ECC to Study Feasibility of New Building!

Great news!
ECC has been required to hire a consultant to determine where the best location for the new building is. This is a great step forward for Buffalo because hopefully this will open the eyes of the College and County as to what young people need/want. The City Campus needs to be at the center of their operations due to it's accessibility to mass transit, employment options and the networking and internship opportunities. 

We are thankful for Erie County who is requiring the study as part of accessing the funding that was provided for the new building. 

You can read the article here.  and we included the text below. 

Erie County and its two-year community college hired a consultant to determine where to build a new academic building.

A contract for JMZ Architects and Planners of Glens Falls was approved recently by the Erie Community College board of trustees and the Erie County Legislature. The contract is for $171,200, while the college and county have each set aside $100,000 for the study.

ECC’s push for a $30 million building at the Amherst campus drew criticism earlier this year from groups that want the college to build in the city, not the suburbs.

The consultant’s 10-step study, which will include financial and educational analyses and community input, will help determine a clear-cut plan for the new building, saidMichael Farrell, an ECC spokesman.

JMZ’s timeline for the report is six months. The firm will meet with a committee of county, college and community members throughout the process, said William Reuter, ECC chief administrator and financial officer.

College President Jack Quinn said in March that a new academic building at the North Campus in Amherst is key to boosting enrollment. He said students who would attend classes at that campus are instead choosing Niagara County Community College, and he blamed ECC’s infrastructure.

ECC Makes Another Poor Decision - Job Center Relocating to Amherst.

Shame. Shame.
ECC yet again makes a poor decision that does not benefit the citizens of WNY. 
ECC announced last week that they are moving their Job Center from Orchard Park to Amherst. 


News Flash! 
People who don't have jobs, have a hard time paying for a car.. which means that this center should be located in a hub that is served by transit so that all people can have equal access to a job center. 


The bottom line is this: ECC wins because they "save" money on operating expenses while the citizens of Western New York loose because they have to take 2 buses and take an hour each way to an area just to find a potential job. This is not fair and does not provide access to all.
The building should have been located to the downtown campus where there is an equal opportunity for all of our citizens to find a job.


We are already looking into alternatives.. more information on the way.


You can read the Buffalo News link here: http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article958117.ece

Support from the Buffalo News Editorial Board!

Today the Buffalo News Editorial Board posted this article in support for ECC to build and concentrate into the downtown area. We are glad to see so much support for the city from the Buffalo News, the Common Council and most importantly - the citizens and students in Erie County. 

Now we need Mark Poloncarz to be more stern and push ECC the health and science building to be built into our regional downtown hub! Come on, Mark. This is what the students need and want!

 Here is the link! http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial-page/article856574.ece

Here is the article. Check it out.

It appears as if Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz is keeping his options open when it comes to the location of a new academic building for Erie Community College.

That's good.

So is news that county lawmakers, by unanimous vote, redesignated the $7.5 million set aside for the project but loosened the language about how the funds will be used. A year ago the Legislature specified that the money was to be used for a new building on the aging North Campus. In a significant change, the money is now designated for "Erie Community College building construction."

ECC officials have been pushing for a new academic building on the North Campus for two years. Poloncarz has lately made clear that he wants more planning before the decision is made about the building's location.

Poloncarz, in a letter to members of the Buffalo Common Council, wrote: "Without a thorough analysis of ECC's needs and the intended use for the building, no determination can be made of either the programs to be housed in it or the most appropriate site."

Here's a helpful hint on the proper site: downtown.

There's very little logic in continuing to spread resources throughout a three-campus system, as opposed to concentrating those efforts and funds into the downtown core. Poloncarz and county lawmakers should consider carefully the critical mass being developed downtown and the practicality of locating valuable educational resources near the expanding Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

Eventually, access to Main Street downtown also will improve as progress continues in returning cars and two-way traffic to the stretch from Goodell Street to the Buffalo River.

