Revitalize Buffalo update

Revitalize Buffalo plans another meeting 7 p.m. April 28 at the Delaware Park Casino.

"Are you tired of hearing about the decline of Buffalo? We are. Do you believe that Buffalo is a great city with an even greater quality of life? We do. We are Revitalize Buffalo. Instead of waiting for someone else to do something, we realized we needed to take action. Our vision is to help build a smarter and cooler Buffalo and to mobilize the bright, creative and hard-working people of Buffalo and the region. "One of the biggest challenges we face is the current view of the community. The perception desperately needs to be changed. Yes, we have problems with the economy and politics. However, there is no better time to get involved with revitalization. We are at a crossroads. Both the city and county need help getting out of the red and back in the black. "We are working on "building an urban experience.' We are going to link up a lecture series with an activity in the city. So for instance, we will have someone talk about the new biomedical campus being built downtown, how to get a job at the campus and then have a tour of the campus. We will also have someone speak to the large artist population and then visit art galleries in the area. "A larger focus of the group involves buying a building in the downtown area, revitalizing it and offering space to small businesses at low rent. Once one small business is successful, others will want to build around it. "There are ways to learn more about us. Come to our next meeting April 28 at the Delaware Park Casino. Check out our Web site at www.revitalizebuffalo.org and e-mail your thoughts and ideas to amy@revitalizebuffalo.org. We know there are hundreds if not thousands of closet Buffalo fans out there. Maybe you don't want to speak up because everyone else around you is complaining. Well, we need your voice. We need you to help us change the climate of the community."

Schedule permitting, I'll be there.