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2 • • Thursday, September 17, 2026 PERSPECTIVES

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Common Council moves data center

moratorium forward
Image by Marjon Besteman from Pixabay
Grandparenting has changed, By Amber Healy
ext Tuesday, the Buffalo
its importance has not Common Council’s Com-
Nmunity Development
By Elizabeth Gillanders | Independent Women Sep 11, 2026
Committee will consider whether
his past Sunday on Grandparents Day, we celebrated the people
who raised us, spoiled us, guided us, and helped to hold our to move forward a two-year mora-
torium on data centers, a hot topic
Tfamilies together.
But behind the family photographs, there is a reality that we rarely of conversation during Monday
night’s Believe in Black Rock
talk about: Grandparenthood is changing. Fewer Americans are becom-
ing grandparents, and their experience is becoming more stratified by meeting.
There are already data centers
income, education and distance from their grandkids.
Americans are waiting longer to have children, if they have them at within Buffalo, including one on
two floors at the former Main
all. As a result, the number of grandparents in America is shrinking.
There were 70 million grandparents in the U.S. in 2018. Today, there Place Mall that has been providing
computing power to banks in To-
are closer to 65 million. Those who do become grandparents are
reaching that milestone later in life. In the early 1990s, the mean ages ronto since the 1990s, said Bridge
Rauch, an environmental justice
at transition to grandparenthood were 46 for women and 49 for men.
Today, these ages are 50 for women and 54 for men, and rising. organizer with the Clean Air Co-
alition of Buffalo, during Mon-
At the same time, due to longer life spans, the number of great- day’s meeting. “For all of that Kilissa Cissoko, president of the Believe in Black Rock Neigh-
grandparents has increased in recent years and will continue to in-
work that’s been happening borhood Block Club, addresses members and guests.
crease. The result is a fascinating demographic contradiction: Ameri-
cans are becoming grandparents later, but living long enough to spend (since) the ‘90s, it’s a megawatt weeks, would establish a two-year Following Tuesday’s council
that power these.”
more years as great-grandparents. pause on the creation of any new meeting, Golombek told other
Longer lives, however, do not necessarily mean more healthy years In the context of data centers, data centers of any size. This news outlets the moratorium is to
the wattage referenced indicates
together. The number of years when grandparents can remain active would allow the council to estab- help the city prepare for the size of
without major health problems is getting smaller. This is a concerning how much energy it can draw in lish parameters and restrictions on data centers, if any, it wants to
order to support computational
reality. As our entire population ages, families are also aging and any data center built in the city, or allow within city limits, adding
shrinking, meaning more elderly family members will be in need of power demand. The it could result in a that applications are coming in but
bigger the wattage,
care from fewer younger family members. ban altogether. there hasn’t been enough time to
The vast majority of elderly people live outside of nursing homes the more computing It also coincides prepare for all the possible com-
power – for every-
and rely on informal, unpaid care, mostly from family. Today, 21% of with a one-year mor- plications that data centers bring.
people aged 55–64 and 15% over 65 have care responsibilities to aging thing from online atorium at the state “I want to make sure the city
games to emails to
parents. As our population lives longer, and as an increasing number of level, Rauch noted, and the residents that live here get
generative AI – the
older Americans don’t have children or spouses, more and more people but that only applies taken care of to the best of our
facility can provide.
will age without the support they need. to new centers that abilities,” Golombek told WBEN.
But it’s larger
Geographic and relational distance are some of the greatest forces are 50 megawatts and There are some benefits to da-
centers, like the one
shaping grandparenthood, and these correlate strongly with income and larger. ta centers, Rauch said Monday.
at 1001 East Delavan
education. Families with higher levels of income and education are “Let’s look at There’s a proposal to build a data
Avenue in the former
more likely to live far away from grandparents. putting a definition center at the State University of
American Axle plant,
But the good news is that many of those families maintain strong of data centers within New York at Buffalo that would
that are the source of
relationships, even across the miles. This is often facilitated by technol- the city of Buffalo’s be a 40 megawatt facility that
concern, producing
ogy, as more grandparents (76%) report that video calling, texting, and code and have con- would be “used by planning stu-
loud, droning noises
social media play a role in keeping in contact with their grandkids. versations with resi- dents to figure out traffic patterns,
at all hours from the
Many grandparents live very close to their grandchildren: Accord- fans that have to run Bridge Rauch from dents, do we want to things like that,” adding that these
ing to AARP data, 1 in 4 grandparents have reported living with their constantly to cool the the Clean Air Coali- allow data centers centers also can support the AI
grandchildren at some point in the past year, and 1 in 10 are living with within industrial ar- used for analyzing large data sets
their grandchildren. servers inside the tion. eas or do we want to to help advance cancer research at
building.
In fact, America is now seeing a trend toward more multigenera- ban them entirely,” Rauch said. Roswell Park Comprehensive
tional living, not less. Many of those who do not live with their “That one is a 19-megawatt. “If we’re going to allow them Cancer Center to investigate new
There’s a proposal at the old
grandchildren are living in close proximity, with 47% living within 10 within industrial areas, how are treatments for patients.
miles of their grandkids. Tonawanda Coke site. They want we going to make that work for “One of the things I think
to do a 300 megawatt data center.
