Jamestown City Council voting session (May 22, 2023)

Jamestown City Council has approved reallocating $225,000 in previous years HOME program funds to a First Time Homebuyers Assistance Program.

The Annual Action plans for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 had funds not fully expended, which Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the city could access through the amendment process.

The funding will go to Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation (CHRIC) for the First Time Homebuyers Program that they currently administer.

The $225,000 would provide $4,000 to an estimated 50 low-to moderate-income first time homebuyers between 2023 and 2026.

Council also approved contracting with Highmark Life Insurance for the city’s Annual Stop Loss Program. The agreement continues the same policy but is 37% higher in costs with a budget increase of $160,521 for next year.

Another resolution approved under new business was the award of $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to Southern Tier Builders Exchange for a Pre-Apprenticeship Program. The funding had been approved by the Jamestown Local Development Corporation on May 17 but as the amount was over the $100,000 threshold, it required council approval.

Southern Tier Builders hopes to receive its accreditation from National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCR) by July and start classes in the Fall.

Jamestown City Council

The agenda is rather light in comparison to recent months, even with the continued inclusion of the resolution to lift the hiring freeze to allow the city to hire eight new firefighters using a $1.8 million SAFER grant.

Council also will review a resolution to replace two dump trucks for $356,240. This will be paid from the New York State DOT CHIPS funding. The trucks being replaced were taken out of service two years ago due to a cracked frame that would no longer pass NYS inspection

The Public Safety committee will vote on several special event permit applications requests including hearing a presentation from Lunar Pyros who are proposing to bring fire dancing to a May 27 Earlybird event and the July 20 through 22 Whirlybird Festival.

A public hearing regarding an amendment to the 2018 Annual Action Plan will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of city hall.

Due to this public hearing, there will not be a meeting of the Housing Committee. All other committees will meet at 7:00 p.m. with the full work session taking place at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend all meetings with the full work session being livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

Due to road construction, City of Jamestown officials have moved the Jamestown Department of Development Ward III Annual Action Plan Neighborhood walkthrough and Splash Pad Community Meeting from the pavilion to the site of the former skatepark off of 13th Street.

Residents interested in attending may enter off Washington Street onto 13th Street with parking in the loop next to the old ballfields.

For more information, contact the Department of Development at 716-483-7541.

Jamestown City Council voting session (March 27, 2023)

Jamestown City Council has approved moving forward with two splash pads in city parks with the requirement that more engineering work be completed on Jackson-Taylor Park.

Council member at Large Jeff Russell cited his concerns about Jackson-Taylor Park being the best place to locate a splash pad from a safety standpoint, “There’s a lot more traffic down there now with places like Tim Horton’s there. Obviously, we’re putting a new facility (DPW Central Garage) in down there with large trucks. My ultimate fear is that a child is going to be crossing that roadway, unsupervised possibly, and is going to be struck by a vehicle and killed. That is my ultimate concern with it being down there.”

Russell also expressed concern over the soil stability and that he had asked Parks Manager Dan Stone if other locations in the park could be used, “He said there’s really no other place to put it because of the instability of some of the soil down there and really the only logical place is the old skatepark is, where the blacktop is. And it’s even questionable whether it can be placed there. What I would hate to see is to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars putting the splash pad in that location and then have it fail a couple of years down the line and pretty much be a waste of money.”

Russell made a motion to drop the amount of the project funded with American Rescue Plan monies from $500,000 to $400,000, citing $100,000 in state funds that Mayor Eddie Sundquist said were supposed to be approved. The motion also included that the city hire a private engineering firm to look at the soil stability of Jackson-Taylor Park for the splash pad. If the study determined the site was not suitable, the motion further said that the splash pad should be moved to Roseland Park with the proposed pickleball court for that location being relocated to the Jackson-Taylor Park skate pad.

The motion passed unanimously, with the amended resolution passing 8 to 1. Council member Bill Reynolds was the only no vote, citing other priorities that should be funded.

Two community engagement meetings will be held on the splash pads with the first taking place this Thursday, March 30 at 6:00 p.m. at the Allen Park Rink. The second will be held at the Jackson-Taylor Park large pavilion at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 11. Mayor Sundquist said that community meeting will also be combined with the HUD Action Plan community input meeting.

