News Blog
WEEK AHEAD: State of the County; anti-casino advocacy; East's future; city waterfront plans
County Executive Maggie Brooks will deliver her annual State of the County address at 7 p.m. Wednesday, at the National Museum of Play, 1 Manhattan Square.
Brooks typically uses the speech to draw attention to local businesses, to highlight county economic development programs, and to announce new initiatives.
The speech will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable News, cable channel 9, and on the radio at WXXI 1370 AM.
The No More Casinos Coalition has been trying to round up people to speak to the Gates Town Board tonight and to the Monroe County Legislature on Tuesday night.
The group, which is backed by the owners of Batavia Downs and Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack, is working against a possible Seneca Nation of Indians casino in Monroe County. Its focus has been on Henrietta, where the Seneca Gaming Corporation purchased a 32-acre plot of land for a casino and related development. But the Town Board passed a resolution opposing a casino.
The coalition is now turning its attention to the Legislature. It wants legislators to sign on to a memorializing referral — essentially a formal letter of support or opposition — opposing a Seneca casino in Monroe County.
It’s also focusing on Gates because town officials have, in the past, discussed a potential casino site with the Senecas.
“I haven’t spoken to the Senecas since – it’s been about a year plus,” Gates Supervisor Mark Assini said during an interview on Friday.
But he says that Gates has “a nice spot for them over at the Tech Park,” the same site he discussed with the Senecas the last time. He says town residents support casino development.
The Gates Town Board meets at 7 p.m. today at Gates Town Hall, 1605 Buffalo Road. The County Legislature meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the County Office Building, 39 West Main Street, Rochester. BY JEREMY MOULE
City schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas will hold a public meeting on the future of East High School at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10.
The state told school officials last month that major action must be taken to turn around the failing school. Options include partnering with another educational organization, turning the school over to SUNY for supervision and management, or converting East to a charter school. Vargas says he will not close East.
The meeting will be held at 1801 East Main Street. BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO
The city Department of Neighborhood and Business Development will host a public meeting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, to gather community input to update the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The program guides waterfront development in the city.
The "open house" format will include display materials covering four waterfront topics: LWRP history, waterfront vision, waterfront issues, and development projects-priorities. Participants will be asked for comment on how the city's waterfront should be developed and preserved, and how public resources should be prioritized. The open house will include a display of Rochester's entire waterfront corridor.
The update will include all of the city's waterfront areas along Lake Ontario, the Genesee River, and the Erie Canal. The update will also identify new waterfront policies and recommendations to serve as a guide for future development and infrastructure improvements.
For more about the LWRP: www.cityofrochester.gov/lwrp BY CHRISTINE CARRIE FIEN
- FILE PHOTO
- Maggie Brooks will give her State of the County speech this week.
Brooks typically uses the speech to draw attention to local businesses, to highlight county economic development programs, and to announce new initiatives.
The speech will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable News, cable channel 9, and on the radio at WXXI 1370 AM.
The No More Casinos Coalition has been trying to round up people to speak to the Gates Town Board tonight and to the Monroe County Legislature on Tuesday night.
The group, which is backed by the owners of Batavia Downs and Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack, is working against a possible Seneca Nation of Indians casino in Monroe County. Its focus has been on Henrietta, where the Seneca Gaming Corporation purchased a 32-acre plot of land for a casino and related development. But the Town Board passed a resolution opposing a casino.
The coalition is now turning its attention to the Legislature. It wants legislators to sign on to a memorializing referral — essentially a formal letter of support or opposition — opposing a Seneca casino in Monroe County.
It’s also focusing on Gates because town officials have, in the past, discussed a potential casino site with the Senecas.
“I haven’t spoken to the Senecas since – it’s been about a year plus,” Gates Supervisor Mark Assini said during an interview on Friday.
But he says that Gates has “a nice spot for them over at the Tech Park,” the same site he discussed with the Senecas the last time. He says town residents support casino development.
The Gates Town Board meets at 7 p.m. today at Gates Town Hall, 1605 Buffalo Road. The County Legislature meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the County Office Building, 39 West Main Street, Rochester. BY JEREMY MOULE
City schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas will hold a public meeting on the future of East High School at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10.
The state told school officials last month that major action must be taken to turn around the failing school. Options include partnering with another educational organization, turning the school over to SUNY for supervision and management, or converting East to a charter school. Vargas says he will not close East.
The meeting will be held at 1801 East Main Street. BY TIM LOUIS MACALUSO
The city Department of Neighborhood and Business Development will host a public meeting from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, to gather community input to update the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The program guides waterfront development in the city.
The "open house" format will include display materials covering four waterfront topics: LWRP history, waterfront vision, waterfront issues, and development projects-priorities. Participants will be asked for comment on how the city's waterfront should be developed and preserved, and how public resources should be prioritized. The open house will include a display of Rochester's entire waterfront corridor.
The update will include all of the city's waterfront areas along Lake Ontario, the Genesee River, and the Erie Canal. The update will also identify new waterfront policies and recommendations to serve as a guide for future development and infrastructure improvements.
For more about the LWRP: www.cityofrochester.gov/lwrp BY CHRISTINE CARRIE FIEN
