By Jill Terreri
Good morning,
From a presentation on the Webster Block to a vote on the city's capital budget, today will be a very busy day in City Hall.
At 8:15 a.m., the Planning Board will meet in Room 901, where the Buffalo Sabres' lead architect on the Webster Block project, Wayne London of Populous, will give a presentation on early designs for HARBORCenter, a hotel/dual-ice rink development just north of First Niagara Center.
Also on the agenda are public hearings for Savarino Companies' plans to turn the former F.N. Burt headquarters near the Larkin District into a mixed-use development, and for plans for an addition to accommodate a craft brewery at Gene McCarthy's at 73 Hamburg St.
At 9:45 a.m., the Council's Civil Service Committee will discuss a resolution that would award back pay to seasonal employees. The matter is under consideration by the state's highest court. A rally on the steps of City Hall, organized by the Coalition for Economic Justice, will follow at 10 a.m.
Also at 10 a.m., the Council's Finance Committee will meet and discuss the city's First Quarter Gap report, which shows that revenues and expenses are generally trending close to budget.
At 11:30 a.m., the Common Council will meet in a special session in Council Chambers to go over the 2013 capital budget and make ammendments to it. The budget is expected to pass today.
At 1 p.m., the Council's Community Development Committee will discuss a subrecipient agreement between the city and the Buffalo Urban Rewewal Agency regarding management of HOME grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city's HUD funds still have not been released.
The committee will also consider a proposal by the Parkside Community Center to install "little library" stands in city rights-of-way, in front of homes and businesses, who are participating in the program.
And at 2 p.m., the Council's Legislation Committee will discuss Time-Warner's new modem-leasing fee and plans to reconvene a task force to address problem deli stores.
