We hope you will come over occasionally to see what we have. And if you are especially interested in setting up your own site with out having to worry about censorship we have the capabilities to allow you to do that for FREE on our own private server. Just go to Broome Underground. Hope you like us and will give us some constructive feedback.

 

BLDC Awarded $250,000 New York Main Street Grant

The Binghamton Local Development Corporation (BLDC) announced today that it will be administering a matching grant program in the amount of $250,000 through the 2012 NYS Main Street Grant Program. The BLDC received the grant through New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation’s Office of Community Renewal (NYSOCR), as part of the State’s Consolidated Funding Application engineered under Governor Cuomo to allow more efficient reallocation of state resources for local community development through input from regional councils.

“This grant program will enhance the efforts initiated through the City’s roundabout and streetscape improvements that have taken shape on Court Street, one of the City’s major commercial corridors that has already seen sizeable new investments.” Said Mayor Matt Ryan. “Over the course of my administration, The BLDC has been a driving force in this community, creating opportunities for new business development in the City. They have done an exceptional job in bringing alternative resources into the City as a way to carryout economic development during these challenging economic times.”

The BLDC’s grant program will assist property owners in their efforts to improve and preserve the visual image of the City’s downtown historic mixed-use districts through commercial façade improvements as well as new and modified interior residential and commercial development.

$15,000 of these grant funds will be allocated for a Streetscape Project to improve the area known as “Commercial Alley” running from Court Street to the State Street parking ramp.

BLDC’s Executive Director Merry Harris believes this grant will help to stimulate sustainable investments in the community “With the help of the NYS Main Street Grant, the BLDC and the City of Binghamton will be able to leverage private investment and activity in the commercial sector to create opportunities for affordable housing, and to increase the walk ability of the city.”

This will be the second round of competitive funding that the BLDC has been able to capture under the NYS Main Street Grant Program. In 2008, the BLDC received $200,000 in Main Street Grant funding from the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation’s Office of Community Renewal (NYSOCR), and successfully administered thirty revitalization projects, including façade improvements, interior renovations, and streetscape improvements along “Gorgeous Washington Street” between Hawley and Court Streets, and at the intersection of Main and Front Streets. The endeavor spurred an additional $459,972.07 in private investments and produced over a dozen jobs for local contractors, engineers, and design companies.

Residents of the Town of Dryden in Tompkins County, NY, could be forgiven for thinking in February 2013 that as far as keeping the entire process of HVHF, the high volume hydraulic fracturing method of drilling for natural gas (NG) or oil – AKA fracking – away their town was concerned, it would be smooth sailing for the near future. The year before the town board had amended its zoning ordinance to include a ban on the exploration, production or storage of natural gas and petroleum, in essence banning hydraulic fracturing. In short order the Town of Middlefield in Otsego County also passed a similar ban. Lawsuits against both towns for their bans had failed. Motions by plaintiffs drilling corporation and leased landowner for re-argument had also failed. Although plaintiffs had filed appeal documents to the Appellate Division in 2012 and a date for oral argument loomed for March 21, 2013, Dryden residents went ahead and planned a series of home solar tours as part of the roll out of solar throughout the county.

But so many potential barriers to rapid conversion towards sustainable renewable energy continued to pop up that people fighting fracking must surely have felt that they were in a forced game of Fracking Whack a Mole!

Communications labeled “urgent!” would intermittently fly out. For just one example, at the near end of 2012 not only was there the pressure of writing and submitting comments to the proposed NYS DEC (Department of Environmental Conservation) regulations for fracking, with the help of Dr. Sandra Steingraber’s Thirty Days of Fracking Regs program, the NYS Public Service Commission (PSC) was discovered to have met in Albany late November 2012 to plan for the rapid and thorough expansion of natural gas service in the state including to residences/businesses already serviced with heating via electricity, presumably even if it was from solar! The initiative was introduced with an introductory statement repeatedly touting the “benefits of clean natural gas.” The agency held a technical conference and set a late January deadline for comments, which had to answer 21 “questions” strongly biased in favor of such expansion.

