By Amanda St. Hilaire, Iris Park, and Jacob Levy
The Parental Escort Policy is not unique to the Carousel Center. The Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, was the first mall in the United States to establish a Parental Escort Policy in 1996. Since then, other malls across the country have developed similar policies, including Walden Galleria in Buffalo.
Walden Galleria, like the Carousel Center, is a shopping mall owned by the Pyramid Companies, headquartered in Syracuse. Center General Manager Rob Schoeneck said Walden Galleria was the first Pyramid Mall to establish an age-based curfew in 2002.
Walden Galleria General Manager John Ecklund said he experienced problems similar to those at the Carousel Center before establishing a Parental Escort Policy. But he said Walden Galleria mall management was reluctant to set a curfew. Ecklund said Walden Galleria initially tried to take care of youth misbehavior by doubling security.
When that didn’t help, the mall had no choice but to enforce a Parental Escort Policy, Ecklund said. “It’s unfortunate that there’s a need for this. It certainly wasn’t initially the favored solution for the problems we were having. But I have to say it’s been an effective solution. We have a much-improved environment; it just cleaned everything right up.”
But Carousel Center and Walden Galleria differ in how they enforce their policies. Walden Galleria uses more security guards to enforce its policy, Schoeneck said. “Everybody that was participating, either in house security or parental escort, everybody was in a security uniform.”
The Carousel Center put those responsible for enforcing the policy in red coats, not a security guard uniform. Schoeneck said Carousel Center chose to use Guest Relations staff separate from security. He said mall management made the distinction because they wanted to deliver an experience consistent with the Destiny USA Project.
Schoeneck said Destiny USA was a project designed to transform the Carousel Center into an “experience that transcended simply shopping in a mall.” But Destiny USA stalled when Citigroup refused to lend the project more money in June 2009. Although Destiny USA developer Robert Congel sued Citigroup and won in two court decisions, the project has not yet restarted.
The Carousel Center went ahead with the development of its Guest Relations staff anyway. Schoeneck said Guest Relations personnel were key to the implementation of the Parental Escort Policy. In April, 2003, one month before mall management started enforcing the policy, Guest Relations staff members were already greeting people at the mall entrance.
Before long, other malls started to notice. Schoeneck says four of the 14 other Pyramid shopping centers visited Walden Galleria and Carousel Center before establishing Parental Escort policies of their own a few years later. Although enforcement varies slightly from mall to mall, Schoeneck says the main idea is the same. “I think everybody implemented it the way that we did it. They just picked a different color coat.”
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Underage Shoppers
By Amanda St. Hilaire, Iris Park, and Jacob Levy
“Excuse me, miss, may I see your ID?”
Syracuse University sophomore Nora Giannini, 19, fumbled through her purse for her ID while the man in the red coat waited. She handed him her driver’s license and watched him look it over. The man smiled as he gave it back, thanked her, and walked away.
It was a Saturday night, but Giannini wasn’t at a bar—she was shopping at the Carousel Center in Syracuse. The man in the red coat wasn’t a bouncer—he was a Guest Relations staff member. Part of his job is to enforce the Carousel Center’s Parental Escort Policy.
“Being carded made me feel like I was in junior high and a suspect simultaneously,” Giannini said. “I thought it was pretty pointless.”
Carousel management implemented the Parental Escort Policy in June 2003. According to the policy, people under the age of 18 are not allowed in the mall after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays without a parent or guardian who is at least 21 years old. Parents can supervise up to five minors at a time. The policy does not apply to the mall movie theater or to stores with outdoor entrances.
Carousel Center General Manager Rob Schoeneck said the Parental Escort Policy was “designed to improve the environment of the mall.” Prior to the policy, he had received customer complaints about groups of teenagers running around the mall, riding up and down the escalators, making noise, and using foul language—particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. “It was making it more and more difficult for couples, for families, to be here,” Schoeneck said. “You know, you open the elevator doors and instead of politely waiting for people to come off, a group of five or six kids just barges into the elevator.”
Now, more than six years later, Schoeneck says the Parental Escort Policy works. “It’s the right guest experience,” Schoeneck said with a shrug. “I can’t guarantee that tonight someone’s not going to act up in the mall. But the issues we used to have on Friday and Saturday nights, we just don’t have them and haven’t seen them.”
Carousel Center Security Director Tim Erwin said he could not comment on the Parental Escort Policy because only Schoeneck is allowed to speak to the press. Schoeneck would not allow NCC News to speak to security guards, Guest Relations staff, or mall shoppers.
Ray Wimer, an assistant professor of retail management in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, says it’s common for mall managers to keep reporters from speaking to employees because the employees do not set mall policies—they enforce them. But Wimer says Schoeneck’s refusal to allow reporters to interview shoppers suggests a lack of confidence in his own policy. “It really seems like they’re trying to hide something. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t let you talk to shoppers if they think their policy is so great.”
Schoeneck did allow NCC News to talk to mall tenants. Of the 24 NCC News contacted, five would speak about the Parental Escort Policy. Wimer says some store managers cannot comment because of corporate restrictions, but others may be hesitant because of pressure from mall management. “Honestly, they very well could be scared of repercussions,” he said. “It’s a possibility because of the perceived power of management and Pyramid Corporation.”
The tenants who agreed to comment spoke positively about the Parental Escort Policy. Abercrombie and Fitch assistant manager Kellie Colles says the policy has helped business because it reduces shoplifting. Shoplifting happens more on weekends, and if teenagers are required to be with parents, they are less likely to steal from stores, Colles said.
Brenda Gorzka, District Manager of Subway at the Carousel Center, says she only has good things to say about the Parental Escort Policy. “It affects our business in a positive way; we’re having a great year. It makes the mall safer.”
Schoeneck said the Parental Escort Policy has not hurt mall business because it only affects eight to ten hours per week. For some tenants, business has improved, he said. Schoeneck said he could not give specific statistics.
Wimer says those eight to ten hours can make all the difference because they are during the busiest shopping days. But requiring minors to be with adults weekend nights would not necessarily have a negative effect on business because teenagers tend to spend less money, he said.
Holly Nosiglia, a junior at Cicero-North Syracuse High School and a contributing writer for The Post-Standard, said she does spend money at the mall. Nosiglia said she doesn’t like the policy, and neither do her parents. “My parents just think it’s stupid and that [mall security] should be paid to root out people who are actually causing trouble rather than people who would cause trouble…I don’t think that my age group is really that terrible and I find it really condescending.”
Nosiglia said the Parental Escort Policy is also unpopular with her friends. “Everyone views it negatively for the most part. You have to get your shopping done somewhere. You don’t want to go shopping with your mom.”
But Nosiglia has gone shopping without her mother on weekend nights. She says that is because some security personnel are stricter than others. “I see some security guards that get way more into it than the other ones. A lot of the security guards just walk by and they’re like whatever…they’ll give you eye contact, they won’t pursue it, they’ll just go about their business. Then I see some security guards who patrol a specific area and anytime someone walks by they stop them and they are overzealous about the whole thing.”
SU junior, D.K. Kim, 20, says he has also noticed that the policy is not enforced consistently. “I think those people are pretty selective in who they choose to question. They’re more likely to question people who look suspicious rather than actually looking at their age.”
Kim says he experienced this firsthand one Friday night his freshman year at the Carousel Center. He said he was sitting in the food court with friends when a Guest Relations staff member passed by his group and went on to question a group of black teenagers about their ages. Kim said this surprised him because he and his friends are Asian and “Asian people look young.”
“I think it’s not what age you are, but it’s more how you dress and how you portray yourself – and society,” Kim said. “I think they would more likely question an African American just because of the society around here.”
Schoeneck says the Guest Relations staff members do not enforce the policy based on anything other than age. “We really preach that we want to be consistent. We don’t want people to come up to us and say, ‘You’re picking on these people, and you’re not picking on [others].’ It doesn’t matter to us.”
Even if policy enforcement is consistent, mall management is sacrificing fairness for simplicity, Nosiglia said. She suggests a policy based on behavior, not age. “Security should let kids off with a warning and alert the other security guards,” Nosiglia said. “You know, the kid in the black shirt is causing issues. If he does it again, kick him out.”
