Former Deer Management Group member Tom Nelson addresses Jamestown City Council (April 10, 2023)

A former member of the Jamestown Deer Management Group is questioning what the City of Jamestown is doing in regards to the city’s deer population.

Former Council member and current County Legislator Tom Nelson questioned council members about what’s been done, what’s going to get done, and if a committee has been formed regarding deer in the city, “I know many times you get people coming to council meetings complaining they don’t have a solution. I think many of you know I put forward a solution in September of 2021 which was rejected by many members of this council. So, my question to you is, you didn’t like that plan, what is your plan?”

Council had voted down a proposal 2 to 7 at the September 2021 voting session that would have allowed 8 bow hunters to receive licenses with the two sites for hunting limited to Jones Memorial Park and the wooded area behind the Allen Park Ice Rink. This was the proposal suggested by Council member at large Jeff Russell to replace an initial proposal to allow 15 licensed hunters to take down up to 4 antler-less deer between November 1st and December 31st in five designated areas of Jamestown.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said he still supports efforts to reduce the deer population in the city, “Typically, some kind of hunt.. that is the recommendation from the DEC (State Department of Environmental Conservation). Can’t do sterilization because it has to be tied to a university and program, and other methods are just way too expensive or not going to be allowed by the state. So, whatever you guys want to do, let me know. I remain steadfast in supporting reducing the deer population as a resident of Ward 6 who sees a lot of it, and now we’re hearing from Ward 5 and others.”

Councilmembers Randy Daversa, Andrew Faulkner, Russell, and Brent Sheldon had mentioned at the October 3, 2022 City Council work session that they had met with each other to discuss the issue, but no follow-up meetings were ever announced.

Council member at large Kim Ecklund said on Monday that whatever that work group moved forward with should be a multi-pronged approach, “When Andy Liuzzo was on council, he was adamant about a deer program and actually worked with the town of Ellicott to issue more permits. I never heard the result of that. We never got a ‘Did it work? Did it not work?’ But, living on the edge of the town, there are more deer. There’s a lot of reasons why there is more deer and you can ask many hunters. There’s less people hunting. There’s more posted property for people to not be able to hunt on.”

At the October 2022 meeting, Council member Marie Carrubba said the deer group should include not just city council members but an attorney, people in favor of a hunt, as well as people with other options for handling the deer population.

The Chautauqua County Board of Elections’ website at votechautauqua.com provides the information who has filed petitions to run in the November 7 elections.

Some new names are in the filing, including Jamestown Democrat Travis Knight, who has filed to run against Republican incumbent Brent Sheldon for City Council Ward 1.

In County Legislature filings, Democrat Bob Whitney has filed petitions for another rematch against Republican Incumbent Dave Wilfong in Legislative District 11.

Republican incumbent Lisa Vanstrom in District 15 will be facing Democrat Kurt Gustafson.

Marcus Buchanan has filed petitions for the Democrat, Conservative, and Working Families lines to run against Republican Incumbent Kevin Muldowney in District 1.

Democratic incumbent Bob Bankoski will face Republican Dennis Welka in District 2.

Republican incumbent Bob Scudder will have an opponent with Democrat Nevin Ecklund submitting petitions for District 3.

A couple Republican incumbents in the County Legislature appear to have decided not to seek re-election. This includes Legislative District 16 representative John Davis and Legislative District 19 representative John Hemmer.

The candidates who have submitted petitions for those districts include Republican Dalton Anthony in District 16, and Republican Fred Johnson Sr. and Democrat Braiden McElhaney in District 19.

April 10 was the last day to file petitions for the primary.

April 18 is the last day to fill a vacancy after a candidate has declined to run with April 24 being the last day to authorize a substitution after a candidate declines to run.

April 18 is also the first day for folks seeking signatures for independent, or third party, petitions.

Left to right: Director of Development Crystal Surdyk, Jamestown resident Jade Shirey, Healthy Communities Consultant Lisa Schmidtfrerick-Miller, Council member Brent Sheldon, Council Member Regina Brackman, and Council Member Marie Carrubba at City Council Housing Committee meeting (March 20, 2023)

A Jamestown mother is urging the City to take on lead hazards in housing that’s resulted in hundreds of children being affected by lead poisoning.