A low number of comments led to the PSC extending the deadline for one month, then for another month, as folks scrambled to send in comments. Whack, Whack a Mole!

Buses to the protest against the KXL pipeline included activists who took the day away from their solar tour planning and from dealing with town boards in Broome and Tioga counties that either had passed a “we trust the DEC” or “come frack us” resolution or stolidly refused to do anything. One even had gone so far as to ban during meetings any further utterance of public statements about fracking. The town supervisor had leased, become a shaleonaire millionaire and had heard enough from those against fracking. The residents had also had enough and sued, thereby bringing national attention to the town of 2400 or so residents. Whack! Whack Back!

Anti-fracking activists in New York State were simultaneously keeping a close eye on Governor Cuomo, the NYS DEC, their town, and possibly their county. Some of the counties were wont to give tax breaks (PILOTs) to a pipeline company even though it was not as if they could easily take the proposed pipeline route to a different county without causing themselves a lot of needless trouble. Gov. Cuomo’s guideline was that towns that did not want fracking would not get fracked, i.e. he would observe Home Rule, the basis of the Dryden and Middlefield cases.

But yet again, time to get out the mallet. The DEC had been reviewing the management plans of the state forests, including the state forests near the Town of Dryden itself including the possibility of planning for drilling for gas in the forests, with just one public hearing. Whack!

Meanwhile, media across New York State announced that Gov. Cuomo and his former brother-in-law, Robert Kennedy, had been having telephone conversations about the fracking issue. Knowing the tight rein that Cuomo had been keeping on his administration, including leaks, it’s beyond obvious that this information getting out to the public must have had the blessing of the governor. A controlled leak. Could anti-fracking activists breathe with relief, thinking they now had confidence that Cuomo would finally become convinced that he needed to ban fracking in the state? No, because this was a shape-shifting kind of mole with no mention of a ban, just a pause.

Also obvious was the fact that the person whom he consulted and who reported the consultation sympathetically to the media, is a family member of one of the major presidential families in the U.S. It’s well known that Cuomo has his sights set on 2016. So does Hillary Clinton. And, maybe, so does Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. A March 1, 2013 poll showed Christie well ahead of Cuomo. Undoubtedly, Cuomo knew of this. This is a weird kind of mole that you don’t know whether to whack it or not.

The health study that’s being used as the reason for Cuomo to further delay his decision is being touted as a “large-scale, scientifically rigorous assessment” of drilling in Pennsylvania that will look at detailed health histories of hundreds of thousands of patients who live near wells and other facilities that are producing natural gas from the same Marcellus Shale formation that New York would tap.” Unsaid is the well known fact that industry practice is to force those sickened, whose drinking water they polluted, whose animals died, to sign confidentiality “agreements” in exchange for a buy out or even simple delivery of water. Therefore, no health study can ever be rigorous while these records remain sealed. Whack! And whack again! The New York Post has an article titled “Gov just fracking around, pols say.”

Furthermore, just as the moratorium on fracking in New York State since 2006 has allowed the extension of drilling leases, a downside which members of the New York State Green Party have repeatedly tried to bring to the attention of those fighting fracking, such delay has also allowed the building of additional pipelines, such as the Millennium, and the accompanying compressor stations and metering stations, etc. The Green Party of New York at least since 2010 has been calling for a complete and total ban on fracking as the only answer to this threat and amongst Green Party and other groups, criminalization of the act of fracking. Green Party spokespeople early got a lot of pushback from those who, fearful of the power of the people, were adamant that you could not ban fracking as, supposedly, it was an unconstitutional taking of property. Since then, the takings argument has been weakened, if not debunked by the recognition that a ban on fracking does not prevent a landowner from using the land for other purposes where there is no split estate situation (i.e. the person owning the land is different from the person owning the minerals below the surface, which is a whole other discussion). Many things and processes are already banned at state and federal levels which arguably are much less life threatening than fracking. The Green Party has been well ahead on the fracking issue, pointing out early that the practice is inherently dangerous, toxic and a major threat to human, animal and planetary health, all borne out by later studies.

