Home > News Room > A letter from the president: Schoellkopf Park restoration will be a catalys

A letter from the president: Schoellkopf Park restoration will be a catalyst for the neighborhood's

At Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, we are acutely aware that our responsibilities extend beyond our role as Niagara’s Premier Health Network. We also are a major provider of jobs and a catalyst for community development.

To position Memorial for the future, we have raised the bar for quality medical care by introducing new programs and services in cardiac care, emergency medicine, women’s services, diabetes care, spinal care and sports medicine. In order for Memorial to continue to grow, we need to attract patients for those programs not only from Niagara Falls but from across Western New York and Southern Ontario.

Unfortunately – and unfairly, in our opinion – the perception among many who don’t live in Niagara Falls is that the downtown core is an unsafe and unsavory area. We need to do all we can to change that perception.

We believe the best way to do that is to show the public a “front door” that is beautiful, comfortable and safe. We consider our “front door” to be the entire neighborhood -- from Pine Avenue to Niagara Street, from Eighth Street to Tronolone Place and beyond.

That’s why, in addition to $20 million for the new ER1 and Heart Center of Niagara, Memorial recently spent $275,000 to bury unsightly utility lines along Walnut Avenue and 10th Street. It’s why we have worked with the city administration to move up the schedule for the repaving of 10th Street, not just in front of the hospital but all the way from Niagara Street to Cedar Avenue.

It’s also why we have partnered with our neighbors at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center and with master’s level urban planning students from the University at Buffalo to develop a neighborhood revitalization plan. This will not be a hospital plan but a plan for the entire community, one that will be presented to the public and submitted to the city for inclusion in its Strategic Master Plan.

Although it is located on our campus, we don’t view the restoration of Schoellkopf Park to its former splendor as a “Memorial project” but as the epicenter of a much bigger picture: the renaissance and revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood as a vibrant arts and medical corridor.

That corridor will attract families to live in the city’s urban core, encourage physicians and other health care providers to locate offices here, create new jobs, increase property values and add to the city’s tax base.

According to a study published by Brown University, open space preservation can help stabilize and increase property values. In urban areas, that study says, “The presence of parks and green spaces can attract people and businesses into an area ... public investments in such amenities are believed to bring new life into a neighborhood and stimulate private sector investments.”

The Urban Institute says city parks help “citizens join together to make their communities better by encouraging them to participate in park planning and management.”

We’re already seeing that spirit at Memorial. Nearly 30 community members – including neighbors, NACC artists, government officials and block club representatives – have pledged to work with us, the NACC and the University of Buffalo on that neighborhood improvement plan. As a not-for-profit, community-owned medical center we believe it’s essential to have that level of community involvement in a project of this scale.

We are extremely grateful that the city of Niagara Falls has included Schoellkopf Park in its 2006 community development funding plans. However, the truth of the matter is the $75,000 allocated by the city, even when combined with the $50,000 we have committed to the project, is insufficient to restore the park to its former status as one of the city’s crown jewels.

As a responsible community citizen, we also recognize and honor the importance of the other projects proposed for funding and the ways in which they will improve the quality of life in our community.

Our original request to the city was for $350,000 in 2006. We have respectfully asked the city to reconsider our request for that amount but to spread it over two years, 2006 and 2007.

We realize that funding for the first year is no guarantee that money would be forthcoming in the second. However, we believe that when you see the results of the first year’s efforts – expansive walkways and park grading that guarantee easy access to the elderly and infirm, including those confined to wheelchairs; aesthetically pleasing bright lights; and the initial stages of a magnificent landscaping plan -- you will join us in wanting to see Schoellkopf Park completely restored.

We welcome the opportunity to share our vision of Memorial as a catalyst for the city’s economic development and we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about this exciting community project.

Joseph A. Ruffolo is president and CEO of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.