Based on a grant report provided to City Council at its December 5, 2022 meeting, only three out of 13 grants received by the City on the list had gone through formal acceptance and authorization by City Council.

Two examples of grants received by the city that had not been formally accepted include a $25,000 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation toward improvements of the Johnson Street Playground and a $1.2 million State Environmental Protection Fund Local Waterfront Revitalization Project grant.

According to a staff report on a resolution to purchase new fencing for Johnson Street Park in the agenda for the June 12 City Council work session, the City has already used the grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to purchase a new swing set, benches, picnic tables, new hoop, signage, trash receptacles, and repave the basketball court. As of Sunday, June 11, the basketball court with new hoop has been completed, but other new equipment had not been installed.

According to the City Charter, under Article IV, C-31.F for Powers of the Mayor,

“When authorized by the City Council so to do, the Mayor shall execute on behalf of the City all deeds, contracts and other papers to be executed as an act of the City. All contracts, agreements, obligations or other instruments made, executed or issued by order of the City Council or at the direction of the boards provided by this Charter and in behalf of said City or boards shall be signed by the Mayor except as otherwise provided by the Local Finance Law.”

At the Finance Committee meeting on June 5, Corporation Counsel Elliot Raimondo made the comment that per the Mayor, City Council didn’t need to approve a $4,310 grant awarded by the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth. Finance Committee Chair and Council member at large Kim Ecklund disagreed with that opinion at the meeting.

In a statement by Ecklund, she said she had requested council be updated monthly at minimum about what grants the city has applied for, but that has not been happening on a regular basis.

Johnson Street Playground with newly paved basketball court (June 11, 2023)

She replied to a request for comment on this matter, saying Council should be approving the acceptance of all grants,  “.. just as we would any donation by a group or person. I have no idea why these have not been brought in front of us to do this and it should be corrected. In particular, I do remember speaking about the Johnson Street project at Parks Commission. We have not been aware of any reason why these would not come to a legislative body for approval. I honestly only asked for the grant list in March because of the ‘surprise’ FEMA Grant and had not received a copy again until today because I had to ask for it yet again. The bottom line is there is a lack of communication and honestly these grants and any other financial donation or in kind gift needs to come before the legislative body for acceptance and approval.”

Mayor Eddie Sundquist responded on the issue with a statement saying that, “For many of these grants, we may have been awarded them, but have not yet received a formal contract from the entity. In addition, some grants the City applies for on behalf of entities but the funding does not pass through the City. Many of the state grants, we may have been awarded but have not yet received a contract. ESD and some state agency grants require a pre-application resolution and in that resolution, it authorizes acceptance, if won.”

Council President Tony Dolce said he agreed that Council needs to formally vote to approve and accept the grants. He said in a statement that he had requested the City Clerk and Corporation Counsel bring forth resolutions to Council to approve those grants.

Jamestown City Council

The City Department of Development held six community input sessions on the action plan over the last two months. The next step is to have Council review the plan before going before the public a final time at a public hearing scheduled for Monday, June 26. The plan then gets submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The City of Jamestown has been allocated $1,144,750 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds as well as $397,507 in HOME program funds for a total of $1,542,257.

Council also will receive a report on the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth grant of $4,310 the city received to install a high-visibility creative crosswalk at West 6th and Cherry Streets connecting the James Prendergast Library to Dow Park.

And a resolution to lift the hiring freeze to hire an engineer appears on the agenda. According to the staff report, this resolution is to replace engineer Mark Roetzer who is now the Acting Director of Public Works and Parks Departments.

The Housing Committee meets at 6:45 p.m. with other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full work session takes 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 being livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

Jamestown City Council

Five of the positions will fill current and anticipated vacancies in the Jamestown Fire Department. Funding is included in the 2023 City Budget for these positions. The other eight positions also will fill vacancies and are being funded through the 2021 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program.

Council also will review a proposal to replace the Assistant Corporation Counsel position with hiring an Ombudsman. Ben Haskins, who is the current Assistant, is leaving City Government for a different job.

A resolution to use $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funds for the construction of Splash Pads at Allen and Jackson-Taylor Parks is now officially on the agenda. Council had heard a presentation on proposed projects earlier this month.

Council also will review a local law to increase the mayor’s salary to $82,000 and increase city council member’s salaries to $7,000 with council president receiving an additional $1,000. These salary increases were recommended by the Jamestown Salary Review Commission and, if approved, would not go into effect until January 1, 2024.

They also will review an amendment to the Jamestown City Code to change the number of appointments to the Human Rights Commission from 12 to 9 members.

