is just demolishing them to save some money on taxes, cant blame them?

1) Has this site been obnoxious lately or what? I would bet we lose some forumers (for better or worse) because of the availability of the site.

2) Harris RF will not build a tower downtown, there is no reason too, they are into manufacturing and R&D just be thankfull that they have stuck to operations in the city, instead of moving to Victor, or Henrietta!

3) I would love to see the shovels hit the ground on this Ren Square project, because until they do I won't believe it will happen, even if the funds have been set aside for the project. Someone wrote a nice blurb on the D&C's post a comment feature, stating that unless we spend the money that has been set aside for the project, it will go elsewhere, we won't get the money back if the project wern't to happen...I think a lot of naysayers don't understand that for whatever reason.

Xerox to demolish two buildings

By ANDREA DECKERT
Rochester Business Journal
October 12, 2006
Xerox Corp. will demolish two buildings at its Webster campus, the document company announced in an internal memo Thursday.
Wim Appelo, vice president of paper, supplies and supply chain operations, states in a memo he sent to Xerox employees in Monroe County that two buildings in Webster will be demolished as a way to increase efficiency. The buildings are not needed now that the firm no longer holds large quantities of parts or equipment as on-site inventory.
Both buildings—which total nearly 114,000 square feet and served as warehouse facilities—are vacant.
“The opportunity then exists to remove some of the idle buildings, allowing us to capture the benefits of reduced maintenance and utility costs,” Appelo wrote in the memo, provided to the Rochester Business Journal.
Appelo added Xerox has made significant infrastructure and building investments in Webster over the last several years, including the iGen3 manufacturing facility, Gil Hatch Center for Customer Innovation and EA toner facility.
The demolition work will be done by LVI Environmental Services Inc., a New York City firm that has a local office.
The Xerox campus in Webster consists of 47 buildings totaling 5.5 million square feet on 1,100 acres.

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Area home sales fall 10 percent from 2005

By MARY STONE
Rochester Business Journal
October 12, 2006
September home sales in the Rochester region dropped nearly 10 percent to 1,140 from 1,261 a year ago, the information subsidiary of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors Inc. reported Thursday.
From August to September, home sales were down nearly 25 percent from 1,509 to 1,140. The median price was unchanged from a year ago, at $120,000, but down 0.7 percent from $120,792 in August.
The dollar volume of sales in September dropped 24.2 percent from $219.8 million in August to $166.6 million last month—down 10.4 percent from a year ago when dollar volume totaled $185.8 million.
For the first nine months, closings in Monroe County slid 1.3 percent to 6,553, compared with 6,639 a year ago. Closings also fell in Ontario, Orleans, Wayne and Wyoming counties. Genesee and Livingston counties saw increases in closings.
GRAR represents more than 3,000 real estate professionals.

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Simon school's ranking rises
Democrat and Chronicle

The University of Rochester's William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration advanced one notch in Business Week's ranking of the nation's best business schools. The Simon school is now No. 28 on the elite list.

The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business is the best in the country, according to the magazine's survey.

Chicago was followed by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management; Harvard Business School and the University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Change on way at Cohoes sites
Democrat and Chronicle

The Cohoes name will be a thing of the past within a year. And some of the discount fashion chain's stores might be, too.

The Albany Times Union reported that Burlington Coat Factory, which owns Cohoes, plans to switch four of the chain's seven stores to the Burlington nameplate and close the other three.

The company has not said which stores will be converted and which will be closed. There is a Cohoes in Pittsford Plaza.

Thats too bad about Cohoes, at least it was something different.

Wegmans' 71st Store Could Break Pre-opening Sign-up Record
Progressive Grocer

Wegmans Food Markets' 71st store, opening on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 7 a.m. in Warrington, Pa., has already attracted one of the highest numbers of pre-opening loyalty card sign-ups in the retailer's history: More than 18,000 customers have already applied for a Shoppers Club card online in conjunction with the opening, which the second-highest number of pre-opening sign-ups the company has ever received, Wegmans noted.

The chain is optimistic that the figure could even surpass that of the Hunt Valley, Md. location 2005 pre-opening, which currently is the biggest.

Additionally, 2,500 people applied for one of the 650 jobs at the 125,000-square-foot, 24-hour store, according to the company.

"You have to say 'wow' when you see this level of interest before our doors have even opened," noted Blaine Forkell, manager of the new store, in a statement.

More than 600 veteran Wegmans associates from all over the company are helping out during the week before the opening and for a few weeks after the store is open. According to the company, the longtime employees will "work shoulder-to-shoulder with the new store's employees until they are confident to fly solo."

So, is there any snow at all in Rochester? It's amazing, Buffalo got NAILED, and it looks like nothing happened at all in Rochester.

Not a drop of snow, thats how wacky Northeast weather works. The snow stopped at Batavia. I guess there was non-sticking snow on the west side yesterday for like an hour though. Its sunny now and 50 in Roc at 3pm. Ill still take snow anyday over hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, or earthquake. Or chemical fires, huh Rocguy? I dont want it to be winter yet though, if it starts now we will be so sick of it by March. Winter needs to wait till at least the end of the month. Looks like a snowy winter is in our future though!

lol yeah, I'd take a good snowfall over the chemical fire any day. Lake Effect snow sure doesn't cause 17000 people to be evacuated, while the other half of the town (the half that I'm in) still has to go to work on a Friday night!

Not a drop of snow, thats how wacky Northeast weather works. The snow stopped at Batavia.

Proof that Batavia is really part of Metro Buffalo

Ive always felt Batavia is part of Buffalo metro anyway. I NEVER felt it was part of Rochester metro. I believe Batavians go to B-lo more to go shopping and get necessary goods anyway, since the closest thing to Batavia for commerce is Greece in Roc. Batavia would have Clarence or Cheektovegas to choose from in B-lo.

10 day forecast has no snow in it!
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USNY1232?from=36hr_topnav_undeclared

RenSquare = Fast Ferry

Mark my words!

ROC should just lower its taxes...cut some overhead and dont add to the NYS mandated PORK spending...the city would do wonders for itself.

RenSquare is a glorified bus station...nothing more.

Ive always felt Batavia is part of Buffalo metro anyway. I NEVER felt it was part of Rochester metro. I believe Batavians go to B-lo more to go shopping and get necessary goods anyway, since the closest thing to Batavia for commerce is Greece in Roc. Batavia would have Clarence or Cheektovegas to choose from in B-lo.

10 day forecast has no snow in it!
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USNY1232?from=36hr_topnav_undeclared

Its park of the Buffalo metro because I'm in Batavia...:)

I wouldn't say you are wrong about the RenSquare being a potential problem, but I don't believe it will be another fast ferry...

1) It is not run by a corporation that has no experience, the RBTL will run the theatres, MCC the campus and RGRTA the bus portion, all of which have years of experience.

2) The money will be spent elsewhere if not in Rochester, we might as well spend it, or else somebody else will reap the benifits of the money.

I'm not saying that I'm for/against the project because I haven't decided yet, not enough information for me, but I certainly don't think it will become another Fast Ferry. If nothing else it cuts down the CBD's vacancy rate for office space...

ROC should just lower its taxes...cut some overhead and dont add to the NYS mandated PORK spending...the city would do wonders for itself.

Actually, the largest chunk of the funding--over $100M--is coming from the federal aid. I have to admit, after seeing the major league teams in Buffalo suck up all sorts of aid, this sort of advice is a little ironic. But, I agree with the basic idea that all of NYS should be careful when it comes to spending. Luckily, between federal aid and the campaign for private donations, that's where the majority of it will come from.

This block or so where this will be built is the only area of downtown Rochester that looks depressed. The theatre and MCC should be closely aligned given their use will be mixed for obvious reasons. If MCC works to build further housing downtown (or simply fuel further demand), it'll be a real boon for the city having more people live and learn downtown. Just look at the impact of the Eastman School, which is modest sized.

I doubt MCC is going out-of-business anytime soon--its demand is proven. MCC will utilize the smaller theatres quite nicely. There is a need for a bus hub and it's utilized heavily. One can always argue that there are different or more efficient ways to use the money. But, another fast ferry? I don't think so. Apples and oranges, although I expect the ferry to be used like this for a long time.

Bdaly, I whole heartedly agree with everything in your post. Especially about all the pessimistic types that will harp on the ferry for eternity. As if Buffalo's city and county government arent failures? Remember they both have babysitting boards watching over them? Politicians arent always the brightest.

Ren square will be the catalyst for Main Street. The ferry contributed 4 very nice things to Rochester, it fixed up the Charlotte waterfront, it fixed up all of Lake Avenue from downtown to Charlotte, it renewed Rochestarians interest in the Charlotte neighborhood, and it made Torontonians aware that Rochester exists. Every Digital Rochester event that takes place now always has a Toronto computer company representing itself looking for new business partners and capital. Toronto business opened its eyes to Rochester because of the ferry. It was a very good idea, but as we later learned, it was run very very improperly. Risks are part of life, and for struggling upstate cities losing population to new cities of the south and west, I commend the city for having the balls to take on the venture. I dont commend some of the dumb decisions they made on how to run the ferry though.

now don't turn this into a Buffalo vs Rochester thing, Buffalo has made some crazy mistakes and it shows. It's not that people don't want these things in Rochester, they just don't work. A Fast Ferry...who the hell is going to take a ferry from Toronto to Rochester on a regular basis creating a steady path of commuters? not enough to fill the ship that Rochester purchused using loads of tax dollars from even outside Rochester itself. I see this RenSquare and while it looks interesting, the entire plan is PORK, who cares if you get the money from the federal gov't...a failure idea will be a failure idea once it is constructed and Rochester finds itself stuck with this whole mess.

And people who keep talking about the Fast Ferry are justified...Rochester needs to do something to change the subject away from that whole fiasco...and it has to be something that leads to success.

Sorry Rochester but Toronto doesnt need anything on the US side of the border now...that city is huge and while people might visit wine country and try a threater in Buffalo or Rochester...they don't need either one of us to grow larger.

The only reason private interests are not building the ideas we all dream about in both cities are because they cant afford to do anything. Lower taxes would do wonders for ROC, especially with the well educated workforce...businesses would thrive like it did 50 years ago. To say building a glorified bus station will save downtown is both dumb and blinding...only businesses can revitalize a city's core...in the long run.

Rochester should focus on residential conversions, green space and marketing itself without buying something for $120 million, even Buffalo is keeping it basic now...we have learned that PORK will not save you it just guarantees votes.

This block or so where this will be built is the only area of downtown Rochester that looks depressed..
Bull, almost the entire downtown area looks depressed, from our 70's facades, endless vacant storefronts and our empty mid town plaza.

If MCC works to build further housing downtown (or simply fuel further demand), it'll be a real boon for the city having more people live and learn downtown.I doubt MCC is going out-of-business anytime soon--its demand is proven..
Big IF there. MCC by it's own mission statement is a COMMUNITY College, as such it is not designed to bring outside money into the community. They are just reshuffling the deck charis of the Titanic on this one.


. MCC will utilize the smaller theatres quite nicely.

And play to what audience? Do you think out of towners are going to come to Rochester to see a Community College play? This is lol funny.

.
But, another fast ferry? I don't think so. Apples and oranges, although I expect the ferry to be used like this for a long time.

I do agree with you on this point, it is not another Fast Ferry, the Ferry only wasted half as much money as this one. There is zero economic benefit from the new theatre for the RBTL. All they are going to do is shift productions from one site to another. Same audience, no one will come here from Buffalo or Toronto to see a play that has already played in their cities sooner.

The theater at Ren Square will be the largest and most modern Broadway-style theater in upstate New York by far. It will be able to host all full-scale touring productions, something that no other theater in upstate NY can claim. Large productions that may have only chosen one city upstate will surely choose Rochester because of this new theater.

As for claims that the new MCC campus will not lead to investment/housing, just look at the hundreds of units built at the Brighton campus, with a waiting list. I have heard that the Cox Building (adjacent to Ren Square) was purchased by an NYC developer with plans to put student housing in. Mark IV has quietly begun converting the Warner Building (adjacent to Ren Square) to live-work space. There are rumblings of a new residential building on Pleasant Street that would be built to coincide with the first classes at the new MCC campus. These are REAL investments.

I don't think anyone is claiming that an MCC theater production will attract out-of-town visitors, however, added space for theater students in our community is a good thing. Keep in mind though, MCC is the top community college in NYS and one of the largest and most highly-regarded in the country. Kenichiro Sato, the brains behind the ROC Outdoor Museum, came to MCC from Japan and look what he has done for our city. The presence of MCC is nothing to downplay.

As for negative comments about the bus station, the fact is that removing the buses (and the transferring passengers) from Main Street removes multiple obstacles to development. A few years ago, Morton's of Chicago was interested in coming to Rochester and visited the Temple Building. Their site selector took one look at the iron wall of buses on Main in front of the Liberty Pole and said, until you get rid of that, we're not coming to Rochester. I have concerns about the ability to mix students and theater patrons with thousands of bus passengers - but I have faith that there will be significant RPD or private security presence in Ren Square to deal with any potential issues.

This project is about more than just a couple theaters, some buses, and some classrooms. It is about changing the dynamic of our downtown. Reintroducing two-way traffic to Clinton and St Paul will improve accessibility and navigability; reintroducing on-street parking where feasible will improve the retail climate; ridding our city of long-vacant deteriorating structures and an enormous surface parking lot will improve our self-esteem as well as our image to visitors. Without Renaissance Square, revitalization at Sibley and Midtown is impossible; with it, there is hope.

I'm not totally tuned-in to this whole RenSquare proposal, but how is this different than what is being proposed in lower downtown Buffalo (including but not exclusively Bass Pro)? I'm detecting many similarities here. First is pork money, obviously; you'd have to deaf and dumb to miss that. But there seem to be others as well.

I dunno about this theater idea...I mean you can only saturate the market so much...like casinos and gas stations, but to have a public theater is like having a public market...and it would make sense to have contracts and commitments set in stone before building a theater...there is no guarantee that Rochester is going to be the theater capital of WNY, Buffalo holds its own with Sheas the the numerous other theaters...not to mention what Toronto draws from our area already. Can Rochester compete...to some level, yes...can they take away from cities larger than them with more populations that support theatrics and performing arts programs...unlikely.

Bus station...just build a bus station, look at Buffalo...basic, it works and it doesn't crowd main street...metro rail does LOL

hey, if the people of Rochester wanna be known for making multi million dollar mistakes...keep pushing the RenSquare...you are right on track.

Pork...and you are being fooled! :nono:

Much of this "pork" is coming through federal transportation funds approved by the Genesee Transportation Council, a regional body made up of representatives from nine counties (the MPO, akin to GBNRTC in Buffalo). If there wasn't broad-based regional support, this project would have never moved forward. Plus, all that "pork" must be supplemented with a minimum of ~$40 million in private donations. Without support from the private sector, this project will not get off the ground. Unfortunately for its detractors, there are already multi-million dollar private commitments in place and the fundraising campaign hasn't even gotten underway yet.

I'm not terribly familiar with the plans for Lower Main Street in Buffalo. Is there more to that than Bass Pro and a parking garage? FYI, Renaissance Square is a $230 million project involving a bus terminal for both inter and intra-city buses, a new downtown campus for Monroe Community College, and a Performing Arts Center containing a 2,800-seat proscenium theater and a small 200-seat black box theater. The architect for the project is Moshe Safdie.

The theater at Ren Square will be the largest and most modern Broadway-style theater in upstate New York by far. It will be able to host all full-scale touring productions, something that no other theater in upstate NY can claim. .

No actually the theatre at Ren Square is projected to have 2,800 seats, Shea's Buffalo has 3,200 seats. As far as modern goes Shea's Buffalo had a complete multi-million doolar back stage renovation ans expansion less than 5 years ago. They can stage any production currently forecast. The fact is that when both cities have the same touring play, Shea's Buffalo consistently outdraws the RBTL productions both in box office dollars and percentage of seats filled. If they are going to choose one city in upstate NY to bring a production to it will continue to be Buffalo by virtue of it's track record and it's ability to sell mid week dates which are problematic in Rochester. The reason is that there are over 1.3 million people within a half hour of Shea's Buffalo but only 800,000 within a half hour of downtown Rochester. As an FYI Buffalo is known throughout the theatrical circles as a very strong theatre town. In fact Buffalo has more live theater than Washington, D.C. - source Buffalo News "Two Nations, One Market" written by Barry Brown (News Toronto Bureau) 2/24/2002.

Wanted: Area Rx for M.D. exodus


Shortages in a number of specialties raising concerns

Joy Davia
Staff writer

(October 15, 2006) — If Dr. Saurin Popat still worked in Rochester, he likely wouldn't be where he was on a recent Monday night, lounging on the couch with son, Evan.

"Daddy, the Jell-O was sweet!" said Evan, 4, giggling about his snack as he got off his father's lap and ran to join his sister and brother in another room.

Popat, a head and neck cancer surgeon, left his job at the University of Rochester Medical Center in April for the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. Popat said he got tired of a lack of clinical support, resulting in 85-hour workweeks that hurt his family life.

"Rochester is a great place to raise a family," said Popat, 37, who would often work until 11 p.m. "But I wasn't seeing mine."

The Democrat and Chronicle interviewed 30 doctors who have left Rochester in recent years, several of whom cited issues such as lack of clinical support. Doctors also left for reasons that were financial, personal, or for career advancement and health insurer issues.

Some doctors were replaced, others were not. Whatever the result, the issue of doctors leaving the area is critical, given concerns about shortages in some specialties.

For patients, the shortages mean longer waits to get appointments.

Popat is in a specialty called otolaryngology — ear, nose and throat (ENT) — that will likely face a shortage in the next five years, according to a 2005 Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency report.

"Actually, right now we have a need for ENT doctors," said Paul C. Harrington, 66, of the Rochester Otolaryngology Group in Brighton.

There are too many older doctors in the specialty, and Harrington said it is hard to attract out-of-area doctors, mostly because of lower financial reimbursements from health insurers. Popat's departure was a loss, especially because he did more head and neck cancer surgeries than most, if not all, other doctors here.

UR officials said they wanted to keep Popat and had tried to address his concerns, but it didn't work out.

"His departure was a loss for the community and medical school," said Dr. David Guzick, dean of the UR School of Medicine.

The medical center does what it can to meet doctors' professional needs. "But for every doctor who has left, we have a lot more coming in," Guzick said.

UR plans to replace Popat after first recruiting a new ENT department chairperson. Other doctors are absorbing some of his patients, and Popat said other patients plan to follow him to Buffalo.

Haves and have-nots

The distribution of doctors in the area can be uneven. There are too many in pediatrics and obstetrics, but too few in general surgery, adult primary care, colorectal surgery and allergy/immunology, according to the health systems agency report. Forty-four percent of adult primary care doctors aren't taking new patients, the report said. A dozen other specialties — oncology, orthopedics and neurology among them — are on a watch list for reasons including future doctor retirements.

The aging of the physician population was one reason among many that Dr. Jason Batley, 36, an orthopedic surgeon with a young family, moved to North Carolina in July.

"What scared me was that nobody was coming to town my age," said Batley, who has children ages 4 and 7. "And my partners were only getting older."

Some of his five partners would likely retire or slow down in coming years, "and I'd be the guy holding the bag." Batley was in private practice here and affiliated with Unity Hospital in Greece, until recently known as Park Ridge Hospital.

Batley also left for warmer weather and a less restrictive health insurance environment.

"Nothing is perfect," he said. "But at least here I feel like I have a little more control over my life."

Widespread problem

National studies keep detailing doctor shortages in different specialties and geographic areas, said Edward Salsberg, director of the Center for Workforce Studies at the Association of American Medical Colleges. Salsberg was not surprised about the concerns in Rochester.

Recruiting doctors, they said, is a double-edged sword: Issues such as lower health insurer reimbursements hurt such efforts, while the quality of life and good schools help.

A big factor in ensuring an adequate supply of doctors, Salsberg said, is to retain the ones who are here now.

"Keeping doctors happy is actually very important," he said.

Reasons for discontent

But keeping doctors happy may not be easy. Several doctors who left the area said they did so because they were not content. This included a handful of UR doctors, many of whom said a lack of clinical support was one factor in their departure:
UR's former head of general thoracic surgery, Dr. Richard Feins, is now at the University of North Carolina. He left after 30 years in Rochester "and loved the area and my experience there."
"But in Rochester ... the overall resources that were available for physicians to practice at a very high level became more and more limited," he said.


Guzick also noted that a lot of the doctors practicing in Rochester wouldn't be here if they didn't train at UR.

Dr. Jason Garringer, 36, of Pittsford is in this category.

He is from Michigan but came to Rochester to do two cardiology fellowships. He was hired by UR, got married and now has an 18-month-old son.

Pegoli gets calls weekly from headhunters. Last spring, such efforts almost worked. He had a contract to be surgeon-in-chief at a Hartford, Conn., children's hospital, which was closer to family. His starting date was Aug. 1.

"When the administration here found out, they did everything in their power to keep me," he said.

Insurance providers' role

Some doctors who left did cite financial issues and the headaches they face by practicing in an area dominated by health maintenance organizations. HMOs typically have many rules for doctors, such as advance permission to provide particular kinds of care.

Dermatologist Dr. Deborah Englert said her desire for a different insurance environment was one reason among many for her move to Maryland earlier this year. She also liked the teaching job she got at the University of Maryland and wanted to practice in a region with a stronger economy.

Englert recalled a Maryland patient with severe psoriasis. In Rochester, Englert would likely have had to get insurance company permission before giving the patient medication.

