Business
BoDo Developer “Passionate” About Niagara Falls
March 14, 2011 
We got a tip about Boise developer Mark Rivers’ attempt to hustle some bucks out of the city of Niagara Falls, New York–not unlike the parking garage deal he got from Boise’s CCDC for the Hampton Inn.
When we looked at the details of the deal and the way the mayor dishes out studies and surveys, it sure sounded familiar. With urban renewal bills that would give some power to the people pending in the legislature, the NIAGARA FALLS REPORTER is worth a read.
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© 2011 Boise Guardian. 
Mar 14, 2011, 8:45 pm
Niagara Falls – has a lovely neighborhood, that was Lovingly Developed by Hooker Chemical. They even “sold” land for a Public School for $1 to upgrade this Lovely Development. This also sourced an Environmental and Public Health Disaster, when children became exposed to, among other things, PCBs and Dioxin.
So it came to pass this Lovely Neigborhood, along 99th Street and Read Avenue, in Niagara Falls would become known as LOVE CANAL. Shall we not spread the Love?
Now, Boise and Niagara Falls both share the dreck of Toxic Waste. Yet, with Riverstone School we hardly need FrankenRiverstein waste of the Love Canal genre to “Develop” Boise. We also do not need CarpetBagging Snake Oil Salesmen skanking for CCDC monetary benefits at taxpayer’s expense (one of the few if any “cash cows” in town).
Let’s send Rivers up the river and back to Niagara Falls for a “Hook-Up” with Hooker Chemical and a Noisome Roll in the Sludge.
Mar 14, 2011, 10:15 pm
Urban Renewal is a magnet for these kinds of people. They can’t just come to town and build a project and pay their fair share. They manage to weasel money and sweetheart deals that property taxpayers get to pay for without any formal approval via a bond election.
UR is sucking the life out of property taxpayers and they don’t even know it. Hey… this is the definition of a parasite. They feed off the host until they eventually kill it.
Mar 15, 2011, 1:27 am
I am the publisher of the Niagara Falls Reporter a weekly publication with a distribution of 22,500.
Mark Rivers came to Niagara Falls and completely swept our Mayor off his feet along with two fairly uncritical trusting souls on the city council.
Fortunately we had the reporting in the Boise Guardian to help us evaluate Mr Rivers’ performance as a developer.
Now it appears that outside the Guardian, Mr Rivers is well on his way to canonization by the Boise Press.
He came across as somewhat a saint in Niagara Falls. But the Guardian gave us a dose of reality.
After some further investigation into the deal offered to Niagara Falls we learned that mr Rivers had a plan to take public money, apparently invest none of his own and walk away with a bundle.
It makes us suspect strongly that Mr. Rivers has offered a reward to the Mayor of Niagara Falls- a poor compromised soul who is quite susceptible to developers who offer him financial incentives.
In any event, Mr Rivers snowed the whole town except for us and a couple of brave councilmembers who had the guts to stand up to the Mayor and the mainstream media.
His project here is now in jeopardy.
Rivers is going to the media and lobbying furiously to get the public money to do his “Holiday Market” in Niagara Falls.
Why would a “big time” developer like Mr. Rivers push so hard for only $450,000 in public money?
Is he that hard up?
if he wants the deal so badly why doesn’t he come up with the small sum?
I mean for a $60 million BoDo developer why is he begging for $450,000.
Did he put even a dime of his own money into any project he did in BOise?
In any event we are looking into it at the Niagara Falls Reporter and we owe a debt of gratitude to the keen anaysis offerred in the Boise Guardian.
Mar 15, 2011, 11:28 am
The world loves people who are selling a dream of prosperity and affluence. A chicken in every pot, a new car in the garage. But first, you have to give me a load of cash and let me spend it on a project nobody wants or needs that will cost you taxpayers a bundle for the next 20+years.
I am thinking…Idaho Center, Mayor Dave’s train to nowhere, the swiming park in eastern Idaho that will get about 2 months a year use, all the crappy archetecture in downtown Boise, the new $14MM police station in Nampa to be followed up with a $38MM Library, a $10MM gift to the YMCA in Caldwell from CEURA, the TVCC building for out of state TVCC and who really knows how much was spent on this project that simply was not needed.
Urban renewal and the euphemistically called public private partnerships that cost property taxpayers a bundle of cash has got to stop at some point in time. We can’t spend out way into prosperity no matter how many wingnuts think it is possible. This risk side of all these projects always fall to taxpayers who had no vote or say in any of these goofy ideas. If they want it then let us vote it up or down.
Mar 15, 2011, 1:33 pm
Rats will always follow the scent to the cheese.
Urban renewal is nothing more than cheese that cities use to attract rats and do deals outside the normal public oversite process – at least in Idaho.
Watch your cheese Niagara Falls…rats are a foot.
Mar 15, 2011, 2:24 pm
It would appear that most employers do a better job of vetting a low level potential employee better than city officials do when millions of taxpayer dollars are on the line.
This is the information age and I would like to think it is getting used whenever and wherever possible.
It’s ok to think big but you had better have a plan in place should the project flop…Idaho Center is an excellent example.
Mar 15, 2011, 4:58 pm
Don’t forget Payette County love affair with AEHI, the nuclear carpet baggers. Boy what a great idea that was.
Mar 15, 2011, 5:24 pm
WTH? Last I check we have no shortage of parking in Boise. Probably wants to build a stadium for the Giants here too?
Urban renewal is about spending money on things/places that will never turn a profit for the purpose of employing, and making rich, all the people in the middle. It must go! If our cities are going to rot, let them rot.
Mar 15, 2011, 11:04 pm
Mr. Parlato, would you consider making a trip to our lovely city for the purpose of teaching our local daily the art of taking off the gloves and calling a spade a spade?
Mr. Rivers has, indeed, assumed a position as a community patron. He is sanctified in city hall and has them eating out of his hand. Until this, I was afraid we would all need to learn the lyrics to “76 Trombones” I am very pleased your paper had the guts to call out this huckster. This is a prime example of the public service the “Guardian” provides. Thanks Dave.
Mar 17, 2011, 8:54 am
BG followers – your venom is justified but misguided. Developers don’t create the opportunities to siphon public monies….pubic officials do. Rivers didn’t create the mirror….he’s justing putting the smoke in front of it. He didn’t lead the horse to water…he’s just helping it put its head down and drink. You get the point. Hate the game – not the player.
Mar 18, 2011, 1:24 am
I have an odd name but at least it isn’t “Bo-Do”
Mar 18, 2011, 2:08 pm
I can’t for the life of me figure out why elected officials can’t use some 20/20 hindsight when it comes to what is promised and what is delivered via all the merchants of debt. Are they not paying attention to the sins of the past?
As for Urban Renewal.. what did we do before we had it? We had bond elections and folks got to vote up or down stupid as well as great ideas for our communities. Time to return to the lessons learned in the past.
Mar 18, 2011, 9:23 pm
You’re right Paul, sewage running out the back, horse shiite in the front………got some trash? well just bring down next to the Boise river and dump it, all your neighbors are doing it.
Ahh, yes, the good ‘ol days.