Jamestown City Council

This is the second time Council will be voting on a contract this year after voting down the one presented to them in February that included hiring of four firefighters to man a second ambulance.

The proposed contract with Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association Local 137 would cover January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024. It includes a 2.5% wage increase for the first three years of the contract with a 2.75% increase the fourth year. The health insurance contribution rate would raise from 21% for 2021 to 23% for 2022 through 2024.

City Council also will vote on resolutions totaling $4.5 million toward contracts for constructing the new Vehicle Maintenance Building.

The new facility will be located on Washington Street in the former Hartley Buick building.

Business Innovation Group of East Rochester would be contracted with for nearly $2.5 million for the general construction contract. Ciancio Mechanical of Jamestown would be contracted with for $369,504 to do the plumbing. JMI Heating and Air of Frewsburg would receive a contract of $889,000 for the mechanical contract. And Ahlstrom Schaeffer of Jamestown would receive the electrical contract for $744,000.

Three applications for Consolidated Funding grants from New York State will be considered under new business. One is for $361,473 to do phase 2 of the Chadakoin River West Brownfield Opportunity Area project. The required local match is 10% or $36,174.

The second Consolidated Funding grant application is for $301,332 toward activities identified in the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan. The local match has already been met by American Rescue Plan Funds.

The third grant application is for $20,000 so the City can enter into the New York Main Street Program. The 5% local match totals $1,053.

Also under new business,Council will vote on adopting the Vision Zero Strategy plan in an effort to reduce traffic deaths and injuries in Jamestown. The plan is a public health-based traffic safety strategy that uses a “data driven multi-disciplinary and safe systems approach that also increases safe healthy equitable mobility for all.” The city would use the strategy when designing streets and sidewalks and as well when performing street maintenance.The resolution also states that the city would develop at Road Action Plan and also would provide an annual report to City Council on the outcomes on meeting goals of the Vision Zero plan.

Council also will vote on the shared services agreement with the Jamestown Public Schools District for sidewalk plowing in the winter. The proposed cost to the city through 2026 is $689,672 and would be funded using ARP monies.

A resolution to spend $100,000 to update the City’s Zoning Code is also on the voting agenda.

The work session before the voting session takes place at 7:00 p.m. in the Police Training Room on the fourth floor of City Hall. The voting session takes place at 7:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers on the second floor. The meetings are open to the public with the voting session being streamed on jamestownny.gov.

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley spoke with Jamestown Planning Commission Chair Greg Rabb about the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan that’s been awaiting approval by the City and his concerns about the plan.

Greg Rabb

Greg Rabb

The Jamestown Planning Commission Chair is expressing concerns about the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan that has been awaiting approval by the City.

Chair Greg Rabb said he has procedural issues with how the plan has come to the city for approval as well as issues with what’s in the plan.

His first concern was that the Chair of the Planning Commission was never involved in discussions on the development of the plan, “And also, you know, there are some things in this plan where in fact I underline it where the BPU went along with this plan. And it’s true that our staff and our General Manager were very supportive in helping to put this together but I have no recollection of this ever coming before the board of the BPU and I’m chairman of that board.”

Rabb believes the plan will come before the Planning Commission again for discussion later this month. You can hear the full interview with Greg Rabb on this story tonight at 5pm on Community Matters on WRFA.

Jamestown City Council

The contract for AFSCME Local 418 covers January 1st, 2022 through December 31st, 2025. It includes a 2.5% wage increase in the first three years with a 2.75% increase in 2025.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said health insurance contributions will rise from 23% to 24% the first two years then to 25% in 2025, “In addition, the deductibles on the traditional plan have now been put in line with most of our management deductibles in other units. It will go up during the contract to $400 for a single deductible, $800 for a family. And then by 2025, it will be $500 for a single, $1,000 for a family.”

The contract also standardizes overtime and sick leave policies. Council approved a new contract with CSEA employees in September, leaving the Administrative management group’s contract to be approved before it expires at the end of 2021, as well as contracts for Police and Fire employees’ who are out of contract.

Council also approved accepting a $6,195 dollar grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation to put video surveillance cameras in Dow Park. There had been requests for cameras in that park following the theft of a statue and vandalism of the Underground Railroad Tableau this summer.

A resolution on the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan was tabled until the Planning Commission could vote on the proposal at its November meeting. Council President Tony Dolce said the commission did not have a quorum at its October meeting and, thus, couldn’t vote on the plan this month.

Jamestown City Council

The contract for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees , or AFSCME, Council 66, Local 418, is for a period covering January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2025. Mayor Eddie Sundquist had expressed he hopes to bring all outstanding union contracts before council for approval before the end of the year.

Council also will vote to accept a $6,195 dollar grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation to put video surveillance cameras in Dow Park. The grant was awarded due to the city wanting to increase monitoring of the park after the Underground Railroad Tableau had a statue stolen and was vandalized with hate speech this summer.

Council also will vote on the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan, which will have a public hearing for comments at 7pm in Council Chambers.

