Jamestown Parks Manager Dan Stone presents to City Council (June 12, 2023)

The Jamestown City Council received an update Monday on various projects happening in the Parks Department.

Parks Manager Dan Stone, speaking to City Council on Monday, presented a lengthy list of projects and events the Parks Department has been involved with so far this year.

He detailed several American Rescue Plan funded projects that were completed in time for the season, “We did new ball field in-fields at Allen Park, Nordstrom Park, number 3 (field) at Bergman Park was completely skinned and replaced with ballfield material; and both in-fields at Roseland Park as well. Disc golf is now an 18-hole golf course up at Bergman Park. We just need to install tee boxes at this point.”

Stone said they’re planning to build the boxes using old city brick. He said the basketball courts at Allen, Bergman, and Jackson-Taylor Parks are all sealed and painted. He hopes to put new rims on the hoops this week.

In regards to the two Splash Pad projects, Stone said he’s waiting on prices from Parkitects for the Allen Park Splash Pad to come back. He said the city is also still waiting for the soil test results for Jackson-Taylor Park. The administration said there is currently a 12-week delay on those coming back.

Stone announced the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has awarded a grant for new picnic tables at Diethrick Stadium. He said they’ve been ordered from Jamestown Advanced Products and hopes they’ll be delivered in the next month.

Stone added that while there will not be a Summer Playground Program in the parks this year, the Jamestown YMCA will still be providing the free summer lunch program on week days, starting June 26, at Lillian Dickson Park.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist outlines bond proposal as Council President Tony Dolce listens (May 15, 2023)

The City of Jamestown is proposing to bond for $6.4 million in order to do a variety of building improvements and repairs.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist presented the initial bond proposal to City Council Monday, saying the projects were limited to just municipal facilities.

He said the list of projects is just a draft because he wants Council to discuss the proposal. Sundquist said $3.15 million would go toward improvements and repairs at City Hall, including a $1.8 million roof replacement and façade work, “We had hoped that the patching we did on the roof was going to hold. We are still seeing leaks within the building on that roof and so it’ll need to be replaced. As a reminder, the building opened up in 1971.”

Sundquist said security improvements and HVAC upgrades are also part of the project. He added that 17 windows need to be replaced for a cost of $350,000.

Council member Marie Carrubba suggested that the city should be considering replacing the current gold-filmed windows, which she says are not energy efficient, “When you talk about climate action, these (windows) are horrible. Go down to the second floor and half of the windows you can’t look out of. I don’t know if they’re on the list to be replaced, but I can’t even imagine. I haven’t counted all of the windows in this building. But, I almost feel like we’re throwing good money after bad to keep trying to get these windows, which are very hard to get, they’re very expensive, versus trying to begin a process of replacing these windows in a manageable fashion.”

Sundquist said it was something the city could look into.

The replacement of the Fenton Roof at a cost of $2 million is also included in the bond proposal. Sundquist said the historic mansion is owned by the City and needs a new rubber roof due to leaks that are impacting the Fenton History Center‘s collection. He added that the $2 million price tag may get reduced if the city is able to find grants for the project.

Other projects that would be funded under a proposed bond include $250,000 to fix the roof at 145 Steele Street and $500,000 for a new water line at Bergman Park.

Sundquist said $500,000 is also included as gap funding for the Fleet Maintenance Building on Washington Street. An information sheet said this funding is due to increased labor and material costs that could not be foreseen when the project was initially budgeted. Sundquist said the city has applied for a $1 million reimbursement from New York State.

He added that the city is able to “comfortably” borrow up to $12 million, “We’re very low on our actual debt right now as a city and so we wanted to confirm with them what we think we can borrow. The other thing I’ll point out is that we still have ARPA funds. I didn’t include it in here because I think it’s a discussion for everyone. There is still $1.7 million in ARPA funds that could be applied toward this should the council wish. That obviously for some further discussion which would lower that debt level.”

Council member at Large Kim Ecklund requested information on other bonds the city has in addition to how a $6.4 million bond would impact the city budget.

Parks Manager Dan Stone presents on proposed park improvements to City Council (March 6, 2023)

Several ARP-funded parks projects have been given the go-ahead in committee by Jamestown City Council.

Parks Manager Dan Stone presented to Council about projects that would utilize $221,000 of American Rescue Plan funds.

