Sou

th W

edge

Pla

nn

ing

Co

mm

itte

e224 M

t. H

op

e A

ven

ue

Ro

ches

ter,

New

Yo

rk 1

4620

Non

-Pro

fit O

rgan

izat

ion

U.S

. Pos

tage

P A

I DR

oche

ster

, NY

Perm

it N

o. 4

041

FREE

PAG

E 2

PAG

E 7 South Clinton

Gears UpSouth Ave. Shines

Wedge ProfileYvonne Williams

December 2006 Vol. 28 No. 6

Heart ofthe City

CommunityBuilders

ToolTips3 4 4

PAG

E 5

PAG

E 7 John Fanning

Decants atSolera WineBar

Tango Cafe Sizzleson Gregory Street

▲ PUBLISHED BY THE SOUTH WEDGE PLANNING COMMITTEE, A GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION SERVING THE SOUTH WEDGE ▲

Susan John Delivers for South Clinton Ave.by Dan Buyer

Senator Hil lary Clintonjoined local community, Cityand State leaders to announce a$750,000 state grant to makeimprovements on South ClintonAvenue. Accompanied by NYSAssemblymember Susan John,she also toured South Avenueand visited several businessesas part of this announcement.

Assemblymember John ob-tained the money through theState’s Multi-Modal fund. TheCity of Rochester will use thefunds to improve intersectionsthroughout the corridor by in-stalling curb extensions at manyof the corners to improve pedes-trian safety and better define on-street parking.

Construction is expected to

start sometime in 2008. Theseimprovements were amongthose called for in the recentlycompleted South Clinton Av-enue Plan, put together byneighborhood and businessleaders and the Rochester Re-gional Community Design Cen-ter as part of ESCAPE (EvolvingSouth Clinton Avenue Places &Environment Committee). Ear-lier this year, SWPC obtained anadditional $200,000 for façadeand building restoration grantsand streetscape enhancementsfor South Clinton.

Similar improvements com-pleted by the City, SWPC and theBusiness Association of theSouth Wedge Area on South Av-enue in 2005 and 2006 resultedin millions of dollars in private

development. AssemblymemberJohn obtained $400,000 in statefunds for South Avenue in 2002,resulting in new curb bump outsand crosswalks and the con-struction of Nathaniel Square.John said she looks forward towatching the revitalization ofSouth Clinton.

“South Clinton Avenue is a vi-tal link for our community,” Johnsaid. “And these changes will nowcreate another village within ourcity. ”

Thanks and congratulationsgo to members of ESCAPE, whichincludes representation from theSouth Clinton Merchants Asso-ciation, the Swillburg Neighbor-hood Association, the Ellwanger& Barry Neighborhood Associa-tion, City NET, Planning and En-gineering staff, SWPC and SEAC.Special thanks go to MaureenMurphy and Kathy Betlem, wholead the committee.

Mayor Robert Duffy was alsoon hand for the announcement,and commended the level of co-operation that led to this project.

“This funding will help im-prove public safety and economicdevelopment along South ClintonAvenue,” said the Mayor. “I wantto thank Assemblymember Su-san John, who delivered thefunds to realize this long-antici-pated project. I also want to thankthe ESCAPE Committee for theirhard work and advocacy. The col-laborative spirit embodied here isthe essence of my vision for ourgreat city.” ▲

Senator Hillary Clinton, Assemblymember Susan John andMayor Robert Duffy share the stage to announce a $750,000State grant for South Clinton Street improvements. Congratula-tions to Maureen Murphy, Kathy Betlem, Helen Hogan, DanBuyer, Eilleen Thomas, Mike Thompson, Paul Way, Pete Saxe,Dave Halter, Matt Perdue, Michelle Rook and all those whohave participated on the ESCAPE Committee. (Photo: Eilleen Thomas)

ThankThankThankThankThankYou,You,You,You,You,CitizensCitizensCitizensCitizensCitizens

Citizens Bank has do-nated $10,000 to the SouthWedge Planning Committee tosupport small business andeconomic development ef-forts in the South Wedge area.

The funds will help SWPCand SUNY Geneseo providebusiness plan counseling,loan packaging and other ser-vices to existing and potentialnew businesses. Over the pastseven years, SWPC and SUNYGeneseo have provided one-on-one business plan coun-seling to more than 300 entre-preneurs and assisted manyof them with getting financed.This has resulted in more than30 new businesses.

In 2005, Citizens also do-nated funds for the construc-tion of Nathaniel Square. Formore information, contactEilleen Thomas at 256-1740,ext. 106. ▲

The new Coffee Connection and the South Wedge GreenGrocer and Garden Center celebrated their openings at 781South Ave. on Oct. 21st. The building was recently restoredby Konar Properties. Shown here, Les Arpegios entertainscustomers at the Coffee Connection. Special thanks go tothe SUNY Geneseo Small Business Development Center andthe City of Rochester. (Photo: Michelle Rook)

Businesses Competefor Decorating Prizes

Break out the bells, balls andbaubles and add a little holidaycheer to the neighborhood asBASWA (Business Association ofthe South Wedge Area) sends outscouts for its annual holidaydecoration contest. Area shops

who trim their facades are eli-gible to win cash prizes from$100-$300. Prizes wil l beawarded after judging on Dec.16-17. See www.baswa.org formore info. ▲

