Are you willing to compromise with those that are advocating for the complete closure of the Parkway?
We support a reconfigured Parkway that provides safe and direct access for residents and tourists to and from Niagara Falls and all points in between. A reconfigured Parkway could include two lanes, but it appears there is no such compromise by those advocating for the closure of the Parkway.

What about the claim that you are putting economic needs ahead of environmental concerns?
We need to find a balance between the economic needs of our region as well as the environmental concerns. We believe that the state should invest in the Parkway and enhance its natural surroundings so that it becomes its own attraction. We should be creating access to our natural surroundings and not barriers as some are proposing.

Why not let Lewiston Road replace the Parkway?
That is not acceptable primarily because this is a safety issue. The Parkway already is a safe and reliable transportation route. Lewiston Road is home to thousands of area residents as well as the Maple Avenue School in DeVeaux. The road simply is not configured to safely maintain the tens of thousands of vehicles that currently use the Parkway on an annual basis.

Some would say that with the probable election of Eliot Spitzer as Governor that he will be extremely pro-environment and would support the closure of the Parkway. Are you concerned about that?
We believe that the final decision about the Parkway will be done by community consensus. We are confident that this consensus will be for an enhanced and improved Parkway that balances the needs of the environment as well as protects the tens of millions of dollars of private and public sector investment in the communities along the Parkway.

When you talk about enhancements and improvements to the Parkway that is going to cost a lot of money; does our state government have the resources to do this?
I think we all agree that the Parkway cannot stay in its current form and requires upgrades and investments. In addition, the state has created the Greenway Commission which is being funded in part from the settlement with the New York Power Authority for its new license to operate the Niagara Power Project in Lewiston. Voters also recently approved a Transportation Bond Act that will earmark billions of dollars for transportation project throughout the state over the next few years. We believe the state will see a significant return on investment by investing in the Parkway.

Mayor Anello is on record as saying he would like to see the Parkway closed within the City and that Whirlpool Street be used instead. Do you support the Mayor’s plan?
We have no problem with this proposal as long as the Parkway begins prior to the DeVeaux neighborhood. Lewiston Road is not an option as it would create safety issues for homeowners and schoolchildren in DeVeaux and the surrounding area.

There are some who believe this is an issue that pits Niagara Falls versus Lewiston and that if the Parkway was closed, there would be significant benefit for the City which continues to struggle economically. How do you respond to this charge?
We believe that as part of a reconfigured Parkway a new exit can be constructed near Lincoln Place. This would provide direct access to the Main Street business district. We are confident that a reconfigured Parkway can create economic development opportunities for the city while maintain the positive economic benefits provided to the region through the continued growth of communities that comprise the lower Niagara River region.

The Niagara Heritage Partnership seems to have the support of dozens of groups and organizations; it would seem the consensus of the community would be for closing the Parkway. How do you respond to that?
We believe that once the entire community is informed of the negative economic and social impacts of closing the entire Parkway that the consensus will be to keep it open. Many of the groups listed by the Partnership are not locally based and again we believe that many of the local groups are not fully informed of the ramifications of a complete closure.

The Partnership states that their alternative route would only increase the commute to and from Lewiston and the Falls by 5 minutes; that seems reasonable.
We disagree and while we do not know the exact length of such a commute we believe it would have a negative impact on the tourism industry. Tourists want direct and easily accessible transportation routes to go from destination to destination. In addition, this is a safety issue for the hundreds of residents whose homes are adjacent to this alternative route. It’s as much a safety issue as it is an economic issue and for that matter alone we are opposed to this alternative no matter the increase to the commute.

Put aside the safety issue for a moment, if there were no safety issues and there was a negligible increase in the commute would you still be opposed?
You cannot put the safety issue aside as it is a reality and as such we are opposed to this alternative and are advocating for keeping the Parkway open.

Do you think you are exaggerating the negative impacts to the tourism industry?
Tourism is our region’s present and future; it is the one industry that we can grow in order to sustain a high quality of life especially in the communities along the Parkway. We cannot risk negatively impacting the tourism industry including the tens of millions of dollars that has been invested in so many communities. That is why every tourism attraction and the communities along the Parkway are aggressively advocating to keep the Parkway open.