This year, the gateway property to Canada – the only building in the city with a view of the Falls- the former Occidental Office building/ Aqua Falls – was opened to the public, and suddenly the NY side of the Niagara acquired a view which rivals any in Canada.

The owner of this building (myself) is now calling upon any and all civic- minded people to participate in helping to create, then executing a community- wide plan to better serve the millions who come here annually to see one of the great wonders of the world.

Consider: Niagara Falls, NY, has the most famous natural landscape in the world, the most visited state park in the USA, more than 300 tourists every year to every resident, and yet, has managed to create a ghost town—across the river from a boom town.

Can historians cite another example where a small community had 17 million tourists annually – and was broke?

Rather than blame government– could we look instead to our own brains and strong right arms? If it’s government’s fault, there’s nothing to do except whine and complain – which we’ve been doing for 40 years. But if we lacked the initiative to serve tourists well enough to make them stay, and, in turn, pay us fairly for services and products we were inspired to offer- - there is something we can do: develop, then execute a plan to remedy our rather embarrassing, impecunious status.

It was attributed to Archimedes, referring to his discovery: the lever, to have said, “give me a place to stand and I’ll move the world.”

We may have our lever - the best tourism building in Niagara Falls.

Maybe its time for you to get involved. If it’s so- you are most welcome.

 

Contact Frank Parlato, One Niagara, Niagara Falls, NY 14303. 716-804-3304.