SWPCCalendar 6

CONGRATULATIONS COFFEE CONNECTION

Director’sMessage 8

2 The WedgeDecember 2006

South Wedge Planning Committee224 Mt. Hope Avenue • Rochester, New York 14620

256-1740

OfficersRobert Boyd, Chair

Nannett Haynes-Cepero, Vice ChairAnthony Sciarabba, Treasurer

Tanya Mooza Zwahlen, Secretary

Board MembersJody Asbury, StakeholderMarcia Barry, NeighborSarah Bierley, Neighbor

Winton Buddington, StakeholderFelicia “Bo” Clark, Neighbor

John Dennis, NeighborPhil Duquette, NeighborDave Halter, Business

Sarah Johnstone, NeighborGale Lynch, Neighbor

Cheryl Stevens, NeighborJoAnn Thomas, Neighbor

John vanKerkhove, NeighborYvonne Williams, Neighbor

Lyjha Wilton, Business

HonoraryVince Corsall, Marie Daley,

Mitchell Dannenberg, Joe DiDonato,Mack McDowell

AdvisoryTony Adiutori, John Billone Jr.,Marsha Dumka, Howard Konar,

Richard Pifer, Patrick Tobin, Len Zwas

StaffDaniel Buyer, Executive Director

Eilleen Thomas, CoordinatorBrian Pincelli, CoordinatorGeorge Lorson, CoordinatorChris Hartman, CoordinatorEd Meyers, Tool Librarian

ConsultantsGeorge Gotcsik, SUNY Geneseo Small

Business Development CenterKevin DeGiacomo, M&T Bank

Deb Ferris, Bookkeeper

Wedge Newspaper TeamNancy O’Donnell, Editor

Mike Fleche, Advertising & DistributionBob Tucker, Graphically Speaking, Layout

Empire Weeklies, Printing & Mailing

WritersDan Buyer, Mike Fleche,

Nancy O’Donnell, Rose O’Keefe,Ed Meyers, Eileen Thomas

PhotographyDan Buyer, Mike Fleche, Eileen Thomas

To reach The Wedge,call (585) 256-1740, ext. 5

E-mail Addresses:first initial last name@swpc.org

The WEDGE, a newspaper with a circulation of7,000, is published six times a year and is a coop-erative effort of the South Wedge Planning Com-mittee and South Wedge residents. This organiza-tion, its members and staff make every attempt toprovide accurate coverage of neighborhood newsas well as local, state and national news that af-fects the neighborhood. Articles in this paper donot necessarily reflect the view and/or opinions ofthe above mentioned organization, its staff or itsmembers. Please send any story suggestions,news releases, etc. to: WEDGE Newspaper, 224Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620.

DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE IS DEC 21, 2006

SOUTHVIEW TOWERSAffordable Housing

1 Bedroom Apartment Available

All Utilities Included • Pet Friendly

On Busline • 24 Hour Maintenance

Activities/Events Offered

Call 325-2580

WEDG

E PRO

FILE

Ellwanger BarryCooperativePreschool

for Ages 3-5

Open HouseJan . 13 & 27

10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Call 461-4250for more information

www.ebns.org

Near U.R. at 4 E. Henrietta Rd

Yvonne WilliamsBy Rose O’Keefe

Three years ago, Yvonne Williams was laid lowby heart failure and asthma, and after she pulledthrough, she considered she had her secondchance.

Gradually, she started helping JoAnn Thomas,then River Park Tenants Association president, andgot the feel for the Tenants Association. Shebecame its vice president, serving with, JoAnn andwas elected Association president in April 2005.

Together with Betty Wynn and Lynette Will-iams, and with support from SWPC’s Dan Buyer,they collected computers and created the Re-source Room in the high rise apartment building.Today they act as resource coordinators, assistwith tenant activities and serve on the hospitalitycommittee. Now, anyone with vision problems canget rides to appointments. They refer neighbors in

need to St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center orCalvary St. Andrew’s Parish.

“That’s why we are so successful,” said Yvonne.“It’s not a business; it’s a service. We’ve got a bigresponsibility. Management appreciates us.”

For all their efforts for the community,Yvonne,␣ JoAnn and Annie Gedeon were treated toan appreciation lunch at River Park in April.

Yvonne was raised in Buffalo, where sheattended Fosdick Masten vocational school,studying cosmetology. She completed high schoolin Bradenton, Florida, where she picked tomatoesand oranges before returning to Buffalo.

Yvonne, a certified nursing assistant, moved toa␣ townhouse at River Park in 1994 and to thehigh rise in 1998. She married in 1983 and hastwo daughters, Taleea Lee and Reatha Lee. Yvonneis also the proud grandmother of Timonny Piatt,Quameire Brown, and QuanNasia Wallington,QuanNah Lari Bostick, and awaiting anothergrandbaby in May. ▲

rCongrats ToCaverly’sIrish Pub

741 South Avenue

1 year Anniversary

3The WedgeDecember 2006

“Serving the South Wedge Since 1970”

Electrical Contractors• Residential • Commercial • Industrial

Bucket Trucks

423-6300

All UtilitiesIncluded in Rent!1st Month Free!