The Parental Escort Policy is not changing anytime soon, Schoeneck said. “I’m not gonna change it if it’s working well. I think we hit it right where we should the first time…but just because it’s working good doesn’t mean we still can’t improve the program.”
“Excuse me, miss, may I see your ID?”
Syracuse University sophomore Nora Giannini, 19, fumbled through her purse for her ID while the man in the red coat waited. She handed him her driver’s license and watched him look it over. The man smiled as he gave it back, thanked her, and walked away.
It was a Saturday night, but Giannini wasn’t at a bar—she was shopping at the Carousel Center in Syracuse. The man in the red coat wasn’t a bouncer—he was a Guest Relations staff member. Part of his job is to enforce the Carousel Center’s Parental Escort Policy.
“Being carded made me feel like I was in junior high and a suspect simultaneously,” Giannini said. “I thought it was pretty pointless.”
Carousel management implemented the Parental Escort Policy in June 2003. According to the policy, people under the age of 18 are not allowed in the mall after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays without a parent or guardian who is at least 21 years old. Parents can supervise up to five minors at a time. The policy does not apply to the mall movie theater or to stores with outdoor entrances.
Carousel Center General Manager Rob Schoeneck said the Parental Escort Policy was “designed to improve the environment of the mall.” Prior to the policy, he had received customer complaints about groups of teenagers running around the mall, riding up and down the escalators, making noise, and using foul language—particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. “It was making it more and more difficult for couples, for families, to be here,” Schoeneck said. “You know, you open the elevator doors and instead of politely waiting for people to come off, a group of five or six kids just barges into the elevator.”
Now, more than six years later, Schoeneck says the Parental Escort Policy works. “It’s the right guest experience,” Schoeneck said with a shrug. “I can’t guarantee that tonight someone’s not going to act up in the mall. But the issues we used to have on Friday and Saturday nights, we just don’t have them and haven’t seen them.”
Carousel Center Security Director Tim Erwin said he could not comment on the Parental Escort Policy because only Schoeneck is allowed to speak to the press. Schoeneck would not allow NCC News to speak to security guards, Guest Relations staff, or mall shoppers.
Ray Wimer, an assistant professor of retail management in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, says it’s common for mall managers to keep reporters from speaking to employees because the employees do not set mall policies—they enforce them. But Wimer says Schoeneck’s refusal to allow reporters to interview shoppers suggests a lack of confidence in his own policy. “It really seems like they’re trying to hide something. I don’t understand why they wouldn’t let you talk to shoppers if they think their policy is so great.”
Schoeneck did allow NCC News to talk to mall tenants. Of the 24 NCC News contacted, five would speak about the Parental Escort Policy. Wimer says some store managers cannot comment because of corporate restrictions, but others may be hesitant because of pressure from mall management. “Honestly, they very well could be scared of repercussions,” he said. “It’s a possibility because of the perceived power of management and Pyramid Corporation.”
The tenants who agreed to comment spoke positively about the Parental Escort Policy. Abercrombie and Fitch assistant manager Kellie Colles says the policy has helped business because it reduces shoplifting. Shoplifting happens more on weekends, and if teenagers are required to be with parents, they are less likely to steal from stores, Colles said.
Brenda Gorzka, District Manager of Subway at the Carousel Center, says she only has good things to say about the Parental Escort Policy. “It affects our business in a positive way; we’re having a great year. It makes the mall safer.”
Schoeneck said the Parental Escort Policy has not hurt mall business because it only affects eight to ten hours per week. For some tenants, business has improved, he said. Schoeneck said he could not give specific statistics.
Wimer says those eight to ten hours can make all the difference because they are during the busiest shopping days. But requiring minors to be with adults weekend nights would not necessarily have a negative effect on business because teenagers tend to spend less money, he said.
Holly Nosiglia, a junior at Cicero-North Syracuse High School and a contributing writer for The Post-Standard, said she does spend money at the mall. Nosiglia said she doesn’t like the policy, and neither do her parents. “My parents just think it’s stupid and that [mall security] should be paid to root out people who are actually causing trouble rather than people who would cause trouble…I don’t think that my age group is really that terrible and I find it really condescending.”
Nosiglia said the Parental Escort Policy is also unpopular with her friends. “Everyone views it negatively for the most part. You have to get your shopping done somewhere. You don’t want to go shopping with your mom.”
But Nosiglia has gone shopping without her mother on weekend nights. She says that is because some security personnel are stricter than others. “I see some security guards that get way more into it than the other ones. A lot of the security guards just walk by and they’re like whatever…they’ll give you eye contact, they won’t pursue it, they’ll just go about their business. Then I see some security guards who patrol a specific area and anytime someone walks by they stop them and they are overzealous about the whole thing.”
SU junior, D.K. Kim, 20, says he has also noticed that the policy is not enforced consistently. “I think those people are pretty selective in who they choose to question. They’re more likely to question people who look suspicious rather than actually looking at their age.”
Kim says he experienced this firsthand one Friday night his freshman year at the Carousel Center. He said he was sitting in the food court with friends when a Guest Relations staff member passed by his group and went on to question a group of black teenagers about their ages. Kim said this surprised him because he and his friends are Asian and “Asian people look young.”
“I think it’s not what age you are, but it’s more how you dress and how you portray yourself – and society,” Kim said. “I think they would more likely question an African American just because of the society around here.”
Schoeneck says the Guest Relations staff members do not enforce the policy based on anything other than age. “We really preach that we want to be consistent. We don’t want people to come up to us and say, ‘You’re picking on these people, and you’re not picking on [others].’ It doesn’t matter to us.”
Even if policy enforcement is consistent, mall management is sacrificing fairness for simplicity, Nosiglia said. She suggests a policy based on behavior, not age. “Security should let kids off with a warning and alert the other security guards,” Nosiglia said. “You know, the kid in the black shirt is causing issues. If he does it again, kick him out.”
The Parental Escort Policy is not changing anytime soon, Schoeneck said. “I’m not gonna change it if it’s working well. I think we hit it right where we should the first time…but just because it’s working good doesn’t mean we still can’t improve the program.”
Friday, December 18, 2009
A Church, A Steeple, But Where Are the People?
BY ALLIE LEOGRANDE, WILL O'DONNELL, and SAMUEL TAYLOR
When Father Jim Matthews looks around St. Lucy’s church on Gifford St. in Syracuse every Sunday, he sees more full pews than he did five years ago, but he might be the only priest in the area who can say so. The banner hanging out front might help explain why. It says “Sinners Welcome."
According to the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse website, the diocese is currently closing 40 churches over a three-year period, and Matthews’ church is picking up many of the people left without a parish. St. Lucy’s absorbed St. Andrew the Apostle Parish after Bishop James Moynihan announced its closure last January. “[St. Andrew’s] parish has been pretty much devastated,” Matthews said. “Some just stopped coming to church, others are going to Protestant churches… It’s a desperate situation."
Fr. Linus says the main cause of the decline in membership is cultural. Whereas 80 years ago, religion was a staple in a person’s daily life, today’s generation is less involved and less enthusiastic. He says after the 1920’s, the United States had a decline in the amount of religious interest that continued through the rest of the century. “People in their 30’s 40’s 50’s, there is so much more going on in their lives than there was 30 years ago,” Fr. Linus said, “There are so many attractions and distractions that the less than winsome aspects of life, the intangibles, have caused a change in attitude.” Fr. Linus says the combination of this change in culture and increasingly busy lifestyles has moved church to the bottom of most people’s priority list. The decline in Sunday attendance has resulted in a decrease in many churches’ revenue. Since a large portion of a parish’s income is based on donations from its parishioners, many Catholic churches are seeing a steady decline in available funds.
St. John the Baptist Church on Court St. in Syracuse, for instance, spent $400,000 last year on basic utilities and payroll for church offices. In an interview with the public affairs program CONNECT, Father Jon Werner of St. John the Baptist said if revenue doesn’t come up, his parish could close within the next five to ten years.
Fr. Matthews says St. Lucy’s is experiencing a similar problem. “We’ve lost a couple of organizations that were contributing to our parish,” he said, “We’re down significantly overall.”
Fr. Linus of Syracuse University says the second reason for the church closures is the failing economy. “The economy is very poor in this area, Central New York, and New England also” he said. “So people are moving out of the area. They’re going south.”