So why not locate the new $30 million community building at its downtown location?

It's a question that's long been raised by former County Executive Joel A. Giambra, who has continued to pursue the goal of merging three campuses into one downtown. Giambra was right years ago, and he remains correct when he says that doing so would strengthen the institution.

Last month, ECC officials did say that plans for which programs would be in the new building are "fluid," and could include liberal arts, criminal justice and some technology. All subjects that fit well into a downtown setting.

Those who argue for placing the academic building on the North Campus say that they are competing for students -- and dollars -- when students opt instead for Niagara County Community College. And that reasoning, they insist, holds for a new academic building or a proposed dormitory.

But that argument doesn't hold up against the collective resources available in Buffalo's downtown nor the fact that the 50-year-old North Campus is in desperate need of attention. Expensive repairs and improvements to what's already there are needed.

Focusing its attention and resources downtown not only strengthens the community college but adds more momentum to the progress being made in the renovation of historic buildings, infrastructure improvements and educational and research opportunities, all of which are adding to the general sense of renewed vitality downtown.

Students, especially those seeking careers in law enforcement and health care, should want to be in the center of those operations downtown. Buffalo is moving forward, and ECC should be part of that progress.

Giambra is NOT the Only One Fighting

This article (HERE) was posted on Easter for the front page of the Buffalo News.

Basically to sum it up, it says that Joel Giambra is the mastermind behind the ECC fight. We are currently working on a statement for the press  to address this article because although we are thankful for what Joel Giambra is doing, we want the public to realize that other people are supportive and doing work to bring ECC's proposed building to the downtown core.YC4ECC has spent a lot of time and energy into building awareness, meeting with political figures, writing letters, working with council members for resolutions and pushing petitions all to push the health and science building to be built downtown. This article says nothing about our efforts and even hints that Joel is behind it all which is not the truth.

A real statement will be released shortly. In the mean time, take a look at the article linked above. Also, we put some photos in this post to show the readers that we have been active with talking at board meetings, working with the Buffalo common council as well as even passing out flyers at events this past summer.

ECC's Sprawl is NOT Convenient

So, this article (full text below) was posted today about how ECC's three campus system should remain because the writers son is a volunteer fire fighter about a mile away and it is convenient for his schedule.

We have several arguments here about why we believe promoting downtown investment is important for our region however, the main argument we want to drive home is convenience. 

Lets talk about convenience for a minute.

If an ECC student lived on Jefferson avenue, as many do, one would have to take two buses each way to get to ECC North campus which would take approximately one hour, or longer, depending on the bus schedule. All this time wasted for a 50 minute class? Hmmm... what is convenient about that? This also doesn't even begin to discuss the fact that the ECC student could have a job or a family to take care of at which, a two hour travel time for a short class could easily not be worth the effort and could deter the student from having success at ECC. Spending two hours on a bus is not convenient. 

We encourage you to take a look at the bus routes and see it for yourself. For someone who does not have a car, we should be promoting a college education that provides access to everyone.. oh wait, that is a part of ECC's mission statement, right? Yes, it is.

Here is the article.

http://wyrk.com/ecc-needs-to-continue-with-three-campuses-to-better-serve-western-new-york/