1 BedroomApartments$645 / month

Highland Manor Apartments11 Manor Parkway • Rochester, NY 14620 • Leasing Office (585) 271-094911 Manor Parkway • Rochester, NY 14620 • Leasing Office (585) 271-0949

Highland Manor Apartments

Located on the corner of South Ave. and Manor ParkwayAcross from Highland Hospital and next to the park and school

More information and floorplans online at www.igordon.com

Located on the corner of South Ave. and Manor ParkwayAcross from Highland Hospital and next to the park and school

More information and floorplans online at www.igordon.com

All UtilitiesIncluded in Rent!1st Month Free!

1 BedroomApartments$645 / month

International Healthful Cuisineusing organic, unrefined ingredients

Catering &Takeout

Vegetarian Cooking ClassesStarting Soon - Call for Details

Chef Peg Fink-Gefell, C.I.A. graduate

220 Mt. Hope Ave. • 423-0750www.savorythyme.com

Fax: 527-0693

Bike Tune-UpsStill Only $39.95

Local one-man business! Stop in & say “Hi.”I live in your neighborhood.

1757 MOUNT HOPE AVE. • 473-3724

DAVID A. MERKEL, ESQ.ATTORNEY AT LAW

701 MT. HOPE AVENUE

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK 14620TEL: (585) 454-4400

PRINCIPAL AREAS OF PRACTICE INCLUDE:REAL ESTATE, WILLS & ESTATES

MATRIMONIAL & FAMILY LAW, PERSONAL INJURY

by Mike Fleche

The original title of this columnwas “Wedge People.” When the col-umn expanded to stories beyond theSouth Wedge, it was renamed “In &Around the Wedge.”

But that name never seemed ex-pressive enough to me. It left out the“people” part. I wanted to celebratethe contributions of all kinds ofpeople: from the lowly to the power-ful, from the very old to the veryyoung.

After considering long lists ofpossibilities, I finally settled on“Heart of the City” (I’m grateful toJason Becker for suggesting theidea—see below.) It denotes a geo-graphical location, but it is more thanthat. It’s about friendliness, coopera-tion and courage. It’s an appreciationof the people who work to make ourworld a better place.

So here is “Heart of the City.” It ismy tribute to you, the rising lightsand the humble heroes. I salute you.

c CCongratulations to Calvary

St. Andrew’s Parish, which cel-ebrated its 150th anniversary Oct.29. The special service was con-ducted by Rev. Judy Lee Hay, itspastor since 1973. Several TV sta-tions covered the event.

SWPC ExecutiveDirector Dan Buyerwas invited to speakat the service. “Cal-vary St. Andrew’spersonifies the com-munity spirit of theSouth Wedge,” saidDan.

The church wasformerly the jointparish of CalvaryPresbyterian and St.Andrews Episcopalchurches. Outreachprograms by the par-ish spawned severalvital communitygroups, including theSouth Wedge Planning Commit-tee, of which Rev. Judy was thefirst director.

Last month, the busy pastorwas the keynote speaker at thefall symposium of the Presbyte-rian Synod of the Trinity inPhiladelphia.

c CIn our last issue, I introduced

Jason and Jared Becker, thetwin purveyors of premium icecream. Now several area busi-

nesses carry their Creekviewline: Tonja’s Personal Touch,674 South Ave.; the Coffee Con-nection, 681 South Ave.; SouthWedge Green Grocer, 683 SouthAve.; and John’s Tex-Mex Eat-ery, 489 South Ave.

“We’re proud that they’re car-rying our products,” Jason saidof the new retail outlets. “We lovethe South Wedge because that’sour home. We think it’s the heartof the city.”

Watch for new flavors out thismonth: Cranberry, Candy Caneand Eggnog.

c CThe History Fair, held at the

Historic German House October9, had a tempting variety of ven-dors and exhibits. Between de-liveries of our October issue, Istopped in and learned about ev-erything from antique postcardsto the history of Hockey in Roch-ester (by Blaise Lamphier) to Pol-ish Pottery (imported and dis-tributed by Susan Homsey).

The designs, all in signaturecobalt blue, are variations of the“eyes” on peacock feathers.Originally folk artists carvedtheir designs in frozen potatoes;today they combine stamping

and paintbrushing todecorate each piece.

“The joy is in the hold-ing of these pieces, theold-world roundness andheft,” Susan rhapso-dized. “Once they warmup they retain thatwarmth, the mugs espe-cially.”

I enjoyed the photos inNancy Rosin’s book, TheHands That Feed Us: 100Years at the RochesterPublic Market. I was in-trigued by the Danny andLife on Bluff Point books byMary Ellen Lee, which arebased on actual journals

of the author’s grandfather.Some of the other exhibitors

were the Canal Society of NewYork State, Charlotte Light-house, Friends of Ganondagan,and the Genesee Country Villageand Museum.

Event organizer RoseO’Keefe was pleased with theturnout.

“The purpose of the History

Fair is to promote the SouthWedge Neighborhood, promoteregional history and bring allkinds of people together,” shesaid. “And on that basis, it wasgenerally a success.”