"I'd send charts, notes, letters requesting coverage that said why I thought it was necessary. Sometimes I'd spend 30 minutes to an hour tracking down the medical director of the insurer to justify why the medication was necessary," said Englert. It might have taken weeks to get permission.

Her plight was likely harder because patients with severe psoriasis often need more costly medication, meaning closer insurer scrutiny, she said.

In Baltimore, Englert doesn't deal with as many HMOs, meaning usually she just submits a sheet requesting the medication to the insurer, with a one-day response.

Balancing family life

Popat recalled the deal he had with his wife, Katharine, when their first child, Alexander, was born in 2000. He would try to be home for dinner, at about 7 p.m., a few days a week. It didn't last.

He wasn't seeing his family. He'd get home at night in time to have a five-minute talk with his wife before she went to bed. He'd work on weekends and had little time with his children, including Evan and 2-year-old daughter Carys. Popat said he wanted to stay in Rochester, but the Roswell deal was too enticing. The hospital has added more exam rooms and workers, and offered more clinical support.

On a recent evening, Popat got home from work a little after 6. It was later than planned because he had to deal with two emergencies with patients in Rochester.

His home is smaller in Buffalo than it was in Pittsford. He took a 28 percent pay cut to move to Roswell.

"But it wasn't about the money," he said.

"I have no aversion to working hard. I still work 60 hours a week. But I won't do it at the expense of my family."

JDAVIA@DemocratandChronicle.com

Jerry, maybe I'm wrong, but isn't there more to a theater's size than the number of seats? Shea's is an elegant, opulent, classic theater, in some ways on par with our Eastman Theater; and it is a much better facility than our current Auditorium Center. Can you tell me with confidence that, prior to the renovation, Shea's was attracting crowds that were significantly larger than Rochester does today?

Besides Geva kicks Studio Arena's sorry ass. LOL, this Buffalo-Rochester thing has gone too far when we're arguing over theaters.

One stat I found that folks might find interesting regarding the ability of touring Broadway shows to bring visitors to Rochester: "Of the 112,500 people who attended Phantom the first time it came to Rochester, better than 34 percent came from outside of the five-county metro area." - City Newspaper (1/14/04).

Jerry, maybe I'm wrong, but isn't there more to a theater's size than the number of seats? Shea's is an elegant, opulent, classic theater, in some ways on par with our Eastman Theater; and it is a much better facility than our current Auditorium Center. Can you tell me with confidence that, prior to the renovation, Shea's was attracting crowds that were significantly larger than Rochester does today?


Yes, as a member of the Shea's Buffalo Spotlight Comm. I can tell you that with confidence. Even as far back as the 1980's we set a record for the touring production of the King and I with Yul Brenner which was originally scheduled for six weeks but was extended to eight because of strong ticket sales. Our backstage renovation and expansion project which involved blowing out walls and raising the roof was done with an eye to the future. There are no shows out there that could go to the Ren Center that could not also fit into Shea's. If the Ren Center backers are telling you otherwise then they are lying in order to obtain public funding. While your new theatre (if built) will no doubt be an asset to your local community it will not be a threat to Shea's ability to draw in the first tier productions.

If the Ren Center is being built simply as a replacement for the current theatre and if it is feasible on that level then it should be built. If it is being built on the basis that it is going to draw bigger shows that will then bypass other cities and draw out of towners to Rochester then you are being sold a bill of goods and the project will fail. It will not provide an economic boost to Rochester - other than for the initial construction jobs.

The ability to sell seats is the most single most important ingrediant to the producer and that is where Shea's has it all over the RBTL theatre. Remember both theatres are booked by the same guy.

Besides Geva kicks Studio Arena's sorry ass. LOL, this Buffalo-Rochester thing has gone too far when we're arguing over theaters.


Studio Arena has sent shows directly to Broadway GeVa has not.

One stat I found that folks might find interesting regarding the ability of touring Broadway shows to bring visitors to Rochester: "Of the 112,500 people who attended Phantom the first time it came to Rochester, better than 34 percent came from outside of the five-county metro area." - City Newspaper (1/14/04).


Even if true, a new theatre will not increase this. It will just be the same shows that would have gone to the current theatre being staged in a new venue. Thus there will be zero economic gain. If you are going to build Ren Center be honest and do it for the right reason, which is to replace an aging worn out facility. If you cannot sell it on it's merits than do not build it. But if you lie and say it will bring economic benefits then all you end up doing is creating a cynical public that will not believe it's leaders in the future, al la your Fast Ferry. Is it still in port BTW?

I'm not terribly familiar with the plans for Lower Main Street in Buffalo. Is there more to that than Bass Pro and a parking garage?
In the grand scheme, yes. Though I'm not horribly familiar with the details myself, it's been a while. It's all in the Development thread somewhere if you're interested enough to look.

I know it involves retrofitting/razing the Aud for Bass Pro, razing the Donovan State Office Bldg for a transit station/parking, new bridge at the foot of Main St, and your token residential/commercial development which is envisioned to follow the lead of the 'pork' 'seed' money. They envision something like Buffalo's own Quincy Market (Boston). All of this ties into the nearly completed Erie Canal Harbor/Naval Park stuff, the embattled casino (like it or hate it), and even dating back to the construction of Crossroads/Marine Midland/HSBC/God-Knows-What's-Next Arena. (Wow, sounds like Buffalo might know how to plan out a scheme after all!)

Like I said, I'm short on details, just recalling it off the top of my head.

LOL, this Buffalo-Rochester thing has gone too far when we're arguing over theaters

It got out of hand the first time Jerome came on this forum to try and compair the two as if they were so different. I mean come on people, talk about a petty thing to argue over. I would say about 99.9% of the Buffalo vs. Rochester stuff that comes about on this thread and really this whole forum stems from Jerome. What's the deal dude?

I would love to see the project just involve MCC and the Bus Depot...I don't use the bus I'll admit it, would love too, but where I live it is not a feasable alternative to driving myself (although if it was, It would sure be a lot easier than driving!) I'm also not convinced we need all these new theatres, Eastman is certainly a beautiful theatre, and Auditorium Theatre really serves a great purpose, while Geva brings in the Niche audience so I'm not convinced that we need the theatres, but call me uncultured.

All this talk about pork spending, it'll happen regardless of where it happens, I think we should all be smart enough to realize that. Pork spending in this state is out of control, but it shows no sign of coming into a controled state anytime soon.

What would be interesting would be to take MCC out of the Sibley Center, and then render that 80% vacant, hopefully they at Wilmot development would be smart enough to change the Sibley Center into student apartments or dormitories.

Also have any of you ROCHESTER forumers been to East Rochester lately. They have completely repaved Commercial street, and it has changed the face of the village. It looks beautiful, kudos to the village for recognizing that a little upkeep can change the face of the village. Oh by the way the Techniplex is 80% leased now, and there seems to be a much better vibe in the village, than in the recent past.

blang, I like how you are talking here...

I will admit I am amazed everytime I see Main street cluttered with buses in downtown, it looks like they are having a bus swap meet and pig roast or something...it looks bad.

MCC, I would support that going downtown just like ECC in downtown Buffalo...but community colleges dont rely on dorms and apartments because the people who USUALLY go to CCs are local and just commute anyways. I will add, I don't see middle class white girls riding the Rochester Bus system to go to classes from Monroe or Lyell to downtown.

I could justify the spending (even gov't funds) on a bus station, but the MCC campus will likely not create the boom in development they are looking for.

Theaters...Eastman is nice...and I would keep that your primier theater guys...really.

Sibley center...what a perfect building for apartments, I mean perfect.

You make a good point about community colleges, and it certainly is valid with MCC's Damon City Campus, my thought is that the Brighton Campus has wildly popular apartments located on campus (which I can't really understand, but it seems to be popular all across the country), but the demand also applies to the SUNY Brockport Metro-Center and UofR Eastman School of Music which are all located downtown. The Eastman School of Music has a dormitory tower already, but it is filled on a regular basis, and could probably support more dormitory style housing.

I don't knkow if the MCC campus is supposed to createa boom, it is supposed to create a more friendly environment for its booming number of students. I believe that demand is their also. I've never been to Damon City Campus but have heard from friends that it is not "condusive" to a college environment, whatever that means.

you rochester guys sound like buffalonians ten-fifteen years ago. "major league baseball will save us, oh wait no, the key tower will save us, oh wait no the arena will save us, oh now wait, maybe the adelphia tower will save us". just keep waiting for that majic state/federally funded bullet guys. atleast buffalonians have realized that they can't rest their laurels on massive singularly focused pork projects.
dont harp on the ferry you say?
what about the 40 million dollar stadium in the ghetto where the soccer team drew less people this year than they did at frontier field last year?
rencenter is nothing but a bass pro that won't produce nearly as many sales tax dollars (both are massive public projects, void of property taxes, that will do little for their respective downtowns.) the bus terminal is being built to support rochester's existng(and inaffective) hub based transit. it will do little to improve the transit experience beyond what new heated bus shelters and beefed up transit police presence would provide.

furthermore i can't beilieve that over 40% of rochesterians really think that improved parking will help downtown. when have you ever had trouble parking downtown? when have you ever had to pay more than three bucks to park?(if you had to pay at all)
most of the people responding to that survey probably haven't been downtown in twenty years.

what about the 40 million dollar stadium in the ghetto where the soccer team drew less people this year than they did at frontier field last year?

This is false. The Rhinos averaged 9,570 in '05 and 10,064 last year. And, complimentary tickets were down significantly too. I enjoyed the stadium immensely, and I'm excited to know that phase II additions will be added for next year. Oh, BTW, Section V has been drawing good crowds for Friday Night Lights and Rochester will host the State Football Championships this year.

^ any word on when the Rhinos may become MLS?

Discount airlines help cut average fare in Rochester

Amy Wu
Staff writer


(October 17, 2006) — Rochester has shed its reputation for having some of the country's highest air fares, thanks to a pair of low-cost carriers.

Passengers who have flown JetBlue or AirTran from Rochester hit the 2 million mark in August, officials at Greater Rochester International Airport said Monday.

The carriers have played a big part in the airport's growing traffic since JetBlue entered the market in 2000 and AirTran arrived in 2002, said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks. A record 2.9 million passengers used the airport last year.

"The addition of AirTran and JetBlue has generated success beyond our wildest dreams," Brooks said.

Businesses say the presence of AirTran and JetBlue also has contributed to price competition.

The low-cost carriers are "a home run for our industry," said Don Johnson, president of Town & Country Travel in Pittsford, which specializes in travel for smaller businesses.

"It allows us to be more competitive and offer the discounted rates that people hear about or read and talk about."

It wasn't always this way. From 1995 to 2000, Rochester ranked in the top five for most expensive air fares in the nation. Since then, an average one-way ticket has fallen from $183 to $119, according to airport officials.

JetBlue has made flying to New York City affordable, travelers say. An average round trip to John F. Kennedy International Airport fell from $465 to as low as $112.

In the period before JetBlue and AirTran arrived, many travelers drove to Buffalo's airport to take advantage of lower fares. Some smaller businesses said they simply were forced to travel less.

"Larger employers often have contracts or deals with the other carriers just because of volume, but the small guy doesn't have that luxury. (With low-cost carriers,) they get the same advantage," said Sandy Parker, chief executive of the Rochester Business Alliance, who said that small businesses are the future of Rochester's economy.

Thomas Ioele, president and chief executive of Employee Relations Associates, readily uses low-cost carriers when traveling every few weeks.

"It's huge. For me to be able to travel efficiently and cost-effectively outside of Rochester is a critical component of our success," said Ioele.

On MLS, we'll have to wait and see. I don't think it's going to be in the short term unless a team comes up for relocation. With the expansion fee increasing to $20 million and the MLS' focus on large markets, I think there are other cities higher on their priority list. Unfortunately, the opportunity was there for the taking four or five years ago with a few teams for a few million, but the Rhinos couldn't guarantee the stadium at that point.

Ultimately, the organization's focus is on finishing PTP. While some like to try to jump on the project, it's actually not done (nor was it expected to be). This year was phase I. Permanent luxury boxes, press boxes, offices, a gift store, expanded concessions, the Kleen Brite parking lot (700+ cars) near the stadium and added seating will be added for next season. The stadium should be much more of a complete product come next season. Despite the fact it was at phase I this year, the sightlines were still amazing which made it a great place to watch soccer and lacrosse.

Finally, just to correct my previous post, PTP will host five state HS semi-finals games this year. But, the point remains the same. It'll boost downtown hotels and restaurants. It's an event we couldn't have had otherwise, like the drum and bugle competition. These projects don't "save" a city, but they do boost quality of life and targeted industries when done right.

furthermore i can't beilieve that over 40% of rochesterians really think that improved parking will help downtown. when have you ever had trouble parking downtown? when have you ever had to pay more than three bucks to park?(if you had to pay at all)
most of the people responding to that survey probably haven't been downtown in twenty years.
Have you been to downtown recently? Evidently you haven't been to many events. First, yes, you can park free. I never pay to park. Although I often walk 15-20 minutes, I don't pay to park. At the Blue Cross Arena, Civic Center Parking is $7 ($10 for big events), with most of the lots nearby at $5-$6. The city's event rate is at $4 for High Falls, Sister Cities, and South Ave. I haven't seen a lot charge $3 for events in some time anyways. Most parking around PTP is $5, while Frontier's is too. The daytime lots on the outskirts do have a $3 rate though--if memory serves.

Another issue is the inability to park on much of Main--partially due to the buses. Before events, I went out of my way to support the Subway that opened there when I wanted a quick meal because they had the guts to open to 7pm on weekdays and it opened for reduced hours on weekends. Most businesses only stay open on weekdays until 5 there. A large part of the problem is parking. I had to park by the War Memorial and walk. I knew it would only be a matter of time until they scaled back their hours. I did this before going to Frontier a handful of times. In truth, it would have been a heck of a lot easier to stop at any sub shop on Mt. Hope on my way. If an event is nearby it works, but otherwise, people won't do it. They are still open on weekends I believe, but their weekday hours were cut to 6.

This is false. The Rhinos averaged 9,570 in '05 and 10,064 last year. And, complimentary tickets were down significantly too. I enjoyed the stadium immensely, and I'm excited to know that phase II additions will be added for next year. Oh, BTW, Section V has been drawing good crowds for Friday Night Lights and Rochester will host the State Football Championships this year.


my mistake, however its still the fourth lowest total in eleven seasons.
they've also failed to actually sell out any games. i'm not hating on the rhinos, they do much better than most usl teams in terms of both attendance and revenue.
i just think that the forty million spent there and the 230 million being spent on rencenter would be better spent on other things. tax incentives for downtown housing developers, money for U of R/mcc/rit cooperative housing in downtown, light rail connecting U of R with downtown, eventually even the airport and charlotte, demolishing midtown plaza, rehabbing/demolishing vacant houses, i could go on for days. a 230 million dollar complex that will largely be occupied by an 8am to 5pm monday through friday entity(mcc) will do little to revitalize downtown. but whatever, rochester wants a new theatre complete with bum i mean bus terminal, then by all means, spend away.

Have you been to downtown recently? Evidently you haven't been to many events. First, yes, you can park free. I never pay to park. Although I often walk 15-20 minutes, I don't pay to park. At the Blue Cross Arena, Civic Center Parking is $7 ($10 for big events), with most of the lots nearby at $5-$6. The city's event rate is at $4 for High Falls, Sister Cities, and South Ave. I haven't seen a lot charge $3 for events in some time anyways. Most parking around PTP is $5, while Frontier's is too. The daytime lots on the outskirts do have a $3 rate though--if memory serves.

Another issue is the inability to park on much of Main--partially due to the buses. Before events, I went out of my way to support the Subway that opened there when I wanted a quick meal because they had the guts to open to 7pm on weekdays and it opened for reduced hours on weekends. Most businesses only stay open on weekdays until 5 there. A large part of the problem is parking. I had to park by the War Memorial and walk. I knew it would only be a matter of time until they scaled back their hours. I did this before going to Frontier a handful of times. In truth, it would have been a heck of a lot easier to stop at any sub shop on Mt. Hope on my way. If an event is nearby it works, but otherwise, people won't do it. They are still open on weekends I believe, but their weekday hours were cut to 6.

oh horse rabble, so you had to pay five ooops seven dollars to park. whoopdy frigging doo, the hourly rates at all of rochesters parking garages are fifty five cents or less. i think the highest daily maximum rate i've seen in rochester in eight dollars. you walk fifteen twenty minutes? my ass. it takes a whole of fifteen minutes to walk from kodak to the eats end. i'd bet you don't walk much further than you would from the outer edge of a mall or office park parking lot, unless of course you are doing so by choice.

let me ask, have you ever visited any cities with functional, vibrant downtowns? im not just speaking of large cities, even small villages with vibrant downtowns? the one thing they all have in common: ITS HARD(AND EXPENSIVE) TO PARK!!!!
it widely agreed that surface parking has negative affects on cities.
i'll give you one guess what the number one land use in downtown rochester is.

I don't knkow if the MCC campus is supposed to createa boom, it is supposed to create a more friendly environment for its booming number of students. I believe that demand is their also. I've never been to Damon City Campus but have heard from friends that it is not "condusive" to a college environment, whatever that means.
I agree, I don't think anyone running things has said it's supposed to create a boom. I think there is an opportunity there, and it'll probably come from the private sector, and they've already been building lofts/apartments in large numbers. A lot of students live in apartments because they still want the "college experience" even if they're at a commuter college. FLCC does well with Monroe County kids simply because in some cases those kids like that it gives them the excuse to move out. Personally, I could see any arts student being very interested in living downtown if they practice at the center. Ultimately, if the area becomes more desirable, I think there will be more demand for housing. But, that's just me talking. I don't think anyone in government has made the claim that MCC students alone will create a boom.

oh horse rabble, so you had to pay five ooops seven dollars to park. whoopdy frigging doo, the hourly rates at all of rochesters parking garages are fifty five cents or less. i think the highest daily maximum rate i've seen in rochester in eight dollars. you walk fifteen twenty minutes? my ass. it takes a whole of fifteen minutes to walk from kodak to the eats end. i'd bet you don't walk much further than you would from the outer edge of a mall or office park parking lot, unless of course you are doing so by choice.

Well, $5-$7 is more than $3, which was the stated claim. On time, yes, that's pretty accurate for PTP events. I park in the middle of downtown and walk to PTP. It takes us 15-20 minutes. My walk from Corn Hill to the BCA is a little more modest, but probably 10 or so. Ultimately, I was addressing the "when have you ever had to pay more than three dollars for parking" question. Thousands do it with every event. I have no problem walking so I'm not whining about it, and I admit in some cases I probably could park closer if I wanted to take them time to hunt in traffic.

And, yes, vibrant cities have few parking spaces. And, those cities have solid public transit systems too. Luckily, Ren Square will help make ours a little more viable. It's a chicken and egg thing. You have to give people a reason to pay lots of money to park. And, guess what, events that come from projects like PTP and Ren Square do just that, thus explaining the lack of the claimed $3 spots. People won't pay to eat at a Subway or a restaurant comparable to the burbs which is why Main has been brought up, right or wrong. That is until we get enough of a mass living downtown, of course.

Speaking of which, there's a waiting list for Corn Hill Landing. That's a pretty successful downtown housing project IMO.

Luckily, Ren Square will help make ours a little more viable. It's a chicken and egg thing. You have to give people a reason to pay lots of money to park. And, guess what, events that come from projects like PTP and Ren Square do just that,


Exactly what type of show do you think will come to the Ren Square Theatre that is not already coming to Rochester? When a show hits the road and decides to do 25 stops they are still going to bypass Rochester because we are not even in the top 50 for size. I saw that our market size is #75 for TV and it's gotta be even smaller for theatre.

None of these projects are being built to "steal" or draw in visitors to Rochester. They are being built to replace or upgrade facilities that are currently outdated or ineffective. These facilities are being built to make the quality of life better for Rochestarians. This is different than a fishing store because we need a better place to hold downtown classes, a better place to house buses, and a better place see a play. While Bass Pro has positives, it will draw in tourists and it will definitely become a catalyst to revitalize that area, myself and others will NEVER need a fishing store. They want one.

MCC needs a modern facility and they will offer all cultural and holistic classes in the downtown campus. Also, all criminal justice classes are offered downtown with the hopes that the city will recruit minorities to join the police force. Suburban girls will not have a choice, go to the downtown campus for those programs or go to another school. Dorms and student housing will work because it works on the suburban campus. MCC is different than other Community colleges. Did you know that 20% of MCC students arent from Monroe county, I just met an MCC student from Long Island the other day. And Blang you have a good point, Brockport students could use those dorms, and the Eastman dorms are overcrowded, many students have to live at the other campus and get bused to the Eastman theatre for class.
Whether you live in denial of it or not, everyone prefers clean/aesthetic surroundings. And a new campus downtown could boost enrollment of the city campus programs.

The bus patrons will benefit from the bus station because they will be housed indoors in the winter so they do not have to stand outside on Main Street in the winter cold. The bus center will not increase ridership, it will increase the experience for the bus rider. Personally, I, do not want to see the bus patrons anymore on Main Street because they are dressed poorly and are depressing to look at, please put them where I cant see them. Out of sight, out of mind. I especially do not want to live in say the Temple building on Main St, if my view is of bus riders and buses. The current way is just poor aesthetics, I cant tell you if the current bus situation does not work, because I dont ride the bus, I dont like other people that much that I would want to sit next to them. I would be a hypocrite if I offered any other opinion. Remember, this is me, not you, you can have any opinion you want, I dont care!