Stone said the playground at Roseland was built on top of the old tennis courts, which helped make it handicapped accessible. He said, however, with everything being blacktop and with few areas to plant trees, the playground gets hot very quickly in the summer, “So, we’d like to go in and remove all existing blacktop and then pour a new path that goes around completely. It’ll be handicapped accessible all throughout and a lot more green space in there along with a shade structure. And then in the front part parking lot area, we’ll create two new pickle ball courts, a small parking area with handicapped parking right up to the fence as well.”

The Roseland Park project is projected to cost $120,000.

Stone said long overdue upgrades are proposed for Willard Park, “We run into some difficulties with this park. This has been one that’s been talked about for a long time. You see in the picture on the left there’s a nice chunk of concrete right there. There’s a foundation from the old school house all throughout that upper park. Then it drops off quite severe, heading down the hill even as you see at the top part it goes all the way down. And it continues except for the nice flat area we have here, which the kids love to use that wide, flat open area for football, baseball, things like that.”

Stone said the Parks Department is requesting $72,000 to put in a new swing set and playground set. He said they also plan to install a volleyball court following many requests for one in the parks.

Stone said the City has also had talks with the Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District about planting a fruit tree orchard on the steep slope of the park that’s not as conducive for play.

Two other proposals include allocating $15,000 toward resurfacing basketball courts at Jackson-Taylor, Allen, and Bergman Parks and $14,000 toward the purchase of 18 self-watering flower pots for the downtown area.

Drawings of proposed Splash Pads at Allen and Jackson-Taylor Parks (provided by Parkitects)

Jamestown City Council will hear a presentation on $721,000 worth of American Rescue Plan funded parks projects that include two Splash Pads at its work session tonight.

Resolutions pre-filed include $500,000 toward the construction of splash pads at Allen and Jackson-Taylor Parks. The staff report said the City anticipates grant funding could cover a significant amount of the project and that unspent funds will be returned to the ARPA funds. They said while they anticipate water usage costs will increase, it can be absorbed in the Parks Department budget.

The pads would be ADA compliant and, based on drawings provided by Parkitects in the staff report, be located on the current skatepark pad at Jackson-Taylor Park and near the corner of West Virginia Blvd and Elizabeth Avenue in Allen Park.

Another resolution allocates $120,000 toward improvements at Roseland Park that includes a new pickleball court and new shade or pavilion structure.

Improvements to Willard Park are proposed under another resolution allocating $72,000 in ARP funds. This project includes a new playground and volleyball court.

The staff report said the City is in talks with the Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District on an Urban Farming Grant to plant a fruit tree orchard in the park.

Two additional resolutions would allocate $15,000 toward resurfacing basketball courts at Jackson-Taylor, Allen, and Bergman Parks and $14,000 toward the purchase of eight self-watering flower pots for the downtown area. These planters would repace concrete planters.

A presentation on a proposed Electric Bike and Scooter pilot program will be done by Bird Bike Share.

Bird Bike Share currently has programs in Dunkirk and Olean. According to the staff report, a similar bike or scooter share program here would have no cost to the City and involve a revenue-share of $0.20 (cents) per ride to help fund protected bike lanes or other transportation projects.

Council also will review a resolution to contract with BusPatrol for the installation and management of a bus stop arm camera program.

City Council had previously authorized a Bus Stop Arm camera program to catch violations of motorists passing buses when stop arm is out.

BusPatrol would outfit the school district’s fleet at no cost, with the City receiving a share of the fine money. Jamestown Public Schools passed the proposal in February 2023.

While the staff reports states there is no cost to the school district, nor the city, the contract states the city is responsible for the cost of the camera installation as well as a monthly technology fee. These costs will come out of the 40% in fee revenue the city receives.

City Council also will hear an update on the Jamestown Community Cat Program that was being done by the Chautauqua County Humane Society.

The Housing Committee meeting is at 6:45 p.m. with other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full City Council work session will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Police Training Room on the fourth floor of City Hall. All meetings are open to the public with the full work session also being livestreamed at jamestownny.gov.

The event will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Bergman Park.

Broken electronics and residential bulk trash will be accepted.

No tires, batteries, yard waste, liquids, or chemicals will be allowed

People will be required to provide proof of residence or property ownership in the City of Jamestown.