The Jamestown Department of Development will use the walks to gather community input for the Action Plan, which is the plan for how the city will use Community Development Block Grant and Home program funds it receives. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the development of the action plan for CDBG and HOME funds.

The City of Jamestown has been awarded $1,144,628 in CDBG funds and $392,250 in HOME funds. This is $5,379 less than they were allocated in 2022.

The funding is used for Community Planning and Development activities, ranging from the development of affordable housing to expanding economic opportunities for people with low and moderate incomes.

DOD officials said while the walks are ward-based, all are welcome to attend. The walk will include a short presentation on the action plan followed by a public comment opportunity.

The workshops will be held as follows:
Ward 1 at 6pm, Tuesday, March 28 at Lillian Dickson Park
Ward 2 at 6pm, Thursday, April 6 at Washington Middle School
Ward 3 at 6pm, Tuesday, April 11 at Jackson-Taylor Park
Ward 4 at 6pm, Thursday, April 20 at Lincoln Elementary School
Ward 5 at 6pm, Tuesday, April 25 at Fletcher Elementary School
Ward 6 at 6pm, Tuesday, May 4 at Willard Park.

Locations may change due to inclement weather. Additional public input sessions that will take place at City Hall will be announced at a later date.

For more information, contact the Department of Development at 716-483-7541

Jamestown City Council hears presentation on Splash Pads (March 6, 2023)

Jamestown City Council learned more about the two proposed Splash Pads for Jamestown Parks at their work session Monday night.

Both splash pads proposed for Jackson-Taylor and Allen Parks are estimated to cost $250,000 each which includes contingency funds.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said the location for the pad at Jackson-Taylor Park would be on the current skate park pad, “We picked that spot, we looked at a couple different spots, in fact, at Jackson-Taylor Park. That one has probably the best surface that we could apply it to. As you know, Jackson-Taylor Park tends to sink when we install things. So we were really looking for surface quality, soil quality as part of it as well as location to bathrooms and other required amenities and obviously water lines.”

Sundquist said the water flow rate is 45-gallons per minute, with the play structures operating on a timed button system where users have to push a button for water to flow out. He said both splash pads would not have a circulating water system, “Circulating water system means we have a set amount of water that would be in there, that would continue to circulate back and forth. We would then require New York State testing. We’d have to have a bunch of additional staff in order to maintain it and manage it. In talking with the engineers for this, they actually recommended that we go with a fresh water system. So, it would be water that you would see from your tap coming through whenever you pressed the button.”

Sundquist said the water then drains out with no standing water. He added they’d work with the Board of Public Utilities to not get charged double for water use.

Council President Tony Dolce questioned if the push button system for the Splash Pad could be turned off, for example, at night or other times.

Parks Manager Dan Stone replied that everything is on a timer, “Everything runs on a timer and that would be based off of.. we haven’t gotten into big talks about that yet.. but it would be based on the season, obviously, but also maybe what’s going on the weekends, week day, activities in the park, those kind of things.”

Stone said the Splash Pad can be shut down on colder summer days to avoid water waste. He said the structures can be covered or even removed during the winter.

Sundquist said the Allen Park splash pad will be located at the corner of West Virginia Boulevard and Elizabeth Avenue due to availability of water lines, soil conditions, and its proximity to restrooms and parking.

He added that both splash pads would be ADA compliant. Sundquist said park staff will be trained by the company that installs to system on how to manage the pad.

Stone said trees will be able to provide shade for the pads. He said while the Jackson-Taylor location already has a fence, they haven’t discussed a fence for the Allen Park site yet.

Council Member at Large Kim Ecklund asked if maintenance was built into the cost and expressed concerns about vandalism.

Stone replied that they don’t have funds budgeted for maintenance once the pads are constructed, “I don’t think that’s stopped us on any project we’ve ever done since I’ve been in the Parks. That just means I keep coming at you for more Parks employees. Concrete is what it’s going to be. So it’s a concrete pad. Other than maybe getting dinged up by something, it shouldn’t really be an issue. It’s at least four inches thick, I think the specs call for. Vandalism, it doesn’t matter what we do, right? It doesn’t matter where it’s at. Stuff is going to get vandalized.”
While the total cost of the project would be $500,000, Sundquist said there is a $100,000 grant they’re waiting to hear on which would help offset the amount needed from American Rescue Plan funds.

