Enter Lightroom.

So I actually spent a couple hours going through some of Adobe’s online tutorials to get some insight into how to really use the tool.  Very helpful.  I learned all sorts of things I would have never discovered on my own.  Then I set off to adjust a photo of the Terminal that I love, but hated certain aspects of.  Here it is:

Love the tone, hate the noise and the darkness of the Baggage Check arch.  So, I tried out a multitude of Lightroom tweaks and got this:

I could easily fix the perspective distortion, the chromatic aberration and the luminance noise, perk up some of the darker areas, and easily add back in the lens’ vignetting after adjusting the cropping.  Not bad for a first time shot at using Lightroom!

Next up…  transferring it to Photoshop to remove that damn EXIT sign…

The Terminal has been closed all week, even to most of us in the CTRC, as their crew has been setting up and prepping for the show.  We met the cast last time they were at the Terminal for the TAPS ghost hunt event in May 2009.  Wow…  look how small Ariella was!

Anyways…  the live show starts Halloween night at 7pm on SyFy.

One of the most frequently cited negatives of the Central Terminal project is that we’re located too far away from the downtown core. Yet with the Statler we have a historic building of the same age as the Terminal in the most prime location in the center of downtown. Yet, we have some people arguing it has a negative market value? That seems extraordinarily unlikely seeing that there were at least two bidders for it in the last auction, and the prior owner paid a couple million for it. There are hundreds of buildings in the city that you actually couldn’t give away which would fit the “worthless” moniker much better.

Of course, you have the people parroting for it’s demolition, but demolition is expensive for a structure like this. First, the building undoubtedly has asbestos that would need to be removed first. Asbestos removal is one of the costly items to deal with when rehabbing an old building. Second is the question of what do you replace a demolished building with? Buffalo isn’t in need of any more parking lots or shovel-ready sites. So if you don’t have a project waiting in the wings for this lot, and if you’re going to be stuck with an expensive taxpayer-funded demolition, what do you do? Exactly what is being done with the Statler – you seal it up and wait until the right developer comes along.

I think we can go one step better, actually. More needs to be done to preserve these key buildings that give Buffalo it’s unique feel and tie in it’s historical roots. Most business tax breaks are frequently criticized as being overly generous to a small number of companies, and many people are unsettled with the concept of handing over taxpayer dollars to businesses. The other “solution” has been instead to throw millions of dollars into brand-new development somewhere where there’s a clean slate, but that only distracts attention away from the problems at the city’s core.

Most people agree that infrastructure maintenance is a role of government. So, why not treat these buildings as infrastructure and take the money being thrown away for silver-bullet development and given away to companies that can afford to operate without the various tax breaks and subsidies and instead create a fund that will be directed towards preserving and preparing these key structures for the future? Focus on the areas that are expensive and problematic which deter the private developers – remove lead paint and asbestos, prevent water damage by sealing up roofs and windows, keep drains flowing and basements dry, and prevent scavengers from getting inside and stripping elements for scrap. Rather than letting the building sit dormant and slowly decay, make the investment to keep it usable for the future and more attractive to a developer who can focus on redeveloping it for current-day uses.

Everyone agrees that vacant, boarded up buildings have a negative impression on their area, so making sure there is a few of them as possible is an improvement to the entire community. A reinvestment plan like this makes the area more attractive to businesses, and will ultimately lower the cost of doing business by making buildings cheaper to rehab, thus lowering rent. It’s an investment in the city itself, which is what our tax dollars should be going towards.

It’s laughable to hear people say that the Statler it’s past it’s time. The Statler is nowhere near unsalvageable – it still had tenants in right up until it’s close. The Central Terminal has been largely vacant for 30 years. The Statler is a general-purpose building that can be easily adapted to a variety of purposes, unlike the Central Terminal’s purpose-built function which requires more imagination to adapt. And yes, the Statler is within spitting distance of the City Hall, not segregated a few miles away. I’ve read some comments from people saying a group like the CTRC should take over the Statler because we’ve done a commendable job with the Terminal, but volunteers are not what the Statler needs. If our group could get the Central Terminal back to the condition the Statler is in, that would be a success in itself. It’s the next phase of restoration that’s difficult and expensive and can’t be done simply by having dedicated people that love the project. Fixing the problems of the past to prepare for the future is where government can step in and do something tangible to help. Investing in your own property is something individuals and businesses alike can understand and regularly do, so we should be able to extend that philosophy to the public level.