The theatres will consolidate and upgrade the arts community in Rochester. Yes, it will create vacancies of old theatres, but perhaps new theatre troups will open up in former spaces, who knows or cares? Garth Fagan needs a theatre, he has threatened to leave Rochester if he doesnt get one. Some Broadway shows wont come here because they want a more modern larger stage than the Aud theatre. I am not a repeat theater goer, but I know many who are, and there is high demand, they are not creating these theatres based on future demand, it is already there. Eastman theatre cannot be the premier theatre, it is not big enough, is outdated, and is used very very very often by the Eastman School of Music. It can also not be changed because the U of R owns it and the historical groups would start a riot if you altered the theatre too much.

And yes, the money will just go to the Yankees/Mets/NJ Nets to build their new stadiums, or to Charlotte, NC to build their new dowtown lifestyle center, or to Chicago to help finish their new ezpass express toll booths/expressway upgrades. All these things make life better and easier, it adds luxuries to life to serve the population and allow them to enjoy living in a region. While many may not be able to afford some luxuries, im tired of hearing, well give it away they are underprivilidged! Dont you feel bad? Take some responsibility in life, at Tops the other day I saw a family pay with food stamps, and then get into their Hummer. (This may not be typical, but it may be more than you think.)

M.A.T. - I agree with all that you are saying, I even agree with your rant page, except that the suburbs are an extension of hell. (Your rant on soulless suburban office buildings was funny and true though.)

Susan...Who would have guessed you wouldnt like Ren Square? Perhaps we should build a farm on the site to remind you of Hamlin?

Tourist...I dont think anyone ever said RenSquare will save us, but it will be a catalyst to changing the neighborhood. Yes, it may start nothing, but it is a valiant try to turn around Main Street. Also, parking, increased parking will not be parking lots, it will be on street parking, directly in front of businesses, for people with busy lifestyles to run in and out. NYC has parking directly in front of most buildings for that reason.

Blang...East Roc is making strides, it is trying for trendy, still needs a lot of work but it is turning around. Bistro 135 and Pasghettis are some of my favorite restaurants in Rochester, both in the village.

well, in a literal sense you did answer my question about the cost of parking.
it is in fact more than three dollars in many places.
my point remains the same.

i would, as a regular user of public transit, like to know how the bus terminal benefits the system as a whole. it does provide an increased level of comfort to users while they wait in downtown. i think this increased protection from weather and crime could be achieved through much more cost effective measures. it also does nothing to address greater problems with rts including infrequency of busses and lack of more convenient transfer points throughout the area. furthermore, i think placing the bus terminal off of main st., and offering direct access from the terminal to the mcc campus takes what little foot traffic there is on that stretch of main away. many of the mcc students who ride the bus to the downtown campus(as i used to) will now exit their buses, go directly to school, exit school, and wait for their buses home without ever spending a dime, or even setting foot outside of rencenter. same will go for most theatre goers. they will park, enter ren center, dine at whatever facilities are inside rencenter(if they didn't eat on monroe in pittsford before coming downtown), go to the show, then go home.

on corn hill landing, i think the project is wonderful. that area will look fantastic after the bridge is done. is the thai place in there open yet?

The bus patrons will benefit from the bus station because they will be housed indoors in the winter so they do not have to stand outside on Main Street in the winter cold. The bus center will not increase ridership, it will increase the experience for the bus rider. Personally, I, do not want to see the bus patrons anymore on Main Street because they are dressed poorly and are depressing to look at, please put them where I cant see them. Out of sight, out of mind. I especially do not want to live in say the Temple building on Main St, if my view is of bus riders and buses. The current way is just poor aesthetics, I cant tell you if the current bus situation does not work, because I dont ride the bus, I dont like other people that much that I would want to sit next to them. I would be a hypocrite if I offered any other opinion. Remember, this is me, not you, you can have any opinion you want, I dont care!



well as one of those bus patrons i kind of take offense to this. out of sight out of mind huh? i guess if you don't see the problem it isn't there right? perhaps none of the fifty thousand people that work downtown ride those buses? everyone on the bus must get their bus pass from the welfare office.
what little downtown retail is left is held up by some of these people, even if it is only the carhartt store, nyc clothing, and wanda's wigs and shit.

aesthetically displeasing is diversity of race, income, and, social stature? perhaps no people on the sidewalk would be better than the "poor aesthetics" that are there right now.

None of these projects are being built to "steal" or draw in visitors to Rochester.

They absolutely are being pushed down the public's throat as an economic development project, by every politician and theatre supporter in Town. It is a lie, a sham and a total waste of public dollars that could be put to far better use.

It is fast ferry squared.

Yes, it may start nothing, but it is a valiant try to turn around Main Street.

Then let the theatre supportes try it with their own money and not ours!

None of these projects are being built to "steal" or draw in visitors to Rochester. They are being built to replace or upgrade facilities that are currently outdated or ineffective. These facilities are being built to make the quality of life better for Rochestarians. This is different than a fishing store because we need a better place to hold downtown classes, a better place to house buses, and a better place see a play. While Bass Pro has positives, it will draw in tourists and it will definitely become a catalyst to revitalize that area, myself and others will NEVER need a fishing store. They want one.

Great point. The Auditorium isn't ideal for a number of reasons. Rochester may become a more viable site simply because we'll have a facility that is cutting-edge as opposed to being the opposite. The Auditorium isn't a terrible place, but it's past its prime. This isn't about stealing or drawing from anyone.

On Bass Pro, I shouldn't say this because I'll draw fire, but I don't think it's a huge out-of-town draw. As the chain adds more and more sites on the claim it's a tourist draw which garners aid, it has less and less of a draw. There's one in Toronto, Auburn and Harrisburg. Even many Rochesterians have a shorter drive to the Auburn site. Granted, I hear they are all different and unique. Even still, I see it as a one-time visit for its "fans" here. As they continue expanding, each store will draw from a smaller radius. I suspect it'll be more of a local thing, which is just fine if it brings locals downtown.

Ultimately, there will always be naysayers. I think the due diligience has been pretty good on this project. I'm not an enormous theatre buff myself, so I'll attend my event or two every year. But, I can see the value. The East End is successful, the arena/Corn Hill gets traffic, High Falls/stadiums area has traffic, as does St. Paul. This targets the "dead" part of downtown and really bridges it IMO. And, the principle of not spending public money on projects like this is fair, but as long as the national government is allocating funds this way, we might as well benefit from the debt we'll pay for later.

On Corn Hill, I'm not sure on the Thai place. Some of the best ice cream around is at the creamery though IMO. I'd gain a lot of weight if I lived there thanks to that place...

Yes, it may start nothing, but it is a valiant try to turn around Main Street.

Then let the theatre supporters try it with their own money and not ours!

I think the due diligience has been pretty good on this project.
Directed by the same governments that brought you the fast ferry and it's profit projections.

...my thought is that the Brighton Campus has wildly popular apartments located on campus (which I can't really understand, but it seems to be popular all across the country)
On-campus housing is the best. Clarkson had/has a limited supply, but seniors can usually get it, otherwise you have to have a damn good lottery number or know someone who does. It's the best of both worlds - close to classes, and a more independent lifestyle - usually free from dining halls and meal plans, among other reasons.

nobody here has yet justified the price tag on this...so until someone can explain that...

I feel as if the local forumers from ROC are supporting this in a matter of it being "something" rather than reasonable.

you know, both ROC and BUF should try to change the politics a little, I mean high taxes, excessive spending on all level and subject to PORK spending to buy votes makes the area look foolish and with little common sense leadership. I have mentioned before the idea of lowering taxes, cutting spending and allowing things to happen...and yet its like I fall on deaf ears.

shame on you!

Directed by the same governments that brought you the fast ferry and it's profit projections.
There were a few warning signs regarding the initial operators with that project. It also had terrible luck with fuel prices. Ultimately, the initial operators had great luck attendance in its first year with August virtually sold out--with more people coming from Canada than the U.S--but they were counting on public subsidies to pay the startup costs. It was killed with the first stoppage IMO.

But, discussing those projections, they were made based off of executing that business plan. Certain marketing tactics were never implemented. The projections paralleled the previous season fairly closely. For business plans/strategies to work, you must execute the tactics. The operators didn't, so ridership was modest and came primarily from Rochester.

Ultimately, the ferry should be a lesson. But, it shouldn't end all projects. But, if you have better ideas for these economic development funds, this is a great place to discuss them. If we don't spend this money, the national government isn't going to give us $100M to lower taxes I'm afraid...

Victor firm cuts deal with Microsoft

David Tyler
Staff writer


October 17, 2006 9:51 am — Victor's Kirtas Technologies has signed a deal with Microsoft to produce digital books.

Kirtas, which makes high speed book scanners and the software to edit and organize them, will scan books for Microsoft's Live Book Search Web-based application. The books will become available early next year, Microsoft and Kirtas said.

"We are delighted by this partnership with Microsoft to free up for the world at large hundreds of years of knowledge that's today held captive by exclusive library shelves. This is nothing less than the fulfillment of our founding mission to enable the moving of 560 years of backlog from books to bytes," Lotfi Belkhir, chief executive and founder of Kirtas, said in a printed statement distributed today.

The project will include both copyrighted materials provided by publishers and works in the public domain, the companies said.

Financial details of the deal weren't immediately available. The company said it expects to grow its Victor location and add satellite offices in the United States and abroad to meet demand.

Privately-held Kirtas is looking to hire as many as 30 employees in the next six weeks, Belkhir said in an interview today, roughly doubling the company's current employment of 32. The company will lease an additional 7,200 square feet near its Victor offices to help meet demand, he said.

The Live Book Search initiative is a response to a similar project started by Google, Belkhir said.

“It changes the rule of the game,” he said. “Microsoft to their credit has realized how important it is to compete.” Belkhir said he believes Kirtas's speed and quality may give Microsoft a competitive edge.

This is the second time that Microsoft has come to the greater Rochester area for help in enhancing Windows Live, an initiative designed to centralize a range of personal Internet services and software.

More than a year ago, Microsoft signed a contract with Pictometry International Inc. of Henrietta, developer of a pioneering system for capturing and analyzing aerial digital images.

Pictometry's images and technology are at the heart of Windows Live Local (http://local.live.com), the mapping arm of the service. Terms of that deal also were not disclosed.

BuffCity, I believe if you look back in time you will see that I don't really support the Ren Square for a multitude of reasons. For one I hate to see private buildings taken off the tax roles, (i.e. YMCA in Penfield, because they do not pay taxes (BULLSH!T)), and I also would rather see the Sibley Center be retrofitted to be 100% MCC property, with student housing, the works.

That would then allow the Midtown Plaza to function as part of the MCC campus with resteraunts and retail to serve the campus population of say 2,500+, which would also create pedestrian traffic in the area.

Then we could see the possibility of retrofitting the Midtown tower to function as loft style apartments (obviously with a facelift to the facade), which would increase shoppers/retailers two-fold in the plaza.

Then we could agressively target office tenants for the office buildings that are at the site of the Ren Square project.

All of that would take a lot of work, but probably cost a lot less. The more we talk about this the more I begin to doubt the necessity of the project (although that doesn't mean it wouldn't work out in the end) it may not be needed. I don't know, because I don't go to MCC, the Theatre, or Ride the Bus....call me an outsider looking in or whatever....my level of expertese here lends about as much help as Susans.

There were a few warning signs regarding the initial operators with that project. It also had terrible luck with fuel prices. Ultimately, the initial operators had great luck attendance in its first year with August virtually sold out--with more people coming from Canada than the U.S--but they were counting on public subsidies to pay the startup costs. It was killed with the first stoppage IMO.

But, discussing those projections, they were made based off of executing that business plan. Certain marketing tactics were never implemented. The projections paralleled the previous season fairly closely. For business plans/strategies to work, you must execute the tactics. The operators didn't, so ridership was modest and came primarily from Rochester.

Ultimately, the ferry should be a lesson. But, it shouldn't end all projects. But, if you have better ideas for these economic development funds, this is a great place to discuss them. If we don't spend this money, the national government isn't going to give us $100M to lower taxes I'm afraid...


IF Only this, IF Only that, IF only it was a viable project it would have succeeded. The Ren Center falls into the same exact category, actually it's even less justified. If the Ferry was viable we would have had something new, it would have been a small catalyst, but the Ren Center's best case scenario is to duplicate what we already have and leave empty buildings in it's wake. We the taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for this foolishness. Luckily there was something in the paper a week or so about a lawsuit to stop the Ren Center dead in it's tracks should it ever attempt to jump off of the drawing boards. That could delay it long enough so that saner heads might prevail.

The new MCC campus is certainly not intended to create a "boom" in housing. However, in speaking with folks involved with this project, there is a market for a "few hundred" units of MCC student housing and there is the potential for a hundred or so more for Brockport students. 400+ units of new housing is nothing to shake a stick at IMO. If the upper floors of the Cox Building are going to be converted to student housing, it could only hold about 100 maximum, thus there remains a need for more building conversions or totally new structures in the vicinity.

The Kirstein Bldg (61 units) at Andrews & Bittner is one nearby project likely to get going "soon," though I don't think it is planned for students alone. The HH Warner Bldg on St Paul, from my understanding, is or will be live-work apartments not intended for students per se. The new 6-unit Forman Bldg on St Paul is super high-end loft space, not for students. The new 36-unit Riverview Lofts on Water Street however are lower-priced, perfect for students, and just a stone's throw away. That being said, according to RDDC, 99% of the units in the St Paul Quarter are taken - thus there is already demand in that area outside of the future demand to be induced by the various components of Renaissance Square.

Frankly, the existing 45-unit Michaels-Stern Building (at Clinton & Pleasant) is perfect for dorms. The conversion was really poorly done with awful soundproofing and unreliable elevators (I lived there in the past) - they wouldn't need to do much to change it over to student housing. In many ways it already functioned like a dorm as most of the tenants were UR or RIT students.

PS, I gotta hand it to Jerome, I thought he did a fantastic job making his point and proving me wrong. You have my respect Jerry, though you've got a lot of work to do with some of the others on here. But you're partly wrong, Geva has indeed debuted a play that have since moved off-Broadway:

Geva’s Takes Five Course Love Off-Broadway

October, 17 2005 - For the first time in their history, Geva Theatre Center has taken a show Off-Broadway. Five Course Love officially opens Sunday, October 16 at 7pm at the Minetta Lane Theatre in NYC.

After a sold out World Premiere run of Five Course Love at Geva last year, a group of local investors were organized to help make this Off-Broadway venture possible. Geva is the only Regional Theatre in the country to take a show to Off-Broadway this year.

Five Course Love makes its New York premiere with the original cast and director. The cast includes Heather Ayers, Jeff Gurner and Rochester native John Bolton who just came off a successful run in the Broadway hit Spamalot. Five Course Love was written by Gregg Coffin and directed by Emma Griffin.

And, maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't Geva have a larger subscriber base and more yearly attendance than Studio Arena? Isn't that why they can say, "Geva Theatre Center is Rochester's leading professional theatre and the most attended regional theatre in New York State." Plus, our Downstairs Cabaret Theater has created shows that now tour nationwide. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! Seriously though Jerry, you're a good guy - please don't take any offense.

PPS, Susie, you shouldn't discount the new Performing Arts Center, if/when a Billy Ray Cyrus musical is made, you and your neighbors can all hop in the pickup and head to Ren Square to see it!

PPPS, yes, Siam at Corn Hill Landing is open. When I went, they were still working out service kinks, but the food was excellent and Wayne Luong is the most gracious host you'll ever meet.

PPPPS, veryprotourism, as someone who used to commute via bus before moving downtown years ago, I completely understand why you would take offense at my homeboy RocAddict's words, but you really shouldn't. I understand why folks don't want bus riders loitering on Main Street. It is typical to see fights, blunt smoking, piles of trash, sexual and racial harrassment, crowded sidewalks, etc. Move all that mess into a controlled environment and (hopefully) all those negatives are reduced dramatically.

230 million in 2006 is chump change, see how much this would cost to build in larger cities. See how much money was given by the state to build everything in downtown Charlotte by comparison. The reason why the Charlotte Hornets BB arena wasnt built downtown? Downtown was a dump in 1988 when they built the arena, the city was dying, the state and city gave developers money and free land to level the entire city and rebuild it, ever been there? Everything was built in 1998 to now. Cyclical.

Tourist, you shouldnt take offense, different opinions/social structure, make the world go round. Everyone is different, I accept the good with the bad, I know it exists, but I dont need it in my face. What you should take offense to is the other bus riders that ruin MY day and cause myself and others to form these opinions. As I walk down Main street past bus shelters I have to walk around people whom ask me for money ALL THE TIME. They are annoying and ruthless, if you say "no thank you" they get mad at you, I gave one a quarter once who asked for 5 dollars and after I walked away, he threw it at me...WTF? So now I say "no thank you" and if they bother me more, I reply "get an education." These type of people do not make TOURISM a positive thing on Main Street in Rochester. How do they pay for the bus if they want money from me? Now, ALL of my opinions are not "all inclusive", Im sure you do not fit into this category, but one sour grape can ruin the whole bunch. All I want is to do is walk down Main Street on a sunny day and feel safe and comfortable. This is what myself and others feel Ren Square will help to accomplish.

The ferry failed because no one knew it existed, at my parents summer home in Toronto, (with 2000 homes in the community) no one even knew the ferry existed, and the homes overlook the lake? No marketing means no one knows you exist. Period. The ferry was never given a chance, but it was bleeding money like crazy. It was wise to shut it down if they couldnt afford to invest in marketing. We took the ferry often when it existed to save us the drive around the lake, I would take a ferry to Buf, Syr, anywhere if I could. Ren Square is not a ferry, it is not a luxury, it is a building that will be used daily, rain or shine.

Ren Square is not just a theatre, it is 3 concepts in one. Someone was smart enough to take education and transit money and add the theatre to create something that will improve the region as well. I have NEVER seen the project hailed as a tourist draw for Rochester, it is hailed as a way to revitalize a tired part of Main Street and bring suburban Rochestarians back downtown. This is a regional project that will also increase the beauty and add excitement to this block. This will hopefully spawn a spillover effect to other places.

Susan, the taxpayers foot the bill for everything in some way that is how America works. My tax dollars go to welfare, but I dont believe in it. I hate it! I believe in work for welfare, but I dont stress myself out about it, and jump on every soapbox I find. Bleeding hearts always seem to win, but Im not one of them. No one would vote me into office though, Im too much of a jerk! HAHA. This is how our government works, we vote in the dolts to office, if you dont like what they do after you vote them in, then it is your fault, learn to live with it. I obviously didnt do a good enough job convincing others that Bush is inbred, so he won, now I deal with it.

Can we at least change the name of the place...I mean Rennesaince Square just sounds cheezy

Can we at least change the name of the place...I mean Rennesaince Square just sounds cheezy

I whole-heartedly agree with you there. It is far too similar to that monstrosity in Detroit known as the Ren Cen. I'm sure the MCC campus will continue to be called Damon City Campus, I'm sure RGRTA will sell/memorialize naming rights to the bus station, and I'm sure the naming rights for the two theaters and the Performing Arts Center as a whole will generate a significant amount of money. In the long run, only we locals will know the project as "Renaissance Square" and others will see the "Harris Center", "Xerox Theater", and "William Nojay Central Station" or some such ridiculousness.

nobody here has yet justified the price tag on this...so until someone can explain that...

I feel as if the local forumers from ROC are supporting this in a matter of it being "something" rather than reasonable.

you know, both ROC and BUF should try to change the politics a little, I mean high taxes, excessive spending on all level and subject to PORK spending to buy votes makes the area look foolish and with little common sense leadership. I have mentioned before the idea of lowering taxes, cutting spending and allowing things to happen...and yet its like I fall on deaf ears.

shame on you!

Buff, I agree with the concept that you are presenting, but unfortunately it will not matter if it is applied at a local level. If Rochester does not use pork money then some other city will. It really is largely a federal problem. Your party has had the ability to change that for the past decade, my party had the 4 decades previous to do it, and neither one will. It's a part of the problem that just won't go away. It is just too easy for a politician in power to look at a project and say, gee if I dump a ton of money in it, it will get me re-elected. I mean, look at that $200+ million bridge between a small island and a small city in Alaska! But, it was in the home state of the head of the transportation subcommittee in the House, so they get it. It's too utopian of a view. I wish we could make a difference at the local level by doing what you propose, but it doesn't matter. Sure, that money would be much better spent on lowering taxes for businesses or residences, but you can't use the money for that, you can only use it for the project or you loose it! It's just the screwed up way the system works and you can either operate in the system and get something from it, or pretend to be better than the system and get nothing out of it. Sad, truely sad. :bash: :puke: :rant:

Discount airlines help cut average fare in Rochester

Amy Wu
Staff writer


(October 17, 2006) — Rochester has shed its reputation for having some of the country's highest air fares, thanks to a pair of low-cost carriers.

Passengers who have flown JetBlue or AirTran from Rochester hit the 2 million mark in August, officials at Greater Rochester International Airport said Monday.

The carriers have played a big part in the airport's growing traffic since JetBlue entered the market in 2000 and AirTran arrived in 2002, said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks. A record 2.9 million passengers used the airport last year.

"The addition of AirTran and JetBlue has generated success beyond our wildest dreams," Brooks said.

Businesses say the presence of AirTran and JetBlue also has contributed to price competition.

The low-cost carriers are "a home run for our industry," said Don Johnson, president of Town & Country Travel in Pittsford, which specializes in travel for smaller businesses.

"It allows us to be more competitive and offer the discounted rates that people hear about or read and talk about."

It wasn't always this way. From 1995 to 2000, Rochester ranked in the top five for most expensive air fares in the nation. Since then, an average one-way ticket has fallen from $183 to $119, according to airport officials.