And budget hearing sessions will start the evening at 5:30pm. The remaining departments to report out to council include City Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor, Comptroller, Information Services, Corporation Counsel, Department of Development, and Fenton History Center. The budget sessions will be held in the 3rd Floor Conference room.

The voting session is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm in Council Chambers. All are open to the public.

The plan was funded by Chautauqua County, the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, the City of Jamestown, Board of Public Utilities, as well as three private investors.

CCIDA Executive Director Mark Geise said C&S Engineers and Harrison Studio were hired to do the study on how to bring activities and people to the Chadakoin River between McCrea Point Park and the Warner Dam, “We’ve got a plan that has – these are the types of projects we need to undertake, this is what they look like, this is how much they cost, these are the types of funding sources we can go after to implement them. And again, it’s to capitalize our our existing assets, what public improvements need to be made, what type of activities, festivals, etc. should we be bringing in?”

Partnership for Economic Growth’s Kristy Kathman said a Consolidated Funding Application submitted by the City of Jamestown to New York State would help fund projects on the North Basin side, “The signature gardens, which would be on that side over there [west of Comedy Park] was part of that. Then, we put in for a mural here [concrete wall along north basin path], because even though it’s not in the plan, it’s a great place for public art and it would go down this way. And the tiered seating would down, further down on this lawn [large grass area along north basin path] like Crystal said where people could just enjoy and sit or maybe have a small event.”

Other items in the CFA included placemaking things like swings and benches. Kathman said while the north basin will be more passive activity, the south basin will include features such as a kayak launch, a dock for a future water taxi, and a watercraft rental facility in the future.

Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the next steps are to have the Planning Commission review and accept the plan, followed by City Council approving the plan as well.

Council will hear details of an agreement with HOPE Chautauqua to obtain 10 sharps containers for syringe disposal. The medical waste disposal would be covered by New York State for one year. The pre-file report says the City has identified locations where syringes are found regularly and that some boxes will be kept in reserve to address new problem areas as they are identified by staff.

Council also will learn more about a resolution authorizing the Mayor and Police Chief to take part in the Gun Involved Violence Elimination, or GIVE program. This is a state program that includes funding of $72,221.

The award would fund a position of Crime Analyst and also fund overtime for officers working in conjunction with other GIVE partners, including the District Attorney’s office, Parole, Probation, and New York State Police.

A resolution to accept the Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan will appear before council. That still faces review by the Planning Commission on July 20th. If approved, it can move forward to be voted on by City Council at its July 26th session.

Council also will review two consolidated funding applications. One is $1.4 million for improvements to the Chadakoin River area with the other being a $110,000 request for a comprehensive plan and zoning code update. There is a combined local match of $194,000 for the two requests.

Reports from staff will include a mid-year financial update, a discussion on the master plan for the American Rescue Plan funding, and an update on reopening of Housing Court.

The City Council Work session starts with committee meetings at 7pm with the full work session taking place at 7:30pm in the Third Floor conference room.

Gebbie Foundation Executive Director Greg Edwards said the plan is in the final production and is something they have been working on with the County, Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, the City of Jamestown, Board of Public Utilities, as well as three private investors, “There are specific projects that have been identified that need to be done in the first phase, right through second and third phases of work. All of which is focused on getting more interest in and more activity around the Chadakoin River all the way from McCrea Point to what we call the basin.”

Edwards said they envision making the basin into a local version of Buffalo’s Canalside with the first step being the National Comedy Center’s Riverside Saturdays events, “Offering activities and fun and food, music, and movies right there in that basin area on Comedy Park. So that’s really the first foray and first steps. Many other steps to follow and it’s really going to become an economic stimulus for the whole region, not just the city, but for the whole region.”

Edwards said a public presentation and celebration will be held when the plan is announced.

NCC Executive Director Journey Gunderson said the first week’s theme is Buddy Comedies like Wayne’s World and Cheech and Chong with the second week focusing on Comedy in the Workplace like “The Office” and 30 Rock, “The Healing Power of comedy, Animation and Cartooning in comedy, Slapstick comedy, we do a week focused on Legends of Comedy’s History, and then the final week of the seven weeks series is a spotlight on the impact on comedy of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.”

Riverside Saturdays will feature free movies and live music in Comedy Center Park on the Jamestown Riverwalk. Gunderson said reservations will be needed even though it is free, “Because, technically, we do have to control capacity to ensure our ability to social distance. If anyone has seen the expansive, beautiful, green space lawn in Comedy Center Park facing the Chadakoin, you know it’s a pretty large space, so we don’t anticipate having to turn many people away.”

Gunderson added that Gebbie Foundation CEO Greg Edwards, who is a member of the group working on the forthcoming Chadakoin River Strategic Business Plan, said the series will help to introduce more people to the Chadakoin River Basin, “He said that this summer event programming in Comedy Center Park is a perfect compliment to the implementation of that plan and that activating that area with night-time entertainment will introduce residents and visitors to a beautiful setting that is really destined to become a signature downtown location.”

For more information on the Summer Fun series, visit comedycenter.org/summerfun.