Southern Tier West ARC Area Development Program Regional Development Associate Fileve Palmer and MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb (September 20, 2022)

A large crowd of community organizations and elected officials gathered at the Mental Health Association Tuesday to celebrate the award of a $500,000 grant that will help people in recovery return to the workforce.

MHA Executive Director Steven Cobb said the two-year federal grant is coming from the Appalachian Regional Commission‘s INSPIRE (Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems) Initiative, “The purpose of that is to develop a recovery ecosystem that supports people in recovery as they return to the workforce, to remove barriers, to provide opportunities for education, and to provide assistance where wrap-around-services don’t traditionally supply assistance.”

Cobb said the grant will enable them to work with businesses to help them develop tools to support employees in recovery as well as helping employees who have family members who are have substance use issues.

He said the program will be implemented across Chautauqua County.

Cobb said St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will be a facet of the grant through the collaboration with MHA on the social-enterprise program, St. Bernard’s Blessed dog biscuits. He said that program will be used as a classroom, “For folks in our community who might need some support in developing skills to go back to work, communications skills, skills insofar as showing up to work, being on time. And we will use the making of these biscuits, the marketing of the biscuits, the packaging, the selling as a classroom to teach people skills that they can take and then go back to work.”

Cobb said another facet of the grant will allow MHA to go into the Chautauqua County Jail to work with inmates transitioning out in order to shorten the gap between their release and going back to work.

He said MHA and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church are each matching the $500,000 grant with $250,000 of in-kind services for a total program value of $1 million.

MHA was the only ARC INSPIRE grant recipient in New York State this year.

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, MHA in Chautauqua County is a corporate underwriter for WRFA and has provided a financial contribution for the general operations of the station within the past year. Funding we receive for General Operations is not used to fund our coverage of local news in the community. That is only made possible through a Community Service Grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 

The funding was allocated by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Investments Supporting Partnerships In Recovery Ecosystems (INSPIRE) Initiative, which aims to fight the substance use disorder crisis across Appalachia.

Schumer and Gillibrand issued a media release saying the grant will provide recovery support, pre-employment development, and vocational training to individuals struggling with substance use disorder and establish partnerships with local employers to help these individuals re-enter the workforce.

MHA plans to hold an announcement on September 20th to further detail how the grant funds will be used.

According to Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, the federal funding will be used to improve SUNY JCC’s robotics and engineering programs to help students and workers get jobs in tech fields like mechanical engineering, electronics, computer engineering, and telecommunications engineering. Specifically, the funding will help purchase state-of-the-art equipment and update curriculum to include the latest technology being used by local employers. At least 10 companies, 35 students, 5 workers, and 1,150 K-12 participants will benefit from this new robotics and advanced technology programming.

“This vital investment will kick Jamestown Community College’s advanced technology programming into a higher gear, helping prepare students to get and keep the good-paying jobs of the future,” said Senator Schumer. 

“I am happy to announce this funding for Jamestown Community College, which will help train students for success in engineering, robotics, and advanced technology. Investing in our students and workers is one of the best ways to strengthen our local workforce, and I will always fight for the resources to help them be successful,” said Senator Gillibrand. 

“We are proud to support such an endeavor as this which will allow JCC to reinvigorate its mechanical, industrial and welding technology programs to better suit the needs of students and employers in Chautauqua County. We care about giving every opportunity of success to students in our district – and this is just one of the ways that can happen,” said Congressman Tom Reed.

JCC President Daniel Demarte said “In response to employer expressed workforce needs in the Southern Tier region, this grant will provide JCC the capacity to enhance its mechanical technology, industrial equipment technology and welding technology programs by incorporating relevant skills in automation and robotics.”

Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian region.

NRG Power Plant in Dunkirk

DUNKIRK – Congressman Tom Reed announced Wednesday that Bergman Associates from Buffalo has been chosen to move forward as consultants on the NRG Redevelopment Alternative and Feasibility Study in Dunkirk.

The study will look at all facets of the project and determine at least three different ways for Dunkirk to move forward with the facility.

In 2018, it was announced by NRG that the plant would not be repowered due to the expenses involved.

In early 2019, Reed announced a $60,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant to help fund the study.

The teaching clinic will be developed through the Jamestown Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program, providing approximately 50 students with access to needed field work to complete the program.

Funds from the ARC will be coupled with local sources, which contributed roughly $119,436, for a total project cost of $232,779.

The grant, provided through the Appalachian Regional Commission, will expand the criminal justice and protective service programs to provide a strong forensic laboratory component that replicates real-life crime investigation experiences.

Crime scene mapping equipment will be used in several criminal justice and police academy courses. The laser scanning system will also be used by local law enforcement agencies and forensic investigation and accident reconstruction teams to document evidence in actual crime and accident related scenes in the region.

The funding was allocated through the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). The Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board will use these funds to implement the Manufacturing Productivity Improvement Program, which will provide technical assistance to small- and medium-sized businesses in the areas of manufacturing, process improvement, and customized training.

It is anticipated that over 600 businesses will participate in these business development activities. Moreover, fifteen companies will receive contracted technical assistance, which will lead to the retention of 600 area jobs. These funds will allow businesses and manufacturers in the area to adequately address issues with labor productivity, business productivity, and various business certifications.

The Appalachian Regional Commission grants are awarded to local governments, agencies, non-profits and schools, in order to be used for economic development initiatives in the Appalachian Region.

In an effort to implement projects recommended in the Chautauqua County’s Comprehensive Plan – Chautauqua 20/20, the Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Economic Development (CCPED) developed the Equestrian Trail System Plan. As a starting point, the Plan identified an opportunity to develop a 35+ mile equestrian trail loop using primarily existing trails and rights-of-way, to serve as a model for future equestrian trail development throughout the County and region.

The County applied for and was approved for $150,000 of grant funding from the commission, which will be matched with $150,000 of local cash and in-kind contributions from the County, the County Industrial Development Agency, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) and other stakeholders.

Specific project work will include upgrades to approximately five miles of trails, upgrades to an existing trailhead/parking area and road crossings, and installation of a picnic area, kiosks, trail signage and hitch posts. This $300,000 project, which will make approximately 20 miles available for horseback riding when connected with Cockaigne’s trails, is expected to be initiated in the fall of 2012 and be completed in the fall of 2013.

For more information on the Chautauqua County Equestrian Trail System Plan, go online to  www.planningchautauqua.com.