According to a study by the Manhattan Institute of Policy Research, people who are leaving New York State have a 13 percent higher average income than those who are staying. The state is left with a lower average income, which worsens current economic conditions. Still, no matter how rich or poor a person living in New York is, a church can’t survive without a priest.
Fr. Linus says the third main reason for the decline in the number of churches in the area is due to the decline in the number of priests available. He says the number of priests in the Syracuse Diocese alone has gone from 400 in 1970 to 100 in 2008. One of the reasons for this decline is the Catholic Church’s policy of celibacy, Father Matthews said.
“The religious hierarchy refuses to recognize that celibacy doesn’t work,” he said. “Celibacy leads to a lack of priests and they have to close churches.”
Celibacy is not as important to American Catholics as it is to the religious hierarchy. In a poll conducted in April 2009, by Zogby International, less than a fifth of people asked said that it was “very important” to keep priests celibate.
In fact, priests are experiencing the same changes in culture that parishioners are. During the early 20th century, seminarians were taught the most literal translation of the Bible. However, the Second Vatican Council, a voting group of the Catholic Hierarchy and a nonvoting group of other Christian representatives, changed the focus of religious education to adopt a more modern approach during the 60’s.
“[The new form of education] was meant to engender a certain spirit into our faith life as opposed to a legalism…,” Father Linus said. “But that spirit demanded something of us that were not equipped to use. We weren’t taught how to take personal responsibility, we were taught ‘you do this and you do that,’ and when it came to our faith life, it was all the harder to develop that personal responsibility.”
Protestants, who make up the largest group of religious Americans, allow their priests to marry, but have also seen a decline in church attendance. A National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago reported in 2004 that the Protestant faith is “vanishing.” Weekly church attendance was 32.1 percent in 1990-1993, but decreased to 30.3 percent in 1994-2002.
Islamic Mosques and Jewish Synagogues are also experiencing changes in demographics.
Magda Bayoumi, board member of the Islamic Society of Central New York, says funding for the Society has decreased by 40 percent because of the state of the economy. “The Rabbi Charles Sherman of Temple Adath Yeshurun, right, in Syracuse shares a similar concern. When asked what the most pressing issue his institution is facing today, he simply replied, “Money, money, money.” He continued, “I think the challenge really pressing the local synagogue is that you’re very dependent on what happens with the rest of the Syracuse economy. If there were jobs here, our membership would be soaring. We’re just not.”
Like the Syracuse Catholic churches, the Mosques and Synagogues are seeing a change in their congregations, but for different reasons.
To try to replace the aging generation, Rabbi Sherman says Temple Adath Yeshurun is trying to make the institution’s services more available. Sherman says ignoring the problem could make it worse. “Instead of retreating, we’ve gone the other way: we’ve become much more proactive and much more assertive and aggressive.”
Chelsea Damberg, a sophomore Policy Studies major at Syracuse University, attended a Baptist church throughout her childhood in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.
“When I was younger I thought everybody went to church,” Damberg said. “Now that I’m older I definitely see less people going. I feel like I’m in the minority.” Damberg says she no longer attends church.
Evangelical churches, however, have been the exception to what appears to be a declining emphasis on religion in the United States. With changes in the economy and the modern interpretation of religion, evangelical churches have become more popular because of what Fr. Linus calls a more “user friendly religion.”
The spread of evangelical mega-churches (churches that have at least 2,000 active members) across the country is evident in New York State. According to USAchurches.org, a site with the major church listings, of the nine largest mega-churches in New York, seven are evangelical. For instance, The Believer’s Chapel in Cicero boasts 1,500 weekly worshippers and 40 acres of land that holds three worshipping centers, its website says.
Evangelicals are successfully combating the issue of a “bored” younger generation. The website for Abundant Life Christian Center, a mega-church in East Syracuse with more than 2,500 weekly parishioners, says, “The most exciting place for kids should be at church, so we want [our program] to be a highlight in the life of every child, every week.” The church offers videogame nights, a religious podcast, and a youth group that “numbers over 200.”
Fr. Linus agrees. “The revitalization of our religion is going to have to happen on a one by one basis,” he said. “You can’t wait around and say ‘what is Father going to do about this? What is the Church going to do?’ But what is the church? The church is the people, and that’s who should be doing something about it.”
St. Andrew’s is not alone in Onondaga County, and not alone in the United States. Father Linus DeSantis of the Syracuse University Catholic Center, above, says there are three reasons for the national trend of church closures: a change in culture, a weakening economy, and a shortage of priests.
number [of members] has reduced, but not as much as the money has reduced,” Bayoumi said. “We’re getting almost half of what we used to get a few years ago.”
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Spirits High for Outdoor Game
By Brenda Leung, Eric Silverman, and Anna Stolzenburg
December 10, 2009
In the middle of winter, when snow and wind dominate the Syracuse forecast, the New York State Fairgrounds has plans to open its doors and embrace the weather. On Feb. 20, the Fairgrounds will host the Mirabito Outdoor Classic between the Syracuse Crunch and the Binghamton Senators in the first ever outdoor AHL game. How many people will come through the gates and how successful the event will be is difficult to predict.
With U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) among those at his side, Crunch President Howard Dolgon announced the game at a Nov. 24 news conference (above, photo from Crunch website) and went on local talk radio to promote it. Since then there have not been any public statements from the club.
The original announcement is still featured on the Crunch website. There has been no report on how ticket sales are going and repeated calls from NCC News to Crunch management from Dolgon on down have gone unreturned.
New York State Fair Director of Marketing and Public Relations Fred Pierce, who has been working with the Crunch, said Dolgon has set his hopes high for attendance at the game. Dolgon is hoping to emulate the success of the NHL’s outdoor Winter Classic games over the past two years with sold-out stadiums in Buffalo and Chicago, Pierce said.
The record for AHL attendance at a regular season game is 20,672 set in 1997 at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina.
The Mohegan Sun Grandstand (left) at the State Fair holds about 14,000 on a hot summer day, but may hold up to 1,000 fewer in the cold, “when everybody’s going to be bundled up and probably several sizes bigger than they normally are,” Pierce said. The State Fair will set up portable bleachers, a VIP section, and space for standing room in an effort to pass that attendance milestone.
“They sell out SU basketball games, so I don’t see why we can’t break the record. I don’t see why it couldn’t be up around there,” said Crunch season ticket holder Tom Waldt, 21, of Baldwinsville, standing outside the War Memorial before the Dec. 5 Crunch-Senators game.
Syracuse University Sports Management Professor Rick Burton makes a different comparison to attendance at SU men’s basketball games in the Carrier Dome. “I think in a lot of AHL towns that don’t have something like Syracuse University this would be a big deal, but…we put 30,000 in to see college basketball.”
The Crunch’s home arena at the War Memorial (right) holds significantly fewer than both the Dome and the Fairgrounds, but the team still has trouble filling it. Through 12 home games this year, the Crunch has averaged under 5,000 fans per game, according to the official AHL website.
Loyal Crunch supporters, local hockey fans, and everyday Central New Yorkers who have never seen a faceoff in person are all expected to make up the increased attendance at the outdoor game, Pierce said.
“There’s a bunch of people I know who haven’t even been to a Crunch game who are going,” said season ticket holder Waldt. “You don’t have to be a hockey fan to even go. It’s just a big thing if you live around here.”
Tickets to the Outdoor Classic were included in the season ticket package, and season ticket holders were able to buy additional seats before the general public, about a week before the game was officially announced. On Ticketmaster’s website, single game tickets range from $25 to $50, almost double that of indoor games.
The Crunch hopes to sell tickets to out-of-towners as well, said Jeff Mickle, the Sports Development Director of the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau. He expects tourists to come to Syracuse for the weekend, which will temporarily boost the local economy, specifically hotels and restaurants.
“This event creates an opportunity for Central New York’s tourism industry,” said Empire State Development Chairman and CEO Dennis Mullen at the press conference to officially announce the game. “With an influx of hockey fans coming in from across New York State, and possibly Pennsylvania and Canada, the local economy…will stand to gain an estimated $1 million.”
