Buffallo's history takes a back seat to greed

The city's history took a back seat to one man's greed this week, as Buffalo's most infamous residency violator allowed a few historic grain elevators to be permanently dismantled...

James Comerford, the city’s permit and inspections commissioner, had ordered the demolition at 339 Ganson St. earlier this month, claiming that the Wheeler elevator, the complex’s oldest building, and an adjacent feed mill posed a threat to public safety.

The company’s intentions fueled skepticism among Buffalo Preservation Board members about whether the buildings needed to be torn down. The board voted unanimously March 3 to oppose demolition after a request to schedule a site visit for the board and possibly an engineer was rebuffed.

I'm not going to publicly accuse "East Aurora" Jim of accepting a bribe from the company to tear down the grain elevators. However, if you see any drastic improvements on his East Aurora home this summer, well, you draw your own conclusions. Buffalo: a great place to siphon money and get all your family members public sector jobs. But I wouldn't want to live there. Very sad, residency violator!...

You hustle, you deal, you steal from us all
Come on, come on, love me for the money
Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalks
Come on, come on, love me for the money
Come on, come on, listen to the moneytalks
Moneytalks, yeah, yeah
Money talks, B.S. walks...


Razing of grain elevator begins - City of Buffalo - The Buffalo News

Share|

Letters to the editor- Preserving Buffalo's past

This letter writer appears to be very skeptical of local residency violator, "East Aurora" James Comerford's motives for condemning the Wheeler-GLF grain elevator. Coincidentally, at the same time Ontario Specialty Contracting is seeking to expand their property. If he lies about his residency, what makes you think Comerford would be honest about this?...

Let's find new ways to use grain elevators

How incredibly convenient for Ontario Specialty Contracting that just as it needs more room for an expansion, it finds a firm willing to submit a report that says the Wheeler-GLF grain elevator needs to be condemned. This self-centered, myopic behavior is appallingly familiar in Buffalo, and Inspections Commissioner James Comerford should be ashamed of himself.

Our iconic, world-renowned grain elevators should be treasured and revered, not demolished. This is just more embarrassing, disgraceful and short-sighted behavior from Buffalo’s lifer politicians and their commissioner cronies.

While Buffalo is being its usual destructive self, other states are finding creative, exciting and interesting ways to reuse their grain elevators. West Texas has turned its grain elevator into a year-round, indoor rock-climbing center, Oregon uses one as a farmers’ market and Illinois turned one into a gym.

How very sad that in Buffalo, the grain elevators’ birthplace, we are more concerned with demolishing what makes us unique. It is this never-ending discouragement, death from a thousand slices, that is depleting Buffalo’s population.

Meg Robinson-Albers

Buffalo

Share|

This is where he used to live

East Aurora resident Jim Comerford is all too willing to earn a high salary off the backs of it's taxpayers but apparently, doesn't appreciate the city's rich historical past...

A preservation organization Tuesday won a temporary restraining order blocking the partial demolition of the Wheeler- GLF grain elevator.

The stay puts a hold on plans to raze portions of the complex at 339 Ganson St. as a public safety hazard, stalling efforts of the owner, Ontario Specialty Contracting, from wielding the wrecking ball as early as Monday.

City of Buffalo Permit and Inspections Commissioner James Comerford gave the go-ahead for the demolition last week.

It looks like the grain elevator was considered safe until an adjacent company decided they wanted to expand. Then, all of a sudden, our famous residency violator decided the structure was a safety hazard...

Comerford said he issued his decision after three inspections and a review of the engineering report submitted by Schenne & Associates of East Aurora on behalf of the company. The report found “hundreds” of building code violations and concluded the buildings “need to be condemned and demolished.”

Comerford said at the time that the risk of an accident was too great to let the structures remain standing.

This simply does not pass the Blogger's smell test. One day, the structure is fine. The next (when the company decides it wants to expand), it is unsafe. Come on East Aurora Jim! Perhaps Comerford doesn't understand the historical significance of grain elevators to the Old 1st Ward neighborhood, since there aren't any in the wealthy suburb of East Aurora where he resides (in direct violation of the city's residency law). The question on most peoples' minds is, what did the company offer Comerford in exchange for prostituting himself to them? We'll have to wait for the results of the INDEPENDENT and UNBIASED engineers to find out what happens next.

Temporary restraining order bars demolition of grain elevator

Broke into the old apartment
This is where we used to live
Broken glass, broke and hungry
Broken hearts and broken bones
This is where we used to live...

Share|