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Memorial, city apply for state transportation grant

The City of Niagara Falls has agreed to sponsor a grant application by Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center for federal funding to perform lighting and landscaping improvements along Tenth Street and Walnut Avenue.

The proposal builds upon the ongoing restoration of Schoellkopf Park and is a key component of the collaborative effort between Memorial, the city and the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center to address urban design, transportation, housing, greenspace and commercial development opportunities in the neighborhood surrounding the medical center.

The streetscape project will include burying or relocating utilities, installing bright and aesthetically pleasing lights, landscaping, scenic beautification and other improvements. The target area for those major improvements is Walnut Avenue between Portage Road and the future John B. Daly Boulevard Extension, and Tenth Street between Walnut and Pine avenues.

Tenth Street between Niagara Street and Cedar Avenue -- including the block between Pine and Walnut –- is scheduled for repaving in 2007 under a separate federal grant.

"This project addresses two major thoroughfares in a key section of the city and further promotes the development of a downtown medical-cultural corridor," Mayor Vince Anello said. "It links the tourist and casino districts with the Pine Avenue business district and builds on Memorial's investment in the new ER1 and Heart Center of Niagara."

The hospital is seeking $2 million in TEA-21 Transportation Enhancement Program funds to use toward the $2.5 million project. The City Council on Monday unanimously approved city sponsorship of the application.