Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency records

Collection — Box: 1-19, MC 4.12, MC 4.13

Identifier: MS-0074

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection contains the several drafts and final copies of the Love Canal Area Master Plan and Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS). The Master Plan is a comprehensive document covering areas of a municipality's planned growth and future, including infrastructure and zoning. The GEIS accessed the cumulative impact of the chemical waste site and its lasting secondary effects on the area.

Several related governmental reports (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Congressional reports) on Love Canal are contained within the collection as well.

The collection also contains: minutes from 1982-1999 of LCARA board and committee meetings; audio cassette recordings of meetings; the Technical Review Committee's Habitability Study's original findings and reports; historical items related to Love Canal and Hooker Chemical; and documentation of the closing ceremonies.

Dates

1980-2003

Creator

Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency (Organization)

Language of Materials

Collection material in English.

Terms of Access

The Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency papers are open for research.

Copyright

Copyright is held by the State University of New York at Buffalo, University Archives. Copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.

Historical Note

The Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency (LCARA) was government agency established by New York Governor, Hugh Carey on June 18, 1980 to organize the rehabilitation effort of the properties in the Emergency Declaration Area of Love Canal.

After the area was determined to be habitable, LCARA developed a Master Plan and Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for the new planned community. Using this plan, LCARA began to repair and renovate buildings within "Ring 2". "Ring 2" was the second ring of homes around the Love Canal site to be evacuated. After repairs were made, LCARA sold homes to citizens and established the new Black Creek Community.

LCARA was officially disbanded in 2003 by New York State Legislation and a closing ceremony was held in the Black Creek Community. [See related resources for further historical context.]

Extent

12.25 Linear Feet (16 manuscript boxes, 3 flat boxes, 1 map case drawer)

Additional Description

Abstract

Selected records and documents of and relating to the Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency (LCARA).

Arrangement

This collection contains 6 series, primarily in chronological order within each series: I. Reports, II. Meetings, III. Black Creek Community, VI. LCARA committees, V. Collected documents, and VI. Closing ceremony.

Acquisition Information

The original donation of 125 boxes of Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency (LCARA) records came to the University Archives in the late 1990s from the city of Niagara Falls, NY. After surveying the collection, it was determined not all of the records needed to be retained.

On January 6, 2003, Frank Cornell, executive director of LCARA, returned to the University Archives to determine which records to retain. The remaining 117 cartons were removed by Mr. Cornell.
Before being put on deposit in the University Archives, the LCARA collection was copied to on microfiche. Please contact the city of Niagara Falls, NY for further information.

A list of the original donation is located in the accession folder. Please see the Archivist for details.

Accruals and Additions

No further accruals are expected to this collection.

Separated Materials

The original collection was 126 boxes of LCARA materials. Frank Cornell, Executive Director, hand-picked the present material to be retained in the University Archives. The remaining 117 boxes were removed by Frank Cornell.
A DVD containing two videos: the documentary Fighting for Utopia: The Love Canal Story, 1999 and home footage of 769 99th St. Niagara Falls, New York was removed to the DVD box.