BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A panel of artists, writers and educators, all with a unique view of the Scajaquada Creek, gathered Thursday night at the Burchfield Penney Art Center for the second of two discussions focused on the creek and its troubled state.
Doreen DeBoth, the gallery director of the Artsphere Studio on Amherst Street was in the crowd.
She told News 4, “A lot of people don’t know and don’t realize what’s in there. We conduct cleanups of the creek twice a year and you won’t believe what’s pulled out of the Scajaquada Creek; it’s amazing.”
An exhibit by Alberto Rey that just closed at the Burchfield showed where the creek flows. It’s far from a straight path. In fact, for three miles it’s underground.
He explained, “There are very few parts of it that hasn’t been channeled or gone through culverts, so right now it’s pretty much a ditch.”
The idea of restoring the creek goes hand in hand with a plan that is underway to turn the Scajaquada Expressway into a parkway. It would mean more pedestrians and bicyclists and fewer cars that are going at a slower speed.
Although that alone won’t fix the creek, it’s part of an ongoing conversation and a renewed focus on what was once a treasured resource.
There is a public hearing scheduled for next week to discuss a plan to replace the Elmwood Avenue Bridge that runs over the expressway and the creek. The hearing is Wednesday, June 18 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at SUNY Buffalo State College in the Bulger Communications Center, 1300 Elmwood Avenue.