Whatever momentum the city of Dunkirk had in regard to development seems to have come to a grinding halt.
News of Krog Corp. deciding to not move ahead with plans for the former Bertges auto dealership property, right, at 18 Lake Shore Drive West last week is just one more piece of bad news in what has been a month of trying times for the city. The Buffalo-area developer told Steve Neratko, city development director, that "with the economics as they are, with the site and just in general in the region right now, they couldn't come up with much that they saw as feasible as a project at this time."
Besides the Krog decision, July also brought these items for city officials to ponder:
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Consideration of water rate increases next year.
A bill for services of $65,000 from the 2010 the Masonic Temple fire.
A reliability study done by National Grid that found the NRG city plant will go from running four units to only two beginning in September.
A visit by federal officials regarding documents in city departments.
Its police department was disobeying the law by overcharging for public documents.
None of these items bode well for the future of the city. We already know that costs go up each year, but the problem with the city - and most other areas in Western New York - is the tax base is not growing. It is declining.
When that happens, those businesses and property owners who are already overtapped get tapped on even more.
Four years ago when the Boardwalk Market, Fredonia State high-technology incubator and Chadwick Bay Lofts were under construction, the sentiment for the city was high.
Unless things change - and government can restore some order - those days are fleeting.