Rose, until recently the edi-tor of this newspaper, is the au-thor of two pictorial books onarea history, Rochester’s SouthWedge and Southeast Rochester,both published by Arcadia.

c CThe banner reads “Bruised

but not broken, Boulder’s open.”Struck by speeding cars twice insix months, Boulder CoffeeCompany at the corner of SouthClinton and Alexander is beinglovingly restored and remod-eled.

“We’re putting more light inthe front,” said owner LyjhaWilton. “I want to flood thatwhole opening in glass—all glasswindows, but the windows willactually be doors.”

Lyjha felt frustrated when

Heart of the City

continued on page 5

Susan Homsey displays some of her PolishPottery at the History Fair (Oct. 9.)Photo courtesy Susan Homsey.

4 The WedgeDecember 2006

C.H. Morse Stamp Co.528 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620

(585) 454-5188

Visit our web site: www.nymarking.com

Vail AutomotiveVail Automotive2271-2406

Electronic Diagnosis & Tune-Ups

Carburator Service

Alternators/Regulators/Electrical

Suspension & Drive Train

Air Conditioning/Cooling

Brakes

Exhaust

24 Hour Flatbed Service

Certified Technicians

American & ForeignFree DowntownTransportation

757 South Avenue

Solving Problems Is Our Business

ManorParkway

ApartmentsStudio and 2 Bedroom

Apartments~

Rent Includes Heat & Hot Water~

No Additional Fee for Cats~

Model Open for Viewing 90-2 Manor Parkway ~ 473-081690-2 Manor Parkway ~ 473-0816

Community Builders

Edited by Chris Hartman

Become a Cinema Theaterhistory detective.

Cinema owner Jo AnnMorreale and the Friends of theCinema need your help in locat-ing photos from the early days ofthe theater. They hope to estab-lish that the façade has remainedessentially unchanged for atleast 50 years. Some clues to fol-low: first opened in 1918 as theClinton under the ownership ofGeorge H. Caffery and George W.Evans, purchased in 1948 byMorris P. Slotnick, who startedthe Jo-Mor chain. For moreclues, call or e-mail BarbaraCase, 473-9416, baribarb31-@yahoo.com.

College Students Tutor Resi-dents at River Park Commons

tact Chris Hartman: chartman-@swpc.org; 256-1740 x104.

Friends of Mount HopeCemetery

For the first time in its 168year history, the Friends ofMount Hope Cemetery organiza-tion of fered two candlel itevening tours of the north end ofthe cemetery in October. Regulartours are conducted at the cem-etery several times every week-end from May through October,with occasional special themetours. The tours are guided by agroup of volunteers with a richbackground in the history andlandscape of this internationallyrecognized historic site.The grand finale tour this fallwas i l luminated by 1,000luminaria, and some dramaticfloodlighting on the landmarkbuildings near the north gate.For more information about theFriends of Mount Hope Cem-etery and its newsletter, visitwww.FOMH.org.

‘Green Drinks’Rochester has started a chap-

ter of Green Drinks, a nationalinitiative to get green mindedpeople together once a month at

Three students from RobertsWesleyan College—JonathanKipfer, Daisy Algorin, and SaraRice— tutored residents at RiverPark Commons in English as aSecond Language as well as inSpanish.

Yvonne Williams, former Re-source Room Coordinator atRiver Park and SWPC boardmember, worked with SWPC’sNeighbor’s Council to arrangethese sessions that ran fromNov. 2 to December 7.

Plans are being made for an-other session in the spring. Con-tact SWPC for more information.

PACTACEarlier this fall, in response to

a rise in street crime, residentsengaged in a PACTAC BLITZwhich placed trained volunteers

on the streets each day for twoweeks in attempts to increase a“people presence” and reducecriminal behavior. Thanks to allthose who walked! CommunityPACTAC walks will continue totake place on the 3rd Thursday ofeach month from 6-8 p.m. start-ing at the S. Clinton NET Office.Everyone is welcome!

NOTE: PACTAC walkers havenoticed a lack of porch lights onarea streets. Please rememberto turn on your porch lights afterdusk to help keep our streetswell lit and safe.

Neighbor Council’sCommunity Potluck

Around 30 area residentsgathered at Calvary St. AndrewsChurch for a community potluckdinner and brainstorming ses-sion. Neighbors were challengedto develop ideas and action stepsregarding creative, enjoyable, andinclusive ways to build commu-nity, get neighbors together, andculturally enrich our urban vil-lage. Through both formal andinformal discussions, we devel-oped an extensive list of ideas forNeighbor Council to pursue, in-cluding more communitypotlucks!

For more information, con-

an area bar to discuss issuesaround environmental justice.Kristin Cox and Ben Munson havespearheaded this and allowedSWPC to use the first gathering asa venue for a committee being cre-ated to work on building theSouth Wedge as a green neighbor-hood. More than a dozen resi-dents turned out to discuss ideasof biofuels, community gardensand urban agriculture, energyconservation, composting andother initiatives that could buildthe South Wedge as a nationalmodel of neighborhood-based en-vironmental stewardship andgreen economic development. Formore information, contact ChrisHartman at chartman@swpc.org;256-1740 x104.

