Upward Niagara Chamber, DiMino's Lewiston Tops team on community projects

Academy Park is enjoying another upgrade – this time thanks to the efforts of the Upward Niagara Chamber of Commerce, the generosity of DiMino’s Lewiston Tops, and the perseverance of Veterans of Foreign Wars Downriver Post 7487. Two new projects will benefit visitors – while also paying tribute to those who served and defended this country.

These additions were funded by the William G. Mayne, Jr. Business/Community Enhancement Program, which was established in 1998 to enhance and enrich both the business climate and overall landscape of communities throughout Niagara County. It is administered through the Niagara County Center for Economic Development and has historically been supported through funding from the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission and Niagara County.

Upward Niagara Chamber of Commerce President Amanda Haseley said, “When I first started with the Chamber and heard about this grant, I immediately knew I wanted to apply and use the funding in ways that directly helped and supported our local community. Last year, we used a portion of the funding to support the Garden Club and community beautification efforts by adding benches and trash cans along Center Street.

“This year, when Chamber stakeholder Anthony DiMino of DiMino Lewiston Tops approached our office about installing a drinking fountain in Academy Park, it was an immediate ‘Yes.’ Then, through my weekly conversations with our friends at the VFW, we found another opportunity to partner by adding additional flagpoles and a bench at our beautiful veterans monument.

“These partnerships are important to me because they allow the Chamber to take resources available to us and put them right back into projects that benefit the community we all share.”

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New military tribute

Six flags, six flagpoles, and two benches will be added to the Academy Park “Veterans Circle of Honor Memorial” at the corner of Center Street and Portage Road.

Each flag represents a branch of the military, while the benches are in tribute to Gold Star families. These markers will be placed on new concrete slabs adjacent to the “Circle of Honor” pillars. Flags are expected to be in place by Veterans Day. The benches will follow later this year.

Past post Cmdr. Bill Justyk said, “I just want to thank the community,” as well as sponsors the Upward Niagara Chamber of Commerce, DiMino’s Lewiston Tops, an anonymous donor, and the VFW. “It means a lot to out vets; it means a lot to our community.”

Haseley said, “That was pretty rewarding – seeing the community pride around that, and how much it meant to our community, and how much it meant to the constituents. I knew when we were applying for this year that I wanted to partner with another Lewiston organization to bring similar pride to our community. It was just in a conversation with Bill Justyk, our weekly conversations of him coming in, and he said, ‘I have this great idea for this monument.’ ”

Village of Lewiston Department of Public Works Superintendent Anthony Mang, Upward Niagara Chamber of Commerce President Amanda Haseley and DiMino’s Lewiston Tops proprietor Anthony DiMino are shown with the new Academy Park drinking fountain.

The new drinking fountain.

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New drinking fountain

A new drinking fountain – with sipping and bottle-filling stations – was installed at the end of the Academy Park Niagara River Greenway bike path on South Ninth Street. It’s positioned next to the comfort station.

Haseley recalled, “I actually think it was my second week on the job – so that would have been January 2025 – and it was one of the first times I met (DiMino’s Lewiston Tops owner) Anthony DiMino. He told me about his idea for a drinking fountain. I'm not sure if he was quizzing me, but he said, ‘Figure out a way to get this done, and I'll buy the drinking fountain.’ It took me a couple months, but then when I learned of this grant, I said, ‘And this is how we can help.’ We petitioned and applied for the grant for it, and we were awarded the funds – and he was the first call I made.”

DiMino said that, as local artist Maureen Kellick was working on the Lewiston-themed Academy Park comfort station mural – right across from the supermarket – “People were passing by, saying, ‘Do you have any place to fill water bottles?’ So, I said, ‘OK, this sounds like a good idea. I'll put in a drinking fountain at the end of the new bike path.’

“It took a little while. … It was delayed about a year-and-a-half; but then Amanda got involved, got a grant to put in concrete and the bike rack; and the village agreed to put the water fountain in. The former mayor said, ‘Wouldn't it be nice to have not only a drinking fountain/bottle filler, but a dog dish?’ I looked it up, and I got a combination bottle filler/drinking fountain, dog dish – so everybody's covered.”

The Village of Lewiston Department of Public Works contributed to the drinking fountain installation and facilitated the water line connection.

GM/Managing Editor Joshua Maloni contributed to this report and took the photos.

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