"I stressed, "do great work, and do it quickly,' " Masiello said.

The design jury - whose 16 civic members will be evenly split between Americans and Canadians - will weigh in on fundamental issues of the bridge design. Jurors will be asked to recommend whether a replacement or companion span should be built. They will also recommend whether to build a cable-stayed bridge or some other type of crossing, among other design questions.

The jury's kick-off meeting is expected to be held in August. Jurors will be asked to recommend a preferred bridge design by November. Then, within two weeks of sending its written recommendation to the Peace Bridge Authority, jurors will meet with officials from Buffalo, Fort Erie, Ont., and the authority to explain their recommendations. The officials will make the final decision, picking a design preference in December, according to a schedule put together by the authority.

Masiello appointed eight civic members and two technical representatives to the jury.

The civic jurors are:

• Robert G. Shibley, director of the Urban Design Project at the University at Buffalo's School of Architecture and Planning, who will serve as the jury's co-chairman;

• Olga Karman, a Spanish professor and community affairs coordinator at D'Youville College;

• Jeff Belt, a Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy board member who has been active on the Peace Bridge issue since 1999;

• Lawlor Quinlan III, a partner with Connors & Vilardo law firm who has attended public Peace Bridge meetings over several years;

• Dominic J. Bonifacio, Niagara District Common Council member;

• Herbert M. Siegel, a senior parter at the Siegel, Kelleher and Kahn law firm;

• Catherine Schweitzer, executive director of the Baird Foundation, which supported the SuperSpan concept and has funded other projects related to the Peace Bridge project and Front Park;

• and Martha Bliss, a retired nurse who lives on Massachusetts Avenue, near the bridge.

Masiello appointed Public Works Commissioner Joseph N. Giambra and city planner David J. DiSalvo technical members of the jury.

"I'm really pleased the mayor put together a good mix of advocates for the neighborhood, the city and the region. It's a good cross-section of folks," Shibley said.

Deborah Lynn Williams, president of the New Millennium Group, said the group had hoped to hear back from Masiello on it's request that a member of its transportation action group be appointed to the jury.

"Although we are disappointed our request went unanswered, we have no complaints about the jury," Williams said. "It is a positive step forward. The majority of the members of the jury we know about have been involved in this project a long time and have the best interest of Buffalo in mind."

Belt belongs to the group, but is no longer a board member. Quinlan has been a member.

"We don't know exactly what they will be asked to do at this point," Williams said of the jurors. "We hope each one is ready to devote all the time necessary to advocate for our region's best interest."

Karman, the D'Youville professor who lives on Buffalo's waterfront, said she wants the project to improve air quality and cause as little damage as possible to the West Side neighborhood.

She also wants a striking bridge design.

"I'm extremely concerned about the aesthetics," she said. "I think symbols are important.

"I think this bridge could be part of our landscape, something that tells people coming from the north this is a city worth noting, that this is a city that appreciates beauty. I feel strongly about that."

Bliss' Massachusetts Avenue home would be in the way of a new U.S. plaza if the authority shifts the plaza north of the existing location. She said that would be fine by her.

"We are willing to move," she said. "I've lived in this house for 32 years. I love the house, love the community. But a lot of changes have taken place. Most of our neighbors passed away or moved away. There are a lot of empty houses around and absentee landlords."

The neighborhood would benefit if the authority relocated the plaza north, she said.

Bliss also favors a replacement bridge.

"I'd like to see a nice new bridge," she said. "The (existing) bridge has held up all these years. But I'd rather see a replacement. A companion bridge would never do the old bridge justice. It would just look out of sync."

Schweitzer described the jury's duty as an "awesome responsibility."

She said a good bridge design includes beautiful approaches and parkland, while considering efficiency and cost.

"If you build these things in from the beginning, there's an opportunity for a terrific bridge," Schweitzer said.

Belt previously served on the Public Consensus Review Panel, which in 2000 rejected the twin-span plan, and he also sits on the Bi-National Civic Advisory Committee for the Peace Bridge expansion project.

"I approach all of these panels with a sense of wary optimism," Belt said. "I'll continue to do my homework, take good notes and consult with the community for good counsel."

Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop said he will identify his appointments by next week.

"Things are really beginning to move and this looks like a great panel," said U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. "Now we're going to weigh in to get Buffalo the signature bridge and the great gateway it deserves."

e-mail: plakamp@buffnews.com