Results of informal survey reveal feelings of gloom and doom
DAN MEYER Political Columnist
Last month I asked you, the readers of this column, to put your thinking caps on and evaluate the major projects in this region that are oft talked about but have yet to come to fruition.

Following the theme of trying to determine "what will happen first" when it comes to a dream list of sorts involving the Peace Bridge being rebuilt and expanded, construction of a Bass Pro store somewhere in downtown Buffalo, the future of the Buffalo Bills franchise and the eventual demolition of the Skyway, I asked you to handle this homework assignment and send me your prediction on what would happen first in relation to those four topics.

These four "are they ever going to happen in my lifetime" projects generated quite a response. I received phone calls, e-mail messages and handwritten letters that responded to my request for feedback. I even was stopped in the parking lot before a recent Bills game by a faithful reader who wanted to add her two cents.

Just to refresh everyone's memories, I asked the following question: What will happen first? The Peace Bridge will be rebuilt and expanded, a Bass Pro store will be built somewhere in downtown Buffalo, the Skyway will be torn down, or the Buffalo Bills will move out of Western New York?

Keeping my promise of using your responses for a future column, here is a sampling of what readers had to say:

• "Skyway torn down in 2011; Bills outta here in 2013; Peace Bridge project started in 2015; Bass Pro in Buffalo grand opening in 2222."

Carolyn in Amherst

• "What will happen first? Easy. The Buffalo Bills will leave town. Why? That's also easy. Building the Peace Bridge, building Bass Pro or removing the Skyway requires politicians to do something. The Bills leaving town requires politicians to do nothing."

Unsigned response via e-mail

• "I can tell you as a former resident of 60-plus years, I can tell you none of the above will happen. That's just the way it is for the former "Greater Buffalo," the Queen City of the Great Lakes.

Western New York has great people but lousy politicians. That giant sucking sound a fellow named H. Ross Perot spoke about sometime ago is the funnel running from Albany to New York City. It's not the weather making people move. Where I live now I can visit a Bass Pro shop in Harrisburg and pay only a 6 percent sales tax."

Ron in Pennsylvania

• "Thanks for asking this question. It's a great one because it helps to highlight in big bold letters how backwards Erie County, the City of Buffalo and Western New York are. We don't have the necessary leadership to make things happen. Plans are one thing, projects are another. We've had many groundbreaking ceremonies with golden shovels over the years but not enough ribbon cuttings with actual businesses and stores and tourist attractions opening and helping our sagging economy. Back to your question. I think unfortunately we will see the Bills head out of town within the next 10 years. The Peace Bridge will never be rebuilt, Bass Pro will never come to this area and the Skyway will be torn down, but it will take another 20 years of debate before it happens."

Brian in Amherst • "Bye-bye Buffalo Bills. We can't afford the team, a new stadium or the beer and peanuts anymore."

Cindy in Buffalo

• "The Bills will leave Buffalo for greener (emphasis on the greedy green of money) pastures in Toronto or Los Angeles. No comment on the others. We need people willing to make tough decisions, but no one wants to do so."

Tim in Orchard Park

• "None of the above. We're too dumb to allow progress to take place around here. Next stop? Anywhere but here!"

Unsigned response via e-mail

(Daniel Meyer is a columnist for the Weekly Independent Newspapers of Western New York, a consortium of 19 community-based weekly newspapers with a combined paid circulation of 75,000 homes. For more information, visit our Web site at www.wnynewspapers.com. Comments on this column can be sent via e-mail to: meyersmusings@gmail.com. Opinions expressed here are those of the author.)