Hazzard Street resident Jade Shirey spoke before the City Council Housing Committee, saying health issues caused by lead paint exposure is 100% preventable and that no homes should be allowed to have lead paint, “It is, I get, an expensive fix, but we are spending money either way. We are either going to spend it in being proactive and getting lead out of homes, or we are going to spend it reactive in giving services, inundating our school system, our fire people with the condemned houses or the fire calls from the properties not being where they should be, police activity later on in their years when these (lead-poisoned) kids are facing impulsivity.”

Shirey shared that her son was diagnosed with lead poisoning two years ago, “So, in part of that, I brought my child who suffers from verbal delays, speech-cognitive delays, is going to be put in a (inaudible) classroom, who I’ve had so much trouble securing services for. I’m not sure how families have been doing this for 45 years.”

Shirey said Jamestown is seventh in the state for lead poisoning, with 60 kids in the 14701 zip code being affected by lead poisoning a year. She said that equates to about 900 students in the Jamestown Public Schools system who have suffered from lead poisoning.

Shirey said her goal is to make sure no other families go through what she has.

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said while she doesn’t have a fix that can have an immediate impact, the city is working on dealing with lead in housing from a policy standpoint, “So, we have rental inspection ordinance that we are working on. We have a vacant property ordinance that we’re working on. And then we have a third, a nuisance property ordinance that we’re working on which won’t directly impact lead inspections, but through those two other ordinances, lead inspection, mandatory lead inspections will be rolled into those.”

Surdyk said the city has been working with the Healthy Housing Coalition, which includes county government and other housing agencies, on how to give landlords incentives to take care of lead paint in their properties, “We want to offer a carrot, right? We’re going to give you this big stick. We’re going to say, ‘This has to be done,’ and we’re going to have ‘x’ amount of time to do all of these inspections. And if there is lead found, you’re going to have another ‘x’ amount of time to remediate it. And then the intention is, if we’ve identified it, looking at ways to subsidize the cost of the inspection for the lead.”

Council member Brent Sheldon, who previously worked for the Chautauqua County Health Department in lead hazard reduction, said while the county has received funds to do lead abatements, it’s a struggle to get people to participate.

For additional information on lead poisoning prevention, visit the County’s Environmental Health Department’s website at: https://chqgov.com/environmental-health/lead-poisoning-prevention

Bird Bike Share – eScooter and eBike

Electric bikes and scooters could be available to rent in Jamestown this summer.

Jamestown City Council heard a presentation by Bird Bike Share, who has proposed a pilot program in the city.

Bird Bike Share currently has programs in Dunkirk and other municipalities around New York State.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said bringing ebikes and scooters to the area would be a way to increase mobility for those who do not have cars, or good access to public transportation.

He said New York State passed a law in 2020 making eBikes and eScooters legal, “The program itself, when we were originally looking at it, the city was considering starting its own bike share program which had a lot of upfront capital costs. In this scenario, in this partnership, Bird actually provides all of that capital. They also hire a local operator to manage and take care of those bikes and scooters. And then the city receives a portion of the revenue on each of those rides.”

Sundquist said the pricing would have an initial fee and then a 49-cents per minute fee after that. He said the program would also offer community pricing where those who have an EBT card could receive a reduced rate. Pre-paid cards could also be used for rental in cases where someone doesn’t have a debit or credit card.

Sundquist said the bikes and scooters would be limited to operation within the city of Jamestown.

Council tabled 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 the stop arm is out.

BusPatrol would outfit the Jamestown Public School district’s bus fleet at no cost, with the City receiving a share of the fine money. The Jamestown School Board passed the proposal in February.

Corporation Counsel Elliot\ Raimondo recommended that council table the measure for further review.

Public Safety Committee Chair Brent Sheldon said that 239 feral cats were spayed or neutered under the Community Cat Program in 2022, “151 had the surgeries done at Operation Pets in Buffalo and 88 were done at the Chautauqua County Humane Society. That did result in some savings there because they didn’t have to do the transportation and everything, so they saved approximately $1,841 on that.”

Sheldon said between the City’s allocation of $5,000 toward the program in 2022, a Chautauqua Region Community Foundation grant of $8,000, and donations of $3,000; the Chautauqua County Humane Society had enough funds for the program. He added that the City has also allocated $5,000 for the program in 2023.

Democrat and current Mayor Eddie Sundquist previously announced he is seeking re-election for a second term with Republican Council Member at Large Kim Ecklund recently announcing she will be running against him for the seat.

The City Democratic Committee has endorsed local attorney John I. LaMancuso to run for City Court Judge. His father, John L. LaMancuso, has held that position for 29 years. Republicans have not endorsed a candidate for that race.