But some people are skeptical. Crunch season ticket holder Dr. Thomas Osinski, 57, of Syracuse, said he does not think spectators are going to spend the night. “People might take in shopping…but I think mainly it’s going to be from a restaurant standpoint, and I can’t see people spending more than one day here.”
Mirabito Fuel Group, the main sponsor for the Outdoor Classic, is promoting the game to attract as many people as possible, said Lindsay Meehan, Mirabito’s Marketing Manager. “It’s a big happening coming to the area, so we want to do what we can to promote it,” Meehan said. “I think the big hockey fans will come from all over for it, and it’s already gaining some national attention. We’re going to make it as big as it can, so if people see that then I think they’ll come from as far as possible if they’re really into it.”
Outside of the War Memorial before the Crunch-Senators Dec. 5 match-up, Senators fan Bob Tokos, 61, of Binghamton, said he is excited about coming to back Syracuse for the outdoor game. Its outdoor atmosphere is what makes it appealing to tourists, Tokos said. “I think it’s a big draw for this area.”
“There’s just a kind of great special feeling to seeing a high level sport played outdoors in what we perceive to be like the good old days,” Burton said.
It may be a big production, but the game is taking on a simple feel to the fans, reminding many of the times they played hockey on their neighborhood pond or outdoor rink, Fred Pierce of the State Fair said. “There is a certain atmosphere there that has good memories for people they want to recapture.”
This light, nostalgic environment is even drawing people to the game who aren’t concerned with their team putting more pucks in the back of the net, but are simply there to take it all in. “I think it’s just going to be a fun game,” said Crunch fan Beverly Schiedler, 71, of Oswego, “I don’t think anybody really cares who’s going to win or lose, it’s a unique thing for us here, now.”
This isn’t just a game, it’s a special event, said Jeff Mickle of the Visitor’s Bureau. It’s one of 80 games on the schedule for both the Crunch and the Senators this season, but it’s getting far more publicity than any of their other match-ups. The Crunch is currently in last place, with little chance of making the playoffs, so many fans at the game won’t be as concerned with the outcome as they will be with the spectacle, Schiedler said.
“To me the outdoor game is more of a novelty thing that I think is going to attract a lot of people who’ve never seen a hockey game before or just want to go and say they were there,” said season ticket holder Osinski. But he said he thinks the novelty won’t create long-term ticket sales for the Crunch. “This game might help, but I can’t see it enhancing attendance at all.”
The event will generate income in the short-term because of its uniqueness, but will not have a long-lasting financial impact, Professor Burton said. The economic effect, “isn’t insignificant, but it’s also not massive.”
Mirabito, however, is looking at a long-term economic impact from the game, said Lindsay Meehan. “As with the whole community, we really just hope it brings the spotlight to Syracuse and Binghamton and kind of shows people that we’re here, and what the major businesses in the area are.”
Mickle agreed, “I think it will put the city in a good spotlight and show what Syracuse can do. I think that will help down the road too. There will be visitors and out-of-towners; they’ll go back and spread the word.”
Pierce said he hopes the Outdoor Classic will lead to more winter events at the Fairgrounds such as snowmobile races, cross-county skiing and other skating events, which he hopes will keep the visitors coming.
Whether or not it will provide long-term economic help for the city or the team, the event almost didn’t become a reality. Initially, Dolgon sought approval from the Onondaga County Legislature to hold the game at the county-owned Alliance Bank Stadium. In a vote on June 2, the Legislature decided against providing Dolgon $350,000 to finance the game at the stadium. After looking into other venues for an outdoor game, Dolgon even explored a Crunch double-header with the Syracuse University women’s hockey team at the Carrier Dome.
December 10, 2009
In the middle of winter, when snow and wind dominate the Syracuse forecast, the New York State Fairgrounds has plans to open its doors and embrace the weather. On Feb. 20, the Fairgrounds will host the Mirabito Outdoor Classic between the Syracuse Crunch and the Binghamton Senators in the first ever outdoor AHL game. How many people will come through the gates and how successful the event will be is difficult to predict.
With U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) among those at his side, Crunch President Howard Dolgon announced the game at a Nov. 24 news conference (above, photo from Crunch website) and went on local talk radio to promote it. Since then there have not been any public statements from the club.
The original announcement is still featured on the Crunch website. There has been no report on how ticket sales are going and repeated calls from NCC News to Crunch management from Dolgon on down have gone unreturned.
New York State Fair Director of Marketing and Public Relations Fred Pierce, who has been working with the Crunch, said Dolgon has set his hopes high for attendance at the game. Dolgon is hoping to emulate the success of the NHL’s outdoor Winter Classic games over the past two years with sold-out stadiums in Buffalo and Chicago, Pierce said.
The record for AHL attendance at a regular season game is 20,672 set in 1997 at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina.
The Mohegan Sun Grandstand (left) at the State Fair holds about 14,000 on a hot summer day, but may hold up to 1,000 fewer in the cold, “when everybody’s going to be bundled up and probably several sizes bigger than they normally are,” Pierce said. The State Fair will set up portable bleachers, a VIP section, and space for standing room in an effort to pass that attendance milestone. “They sell out SU basketball games, so I don’t see why we can’t break the record. I don’t see why it couldn’t be up around there,” said Crunch season ticket holder Tom Waldt, 21, of Baldwinsville, standing outside the War Memorial before the Dec. 5 Crunch-Senators game.
Syracuse University Sports Management Professor Rick Burton makes a different comparison to attendance at SU men’s basketball games in the Carrier Dome. “I think in a lot of AHL towns that don’t have something like Syracuse University this would be a big deal, but…we put 30,000 in to see college basketball.”
The Crunch’s home arena at the War Memorial (right) holds significantly fewer than both the Dome and the Fairgrounds, but the team still has trouble filling it. Through 12 home games this year, the Crunch has averaged under 5,000 fans per game, according to the official AHL website.
Loyal Crunch supporters, local hockey fans, and everyday Central New Yorkers who have never seen a faceoff in person are all expected to make up the increased attendance at the outdoor game, Pierce said.
“There’s a bunch of people I know who haven’t even been to a Crunch game who are going,” said season ticket holder Waldt. “You don’t have to be a hockey fan to even go. It’s just a big thing if you live around here.”
Tickets to the Outdoor Classic were included in the season ticket package, and season ticket holders were able to buy additional seats before the general public, about a week before the game was officially announced. On Ticketmaster’s website, single game tickets range from $25 to $50, almost double that of indoor games.
The Crunch hopes to sell tickets to out-of-towners as well, said Jeff Mickle, the Sports Development Director of the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau. He expects tourists to come to Syracuse for the weekend, which will temporarily boost the local economy, specifically hotels and restaurants.
“This event creates an opportunity for Central New York’s tourism industry,” said Empire State Development Chairman and CEO Dennis Mullen at the press conference to officially announce the game. “With an influx of hockey fans coming in from across New York State, and possibly Pennsylvania and Canada, the local economy…will stand to gain an estimated $1 million.”
But some people are skeptical. Crunch season ticket holder Dr. Thomas Osinski, 57, of Syracuse, said he does not think spectators are going to spend the night. “People might take in shopping…but I think mainly it’s going to be from a restaurant standpoint, and I can’t see people spending more than one day here.”
Mirabito Fuel Group, the main sponsor for the Outdoor Classic, is promoting the game to attract as many people as possible, said Lindsay Meehan, Mirabito’s Marketing Manager. “It’s a big happening coming to the area, so we want to do what we can to promote it,” Meehan said. “I think the big hockey fans will come from all over for it, and it’s already gaining some national attention. We’re going to make it as big as it can, so if people see that then I think they’ll come from as far as possible if they’re really into it.”
Outside of the War Memorial before the Crunch-Senators Dec. 5 match-up, Senators fan Bob Tokos, 61, of Binghamton, said he is excited about coming to back Syracuse for the outdoor game. Its outdoor atmosphere is what makes it appealing to tourists, Tokos said. “I think it’s a big draw for this area.”
“There’s just a kind of great special feeling to seeing a high level sport played outdoors in what we perceive to be like the good old days,” Burton said.
It may be a big production, but the game is taking on a simple feel to the fans, reminding many of the times they played hockey on their neighborhood pond or outdoor rink, Fred Pierce of the State Fair said. “There is a certain atmosphere there that has good memories for people they want to recapture.”
