Latest news with #Restaino
New York Post
5 days ago
- New York Post
Long Island police shoot sword-swinging man who faked a hostage call in suicide-by-cop attempt
A sword-wielding Long Islander who tried to provoke cops into killing him is now in the hospital — shot but alive — after charging at officers in a failed suicide-by-cop attempt Tuesday afternoon. Joseph Restaino, 33, allegedly called 911 to his Bay Shore home and told operators that he was holding hostages inside and was suicidal, according to Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina. Joseph Restaino has a history of mental illness. ABC7NY Advertisement When officers arrived and knocked on the door, they were greeted by Restaino holding a sword in his hands, prompting officers to tase the homeowner and demand he drop the sword — but the taser was ineffective at slowing him down. Restaino, who police said has a history of mental illness, wouldn't give up and kept attempting to charge the officers with the blade when one of them fired at least one shot into his chest, according to officials. Police found no hostages inside the home and determined the 911 call was a ruse to set up the failed suicide attempt. Advertisement Neither officer who attempted to the attempted suicide by cop were injured. ABC7NY Restaino survived the shooting and was in surgery Tuesday night at South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where he remains under medical supervision. Suffolk County police told The Post that no charges have currently been filed against Restaino, but remained adamant that may change as he recovers. Neither of the responding officers were injured. Advertisement The incident marked the second police shooting in that North Bay Shore neighborhood in less than two weeks — stirring concern among residents. On July 24, Nieves Reyes, 48, stabbed his 66-year-old coworker Eugene Allen to death with a machete and shot a Suffolk County cop in the face before barricading himself inside his home and engaging in a stand-off with police, authorities and sources said. Reyes pleaded not guilty Friday in Riverhead to second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder of a police officer. Advertisement Residents told Newsday they were able to hear both police shootings unfold, just blocks from one another. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or go to
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Restaino says paper dabbling in 'conspiracy' over arena study release
Hours after the Niagara Gazette filed a formal request for a copy of the draft feasibility study for his proposed Centennial Park project, Mayor Robert Restaino accused the newspaper of conjuring up a 'conspiracy' about his administration's lack of transparency where the release of the document's contents is concerned. The Gazette on June 5 filed a Freedom of Information Law request with the city clerk's office, seeking a copy of the Centennial Park feasibility study prepared by Florida-based consultant, Sports Facilities Advisory, LLC. In an interview last month with local media members, Restaino confirmed that the consulting firm provided his office with what he described at the time as an incomplete version of the study. In its FOIL request, the newspaper asserts that, even in a draft form, the study — commissioned to assess various aspects of the project, including potential locations — warrants release under state law. Restaino has said that he intends to release the study's findings before the end of June, once he has shared them with 'stakeholders,' specifically representatives from the state-run economic development agency, Empire State Development Corp. and National Grid. Both entities provided the city with a total of $140,000 used to hire Sports Facilities Advisory to analyze the proposed arena and events campus Restaino wants to build across from Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino on 10 acres of land currently owned by the private firm Niagara Falls Redevelopment. On Friday, in a weekly update posted to the mayor's office YouTube channel, Restaino denied any 'failure to disclose' on his administration's part, while describing the Gazette's coverage as being part of a 'narrative that really has no basis in fact.' 'It's more about spinning things, how can they convince people about a conspiracy,' Restaino said. The mayor again indicated that he intends to make the results of the study public before the end of the month. 'There's never been a suggestion that it's not going to be disclosed to the public, never insinuated that it wasn't going to be disclosed to the public,' Restaino said on Friday. 'You know how crack reporting is,' the mayor added. 'They like to find some conspiracy in everything. Unfortunately, I don't think they've listened carefully to what has been said and that is, for a period of time, it was just getting the additional information that was necessary so that the feasibility study could be complete. Also, sharing the feasibility study with the entities that financed it. Ultimately, the feasibility study can and will be disclosed to the entire public, everybody. Everybody will have access to it. Everybody will know what is contained in it.' The city issued a request for proposals for the 'Centennial Park Market Analysis and Feasibility Study' on Oct. 2, 2023. The RFP sought qualified firms to perform the market analysis and feasibility study based on the 'conceptual design' for the project. The objective of the study was to assist the city in determining 'if and where to build a project of this nature.' The RFP required the preferred consultant to complete five tasks, including: • Needs assessment. This task involved using the city's concept plan to identify potential Centennial Park programming. Suggestions listed in the RFP included athletic programs, winter activities, learning spaces and event spaces. • Site analysis. Under this task, the preferred consultant was expected to examine the utility and other infrastructure needs for the project as well as look at the proposed NFR site and 'other potential alternative sites' for the project. • Market analysis. This task involved a look at the facility's potential use by outside groups and an examination of comparable facilities and an assessment of competition within the market. It also called for an estimate on