Democratic endorsements for City Council At Large include Isaiah Rashad II and returning candidate Alyssa Porter. Republicans have endorsed incumbents Jeff Russell and Randy Daversa; as well as Russ Bonfiglio.

Republican Ward 1 Council member Brent Sheldon and Ward 2 Council member and Council President Tony Dolce are running unopposed.

Ward 3 Democratic Incumbent Regina Brackman will again face Republican Robert Reedy. That race in 2021 was determined by three absentee ballots.

Democratic incumbent Marie Carrubba has been endorsed again to represents Ward 4 and will face Republican Joe Paterniti.

Republican Incumbent Bill Reynolds will face Democrat Kaycee Colburn for Ward 5 and Republican Incumbent Andrew Faulkner will be running against former Council Member at Large Vanessa Weinert in Ward 6.

For the County Legislature endorsements, Democratic incumbent Billy Torres and Republican Phillip Landy have been endorsed for District 9.

Republican incumbent Jamie Gustafson will face newcomer Democrat Julie Jackson-Forsberg for District 10.

Republican incumbent Dave Wilfong is unopposed for District 11.

District 12 endorsements include Republican Elisabeth Rankin against former Democratic County Legislator and former County Attorney Fred Larson.

Democratic Incumbent Tom Nelson will face Republican Joseph Tickle for District 13.

Candidate petitioning to get on the election ballot begins tomorrow, February 28 and ends April 6. Any primaries necessary will be held on Tuesday, June 22, 2023.

Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk addresses City Council Housing Committee (February 13, 2023)

The City of Jamestown has started the process to update the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code.

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the New York State Department of State has to review and approve the city’s request for proposal to do updates for both. She anticipates that will be completed in the next 30 days.

Surdyk said when it comes to vacant properties in the city, an update of the code will help them redevelop those sites, “Because when we do a demolition and we do have a vacant property that is tucked between two houses, right now our code is prohibitive of building something new. So as we do the zoning code update, that is something we are going to take a close look at and adjust it so it makes sense, so it’s modernized. So we’re talking about, what is the future of the city and how are we allowing for those in-fill buildings?”

Surdyk added that the update of the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code is a five year process and that it will take time to see results.

Surdyk also shared with the Housing Committee that a contract with the Chautauqua County Land Bank should be signed by the end of this week. That contract will allow the Land Bank to proceed with a list of priority demolitions in the City.

Following a citizen request that the Housing Committee meetings be longer than 15 minutes, Council President Tony Dolce said trying to schedule that committee has always been frustrating.

He said committees are always welcome to meet at a different time or day if needed, “We had before a public safety committee, a few terms ago, that met during the morning because they were all retired, they were all available, and they had more time, and they were able to do that. And I realize that Marie (Carrubba) has a job and others have jobs and work. They’re more than welcome, and we can discuss, if there’s a time when they need more time a week here or once a month, rather than meeting 15 minutes and shoving everything in.”

Housing Committee Chair Marie Carrubba said her conflict comes from another board she has been a member of for the last 30 years, “I have made adjustments as I’ve been able to and I will continue to do that. But I’m always available. If people call me at home, call me at work. I get a lot of calls even outside of my ward about housing issues because they know I’m on the Housing Committee or they just think I get things done, so they call me. So I’m always open to that. I return calls.”

Public Safety Committee Chair Brent Sheldon shared that the City has hired two new police officers. He said they are currently in the Sheriff’s Academy and will do their field work with JPD next month.

When it comes to hiring the third officer approved by Council to handle quality of life issues like noise, Dolce said they can look at ideas for that, “Some things that we can look at. Things are already cranking up. I’ve already gotten nuisance complaints of noise and motorcycles and cars. Those are going to get worse as the season goes on and there are certainly some things that the administration and council can look at too to try to deal with that. I know that they’re a busy group dealing with and prioritizing what they have to go after but there may be some things we can look at.”

The two new hires now brings the total number of officers in the Police Department to 61.

Jamestown City Council (December 19, 2022)

Jamestown City Council has approved two local laws regarding new ward boundary lines and allowing video conferencing for public meetings.

Council President Tony Dolce said the video conferencing law just codifies what the city has been doing for the last three years, “So our boards, commissions, council meetings, everything is livestreamed. Also, we now have the ability to, if we’re sick or out of town, we can zoom in on the meeting and participate in the meeting as well.”

New York State lifted restrictions on video conferencing of public meetings, but public bodies like city council, school boards, or county legislatures must adopt a local law to authorize it locally.