This light, nostalgic environment is even drawing people to the game who aren’t concerned with their team putting more pucks in the back of the net, but are simply there to take it all in. “I think it’s just going to be a fun game,” said Crunch fan Beverly Schiedler, 71, of Oswego, “I don’t think anybody really cares who’s going to win or lose, it’s a unique thing for us here, now.”
This isn’t just a game, it’s a special event, said Jeff Mickle of the Visitor’s Bureau. It’s one of 80 games on the schedule for both the Crunch and the Senators this season, but it’s getting far more publicity than any of their other match-ups. The Crunch is currently in last place, with little chance of making the playoffs, so many fans at the game won’t be as concerned with the outcome as they will be with the spectacle, Schiedler said.
“To me the outdoor game is more of a novelty thing that I think is going to attract a lot of people who’ve never seen a hockey game before or just want to go and say they were there,” said season ticket holder Osinski. But he said he thinks the novelty won’t create long-term ticket sales for the Crunch. “This game might help, but I can’t see it enhancing attendance at all.”
The event will generate income in the short-term because of its uniqueness, but will not have a long-lasting financial impact, Professor Burton said. The economic effect, “isn’t insignificant, but it’s also not massive.”
Mirabito, however, is looking at a long-term economic impact from the game, said Lindsay Meehan. “As with the whole community, we really just hope it brings the spotlight to Syracuse and Binghamton and kind of shows people that we’re here, and what the major businesses in the area are.”
Mickle agreed, “I think it will put the city in a good spotlight and show what Syracuse can do. I think that will help down the road too. There will be visitors and out-of-towners; they’ll go back and spread the word.”
Pierce said he hopes the Outdoor Classic will lead to more winter events at the Fairgrounds such as snowmobile races, cross-county skiing and other skating events, which he hopes will keep the visitors coming.
Whether or not it will provide long-term economic help for the city or the team, the event almost didn’t become a reality. Initially, Dolgon sought approval from the Onondaga County Legislature to hold the game at the county-owned Alliance Bank Stadium. In a vote on June 2, the Legislature decided against providing Dolgon $350,000 to finance the game at the stadium. After looking into other venues for an outdoor game, Dolgon even explored a Crunch double-header with the Syracuse University women’s hockey team at the Carrier Dome.
The possibility of an outdoor game in Syracuse seemed hopeless until Senator Schumer took interest, Pierce said. Schumer involved Governor David Paterson, who contacted New York State Fair Director Dan O’Hara about hosting the game. After discussions with Dolgon, the game became official at the Nov. 24 press conference.
The Governor is excited about using the state asset during the winter months, when it usually goes unused, Pierce said. “Once the snow comes, the place is closed up, locks are put on the door, no one goes near it.”
But this year when the snow comes to the Fairgrounds, so will the fans, Pierce said. “By that time of year, we’ve all pretty much had it with winter, but it’s what we live with day-to-day, and I think one of the ways here in Upstate New York people get through this winter is to go out and enjoy it, and that’s exactly what they’ll be doing.”
The Governor is excited about using the state asset during the winter months, when it usually goes unused, Pierce said. “Once the snow comes, the place is closed up, locks are put on the door, no one goes near it.”
But this year when the snow comes to the Fairgrounds, so will the fans, Pierce said. “By that time of year, we’ve all pretty much had it with winter, but it’s what we live with day-to-day, and I think one of the ways here in Upstate New York people get through this winter is to go out and enjoy it, and that’s exactly what they’ll be doing.”
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Armory Square Goes Urban
By Stephanie Mangano, Kelly Saco and Josh Schneider-Weiler
If you build it, they will come.
That’s the mentality of Syracuse downtown developers, who are revamping Armory Square with new and restorative building projects in hopes of attracting larger crowds.
“Cities die hard,” said Irene Callisto, Armory Square’s Isadora shop owner. “This is still a city with a pulse. I do believe that with the right people we can turn this around.” Isadora is a high-end women’s lingerie and loungewear store on Walton Street.
It’s a heartbeat that’s growing louder. Construction workers pound away at restoration in the shadows of four story brick buildings. Horse-drawn carriages rattle through the streets to the tune of retailers’ holiday music. It is an attempt to bring back life to Franklin Street, Walton Street, Clinton Street and Jefferson Street: the four streets that make up Armory Square.
The 1950’s suburbanization of American cities drew life out of downtown Syracuse, leaving run down, unkempt historic buildings and warehouses that made up what is now known as Armory Square. These historic buildings, like the Bentley Settle Building, the Stoop building and the Kirk Building, are finally getting their facelift alongside a flood of modern developments. “The Salina Street corner was at one time Syracuse’s 5th Avenue,” said Nick Petragnani, Vice President and Regional Director of The Community Preservation Company, reminiscing about the department stores and crowds that consumed Salina Street, a block away from Armory Square.
Downtown may be reinventing its image with the urban experience, Petragnani said. “I don’t think you’ll ever get the larger department stores back downtown in Syracuse anyway. But that’s okay, because we’ve got other cool stuff going on.”
The Community Preservation Company (CPC) is a not-for-profit financing organization that boosts infrastructure in cities like Syracuse. CPC can provide permanent financing, which allows investors to take out 30- year loans at a fixed six percent interest. Over the last six years, CPC has invested about $33 million in downtown Syracuse, which translates to 245 units and 15 historic renovations, the latest being the Kirk Building on Clinton Street.
“It brings people back downtown, gets the lights on at night, brings activity back to the area,” Petragnani said of the many development projects in Armory Square. “Then retail starts to come back. I think there is more of a shift downtown because they say the malls are dying and that the trend is really the urban experience.”
The urban experience is about creating an atmosphere where people have a variety of things to do, said Amanda Nicholson, Assistant Professor of Retail Management in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. A cappuccino with friends or a mid-afternoon beer stimulate conversation and are examples of an urban experience, she said.
Tony Ortega, President of the Armory Square Association says he is optimistic about the urban experience Armory Square is creating. “People will make a day of it and come out with all the stuff there is to do,” he said.
Urban Outfitters is the second global brand, after Starbucks, to open a store in Armory Square. “I think that is a sign we are reaching that level now,” Robert Doucette, President of Armory Development & Management said.
“The corporate real estate departments of companies like Starbucks and Urban Outfitters have very specific qualifications. We either meet those qualifications or we don’t. And for the longest time Syracuse did not. I guess in their analysis they feel they can make money here now.”
A mostly vacant downtown and a modest median family income of $35, 671 were large deterrents for investors and developers, Nicholson said.
“Syracuse on paper doesn’t look particularly enticing but they [Urban Outfitters] were smart enough to figure out that right here there are 20,000 [students], and then LeMoyne, all between the ages of 18-30 who have disposable income and who shop in stores like this when they can.”
Joel Shapiro, owner of four stores in Armory Square, including Mr. Shop Syracuse says he is excited by Urban Outfitter’s announcement. “I believe it was a strategic move by Urban Outfitters,” Shapiro said. “They saw an opportunity to be successful here.”
Professor Nicholson said it’s a prime example of the Law of Retail. “More is more, not less is more in this case,” Nicholson said. “You actually need more people to gather around. That was the whole concept with the mall.”
Storeowners anticipate the increased number of stores and crowds that will be drawn to the downtown area. “I think Urban Outfitters chose Armory Square because of all the positive things that are happening here,” Ortega said.
One example is the Candlelight Series. The summer event brings street side dining and live music performances to Center Armory. This past summer welcomed more than 4,500 visitors. This year it will be celebrating its 25th anniversary.
“I think Urban Outfitters is great for downtown,” Armory Development & Management Doucette seconded. “They’re a traffic generator.”
That traffic includes the 20,000 students that Nicholson referenced. “SU has a huge presence in Armory Square with the [Fashion] Warehouse in downtown, free shuttles to the Warehouse and downtown with Centro,” Shapiro said.
Storeowners in Armory Square say they worry that the location and appearance of the Centro hub actually detracts from visitors. Trash-filled sidewalks, broken windows and plywood- boarded buildings, surround the Centro transfer hub located on Salina St. one block from Armory Square.
“There’s no reason downtown should look that way,” Armory Square’s Isadora shop owner Callisto said. “There’s just no excuse for that.”
