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NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW

WEDNESDAY JANUARY13 1988

J
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ERIE AVENUE

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EXISTING
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POLICE
STATION

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ONTARIO AVENUE

li
THE PROFILE of the
if these

tically

plans

fice tower becomes

city

s

downtown could

change drama
parking garage and of
rough plans drawn by ar

situated

Huron Street would be closed from Erie to Ontario
parking garage would be situated between Erie

fora courthouse

Avenue

reality The
place the courthouse on Ontario Street
building where Huron Stree is currently

Avenue and Morrison Street The plans also call for
and pondto run through the complex

chitect Peter Lesdow
with a 10 storey office

The

planbuts omealderniennot
By LOU SMYRL1S
BillSmeaton is

Mayor
nine

after

Mr

staff writer

multi
claud

on

council made

its

first

Sharon sold council on his
million dollar plan for a court

house

office

tower

and

above

ing position by rushing to pick the
developer it wants to build the new
caurthouse They charge council s
hfiste could cost the city millions of
dollars Theother alderman says the

ground parking garage in an area
bounded by Ontario Avenue Erie
Avenue Queen Street and Morrison
Street The plan calls for con
siderable landscaping including a
pond and stream running through
thecentre of the complex
He beat out a praposalfrom local
lawyer Dante Marinelli and St
Catharines developer Ken Fawler
Their plans called for a caurthouse
parking garage and two affice

was chosen
Alderman Pat Cummings says a
desire to look good in an election

towers connected by above round
enclosed walkways Bur theiplans
p aid littlei attentionto landsc

serious

Monday

move

towards

get

But three
ting
aldermen say they doubt the city
a

new

courthouse

struckthe bestdeal

possible

Two

aldermen say the city has
significantly weakened its bargain

wroIlgdeveloper

yearisthe realreasonbehindcoun
cilsquicl decisicn

Numerous cliches
tion

over

towards

clearing

the

new

of

enthusiasm

expressing

and made the office towers the first

p riorftyincoristillctioi

courthouse arid the
aldermen

drowned out the doubts of the three

Both

the

pick up
garage
for

a

tab

than

million

however

downtown

were

s

plans

fora

It s too
tions

we

early
could

to call off

have

negotia
played one

developer against the other
Cummings told The Review
shocked
aldermen
they
want tado that

re

Mr
I

was

didn t

Mr

the

parking
proposal called

garage while Mr
garage would cost more

majority decision to give
go ahead to Toronto developer

courthouse the three aldermen
main vocal in their criticism

the city to

13 million

the

Leon Sharon

for

The Sharon

council s

opposing

despite

building

However Mayor Smeaton said the
developers didn t want to be pitted
against each other
They both made it clear they
weren tgoing to spend money and

would

escaped

he said
timeinahorserace
Mr Cummings cites a different
reason for council rquick decision

Aldermenwant

to

get the

court

2

Both

stressed their

develapers
proposals

flexible

Cummings and Ald Dick Har
rington say they don t want the city
to pay for the garage
The cast at the parking structure
shauld be paid by the developer I
don t know why the city should get
involved
Mr Cummings said ad
ding if the city had cantinued

a

more

speculative nature
office towers

the two

have

created

more

office

space than needed

We don t need to fool ourselves in
It s not that big a

Niagara Falls
downtown

he said
Puttick a frequen t critic of

Mr

also
blamed
Mr
mayor
Smeaton for not allowing a decision
on the developer to be made earlier
the

I wanted to make

a

decision

a

house tied up during this political

week and

term

and the mayor said he would veto
that because he wanted to be there

he said suggesting
they are
looking ahead to the November
municipal election
Mr Harrington says
for the mo
ment he is taking the mayor at his

he

was

a

half

before

out of town

Christmas

Mr

who says he is considering
for
charged

puttJCk
running

Meanwnp e AIde Nonm iPutti
the city
chose the wrong
developer
I think MariIielli was the best
person
the first

Mr

Putticksaid

person who

came

He

was

forward

Heisvery weUknown and is familiar
with city and the attitudes of the
area

cantactedby
including Mr Cumm
ings and Mr Harrington say the
Sharon proposal was the best
But other aldermen

The Review

We had to make

a

choice and

made the best choice based
farmation

Hopkins
He

we

said

added th

ha9

we

onthe in

iAld

Mark

Marinelli proposal

I

mayor

word
says

developers wanted

s

But

1

of

and

have

might

1

Marinelli

aldermen

i

ela

the firsthurdle

several

ping

was

it

stream

so sure

the garageexpense

negotiating

a

c ourthouse

M ayoroncloud nine over
Review

n

1
r

lhepToj
Smeaton

t
ec

iU

whohaS bee

issue for years
man

MrJ

Illake

n

flubbing

the

thealder

1

100kgood

added

developer still
need to coax the Ministry of theAti
torney General to move its provin
cial court into the new building to
make theprojectworth pursuing
Currently the city leases the Quee
Street courthouse
considered 2
to thE
security risk by local police
The

city

and

the

I

However

ministry

a

lease for thi

year hasn t been worked out yetan
last month the ministry angered b
the

city

s

refusal to

grant

a

long

term lease said it would be lookin
for new court

I

space
I