Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula like to put his money where his mouth is.
Today, Buffalo Mayor, Byron Brown, unveiled a plan that will see Pegula make a sizable monetary commitment to the beautification of the Central Wharf site that sits directly adjacent to the home of his NHL team's arena.
Pegula wants to donate landscaping work for unfinished lots around the Central Wharf section of Canalside, according to a city memo.
Its been discussed that Pegula will invest $120,000 of his own money, to pay for such things as new sod, other landscaping products , services, and the necessary labor to pay the man power. The City of Buffalo owns the adjacent lots.
According to the Buffalo News, the City of Buffalo's Department of Public Works has already reviewed preliminary plans for the work, Commissioner Steven J. Stepniak said in a memo to the Common Council, which must vote to accept the donation.
Kevin Snow of sabres.com has more on the story:
The City of Buffalo’s Canalside area will have another “front door” thanks to the contribution of Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula.
With blue skies and the bustling waterfront as the backdrop, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced today that Pegula and the Sabres will spend $120,000 to install 90,000 square feet of new sod to three parcels of city-owned property in the Canalside area adjacent to First Niagara Center. Work to clean and clear the land has already started, with the new sod expected to be down within the next few weeks.
In addition, the chain link fences and concrete jersey barriers that currently ring the perimeter of the downtown land will be removed to provide unfettered public access to the new greenspace.
“This will add to the beauty of a developing area of the downtown waterfront,” stated Brown. “It also shows that the Sabres want to make a difference not only in sports, but in the Buffalo community in general.”
Sabres Chief Development Officer Cliff Benson said that talks to get involved with the waterfront project date back over a year, but it all came down to one thing for the organization.
“We wanted to be good citizens, and we wanted to be good neighbors,” explained Benson. “This is our home. This is where we live down here. So we are particularly interested in making this a beautiful place.”
Noting the cranes already doing construction work on the old Aud site and Donovan Building, Brown explained how this contribution from the Sabres is just another step in developing a world-class waterfront in downtown Buffalo.
“This kind of contribution is only going to encourage other private sector organizations to step forward.”
Personally, I applaud Pegula and the Sabres for their investment in the Central Wharf. I've spent a lot of time in this magical space with family, friends, and The Tragically Hip in recent months
I was lucky enough to grease my roadie bros to get front row seats for me and my crew. We loved the venue and the the energy! Gord and the boys loved it too! The Arkells surley had a blast, too!
Those of you that saw The Hip @ The Wharf last July were treated to not only a blistering set of blues-rock, but you also got a glimpse of 25,000 rockin out in a a newly refurbished community meeting place that was once infested by urban blight and rust belt scars.
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