JetBlue has made flying to New York City affordable, travelers say. An average round trip to John F. Kennedy International Airport fell from $465 to as low as $112.

In the period before JetBlue and AirTran arrived, many travelers drove to Buffalo's airport to take advantage of lower fares. Some smaller businesses said they simply were forced to travel less.

"Larger employers often have contracts or deals with the other carriers just because of volume, but the small guy doesn't have that luxury. (With low-cost carriers,) they get the same advantage," said Sandy Parker, chief executive of the Rochester Business Alliance, who said that small businesses are the future of Rochester's economy.

Thomas Ioele, president and chief executive of Employee Relations Associates, readily uses low-cost carriers when traveling every few weeks.

"It's huge. For me to be able to travel efficiently and cost-effectively outside of Rochester is a critical component of our success," said Ioele.


Thank god.... I have always though it was the stupidest thing in the world that it cost a good $80+ more to fly into Rochester than Buffalo. And the hour and a half drive after the long day at the aiport got on my nerves when we had to do it. If we come up in Thanksgiving, I hope flying is now an option. We flew in July, but it was just 2 weeks before Jetblue flew out of RDU so we had to fly USAir, and pay $100 more a ticket.

As for Ren Square; I think you guys are arguing over nothing. It's not going to happen. Rochester won't take a risk that big for decades after the Ferry. What I want to hear about is the development of the Port Area....WTF happened to that? They released the final proposal a couple months ago and now I haven't heard anything about it....other than the occasional 80 year old person who writes into the D&C claiming that building up the port area will ruin Ontaro Beach Park for everyone else (which it wouldn't at all, it would probably bring more people there).

See below

As for Ren Square; I think you guys are arguing over nothing. It's not going to happen. Rochester won't take a risk that big for decades after the Ferry. What I want to hear about is the development of the Port Area....WTF happened to that? They released the final proposal a couple months ago and now I haven't heard anything about it....

ROCguy, no offense man, but you're way off. Ren Square is a reality and will break ground next Spring. If there has ever been a sure thing regarding development in this town, that's it. Most of the funding is already in place - there is no risk with this project, except the risk of losing millions of dollars by NOT going through with the project. Hopefully you'll move to town and get a better understanding of how things work around here. The Port Master Plan was just that - a plan; it had no development money attached to it. It'll be a while before anything is built up there. Things must move much faster down in the Triangle area if you're already frustrated by progress at the Port. We're still waiting for townhomes to be built on Charlotte Street downtown, and think about how long it took to get Paetec Park built.

PS, I gotta hand it to Jerome, I thought he did a fantastic job making his point and proving me wrong. You have my respect Jerry, though you've got a lot of work to do with some of the others on here. But you're partly wrong, Geva has indeed debuted a play that have since moved off-Broadway:

[I]Geva’s Takes Five Course Love Off-Broadway

October, 17 2005 - For the first time in their history, Geva Theatre Center has taken a show Off-Broadway. Five Course Love officially opens Sunday, October 16 at 7pm at the Minetta Lane Theatre in NYC.

After a sold out World Premiere run of Five Course Love at Geva last year, a group of local investors were organized to help make this Off-Broadway venture possible. Geva is the only Regional Theatre in the country to take a show to Off-Broadway this year.

.

That is because as I said yesterday the Studio Arena play went directly TO Broadway and not off-Broadway as the GeVa production.

As far as Geva vs SAT subscriber's I would not know as I am involved with Shea's not SAT. But as far as theatre in general is concerned Rochester can not hold a candle to Buffalo. Buffalo is noted envied (and copied) for it's thriving theatre scene from it's Curtain Up celebration to the many playrights it has produced including A.R. Gurney. Buffalo's Theatre District is the state's second largest, and one of the largest in the United States.

http://www.buffaloplace.com/play/theatre.html

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:5CaMmH1uTjAJ:www.cbre.com/USA/US/NY/Buffalo%2BPartner/Profile.htm%3Fpageid%3D7+buffalo+%22theatre+district%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=106

Agreed on RS. Renaissance Square has actually been in the works for some time now. The city and county have been on board with this project, which is rather unique. Money is secured, and they've stuck to the timeline pretty well. I wrote city hall months ago regarding my concern over the disinvestment on the impacted part of Main due to this project (as it's near hotels). The demolition timeline given to me back then is consistent with what is being said now. The Port, however, will have a long fundraising process ahead of it. I haven't paid much attention to that one, but with the modest knowledge I have of both, I think the risks are less significant with RS.

With that said, we'll see when the wrecking ball moves in. But, I've been fairly impressed with how consistent all sides have been. It's a little different than past projects. But, back to Charlotte, I have heard from a few folks at Brockport that the Great Lakes Research Center/aquarium plans are moving forward nicely.

That is because as I said yesterday the Studio Arena play went directly TO Broadway and not off-Broadway as the GeVa production.

Jerry, my respect for you is lost. I told you not to get offended and there you go, whining like a little schoolgirl about how I made fun of you in the locker room. Get over yourself, I know Buffalo has a fantastic theatre district that is made even more impressive because of the excellent restaurants that are thriving there such as the Breckenridge Brewery, Empire Brewing Co, Gallery 101 Bistro, and the Ya-Ya Brewhouse.

As for Studio Arena sending something to Broadway, I assume you're referring to "Ring of Fire", the Johnny Cash themed musical that the NY Times panned but Buffalonians loved. Of course, Studio Arena had absolutely nothing to do with that work other than allowing it to be staged at its theater; it was written, directed, and performed by non-Buffalo-based writers, directors, and actors. This pales in comparison to the fine work done by our Geva Theater, its Artistic Director Mark Cuddy, and its Rochester-based crew.

Schwab inks Uniland lease
Democrat and Chronicle

Uniland Development Co., a developer of office and industrial space in the Rochester and Buffalo areas, has signed a long-term lease with Charles Schwab Corp. The national discount brokerage will occupy 4,500 square feet of office space at Uniland's 1250 Pittsford-Victor Road business park in Pittsford.

High tech jobs...I think the sky is falling...what chu talkin bout?

The news of Kirtas adding jobs blang...awesome.

County OK's breaks to 5 firms promising 87 jobs
Democrat and Chronicle

The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) today approved incentives for five local economic development projects.

Officials expect the five projects to create at least 87 new jobs in the next fives years:

Cryovac, Inc. wants to build a 32,000-square-foot addition to its existing 116,000 square-foot plant in Gates. Cryovac, which produces plastic packaging used mostly in the food industry, wants to expand its 121-employee work force by 50 workers.

DDS Constructors, DDS Engineers and DDS Utilities wants to centralize its Monroe County operations in a renovated 22,000 square-foot facility in Henrietta. DDS employs 119 people locally and hopes to add 12 more jobs.

5 Linx Enterprises, Inc. expects to add 20 new jobs to its work force of 29 employees through a project that will include the purchasing of Voice Over Internet Protocol equipment and software.

Anthony J. Costello & Son Development wants to embark on a project in Brighton that will add four new positions to its work force of 35 workers.

Industrial Furnace Co. Inc. hopes to add one new worker through a project that will include the construction of a test furnace that is able to control incineration at a specific temperature. Industrial Furnace now employees 60 workers locally.
COMIDA offers a variety of incentives to companies, ranging from tax breaks to approval of mortgage bonds. Last week, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks said that in the first nine months of 2006, county-sponsored programs approved incentives for 87 local economic development projects.

Such projects, within five years, are expected to create 1,267 new jobs, retain 7,414 jobs and invest $267,148,000 in Monroe County, officials said.

Startup to add jobs in new facility
Rochester Business Journal

ICardiac Technologies Inc. has moved to a new office facility to accommodate growth.
The startup, which expects to employ nine staffers by the end of October, is located at a 4,000-square-foot site on Allens Creek Road in Brighton. The firm plans to boost employment to 15 people by the end of 2006
The new offices house an electrocardiogram core laboratory, as well as software development, project management and other business functions, company officials said. The ECG laboratory, under an exclusive technology license agreement with the University of Rochester, will analyze ECG data from clinical trials using proprietary technology and biomarkers to enable pharmaceutical companies to more effectively determine whether a drug is toxic to the heart or presents cardiac risks.
“We are pleased to expand our operations in Rochester,” said Alexander Zapesochny, president and chief operating officer of iCardiac Technologies, in a statement. “Our new offices allow us to meet our immediate staffing goals (and give us) flexible expansion options for future growth.”
The company’s technology, licensed from UR, includes a software program, Comprehensive Analysis of Repolarization Signal. It provides a more accurate and reliable method to analyze data from ECGs and other types of heart monitors, to test the safety and efficacy of new drug candidates.

County: Programs retained jobs
Rochester Business Journal

Jobs programs sponsored by Monroe County approved incentives for 87 economic development projects in the first nine months of 2006, creating a projected 1,267 jobs within five years and retaining 7,414, county officials said Friday.
The county’s economic development division invested $267.1 million in programs such as the GreatRate and GreatRebate programs, its revolving loan fund, the U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loan program, and incentives through the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency.
“Recent announcements like CareGuide, Current Communications, HF Technologies and Pictometry reflect our focus on job creation and retention,” County Executive Maggie Brooks said in a statement. “These latest numbers show the momentum in our local economy and indicate that we continue to move in a positive direction.”

I had no idea ICardiac was on Allens Creek Road in Brighton, interesting tidbit of information. Also this hasn't really been released yet, but in Penfield in the area of 250/441 where the Hospitality House currently sits they are going to build a medical campus (Strong/UofR funded) which will include something like 90,000 square feet of medical space, and another 50,000 square feet of office space. This goes along with the plans to build another building in the Platinum Office Park (next to the post office). It would seem Penfield is getting a little bit of Brighton now...if you know what I mean! (not that its good or bad, we will see)

Ugh, more crap sprawl office development on the east side. Sad to hear that UR/Strong continues to fund that community-draining garbage. Couldn't those medical offices have been located at the former Genesee Hospital? Seems logical to me, but as a City resident, I must be clueless.

Sorry about all of the theater nonsense yesterday, I'll try to keep it to a minimum in the future. I just really enjoy arguing.

UR urges students to explore Rochester

Matthew Daneman
Staff writer


(October 18, 2006) — Largely hemmed in by the Genesee River, Mount Hope Cemetery and Genesee Valley Park, the University of Rochester is like an island inside Rochester.

But in the past couple of years, UR has taken a variety of steps — from shopping incentives to rental cars — in an attempt to get its students increasingly off campus and involved socially and culturally in the community.

"A lot of our students, you can see them getting into 'what is Rochester?' " said Lydia Broome Crews, assistant director of Wilson Commons Student Activities at UR.

UR is among a number of area higher education institutions taking new steps to get their students off campus.

At State University College at Geneseo, incoming students during the summer got an orientation on the village's downtown as part of a research effort to see whether that affects the amount of discretionary spending students do on Main Street.

Each fall in Brockport is "Tour de Brockport," which is a walking tour/scavenger hunt in the village's downtown co-sponsored by SUNY Brockport's student government.

Each year at Rochester Institute of Technology there is a "Getting to Know Rochester Week," during which residence halls highlight things to do in the area, and have a different activity each day that takes students into Rochester. And St. John Fisher College provides a student shuttle service on Fridays to Rochester's East End entertainment district.

Outside UR's Fauver Stadium, the four rental cars sit parked in a row. The service, started at UR last month by Boston-based car rental firm Zipcar, lets students as young as 19 — as well as UR employees — rent cars for as little as $7 an hour, plus an annual membership fee.

Having a car of your own "is a little expensive," said UR senior Iris Jo, a chemistry major from New Jersey. She and a friend scurried into a sporty red Mazda 3, hurrying to catch a flight.

Leaving campus

More than 90 percent of UR's 3,700 undergraduates in the College of Arts & Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences live on the River Campus. And UR has tried to build links to the city in the past, such as a pedestrian bridge over the Genesee built in 1991. Much of the recent effort has focused on transportation issues — "to make it easier for them to get off the island we're on," said Dean of Students Jody Asbury.

That push started three years ago with the reworking of the Regional Transit Service bus lines that serve the River Campus, reducing the trip to the Eastman School of Music from 40 minutes to less than half that and adding weekend service to the Public Market and malls, Asbury said.

Ridership on the three lines that serve UR has gone up 10 to 13 percent since then, and now averages roughly 2,000 riders a day — including but not limited to UR students — according to the Regional Transit Service.

Resident advisers also now are trained on using the bus system, so they can teach students.

That same year, UR started its Rochester Every Day, or RED program, as an incentive to get students off campus. The red RED stickers on students' ID cards get them discounts from roughly 150 businesses in the South Wedge, Monroe Avenue, Park Avenue and in the neighborhoods across the Genesee River from campus.

Starting later this fall, UR students will be able to use their Flex Account cards — a type of campus debit card commonly used at the campus bookstore and in laundry machines and photocopiers — at some off-campus businesses.

Volunteerism

For the past two years, resident advisers in UR's dorms have been required to do programming for students that gets them off campus.

And this fall UR is "looking to take that to the next level" with the Zipcar program, said Bryan Rotach, program manager for UR's Rochester Center for Community Leadership.

Unlike most rental car programs, Zipcars are available to UR students ages 19 and up.

The push to get students socially and culturally off campus comes atop longstanding pushes at UR to get students involved in community service activities and volunteerism off campus.

Every fall for the past 18 years, incoming freshmen have taken part in Wilson Days, with busloads being sent around the community to volunteer at various community organizations.

The university, working with Leadership Rochester, five years ago started its Urban Fellows program in which students at UR and other area colleges each summer work in paid fellowships at community organizations or businesses doing some form of community work.

Three dozen undergraduates last year took part in a new effort, Coaches Are Role Models for Empowerment, which partners up with a handful of Rochester School District elementary schools to provide coaching and tutoring.

And UR is trying to find funding to pay for an idea, City Youth Year, in which recent graduates of area colleges would receive a stipend and free housing at area colleges while they spend a year in local urban social-service agencies, doing youth related programming, Asbury said.

"It's natural. We have some talented, bright kids who are dying to share their expertise, Asbury said.

"And Rochester is incredibly accessible ... and has done some great things for them. We think of the city as vivifying ... student life."

UR's undergraduates generally don't go off campus too much, said Jo.

Freshmen and sophomores in particular "don't know how," she said.

The trip to the airport marked her first time using a Zipcar, which uses a swipe card to get in. But it probably won't be her last, she said. "Just if I want to get away from everybody," she said. "Just to get off campus."

Want to buy a ferry? There is one listed for sale on ebay! hahahahaha:baaa:


http://cmsimg.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Dato=20061018&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=610190327&Ref=AR&MaxW=450&Q=96&MaxH=320&MaxW=400&Site=A2&Q=96

Moe's opening in Henrietta
Democrat and Chronicle

Moe's Southwest Grill will open at 1100 Jefferson Road, Henrietta, on Thursday. It will serve made-to-order burritos and Southwest fare.

This will be the first of six Moe's slated to open soon in New York state, said owners Brad and Andrew DeGrazia.

Ben & Jerry's greets Pittsford
Democrat and Chronicle

Ben & Jerry's at 5 S. Main St., Pittsford, will celebrate its grand opening Saturday with several specials, including free small ice cream cones from 1 to 4 p.m. The store is the second Ben & Jerry's franchise in the Rochester area.


Thought this was interesting...

E-Bay listing of ferry draws $29.7M bid?
Democrat and Chronicle

An unauthorized eBay listing for Rochester's high-speed ferry apparently has drawn quite a lot of attention on the online auction site. But overnight, it also drew a bidder — offering nearly $29.8 million.
The offer comes from a man that seller David G. Draper, 37, of Rochester said might be from Europe, though other information points to the bidder being a New Yorker.

There are, however, reasons to doubt the legitimacy of the bid. For one, the last items the bidding eBay member sold were a tow-behind leaf blower and Kushies flushable, biodegradable diaper liners.

Draper posted a free advertisement for the ferry on eBay about two weeks ago.

"They say any publicity is good publicity," said Draper, who insists he is not trying to embarrass Mayor Robert Duffy and his administration. Draper moved back to Rochester in July, having lived here in the mid-1990s, and thought the eBay auction might help generate more attention to the ferry.

Duffy announced in May that the ferry had sold to British-buyer Euroferries Ltd. for $29.8 million. Euroferries has yet to secure financing, however, and the city now is talking with other potential buyers as well.

Draper has yet to have any formal discussions with the city. If he happens to be successful, Draper said, he will not take any commission.

The item has drawn more than 10,000 hits, Draper said, and considerable feedback, including criticism for locals telling him not to interfere.

Draper set the minimum price at $29.8 million. The unidentified bidder offered $29,750,000.

Draper said he has contacted eBay, inquiring whether the bidder has supplied financial documentation necessary to make such an offer

M.A.T - In regards to U of R in Penfield, you forget that if you are an executive making 6 figures and you live in Fairport or Penfield or Victor, you do not want to drive all the way downtown to go to work, you want a short commute to the office, since your day is already busy with the 3 million other things that being an executive asks of you. The Director of my office chose our location because it is near his house, not because he wants downtown Rochester to thrive. He has different ideals than you or I, not everyone thinks about what would be best for a region, they think about what is best for themselves. U of R is just bringing the space to where the employees/customers are located, for convenience, they may have also got a deal on the land? Who knows?

The Ferry will dicinigrate into dust before it leaves the Port of Rochester. Rochesteraddict, I think you misread my earlier post on RennSquare. I wasn't saying at all that I think it's a bad idea, I think it would be great and be a great addition to downtown and probably spawn even more downtown development.... my point is that I just don't see the city actually going through with it. At least not any time soon. It will probably be another several years before a shovel even hits the ground. I hope it does go well though and that I'll be there to see it develop.

The Ferry will dicinigrate into dust before it leaves the Port of Rochester. Rochesteraddict, I think you misread my earlier post on RennSquare. I wasn't saying at all that I think it's a bad idea, I think it would be great and be a great addition to downtown and probably spawn even more downtown development.... my point is that I just don't see the city actually going through with it. At least not any time soon. It will probably be another several years before a shovel even hits the ground. I hope it does go well though and that I'll be there to see it develop.
On RS, bear in mind the county is driving the project more than the city; that's a key difference. They are looking for additional corporate donations, so that's the only hold up I can see given the secured funding that is in place. We'll see if demolition starts in mid-'07 as planned.

On the ferry, I said it wouldn't leave this past summer, this was before a buyer was found. When one was found, my prediction was looking bad. But, sure enough... I was surprised how good that bid was, and as it may turn out, it might have been too good to be true. It'll move, but at a lower price I suspect.

The Ferry will dicinigrate into dust before it leaves the Port of Rochester.
Well, if that's the case, here's another ship you can have to add to your collection, provided it can successfully traverse the Welland Canal (and assuming our neighboring Canucks allow it to enter their nation):
http://www.biniasz.com/images/563_AQ_4.jpg

Any takers? Hey, someone has to try moving that POS out of here, even if they don't have any monetary stake in it, before it's named the 'Official Proud Vessel of the State of New York - Symbolizing all that is well and good about the illustrious future of the State'.

We can arrange a package deal as well, I'll throw in the elevator for the cost it takes to dismantle and reassemble it. Can't beat that!

Posting this for posterity sake, and to show that Rochester is not the only place that sees layoffs...

Springs reduction to eliminate 465 jobs
Charlotte Business Journal - 5:36 PM EDT Tuesday

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Springs Global US Inc.'s reduction of the production capacity at its Grace Complex in Lancaster County will result in the elimination of 465 jobs.

In June, the company told employees the operating capacity at Grace would be reduced over several months as equipment comes online at the company's facilities in South America.

The layoffs will be completed early next year.

The Grace Complex, which has 1,500 employees, processes bedding fabrics and makes sheets and pillowcases.

"Our strategy has been to use reliable service as a competitive advantage, and we are doing that by converting domestic facilities to smaller and highly flexible operations that react quickly to changing demand," says Crandall Bowles, co-chairman of Springs Global. "Grace Complex will continue to operate and enable us to provide fast and reliable service to our customers."

The Grace distribution facility is not affected by the capacity reduction, the company says.

Springs will offer severance benefits and seek federal trade adjustment benefits for affected employees who cannot find other work within the company.

In January, Springs Industries Inc. of Fort Mill and Coteminas of Brazil merged, forming Springs Global. The merger combined Springs Industries' sheet and towel operations with Coteminas' fabric production, making the consolidated company the world's largest home-furnishings manufacturer.

The North American home-textiles segment of Springs Industries is called Springs Global US. It is based in Fort Mill, where Springs Industries was founded in 1887.

Springs Global US and Coteminas SA are operating companies of Springs Global, which is based in Brazil.

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Shogren Hosiery to lay off 235
Charlotte Business Journal - 4:55 PM EDT Wednesday

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Shogren Hosiery Manufacturing Co. Inc. will restructure its manufacturing operation in Concord, laying off 235 employees.

The company, which has been in Concord for 30 years, has a total of 338 workers.

Shogren, which produces hosiery for women and girls, says the restructuring will address a shift in consumer demand for the company's nylon tights.

Shogren says it is exploring other sourcing options, shifting its manufacturing model from domestically manufactured products.

The layoffs, which will affect production workers, will occur gradually from January and April.

The company will work with local and state agencies to help those affected. It will also apply for federal benefits from the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which offers job retraining to workers displaced by imports or a shift of production to other countries.

"While it is a sad day for all of us at Shogren Hosiery, it is unfortunately a necessary step for the future of the company as we strive to bring the best products and services to our customers," says Mark Zerona, president and chief executive.

