MAYOR MASIELLO RECEIVES STATEWIDE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD/ATTENDS EPA BROWNFIELD CONFERENCE IN DALLAS, TEXAS
December 6, 1999
Contact: Peter K. Cutler (716) 851-4841

BUFFALO (12/6/99) - The New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA) has awarded Mayor Anthony M. Masiello its annual Frank E. Van Lare Award. The NYWEA consists of professionals, consultants, regulators and plant operators in the wastewater management industry. The award is the organization's top environmental award presented to a public official.

"The Frank E. Van Lare Award recognizes a locally elected official who has made a substantial and meaningful contribution to advancing effective environmental programs," stated Ronald Delo, President of the NYWEA.

The City of Buffalo's Office for the Environment submitted a proposal to the NYWEA following an invitation for consideration to municipalities across New York State. The proposal contained a comprehensive review of the Masiello Administration's citywide environmental agenda since taking office in 1994.

"I am proud of the record of achievement my administration has established in addressing environmental matters throughout the city," stated Mayor Masiello. "As any other city in the northeastern United States, we are confronted by many environmental challenges and are compelled to think creatively and develop meaningful programs to improve and enhance our natural environment. From brownfield reclamation to sewage treatment to solid waste management and recycling to park maintenance and expanding urban greenspace, I have dedicated my energy to a cleaner and greener Buffalo. To be recognized by the New York Water Environment Association is a great honor and I accept the Frank E. Van Lare Award on behalf of the employees and citizens of Buffalo who have worked tirelessly to make our city more livable and environmentally appealing."

Mayor Masiello will be presented with the Frank E. Van Lare Award at the NYWEA's 72nd Annual Meeting in New York City on February 2, 2000.

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Mayor Masiello, who was recently appointed Vice Chair of United States Conference of Mayors' Brownfields Task Force, has traveled to Dallas, Texas to participate in an United States Environmental Protection Agency-sponsored conference entitled: Brownfields '99: Alliances for 21st Century Livability.

The Mayor will moderate a panel discussion on Tuesday, December 7, 1999 that will follow the theme, "Border-Crossing Brownfields: Regional Planning and Financing." Representatives of the Toronto-based Waterfront Regeneration Trust, the City of Des Moines, Iowa Economic Development Department and the New York City-based Regional Plan Association will join him on the panel.

"Our industrial legacy has presented us with many challenges, chiefly the productive reuse of brownfields that can contribute to our city's economic revival," noted Mayor Masiello. "We are quite aware of environmental issues surrounding brownfield redevelopment. I look forward to discussing these matters and viable reuse options with my fellow panelists in Dallas. It is these types of conferences, which my administration has hosted twice in Buffalo during the past year, that can shed light on creative solutions for these formerly productive areas of our city."