For more information, contact the City Department of Development at 716-483-7542

Bergman Park Disc Golf Course Map

A new disc golf course is officially open at Bergman Park in the City of Jamestown.

The course currently has 12 holes, with an additional 6 to make a full 18-hole course expected to open in Spring of 2023.

City officials say the course utilizes many of the underused, open areas of the park, as well as some of the wooded areas around Bergman Park. City officials say use of the course is free of charge.

City Comptroller John Sellstrom said the $5,620 project was funded using Neighborhood Target Area Infrastructure monies as part of the Community Development Block Grant program. This funded the baskets for all 18-holes.

The City, in partnership with Twin Tiers Disc Golf, have applied for funding from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to go toward purchasing discs and portable baskets for the Summer Playground program.

A free Disc Golf Youth Camp is also being planned for Tuesday, August 30 at Bergman Park. The camp will give kids ages 7 to 13 an introduction to the sport of disc golf. No experience is necessary. It will be taught using the Educational Disc Golf Experience (EDGE) curriculum.

The free program is being made possible by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr Legacy Funds administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

The link for more information about the camp can be found here: https://fb.me/e/5hv2miXDq

The map of the disc golf course can be found here: https://udisc.com/courses/bergman-park-x3mX.

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JAMESTOWN – The Labor Day weekend is upon us and there’s a variety of activities and events in store to keep people busy all weekend long, including the 39^th annual Greater Jamestown Labor Day Festival will be held Sunday, April 2 at Bergman Park.

The day begins with the annual Dan Feather Memorial 5K run, organized by Chautauqua Striders, with registration beginning at 8 a.m.

At noon the festival events begin, providing residents with a day of food, music, and other events for the whole family, including a professional wrestling event beginning at 1 p.m. and provided by Southern Tier Wrestling.

At 4 p.m. the Jamestown Area Central Labor Council AFL-CIO will present former City Councilman and retired DPW employee George Spitale with the George Ritzer Labor Award.

The day will wrap up with a fireworks extravaganza, beginning shortly before 9 p.m.

There is no cost for the event, although there is a $5 fee for those who wish to park their vehicles in the Bergman park parking lot.

All money raised is used to directly fund festival activities and support the host of non-profit community service agencies who participate.

Attendees should also keep in mind that all tobacco products, including chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes, are prohibited at the park under city law.

The use of private fireworks and sparklers are prohibited in the City of Jamestown and, thus, the Labor Day Festival. Pet owners are advised to leave their pets at home for both their safety and the safety of others.

For more details on the Labor Day Festival, visit the city of Jamestown website’s Labor Day Festival page.

Image from Facebook user Jeannie Green Patrizi of Jamestown.

JAMESTOWN –  A black bear sighting on the west side of Jamestown at Bergman Park has a lot of city residents on edge.

Area resident Jeannie Green Patrizi was able to take a photo of a black bear across the street from Bergman Park in the city on Monday, Oct. 5.

Black Bears are most active this time of year as they prepare to stock up on food before hibernating for the winter. And with the recent rise in the bear population across New York and Pennsylvania, it’s likely that bear sightings, even in populated areas and within city limits, will become more common.

However, residents shouldn’t be overly alarmed by a bear sighting in their area.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, black bears try to avoid contact and interaction with humans as much as possible. The DEC says that if you do encounter a bear, you should never approach, surround or corner the animal. They also advice residents to stay calm, speak in a loud and calm voice, and back slowly away from the area, rather than running from the animal. Loud noises – like yelling, clapping or banging pots – are also known to scare away a bear.

Once a bear leaves your area, you should remove all attractants such as bird seed, garbage, and pet food and also ask neighbors to do the same.

DEC has adopted a regulation prohibiting the deliberate and intentional feeding of black bears. The incidental, indirect feeding of black bears also is unlawful after a written warning has been issued by the department.

For more information on what to do if you see a bear near your home or in your neighborhood, you can visit the State DEC Website or call the Western Allegany region office (716) 372-0645.

Also, for more detailed information, read the DEC Black Bear Response Manual.

The 36^th Annual Greater Jamestown Labor Day Festival will be held Sunday, Sept. 6 from noon until 9:00 p.m. at Bergman Park. According to organizers the event is a community celebration designed to honor the labor force of the city and surrounding area.

