Even though we didn't spend a long time at the Commercial Slip yesterday, many people certainly took the time to check it out. And while people were walking around enjoying the sights, the crew from Buffalo Place was busy working to make sure that everything was in top shape. At one point, a day earlier, I ran into Keith Bellanger, Buffalo Place Chairman and W. Morgan Smith, Manager of Public Spaces who were discussing the operational details of their new territory. All along, the land at the Commercial Slip has always been within Buffalo Place jurisdiction, but there was really nothing for them to operate until the Central Wharf opened. If you stop by this weekend, you will notice that there is a security person on detail, as well as personnel assigned to cleaning up the property.
Before we left to sit on the Pearl Street Brew Pub patio, we talked to one of the people responsible for making sure that the property was presentable. His name was Claude and he was just as excited about the opening of the Commercial Slip as anyone else was. When we first saw him he was busy sweeping the truss of the Whipple Truss Bridge. Later on we ran into him as he was cleaning off the sail from the USS Boston (attack submarine). He handed me a Buffalo Place card and said that he had been waiting for the day that this section of the waterfront would open. Well, congratulations Claude for being one of the chosen few to be able to work down at the waterfront. It's good to know that Claude and Buffalo Place are making the area clean and safe for visitors.