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Thats something like 750 jobs in one day...tough day for Charlotte....but in todays economy things like this happen everywhere, not just Rochester, NY

Yeah, IBM just announced some pretty big layoffs in RTP too. The labor stats come out for Rochester and NY tomorrow, ought to be interesting to see if there is any change.

Textiles are so "old" south - it's been happening for years.

Yeah, more jobs sent overseas, lost forever. My what wonders we've done with this once great country.

powerful labor unions + high funded social programs = US Jobs overseas :dunno:

Hopes build once again for city's Brooks Landing

Long-delayed riverside project inching ahead

Brian Sharp
Staff writer

http://cmsimg.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A2&Date=20061019&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=610190380&Ref=V2&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=430

(October 19, 2006) — Next month marks a full year since dignitaries gathered on the west bank of the Genesee River for a ceremonial groundbreaking on Brooks Landing.

Yet crews only recently began moving dirt, preparing the site and relocating utilities. Actual construction on a four-story hotel envisioned to anchor development opposite the University of Rochester campus remains weeks away.

Crews won't finish moving gas and electric lines until mid-December, said Joe Rizzo, spokesman for Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. When it comes to financing, hotel developer Christenson Corp. is waiting on lenders to close the deal after refinancing for better terms.

Meanwhile, hotel costs are up more than $1 million, pushing estimates for the total project — to include a stand-alone restaurant, office/retail building, coffee shop and waterfront promenade — beyond $21 million.

Despite all that, Carlos Carballada, the city's economic development commissioner, is confident the project is nearly back on track. Christenson Corp. plans to begin work once the financing and utility work is completed, aiming to build and open the 80-room, extended-stay hotel in fall 2007. Work on the waterfront improvements should begin shortly and be finished next fall, requiring closure of a Genesee Riverway Trail section for the duration.

Construction on a separate commercial building should start next year and be completed by fall.

"Up until this point, it has been nothing but a dream," Carballada said of Brooks Landing. "It's beginning to look like it has some real substance when you see people working out there, people working on the process. It is certainly a lot further along than it has been in the last 30 years."

Brooks Landing, financed with a mix of public and private dollars, is envisioned as an economic engine for revitalizing the 19th Ward by returning Genesee Street to a busy commercial corridor. The project is another enhancement to focus activity on the public riverfront extending from downtown to the city's southern boundary and make the city more of a presence on the Erie Canal. Another upcoming improvement is a restored pathway beneath the new Troup Howell Bridge that will be more spectacular, cantilevered over the river.

Discussion of Brooks Landing began in the late 1970s, and the city's first plan was drafted in 1983. Delay has become a hallmark of the project. Among the stumbling blocks was swapping 1.38 acres of Genesee Valley Park land with 19.5 acres of city-owned land for Turning Point Park, also along the Genesee River not far from where it empties into Lake Ontario.

The city has yet to transfer any land to Christenson. Some of the acreage traded will stay with the city as part of its waterfront project.

City Council member Dana Miller, a longtime neighborhood activist in the 19th Ward and chairman of the Sector 4 Community Development Corp., is excited about the new structures and the new waterfront. The waterfront will keep more of a natural edge than the Corn Hill Landing promenade farther north along the river, officials said, being closer to water level. The city is seeking approval to dredge the riverfront for a modest-sized boat landing. The area will also get new lighting, special paving treatments and space for public art.

"We're hoping to have it very open," Miller said. "We see this as being, ideally, a nice place to stop as you're going along the trail. You're biking or something, you stop there, maybe run up to one of the stores, grab a cup of coffee, an ice tea or something, and hop back on the trail."

Flaum Management of Rochester is developing a separate, two-story commercial building on the northeast corner of Brooks Avenue and Genesee Street. The University of Rochester plans to take the entire second floor. Mike Palumbo, chief operating officer with Flaum, said his company has spoken with a couple of restaurants and other retailers interested in one of an estimated four to six ground-floor spaces.

Palumbo said he expects to break ground in spring, if not sooner. Rising material costs have pushed project estimates beyond the currently stated $3.1 million, he said. He declined to offer further specifics, saying costs are not final and have not hampered the construction schedule.

Additionally, Sector 4 CDC is developing a coffee shop called Urban Brew but still needs to raise an estimated $100,000. Miller said the goal is to open it in the spring.

powerful labor unions + high funded social programs = US Jobs overseas :dunno:

North Carolina is a right to work state, Thank God.

Also from the "you can't make this shit up department" we have the lebron james fiasco from last night, leaving a sour taste in the collective mouths of over 9,500 people, this quote from "king james" about last night...

"I got to focus on my health right now and how I feel," LeBron explained before the game. "I can't worry about, you know, how this guy is looking forward to seeing me play or anything like that."

What a crock of shit, does this guy believe the shit that comes out of his mouth? At 21 years old is he really that banged up? Just play the damn game, I know Rochester NY isn't that important to you, but don't make up shit about your health, just tell us you didn't really feel like playing, or whatever reason you couldn't come up with. This is another example of why I personally hate the NBA

The same thing happened in Manchester as he sat to the fans' dismay. Given the ticket prices, I can understand anyone with floor seats being a little frustrated. That's why I can't get too excited about preseason games. If the NBA really wants to grow interest through these neutral site games, they should lower prices; then the arena will be packed and no one will be as upset if key players sit.

As an aside, while the league the Razorsharks are in has some holes, that organization is very well run and puts a good product on the floor. They always put forth a great effort. In some regular season games that meant them destroying teams, while it made for some great playoff games.

I was at the game last night, and it was still a lot of fun, no matter whom was playing.

Im sure Lebron not playing does feel like a slap, "Rochester isnt good enough for me to risk injuring myself so I will just sit out" is how some felt. While the Cav's, who suck, cant risk injuring him either, there is an argument for both sides. I really dont see the big deal, he isnt Michael Jordan, he shouldnt be on a pedestal, he could have played at least 2 minutes though as well. He barely speaks proper English, yet he is a role model?

I just hope that sour fans booing isnt an indicator to major league teams that Rochester isnt sports friendly to visitors, so that they never return. I would have liked to watch the Knicks play. On the other hand, it was funny to hear everyone boo Lebron. He got up like he was getting in the game and everyone cheered, then he sat back down and everyone booed. It was amusing.

The stats for September came out, not very great news. We're down 3,100 private jobs from last year. We're up 2,500 jobs since last month. For the year we've lost 5,000 jobs (which is the largets loser), while gaining 3,900 education jobs (which is the largest single gainer). So those are the stats no need to post 8,000 articles about them...total loss YTD is 3,800 Non-Farm or 3,100 Private.


---DONE---

Oh and for the record Buffalo is now in the loss column at -900 for the past year (a pitance I know), while Albany added 3,200 government jobs last month (shocking??? no, not really), while Syracuse is doing very well at +3,100 for the year! (Congratulations to them!)

Something really has to be done about the Alnbany problem. I hope central and WNY voters wake up soon.

North Carolina is a right to work state, Thank God.
Didn't save those jobs from leaving, though.

New Hampshire isn't a right to work state, and they're not bleeding jobs. Though I was supportive of the bill to introduce it, which was ultimately soundly defeated.

While I put zero faith in these monthly employment estimates, it is interesting to note that they show a loss of 3,900 manufacturing jobs in the past year, which not only is greater than the total job loss (3,800) but is also equal to the education/health care gain. You can read into that however you like, but I choose to look at it as a positive. As the exodus of manufacturing jobs slows, we will begin to show some solid job growth (although these estimates will still show us losing because they're 100% garbage, but I digress...).

The only spectator sport worse than the NBA is the WNBA. Go Amerks!

Wegmans tests niche deli counters here
Democrat and Chronicle

Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is testing a new concept at its Pittsford store. The store recently opened a "veggie bar," where people can get homemade dishes while shopping in the produce section. It has a "seafood bar" as well.
The bars are basically specialized delis with more sophisticated offerings, or mini-restaurants. Wegmans officials said they plan to open at least two more in 2207 in Pittsford and expand the concept to other stores if they prove successful.

Wegmans also is updating its Pittsford store, so some items are moving around.

BJ's to hire 145 in Greece
Democrat and Chronicle

BJ's Wholesale Club plans to hire 145 employees when it opens its newest club in Greece at 300 Bellwood Drive later this year. The company will be hosting an employment open house Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Oct. 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Rochester Airport Marriott at 1890 W. Ridge Road.

When are we ever gonna get Costco, I might actually join one of these warehouse places if it was Costco?

I still have yet to meet anyone who doesnt have a job or whom is looking for a job, I am very social, where do these jobless hide? Are they the hunchback of Notre Dame and they hide in a bell tower? My company just hired 6 new people in 1 week...this is a company of only 70 people...We need Cold Fusion web developers if anyone is one?

Ill be at the Amerks game tomorrow night! All sports rule! Except Bowling. Blah!

While I put zero faith in these monthly employment estimates, it is interesting to note that they show a loss of 3,900 manufacturing jobs in the past year, which not only is greater than the total job loss (3,800) but is also equal to the education/health care gain. You can read into that however you like, but I choose to look at it as a positive. As the exodus of manufacturing jobs slows, we will begin to show some solid job growth
Agreed. I think you broke it down pretty well. It's difficult for the job creation gains to overshadow some of the recent losses at our (formerly) big employer (and that will continue for a little while). But, I think it shows we're creating jobs in the areas where there is growth. Manufacturing is a losing sector everywhere. As the previous post shows, NC deals with some of the same issues in textiles (and furniture). Obviously, they generally haven't had the same scale of manufacturing job dumps given the smaller past infrastructure and they've done a good job of creating new ones. But, in regards to manufacturing, the issues are consistent everywhere. So the local focus has to be on continuing to create new jobs in areas with growth potential.

Ill be at the Amerks game tomorrow night! All sports rule! Except Bowling. Blah!
RIT opens its home hockey schedule at home this weekend too. I like people going to events downtown, so everyone should hit up the Amerks on Friday. But RIT's also home on Saturday. The atmosphere is great at the Ritter, and RIT played well against ECAC opponents on the road (even though they're 0-2-1). So, it should be a fun hockey weekend in Rochester. Let's hope the Amerks (and Sabres) can remain unbeaten!

Yeah, that's something I had pointed out a while ago. Rochester may be losing a lotof manufacturing jobs, but they're doing a pretty good job at creating many jobs in other fields. They've got the faucet turned on, now they just need to fix the hole in the bathtub. Not to try and start another Buff vs. Roch thing, because I think that's the stupidest thing that goes on in this forum.... but if you look at the numbers, Rochester gained 4 times as many educational and health jobs as Buffalo did, while losing half as many business and professional jobs as Buffalo gained....The only major stat that puts the two at a big difference is the number of manufacturing jobs they both lost. Rochester lost 3800 (as MAT pointed out, 100 less jobs than were gained in the health and education field) whereas Buffalo only lost 2200. WNY is pretty much in the same boat..... and I think this boat is a little better off than the CAT/Breeze/Spirit of Ontaro...... the numbers just don't show it yet.

I'm going to the Amerks game tommorow night, and if I'm permited the story behind why is pretty funny. I bought an Amerks 10 pack for the season and have been to both Friday night games so far this season, at the most recent (vs. Binghamton) I took my brother, during one of the first period breaks, they were throwing little pucks into the stands and my brother caught one (which I tipped to him!) if your puck had the number of the player who scored the Amerks first goal you won an Amerks prize pack. So we had #12 Mike Booth (who had yet to score and was a third liner), of course he scores and so we get our prize pack which is four 100 level tickets for this Fridays game, and four tickets to the presidents club before the game.

So I'll be there as well, even though I planned on going anyways! Go Amerks!

North Carolina is a right to work state, Thank God.

yea my uncle moved to hickory NC, he was telling me that...thats the kind of difference that states can't have between them.

NY screws itself every which way it can.

NC is a right to work state, but somehow, they still have unions. Mainly in the textile factories which are all shutting down, but also in all of the government services. The Raleigh "solid waste union" (aka the garbage men) have a union and came pretty damn close to going on strike a couple weeks ago. They demanded being payed overtime and the permanent hiring of more temp workers. I think they wanted more benefits too. They played the race card too.....it's a lot easier to do that in the south (almost all of the members of the solid waste team are black or hispanic).

For all of you crazy suburban development fans, check out the following story from the Brighton-Pittsford Post (it's a bit long, sorry). Actually, I'll admit that the Village of Pittsford is a great little urban place. Better this development occur in our suburban villages than on farmland on the fringe. I guess the renovated mill will be the tallest office building in the Rochester Metro outside of downtown.

Tenant secured for rehabbed Pittsford mill
Plans to renovate an accompanying grain mill into offices are also moving forward at the Schoen Place complex.

PITTSFORD – Developers for one of the biggest construction projects in recent village history hope to open its doors by Dec. 1.

Crews hired by developers Al Longwell and Mike Newcomb are completing renovation work on the Pittsford Flour Mill at 11 and 15 Schoen Place. Biophan Technologies Inc. has committed to leasing the majority of the building space – all but “a couple thousand feet” of the right-hand front side of the building, Longwell said.

“I’m very happy with the finished end that we have,” Longwell said.

Mayor Bob Corby said Biophan Technologies may be the first biotechnology firm to make its home in the village. The business will also become the largest single office tenant in the village.

“This is a fairly large tenant,” he said.

Longwell and Newcomb are also preparing to move forward with the second part of the project. A plan to convert the complex’s towering grain elevator into office space has received needed approvals from local boards, Longwell said. He planned to meet Friday with state officials to discuss approval of what he called “minor variances” in building codes needed to start work.

The grain elevator will be divided into nine stories, with each floor having about 1,600 square feet of floor space. The building is reputedly the tallest structure in the village and is featured, along with the mill building, on the village’s official seal.

“We will immediately get going on it,” Longwell said.

The project has been over two years in the making. Longwell and his partner set out to renovate the mill as a way to make a contribution to the community, Longwell said.

“It’s structurally better than the day it was built,” Longwell said.

Longwell and Newcomb, operating under the development corporation Schoen Place LLC, first publicly presented the plans in fall 2004.

A series of back-and-forth arguments between the developers and the village’s Architecture and Preservation Review Board slowed the project in mid-2005. The parties reached a working compromise this February and work has proceeded steadily since.

“It’s been a very strange project,” Longwell said.

Biophan Technologies Inc., which will be the mill building’s primary tenant, was founded to develop medical device technology compatible with MRI imaging, according to its Web site at www.biophan.com. It has since expanded into other areas of medical technology. The company holds 56 U.S. patents.

One of its current projects is to commercialize technology developed by another company, Myotech LLC, to treat heart failure.

Corby believes the completed project and the business will bring much good to Schoen Place and beyond. Like the other structures along the canal, the mill building was an old structure that has now been adapted for new use.

Having the comapny there is also likely to generate some new customers for the existing businesses too.

“It will probably add a nice mix to the area down there,” Corby said.

That is certainly an interesting rehab of an existing structure. Goes along quite nicely with your commentary on lifeless suburban office parks eh? Gets my vote as one of the most interesting developments in the area, at least at this point, we'll see when its done.

Brothers hope Rochesterians eat at Moe's

Southwest-style eatery opens on Jefferson Road in Henrietta
Democrat and Chronicle

Brad and Andrew DeGrazia looked at the door of their new restaurant Thursday in anticipation of their very first customer.

Several minutes passed and no one was in line at Moe's Southwest Grill in Tops Plaza. Brad, 34, joked about what would happen if no one walked through the door.
"I'll only lose my house," he said.

But the brothers didn't have to wait long for their first customer, a student from MCC.

"My girlfriend goes to school in Binghamton and they have a Moe's down there and we went there, loved it, and I was thrilled when I saw they were opening up here," said John Britt, 20, a student from East Rochester. "Awesome, the first burrito of the day."

Brad and his brother, Andrew, 36, are planning to open six Moe's in western New York.

The store that opened in Henrietta on Thursday is number three, and the first in the Rochester area. Two of the franchised restaurants are already open in the Buffalo area.

Moe's Southwest Grill is somewhere between a fast-food restaurant such as Taco Bell and full-service restaurant like Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen.

The DeGrazias said the food is made in front of the customers and all the ingredients are made fresh everyday.

"It's fast-food made right in front of you so you don't get anything you don't want," Brad said. "Business people like to come here because they can get out of here within 30 minutes and have a great lunch at a great price. At night, it's a fun atmosphere for families or just individuals to have dinner."

The menu features a collection of burritos, tacos, fajitas and other Tex-Mex offerings. There is a burrito called "Homewrecker" and a taco called "The Full Monty." The restaurant also serves beer, wine and margaritas.

"People can come watch sports, have a beer and ... a good time," Andrew said.

The brothers grew up in Colorado and Arizona. They have lived in Rochester for three years. Brad's wife, Heather, grew up in the area.

Moe's has franchises in 19 states across the country.

"We figured there would be a good market for this in Rochester," Brad said.

The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner and is located at Tops Plaza, 1100 Jefferson Road.


Biodiesel Plant Coming to Wayne County
WHAM 13

Northern Biodiesel is transforming the former 84 Lumber warehouse on Route 104 in the town of Ontario, Wayne County into a biodiesel factory, the largest of its kind in the northeastern United States.

The ingredients for biodiesel fuel can come from leftover frying oil or from soybeans in the field. But when it ends up in the tank, Jason Masters of Northern Biodiesel, says it is the most efficient fuel out there.

That’s good news even for those who don’t use diesel, as the savings could translate to lower prices at the supermarket.

"The more efficiency we can build into the transportation market, the lower the cost that each person is going to see on whatever product they're buying off the shelf," Masters said.

The biodiesel plant will sit next door to Bob Bechtold's wind-powered factory, Harbec Plastics, and planners envision a sustainable energy industrial park.

Bechtold said, "The thermal requirements for this whole biodiesel plant will come from the waste, or the excess, of making electricity that you would have used anyway to run an injection-molding company."

That is, Bechtold’s company produces extra heat and Master’s company needs extra heat, so they're rigging up a system to pass along the energy.

Masters aid, “Bob and I couldn't have dreamt up anything better than this. It's amazing that it happened!"

Northern Biodiesel is trying to get truck fleets in Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse to switch over to biodiesel. However, some companies are hesitant to convert without a guaranteed supply at a stable price.

However, when the plant becomes active, perhaps as early as six months, that supply will be assured as the operation will produce about 2 million gallons of fuel each year.

Once fleets switch over, biodiesel companies will push fuel stations to make biodiesel available to everyone else.

Watch video here: http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=39DF8AD8-6B2C-4CFF-829E-3DFB3AA21113


Thats cool about Pittsford, those eyesores have needed a rehab for a long time. Now, they should just build some apartments in there, Id live right in the village, but I dont think that is what Pittsford is looking for?

At the risk of posting something as long as the Rochester IDIOT's usual post there is this from the RBJ:

Readers sound off on Ren Square

Rochester Business Journal
October 20, 2006

Nearly 150 people who participated in this week’s RBJ Daily Report Snap Poll also submitted thoughts and comments on the question of whether the planned $230 million investment in Renaissance Square will pay off. The following are some of those comments (For the results of the Snap Poll, see the Oct. 20, 2006, print edition of the Rochester Business Journal or take part in the next Snap Poll by signing up for the Daily Report at http://www.rbjdaily.com/dailyform.htm):

Our county executive is moving in the right direction by taking this risk to invigorate our downtown. The downtown Rochester area has been dying for years and we need government to begin to make substantial investment in our downtown area to attract people, business and job opportunities for our residents.
—William Clark, president and CEO, Urban League of Rochester

This will be equal to the fast ferry debacle times 10.
—Gordon McNeil, chairman and CEO, Magnetic Technologies Corp.

This is a perfect example of another Rochester “build it and they will come.” Obviously, the lessons learned from the fast ferry have been lost. Focus should be placed on attracting quality employers and reducing taxes to make it easier to retain existing employers. Regardless of whether there are state or federal funds to help with the cost, it is still another waste of our tax dollars.
—Adam Johnson, principal, Blue Top Management LLC

I love going to the theatre, but I do not favor putting a bus station right next to it. That idea seems ludicrous to me and is the most serious design flaw of Renaissance Square, in my opinion.
—Michelle Cohen, Rotenberg & Co.

