BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — More than a dozen warming centers are open across the City of Buffalo as a blast of arctic air arrives.
SEE: Daytime warming centers open in Buffalo as a blast of arctic air arrives
Although, some people across the city say there are not enough shelters to meet the needs of the Buffalo community. These community centers are lifelines for many people, especially during winter storms and on cold days. Hennepin Community Center is one of the six city-run centers for people to go to if and when another big storm strikes.
Brian Pilarski, executive director for Seneca-Babcock Community Association, runs the Hennepin center off of Bailey Avenue, where he sees new and familiar faces each day.
"It's where many of the neighbors, you know, they come right here for services whether it's Meals on Wheels, child care, and youth and rec programming," Pilarski said.
Pilarski called this center a focal point for this community in Lovejoy.
"Having a community center right in the middle of the neighborhood, it's key for services," he said.
This site is also one of many warming shelters for the city. Tosh Collins Senior Center, Machnica Center, JFK Community Center, Lincoln Community Center, and Asarese-Matters Community Center are the other five. During the blizzard, Hennepin was named one of the six places to go to.
"We ran into a problem where the power went out, so we were in the same boat as the residents in the neighborhood," Pilarski said, "We probably could've helped more if we had power at this location."
For him, losing power pointed to bigger issues community centers have in the city. He said his center has the space to house dozens of people but needs the resources like cots and ready-to-eat meals that will last at least five days.
"We learned a lot from that storm on how we have to better prepare ourselves if we are gonna fill that role and step up to the plate and help during a snowstorm or a blizzard like we just had," Pilarski said.
City spokesperson, Michael DeGeorge, told 7 News' Kristen Mirand there are plans and discussions happening to support community centers. DeGeorge said there will be more money in the city budget next year to add staff and supplies for warming and cooling centers in advance. He also said there is a request in the capital budget for additional snow equipment including generators for all six centers and plows. Eventually, he said, the city is planning to scope out churches to act as warming shelters.
Now, Lovejoy district council member Bryan Bollman has a resolution on the table to see if there's a way to increase warming shelters across the city.
"I believe we need more across the city so they're accessible for residents," Bollman said.
Bollman's hope is to have the Department of Public Works conduct a study to see which buildings are suited for shelter during winter storms. He said he would also like to see backup generators placed in the additional warming centers.
"We're talking about lives here and I think if we don't learn from the blizzard and learn from the challenges we had, that's on city leaders," he said.
Prilaski hopes the idea of expanding centers soon becomes a reality.
"Having more sites for more people would definitely make an impact," Prilaski said.
Bollman presents this resolution to Buffalo's Common Council at next Tuesday's meeting.