This proximity matters. Grandparents who live close to their chil- the city of Buffalo residents? This we’re going to land on as a state is,
dren and grandchildren are able to offer support to their families, Between Erie and Niagara Coun- is a very community-led effort.” when they do the studies and they
ty, we’re talking about two giga-
usually in the form of childcare. On average, grandparents provide “We got far more positive figure it out, is we can probably
more than 500 hours of childcare a year for their grandkids, and most watts of projects in the queue,” calls into the office than negative put a cap on the size of (data cen-
Rauch said.
of this goes to grandkids who live nearby. ones,” North District Council ters) and still accomplish the
Not only is this a help for parents, but it also provides a massive The moratorium for Buffalo, Member Joe Golombek said Mon- things that people are envisioning
passed unanimously out of the
boost to the American economy that often goes unnoticed. By allowing day night, with regards to the mor- while not creating absurd environ-
parents – especially mothers – to dedicate more time to the workforce, council to the Community Devel- atorium. “Those are, in my mental justice concerns within our
opment Committee for consider-
grandparent care supplies $731 billion to the economy. opinion, the best projects, because communities, not relying on gas
Taken together, these trends reveal a complex picture of grandpar- ation at next week’s meeting they come from the bottom up. It and coal and diesel for build-out.
before possibly returning to the
enthood in modern-day America. Americans are having children later, was people in the community.” We can do these things, we just
living longer, moving closer or farther apart. Yet the importance of full council for a vote in two don’t need the massive, massive
family has not disappeared. Many Americans still support their family projects,” Rauch said.
members and still show up to help in times of need.
Let’s celebrate our matriarchs and patriarchs as well as the family 25 Years Later: Remembering September 11th
bonds they represent. Because no matter how much the American
family dynamic changes, one thing remains: we need each other, and and Renewing Our Commitment to Preparedness
no one ages out of that reality.
eptember is a month of re- organizations and community
membrance, reflection and groups, including Hands-Only
Quinn Simple Scenes – Old Sayings Spreparation. This year CPR and Stop the Bleed training.
marks 25 years since September Learning these skills can make a
by Rix Quinn 11, 2001, a day that changed our difference while waiting for pro-
emember that old saying “A bird in the hand is worth two in the
nation forever. As we remember fessional help to arrive.
Rbush?” the nearly 3,000 people who lost Preparedness also means
I thought about this yesterday while chewing fried chicken. I don’t
their lives and honor the courage looking out for our neighbors.
know what other birds are worth, but I had to pay for the chicken. of first responders and ordinary During an emergency, older
Seriously, the quote goes back to ancient times. Bird hunters rea- District 3
Americans who answered the adults, young children, people
soned that one bird already caught guaranteed dinner, while two birds call, we should also recommit Erie County Legislator with disabilities and those who
uncaught (“in the bush”) meant more work plus the possibility of fail- Michael H. Kooshoian
ourselves to an important lesson rely on electricity-powered medi-
ure. from that day. Being prepared cal equipment may need addition-
Why did the hunters want those other fowls too? Maybe they ex-
matters. get through an emergency? Do al assistance. Checking on a
pected guests for dinner, or maybe they just wanted to see if birds in That is why National Pre- you know how you would receive neighbor before, during and after
the heather flock together.
paredness Month is so important. information if the power or inter- a major storm can be one of the
See, you never can tell what our silly prehistoric pals thought! This observance every September net went out? simplest and most meaningful
Back then, they drew stuff on their walls and called it art.
is an appropriate time for every Erie County has also made things we can do.
Today we call it graffiti. But if somebody famous sketched it, we Erie County resident to take a preparedness easier through the As we mark 25 years since
call it either a “mural” or “wallpaper.”
few simple steps to protect them- updated ReadyErie app. The app September 11th, let us remember
The birdie saying is much like another one claiming, “The grass is selves, their families and their provides critical alerts and weath- those we lost and honor those
always greener on the other side of the fence.”
neighbors. er information, evacuation maps, who served with courage and sac-
This means either (1) people always want what they can’t get, or Here in Erie County, emer- emergency shelter information rifice. Let us thank the first re-
(2) the neighbor buys better fertilizer.
gency preparedness is an ongoing and the ability to create a person- sponders and public servants who
What’s the lesson here? I’m guessing it is this: effort involving our emergency alized emergency plan. Residents continue to put themselves in
“If you see two birds in a bush surrounded by green grass on the
management professionals, first can also create emergency supply harm’s way. Most importantly,
other side of a fence, don’t try to catch them, because they are proba- responders, public health offi- and food checklists and commu- let us recognize that preparedness
bly in a zoo.”
cials, municipalities, hospitals, nicate their status to family mem- is a shared responsibility. While
Want to tell your unique life story? Just visit this link for details: nonprofits, community organiza- bers with an “I am safe” or “I we cannot predict every emergen-
https://payhip.com/b/ITyFe
tions and residents. Erie County’s need help” message. cy, we can prepare for the unex-
preparedness resources encour- Residents should also sign up pected. This September, take a
age residents to have an emergen- for their local municipal emergen- few minutes to plan, build a kit,
cy plan, build an emergency cy alert systems. Erie County sign up for alerts and talk with
supply kit and stay informed maintains information on alerts your neighbors and loved ones.
Published by Buffalo Standard Printing Corp. through reliable alerts. available from municipalities, the
Roger Puchalski - Editor Preparedness does not have to Erie County Water Authority,
Roxie Harbison - Sales & Marketing be complicated. Start with a con- NFTA Metro and local colleges
E-MAIL rrtimes@pm.me versation. Do your family mem- and universities. These systems
(716) 835-9455 bers know where to meet if you can provide warnings about se- Place your
cannot return home? Do you have vere weather, boil-water notices, advertisement here!
The views of columnists and letter writers do not necessarily
important phone numbers written utility disruptions, traffic inci-
reflect the views of the RiverRock Times. Letters to the editor are Call Roxie
down? Do you have enough food, dents and other emergencies.
welcome at riverrock@ email.com or by mail: RiverRock Times, 716-835-9455 x 102
water, medications, flashlights, The county also offers pre-
c/o 979 Grant St., Buffalo, NY 14207. They should be concise.
batteries and other necessities to paredness training for businesses,