Two community engagement meetings will be held to get input from the public on the two Splash Pads. The first will be held at the Allen Park Ice Rink at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, March 30. The second will be held at the Jackson-Taylor Park large pavilion at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 11. Sundquist said that community meeting will also be combined with the HUD Action Plan community input meeting.

If Council signs off on funding the project this month, Sundquist said engineers have told him the splash pads could be constructed and in operation by sometime in July 2023.

Jamestown City Council (June 27, 2022)

Jamestown City Council tabled a resolution on a shared services agreement with Jamestown Public Schools about plowing sidewalks, saying more discussion was needed.

Council President Tony Dolce said council members wanted to further discuss the positions that would be added, “This has nothing to do with the school system. We’re very appreciative of the fact that they’ve been willing to purchase the equipment and the maintenance agreements for those. But it’s a huge amount of money to commit for two full-time employees with benefits. So there was some concern and discussion as to whether we would want to look at possibly using seasonal or part-time employees versus full-time employees.”

Dolce said making the two part-time positions seasonal may need to be a union discussion, “Different than the summer help which is more scheduled. In the winter, we’d have to have some different parameters cause as the snow goes, the timing, the number of snowstorms that we actually have, and other things that they could be doing during that time. So, there’s just a lot of things to tie up and how that would look financially as well as how that would look structurally within the department.”

Dolce added the agreement would be discussed again at the July 18 work session with an anticipated vote in July.

Council did approve the two home improvement incentive programs for senior citizens and homeowners that would be administered through the Assessor’s Office. Each was funded with $500,000 of American Rescue Plan money.

A contract with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy to remove the invasive Tree of Heaven from the banks of the Chadakoin River also passed. Council Member Brent Sheldon, who is the council representative on the Riverfront Management Council, said the RMC also supported the resolution and was in support of the river clean-up the CWC had done earlier this year.

Council also approved the Annual Action Plan for the 2022 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Program. The plan for use of $1,542,257 in federal monies will now be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Jamestown City Council

The Public Hearing will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers regarding the FY 2022 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Program. The annual action plan, once approved, will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Jamestown received $1,144,750 in Community Development Block Grant funds and $397,507 in HOME program funds. The funding is for Community Planning and Development activities, ranging from the development of affordable housing to expanding economic opportunities for people with low and moderate incomes.

Council also will vote on two programs, totaling $1 million, that will grant funds to senior citizens and homeowners for improvements to houses in the city. The program would be funded through American Rescue Plan Act monies.

Council also will vote on a shared services agreement with Jamestown Public Schools to share services, purchase, exchange or lend materials or equipment which shall promote and assist the City of Jamestown in the plowing of sidewalk routes to schools. The agreement shall be from August 1, 2022 to December 31, 2026.

The contract with Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy to remove Tree of Heaven along the banks of the Chadakoin River for a cost of $17,760 will be considered.

And Council will vote to suspend hiring freeze to hire a new Comptroller to replace current Comptroller Ryan Thompson, who is leaving City Government for a job in the private sector.

Under new business, Council will vote on a resolution accepting the donation of a Jamestown welcome sign by the Jamestown Noon Rotary and Rotary Club of Jamestown Community Service Fund, Inc. The sign will be constructed at the corner of 1351 North Main Street. The approximate value of the sign is $65,000.

The work session begins at 6:30 p.m in the fourth floor Police Training Room with the voting session starting at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of city hall. The meetings are open to the public with the public hearing and voting session livestreamed on jamestownny.gov

The Ward 5 tour starts at 10:00 a.m. at Fletcher Elementary School with the Ward 2 tour starting at noon at Washington Middle School.

Both will happen rain or shine.

The walking tours are part of gathering public input required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for cities that receive Community Development Block Grant and HOME program funds.

The tour will start at 6:00 p.m. at the large pavilion in Jackson-Taylor Park. Director of Development Crystal Surdyk announced the Ward 2 walking tour has been rescheduled to 12pm, Saturday, May 7th. That tour will start at Washington Middle School.

The walking tours are an expansion of the required public input required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for cities that receive Community Development Block Grant and HOME program funds.