Council will review a American Rescue Plan allocation of $327,925 to the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy by the Jamestown Local Development Corporation for Chadakoin River bank stabilization work. As the request is over the $100,000 threshold, it requires Council approval.

Council also will review a resolution to accept a $50,000 from the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth for a one year tourism and marketing campaign.

The Housing Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. tonight and their agenda includes continuing a discussion on lead issues. The Finance Committee, which meets at 7:00 p.m., will hear a report on a National League of Cities grant.

Other committee meetings will start at 7:00 p.m. with the full work session taking 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 being livestreamed at jamestownny.gov.

The Partnership will offer support in the form of technical assistance, planning, conceptualization, or implementation of projects that align with Complete Streets initiatives within Chautauqua County.

According to the Department of Transportation, Complete Streets are streets designed and operated to enable safe use and support mobility for all users. Those include people of all ages and abilities, regardless of whether they are travelling as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or public transportation riders.

The Partnership for Economic Growth has $40,000 in funding available. Individual awards will be made up to $20,000. Municipalities and Departments of Public Works are invited to apply. For-profit businesses are not eligible.

All applications must be submitted by February 20, 2023. Awardees will be announced in March.
For more information, visit https://www.chqpartnership.org/completestreetsfunding

Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency

CCIDA CEO and Deputy County Executive for Economic Development Mark Geise presented the 2022 Annual Report on the CCIDA to the Board on Tuesday.

He said the IDA Board had approved more than 50 projects in 2022, which included the approval of business loans, development project incentives, and the procurement of grants, “We approved in 2022, either through loans or grants or PILOT incentives, over $500 million. Last year (2021), I believe it was over $140 million. It’s over $500 million this year. We did nine Al-Tech loans. We did eight EDA CARES Act loans. We secured $2.8 million in grant funds.”

Geise said 363 full time jobs were created with 774 being retained in 2022. He said the projects also will create hundreds of temporary construction jobs.

He also discussed the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, which was formed in 2019 as an initiative of the CCIDA’s non-profit subsidiary, the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation.

Geise said the organization supports the five pillars of economic development, “We need to be thinking about place making, creating communities that people want to live. We need to be thinking about infrastructure – water lines, sewer lines, electric. We need to be thinking about house – creating housing that meets the needs and demands of talent. We’ve got to have the right housing stock. And workforce development, of course. We talk to businesses every day, ‘I need people.'”

Geise said CCPEG provided over $420,000 in financial assistance and technical assistance to support several dozen partner-led projects and initiatives. In addition, the Partnership was awarded nine grants in 2022, totaling over $1.4 Million, and leveraged an additional $7.5 Million on behalf of its partners.

Geise said his goals for 2023 include acquiring land for expansion of shovel-ready sites; and re-activating several key vacant buildings, including the Furniture Mart Building in Jamestown, Truck-Lite Building in the Town of Ellicott, and the Lenhart Hotel in Bemus Point.

He also wants to develop a marketing and branding strategy for the county to help address population decline and supply businesses with talent.

The CCIDA’s 2022 Annual Report can be found on the CCIDA website: https://ccida.com/about/

EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of transparency and disclosure to our audience, Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency 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. 

CCPEG invites municipalities, nonprofits, academic institutions, economic development organizations, and community organizations to apply.

Grant awards typically range between $10,000 and $20,000; and requests of up to $50,000 will be considered.

Deputy County Executive for Economic Development Mark Geise said that 13 projects received grants in 2022 through the program.

Interested applicants should submit an online application at chqpartnership.org. All applications must be submitted by 4:00 p.m., December 2, 2022.

For additional information, visit https://www.chqpartnership.org/edprojectsupport, or contact Monica Simpson at (716) 363-3770 or simpsonm@chqgov.com.

Lakeside Park, Mayville

A public input session on a draft plan to bring activity to Lakeside Park and Route 394 in Mayville has been scheduled for Monday, May 25.

The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation, and the Village of Mayville are holding the meeting where people can learn about the draft Master Plan for Lakeside Park and the West Lake Road corridor. People also will be able to provide feedback on the Mayville Strategic Waterfront Activation effort.

County officials said in the press release that the park facilities have degraded over time and some of the properties surrounding the park are underutilized. They said there is a growing need to assess Lakeside Park and the West Lake Road corridor, and identify necessary and opportune improvements.

The Master Plan will outline possible facility enhancements and funding opportunities, and is intended to identify improvements that could be achieved within a 5 to 10 year timeframe.