the approximate number and type of events such a facility could reasonably expect to host per year and probable attendance figures. • Financial analysis. This task sought information about preliminary capital budget development, facility funding options, preliminary operating budget and potential revenue streams to support the facility. • Presentation of findings. Under the RFP, the preferred consultant was expected to prepare to 'present and defend' their findings to the mayor, other city officials and stakeholders prior to the conclusion of the study. The RFP notes that the process 'may' include in-person and virtual meetings with both elected officials and the general public. The city clerk's office acknowledged receipt of the Gazette's FOIL request on June 5, noting that, under state law, the city has 20 business days to either deny or grant the study's release. In the response, the clerk's office indicated that the city would advise the newspaper of a 'new estimated response date' should 'circumstances arise' that would prevent the city from responding within 20 business days. 'Examples of circumstances that may lead to extended response times include staff shortages, requests for a large volume of records and requests that require significant document redaction and/or seek documents that are not maintained electronically,' the response from the clerk's office notes. Under state Freedom of Information Law, the city can grant the newspaper's request, deny it or deny it in part. State law outlines specific circumstances under which public agencies can deny requests for copies of documents considered to be matters of public interest. The law also allows agencies to redact information contained in documents under limited circumstances. Council Chairman Jim Perry last week acknowledged that he has talked about the feasibility study with Restaino but said he has not actually seen the unfinished product. He indicated that he considered the study the mayor's to release publicly, adding that, from what he's been told, it is largely 'positive' where the Centennial Park project is concerned.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Centennial Park feasibility study expected to be released this month
Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino says he expects to release a feasibility study on the proposed Centennial Park project later this month. He also said Monday that the study supports the project and 'its ability to be successful.' Restaino spoke to the Gazette after making an 'informal presentation' on the project to mayors from across New York at last week's New York Conference of Mayors meeting in Albany. The mayor said he is arranging to meet with the 'stakeholders who paid for the study' prior to publicly releasing its findings. 'One of the things we will do is meet with the stakeholders (representatives of Empire State Development and the National Grid Strategic Economic Development Program) who paid for the study and show it to them,' Restaino said. 'And then we'll release it to the public. This month everything is going to be out in the open.' Restaino did not discuss any specific findings of the study, indicating that it was still 'being completed.' But he did say that the findings of the study were 'supportive' of the Centennial Park proposal. Empire State Development (ESD) and the National Grid Strategic Economic Development Program are reimbursing the city up to $140,000 for the cost of the study which has been prepared by Sports Facilities Advisory LLC, a Florida-based sports facilities consulting company. An additional projected $5,000 to $6,000 in expenses for travel and travel-related costs is being covered by American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. The contract with Sports Facilities called for the preparation of a 'market analysis and feasibility study' of the Centennial Park plans which call for the construction of a 'multi-faceted, year-round event campus' that would include a 6,000 to 7,000-seat arena for sporting and entertainment events, a smaller multi-purpose facility and a splash pad that could be converted into an ice-skating rink during winter months. The project also calls for the construction of a parking ramp with exterior walls that could be used for rock climbing and a roof that could be used as a location for concerts or movie screenings. The estimated cost of the project is between $150 million to $160 million. The park would be constructed on up to 12 acres of South End property described as 907 Falls St. and an adjacent portion of the property along John Daly Memorial Parkway. That property had been owned by Niagara Falls Redevelopment (NFR), and an affiliated company, Blue Apple Properties. The city was awarded the property as a result of a successful eminent domain proceeding against NFR. Restaino said during his discussion of the project with other mayors the city leaders were focused on the Falls' use of eminent domain. Eminent domain refers to the right of 'a government or its representative to take private property for public use, as long as the land owner is fairly compensated.' The use of eminent domain has been enshrined in American law for more than 150 years since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kohl v. United States in 1875. 'Some (of the mayors) wanted more information on eminent domain so I did provide that,' Restaino said. 'I think they were happy to have a conversation and some of them had (expressed) a fear of the length of time to make eminent domain work. But in our case, it only took 21 months.' The mayor expressed disappointment that the city council, at its last meeting, tabled his request to begin the process of purchasing roughly 5 acres of the proposed Centennial Park project site. Restaino had asked for authorization to submit a $4.029 million offer to NFR and its affiliate, to purchase the property based on an independent appraisal of the land. Several council members objected to authorizing the offer without having a chance to first review the appraisal and the feasibility study. The mayor said council members could review the appraisal, but it would not be publicly released because it is part of the ongoing litigation with NFR. 'We're waiting to make (NFR) an offer,' Restaino said. 