Downtown is in a sad state of affairs. You could roll a bowling ball down Main Street at 5:30 and not hit anything. This might help, but security and shopping needs to be added for the suburban folks to come downtown.
—Chuck Gannon

We have been talking about a new performance venue for decades. We have let downtown slide into a very dismal environment. It has to be difficult to sell our community, when you drive visitors through downtown. It certainly does not look like a vibrant, growing city. Renaissance Square will do two things: upgrade a complete, large block and draw people downtown. The Renaissance Square plan is not perfect. But, we need to do something to upgrade downtown and if we don’t do this, the city will continue to decline. It certainly is a better investment than the ferry was.
—Robert Vance

I feel it is a serious error not to include a train terminal as well as a bus terminal (as in Boston and Providence) in the design.
—Gary O’Dea, managing member, Sourcing Solutions Associates LLC

It may be successful for a few years, much as Midtown was. But I suspect the end result will start going downhill after the excitement and newness wears off.
—Bruce D. Bowen

This community can support one theatre. It needs to the right one—the right size for the right purposes in the right place. We are not there yet.
—Dan Meyers, president, Al Sigl Center

Once again, putting the cart before the horse with a nice idea but terrible timing and planning. Just like a giant ferry bought without sufficient planning and with no reason for people to fill it up and ride it here, putting a shiny new performing arts center into a bleak, half-vacant downtown area that is in dire need of major overhaul is the definition of myopia. Step one, create a fully-planned downtown that draws employers, private investment and residents; start to reverse the current trends and gain positive momentum. Step two, put the icing on the cake and tie it all together with a growing assortment of attractions and services. Despite their individual merits, one theater, one boat, one train or one stadium alone cannot turn a city around—I don’t know of any instance where it ever has. Where is the “big picture” thinking and how many times do we have to learn this lesson?
—Michael Hess, CEO, RoadWired

These projects seem to constantly be brought forward despite all objections. I fear that lobbying by the construction trades may be swaying the already shaky business acumen of our politicians. Bus traffic should be made healthy by experimentation, regulation elimination, competition, and whatever means possible BEFORE erecting expensive bricks and mortar to serve a flawed system.
—Drew Saum

It will just cost the taxpayers more, and not be taken care of or appreciated by the users. Just another government project. If it was truly a good idea and a profitable venture, private enterprise would be doing it. Let private investment in real estate and capitalization work! It is the cornerstone of the American way.
—Linda Herne

We need to ensure that the building is as energy efficient as possible—incorporating renewable energy technologies will substantially decrease the operational costs, thus reducing risks and increasing the potential long-term economic benefits.
—Lorna Midgelow, Rochester Green Business Network


Is Renaissance Square a good investment? At this point I am skeptical—not because of the project itself, but because of the missing integration into an overall downtown redevelopment plan. Renaissance Square alone will fail. A downtown core revitalization needs to encompass all four corners of Main/Clinton and adjacent blocks. I would love to see the project making a big central connection—like the Artsgarden in Indianapolis—linking it to private-sector investment in retail in Sibley’s and Midtown Plaza, which have to undergo major makeovers and rededications within a similar time frame. Increasing demand for urban living and office space as Rochester rises warrant those investments and help bring the public money back that we spend on Renaissance Square. A signature project is the right idea. It’s the right location to start. It’s the right time. But it requires a broader and bigger vision that brings players on board to win.
—Hans von Gehlen, president, MindSetter Business Coaching

The design could use some young local talent to “spice” it up. One huge concern is the feeling of an enclosed “mall” type design to this square downtown—who’s to say it won’t repeat Midtown and its current transient element? Open up the space and make it an open courtyard—complete with live trees, fountains in the warm months and perhaps an ice sculpture in the winter. Let the air in! Need successful square examples? Check out the Promenade in Santa Monica, Quincy Market in Boston and the City Market in Savannah.
—Teresa Principe, CBS Radio Rochester

While the design is beautiful, and it will certainly bring a good touch to downtown, I feel it is a project too much in isolation, like the ferry. Too little attention is being paid to the businesses elsewhere in town to keep patrons downtown before and after the cultural events, and to cultural events being attracted to Rochester. We have a need for a “downtown cultural renaissance” before this idea can yield value.
—Robert “Hutch” Hutchison, CEO, In T’Hutch Ltd.

The idea that this city needs more entertainment locales while car parking and viable downtown retail and service businesses are what we lack is just ludicrous. There is no economic justification for a new theater in comparison to the need to bring suburban people from the surrounding area into the city on a DAILY basis to shop, work and eventually live in downtown. Spend the money on 10 free parking garages and a few policemen to keep them safe instead.
—Lee Drake, OS-Cubed Inc.

This project is the fast ferry all over again primarily because it is a facility used mostly for recreation. You cannot stimulate an economy based upon recreation for a local populace. We need projects that produce a lasting real economic benefit. Let’s not grasp at straws because we don’t have any other ideas.
—Jeff Luellen

The downtown revitalization project lacks a plan to bring associated needs, i.e. downtown housing, upscale and boutique shopping, dining, and (most importantly) safety.
—Karen Kall, On Kall Marketing


The immediate area around the Renaissance Square site will need to be able to support the influx of people for special events, and right now it cannot. Outside of the Hyatt, what other dining establishment is within easy walking distance? What clubs/bars are there to keep the theatre-going public downtown after the show? The city needs to have a broader plan that supports the success of Renaissance Square, one that provides incentives for other businesses to move in and be financially viable.
—Linda Boutwell

Much like the New Jersey Performing Arts Center has provided a substantial economic benefit to the city of Newark, N.J., the Renaissance Square project—given its broad scope—will benefit Rochester’s downtown. Simply being adjacent to the Sibley Center will make that property more attractive for future development, as will the Midtown Plaza site—albeit probably not it’s current formation.
—David Gottfried, the Javelin Group Inc.

In our opinion, we believe there is a far greater number of people who will attend the theatre as opposed to those who are willing to cross the lake on a boat. Ren Square is risky, but our entertainment industry has remained solvent, even throughout the post 9/11 trauma. The community has proven the ability to support this type of venue, in a similar fashion as the recent construction of athletic facilities. We anticipate it will be a success!
—Lou Calarese, president Applied Audio / Brighton Lites

Concerns: Are there undisclosed costs that will affect Rochester over a longer period of time? I say this because of the fast ferry fiasco, with hidden costs, agendas and the lack of due diligence for a sound economic evaluation or the acceptance of advice from experts who forecasted failure. With that being said, inner city revitalization has helped other metro areas, like Providence R.I.
—Darryl Jones

The concept of the proposed center is sound if included in an overall upgrading of performance and performance venues for Rochester. Sadly, our current infrastructure is very poor for supporting major artistic events and festivals. Significant problems with ticketing, parking and accommodations for older adults create problems for producers.
—Bob Scott, Bob Scott Productions Inc.


Hopefully, a more in-depth “needs analysis” has been done on this venture than was done on the fast ferry project. We travel a lot and have seen many revitalized downtown neighborhoods flourish in other cities and there’s no reason that that shouldn’t happen in Rochester. We need to make sure that it is promoted heavily and that Rochester citizens are incentivized to come downtown for their entertainment, in much the same way as the East End Festival etc. Certainly, attractive housing has been added to the downtown landscape and there’s been no shortage of takers willing to live downtown, so this project has phenomenal potential, both for the city and surrounding suburbs.
—Jennifer McCall-LaSalle, McCall Staffing Associates Ltd.

This project has been flawed from the start. First, the fact that it even needed to be done. Maggie Brooks somehow got this idea in her head and some money burning a hole in her pocket. Let’s look at who will be served by this project: the bus riders, MCC students, and theatergoers. The bus riders and MCC students already exist on that stretch of Main Street, and have done nothing to contribute to the revitalization of Main Street. MCC vacating one building to occupy another building that is already occupied and half a block away, is not good planning, and is a small form of urban sprawl. The Sibley Building is a highly adaptable building that can be converted into any configuration needed for a college facility. Then there is the question about the performing arts center: Who decided that we needed a new one? And why would anyone think that people who frequent the plays and performances at the Auditorium Theater would want to mingle with bus riders that are sitting around waiting for a bus? I do realize that the buses have been on Main Street for along time and even when it was very successful, but let’s face it: The clientele on the buses is not what it used to be. I work downtown, I walk down Main Street almost every day, and with the riff-raff that I see everyday (gambling, fighting, public urination, spitting, littering) it’s no wonder people from the suburbs don’t want to come downtown and spend money. These behaviors will not change because the bus riders are indoors; they will continue to loiter on Main Street, and trash the bus terminal the way that Main Street has been trashed. The buildings that are located on the site are ideal buildings for Main Street use, with potential commercial first-floor uses and residential upper floors. This project has been crammed down our throats from day one, and the local media should be ashamed of itself; there has not been a single article that has been critical of the project, even though there is no widespread public support. The design of the building itself looks like the War Memorial, and that’s OK for the War Memorial, but not for something that we are spending $230 million on. This is also removing a large taxable property off the tax rolls and replacing it with a public property. Rochester population will continue to dwindle if this project goes through, it will not attract people as it is advertised. My suggestion would be to put the bus terminal over by the train station, invest in the Midtown mall to modernize it, and somehow attract unique stores that are not at the suburban malls. Those two things will do wonders for downtown and Main Street. I could go on for hours about this, but I am sure I have taken up too much room as it is.
—Tim Zimmer

In order for the proposed Renaissance Square to be a successful venture, it will need to attract people from the suburbs to venture downtown. Regrettably, because of the negative perceptions of downtown, I doubt that it will be successful in doing so.
—Ted Benjeski


Until such time as you can get people not only come downtown, but live there, any effort like this will be doomed. I for one will not go down just for a play or show. There needs to be more.
—John Esposito


(c) 2006 Rochester Business Journal. Obtain permission to
reprint this article.

It makes you wonder if anybody really takes the publics feelings into account when they come up with these ideas? Did you get tired of bolding halfway into the article there, there was plenty of things that could have helped your general feeling of mailase towards Rochester, anways. I think that this project is NOT the answer to downtown Rochester. While I fully understand that the money is only available for this project, I don't understand why this is being shoved at everyone.

I would love to see MCC completely take over the Sibley Center (god knows Wilmot doesn't pay the taxes there), A new Theatre being built in the former Formans at Midtown, or something to that extent, all of this would be a much better (and less expensive use) of the publics expense.

Why do these people not have any common sense?

NC is a right to work state, but somehow, they still have unions.
RtW doesn't mean you can't have unions, nor does it directly undermine their power. What it means is that you have the 'right to work' without belonging to a union. Thereby making concepts such as the 'closed shop' (100% forced union membership) illegal, which was the driving force behind the failed movement in NH (not to mention the SEIU in NH is about as strong as a feather despite being considered 'dominating'). Obviously this indirectly hurts them, therefore they're opposed to it.

I think the greater problem with unions isn't the union itself, but rather the way it is run. I think you're actually going to start seeing a resurgence in union membership in the next 10-20 years due to more nimble leadership on the part of a few, namely the coalition that bolted from the AFL-CIO a few years ago. They certainly need to revamp their tactics because it's not resulting in fewer jobs going across the drink.

I don't understand why this is being shoved at everyone.
I don't think this has really been shoved at anyone. It's the normal reaction: when people realize a concept might come to fruition, they finally decide to put in their two cents. The Ren Square website has been around since 2004 and the design team had at least five public meetings so far which many of those people obviously failed to attend. With that said, they need to update the Ren Square website as it's now outdated....

While I somewhat agree with you Bdaly, I shudder to think that we are going to render the Sibley Building (a georgous piece of architecture in downtown Rochester) completely or almost completely empty. Do we not see the problem here, I agree with one of the respondants that this is like reverse Suburban Sprawl. We need to fix what we have right now, instead of building something RIGHT NEXT TO IT, and leave the problems behind, figuring "well they may get fixed in the future" if we don't have a good plan for what will happen to the buildings than I am against the project, completly. If, IF there is a plan for the Sibley Building (that is concrete) to turn it into apartments, or lofts, with some retail, that would be fantastic, and then I am behind the project 100%.

I just need better details! I think we all do, and while we have a RenSquare website, it is woefully inadequit for the recent developments

Also if anyone thinks Rochester is going it alone in the job loss's tied to manufacturing death in america, check out the threads in the Midwest Forum, this one sticks out too me...a much smaller place in a similar place.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=401524

1,300 jobs lost in a short period of time at one plant that is shutting down.


Also, has anyone else seen (since it hasn't really been announced) that the Rochester Raiders (indoor football team) will be playing this season at the Armory, turning it into a 6,000 seat arena for their game. It looks interesting, and I'll head to one of the games just to check out the armory.

While I somewhat agree with you Bdaly, I shudder to think that we are going to render the Sibley Building (a georgous piece of architecture in downtown Rochester) completely or almost completely empty. Do we not see the problem here, I agree with one of the respondants that this is like reverse Suburban Sprawl. We need to fix what we have right now, instead of building something RIGHT NEXT TO IT, and leave the problems behind, figuring "well they may get fixed in the future" if we don't have a good plan for what will happen to the buildings than I am against the project, completly. If, IF there is a plan for the Sibley Building (that is concrete) to turn it into apartments, or lofts, with some retail, that would be fantastic, and then I am behind the project 100%.

You make a good point. But the buildings they are going to wipe out aren't exactly gems either. And, sometimes it's so costly to retrofit buildings into something else, it's less expensive to start over.

As for the Sibley Building, maybe Wilmorite (or whomever "technically" owns it so they can avoid taxes) or someone will put some money into it. Given the tax issues there, I suspect it's a tricky subject as they're looking to get off the hook.

But, I do agree that everyone should get their ducks in a row. And, in reality, they might have them there. I, like many others, haven't gone to these public meetings to submit my thoughts and get the latest. So I don't know if they've tied together the Urban Land Institute's redevelopment plan with this project.

As an aside, I would like to see something decisive done with Midtown. That development study was like a death sentence as it encourages disinvestment given the recommendation for demolition. At the same time, whenever I'm in Midtown, it never seems dead to me in terms of traffic in the mail. So, especially with new housing downtown, it seems like there could be hope for niche retail. It's as good as dead as long as the crickets keep chirping.

That's not to say we have to have retail for RS as that one entertaining comment from the RBJ comments page said. Does everyone avoid going to the Auditorium because they can't go shopping first? Plus, unless shopping is a niche, it will fail, as people will shop near where they live. Arenas, stadiums, and theatres work in downtowns because they are unique draws.

Also, has anyone else seen (since it hasn't really been announced) that the Rochester Raiders (indoor football team) will be playing this season at the Armory, turning it into a 6,000 seat arena for their game. It looks interesting, and I'll head to one of the games just to check out the armory.
I noticed it in Matthews' column. I'm not much of an indoor football fan, but I'll have to hit a game. I remember going there for roller hockey in one of its previous lives. I'm not sure how they'll get 6,000 seats there. But, the upper seating level--which was closed off at the time--had some character. I'm happy to see them move to the city. I thought it was ironic that they incorporated downtown's skyline into their logo yet they were the only team that played in the suburbs.

While I like Buffalo better as a whole...the people of Rochester (atleast the more intelligent ones) seem to have good judgement...too bad the ferry slipped by them. But I imagine they will stop this.

If the people of Rochester stand up and tell the city and county to take the RenSquare and put it on their nipples...the better the city will be.

good for Rochester for making opinions about this whole plan.

btw...what Armory are they playing at?

I just got in my first accident today. I was unpleasantly reminded I was in NC when Barney Fife was the highway patrolman that rote up the accident report and gave ME the citation when I was rearended and the other guy didn't have his headlights on! You guys think the system in NY is messed up?

^^ What I hate is this 'accident forgiveness' that insurance companies are starting, I would imagine that's nationwide though. Yeah, that's incentive not to drive like a flippin' moron.

Does NC have a headlight law like NY?

I know NH doesn't, another legislative attempt that failed. They found that telling people to turn their lights on was interference with the whole 'Live Free or Die' mentality. It's like the anti-NYS, yet it's just as bad if not worse from the other direction!

ROC, surely you were at fault if you were cited for the accident. What happened?

Don't worry though - most every 16/17 year old will have their first wreck.

driving should be for 18 year olds and up...anything sooner than 18 is craziness!

I agree.

And I think 75-80-somethings and up should receive further testing, at a minimum.

For instance: Man, 89, guilty of killing 10 in farmer's market crash (http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/20/market.crash.ap/index.html)

I also agree.

Rachel Barnhart (Rochester, N.Y.) – Sibley Centre takes up much of the view from Jim Costanza’s 8th floor office.

After transforming the Temple Building into luxury loft apartments, Costanza says further downtown development hinges on the fate of big problem properties such as Sibley.

“It's a huge property and it's bullseye dead center in the city. There's a lot of reasons why it's important,” he said.

The future of Sibley Centre is highly uncertain. It’s about half empty. Its main tenant, Monroe Community College, plans to leave for Renaissance Square. A proposal to make it a casino hotel went nowhere.

To top it off, the owner, a subsidiary of Wilmorite Corporation, owes more than $12 million in back taxes and fees. City officials said that’s a conservative estimate.

“When the mayor took office in January, he made that a priority,” said city spokesman Gary Walker.

Walker confirmed the city is in talks with Wilmorite and the mortgage holder, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

The city started foreclosure action a few years ago, but the Bob Duffy administration prefers a settlement.

“It is our hope and our belief that we are sitting down now doing earnest discussions and we are going to come to a conclusion that is going to be beneficial to the community and to taxpayers,” said Walker.

City Economic Development Commissioner Carlos Carballada said he met with Wilmorite chief Tom Wilmot two days ago. He said Wilmot was eager to move forward with a resolution.

Carballada would not speculate on likely outcomes, saying the talks are sensitive. He said nothing is off the table, including foreclosure and the involvement of other developers.

The stakes are high for a number of parties. Wilmorite owes more on the building than it is worth. IBEW stands to lose millions in a foreclosure. City Hall could desperately use the tax dollars and new development downtown.

Further, developers, including Costanza, are hesitant to invest more money in a center city with behemoth properties that are troubled.

“We've invested over $6 million dollars in converting the building and have waited patiently to see some new activity,” he said.

ROC, surely you were at fault if you were cited for the accident. What happened?

Don't worry though - most every 16/17 year old will have their first wreck.

It wasn't my fault, the NC Highway patrolman never got the full report from the Apex Poice Officer. When I told the insurance agent that the other guy didn't have his headlights on (they already knew that I was hit from behind) she laughed, then striaghtened up and said "you need to call the highway patrol ASAP and get them to change that accident report and cancel the citation because that was in no way your fault if he didn't have the headlights on". The other kid even said like 30 seconds after we got out of our cars that we knew it was his fault because his headlights weren't on and apologized like 20 times. My court date is for the day AFTER I turn 18, so the 16/17 year old thing won't help me at all. We're pretty sure I can get the citation scratched though, and avoid court altogether; just have to wait until monday to see.....Oh yeah, and for all of you anti-US automakers on this (and especially the Buffalo) thread, here's a nice little fact; I drove away with a few dents in my license plate and rear bumper, and a dent in the rear frame..... in my Chevy. The other kid was driving a Nissan and his front end was totalled and they had to have it towed away...I had to help him move his front bumper and grill out of the middle of highway 64.

driving should be for 18 year olds and up...anything sooner than 18 is craziness!

Sounds great.....I turn 18 in 3 weeks and that's about the same time my car should be getting out of the shop!

It's good to see Duffy and company are working on the Sibley Building issue. Once they clean up the $12 million tax issue--where they'll surely end up getting much less from Wilmorite--I suspect the prospects of real development will get a lot better.

I hope so. If it's getting to where my driving record and the recomended driving age is the main thing we talk about on here, that's not good news for Rochester!

I just got in my first accident today. I was unpleasantly reminded I was in NC when Barney Fife was the highway patrolman that rote up the accident report and gave ME the citation when I was rearended and the other guy didn't have his headlights on! You guys think the system in NY is messed up?

get a NY lawyer and go to the county courthouse...I imagine it would look like a scene from "my cousin vinnie" but it would be funny.

its funny the only people who can drive worth a shit in NC are NASCAR drivers...they crash alot too.

just move home.

...and it's funny that the majority of the people in Raleigh are Northerners and/or transplants. Of all places, why would you think Raleigh would be backwards and country? Are we really not that well traveled?

Raleigh is certainly not my style, but come on...

...and it's funny that the majority of the people in Raleigh are Northerners and/or transplants...
It is funny, because that's the underlying theme behind it but it seems to be true. I don't understand it either, it's like social/cultural laziness sets in or something.

They don't know how to drive, that's for sure. They pale in comparison to MA still, but I'm sure with all the transplants it's getting closer. Whenever I go down to SC, I'm usually doing the most muttering under my breath for that 100± miles through NC. Particularly in and around Statesville (aka White Trash Capital USA). I dunno, it's the only state along the route in which I've never gotten out of the car, and I intend to keep it that way. One of those bastards hits me, I'm still staying in the car or they can tow me to the nearest border and only then will I talk to the police lol.

Usually the bad drivers I notice around here, when they're out of state they're always MA, NJ, NC, or ON. The FL drivers just seem to have trouble when it's raining (which I find the irony delightful).

There's a guy around the block with a Hummer with NC plates. It's been here for a while now, so I don't know if he moved here or what. The other day he was trying to back the ugly POS out of the driveway but there was a line of traffic, so I went real slow so as to make him wait longer. I give no courtesy to SUV drivers.

I doubt they are the majority...they just stick out and there are a great number of them...but I wouldn't say they outnumber the northerners who have moved.

anyone have any statistics on this?

You're probably right, that's usually the way it is in any crowd. However, I still would like to know why the fans at the Hurricanes games last year were so quick to declare 'Redneck Hockey'. Now presumably, it's going to be the northern transplants who would be more likely to occupy a hockey arena. Unless they pulled a marketing campaign to fool the locals into thinking it was an NCAA basketball game - in June.

hockey is a northern sport...when you can play it outside with no cooling units or arenas...its real.

I doubt they are the majority...they just stick out and there are a great number of them...but I wouldn't say they outnumber the northerners who have moved.

anyone have any statistics on this?

As of 2000, Wake County was 37% Transplants from other states. That's not a majority of transplants, let alone a majority of northerners. A lot of people move here from other areas of the south; particularly SC, GA, and AL....there's a ton of people moving here from Florida now too; but they aren't really "southern"....the term used is "halfbacks". They are northerners who moved to Florida, didn't like it, so they decided to head back north; but only "half way". I would say it's about 20%, 1 out of 5, people in Wake County that are transplants from the Northeast or Midwest/greatlakes. It definitely varies by area though. In general, western wake county, especially Cary (known locally as Containment Area for Relocated Yankees) is mostly transplants, while eastern Wake County (Knightdale, Wendell, all the other bumfuck towns) is still mostly native NC'ians. The city of Raleigh itself is mostly native black Raleighnites in the east, native white raleighnites in the west central, and overwhemingly yankee transplants in "North Raleigh", which is really just a broad extention of the city limits to the north, but basically considered a whole other city by most people. That's why I find this area so bland; sure there is a variety of people here, but it makes it lack any real charecter or identity. A person from Buffalo or Rochester is a Buffalonian or a Rochesterian.....but a person who lives in Wake County/The Triangle/RDU (whatever the hell you want to call it), are just residents of the area; get my drift?