South Wedge History ClubCity Historian and author

Ruth Rosenberg-Naparstecklecture, 6:30 p.m Monday, Jan.15 at Episcopal Church Home,505 Mount Hope Ave.

Book SigningLocal history authors

Emerson Klees, Ruth Rosenberg-Naparsteck and Rose O’Keefesign their books from 11 a.m. to 1p.m., Sat. Dec. 9 at South WedgeGreen Grocer, 683 South Ave. ▲

Ten years ago I fell 14 feet in aladder accident when the support-ing structure for the ladder gaveway. A 60 percent fractured spi-nal T12 vertebrae required sixmonths in bed to properly mendthe bone. My height was reducedhalf an inch from the fracture.

So here are some safety tips thatmay save your life or your height!

“Tool“Tips”

By Ed Meyers, Tool Librarian

If a ladder has bad rungs, poorfooting, or is rickety or improperlyslanted, don’t use it until thesehazards are corrected. If a ladderslips or moves as you climb, it’s notplaced properly. When using astraight ladder, its base should beaway from the supporting wall adistance equal to one quarter ofits height. And, before getting on

a step ladder, see that it is fullyopened and its braces locked, andnever climb higher than the sec-ond step from the top.

Most important, NEVER, NEVERSTAND ON THE TOP PLATFORM OFTHE LADDER!

When climbing a ladder carrytools in your pocket or other totedevice, but not in your hand.When working on a ladder, try atall times to keep one hand grip-ping the ladder. If the ladder is ina doorway, see that the door iseither open or locked—then noone will bump the ladder andknock you off. Before you move aladder, make sure you haven’t leftthe hammer on its top. It maycome sailing off.

Don’t try to reach for out-of-the-way tools when on a ladder; more

Safe Use is Ladder to Success

continued on page 6

5The WedgeDecember 2006

Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8-5:30

686 Clinton Avenue South

271-5179Serving the South Wedge since 1947

GeneralAutomobileRepairing

Domestic&

Asian

MasterCard

Tango Café Sizzles with Salsa Feverby Nancy O’Donnell

Studio dancers José and Su-san Cruzado traveled lots ofdance floors before finding ahome on Gregory Street. The ter-ritorial nature ofthe local dancecommunity meantthat sharing spacewasn’t often an op-tion.

“We were lots ofdancing folk, no-mads travelingfrom studio to stu-dio,” said José. “Sofinally I took chargeand got us together.It’s really importantthat everyone havetheir own space.”

Now ten in-structors share thespace teachingtango, lindy hop,swing, flamenco,salsa, Africandrumming andA f r o - B r a z i l i a ndance. On week-ends, dancers gather to dancetypical Puerto Rican dances likeLa Plena and Bomba.

The Cruzados, who live inIrondequoit, decided on locatingtheir studio in the South Wedgeprimarily because people wereso friendly. “We met people fromthe South Wedge walking

through Durand Park, and theywere very proud of the area,” hesaid.

And while the diversity of theSouth Wedge suited them per-

fectly, it was the encouragementof established business ownersthat made all the difference.

“When we were looking, wetalked to several business own-ers at Animas, Houseparts, andSalon Paragon especially—andthey were very kind, very recep-tive, very helpful.”

When he’s not at Tango Caféteaching his signature style ofCaribbean salsa, José’s givinglessons at Tapas on St. Paul St.And when he’s not dancing, he’s

working as aMonroe CountySheriff Deputy.His wife Susanhas another lifeas a MonroeCounty Assis-tant Court Clerk.

Even thoughthe grand open-ing is still twomonths away,Tango Cafédance classesare in force withpatrons ages 15to over 70. Dancesessions (begin-ner through ad-vanced) run fiveweeks and cost$50 for an indi-vidual and $85per couple

Meanwhi l e ,refurbishing continues. Janu-ary or February doors will beopen for the big event. “We’llhave demonstrations and freelessons and hors d’oeuvres,”said José.

Tango Café, 389 GregoryStreet, 271-4930, e-mailtelecris@frontiernet.net. ▲

Jose and Susan Cruzado come straight from their day jobsto the ballroom at Tango Cafe. (Photo: Johannes Bockwoldt)

the latest accident occurred inAugust, two weeks beforeBoulderfest. “The timing was notgreat for me,” admitted theyouthful entrepreneur.

But his native optimismquickly returns. “I try to flip it ina positive way,” he said. “We’regoing to get a new storefront; thebuilding will be redesigned; theinside of the store has a betterlayout now. And when all is saidand done, Boulder has got a lotof exposure.”

“When a situation’s out of mycontrol, I don’t have any choicebut to deal with it,” he observed.“I have to take the good with thebad, roll with the punches, andkeep moving forward.

“It’s life,” he said with a ruefulsmile. “It’s part of life.”

c C

Heart of the Citycontinued from page 3

SWPC board chair RobertBoyd, a vice-president of HSBCBank, retired November 1 after25 years. He was honored at aretirement party at MidvaleCountry Club on October 25.

“Retirement is a misnomer,”he said. “It’s really starting awhole new phase of life.”

Bob will continue to own andmanage several properties in theSouth Wedge. He’s currently de-veloping the building at 728South Ave. The new business, aretail wine and liquor storecalled Sips & Trips, is sched-uled to open early in 2007.