“The city has been dragging its feet, doing a lot of talking without backing it up” Janette Welch, a sales associate at Joette’s Accessory Boutique seconded.
When asked what the city is doing to revitalize downtown, Kathleen Joy (D-At large) said they are leaving it up to investors, developers and retails. Joy said the Centro hub would be moved to Harrison St., which will make the Salina St. cleaner and fresher.
Repeated calls requesting comments from Syracuse Common Councilors and members of the Neighborhood Preservation, Downtown and Metropolitan planning committee such as Van Robinson (D-At large), Patrick Hogan (D-2nd District) and Lance Denno (D-5th District) were not returned.
“Public space is so much to the people who are using it. That speaks volumes that we don’t care” said Callisto, who grew up here. She compared her downtown Syracuse experience to living in Burlington, Vermont.
The lack of code enforcement plays a huge role Syracuse’s appearance, she said. Advertisements are sprayed on plywood boards that cover vacant storefronts.
In Vermont, putting up a sign requires a permit and applications need to be sent to the city. “There [Burlington] things are taken care of. But here it’s City Hall and you might as well be trying to contact the moon,” Callisto said.
Callisto decided to take matters into her own hands. Along with a fellow storeowner, she decorates the small park area in front of Starbucks. She has hung up wreaths, wrapped the shop clock with ribbon, and put lights on the bushes. “I’m doing it because it is a reflection on my business,” Callisto said.
The park’s decorations aren’t the only thing Callisto has done to help clean up downtown’s image. In the five years she has spent living downtown, Callisto has spent four years trimming the bushes in that same park. “It’s just neglected. Everything is done half-ass backwards. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said.
“I think the city has not lived up to its potential,” Joette’s Accessory Boutique sales associate Welch said. Developers like Doucette and Petragnani are much more optimistic for the future of not only Armory Square, but also downtown as a whole.
“It hasn’t completely pushed people away from investing downtown,” Vice President of CPC Petragnani said. “There has been a lot of interest because there is only one percent vacancy rate in downtown Syracuse. If a building can be sure it’s going to be leased or preleased, then the developers are going to jump on that.”
A walk around Armory Square can confirm that several offices and condominium buildings are well along their way in construction such as the Jefferson-Clinton Commons.
Isadora shop owner Callisto still says, “Syracuse needs a shot of Prozac.” Urban Outfitters and the development projects of CPC, Armory Development & Management and similar companies may just be that needed anti-depressant for the remainder of downtown Syracuse.
The Armory Square Association says they are more optimistic of downtown Syracuse’s current state. “Everyone sees a brighter future down the road,” Armory Square Association President Ortega said.
“Going forward the success of the store [Urban Outfitters] is something people will be watching very closely. It’s important because they are going to be the benchmark if they can pull this out,” Professor Nicholson said.
With an anticipated arrival of late spring, Urban Outfitters is making a grand entrance. Leases have been signed on the historic McArthur Building at 221 Walton Street. Urban Outfitters will use all three floors with its clothing, shoes, accessories and furnishings that appeal to the hipster crowd. “It’s a great atmosphere downtown. The vibe of Syracuse is Urban Outfitters,” Scott Dunseath, event promoter for Armory Square retailers and events said.
Downtown Syracuse is divided into areas like Armory Square, all of whom have their own unique characteristics. Armory Square is finally reinventing its reputation from the factory district of the 1960’s to the young and hip corner of downtown. It has been a slow process, Petragnani said, with several significant contributions like the warehouse, but Urban Outfitters’ opening is a milestone.
“At the end of the day it is still Syracuse,” Petragnani said. “(But) I would look at Armory Square as kind of a funky, trendy little corner of downtown and I think that’s a good thing. It could be like a little New York City.”
If you build it, they will come.
That’s the mentality of Syracuse downtown developers, who are revamping Armory Square with new and restorative building projects in hopes of attracting larger crowds.
“Cities die hard,” said Irene Callisto, Armory Square’s Isadora shop owner. “This is still a city with a pulse. I do believe that with the right people we can turn this around.” Isadora is a high-end women’s lingerie and loungewear store on Walton Street.
It’s a heartbeat that’s growing louder. Construction workers pound away at restoration in the shadows of four story brick buildings. Horse-drawn carriages rattle through the streets to the tune of retailers’ holiday music. It is an attempt to bring back life to Franklin Street, Walton Street, Clinton Street and Jefferson Street: the four streets that make up Armory Square.
The 1950’s suburbanization of American cities drew life out of downtown Syracuse, leaving run down, unkempt historic buildings and warehouses that made up what is now known as Armory Square. These historic buildings, like the Bentley Settle Building, the Stoop building and the Kirk Building, are finally getting their facelift alongside a flood of modern developments. “The Salina Street corner was at one time Syracuse’s 5th Avenue,” said Nick Petragnani, Vice President and Regional Director of The Community Preservation Company, reminiscing about the department stores and crowds that consumed Salina Street, a block away from Armory Square.
Downtown may be reinventing its image with the urban experience, Petragnani said. “I don’t think you’ll ever get the larger department stores back downtown in Syracuse anyway. But that’s okay, because we’ve got other cool stuff going on.”
The Community Preservation Company (CPC) is a not-for-profit financing organization that boosts infrastructure in cities like Syracuse. CPC can provide permanent financing, which allows investors to take out 30- year loans at a fixed six percent interest. Over the last six years, CPC has invested about $33 million in downtown Syracuse, which translates to 245 units and 15 historic renovations, the latest being the Kirk Building on Clinton Street.
“It brings people back downtown, gets the lights on at night, brings activity back to the area,” Petragnani said of the many development projects in Armory Square. “Then retail starts to come back. I think there is more of a shift downtown because they say the malls are dying and that the trend is really the urban experience.”
The urban experience is about creating an atmosphere where people have a variety of things to do, said Amanda Nicholson, Assistant Professor of Retail Management in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. A cappuccino with friends or a mid-afternoon beer stimulate conversation and are examples of an urban experience, she said.
Tony Ortega, President of the Armory Square Association says he is optimistic about the urban experience Armory Square is creating. “People will make a day of it and come out with all the stuff there is to do,” he said.
Urban Outfitters is the second global brand, after Starbucks, to open a store in Armory Square. “I think that is a sign we are reaching that level now,” Robert Doucette, President of Armory Development & Management said.
“The corporate real estate departments of companies like Starbucks and Urban Outfitters have very specific qualifications. We either meet those qualifications or we don’t. And for the longest time Syracuse did not. I guess in their analysis they feel they can make money here now.”
A mostly vacant downtown and a modest median family income of $35, 671 were large deterrents for investors and developers, Nicholson said.
“Syracuse on paper doesn’t look particularly enticing but they [Urban Outfitters] were smart enough to figure out that right here there are 20,000 [students], and then LeMoyne, all between the ages of 18-30 who have disposable income and who shop in stores like this when they can.”
Joel Shapiro, owner of four stores in Armory Square, including Mr. Shop Syracuse says he is excited by Urban Outfitter’s announcement. “I believe it was a strategic move by Urban Outfitters,” Shapiro said. “They saw an opportunity to be successful here.”
Professor Nicholson said it’s a prime example of the Law of Retail. “More is more, not less is more in this case,” Nicholson said. “You actually need more people to gather around. That was the whole concept with the mall.”
Storeowners anticipate the increased number of stores and crowds that will be drawn to the downtown area. “I think Urban Outfitters chose Armory Square because of all the positive things that are happening here,” Ortega said.
One example is the Candlelight Series. The summer event brings street side dining and live music performances to Center Armory. This past summer welcomed more than 4,500 visitors. This year it will be celebrating its 25th anniversary.
“I think Urban Outfitters is great for downtown,” Armory Development & Management Doucette seconded. “They’re a traffic generator.”
That traffic includes the 20,000 students that Nicholson referenced. “SU has a huge presence in Armory Square with the [Fashion] Warehouse in downtown, free shuttles to the Warehouse and downtown with Centro,” Shapiro said.
Storeowners in Armory Square say they worry that the location and appearance of the Centro hub actually detracts from visitors. Trash-filled sidewalks, broken windows and plywood- boarded buildings, surround the Centro transfer hub located on Salina St. one block from Armory Square.