It’s a bittersweet moment for me. I had previously applied for a Board position back in 2006, but was beat out by none other than Mark himself and Kate Resetarits, whose term ended earlier this year. Regardless of not getting on the Board, I continued working with the group, creating and fulfilling the roles of Media Relations Coordinator and Volunteer Coordinator, and helping out with rebuilding the website. Last year, Mike moved into the President’s role after Russell’s departure, and Mark took on the VP position while still acting as Treasurer. It was clear earlier this year that Mark was quite overextended, and I offered to Mike and Mark to step in as Assistant Treasurer (Assistant to the Treasurer?). Since both were former Treasurers, I would have plenty of mentoring. Both thought it was a great idea and that I’d be able to pick up the role without any problem.

Then, things abruptly changed. Before I had time to get very far into the new job, Mike died. Mark was the logical choice to step up to become President, but that meant he could no longer legally hold the role of Treasurer. None of the other existing Board Members were particularly interested in the job, so I was asked to join the Board.

I’m already accustomed to keeping extensively detailed personal financial records, so the main challenge of taking on this role is learning QuickBooks. That’s where my IT background comes into play, and where Jeff’s experience as former Treasurer and owner of his own business will help.

So, how have things changed for me? Well, I’ve made more trips to the bank in the last two weeks for the CTRC than I have in a year in handling our personal finances. My [useful] email volume has probably doubled as I bounce a lot of questions and thoughts off the other Board Members. And, much to Amanda’s chagrin, I’ve certainly been spending more time at the Terminal lately and not with her.

The good news is that the CTRC is moving full steam ahead, now beginning work on a master plan for redevelopment ourselves, no longer waiting around for a developer to step up to the plate and take on the project. The loss of Mike, tragic as it was, did not derail our efforts in the slightest bit. Instead, we took it as a reminder that we need to get this project finished. As I said to Mark Sommer when he interviewed us for the Buffalo News article (he misattributed the quote to Tony, but no hard feelings, Mark ) we’ve always felt we had a responsibility to keep the Terminal around. Now, we also have the responsibility to finish this project for those who put so much effort into it and aren’t going to see it completed.

I’m happy to be an even bigger part of that effort.

Last Thursday, our good friend Mike Miller passed away. Many people knew Mike from the work he did for the Buffalo Central Terminal, Broadway Fillmore Alive, and most recently Preservation Buffalo Niagara. We knew Mike first as a friend, and a great advocate for Wesern New York second.

You often hear people say, “He’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet” about a person. With Mike, this was genuinely the truth. I’ve never known another individual to be so selfless, so caring, and so genuine in everything he said and did. That was Mike – always quick to point out a person’s redeeming qualities when others might not see them. Always the level-headed mediator. Always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Whenever we would have Mike over for dinner, he’d remind us he was a “meat and potatos” guy, which was both literal (seriously – we learned not to try and give the guy broccoli) and figurative. Mike was never interested in the politics of a situation, he just wanted to get things done. It’s one of the things that made him so successful at what he did. I’ll always remember the first CTRC board meeting after Russell had left and Mike assumed the role of President. He said, “My goal is to replace myself as soon as possible,” feeling that he was inadequate for the job. However, not only did he not need replacing, his work with the CTRC and BFA led to him getting his dream job as Executive Director of Preservation Buffalo Niagara.

Mike helped Amanda get her foot in the door at M&T when she was frustrated with her own career path, and was always available to her when she needed to vent about anything. He was thrilled to find out when Amanda was pregnant and called himself “Uncle Mike” to Ariella. In another month, he would have been able to celebrate her first birthday with us.