And, of course, with expected exportation of NG from import terminals now being converted to export terminals, the price of NG will increase to the benefit of industry and the detriment of homeowners and small businesses. The delay for the health study will also provide time for the conversion of these terminals.

NG is a grand bargaining chip in Obama’s holster (mixing metaphors, yes) when he’s dealing with Europe, Asia and Russia, a chip not to be taken away from him by the likes of activists against fracking. Perhaps. The choice therefore for activists is whether to be pawns or people.

Stay tuned and keep a Whack a Mole mallet handy.

———
Cecile Lawrence, Ph.D., J.D., is a member of the Green Party of New York State and ran for U.S. Senate in 2010 and county legislature in 2011.

Come by the former First National Bank Building at 49 Court Street to learn something new about your city and share your thoughts and ideas about how to move our city FORWARD TOGETHER!

If you missed the first one on March 1, this is your chance to weigh in….or if you enjoyed it so much the first time you want to come back, please do! 11 am to 3 pm.

Our First Friday Pop-Up event really was a lot of fun.

 

This Week’s First Blueprint Binghamton Community Discussion
To Focus On Green Infrastructure
BINGHAMTON, NY—The City of Binghamton hosts its first monthly “Blueprint Binghamton – Community Discussion” this Thursday, March 7th, at the Broome County Library, noon – 2:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public including lunch, courtesy of series sponsor Citizens Bank.
In partnership with the Livable Communities Alliance, the NYS Office of Smart Growth, and Empire State Futures, the series is provided to supplement the city’s long range planning effort Blueprint Binghamton by stimulating community discussion around topics that impact the livability and viability of our community.
“Blueprint Binghamton is an exciting opportunity to build on all the transformative changes we’ve made the last seven years,” said Mayor Ryan. “This is about bringing everybody to the table, and based on their input and hopes, charting a bold, long-term vision and action plan for our shared future. We had an incredible open house launch this last Friday in downtown, and thanks to Citizens Bank and our partners, we’re launching this week a very compelling series of free community discussions. We welcome all those interested to register now to reserve a seat.”
More than 30 individuals have already registered for Thursday’s discussion, which is nearing capacity, and those interested can register by calling the city’s Economic Development Office at 772-7161 or filling out the online form at www.blueprintbinghamton.com. For each workshop, all participants in attendance will have the chance of winning a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant. For those participants who attend five workshops or more AND complete the online feedback surveys for each, will have their names entered into a drawing to win the grand prize of a Kindle Fire HD 8.9” 16GB with Wi-Fi valued at $300.

The Cooperative Gallery 213 and the Two Rivers Photography Club are sponsoring the 2nd Bob Johnston Photo Show and Competition January 4 – 26th, 2013. This Memorial Exhibit is a tribute to the art embodied in the photography of Bob Johnston, a founding member of the gallery who died in 2010. Thirty one photographers entered the Competition in either Color or Black and White categories. Photographs will be judged by Kirk and Leslie Van Zandbergen of Van Zandbergen Photography, guided by this sentiment from Bob Johnston’s artist’s statement: “For me, the successful photograph is one in which both the abstract elements and the subject matter of the image reinforce each other to provide an emotional experience for the viewer.”
The Best In Show prize goes to Greg Chianis for “Tuscan Storm.” Judges’ Choice Awards in Black and White go to Nancy Basmann for “Louis Mendes” and Sandra Kirker for “The Long Road Home;” The Judges’ Choice in the Color category go to Bill Gorman for “Cardinal” and to Scott Michael Anderson for “Reflection Outside of 213.” Honorable Mentions in Color will be awarded to Joe Trapper for “Wall Flower” and to Sandra Kirker for “Sky Blue and White” and for Black and White to Greg Chianis for “Reflections” and John Rehak for “York Train Station.” Prizes will be distributed at 7 pm at the First Friday Art Walk.

Commission on Downtown Binghamton Development Issues Final Report

Economic Development Incentives Guide is first achievement to spring from commission’s work

BINGHAMTON, NY—The Commission on Downtown Binghamton Development today issued its final report and unveiled the Economic Development Incentive Guide, which emerged from the Commission’s work.