“There’s no reason downtown should look that way,” Armory Square’s Isadora shop owner Callisto said. “There’s just no excuse for that.”
“The city has been dragging its feet, doing a lot of talking without backing it up” Janette Welch, a sales associate at Joette’s Accessory Boutique seconded.
When asked what the city is doing to revitalize downtown, Kathleen Joy (D-At large) said they are leaving it up to investors, developers and retails. Joy said the Centro hub would be moved to Harrison St., which will make the Salina St. cleaner and fresher.
Repeated calls requesting comments from Syracuse Common Councilors and members of the Neighborhood Preservation, Downtown and Metropolitan planning committee such as Van Robinson (D-At large), Patrick Hogan (D-2nd District) and Lance Denno (D-5th District) were not returned.
“Public space is so much to the people who are using it. That speaks volumes that we don’t care” said Callisto, who grew up here. She compared her downtown Syracuse experience to living in Burlington, Vermont.
The lack of code enforcement plays a huge role Syracuse’s appearance, she said. Advertisements are sprayed on plywood boards that cover vacant storefronts.
In Vermont, putting up a sign requires a permit and applications need to be sent to the city. “There [Burlington] things are taken care of. But here it’s City Hall and you might as well be trying to contact the moon,” Callisto said.
Callisto decided to take matters into her own hands. Along with a fellow storeowner, she decorates the small park area in front of Starbucks. She has hung up wreaths, wrapped the shop clock with ribbon, and put lights on the bushes. “I’m doing it because it is a reflection on my business,” Callisto said.
The park’s decorations aren’t the only thing Callisto has done to help clean up downtown’s image. In the five years she has spent living downtown, Callisto has spent four years trimming the bushes in that same park. “It’s just neglected. Everything is done half-ass backwards. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said.
“I think the city has not lived up to its potential,” Joette’s Accessory Boutique sales associate Welch said. Developers like Doucette and Petragnani are much more optimistic for the future of not only Armory Square, but also downtown as a whole.
“It hasn’t completely pushed people away from investing downtown,” Vice President of CPC Petragnani said. “There has been a lot of interest because there is only one percent vacancy rate in downtown Syracuse. If a building can be sure it’s going to be leased or preleased, then the developers are going to jump on that.”
A walk around Armory Square can confirm that several offices and condominium buildings are well along their way in construction such as the Jefferson-Clinton Commons.
Isadora shop owner Callisto still says, “Syracuse needs a shot of Prozac.” Urban Outfitters and the development projects of CPC, Armory Development & Management and similar companies may just be that needed anti-depressant for the remainder of downtown Syracuse.
The Armory Square Association says they are more optimistic of downtown Syracuse’s current state. “Everyone sees a brighter future down the road,” Armory Square Association President Ortega said.
“Going forward the success of the store [Urban Outfitters] is something people will be watching very closely. It’s important because they are going to be the benchmark if they can pull this out,” Professor Nicholson said.
With an anticipated arrival of late spring, Urban Outfitters is making a grand entrance. Leases have been signed on the historic McArthur Building at 221 Walton Street. Urban Outfitters will use all three floors with its clothing, shoes, accessories and furnishings that appeal to the hipster crowd. “It’s a great atmosphere downtown. The vibe of Syracuse is Urban Outfitters,” Scott Dunseath, event promoter for Armory Square retailers and events said.
Downtown Syracuse is divided into areas like Armory Square, all of whom have their own unique characteristics. Armory Square is finally reinventing its reputation from the factory district of the 1960’s to the young and hip corner of downtown. It has been a slow process, Petragnani said, with several significant contributions like the warehouse, but Urban Outfitters’ opening is a milestone.
“At the end of the day it is still Syracuse,” Petragnani said. “(But) I would look at Armory Square as kind of a funky, trendy little corner of downtown and I think that’s a good thing. It could be like a little New York City.”
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Woman Says Defendant is “Definitely Guilty”
Written November 17, 2009
The woman police say was the victim of a home invasion in Syracuse in August, 2008, pointed at Eric Moore Tuesday and told a jury he is the man she woke up to find on top of her. Lissette Tejeda testified that when she recognized him she screamed at Moore, "Eric, why are you doing this to me?" "My name is not Eric, bitch," she said he replied.
Tejeda told the jurors Moore taped her hands and mouth. Moore and two other people, all wearing bandannas over their faces, began to look for a shoebox. Tejeda said she recognized Moore when he turned his face and she saw a part not covered by the bandanna.
Tejeda says the men took $500. After they got the money from her walk-in closet, Moore told Tejeda that if she called the police, they would kill her. Although she contacted the police that night, she admitted she told police she didn’t know who the men were. After Assistant District Attorney Michael Kasmarek asked her if she felt safe in her home, Tejeda simply replied, “no.”
Moore shook his head during Tejeda's testimony and in a break before she took the stand, he'd insisted to reporters that he is innocent. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know after this is over, whether I'm in the Justice Center or on the street," he said.
Still, Tejeda told the jury in her testimony that she was “absolutely sure” that Eric Moore was responsible. Tejeda said she is still “scared for her life.”
The woman police say was the victim of a home invasion in Syracuse in August, 2008, pointed at Eric Moore Tuesday and told a jury he is the man she woke up to find on top of her. Lissette Tejeda testified that when she recognized him she screamed at Moore, "Eric, why are you doing this to me?" "My name is not Eric, bitch," she said he replied.
Tejeda told the jurors Moore taped her hands and mouth. Moore and two other people, all wearing bandannas over their faces, began to look for a shoebox. Tejeda said she recognized Moore when he turned his face and she saw a part not covered by the bandanna.
Tejeda says the men took $500. After they got the money from her walk-in closet, Moore told Tejeda that if she called the police, they would kill her. Although she contacted the police that night, she admitted she told police she didn’t know who the men were. After Assistant District Attorney Michael Kasmarek asked her if she felt safe in her home, Tejeda simply replied, “no.”
Moore shook his head during Tejeda's testimony and in a break before she took the stand, he'd insisted to reporters that he is innocent. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know after this is over, whether I'm in the Justice Center or on the street," he said.
Still, Tejeda told the jury in her testimony that she was “absolutely sure” that Eric Moore was responsible. Tejeda said she is still “scared for her life.”
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Weak Turnout at the Republican Election Party
November 4, 2009There was no disguising the weak turnout at the Republican Election Night gathering at the OnCenter Tuesday night. You could count the people gathered around the small table of food on two hands. Most of the chairs and the tables were empty. "The local towns always have their own parties," said New York State Senator John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse.
What he left out is that the GOP gathering usually draws a much bigger crowd anyway. He did not mention that Steve Kimatian took the Republican nomination away from Otis Jennings in a primary, so each had his own party somewhere else. Maybe Kimatian would have come if he won.
So You Think You Can Dance played on a TV screen in the ballroom until 15 minutes after the polls closed. Candidates looked for results on a computer in the next room.
"It's a little upsetting because we came expecting a big screen, which we've had in the past," said Jim Corl Sr., Chairman of the Cicero Republican Committee. "We had to physically call in a kid with a lap top. It's embarrassing."
It seemed County Legislature Chair William Meyer, R-Cicero had bigger problems than event attendance. He found himself behind and declined to talk with reporters about it.
"He's a good, level-headed guy," said Mike Radziewski, a member of a Republican Party committee. But, his opponent Ed Szczesniak "definitely does have some name recognition."
Meyer eventually secured a win and the Republicans did gain a seat in the County legislature. But few seemed in the mood to celebrate.
Kimatian never showed.
Man Accused of Breaking into Home and Stealing $500
November 17, 2009
Lissette Tejeda's hands shook in Onondaga County Court this afternoon as she accused Eric Moore of breaking into her home, binding her with duct tape, and stealing $500.
Moore, along with two other men, entered her home through a basement window around 3 a.m., on August 19, 2008, Tejeda said. He sat on top of her as the two other men ransacked her room.
When Moore turned his head, the bandana tied around his face slipped, and she recognized him, Tejeda said. "Eric, why you doing this to me?" she asked. "My name isn't Eric, bitch. That's not my name." she said Moore responded.
Tejeda told the jury that Moore was a friend of her spouse, who was in prison last August for violating his parole. In the week leading up to the robbery, she said Moore asked her how long her spouse would be gone.