By the way there was actually an artiicle in Raleigh's News&Observer today about someone in Ironequoit who made a haunted house out of balloons. I looked and it's not even mentioned in the D&C. Pretty weird.

So one of the best attributes of Rochester is that there is no influx of people into the area? Interesting.

Yes, as a matter of fact, to me, it is. I've lived in a fast growing area for most of my life now. It gets old fast seeing new neighborhoods and shopping centeres going up on every corner, new schools getting built every year and then having to be shifted around (I went to 3 elementary schools after I moved down here). Because of the fact that at least half of the people who move her are transfered because their company switched them to the facilites at RTP, it is even more of a transient than transplant community. People come and go very often. The house accross the street from my dad's house has been sold 6 times in the past 8 years. There aren't any block parties, there aren't any "neighborhoods", because everything is a secluded subdivision back in the woods. Imagine Phoenix with greenery and maybe a tad bit more charecter because of the area's southern past; and you pretty much have the triangle. Obviously population drains aren't a good sign for an area; but it's really not great living in a large population influx area either. Ironic isn't it?

honestly...I would shoot myself if I lived in NC.

atleast you don't live there by choice...yet.

I just got back from the NYS Vital Signs conference in Syracuse, and let me tell all of you NEVER stay at the Holiday Inn Liverpool on Electronics Parkway, what a dump!!!

As for Syracuse I wasn't really impressed (it wasn't my first trip ever there or anything so let me preface with that), obviously things would have been different if we had been able to walk to the conference from the Hotel...but we couldn't, and even those that stayed nearby drove back and forth for whatever reason. I can divulge into more details if anyone is interested, but the Carrier Circle area is quite depressing (and does anyone know what the deal is with the traffic circles???? they seem pointless to me!!!)

^^ I didn't find Carrier Circle to be depressing, but let me add that the Days Inn there is none to great itself...

When I said Carrier Circle I should have been more specific, the areas to the direct South, and West. The Northeastern part of the circle I believe has the highest concentration of lodging in New York State, which is quite interesting.

5Linx poised for change, growth and big competition

Evolving Henrietta telecom company adds staff, office space

David Tyler
Staff writer


(October 23, 2006) — In the rapidly changing business of Voice Over Internet Protocol phone service, it pays for a business to be ready to change, well, rapidly.

Henrietta's 5Linx Enterprises Inc. is trying to do just that. The company is in the middle of a series of changes that executives expect will add jobs and boost revenue, helping the 6-year-old company to grow in an increasingly cutthroat marketplace.

The company is a direct seller of VOIP telecom services and has been using an army of more than 11,000 independent sales agents to grow around the country.

"Think of us as a Mary Kay or a Tupperware with a sales force that focuses only on telecom," said Craig Jerabeck, president and chief executive of 5Linx.

Until now, it has been selling other companies' phone service. But 5Linx, which recently acquired its own switching equipment, is selling its own brand of VOIP services to small- and medium-sized businesses as well as residential customers. A growing part of its business: Internet-powered video phones sold to first-generation Americans looking to communicate with relatives abroad.

The change is causing 5Linx to add staff and grow in its office space on Methodist Hill Drive. The firm will continue to rely on its network of independent resellers but will also add sales, customer service and technical positions, he said. The move will give the company more control over its destiny, he said.

Currently in 7,500 square feet there, 5Linx expects to open an additional 4,500 feet in the next month.

"We're going to need more space than that," Jerabeck predicts. "We grew a little faster than we thought."

The company has 40 employees now and will be at 52 by year's end, Jerabeck said. It could add 30 more in 2007, he said.

The County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency will help. On Tuesday, COMIDA approved a $72,000 package of tax breaks for 5Linx.

Jerabeck said revenue for the privately held company should more than double in 2006 and maintain a similar pace in 2007.

That growth landed 5Linx on the Inc. magazine list of the 500 fastest-growing businesses nationwide.

Jerabeck said the company is banking on its sales force to help it stand out from a crowded field of competitors, including big firms such as Time Warner and Vonage.

It goes back to that Mary Kay model, he says: In addition to being knowledgeable, people are more willing to buy from a sales person they know.

"There's some loyalty there, absolutely," Jerabeck said. Couple that with good customer service and that's a formula for growing a business, he said.

This is something of a third act for Jerabeck. He founded two previous cellular phone retail chains: Cellular Unlimited and @Wireless.

@Wireless shut down last year, citing an inability to collect its bills, after a dispute with Verizon Wireless.

Jerabeck, who founded 5Linx and came on board full time in 2005, said he's taken a lesson away from that experience.

"Not to put all my eggs in one basket," he said. "We're going to build it and own it ourselves."

The company has drawn investment from Pittsford's Trillium Group, which along with the New York State Common Retirement Fund put an amount of money disclosed only as a "multimillion investment" into 5Linx earlier this year.

Trillium General Partner Kevin Phelps said 5Linx's business model has great potential in the growing VOIP world. The direct sales approach is reaching consumers at a fraction of what bigger firms like Vonage have spent on advertising, he said.

"We see that over time, just through viral marketing, 5Linx is going to be able to develop an extremely attractive business," he said.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

ICardiac Technologies moves to new office

ICardiac Technologies Inc., a company formed earlier this year to commercialize cardiac safety technologies developed at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has moved to a new office facility because of the continued expansion of its operations.

The new office is at 150 Allens Creek Road, Brighton.

The new offices house an ECG core laboratory, as well as software development, project management and other business functions.

So one of the best attributes of Rochester is that there is no influx of people into the area? Interesting.

And it's one of the few attributes we do not have to worry about losing!

Green grocery takes root in South Wedge
Democrat and Chronicle

From the urban soil in the heart of Rochester's South Wedge neighborhood, an eclectic corner grocery has sprung up.

South Wedge Green Grocer and Garden Center had its grand opening Saturday and played host to a steady stream of customers, curiosity-seekers and friends.

"It's absolutely a welcome addition to the neighborhood," said Lori Bryce, who walked with her three children to the grocery Saturday afternoon from their nearby home.

Nannett Haynes-Cepero, the grocery's self-described "owner, cleaning lady, bookkeeper and clerk," said the first day of business had been "busy, but it's going well. I am not complaining at all."

Five years in the planning, the shop stresses locally produced, environmentally friendly goods. "People in this neighborhood are very much into fresh. They're into healthy vegetables, healthy eating," said Haynes-Cepero, who lives in the South Wedge with her family.

Inside the green grocery, visitors could find canned goods, paper towels, ice cream and, indeed, a small collection of greens — arugula, mizuna, hydroponic lettuce.

As well, there were green and red organic apples, yellow squash and lemons.

Orange was represented by a pile of pumpkins in a separate gardening section, which also featured garden tools, bird feeders and fireplace logs made of recycled coffee grounds.

Visitors also found a number of shelves awaiting the arrival of more wares. "Please come back! We'll be getting more," Haynes-Cepero made a point of telling customers as they left.

The business resides in the historic Abeles Building at the corner of South Avenue and Gregory Street.

Freshly renovated by Konar Properties and painted in soft hues of yellow, brown and green, the building also contains second-floor apartments and another business, the Coffee Connection.

The java shop, formerly known as the Women's Coffee Connection, had its official grand opening Saturday, as well. Truth be told, it opened in the Abeles Building a month ago and operated a few blocks away on South Avenue for five years before that.

It is a "social purpose enterprise," president Nancy Sawyer-Molina said — a nonprofit that provides training to women looking to move from welfare to work.


Wanna check this out. Also, a new wine bar opened on South Ave, called Solera, its supposed to be really nice.

This is an add-on to Blangs post on the former Sibley building.
Check out the video for the best perspective: http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=C0EC89CF-AB8F-4FC9-B4A7-7719F073440E


Dallas is right though, Raleigh and most of the transplant South is all the rejects from the North so if they cant drive, you are just speaking of retarded Northerners. They cant drive no matter where they live, moving down there didnt magically transform them into rocket scientists. My friends and I had our issues with Buffalo drivers as well, Roc drivers arent perfect either. Driving slow in the fast lane is notorious here in Roc, it is my biggest pet peeve, very selfish.

Blang, Syracuse has its good points, its a very small city, but there are some. Franklin Square is awesome, I definitely recommend checking it out sometime. Armory Square is OK, it needs some refining, but there are some stores and restaurants that have merit. My friend says James street has a lot of nice old mansions to check out, Ive never been there though. The suburbs of Fayetteville and Manlius have nice areas as well. You should know that the Holiday Inn in Gates by the airport is the worst hotel in Rochester, you shouldnt expect more from the Syracuse version. (They are upgrading the outside of the Holiday Inn in Rochester now though, dont know about the inside?) Syracuse's thing are circles and squares, dont know why, perhaps intersections are a difficult premise? LOL.

Green grocery takes root in South Wedge
Blang, Syracuse has its good points, its a very small city,
What's wrong with that, we are a small city too. In fact according to the last official census the City of Rochester is closer in population to Syracuse than it is to Buffalo.

When I said Carrier Circle I should have been more specific, the areas to the direct South, and West. The Northeastern part of the circle I believe has the highest concentration of lodging in New York State, which is quite interesting.
Yeah, that's right. I know Carrier (the corporation) is located to the southeast (I think) and I don't know what's to the southwest. That whole area is pretty much light/medium industrial until up to the circle itself.

It may very well have the highest concentration - definitely of major national chains, at least.

What's wrong with that, we are a small city too. In fact according to the last official census the City of Rochester is closer in population to Syracuse than it is to Buffalo.
Nothing is wrong with a small city. But, the infrastructure will be a little different because it supports a different sized metro. Rochester MSA is 1.1 million, versus 730K or so in Syracuse. That's fairly significant comparatively.

What's wrong with that, we are a small city too. In fact according to the last official census the City of Rochester is closer in population to Syracuse than it is to Buffalo.

That is very true, by a whopping 408 people! Of course, we all realize that MSA populations are more relevant nowadays. What's more interesting is that in 1950, the Census in which all three cities' populations peaked, we were much closer to Syracuse than to Buffalo.

1950
Buffalo: 580,132
Rochester: 332,488
Syracuse: 220,583

2000
Buffalo: 292,648
Rochester: 219,773
Syracuse: 147,306

Since 1950, Buffalo has lost 50% of its population, while Rochester has lost 34%, and Syracuse has lost 33%. And let us never forget that Rochester was bigger than either Buffalo or Syracuse in 1840!

But, the infrastructure will be a little different because it supports a different sized metro. That's fairly significant comparatively.
You are right, that is why we are more like Syracuse than Buffalo. Our Airport handle's approximately the same amount of traffic as Hancock in Syracuse, Buffalo's handles nearly twice as many passengers as either. Our public transit ridership is comparable to that in Syracuse. Buffalo handles about 10 million more passengers per year. Buffalo has a subway, Syracuse and us do not. Monroe County has about 700,000 almost eh same as Syracuse metro. Erie county alone has nearly 1 million people. Buffalo has major leage sports, us and Syracuse do not - although the 'cuse does have major college sports which we also lack.The addict was right for once, our infrastructure is closer to that of Syracuse than it is to Buffalo.

The only significant way that we are not in Syracuse's league is that they have added thousands of jobs during the past year while we have LOST THOUSANDS of jobs during the last year.

Monroe County has about 700,000 almost eh same as Syracuse metro. Erie county alone has nearly 1 million people. Buffalo has major leage sports, us and Syracuse do not - although the 'cuse does have major college sports which we also lack.The addict was right for once, our infrastructure is closer to that of Syracuse than it is to Buffalo.

That's interesting spin right there. Comparing their MSA to our largest county. If we want to keep it apples to apples, Onondaga County is at 458K. That's a little ways from Monroe County. Big time college sports has nothing to do with city size; it has to do with a school's ambitions when it comes to sports. I could find some good DI programs in tiny areas. Syracuse did get the Carrier Dome from public funds though, which is pretty remarkable for a private school. If we want "major" things, I guess we should grab more public funds as was the case in all of the sports scenarios from Buffalo and Syracuse that you mentioned. ;)

I don't really know what the point of this comment was anyways. We can all read the population numbers, much like we can all put whatever spin we choose on them. In the end, who cares. It's just the irrelevant points that are worth highlighting. I could go on about the subway and airport ridership points being meaningless, but it's not worth the time. Let's just conclude that because L.A. and Buffalo both have one subway line (http://urbanrail.net/am/lsan/los-angeles.htm), they're both of roughly the same size with a similar infrastructure. ;)

And, if you're really concerned about DI sports, RIT has moved up in hockey (and just had a great weekend). They even competed well against top 20 Clarkson. And, there are some rumors that the school is pondering a full move down the road. It'll likely depend on the next dean's view of DI sports. There are ups and downs to it. And, look for RIT v. DI power Cornell at the Blue Cross Arena next October.

If we want to keep it apples to apples. .

My original comment was a response to one based upon CITY size not metro size. The original writer said that Syracuse was a very small City. That's C- I- T- Y, city, not metro, I responded that we too are a small city. It was simply a statement of fact

If we want to compare regions then the most accurate would be to use the Urban Area Data set provided by the census bureau. Looking at that we see that Buffalo’s Urban Area has 919,284 residents, we have more than a quarter million less at 665,409, and Syracuse has 385,503.

Source: http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=ACS_2005_EST_G2000_B01001&-tree_id=305&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=40000US11350&-geo_id=40000US75664&-geo_id=40000US86302&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en


I could go on about the subway and airport ridership points being meaningless, but it's not worth the time.

Since the initial reference was to infrastructure subway and airport ridership are absolutely relevant.


My response to the other comment was about infrastructure. Based upon infrastructure Rochester has much more in common with Syracuse than with Buffalo. Infrastructure, by it's very name includes transportation systems. As such ours is much more on the scale of Syracuse (Airports, bus useage etc.) than with our larger metro to the west Buffalo. The Buffalo airport carries almost as many passengers as ours and Syracuse's combined.

Even the 2005 Urban Mobility Report which is touted by every news organization in the country when it is released, characterizes us as a medium sized “Urban Area” grouped with the likes of Akron Ohio and Sarasota Fla. Buffalo is grouped as a LARGE “Urban Area” and is in the category with New Orleans and Pittsburgh.

Below is the link for your convenience. See pages 16 and 17.

http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/catalog/record_detail.htm?id=29452

As far as airports, Buffalo certainly has higher ridership. The Southwest effect is significant there too. Some of my coworkers drive to Buffalo to travel for the lower fares (luckily ours has gotten a little better). Syracuse also benefits from its airport's reach. But, I'll leave it at that.

Going back to my initial point, I could care less about whether we are more like one area versus another. To each their own. I couldn't help but to point out a few of the issues with your supporting points. I also was well aware of the city comparison too.

I hope Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester generate tens of thousands of jobs. I don't really care about the comparative that you are fixated on here and in past discussions. Once this region gets away from Buffalo v. Rochester v. Syracuse we will all be better off.

Nothing is wrong with a small city. Rochester is a small city, but NOT a VERY small city. I consider a city to be the city proper and the surrounding populated suburbs, NOT HAMLIN. (The suburbs worth driving to because there is something of merit to warrant a trip.) On this level Rochester, Buffalo are small cities, Syracuse is a very small city. Perhaps I am naive to believe others do not believe that way as well? Perhaps it is an underground terminology my friends and I are using. (Whatever.) I do not use the terminology of 1950 because my mom wasnt even born yet in 1950. I believe most people MY AGE when they refer to Rochester, believe Rochester comprises of downtown and the suburbs they utilize.


Blah Blah Blah Blah Syracuse, Buffalo, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta...all cities are similar, what makes a place great and livable is the people, the population. That is why I choose Rochester comparing is annoying, stop. In almost everyones eyes here except Susanna's Roc would be their choice. If I want sports I can drive to it, if I want shopping/broadway/90 degree weather I can fly to it.


From todays Syracuse Post Standard...

Cheapest way to get there
Sunday, October 22, 2006

A recent drop in air fares has made flying out of Syracuse less expensive than it used to be, but it’s still easy to find significantly cheaper fares in other Upstate cities.

A Post-Standard survey of round-trip air fares for 10 major destinations found that ticket prices were at least $80 cheaper in at least one other major Upstate city — Albany, Buffalo or Rochester — compared with fares in Syracuse.

The fare gap between Syracuse and at least one other Upstate city was $100 or greater for travel to four of the 10 destinations.

The survey looked at the cheapest fares, including taxes and fees, for seats booked three weeks in advance of travel through individual airline Web sites and Travelocity.com, a popular online travel agency that automatically searches for the lowest available fares.

Advertised fares, which are usually available on only a limited number of seats on a given flight, were not included in the survey. Only seats available for booking were included.

The survey looked at round-trip fares to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Fares cheaper by at least $80 a ticket were available in Albany, Buffalo or Rochester for travel to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Fares cheaper by at least $100 were available in at least one of the other Upstate cities to Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

The lowest round-trip fare The Post-Standard found from Syracuse to Atlanta, for example, was $309, including taxes and fees. That was $101 less than the cheapest fare found in Albany, but it was $117 more than the lowest fare found in Buffalo and $115 more than the lowest fare found in Rochester.

Syracuse had the highest or second-highest available fares to eight of the 10 destinations.

Though it was never the cheapest, Syracuse was most competitive for travel to New York City, Orlando and Philadelphia.

Susan, indemnification is so boring, Erie county is almost twice the size of Monroe county and Onondaga is the same size, look at the land mass.

http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/graphics/county.gif

So now we've thrown Syracuse into the brawl of the Upstate Metros on this forum..... does anyone plan on throwing Albany in the mix too?

fuck Albany!!!

prison style.

I don't know about throwing them into any mixes...but I'll gladly throw them into a fire - the government anyways - is that good enough?

I can't take Albany's job growth seriously, especially when a great deal of it has been expanding government.

exactly!

So now we've thrown Syracuse into the brawl of the Upstate Metros on this forum..... does anyone plan on throwing Albany in the mix too?
Let's do an Albany v. Greece, NY comparison. :) Now, Albany has 93,523 people compared to 93,981 in Greece according to 2005 figures. Albany lost more population than Greece. So, clearly, Greece rules! Now, let's not throw metros into the mix here; that might illustrate some of Albany's success a little better. Yes, I know, Greece isn't a city, but how fair is it for the Capital Region to have three? ;)

Work Begins on Front Street Project
Globe Street Retail

HARTFORD—The long awaited first phase of the Front Street Project has finally begun.

A little more than two weeks after a key agreement was reached between the state, city and developer H.B. Nitkin Group on the planned entertainment, retail and residential project, ground was broken on the venture here last Thursday.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell said, “Hartford’s future has never been brighter and the Front Street Project embodies that future. This project will draw people and business from the entire region and that will mean long-term revitalization and economic development for our capital city. This is a smart-indeed visionary-investment that will benefit the city for years to come.”

Earlier this month the parties involved with the project reached a $22 million agreement to begin the first phase of the Front Street Project. The accord calls for the Capital City Economic Development Authority to provide a $12 million housing subsidy, of which $2.25 million will be a loan, and the state will provide another $9.75 million in grants. The City of Hartford has also agreed to dedicate US Department of Housing and Urban Development funds and provide the project with a tax abatement incentive.

The first phase of the Front Street Project was to involve only 60 residential units and 43,000 sf of restaurant and entertainment space. It has now been expanded to 115 residential units and 60,000 sf of restaurant and entertainment space.

Front Street is the final piece of the $656 million Adriaen’s Landing development project, which consists of the Connecticut Convention Center, the Marriott Hartford Downtown Hotel, the Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration, related parking facilities and the new Front Street entertainment/retail/residential district.


So compare 230 million to 656 million, Renaissance Square, could have all this stuff, but we would need to spend triple the amount we currently are. Is that what the naysayers want? I would be fine with spending 656 million. Also notice that most of this money is state and misappropriated federal money, includes tax incentives, and probably some minimal private investment, maybe for the hotel or lifestyle center. If we dont use the RS money, Hartford will.

Hoffend & Sons purchased

Victor company now part of scoreboard maker Daktronics

Amy Wu
Staff writer


(October 24, 2006) — An 89-year-old Victor company that started out painting scenery for vaudeville shows has been purchased by one of the world's largest suppliers of electronic scoreboards and video displays.

The acquisition of Hoffend & Sons Inc. strengthens the position of Daktronics Inc., a Nasdaq-listed company, in the sports business. Hoffend, started by Aloysius J. Hoffend, is a leading designer and manufacturer of theater and arena rigging systems and scoreboard hoist systems.

The acquisition also allows Daktronics, headquartered in Brookings, S.D., to expand its offerings to customers in the area of rigging systems.

Scott Seeman, Hoffend's chief operating officer, declined to disclose the terms of the deal. Daktronics officials did not return calls.

Hoffend, whose clients have included a vast range of theaters and venues from the Corning Glass Museum to the Bellagio's "O" Theater in Las Vegas, is now a division of Daktronics.

Talks began in February and serious negotiations started in the summer, Seeman said.

Hoffend's management has high hopes that the acquisition will boost business and lead to expansion. The private company's annual sales of $6 million to $7 million have the potential to grow substantially, and employment, now at 30 people, could triple in the next three years, Seeman said.

