The following was written by investigative journalist Ken Cosentino.
Parents have become increasingly frustrated that their children are unable to enjoy the parks and splash pads, which the City of Niagara Falls kept closed during a recent heat wave.
The Restaino administration has now officially developed a proven track record of cutting youth services and blaming their victims.
The Niagara Gazette’s Mark Scheer spoke with LaSalle resident Nancy Gullo, who told Scheer “There’s so many things the City of Niagara Falls is lacking when it comes to children… They are all good at pointing fingers, but none of them are taking responsibility for our children. Well, somebody needs to. In reality, we as a community, we as a government, should be making sure our children have their needs being met.”
It’s hard to disagree with Gullo’s assessment of the lack of youth resources in our hometown. As a lifelong resident who grew up on 11th and LaSalle Avenue, I was unaware of the existence of public pools until one day my brother and I visited our friend near 91st Street park. We spent all afternoon swimming and playing games. Lunch was provided by the City, which really blew us away because we’d never experienced such a thing.
These are the types of services our City should provide on a regular basis, and they should be made available in every section of town. Many inner-city kids do not have access to these essential services. This is a major problem which has only gotten worse under the Restaino administration’s reign of terror on public services.
According to Scheer, Gullo’s frustration has built up “for weeks now” because her 14 year old son was unable to swim at the 91st Street pool enough this summer… especially when it mattered the most. “We don’t have the services our taxes pay for,” she told Scheer – “Explain to me where our tax dollars are going because it’s not going on the roads?”
She also said, “My tax dollars pay for this… My kid should be able to utilize this pool. It’s 90 degrees out and these kids have no place to go.”
Niagara Falls pools and splash pads have been open on a limited basis all summer long.
Instead of taking responsibility for limiting access to the pools/splash pads, Mayor Restaino blamed teenagers for a City staffing issue. According to the Mayor, qualified lifeguards are hard to find. Mayor Restaino told the Gazette, “When you struggle to get young people to participate in this, it makes it difficult… These are young people, 16 and 17 on average and they are going to have other things they are going to want to do.”
Considering the staffing nightmare at City Hall which continues to degrade public services, it’s no surprise that this problem is also caused by yet another staffing issue.
However, neighboring municipalities such as Lewiston keep their splash pads open all summer long without the supervision of any lifeguards or recreation aides. It seems strange that Niagara Falls splash pads require a lifeguard presence while splash pads in nearby municipalities do not.
In a follow up report for the Gazette, Mark Scheer wrote, “The Restaino administration has not explained how ‘staffing issues’ impact the hours of operation for city splash pads, which feature sprinkler systems, not pools of water, and do not require certified lifeguards to be on site.”
THE RESTAINO BLAME GAME
Last month, Mayor Restaino’s brother and City Administrator Anthony Restaino blamed kids for the City changing the locks at the Hyde Park Ice Pavilion on the first day of youth hockey camp (at a $4,000 cost to taxpayers). One week prior, City Council postponed their vote on the operating contract at the ice pavilion until more information could be made available on the bids.
Despite council’s sound logic, Anthony Restaino cited the tabled resolution as the cause of the lockout when he told WIVB that a “boatload of hockey players” (i.e.; youth athletes) “basically intimidated the council from taking the best offer for the city tax payers.”
Anthony Restaino also told WIVB “the city had every right to lock the doors Monday morning because Niagara Falls identified what they believe is the best proposal to operate the facility.” Days later, Mayor Restaino told WBEN that the lockout had nothing to do with the City Council’s decision to postpone their vote.
Instead, Mayor Restaino claimed that it was a scheduling mixup which caused nearly 100 athletes, parents and coaches to be met by DPW Director Ken Tompkins and two police officers who guarded the doors to the ice pavilion.
Pavilion operator Mike Carella responded to the Mayor’s statements, saying “That was 100% a lie. It’s not true. It’s false. He never asked me for a schedule. That’s a cover-up.”
More investigation is required to determine whether or not the withheld 99H funds are related to the Doris Jones budget reduction. Though those who defend this administration may state differently, parents were faced with unexpected charges only days prior to the scheduled Doris Jones summer enrichment program.
The Restaino administration is on a roll with their blame game as our community continues to feel the negative effects that this administration is having on our youth. Parents are fed up with the Mayor’s underhanded shenanigans.
Mayor Restaino and his brother should shift their focus to supporting citywide youth programs. Instead, they remain hyper-fixated on a pipe dream with a budget as inflated as their egos. Surely it will take our community years to recover from the damage Mayor Restaino and his flunkies are inflicting upon our public services and youth resources.
Keep in mind Mayor Restaino once notoriously proposed the idea of using Community Develop Block Grant money to borrow against a loan for purchasing land for his event center. The Mayor’s brilliant idea would divert a percentage of funds typically used for road repairs and community improvement efforts, towards his vanity project Centennial Park… for the next twenty years.