When we’d have him over for dinner, he’d arrive with a magnum of white wine and it would be gone by the end of the night. That led to one unfortunate incident of me passing out in the bathroom one night, twisting my ankle in the process, which led to ongoing ribbing about me being a lush. Sadly, ironically, last week I scheduled a physical therapy appointment for Tuesday to deal with the lingering effects of that night. I’ll have to cancel it to spend one last day with the instigator.

Losing a member of the CTRC family is sad. Losing our president and guiding light will be difficult. Losing our friend is hardest of all. God Bless, Mike. We miss you.

Services will be held at the Buffalo Central Terminal Wednesday from 1pm-8pm. His obituary is reprinted at BuffaloCentralTerminal.org.

There’s no room… like… ANYWHERE from that view to put one more track. The Terminal was only able to handle 80 passenger trains a day in it’s heyday with 14 platforms and… oh… underground access from the [now disconnected] passenger platforms to the main building.

Nope, don’t see how that could possibly work.

Update: Here are two photos that show the amount of track that used to be around Central Terminal.

Here’s a great example.

Reality:

But here’s the shot we created:

This was an “artificial sun” shot, tungsten balanced strobe so the ambient background light turns bluish.

Here’s just another cool shot:

(White shoot-through umbrella, reflector)

I have one more shot that I think needs some work before I post it.

(See part 1 if you missed it)

Tejada would set up the shot and the lighting and walk us through his process of composing the whole thing, then let us trigger the strobes with our own cameras and take the shots ourselves. Here’s two of my favorite shots from the day.

“Leaving” – The Setup:

(simple wall bounce)

“Leaving”

(I desaturated the final shot and cut the background completely to greyscale)

“Information” – The Setup:

(Overhead softbox, reflector below, side lights)

“Information”

(Straight out of the camera – no adjustment needed!)

Congratulations, Mike! May you do as many great things for PBN as you have for the Central Terminal and Broadway-Fillmore Alive!

Edit Video link broken – removed)

Fifteen minutes later I was in a torrential downpour in East Aurora.

Buffalo graffiti vandal Christopher Fargo was sentenced Monday to up to nine months in jail on his latest graffiti-related arrest, which violated the probation he was granted two years ago.

…

Fargo was arrested in the Central Terminal on Nov. 11 while allegedly with a group of other graffiti suspects. He has been in jail since his Dec. 13 arraignment.

Jail time. Read that, taggers.

Blogtoberfest, on the other hand, had a pretty piss poor showing. Other than Mike Miller and Michele Johnson, who are Terminal regulars, WNYMedia.net had no representation. Michele even made the effort to come after her mother’s wedding the same day. I had a few chats with Mike Rebmann and a nice conversation with Ms. The 716 (check out her post about her upcoming first photo exhibit) but that was the extent of the bloggercon regulars. In fact, the best showing was made by a group of e:strip folks. I spent some time talking to e:dragonlady7 about how e:strip is really it’s own community, and likely why it doesn’t get much cross-linking from the rest of the Buffalo blogosphere, and even introduced myself to e:Paul, who while meek and mild in person, predictably lambasted everything about the event in his post today. Regardless, I give them credit for actually coming out. A group of bloggers who e-vocally dislike the Terminal showed up the folks who are avid supporters of it, all in an effort to meet their e-peers. Let’s make sure we don’t publicize any more of these events without a designated coordinator and a concerted effort to get people to it.

Regardless, the event was another success for the CTRC, celebrating it’s 10th year of existence. Regardless of what you might read at certain blogs, the Terminal has come an awfully long way in ten years, from a grand mess to a unique event venue that continues to draw more and more people each year. Excelsior!

Buffalo Central Terminal Second Annual Train Show
September 8 & 9, 10am-4pm
Adults:$5.00, Children (3-12): $2.00, Family:$10.00 (2 adults & 2 kids).

Attractions include:
* Operating Train Layouts for all the family to enjoy.
* Craftsmans Corner, to learn new ways to improve your layout.
* Children’s play area with Thomas the Tank.
* Door Prizes & Refreshments.
* Videos, DVDs, Books & Photographs that have any thing to do with trains.
* Sale of Trains and their accessories for all size layouts & collectors.