The meeting on Monday, May 25th will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Carlson Community Center located at Lakeside Park.

A presentation on the community surveys and project input that shaped the draft plan will be given, followed by community feedback through an open house setting. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided.

The link for additional project information can be found here: https://bartonloguidice.mysocialpinpoint.com/mayville-waterfront

Mayville Lakeside Park

Public input is being sought for the activation of the Mayville waterfront.

The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, Village of Mayville, and the Chautauqua Region Economic Development Corporation are asking local residents, business owners, and stakeholders to fill out a Recreational Demand Survey and an Interactive Map.

The Partnership for Economic Growth said in a release that Mayville’s Lakeside Park is a community resource with cultural, recreational, and scenic value. The historic train depot, boat launch, beach, floating stage, and other amenities have established Lakeside Park as a local and regional asset.

Officials say park facilities have degraded over time and some of the properties surrounding the park are underutilized. With The Lodge condominium resort project receiving approval to be built next to the park, officials say a master plan should be developed for facility enhancements and funding opportunities.

Hard copies of the survey will be available at the Village of Mayville Office, Town of Chautauqua Clerk’s Office, Mayville Library, Webb’s, and the Chautauqua Book Store. The survey and interactive map will be open to the public until Friday, February 25th, 2022.

To learn more, visit the project website at https://bartonloguidice.mysocialpinpoint.com/mayville-waterfront

Chautauqua County Legislature

The Chautauqua County Legislature unanimously passed the 2022 budget with a property tax and tax levy decrease.

The new property tax rate will be $8.10 per $1,000 assessed value, which is 40-cents lower than the current rate. The real property tax levy will be $66,912,293, which is $271,102 dollars lower than the current levy.

Audit and Control Chair Legislator Chuck Nazzaro thanked everyone involved in the budget process, saying County Executive PJ Wendel had presented a structurally sound budget back in September, “This budget provides property tax relief, there’s no use of undesignated fund balance, it creates a contingency account for those unexpected expenses, and meets our five-year plan.”

Legislator Terry Niebel said he supports the budget but urged some caution, “We did create 42 new positions this year. And I realize that many of these positions are 100% funded either by the state or federal government, but look, two or three years from now we’re going to have to decide how we’re going to fund these positions or if we’re going to fund these positions at all.”

The Legislature also approved via block vote 13 resolutions related to spending American Rescue Plan funds. A resolution on a new handgun project was pulled. Projects that were approved for funding included the $4.68 million to purchase a crane, two dump/plow trucks, a snow blower, and long-arm excavator. The use of $1.4 million to purchase property to turn them into shovel-ready sites as approved. The Frank W. Bratt Ag Building will receive $1.1 million for building upgrades. And over $2 million dollars will go toward economic development initiatives such as bolstering the bed tax fund, providing marketing assistance, workforce development initiatives, and funding the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth.

A resolution to spend $72,000 in ARP fund to do a study of the Jamestown Airport on bringing back Essential Air Service failed by a vote of 4 to 15.

Legislator Elisabeth Rankin voted no, saying so much work has already been done on the airport, “I am totally in favor of any infrastructure investment that will help the county. And I’ve been the beneficiary of years of flying in and out of Jamestown Airport. However, I do believe we’ve given it its chance and I think its time has come and gone. And I’m not in favor of a study, of spending money on a study that I don’t think is going to get us anywhere.”

Legislators Chuck Nazzaro, Jay Gould, and Bill Ward also voiced their opposition to spending money on another study of the airport.

Legislators did unanimously approve a contract with the the County Sheriff’s Supervisor’s Association. The contract agreement runs from January 1st, 2022 through December 31st, 2025. It includes modifications to longevity, employer and employee cost share of the health plan, the retiree cash-out benefit, the addition of a cell phone stipend of $50 per month, an increase to the clothing allowance, and a change from a three to a four step salary schedule.

This flexible funding pool is designed to provide critical local-matching dollars for economic and community development projects seeking funding from a multitude of local, state, federal, and philanthropic sources.

The Partnership for Economic Growth finalized and adopted a five-year economic development strategy last summer. The comprehensive approach resulted in the creation of five initiatives and dozens of other key recommendations to be initiated by individual partners .

The five individual work groups are Community Development, Business Development, Tourism, Workforce Readiness and Development, and Housing.

Specific projects to be funded by the Wilson Foundation award have yet to be determined, and criteria such as project readiness, feasibility, and economic impact will be used to guide decision-making.

For more information about the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth, please visit CHQpartnership.org.