“We’ll have a limited selectionof premium liquors and wines,”says the dedicated oenophile.“We’ll be doing wine-tastingsand events. And we’ll be doingwine trips, both locally and in-ternationally.” ▲

Think Winter…Think Hunt’s

• Weatherstrip • Pipe Insulation

• Window Plastics • Rock Salt

• Furnace Filters • Kerosene

• Snow Shovels • Ice Scrapers

• Electric Heaters • Lock De-Icer

HUNT’S HARDWARE, INC.390 Thurston Road • 436-9270

6 The WedgeDecember 2006

Where Health Is ACommunity Effort

417 South AvenueRochester, New York

585-325-5260

Primary Health CarePersonal & Family Counseling

Literacy & GED Tutoring

Health care for the uninsuredFor more information,

call 585-325-5260

Sponsored by the Srs. of St. Joseph

~ A Welcoming CongregationJoining Personal Faith WithOutreach in the Community ~

Sunday School - 9:45 a.m.

Sunday Worship - 11:00 a.m.

1235 South Clinton Avenuenear Highland

244-0812

people fall from a low position onthe ladder than from high.

The light weight of aluminum ormagnesium ladders is an asset, butlightness can also create hazards.A strong wind can blow them downand leave you stranded on the roof.And since magnesium and alumi-num conduct electricity, they arerisky to use around electric linesand during electrical storms. No-tice that the RG&E workers use fi-berglass ladders for their work.

So remember, safe use is the lad-der to success. ▲

Tool Tipscontinued from page 4

Solera Wine Barcontinued from page 7

SWPC Community CalendarNeighbors Council

Wednesday Dec. 6, 6 p.m.@ Boulder Coffee, 561 S.Clinton Ave.

Finance CommitteeMonday Dec. 11, noon@ 224 Mt. Hope Ave.

NBN Sector 6Monday Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m.@ 846 S. Clinton Ave.

BASWAWednesday Dec. 13, 5:30 p.m.@ Historic House Parts, 540South Ave.

PCIC MeetingWednesday Dec. 13, 6:00 p.m.@Eastside Command Center,(Tops Plaza, N. Clinton)

SWPC Board of DirectorsThursday Dec. 14, 6 p.m.@ 224 Mt. Hope Ave.

Marketing TeamMonday Dec.18, noon@ 224 Mt. Hope Ave.

Housing andOverlay Committee

Wednesday Dec. 20, noon@ 224 Mt. Hope Ave.

Neighbors CouncilWednesday Jan. 3, 6 p.m.@ TBA

Finance CommitteeMonday Jan. 8, noon@ 224 Mt. Hope Ave.

NBN Sector 6Monday Jan 8, 5:30 p.m.@ 846 S. Clinton Ave.

SWPC Board of DirectorsThursday Jan. 11, 6 p.m.@ 224 Mt. Hope Ave.

Housing & Overlay CommitteeWednesday Jan. 17 noon@ 224 Mt. Hope Ave.

Real Estate TeamWednesday Jan 24, 6 p.m.@ 224 Mt. Hope Ave

Tuscan village called Montaione.John remembered getting up inthe morning and driving down tothe winery; great food, greatwine.”

But the couple missed friendsand family. “We didn’t speak thelanguage,” Katy explained. “I hadmy degree and wanted to comeback home and get a job.” Johnagreed. “After two years, it was

time to come back,” he said.They returned to Rochester

early in 2004. John hadplanned to work at a winery inthe Finger Lakes region, but itproved too far away to com-mute. While he worked as awine specialist at MarketviewLiquor in Henrietta he got theidea of opening a wine bar.

From the first, they were

drawn to the South Wedge, a cityneighborhood with a lot of char-acter. “I used to drive throughthis area on my way to work,”John said. “I came to realize thatthe South Wedge was a neighbor-hood that had a lot of new busi-nesses owned by young people.”

Business has been a steadyso far, John reported. “Ouropening night was amazing. We

had 75 people in the course ofthe evening.”

He’s starting to relax and en-joy the new space. “It’s a greatatmosphere. It’s about enjoyingwine in a nice atmosphere.”

Solera Wine Bar & Lounge,647 South Avenue (corner ofHickory Street). Phone 232-3070.Hours: Wed.-Thurs. 5-11 p.m.,Fri. 5 p.m.-12 a.m., Sat. 7 p.m.-12a.m. On the web at www.solera-winebar.com. ▲

7The WedgeDecember 2006

John Michael Fanning. Photo: Mike Fleche

Solera Wine Bar Brings a Touch of Paris to South Wedgeby Mike Fleche

With its rough brick walls,high ceiling, and tall windows,Solera Wine Bar and Loungelooks for all the world like a clas-sic French bistro. You can al-most hear Edith Piaf singing “LaVie en Rose.”

“We wanted a cozy, unpreten-tious European feel,” said ownerJohn Michael Fanning. “It’s ca-sual but elegant.” The new Wedgebusiness opened October 20.

The concept of a wine bar iscommon in Europe, but it’s justcatching on in this country,John said. “It’s a bar with a niceatmosphere where people cansocialize and enjoy wine.”

The wine list features choicesfrom Australia, Argentina,France, Spain, Italy and Chile.Patrons can order by the bottleor by the glass.