In case you don’t know it, I am a huge fan of Erie Community College. I graduated from ECC’s North campus in 1981 with a two year degree in English/Humanities. I then went on to a four year college and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcasting. My education from ECC gave me a perfect foundation to achieve a four year degree and it also put me on the path to the career that I have now. In September of 2010, I was honored as one of Erie Community College’s Distinguished Alumni for my work in broadcasting and local charities. That recognition from my Alma mater is one the highlights of my life and career.
Yesterday I read a very disturbing article in the paper where a former county executive is trying to derail ECC’s plans to build a new building on the North campus in Williamsville. Joel Giambra claims that ECC’s new building must be built downtown because the city of Buffalo is dying. Mr. Giambra wants ECC to consolidate its three campuses and have everything centrally located in downtown Buffalo. This would be a huge mistake. ECC is thriving and serving our community well because of its three campuses. The three locations are perfectly situated in downtown Buffalo, Williamsville and Orchard Park. I live about a mile and a half from the North campus in Williamsville. My son Tyler is pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice with all of his classes at the North campus. He is also a member of the Main Transit Fire Department located less than a mile from the ECC North campus. There are times when he is attending class and gets a fire call and has to leave the campus. Because of the close proximity of ECC North campus and the Main Transit Fire Department, he is able to help his community when needed and get back on campus all in a timely manor. If every ECC class were taught in downtown Buffalo, it would prevent my son from going to fire  and rescue calls while at school. It would also cost my son a lot more in fuel costs if he had to attend class in downtown Buffalo. With the price of gasoline these days, I don’t think he would be able to afford attending classes in downtown Buffalo. I don’t think Joel Giamabra realizes that many young people today are also in the same situation as my son. Money is tight and having a campus located near home is vital. It can mean the difference between being able to attend college classes and not.

It seems that Mr. Giambra has a personal ax to grind. He tried to consolidate the three campuses of ECC while he was County Executive. His plan was shut down back then because it’s a bad idea. Now he is threatening legal action to stop the new building from being constructed on the North Campus. We don’t need Joel Giambra trying to fix something that is not broken. Erie Community College is working perfectly the way it is. President Jack Quinn are his staff are to be commended for the fabulous way the college is being run and serving our Western new York community.

Common Council Meeting - Tuesday, April 10th - 2pm @ City Hall. Come!!!

Hello Everyone!!
On Tuesday, April 10th at 2pm, both Bernice Radle and Greg Conley will be speaking at the City of Buffalo's common council meeting to show support for a resolution which asks the County Executive to withdraw his support of ECC building the health and science building in Amherst.

We are looking for people to come out and show support. We are VERY thankful that the common council continues to push this issue. Obviously they feel that this is important and will only be good for the students and the community. We must continue to push to bring this building downtown which will help bring ECC students closer to the jobs and networking opportunities within and surrounding the very successful Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

See you there. No signs allowed but if you have the Tshirts we made this summer, that would be neat to see.

April 10th @ 2pm. Common Council chambers in City Hall!

Go Buffalo!
-YC4ECC

ECC Should Utilize Sheehan Hospital Instead.

This comes directly from Buffalorising. Thank you to BRO for the maps and research on this one!

You can read the story here: http://www.buffalorising.com/2012/03/sheehan-closing-blocks-from-ecc-city-campus.html

Erie Community College officials are determined to build a $30 million academic building on its North Campus in Amherst.  Governor Cuomo's proposed 2012-13 budgetallocates $15 million in funding for the 110,000 sq.ft. building.  Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz is supporting a county match of $7.5 million as previously proposed by former Executive Chris Collins.  The college and its foundation are expecting to raise another $7.5 towards the capital project.

When first announced, the plan was to house health sciences programs in the new structure. That set off howls of protest from city officials and others calling the move shortsighted and questioning why health science programs weren't located at the City Campus or Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.  With good reason. 

ECC officials are now saying the new structure would be an "academic building" and the exact programs to be housed are yet to be determined.  No matter, the Buffalo Common Council earlier this month went on record supporting building near the City Campus where consolidation of the community college's three campuses has been tossed around for over a decade.

ECC may not even need to build if it can be convinced to expand downtown.  A building may be available soon.  Last week, Sheehan Health Network announced it is closing its facility at Michigan Avenue and Clinton Street for financial reasons.  The five-story building opened in 1979 and has 111,000 sq.ft. of space.  It's located just three blocks from the City Campus.  Sheehan also has coveted parking and plenty of room for expansion.  The property is 8.6 acres, four blocks east of Lafayette Square.