"We really needed someone with a synergetic and strategic interest in us," he said. "For that reason it's a very important occasion."

Hoffend & Sons had other suitors but said it chose Daktronics because the companies have similar cultures and are technology and engineering oriented. They have done business with each other for roughly 10 years.

"They're extremely entrepreneurial and their growth has been phenomenal," Seeman said. "We have the same expectations for our company."

The deal "should be viewed as extremely positive for our area because of the jobs it will bring to town," Seeman said.

BlueTie eyes boost with free service

By MARY STONE
Rochester Business Journal
October 23, 2006

With the launch of its free small business service, BlueTie Inc. is expecting 500 percent revenue growth in fiscal 2007.
The local hosted e-mail and collaboration program provider said Monday it is offering its package for free. The idea is to replace other more common programs such as client-server applications Microsoft Outlook and Exchange.
What is in it for BlueTie? Revenue comes from advertisers that make appearances in some functions of the system without using traditional advertisements, company officials said.
“We have already signed leading partners, including Orbitz, and Constant Contact, and will be adding additional small business partners over the next few months,” President and CEO David Koretz said.
The revenue is generated when customers use what Koretz terms “featurtisements.”
This emerging trend, Koretz explained on his blog, replaces distracting pop-ups and the like. Advertisements serve as useful software features or applications. Koretz called it a new kind of targeted advertising.
The challenge of realizing the synergy, he wrote, is getting advertisers and users to agree on what is useful. Koretz explained his company’s new service solves that problem by making features add-ons to core applications.
For example, the software’s calendar could be integrated with 1-800-Flowers to automatically send birthday gifts, or a meeting invitation could include driving directions from the user’s office.
Advertisers would pay for customers who go to their site.
“This is the first launch of its kind ever,” Koretz said. “We are offering every small business a free application without advertising that has useful services embedded in it that generate revenue for BlueTie.”
The service is not just an introductory one, he added.
“They can use it free in perpetuity, and if they find value in the services we have, such as booking travel, ordering flowers for a birthday, adding fax services, then they just pay the normal fee and we earn a percentage,” he said.
When asked how the company expects to maintain revenues from its current customers given its new free offering, Koretz said customers likely will continue the paid model since it doubles the storage capability and provides Outlook and mobile support.
“We can generate as much revenue in the free model as the paid, so ultimately we will let small businesses decide,” he said.
In recent years, growth at BlueTie has been steady. In 2004, when the company quadrupled its space by moving to Perinton, the firm boosted its employment by 400 percent to 50 staffers and saw revenues grow 400 percent year over year.

Nothing is wrong with a small city. Rochester is a small city, but NOT a VERY small city. I consider a city to be the city proper and the surrounding populated suburbs, On this level Rochester, Buffalo are small cities, Syracuse is a very small city. Perhaps I am naive to believe others do not believe that way as well? Perhaps it is an underground terminology my friends and I are using. (Whatever.) I do not use the terminology of 1950 because my mom wasnt even born yet in 1950. I believe most people MY AGE when they refer to Rochester, believe Rochester comprises of downtown and the suburbs they utilize.

There is simply no way our area with 650,000 is in the same league as Buffalo which is 40% larger at 920,000. This IS our Urban Area as calculated by the EXPERTS at the US Census Bureau. Not a wannabe kid in Rochester.

Just drive around the two areas and see for yourself, (if you are old enough to drive) you can feel the difference, it is palpable.


Here is the data calculated by the experts:

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=ACS_2005_EST_G2000_B01001&-tree_id=305&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=40000US11350&-geo_id=40000US75664&-geo_id=40000US86302&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en

Oy ve, you are so very annoying Suzanna. Cant we just drop it after this?

Why dont you move to Buffalo for 5 years like I did PLEASE! And then do a comparo. Apples to Oranges. The majority of the city of Buffalo is densely populated and the suburbs in Buffalo are sparsely populated, the Southtowns to the south and everything past Cheektovegas in the east is farm land mixed in with random development. The North side suburbs are the only heavily populated suburbs in Buffalo. (I often compare Amherst population, wealth, and makeup of the town to Greece.) The city of Buffalo also has tons and tons of Polish people still living in it. Rochester's city proper, most of the white peeps waved bye-bye a long time ago, except the southeast portion. Our first ring suburbs are densely populated (Hence Greece having 100,000 peeps in it.)

The two city propers are different in that aspect, but overall both are small cities with similar characteristics of metros, NOT people. Buffalo is the same size, but when you mix in Niagara Falls, another VERY small city, their metro grows. What would Roc's equivalent of Niagara Falls be, Wayne County? (The 315 Banjos play.) No. Pittsburgh is MUCH bigger and spread out than Buffalo, have you ever been there, it blows so Im sure you LOVE it! New Orleans is another small city, ever been there, its small, dirty, stuck in segregation, and a great place to party. I can go on, can we just agree we will forever and ever disagree about everything, we are from 2 VERY different social scales and worlds and will NEVER see eye to eye. Thats ok too, it makes the world go round! We can hang out when your neighbors pigs fly.

UR biomedical building to get $3 million from state

By ANDREA DECKERT
Rochester Business Journal
October 24, 2006

The University of Rochester will receive $3 million in state funding toward the creation of the Robert B. Goergen Hall for Biomedical Engineering and Optics, legislators and school officials announced today.
The building will expand on the university’s optics research and encourage the growth of its newest discipline: biomedical engineering. The 101,000-square-foot building will include teaching labs, demonstration halls, a 155-seat lecture hall and the new Center for Institute Ventures, which will help commercialize university research, officials said.
The project is expected to cost $37.7 million and create 400 to 700 jobs. So far, $32 million has been raised through private donations, the Virginia-based Whitaker Foundation, and state and federal funds.
Construction is expected to be completed next spring.
“Rochester remains one of the top communities for higher learning, and this new biomedical engineering and optics facility will enhance our ability to attract quality professors and new students—not only from our own region but from all over the world—to locate here to teach and learn,” said state Sen. Joseph Robach, R-Greece, in a statement.

400-700 new jobs created by the regions largest employer! That is huge, and if you don't agree than you are crazy! I read somewhere that the Wilmot Cancer Center is supposed to create 500 new jobs when it is completed, which by the way it is coming along quickly. The good thing is that the UofR has a ton of room to continue its expansion to the South, so the job creation engine will continue at this great institution.

Helllllls yea-uh!

Not trying to create any problems... but to add to what RochesterAddict said about Greece.....Greece is actually the most populated suburban town in Upstate NY if you don't include the student population at the local colleges. For example, SUNY Buffalo has 27,000 students. Take 27,000 students from 117,000 in Amherst and Amherst's population drops to only 90,000. Greece's population is over 95,000.

So that makes Greece the largest town in Upstate made up of local residents. I believe Greece also has the 4th largest school district in Upstate after Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. That makes Greece the largest suburban school district Upstate. Fifth largest school district is North Syracuse in suburban Cicero outside Syracuse. I believe Albany is after that.

Not trying to create any problems... but to add to what RochesterAddict said about Greece.....Greece is actually the most populated suburban town in Upstate NY if you don't include the student population at the local colleges. For example, SUNY Buffalo has 27,000 students. Take 27,000 students from 117,000 in Amherst and Amherst's population drops to only 90,000. Greece's population is over 95,000.

So that makes Greece the largest town in Upstate made up of local residents. I believe Greece also has the 4th largest school district in Upstate after Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. That makes Greece the largest suburban school district Upstate. Fifth largest school district is North Syracuse in suburban Cicero outside Syracuse. I believe Albany is after that.
You are wrong, my neighbors son goes to the University of Buffalo and most of the campus housing is at the Main Street Buffalo campus not Amherst. Plus over half of the students are commuters.

So take 27,000 knock off 13,500 for commuters and another 6,750 that are at the city campus. Subtract that from the Amherst population of 125,000 and you are left with about 118,000 which is still 23,000 more than Greece has. Amherst is the most populated town in upstate NY, Hempstead with 750,000 is the largest town in NY state. Cheektowaga outside of Buffalo with 97,000 is also larger than Greece.

Hoffend & Sons purchased

[B]employment, now at 30 people, could triple in the next three years, Seeman said.

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Typical - we get 60 jobs and Buffalo announces a $360 million skyscraper. And the idiots on this site still think we are in the same league as them. We are fading more every day. They are going up and we are still heading towards rock bottom.

You are wrong, my neighbors son goes to the University of Buffalo and most of the campus housing is at the Main Street Buffalo campus not Amherst. Plus over half of the students are commuters.

Wrong again hun! The majority of UB's housing is on the North Campus (Amherst). One of the reasons why us Buffalonians find so much to fault UB about. We only wish that the bulk of UB housing was in the University District. Maybe, some day, 10 years from now this will be the case, from what the new President has been talking about, but the last President totally turned his back on the city and built for the last decade out there.

You are wrong, my neighbors son goes to the University of Buffalo and most of the campus housing is at the Main Street Buffalo campus not Amherst. Plus over half of the students are commuters.

So take 27,000 knock off 13,500 for commuters and another 6,750 that are at the city campus. Subtract that from the Amherst population of 125,000 and you are left with about 118,000 which is still 23,000 more than Greece has. Amherst is the most populated town in upstate NY, Hempstead with 750,000 is the largest town in NY state. Cheektowaga outside of Buffalo with 97,000 is also larger than Greece.

According to this website....
http://www.empire.state.ny.us/nysdc/StateCountyPopests/Towns00_05.xls

Amherst is 117,000 .....not 125,000
Greece is actually 93,000 , sorry I was wrong about that.
Cheektowaga is 90,000 .....not 97,000

If you are right that only 7,000 students are at the North Campus, then Amherst's population without the students is 110,000. Yes, you're right that would make Amherst's local residential population much bigger than Greece's population.

My point was.... Amherst may not feel as big as 117,000 people due to the fact that some are students at a campus, not spread out over neighborhoods.

My point was.... Amherst may not feel as big as 117,000 people due to the fact that some are students at a campus, not spread out over neighborhoods.

maybe so.
amherst is far more built out and looks and feels much larger than greece does.
whatever, they're both giant office park/strip malls.

Now you guys are arguing about Amherst and Greece! Gotta love that. Hey, I think we should do Kenmore and Gates next!!!! Bye the way; Susie is Jerome.

So, I noticed a certain poster talked about our "league." What are we? Perhaps AA? Buffalo is maybe AAA I guess? And this is important for what reason? How is this constructive? My gosh, it's hilarious.

It's very easy to move nowadays. If anyone feels there is better opportunity elsewhere, please stop being miserable here and make the move. Buffalo certainly has a similar cost of living as one example. And, that type of unconstuctive negative energy doesn't help us; it does the opposite.

I, for one, enjoy hearing about business development stories. Every company starts with a few jobs and grows from there. So whether it's 60 or the 400 from the U of R, I'm glad it's posted here. One can either look forward or do the opposite via digging through old Census data--to each their own.

Wrong again hun! The majority of UB's housing is on the North Campus (Amherst). One of the reasons why us Buffalonians find so much to fault UB about. We only wish that the bulk of UB housing was in the University District. Maybe, some day, 10 years from now this will be the case, from what the new President has been talking about, but the last President totally turned his back on the city and built for the last decade out there.
Precisely. Virtually of UB's new housing is on the North Campus. Many upperclassman like living off campus on the South Campus. But, UB has focused most of its development on the North. There are numerous fairly new campus apartment complexes on the North Campus. There's even a new complex on Sweet Home (I believe) that's privately run but exclusively for students. I hope they do focus development near the South Campus. Many students like the fact you can actually walk to things there, and it would be a win for the city (and Amherst in many folks' eyes).

I'd say all of this about Suburbs is pretty pointless banter, but again whatever someone wants to talk about I guess we still all have to listen (or read) regardless, it's pointless. The UofR is creating jobs and that is a good thing, and a small company tripling its workforce is nothing to bat an eyelash at. Plus the fact that the shovels have yet to hit the ground in Buffalo, and as much as I would love for this project to come to fruition, once the shovels hit the ground I'll be a true believer.

Oh, and everyone here knows Buffalo is a larger city...and that is a good thing for them, and us collectively.

Did anyone know that Rochester is #45 in the list of cities in America with the highest percentage of public transportation ridership? Interesting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_high_transit_ridership

Bye the way; Susie is Jerome.
You are a goof, I am not Jerome, or ROCguy, or Dallastx, or donboy, or bdaly or anyone else, I am me. If you find that frustrating that is your problem. perhaps you cannot handle the fact that I am already married.

Did anyone know that Rochester is #45 in the list of cities in America with the highest percentage of public transportation ridership? Interesting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._cities_with_high_transit_ridership
Correct Right down there with Syracuse not in the 20's with Buffalo. Thanks for helping me prove my point.

Correct Right down there with Syracuse not in the 20's with Buffalo. Thanks for helping me prove my point.
Wow. Back to the comparisons. It always has to come back to that. But, it appears we're in the same "league" as Denver then. Newark, at #6, must be filled with prosperity. This is an entertaining metric; often times ranking high is simply tied to who has the most congested highway system and/or other factors that make having cars less feasible. This surely has nothing to do with Monroe County having the 17th shortest commute (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2002/R04T050.htm).

This is an entertaining metric; often times ranking high is simply tied to who has the most congested highway system and/or other factors that make having cars less feasible. This surely has nothing to do with Monroe County having the 17th shortest commute (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/Ranking/2002/R04T050.htm).
I don't think that explains the difference since the commute in Erie County is only a minute longer. Do you think the extra minute convinces people to hop on the subway?

I don't think that explains the difference since the commute in Erie County is only a minute longer. Do you think the extra minute convinces people to hop on the subway?
Wow. Once again, I wasn't specifically talking about Buffalo--I was looking at the bigger picture. Buffalo's subway isn't exactly the NYC subway system though. I'm not sure why you're so fixated on it. It's useful for UB South students, Canisius students, and anyone else who happens to live on that rather modest line.

Looking at the bigger picture, public transit is often tied to commute times and whether cars are affordable to the population. That's no shot, as if I lived in a city with a great subway system, I'd consider skipping a car. But, in case you've never actually used or seen Buffalo's subway line--since that city is your favorite topic of late--it wouldn't push me to consider forgoing a car...

Wow. Once again, I wasn't specifically talking about Buffalo--I was looking at the bigger picture. ... Right , so was I. In your theory how does a 1 minute shorter commute relate to the 50% difference in transit ridership between the two areas? I do not think your theorty holds up at all.

Right , so was I. In your theory how does a 1 minute shorter commute relate to the 50% difference in transit ridership between the two areas? I do not think your theorty holds up at all.
Yes. But there are other cities on there than Buffalo that you forgot to address--that may seem hard to believe. That wasn't the only part of my "theory" either. But, I don't even know where you're ultimately going with this, nor do I care. Umm, so in your view, I guess our public transit stinks, and Buffalo's is truly outstanding and that's important and signals economic vitality. Fine, I'll send Denver's mayor a note to see how they might turn around their misfortunes that are clearly tied to their low public transit utilization in their little "league" city. But, seeing you are such a public transit fan, I hope you're rallying behind Ren Square or at least an improved bus terminal. ;)

I'll let this "discussion" on public transit die from here unless I see any actual value being added. I haven't seen any today in the responses.

perhaps you cannot handle the fact that I am already married.

Noooooo! I was hoping there would be a future for us Susie :( ... your chronic pessimism and defeatism turns me on. seriously.

Noooooo! I was hoping there would be a future for us Susie :( ... your chronic pessimism and defeatism turns me on. seriously.

Sorry, even if I was single I would only be interested in ROCguy. He's smart enough to get into the U of R so he'll probably end up making the big bucks. And he seems like a decent person.

Moving ahead
Here are the 12 projects approved by the governing board of the Finger Lakes Partnership:

# Master of science degree in science and technology commercialization, which will address the shortage of people who can look at a technology and determine whether it can be commercialized.
# Entrepreneurship and strategic growth immersion sequence program, which will target managers who want to join commercialization teams. Will also target existing and potential entrepreneurs.
# The Entrepreneurs Network, a six-month program that will include boot camps and workshops.
# Pre-seed workshops, which will help assess business potential for specific inventions.
# Small business outreach and access, which will educate entrepreneurs and small business owners about funding opportunities and other types of assistance.
# Tech commercialization process, which will help accelerate the commercialization of university and company technologies.
# Scholarship fund, which will address skilled worker shortages in industries such as alternative energy, biotechnology, optics and imaging, and other fields.
# Regional apprentice system, which will start several new education/training programs for certain industry clusters.
# Education internships, which will place teachers in industry as a way to help forge a link between high-tech and emerging industries and educators, schools and employers.
# Predictive analysis/business attraction, which will help develop an understanding of assets in targeted clusters.
# Predictive analysis/retention and expansion, which will identify companies with a high likelihood of expansion or contraction, so economic development resources are better focused.
# Finger Lakes Resource Network, which will develop a Web portal to better connect regional economic and work force development efforts.

http://my-expressions.com/up_media/4051/pblog/5159/1161777016.jpg

12 projects approved to overhaul economy

Group aims to shift base from manufacturing to knowledge.
Democrat and Chronicle

A partnership charged with repositioning the local economy has so far approved 12 projects, which range from bolstering the skills of entrepreneurs to identifying companies that might be at risk of leaving the area.

The projects are the first by the Finger Lakes Partnership, a group of business, government, philanthropic and academic leaders who are implementing the federal WIRED initiative, which stands for Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development.

The Rochester region was one of 13 nationally to win $15 million in WIRED funds earlier this year. The partnership will raise an additional $22 million for the initiative.

The goal is to help move the economy from its longtime manufacturing base to one that's more knowledge-based.

Officials will focus on improving worker training in fields such as optics and biotechnology and furthering the skills of entrepreneurs.

Matt Hurlbutt, managing director of the partnership, said after a Rochester Workforce Investment Board meeting Tuesday that many of the 12 programs are getting ready for implementation. Another 11 initiatives are being reviewed, including a program to get private industries to work more collaboratively with each other — even with competitors. By collaborating, industry will be better able to identify regional gaps, opportunities and resources.

"It's all about changing the culture," Hurlbutt said.

John Twomey, executive director of the New York Association of Training and Employment Professionals, told the board that the WIRED money puts the Rochester region "ahead of the curve" in preparing for change.

And changes will be plentiful. Twomey said the typical worker in the future will have 10 to 14 careers, with an average job lasting three to five years. Few of the jobs that will be most in demand in a few years even exist today, he said.

Twomey outlined six factors that will lead to major upheaval for the economy, both regionally and nationally:

-Baby boomer retirements.

-Demographic shifts, including a growing diversity of the work force.

-Increased payoff on educational attainment.

-Global competitors' actions.

-Immigration issues.

-The continuing impacts of outsourcing jobs and technological changes.

As the boomers retire, more workers will be needed and they will have to be skilled, Twomey said. But the United States is falling behind countries such as China and India, which produce more four-year college graduates, and even Ireland and Canada, which have larger percentages of their populations graduating from college.

Officials will have to work on eliminating the performance and graduation-rate gaps between white and minority students, he added, especially since almost half of the U.S. work force will likely be nonwhite by 2050.

The WIRED initiative covers nine counties: Monroe, Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca and Yates.


Moving ahead

Here are the 12 projects approved by the governing board of the Finger Lakes Partnership:

Master of science degree in science and technology commercialization, which will address the shortage of people who can look at a technology and determine whether it can be commercialized.

Entrepreneurship and strategic growth immersion sequence program, which will target managers who want to join commercialization teams. Will also target existing and potential entrepreneurs.

The Entrepreneurs Network, a six-month program that will include boot camps and workshops.

Pre-seed workshops, which will help assess business potential for specific inventions.

Small business outreach and access, which will educate entrepreneurs and small business owners about funding opportunities and other types of assistance.

Tech commercialization process, which will help accelerate the commercialization of university and company technologies.

Scholarship fund, which will address skilled worker shortages in industries such as alternative energy, biotechnology, optics and imaging, and other fields.

Regional apprentice system, which will start several new education/training programs for certain industry clusters.

Education internships, which will place teachers in industry as a way to help forge a link between high-tech and emerging industries and educators, schools and employers.

Predictive analysis/business attraction, which will help develop an understanding of assets in targeted clusters.

Predictive analysis/retention and expansion, which will identify companies with a high likelihood of expansion or contraction, so economic development resources are better focused.

Finger Lakes Resource Network, which will develop a Web portal to better connect regional economic and work force development efforts.


New York is No. 2 in manufacturing losses
Business First of Buffalo

New York lost more manufacturing jobs during the past year than any state but Michigan, according to a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New York's manufacturing base dropped by 17,100 jobs between September 2005 and the same month this year. The only state that suffered a sharper decline was Michigan, which lost 38,400 manufacturing jobs.

Manufacturing employment in New York stood at 563,200 jobs last month, down from 580,300 a year ago. The state's number of manufacturing jobs has declined annually since 1990, when it stood at 986,900 in September of that year.

The nation was split almost evenly, with 26 states adding manufacturing positions during the past year, 24 losing jobs, and one being unchanged. (The report categorizes the District of Columbia as a state, bringing the total number of states to 51.)

Washington state registered the sector's biggest increase, 24,300 jobs. It was followed by Texas (up 6,900), Oregon (up 6,600), Iowa (up 5,400) and Utah (up 4,100).

The five states with the biggest declines in manufacturing employment were Michigan (down 38,400), New York (down 17,100), Pennsylvania (down 15,000), New Jersey (down 11,900) and Illinois (down 10,200).

The overall national decline between September 2005 and September 2006 was 78,600 manufacturing jobs, representing 0.6 percent of the national base.