“I’m trying to introduce one ofthe more unique wine selections

in Rochester,” John said, “withoutbeing esoteric or pretentious. Ihave the types of wines that most

people know—Chardonnay,Merlot, Pinot Grigio—and withinthese selections, the choices are

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF PEACE125 Caroline St. (corner of Mt. Vernon) 585-244-9206

COME TO PEACE FOR THE HOLIDAYSAdvent soup and study Wednesdays in December at 6:30 p.m.“WHY THE NATIVITY?” Why is this story so fundamental to our Faith?

Sunday Study for all ages 9 a.m.Sunday Worship 10 a.m.Christmas Eve 10 a.m. Lessons and Carols

7 p.m. Festive Candlelight WorshipNew Year’s Eve 7 p.m. Worship to Start a Year followed

by dessert and hors d’oeuvres.

More inventory!More inventory!More inventory!More inventory!More inventory!Unique gift items!!Unique gift items!!Unique gift items!!Unique gift items!!Unique gift items!!

• Every day items• Unique gifts• Local vendors, and products• Fair trade items• Natural gourmet greens• Organic and non-organic items• Make your own household cleansers

and body care• Winter blooming bulbs and plants

Come and see for yourself.Come and see for yourself.Come and see for yourself.Come and see for yourself.Come and see for yourself.

Dec. 9:Dec. 9:Dec. 9:Dec. 9:Dec. 9: Meet local authors Rose O’Keefe,Emerson Klees and others, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Check the website for special events includ-ing music nights with live performances bylocal musicians.

Holiday hours:Holiday hours:Holiday hours:Holiday hours:Holiday hours:Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat. 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m.,

Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

683 South Avenue683 South Avenue683 South Avenue683 South Avenue683 South Avenue585-6585-6585-6585-6585-6777772-15532-15532-15532-15532-1553www.SW-GreenGrocer.comwww.SW-GreenGrocer.comwww.SW-GreenGrocer.comwww.SW-GreenGrocer.comwww.SW-GreenGrocer.com

continued on page 6

South Clinton Gears Up; South Avenue ShinesBy Eilleen Thomas

Owners of commercial andmixed-use buildings in a three-block portion of South ClintonAve. may apply for up to $50,000in matching funds for a full

building renovation, or up to$10,000 in matching facade res-toration funds.

The New York State MainStreet Program awarded SWPC$200,000 for South Clinton Av-

enue. Working in partnershipwith the ESCAPE (EvolvingSouth Clinton Avenue Places &Environment) Committee,SWPC will use $175,000 to pro-vide matching façade and build-ing restoration funds to propertyowners. The remaining $25,000will go towards streetscape en-hancements.

Representatives of the ES-CAPE Committee and severalother South Clinton Ave. stake-holders will review applicationsand select the building ownerswho ultimately receive grants.

SWPC received a similaraward for South Avenue in 2005.Recently finished façade work tothe buildings surrounding thekiosk, and the renovation of the

Abeles Building, stand as per-fect examples of the goals of theNew York Main Street Program.The new awnings, updated signsand paint colors, and masonryrepairs at 285 Gregory St, 315Gregory St and 700 South Avewere subtle but very effectivefaçade-related improvementsthat enhance the buildings andthe intersection of South andGregory both.

The full renovation of theAbeles building by Konar Prop-erties returns an empty shell tofull use with the opening of theSouth Wedge Green Grocer, therelocation of the Coffee Connec-tion and the construction of fourone-bedroom apartments. This

spectacular project exemplifiesthe goals of the New York MainStreet Program. It is sensitive tothe architecture and history ofthe building, it provides for busi-nesses on the avenue and pro-motes living on our local “MainStreet.”

Two additional Main Street-funded projects are underwayon South Ave. and three otherswill be starting constructionsoon. Between the anticipatedSouth Clinton Ave. Multi-modaland Main Street construction, itis obvious that exciting revital-ization continues in and aroundthe South Wedge.

To learn more, contactEilleen Thomas at 256-1740,ext. 103. ▲

more interesting.“For example, we have a fan-

tastic, undiscovered FrenchChardonnay, and a Merlot fromChile. At the moment, probablythe best values in the wine worldare in South America.”

“I’m searching out the lesserknown wineries, so I can give areally good glass of wine at agood price.”

Solera also offers a selectionof bottled beers, and a limitedselection of food items: cheeses,sliced meats, and desserts.

The path to Solera took thefuture entrepreneur halfwayaround the world. While he wasliving in California, John met awinemaker in the Carmel Valley.“He lived in a house on the prop-erty and walked through thevineyard to work,” John re-called. “The wine was made rightthere on the property. I fell inlove with the lifestyle.”

From there he moved to Or-egon, where he volunteered onweekends at Willamette Valleyvineyards. “I was doing thesame work as the migrant work-ers—picking grapes, sortinggrapes,” he said. “I loved it. I fellin love with it.”

His girlfriend Katy, now hiswife, planned to finish her ar-chaeology degree in England. SoJohn decided to look for work inEurope.

He e-mailed hundreds of win-eries all over Europe, offering towork for room and board. He gotseveral responses from Italy,none from France. For the nextsix months, he worked for differ-ent wineries.

