Niagara Falls: 'What's the 311?' roller rink day announced

New style of community meeting designed to engage youth

The Niagara Falls Community Development Department announced a “What’s the 311” skate day wil take place from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, at the Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls on Old Falls Street. DJ P-Nasty is the musical guest.

As part of the Cities Responsible Investment and Strategic Enforcement (RISE) grant, NFCD has partnered with the conference center and Niagara Falls Youth City Council to create a new style of community engagement event. Attendees will give ideas and feedback on NFCD’s plan to create a Niagara Falls 311 system, and are then welcomed to enjoy an open skate.

NFCD said, “The event is focused on gaining teenage participation, as this is a group that is often overlooked.”

The rental skates available (250 total) are sized to accommodate this age group. Attendees are also able to bring their own skates. Both the event and skate rental will be free to the public. A 9,200-square-foot rink will be provided, staffed by Neon Entertainment. Attendees will enter the conference center from the Old Falls Street doors. Based on attendance, skate times may be staggered.

NFCD requests attendees provide identification showing they are Niagara Falls residents, as the 311 participation campaign is designed to gain local opinion. Niagara Falls students can show individual school or power school identification, or a report card.

NFCD said, “This is the first of our ‘What’s the 311?’ event series, with soon-to-be-announced dates focused on creating news way to engage all age groups in our city. In 2018, NFCD was awarded a Competitive Cities RISE grant as one of a select group of New York state cities funded by a major New York state attorney general office bank settlement. The purpose of the program is to address and transform blighted, vacant, or poorly maintained problem properties through the use of housing and community data.”

The Falls department has chosen 311 implementation, a central nonemergency citizen reporting system, as its Competitive Cities RISE project.