Before Tejeda testified, Moore told reporters outside the courtroom today, "I've got nothing to hide. I'll tell you whatever you want to hear after this is all over whether I'm at the Justice Center or on the street." No DNA or fingerprint evidence places him at the scene that night.
Eric Moore's brother, Charles Moore, pleaded guilty to the burglary last Thursday, but is not expected to testify for the prosecution. He will receive the minimum sentence of five years.
Tejeda said she recognized Charles Moore by the way he walked. Tejeda was unable to identify the third man.
Once her two daughters entered her bedroom that night, Tejeda said she told the men they could find $500 under the carpet in her closet. "I would've given them anything. I just wanted them out of my house."
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Republican Election Night Gathering Turnout is "Embarrassing"
Written November 4th, 2009
There wasn't much grand about the Grand Old Party's Election Night gathering at the OnCenter Tuesday night. A couple dozen Republicans found themselves in a ballroom with plenty of empty seats and a couple of TV sets to watch the returns on. “I’ve been to election nights where there were big screens and lots of people," said Linda Dudzinski , wife of Cicero Town Supervisor Chet Dudzinski, who was running for re-election. "It’s usually a much bigger event.”
“This year is different,” Jim Corl Sr., the GOP Town Chair in Cicero, said, "We had to physically call in a kid with a laptop [to get election results.] It’s embarrassing.”
State Senator John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, said the low attendance was because there were “about six [other] parties going on,” and the lack of a presidential election made people less interested in attending. He left out the fact one of those other parties held elsewhere was for Steve Kimatian, the Republican candidate for Syracuse mayor who was given little chance of winning.
The polls closed at nine and returns started coming in, but a crowd never materialized. Gathered around a table in a corner of the ballroom, Matt Rayo and his family celebrated his election to the Syracuse Common Council. Republicans gained another seat on the Onondaga County Legislature as Chairman William Meyer hung on in a race so close he wouldn’t talk to reporters until it was over. It was more relief than celebration.
Chet Dudzinski didn't need to see the results on a big screen. He'd been clobbered.
Now that's Using Your Noodle
Written November 3rd, 2009
They sat together in the jam-packed cafeteria of Our Lady of Pompei School - two 86-year-old women straining to hear each other over Augie and Rocco's Italian music (and the chatter of hundreds of politicians.) Jane Pigott, 86, of DeWitt, and Anne Clarke, 86, of Jamesville, said they attend because of what they call “good company and good food,” but also because of their passion for politics and obsession with voting.
“I never have missed out on voting,” she said, “I feel in my conscience that it’s my responsibility to find the best people and put them on the job.” Her time as a student at Syracuse University during the 1940s taught her the importance of community involvement, a dedication that has not gone away. Pigott was given an award by the St. Thomas More Foundation in Syracuse for her community efforts in the area.
The two gray-haired women spent the afternoon crouching at a table listening to over 250 politicians, parents, students, and hungry citizens talk about meatballs and the upcoming election. Jane Pigott says she has gone to every election day pasta dinner at Our Lady of Pompei School, and Anne Clarke enjoys every one she attends. “I love to have the chance to hear what people have to say, and I know Jane does too” Mrs. Clarke said, “Now if we could only get these music guys to quiet down just a bit, we could actually start talking to people.”
They sat together in the jam-packed cafeteria of Our Lady of Pompei School - two 86-year-old women straining to hear each other over Augie and Rocco's Italian music (and the chatter of hundreds of politicians.) Jane Pigott, 86, of DeWitt, and Anne Clarke, 86, of Jamesville, said they attend because of what they call “good company and good food,” but also because of their passion for politics and obsession with voting.
“I never have missed out on voting,” she said, “I feel in my conscience that it’s my responsibility to find the best people and put them on the job.” Her time as a student at Syracuse University during the 1940s taught her the importance of community involvement, a dedication that has not gone away. Pigott was given an award by the St. Thomas More Foundation in Syracuse for her community efforts in the area.
The two gray-haired women spent the afternoon crouching at a table listening to over 250 politicians, parents, students, and hungry citizens talk about meatballs and the upcoming election. Jane Pigott says she has gone to every election day pasta dinner at Our Lady of Pompei School, and Anne Clarke enjoys every one she attends. “I love to have the chance to hear what people have to say, and I know Jane does too” Mrs. Clarke said, “Now if we could only get these music guys to quiet down just a bit, we could actually start talking to people.”
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Miner Elected First Female Mayor of Syracuse
November 3, 2009The Sheraton ballroom broke out in a roar of applause at 11:00 p.m. Tuesday when Stephanie Miner approached the podium to accept her role as the first woman mayor of Syracuse. During her victory speech, Miner said her work has only begun.
“Tonight we have convinced people that we share the power in believing we can make this city better,” Miner said to a ballroom full of supporters. “But together we have tremendous obstacles to overcome.”
Miner made winning look easy. Initial returns showed her with 52- percent of the vote in a three-way race, and while they watched the numbers come in supporters talked about what the expected from a Miner administration.
Miner’s media consultant, Paul Novak said he was glad Miner recognized the ties between education, public safety and the economy. He pointed out one cannot be fixed without fixing the others.
Timothy Jennings-Bey, member of the Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility, has spoken to Miner about the violence the community faces and said he is confident that she will do everything in her power to improve the situation.
At the end of the night, Thomas Young, former mayor of the city of Syracuse, introduced Miner and said he is confident she can rise up to the challenges that lie ahead of her.
“Stephanie Miner has the intellect, the energy, the determination and the devotion to lead Syracuse in the challenging years ahead of us,” Young told the crowd. Music blared, that roar of applause began and out strode Stephanie Miner.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Concern over raucous Mayfest partying remains
November 3, 2009
The traditional Election Day Spaghetti Supper at Our Lady of Pompei School is not meant to be a place for debate. But if you ask a politician or government employee for an opinion about something, you will be sure to get a response. Take Mayfest, for instance. Ten days ago SU announced that it would hold classes on what used to be a day off. What was meant as a day for celebration for student achievement has become a raucous off-campus drinking party for many students.
While standing in line for pasta, mayoral candidate Otis Jennings (right) was asked about Mayfest. "I'm all about young people so I think it's critical that we have those events," he said. Jennings suggested moving the festivities to Walnut Park and adding fair-like activities such as "dunk a professor." He said that if Mayfest became an area for family and children, "the community won't have such a strong push back."
Others will always see the event as dangerous. "Mayfest creates some significant safety concerns each year for my office and it takes a tremendous amount of effort to make sure that someone does not get hurt," said Tony Callisto, the Chief of the Department of Public Safety.
When asked if Walnut Park would be a better location for the event, "Same thing, different place," Callisto said. Nothing would change with a different atmosphere. "The excitement comes from the alcohol."
Students are trying to negotiate with University officials. In an effort to keep their special tradition, they have suggested two days for Mayfest - one for academic purposes and a second day to party. Otis Jennings fully supports this idea. His only suggestion: "Make sure it has a vibe!"
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Victim Gives Tearful Testimony Against Accused Robber
November 18, 2009
On the witness stand in Onondaga County Court, Lissette Tejeda took a moment to regain her composure before identifying Eric Moore as one of the three men who broke into her home at 2012 Bellevue Ave., more than one year ago. Tejeda said the three men stole $500.
Tejeda said she was woken up at 3 a.m. on Aug. 19, 2008 and saw a man climbing on her bed towards her. She said the man sat on her and quickly duct tapped her wrists and mouth. She said she could feel him put a gun to her head when he covered her face with a pillow.
At first, Tejeda was not able to recognize the men. It wasn’t until the man who had her pinned to the bed removed the pillow and turned his head that she said she recognized him as Eric Moore.
“I said ‘Eric, why are you doing this to me?’” Tejeda said. “Then his eyes got real big and he said ‘My name is not Eric, Bitch.’” She said she had seen Moore many times before because he was a friend of her spouse who was in prison at the time.
Tejeda said she recognized Eric Moore’s brother, Charles Moore because of the way he walked. Last week, Charles Moore pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a sentence of five years in state prison. Tejeda was not able to identify the third man.
During a break before Tejeda's testimony, Charles Moore told reporters "I've got nothing to hide."
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