Mayor Byron Brown said Monday that his administration is ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in the next two years on repairing aging streets and sidewalks and replacing street lights and lead pipes used for drinking water.
The mayor spoke about the planned infrastructure improvements to a small gathering at God City Senior Citizen Housing, a 7-story apartment building on Pershing Avenue in the Masten Park neighborhood.
Democrats and Republicans in the Senate have come together on a bipartisan infrastructure package that could bring unprecedented amounts of money to Western New York for roads, bridges, lead pipe removal and much more.
"Over the next two years, with money coming in from the federal government, with money coming in from the state government, with the city budget and the city capital budget, we will be spending close to $2 billion in the City of Buffalo," Brown said. "That's more money than the city has ever had at any one time in its history.
"As much as Buffalo has changed in the last 15 years, over the next two to four years the transformation that will happen will be absolutely amazing."
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Brown said his administration has a $400 million plan based on a comprehensive assessment of sidewalks, streets and curbs, including adding ramps for wheelchairs. The plan was generated by planners, engineers and economic development employees, with the help of 311 data, he said.
The infrastructure bill before the Senate is a compromise, and to hear the experts tell it, the measure compromises President Biden's goal of replacing every lead water pipe in America.
The mayor also plans to use millions for the city's ROLL program to replace lead pipes in the city used for drinking water.
Brown also talked about new job training programs he anticipates with the infusion of government funds, including training he said will be available to seniors, too.
"We're just here to say we want to continue to provide service to you and want you to be comfortable as seniors," Brown said. "I'm just about right there myself," he laughed, as someone yelled out, "No, you have a long ways to go, and a lot to do."
Brown is running a write-in campaign against Democratic nominee India Walton.
As the mayor asked people to write him in in the lower right corner of the ballot, Juanita Looper pounded her table as if putting down one of the stamp's his campaign has been distributing at polling places.
Council members want a system set up to monitor progress on the projects, including receiving copies of requests for proposals before they are issued by the city.
"Stamp him in!" Looper yelled. Later, she said: "I think he's doing a good job. He's the one helping us. I haven't heard nobody else speak about what they're going to do for the seniors."
City resident Loretta James Listen said she "loves the mayor," but added, "I wish he would do more in (the Black) community."
But James said she has a personal reason for her support.
"He was there for me when my son died," she said.
Mark Sommer covers preservation, development, the waterfront, culture and more. He's also a former arts editor at The News.
