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Listen to BRRAlliance President Lou Haremski’s 2025 President’s letter or read it below.

In January 2025, I became the President of the Black Rock Riverside Alliance.  Some say I became the face of the organization; I choose to consider myself the voice of the organization.  As such, my photo, which would normally grace the space to the right is unnecessary.  Imagine this is old time radio, not television.

Better yet, if our organization needs a face, let it be Charlie our BRRA mascot, who was found on Crowley Street by a neighbor and adopted by our Executive Director. Charlie’s story is similar to that of our community, struggling to survive but just in need of some TLC and someone (or an organization and a community) to care enough to rescue it. With our attention and efforts, both he and our community will survive and thrive.

I succinctly paraphrase the mission of the BRRA as:  to improve the lives of those who live and work in the 14207.  Simple as that may seem, it encompasses many facets and our impact, or the TLC we bring to the community, takes different forms.

• Economic impact – Secured multiple New York State grants to revitalize storefronts along Niagara Street to bring back closed or dilapidated storefronts.
• Environmental impact – Led the City of Buffalo, County of Erie and Niagara County in becoming National Wildlife Federation Certified Community Wildlife Habitats while operating several community gardens to provide wholesome fruits and vegetables to food desert neighborhoods.
• Community impact – Acquired Market Square Park to allow the full realization of our goals that it become a vibrant part of our community through concerts and events like GayMart, Antique and Makers Markets and the Really, Really Free Markets.
• Social impact – Acquired the Black Rock Harbor Center, 52 Amherst Street, to house not only our organization but the Buffalo Niagara River Land Trust and the Birds on the Niagara and to provide a meeting place for groups such as Believe in Black Rock and the Niagara River Greenway.

This spring we embark on a larger venture funded by a significant grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to monitor the air quality in homes in this community to determine and possibly identify remediation steps to halt the ill effects of the miles of expressway traffic around and through our neighborhood.

But even with 14 years of efforts by the BRRA, challenges and struggles remain, and more TLC is needed before we can consider the community “rescued”.  Like with Charlie, no one, especially not the BRRA, is giving up on revitalizing the community even as we faced a few challenges of our own already in 2025. The onset of my term was greeted with failure of a heat exchanger which resulted in the loss of heat for our building for several months. That was followed by the realization that Federal funding for a significant project was at risk.  Time will tell on that one. But we are pushing forward and exploring new opportunities to bring investment into the community in new ways.

As a 501-c-3 tax exempt organization, financing is never easy, but we have been the beneficiary of dedicated individuals who find ways to move the BRRAlliance forward, even in difficult times. As with any volunteer driven organization of this kind, we are always looking for new faces at the table so that we can continue to do the work that will be transformative for our community. If you are interested in being part of that work and an exciting organization, please let us know. Charlie and I are always happy to greet new volunteers and let you see first hand what just a little TLC can do!

Sincerely,
Louis Haremski – President, BRRAlliance
(And Charlie)