There is no cost to attend the festival, unless parking in Bergman Park, which will cost $5 per vehicle. However, everyone who pays will be entered to win a prize and all money raised is used to directly fund festival activities.

The Arts & Crafts fair begins at 11 a.m. and will feature over 20 vendors from all over Western New York and some vendors from Pennsylvania. All vendors are required to sell hand-made items

Live music begins at noon and will be featured on two stages with performances by The Bogarts, Teachers, Preachers and & Trent, We Speak Canadian, Two for Flinching, Jamestown Harmony Express, Razz & the JCC Band, Davis and Eng, and No Limit.

The Food Court opens at noon with all profits from the concessions benefitting not-for-profit organizations in the Greater Jamestown Area. In addition, there will be a wine and beer dining tent sponsored by Game Time Sports Bar & Grill for attendees 21 and older.

Chautauqua Striders will also hold the annual Dan Feather Memorial 5k Run/Walk at 9:30 a.m. with registration starting at 8 a.m.

Free Pepsi Bingo games will take place in the main pavilion starting at noon. Free kids carnival games including a bounce house by Eventz by Scott will start at 2 p.m.

The day will be capped off by a fireworks display by Zambelli Fireworks Internationale. Committee organizers are recommending that participants get to the park early enough to reserve a prime location on the lawn in front of the main stage for the best view of the fireworks, which begins when the final band, Two For Flinching, finishes its performance around 8:30 p.m.

For more details on Festival events, visit the City’s website at jamestownny.net or call the Parks Department at 483-7523

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The Greater Jamestown Labor Day Festival is a community celebration designed to honor the labor force of the city and surrounding area. All money raised is used to directly fund festival activities and support the host of non-profit community service agencies who participate.

Committee organizers are recommending that festival participants get to the park early enough to reserve a prime location on the lawn in front of the main stage in order to be in the middle of the fireworks extravaganza by Zambelli Fireworks Internationale, which begins when the final band, Two For Flinching, finishes its performance around 8:30 p.m.

“Get to Bergman Park early Sunday, September 6th. Pick your spot on the lawn in front of the main stage. Get some food. Visit the vendors and crafters. Take the kids to play some games. Then enjoy the biggest fireworks display the region has to offer. The only way is to be right in the middle of all the action,” said Mayor Teresi.

People parking their cars at Bergman Park will receive a ticket to enter into a drawing at the Information Booth for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift card that is being sponsored by Ahlstrom Schaeffer Electric Corporation. Ahlstrom Schaeffer provides electrical services for industrial, commercial, institutional and construction businesses. There will also be two chances to win a season ticket for the Southern Tier Xpress Hockey League games. Parking is $5.00. The prize drawing will take place at on the Main Stage just prior to the fireworks show.

Live music begins at noon and will be featured on two stages. The lineup includes:

Main Stage

• 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. The Bogarts
• 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. Teachers, Preachers & Trent
• 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. We Speak Canadian
• 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Two For Flinching

Second Stage

• 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Jamestown Harmony Express
• 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Razz & the JCC Band, featuring Victoria McIlvain on vocals
• 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Davis & Eng
• 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. No Limit

The Food Court opens at noon with all profits from the concessions benefitting not-for-profit organizations in the Greater Jamestown Area. All organizations will be selling Pepsi products. In addition, there will be a wine and beer dining tent sponsored by Game Time Sports Bar & Grill for attendees 21 and older.

Chautauqua Striders will hold the annual Dan Feather Memorial 5k Run/Walk at 9:30 a.m. with registration starting at 8 a.m.

The Arts & Crafts fair begins at 11 a.m. and will feature over 20 vendors from all over Western New York and some vendors from Pennsylvania. All vendors are required to sell hand-made items.

Free Pepsi Bingo games will take place in the main pavilion starting at noon. Free kids carnival games including a bounce house by Eventz by Scott will start at 2 p.m.

The Jamestown Area Central Labor Council AFL-CIO will present a deserving member of the area workforce the George Ritzer Labor Award at 4 p.m. on the main stage.

Sponsors of the Labor Day Festival include the City of Jamestown, Media One Group, Ahlstrom-Schaeffer, Pepsi of Jamestown, IBEW Local 106, and Jamestown Area Central Labor Council AFL-CIO.

For more details on Festival events, visit the City’s website at jamestownny.net or call the Parks Department at 483-7523.