Seneca-Babcock community centers reopen following utility bill dispute

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Several community centers in Buffalo reopened Monday with full program operations up and running after a utility bill dispute with the City of Buffalo forced them to close last Tuesday.

Brian Pilarski, the CEO and president of the Seneca Babcock Community Association (SBCA), told WIVB News 4 that all five of the temporarily closed community centers are back open Monday after shutting down for five days last week.

The temporary closings of the Seneca Babcock, Arlene Mychajliw, Hennepin, George K. Arthur and Schiller Park centers began last Tuesday after the SBCA received an electric shut-off notice from National Grid for $2,400 of unpaid expenses over the last three months.

According to the association, a lease signed in January 2019 stated that the city is responsible for all utilities, retroactive to that year.

Pilarski said they were fronting the bill themselves, adding that the city now owes them more than $90,000.

In a recent statement from Pilarski, he said the unpaid balance to National Grid has since been resolved with a tentative agreement in place between them and the city to address the $91,000 owed to the SBCA.

“Right now, with the tentative agreement, you know, they’re still dotting the I’s, crossing the T’s with the very fine points,” said Lovejoy District Councilman Bryan Bollman. “But it looks like we’re in the right direction and obviously the centers are open, so the director feels confident that we’re moving in that direction and it’s just so important to have these locations open.”

Pilarski went on to thank residents in his statement for reaching out to city leaders on behalf of the center’s essential services.

“The points of the contract — I’ve always felt that the city should make the agency whole, so that’s what I advocated. That is mainly the lease agreement between the center and the administration,” Bollman said. “So, I’m glad that they were able to work everything out. I was working between the two, trying to get two sides to the table in a timely manner. So, I’m glad the centers are open.”

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Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.

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