New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie continued his annual statewide speaker's tour with a visit to South Buffalo Tuesday. He paid a visit to Southside Elementary to support and announce a major funding boost for a project to renovate the school's Jack Donohue Memorial Track.
“Our young people deserve to have the best of everything, so I’m just happy to be here in support of the school and the mission," he said.
Assemblymember Patrick Burke says the plan was first set to receive $125,000 until Heastie pushed for a larger commitment of $2.5 million. The track was last resurfaced in 1999 and has long been eyed for upgrades.
“It's due for an overhaul, and we've had some dedicated folks who have committed themselves and really parts of their career to making this a reality," Burke said.
Buffalo Board of Education member Erik Bohen says the track won’t just serve Southside students.
“It’s going to be used for all of the Buffalo Public Schools, all of Buffalo, all of Western New York, could come to this track and utilize it over the next few years,” he said.
Officials say the project could include track resurfacing, drainage improvements, work on the field inside the track, and eventually, better access to the nearby Buffalo River.
While in Buffalo, Heastie was also asked about the upcoming retirement of Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who will be leaving Albany after twenty-three years in the Assembly — the last eight as majority leader.
“She’s been a tremendous advocate for Western New York and for the entire state. Like I said, she’s been an incredible partner.”
He says that deliberations about who replaces her in leadership are likely to come after November’s elections.
The funding for the Jack Donohue Memorial Track is the second large gift to an elementary school that the speaker helped announce in June. On June 10, he announced $1.6 million in state funding for outdoor classrooms at Montgomery C. Smith Elementary in Hudson.
