Public Works employees replaced sidewalks in 316 locations, and we hired contractors to replace sidewalk in 371 more locations. We completed more than 50 demolitions of dangerous and dilapidated buildings in 2009, with a goal of 50 more this year.
We also reorganized the Inspections Department into the Department of Code Enforcement. Despite the FBI investigation that virtually shut down that department, we had it back up and running in two days, with expanded hours. The Department of Code Enforcement went on to double the number of code enforcement cases sent to court, and obtained more than $35,000 in restitution for the costs of prosecuting those cases.
The Department of Code Enforcement also collaborated with Public Works, Police and Fire on an innovative program called ZOOM – Zone Outreach Objective and Mission. Through ZOOM, we took the offensive against code violations and unsafe building conditions. Assessment teams visited different parts of the city and cited property owners who were out of compliance with codes and ordinances. Through aggressive follow-up, we took violators to court and made a difference in strengthening our neighborhoods. I can assure you, come the spring, ZOOM will be back. And we will create a registration program that allows us to track and serve papers on abusive out-of-town landlords without hurting the good local landlords that take care of their properties.
How many times have you heard kids complain that there's nothing to do around here? Well, last year we put unprecedented resources into parks and playgrounds. In LaSalle, we installed a street hockey pad and skate park at Stephenson Park on 74th Street. The dreams of the Niagara Organizing Alliance for Hope finally came true when we added a new park adjacent to South Junior on Portage Road. We worked with the Niagara Falls City School District to designate vacant land next to Harry F. Abate Elementary School where we plan to build an outdoor basketball facility. Last summer, we also extended the hours for our city swimming pools, and we painted and patched the pools at Center Court. And, through a partnership with the State Parks, we are nearing completion of an outdoor skating rink in DeVeaux Woods State Park. No wonder the national Ka-Boom organization recognized us a "Playful City."
This year we saw the opening of the newly restored Schoellkopf Park, which complements the new developments underway at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. Yes, the philharmonic orchestra will be back next year–and the year after, and the year after that. We know you want it, and we're going to keep it happening. We were also able to award Community Development Block Grant funding for a new circular driveway in the front of the NACC. This driveway will improve access to the NACC and increase community usage at events like the Art of Beer fundraiser coming up February 26th. (How's that for a plug? My wife Becky is one of the organizers.) These developments, along with the paving of Pine Avenue and the housing initiative at South Junior, will make the Pine-Portage corridor even stronger in the coming years.
As a result of successful grant writing, we have funding in hand to improve Jayne Park on Cayuga Island. The nature of those improvements remains to be decided, but we will involve neighborhood residents in the planning process to ensure the park's integrity. To the residents of Cayuga Island, I pledge that I will not allow any redevelopment of Jayne Park that corrupts the natural environment or compromises quality of life on the island.
I also want to thank Congresswoman Slaughter for securing federal funding for a watershed restoration plan to protect Cayuga Creek. We are working toward the creation of a blueway trail in LaSalle, and this grant moves us closer to the goal. We have finished plans for the former Century Club site on Buffalo Avenue, including a floating fishing dock, better lighting, a tiered shoreline, and concessions. As my friend John Mikula and his friends from the Niagara River Anglers Association say, we've had enough talk about the Century Club. It's time for action. We begin work this year.
Meanwhile, we have applied for $40 million in federal stimulus money to resolve the deadlock of the Robert Moses Parkway once and for all. We are trying to break the logjam by pursuing the least controversial aspects of reconfiguring the Parkway between Main Street and Findlay Drive.
I want to thank Senator Thompson and Assemblywoman DelMonte for obtaining state funds to fix the roof and improve the acoustics at the LaSalle Library, refurbish the LaSalle Senior Center on Colvin Boulevard, and resurface the parking lot at the John Duke Senior Citizens Center on Hyde Park Boulevard.
Improvements are also on tap for the Hyde Park Ice Pavilion in the coming year, on the heels of last year's repairs to the tennis courts. Our Parks and Public Works crew continues to keep the Hyde Park Golf Course in great shape; 2009 saw the completion of the drainage project on the 13th hole of the north course. The former Greens Restaurant – now known as Mulligan's – has been reopened as a seasonal restaurant under a new and more flexible agreement between the city and a private operator. And I'm happy to report that revenues increased at the golf course again last year, and the course has never been in better shape. So we're going to look for ways to make it even better.
Meanwhile, the Department of Community Development worked with the Center City Neighborhood Development Corporation, Neighborhood Housing Services and Highland Community Revitalization Committee last year to award more than $1.5 million in contracts to rehabilitate 65 housing units. And our Niagara Falls Homeownership Center helped 22 first-time home buyers with closing cost grants to purchase homes in the city.
At Center Court, the Niagara Falls Housing Authority's $80 million HOPE VI project restarted in the fall. When old incinerator ash was found at the site, we made sure there were plans to make it clean and safe, then paid to haul away ash to keep the project on track. We look forward to a brand new neighborhood at Center Court. If you haven't been by there in a while, go take a look–it will make you proud. I am proud to have worked with the City Council to provide significant funding for HOPE VI, and provided a lot of people with jobs at the very bottom of the worst recession any of us can remember, because that is what you elected me to do.
Nearby, at the corner of Ninth Street and Profit Lane, construction is underway on Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Health Center's $1.3 million Neighborhood Health Center.
Speaking of health, the City of Niagara Falls now has its first National Urban Fellow – in fact, she is Western New York's first Urban Fellow. Cathy Mays, working under the mentorship of City Administrator Donna Owens, has formed a healthcare task force to assess our city's health needs and expand access to services, and was recently honored for her work at the Fellow's annual conference in Washington, D.C.
As you can see, we are working to improve the quality of life in every area of our city. These kinds of projects are the glue that holds neighborhoods together and makes residents "stick" here in Niagara Falls. This effort must continue. I want to thank all those who are working with us to build a more livable community: block clubs, business associations, volunteer groups and community agencies. Give yourselves a big hand.
Our fourth goal is to protect the safety of our residents, businesses and visitors.
When the economy declines, crime tends to increase. And it did increase a bit in 2008. We're awaiting the final numbers for 2009, but it looks like we're on track for a zero percent increase in criminal activity for the past year. This remarkable result is due to the ingenuity and dedication of Police Superintendent John Chella and the women and men of the Niagara Falls Police Department.
The Police Department benefitted from more than $3 million in active grants last year – providing funding for everything from community policing to bulletproof vests (we could use more of those) to domestic violence enforcement (we could use more money for that). Niagara Falls and Rochester were the only two cities west of Syracuse to receive a Community Oriented Police Services Hiring Recovery Program grant. Thanks to this federal funding totaling more than $1 million, we were able to create five new police positions when many other cities were cutting public safety jobs.
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