I had the opportunity to accompany my former Oakwood Avenue neighbor (mid-1950s) and lifelong friend Kent Diebolt on a tour of Buffalo’s Central Terminal last week. What a privilege. While most visitors are relegated to the outside where they gawk at the deteriorating, but still stately, 270-foot-tall Art Deco icon that watched over Buffalo’s bustling rail lines in the mid-20th century, Kent had the keys and the security code.

It was only a couple of years back when residents of Buffalo were eagerly awaiting news about the future of the Central Terminal. Developers Harry Stinson and Doug Swift were taking a serious whack at plans to restore the complex. On one hand, it sounded like the site might be a good fit for the film industry. At around the same time, there were hopes that The City would choose the Central Terminal as the preferred Amtrak site. Fans and supporters of The Central Terminal were enthused that there was so much positivity surrounding the historic art deco station – it seemed as if any day an announcement would be made, claiming victory for the rail monument.

The Patrick J. Paladino Memorial Boathouse is nearly completed. The two-story rowing boathouse, located at 405 Ohio Street, brings a recreational component to the evolving corridor in the Old First Ward.

Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) – The Strong National Museum of Play expansion project is well underway. The first phase, which includes a multi-level parking garage, is expected to be finished by the end of this year.