Then he was offered a jobrunning a winery. By this time,Katy had finished her degree, sothey both went to live in a tiny

8 The WedgeDecember 2006

Bay Tile, Marble& TerrazzoCall for information

John DiProsa George Leva Jr.Owner General Manager

760 South Clinton AvenuePhone 244-2377 • Fax 244-3953

Jeff Atias

1023 South Clinton AvenueRochester, New York 14620

Phone 271-3460

JOIN US FOR CHRISTMAS SERVICESAt CALVARY ST. ANDREW’S

December 17th, 10 a.m.Worship Service with Christmas Cantata

and Communion

December 24th, 10 a.m.Worship Service

6 p.m.Family Service featuring

Christmas Pageant11 p.m.

Candlelight Communion Service

December 25th, 10 a.m.Christmas Morning Service

“Draw the Circle Wide”

Straight Talk On NBN

Director’s Message

By Dan Buyer

Earlier this fall, the City re-leased its long-awaited evaluationof the Neighbors BuildingNeighborhood’s process. By thetime this edition of The Wedge hitsthe streets, the City may have al-ready announced changes to theNBN process. At press time, theCity had merged its Bureau ofNeighborhood Initiatives into thePlanning Bureau.

For those new to city life inRochester, Neighbors BuildingNeighborhoods, or NBN, is theprocess through which City gov-ernment solicits input and feed-back from its citizens. The City isdivided into 10 Sectors, each ofwhich has its own citizen-ledplanning council. NBN has beenaround since 1994. Rochester,of course, has a much longerhistory of civic activism. SWPC,for instance, dates back to 1975,and many other communitygroups in Rochester date back tothe 1960s.

Community groups are in-digenous to their neighborhood,and in Rochester they grew upindependent of any sort of regu-lation or structure. As a result,they exist in a patchwork of 30+year old geographic boundariesthat frequently overlap anddon’t make much sense. Addingto this confusion, there aremany types of communitygroups with a wide variety ofmissions, funding and ability.We have block clubs, neighbor-hood associations, business as-sociations, community develop-ment corporations, not-for -profit stakeholders, etc.

NBN represents the City’s at-tempt to impose order onto thisconfusion. It imposes a system-atic, equitable, City-createdstructure for civic engagementover the top of an organic,grassroots network of commu-nity groups, volunteers and citi-zen leaders. That’s its strength,and its weakness.

The NBN Report outlines anumber of key successes for theprocess, including improvedcitizen leadership and a long listof community projects. These

accomplishments, according tothe report, justify the $3.8 mil-lion the City has spent on NBNover the years. A key question isnot whether those accomplish-ments are real, but whether theywould have happened anywaywhether NBN had been there ornot.

In this area, we have beenblessed with many hard workingvolunteer leaders in Sector 6.Sector leaders l ike DavidChappius and Joan Lindburgwould have been distinguishedactivists in the own right, with orwithout NBN. But both clearlyblossomed and grew through theprocess. The case for giving di-rect credit to NBN for variousbricks-and-mortar neighbor-hood projects is a little murkier.How much money can be di-rectly linked to NBN depends onwho’s telling the story.

Additionally, the Report alsolists a variety of challenges.These include a lack of participa-tion by renters and minority resi-dents, overly bureaucratic con-tracting procedures, integrationof NBN into City Hall and a needfor better consensus building inthe Sectors planning councils.

For what it’s worth, neighbor-hood leaders tend to be some-what maverick and independentby nature, so imposing a deci-sion-making process onto themis always going to be a challenge.Encouraging a diversity of par-ticipation and viewpoints is es-

sential. Mandating it will bedifficult, but it is impor-

tant to make sure allthe key stakehold-ers will be in-volved. For in-stance, perhaps it’stime to insist ongreater involvement

by City Schools.The bureaucratic

process of dispensingNBN’s funds to the Sec-tors is an example ofantiquated and ineffi-

cient contracting procedures. AsI’ve said before, we need a sys-tem that stops micro-managingand is based on outcomes. Thosewho perform get more; thosewho don’t get less.

Properly-run sector planningcouncils can be a great venue tobring all of a community’s stake-holders together on an equalplaying field. These councils canfacilitate a unified, grassrootsplan and vision for the future of

their community. They shouldnot, however, be expected to takethe place of existing communitygroups in implementing that vi-sion. Rochester’s communitygroups are, by definition, ownedand operated by neighbors theyserve, and they should remainthe central focal point for build-ing stable, healthy neighbor-hoods.

In the end, the future successof NBN may depend on the ap-proach taken by the City’s Plan-ning Bureau, which will nowoversee the process in City Hall.

Putting NBN with the Plan-ning Bureau means the City cannow more closely link neighbor-hood planning with the City’soverall land use planning. Mov-ing forward, the Planning Bu-reau can mobilize City staff fromdifferent departments work sideby side with neighbors and com-munity groups to get thingsdone. The Bureau will also needto have a greater role in budget-ing or utilizing the outcomes inthe neighborhood plans to drivethe City’s spending priorities.

The future of our City in largepart depends on the vitality of itsneighborhoods. NBN can be animportant catalyst for building astronger community. ▲