“This report offers promising guideposts for building on downtown’s recent gains,” said Mayor Matt Ryan. “This commission involved development experts and stakeholders from across our community, and their collective expertise surely is greater than the sum of its parts. I thank the commission members for their hard work for more than a year, and I look forward to taking the next steps in seizing downtown’s many development opportunities, starting with the Economic Development Incentive Guide.”

Announced by Mayor Ryan in his 2011 State of the City Address, the Commission on Downtown Binghamton Development sought to coordinate new investments and interest in downtown business, living and recreation. The spark behind the commission was the grand openings of two major student housing projects, Twin River Commons and 20 Hawley Street Luxury Student Apartments.

“This initiative was part of staying proactive in enhancing downtown as a destination,” said Director of Economic Development Merry Harris, who co-chaired the commission with Sean Massey. “The final report showcases a number of priorities that downtown stakeholders can pursue.”

From Rochester Independent Media Center:

“We can have a cynical attitude in the face of the media to say nothing can be done about the dollar power that creates itself in images, words, digital communication, and computer systems that invades not just with an invasion of power, but with a way of seeing that world, of how they think the world should look. We could say, well, ‘that’s the way it is’ and do nothing. Or we can simply assume incredulity: we can say that any communication by the media monopolies is a total lie. We
can ignore it and go about our lives. But there is a third option that is neither conformity, nor skepticism, nor distrust: that is to construct a different way—to show the world what is really happening—to have a critical world view and to become interested in the truth if what happens to people who inhabit every corner of this world.”

The above words were read aloud in a statement by Subcomandante Marcos of the Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico. And it is with those words that the independent media center movement began to germinate, eventually springing from the ground in Seattle of 1999 during the World Trade Organization summit. The Rochester Indymedia collective, just past our 10th year of operation, felt inspired to critically reflect on what we’ve produced, how we’ve produced it, and what we hope the next 10 years will bring. With that spirit of critical engagement, we invite you, our communities, our readership, and the public, to join us for Building Our Media: a critical discussion series on independent media.

Tonight, we will discuss Howard Zinn’s Essay: The Use and Abuse of History. (download pdf of article at: http://www.sendspace.com/file/1052l6) Zinn’s piece explains his approach to history and why the concept of objectivity in history writing and journalism is problematic.

November 8th, 7-9PM
Flying Squirrel Community Space
285 Clarissa St.
Rochester, NY

The Series:

First Week (Nov. 1):
give out booklets / watch video clips / have discussion

Second week (Nov. 8):
(Howard Zinn) The use and abuse of history

Third Week (Nov. 15):
What is Free Culture? / Free Culture Manifesto / Know Your Meme

Fourth Week (Nov. 29):
(Kyle Harris) Beyond Authenticity: Aesthetic Strategies and Anarchist Media

Fifth Week (Dec. 6):
(Carlos Fernandez) Movements & Militant Media: Communication Technology and Latin American Grassroots Politics

Sixth Week (Dec. 13):
(Jared Ball) Mixtape Manifesto: emancipatory journalism

Seventh Week (Dec. 20):
What’s next? / general discussion and/or discussion from participant chosen article

Rochester.Indymedia.org

Sick Around the World
At Unitarian Universalist Congregation
183 Riverside Dr
Friday, Oct. 12 – 7 pm, socialize 6:30

In the documentary Sick Around the World, FRONTLINE teams up with veteran Washington Post foreign correspondent T.R. Reid to find out how five other capitalist democracies — the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerland — deliver health care, and what the United States might learn from their successes and their failures. Have things changed since 2008 viewing?

Book As Art
February 2013
Cooperative Gallery 213
Curated by Peg Johnston

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Handmade books are an art form that will be featured at “Book as Art” at the Cooperative Gallery 213 the month of February 2013. In addition to her own work, Peg Johnston will curate a show that includes a wide variety of book art. Eligible are handmade books as well as art made with books.

If you would like to submit to this exhibit please contact PegJohnston sending a jpg of your work. There is no fee. Send to PegJohnstonATstny.rr.com.