'We've put a number forward. It's more a question of if the council is going to approve going forward with it.' The purchase offer is based on the acquisition of only slightly more than half of the land the city originally sought in its eminent domain action. In January, the city began legal proceedings against NFR claiming that 5 acres of the contested South End property, already subject to the eminent domain action, was never legally transferred to NFR's ownership. The city is claiming that property formerly known as the 10th Street Park, at the intersection of 10th and Falls streets, was never properly deeded to NFR as part of a deal in 2003-2004 between the South End land owner and former Falls mayors Irene Elia and Vince Anello. Restaino has said the city's special counsel for the Centennial Park project has determined that NFR never completed the process of taking control of the land by gaining approval of the property transfer from the New York State Legislature. The city and NFR are currently contesting that claim in New York State Supreme Court.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NFR: Data center tax payment plan could aide arena project
Backers of an announced plan to build a $1.5 billion data center in downtown Niagara Falls on Monday floated the idea of using a portion of tax-related payments from the project to cover costs associated with another big idea in the same area — Mayor Robert Restaino's proposed arena and events campus known as Centennial Park. During a Zoom call organized by the data center's lead advocate, Niagara Falls Redevelopment, company representatives suggested they're open to using a specialized payment program that would allow tax payments from their project to be placed into a fund the city could use for a designated purpose such as paying for Centennial Park, which is expected to cost at least $150 million. NFR representatives, joined by the company's economic consultant, Michael N'Dolo of the MRB Group, said municipal governments that would derive tax revenue from the data center could authorize what's called Pilot Increment Financing, or PIF, for the project. The tax payment structure allows local governments to enter into payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements with the owners of specific redevelopment sites, with a portion of the proceeds from those projects being set aside to cover capital improvements. Restaino and some city lawmakers have previously said they may borrow funds through the bond market to cover costs associated with building Centennial Park. During Monday's Zoom session, NFR's long-time Executive Vice President Roger Trevino suggested authorizing the so-called 'PIF' to be created for the company's Falls data center could help the city cover the cost of any such bond. 'This is the revenue stream that would be used to pay down a bond,' Trevino said. 'At present, all the discussions have not involved a mechanism to pay down the bond.' Monday's review of the project and its potential benefits included guests invited by NFR, including what Trevino said were developers, attorneys, political activists, tour operators and school officials. City Council Chairman Jim Perry did not attend the session but said on Monday he had no faith in the possibility of the data center supporting the city's arena efforts, suggesting it's a 'waste of time' to discuss another 'false story' being put out by NFR. Perry said he's convinced, based on the company's track record in the Falls, which has included decades of promising developments that have never materialized, that the data center is 'just another publicity stunt.' 'I will tell you with no hesitation, there is no data center going to be built,' Perry said. Restaino, with support from Perry and some other council members, has aggressively sought to use the city's power of eminent domain to forcibly acquire 10 acres of NFR's land off John B. Daly Boulevard near the intersection of 10th and Falls streets for the purposes of developing Centennial Park. NFR insists its consultants have determined that the same exact 10 acres must be the starting point for the first phase of its data center, which the company publicly announced in 2022 with its partner in the project, the Toronto firm Urbacon. The companies claim the first building would be part of a larger nine-building complex to be developed on part of the 140 acres of land NFR owns to the east of Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. The city and the company have for years been at odds over which of the so-called two projects for the Falls has more merit. Restaino, like Perry, has consistently held that the company's data center and its lofty revenue, tax and jobs numbers are not real, while NFR has frequently questioned the cost of Centennial Park, the chances of the city obtaining the money needed to build it from the state and the project's ability to offer any real return on investment for taxpayers. On Monday, Trevino suggested his company is not opposed to the city having an arena, despite what some officials have viewed as the company's opposition to Restaino's idea. 'We are not against an events center, never have been,' Trevino said. 'In fact, we actually believe in the two-project solution.' Some critics view NFR's plan as a ruse designed to inflate the value of the 10-acre site in court. As part of the eminent domain process, final value will be determined by a local judge based, in part, on the property's 'highest and best use.' Restaino's administration, in documents filed in 2022 with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, estimated it would cost $10 million for land acquisition, which would be about $1 million per acre. Data center advocates, including the Niagara Reporter, have suggested that the site, due to its proximity to the old Niagara Splash Park property across John B. Daly Boulevard, has a true value closer to $20 million. NFR and its partners previously sought $75 million for the Splash Park site, which was forcibly acquired by the state using its power of eminent domain to support the development of Seneca Niagara Casino. In a 2010 decision, former Niagara County State Supreme Court Justice Richard Kloch determined the Splash Park land had a final value of $17.17 million, or about $1 million per acre. NFR spokesperson James Haggerty previously called suggestions that the company introduced its data center proposal