Under the local law, council must have the minimum number of members present to meet quorum requirements in the same physical location where the public can attend.

The livestream of the meeting must also be recorded and posted on a public website within five business days of the meeting, with the recordings remaining available for a minimum of five years.

Dolce said the local law that establishes new ward boundary lines has been approved as the part of the final steps of redistricting.

He said the city’s Reapportionment Commission took the path of “least resistance,” with few changes to existing wards, “I believe Ward 3 didn’t change at all. The other wards, I think the biggest change I think was between 5 and 6. There was a little bit of a change around Allen Park area. There was a little change between Ward 2 and Ward 1 that actually, where Brent (Sheldon) and I were kidding I’m giving back two streets that he gave to me last time ten years ago, so, to even it back out again.”

The redistricting process takes place every ten years following the Census.

Public hearings have been scheduled on both local laws for Wednesday, December 28. The hearing on the videoconferencing law will take place at 4:45 p.m. with the ward boundary law hearing taking place at 5:00 p.m. Mayor Eddie Sundquist will sign the laws following those hearings.

Jamestown City Council work session (October 3, 2022)

While a deer hunt will not take place in the city of Jamestown this year, the discussion of options to deal with deer overpopulation is back on the table.

Council member at large Randy Daversa said he had met with Council member at large Jeff Russell as well as Council members Andrew Faulkner and Brent Sheldon on the issue. He said they hope to have a formal meeting soon.

Russell said with deer hunting season starting October 1, it’s not feasible to do the hunt this year, “We’re not able to move that quickly with tags and get this together. So, we all knew that this was going to take place, to come up with a plan, if it’s approved, that it would be for next year’s season.”

Council member Marie Carrubba said in conversations with members of the community, there were recommendations on who should be included in the discussion group, “Corporation Counsel or another attorney about the liability to the city, having someone who is in favor of it (a hunt) from the community, someone who has other ideas as we had someone here last week who talked about other options. I think if we have a more inclusive group than just council members. And not just the hunters. I think last time we just had the bow hunting group.”

Daversa agreed his plan was to include various community members. Russell said there will be a notification for when the deer group meets next.

Council also discussed hours for trick-or-treating on Halloween with the consensus being to keep them at 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Council President Tony Dolce said there would not be a Halloween Fun Fest this year but that the Parks Department was looking at other options including a “trunk or treat.”

Jamestown City Council work session (August 8, 2022)

Jamestown City Council will consider adding an additional $2 million to a roof and sewer line replacement fund after demand well outpaced what was available.

The Roof, Private Sewer Lateral, Private Water Line Repair/Replacement program had initially been funded with $750,000 in American Rescue Plan funds by City Council in March.

Housing Committee Chair Marie Carrubba said the city received 130 requests for funding, “One-third were fundable. Ten applications were ineligible. Apparently, letters have gone out in this category of yes, possibly as a maybe if there were funds available, and there were also letters sent out that they were not eligible.”

Council member at large Jeff Russell said he’s been approached by citizens asking for more funds to be allocated toward neighborhoods, “And like I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, this ARPA funding was not a gift from Washington. This is taxpayer money that has come back to the city, directly to the city, not via Albany. And I would like to see more funding going to the neighborhoods and taxpayers of this city.”

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the additional $2 million would cover the rest of the applicants who had applied and were eligible, but weren’t able to be funded in the first round. She said the application process would not be reopened.

Interest is also very high for the Senior Citizen Home Improvement Incentive Program which provides financial assistance to eligible senior home owner occupants with home repairs. Mayor Eddie Sundquist said as of last week, 128 applications had been received amounting to $519,000 in potential rebates. The application period for that program is open until August 15. More information can be found on the city’s website at http://www.jamestownny.gov/

Council reviewed the receipt of $72,221 from the State Division of Criminal Justices Services GIVE grant program. Public Safety Chair Brent Sheldon said the grant covers the cost of the Police Department’s crime analyst as well as overtime details including beat and bike patrols.

Council member Russell asked Police Captain Scott Forester about the status of the hiring of the new Quality of Life police officer. Forester responded that there are two new hires going through field training right now and they hope to have the public nuisance officer in place in eleven to twelve weeks.

WATCH

The discussion was broadcast live on WRFA radio, with video streaming available on both WRFA’s Facebook Page and Youtube Channel.

A virtual Q&A was also available for audience members.

Funding for the Community Conversation is made available by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act stabilization grant fund.