in an effort to drive up the value of its 10 acres 'utter nonsense.' He also noted that NFR and Urbacon first inquired about the possibility of building a data center on land in the Falls eight months before Restaino first publicly discussed his plans for Centennial Park in October 2021 and more than a year before the city formally commenced eminent domain proceedings involving the company's 10 acres. NFR officials continue to insist the data center proposal is genuine and have hired MRG Group to reinforce the point by conducting a study of the project's potential economic benefits. The Rochester-based firm's study claims NFR and Urbacon's Niagara Digital campus could result in 'more than $414 million in additional tax revenues' for the city, county, state and local school district over a 20-year period. It also claims the data center development would create 'almost 1,000 jobs per year on average' with estimated earnings of '$1.66 billion over 20 years.' On Monday, N'Dolo spent about a half hour reviewing his company's findings including MRB group's suggestion that tax revenues resulting from the development of the data center over 20 years would equal more than $400 million in total, including $298 million for the city and Falls school district, $54 million for Niagara County and $62 million for the state. The MRB study calculates what it calls a 'property tax savings to a 'typical' owner of an average-priced single-family home,' concluding that the homeowner would 'save approximately $14,603 over 20 years' or 'an average of approximately $730 per year.' The consultant defines the 'savings' as 'revenues that the city and school district otherwise would have to collect via their respective tax levies.' 'If the project moves forward, you get this; if the project doesn't move forward, you don't get this,' N'Dolo said. Data center advocates did not directly answer a question from the Niagara Gazette about what the city may be doing, or not doing, to prevent NFR and Urbacon from moving forward with the data center. Haggerty did say that the firm submitted updated documents for the data center to the city's planning board last week. Those documents include an updated application to establish a Negotiated Planned Development District, also known as a Planned Unit District, for the purposes of developing the data center in the city's South End. The updated planning documents, which would require approval from the city before the project can move forward, will be made available on NFR's digital campus website on Tuesday, according to Haggerty. 'All we need is cooperation to put shovels in the ground and move this forward,' Haggerty said. Trevino said there are still many 'moving parts' to this type of development and with a project of the size and magnitude of the data center. He said his company remains open to answering questions and doing its part to make the plan happen. 'At the end of the day, what we need here are jobs and we need high-tech, not low-paying jobs. We need good-paying jobs,' he said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Falls extends Casella contract in return for purchase of 18,000 new totes
Just over a year into a five-year deal to provide garbage and recycling collection for Niagara Falls, city council members have approved a five-year extension of the city's contract with Casella Waste Management. In exchange for the doubling of the term of its contract, Casella has agreed to spend 'approximately $1.2 million this year to purchase 18,000 new 96-gallon blue garbage totes.' According to a memo from Mayor Robert Restaino (D) to the council members, the purchase would allow the city to replace its current collection of roughly 18,000 'smaller-seized blue totes.' The extension moves the expiration of Casella's contract from April 30, 2029, to April 30, 2034, 'under the same terms, conditions, and specifications' currently contained in its agreement with the city. Restaino has characterized the Casella contract as 'much more in line with our refuse fee' revenue. The mayor had previously expressed concern over the cost and necessity of replacing the city's current collection of blue garbage totes, which he says 'are at the end of their useful lives. Those totes are owned by the city and are maintained and repaired by the city's Department of Public Works (DPW). Under the terms of the contract extension, Casella will dispose of the old blue totes and will retain ownership of the new totes for the length of its contract with the city and any additional extensions. The waste removal contractor will also be responsible for the maintenance of the new totes. Restaino said DPW will still be responsible for the maintenance of the city's 96-gallon green recycling totes. But he estimated the DPW's tote repair work would decrease by up to 75%. The mayor cautioned that if the city was required to buy the new totes, it would likely have to fund the purchase by increasing the city's garbage user fee. The original Casella contract replaced an expiring, decades-old agreement with Modern Disposal Services. The Lewiston-based company had handled trash and recycling collection in the Falls since the late 1990s. Modern had been the target of continual complaints about its services from city residents. Council Member Donta Myles (D) said those complaints have increased in the first year of the Casella contract. 'Since they've started, I've got more complaints about totes being torn up and tops of totes being ripped up and never replaced,' Myles said. 'And not picking up all of the trash, leaving totes in the middle of the street when they dump them. Trash falling in the street and they don't pick it up. Extending their contract right now is not valid cause we're getting more complaints right now than we had with Modern.' Myles said that until Casella improved its services, he would not agree to extend its contract. Council Chair James Perry (D) and members Traci Bax (R), Brian Archie (D) and David Zajac (R) voted to approve the extension and tote purchase. The city charges residents a solid waste disposal or 'user' fee to offset the cost of having a private company handle garbage and recyclable collections. The fee, established in 2019 at $181 a year, is billed directly to property owners and must be reauthorized every year as part of the city's budget approval process.
