MAYVILLE – Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello used his annual State of the County report to emphasis a need for continued collaboration within the county.

On Wednesday night Borrello appeared before the Chautauqua County Legislature to update lawmakers on his vision for 2019 while also highlighting accomplishments from 2018, his first year in office.

“There is a positive energy and attitude that can be felt in our communities throughout the county. This past year we started changing our attitude and improving our collective self-confidence and we will continue to raise the bar in 2019 and beyond. 2018 was about communication and now, in 2019, we will take what we learned to enhance collaboration,” Borrello said.

• READ THE FULL STATE OF THE COUNTY TRANSCRIPT

Some of the collaborative efforts Borrello focused on included increasing collaboration and communication in local and regional public safety via the CAER (Countywide Alliance for Enforcement and Rehabilitation) Initiative, getting various communities to work together to improve economic development, identifying and working toward consolidation and shared services efforts between various communities in the county, and improving the connection between the local job market and education institutions to ensure a ready workforce.

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE REMAINS A KEY FOCUS

County executive George Borrello delivers his 2019 State of the County to the Chautauqua County Legislature on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019.

Borrello also spent time focusing on Chautauqua Lake, saying his goal in 2019 is to create a consensus between all stakeholders that will be highlighted in an official memo of understanding and which would be used to help steer funding for lake management.

“Despite the divisiveness we may see among the passionate lake organizations, I’ve found that there is more common ground than it may appear, especially after personally meeting with these groups,
individually, and listening to their concerns. What I saw was a series of puzzle pieces that could make up a strategy to break the gridlock and move us forward,” Borrello noted. “The Consensus Strategy will involve a series of action steps and tenets that will be outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding. We will be asking all of the major stakeholders to sign onto this M.O.U., which will essentially be a ‘ceasefire agreement’ that the lake groups and municipalities would participate in so that we can move forward, together, with an action plan for in-lake weed management while not losing sight of the long-term strategy needed to truly cure the disease that the lake suffers from.”

Following the Legislature Meeting, County Legislature Chair Paul “PJ” Wendel (R-Lakewood) said he was happy to see Borrello further elaborate on his plan for the lake.

“I really commend George…. He used the term ‘cease fire.’ You don’t like to use those terms, it’s a little tough, but on the other hand it’s a great point that everyone needs to bury the hatchet and move forward. They are very passionate people who care about Chautauqua Lake and are involved in its maintenance and survivability, but realistically we have to work together and that collaboration effort is a huge piece,” Wendel said.

GATEWAY CENTER IN RIPLEY

Another major highlight of his report was Borrello’s vision to create a Gateway Center in the town of Ripey on I-90, at the entrance to New York State. He said the center would be patterned after a similar welcome center facility in West Virginia called Tamarack and would be used to highlight all that the region has to offer.

“This will not be a place where you simply stop to use the restroom and get a coupon book or a map. It will be a truly functional and fantastic place that will feature the best of what Western New York and the Southern Tier has to offer,” Borrello noted. “From local artisans showing and selling their wares to a place where many of our region’s agricultural and manufacturing are not only represented but will have their products available for sale. It will be a place where our prospering beer, wine and spirits businesses can feature their brands and encourage people to explore our breweries, wineries and other unique food and beverage options. This Gateway Center will be a place where the history and natural beauty of our county and region is highlighted for those who have never experienced all there is to do and see in the beautifully unparalleled place that we call home.”

Borrello also cautioned that it will take time to develop a plan for the gateway and it’s not something that will be created overnight, but also said he hopes that it can be something that would be completed within the next 5 years. The county IDA just hired the consulting firm Clark Patterson Lee to produce a feasibility study for the gateway study.

COUNTY AIRPORT NOT MENTIONED

One of the items that was omitted from Borrello’s State of the County was the Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown, which took a hit earlier this year with the announcement it wouldn’t be granted federal funding to help subsidize commercial passenger service.

Borrello told WRFA that while he omitted the airport from his state of the county, it’s still something that remains on his radar.

“The Department of Transportation gave us some good feedback. We’re now working with Boutique to modify the application and resubmit it. So there wasn’t much information to give tonight but I think soon we will be able to resubmit a modified application and return commercial service to the Jamestown airport,” Borrello said.

The county airport has been without passenger service since January 2018. Since then the county has partnered with air service provider Boutique Air to put a plan together for commercial service but it hasn’t been enough to bring back the necessary federal subsidies.

At 12:30 p.m. the hospital will hold a Beam-signing and topping off ceremony to mark the completion of assembling the structural steel for the hospital’s new Women’s and Maternity Care Center and inpatient adolescent and adult mental health units.

The $26 million expansion project was announced near the end of 2016 after WCA merged with UPMC –  Pennsylvania’s largest health system. Clark Patterson Lee handled the project design and LeChase Construction is the lead contractor.

Among those who will be on hand for the occasion are UPMC Chautauqua WCA president Betsy Wright, WCA Board Chair Steve Kilburn, WCA Foundation chair Peter Stark, and State assemblyman Andy Goodell – among others.

The two-story addition is located above the hospital’s emergency department. Once completed, the hospital will relocate labor and delivery, post-partum, nursery and an operating room to the new third floor space, while the fourth floor space will house inpatient psychiatric care, including a 10-bed adolescent unit and a 20-bed unit for adults.

Funding for the project comes from a $26.4 million grant awarded in March by DOH to support sustainability efforts and infrastructure improvements.

Thursday’s event is several months in the making and follows the special ground breaking event for the project that took place in May 2017.

The bridge design work has been honored by the American Public Works Association – NY Chapter Western Branch.

The design team included Union Concrete & Construction Corporation (General Contractor) and Clark Patterson Lee (design engineer) with the City of Jamestown.

The two COR-TEN steel superstructure pedestrian bridges feature wood decks and lighting and were installed in the fall of 2017. The are part of the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk.

The $2 million project coincides with the nearby National Comedy Center renovations, slated for competition in the summer of 2018.

Accepting the award on behalf of the City of Jamestown was Jeff Lehman, DPW Director and Vince DeJoy, Director of Development.

A conceptual drawing showing how the southeast corner of the Northwest Arena currently appears, and how it will appear following a $5 million expansion project, slated to begin in the second half of 2018.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Planning Commission has approved the site plan for the addition project at Northwest Arena.

According to the Jamestown Post-Journal, the approval was given following a review of the plans with lead architect Clark Patterson Lee.

The planning commission has spent the past few months reviewing plans for the expansion effort, and according to today’s story, the newest site plan address some of the concerns about the site line at the corner of Third and Lafayette Streets that was expressed in earlier meetings.

The addition to the Ice Arena involves a 16,500 sq. ft. footprint, which includes retail and food court on the lower floor, kids play area on the second floor, and office space on the third floor. The expansion would involve the city eliminating parking spaces on W. Second St. – along the south side of the Arena – to accommodate the expansion.  The Gebbie Foundation has said it will make five spaces in a nearby lot available for public parking to compensate for the loss of on-street parking.

The proposed project will not impact the vehicle traffic flow on West Second Street.

The Jamestown City Council has already given its approval on the abandonment, pending final site plan approval by the planning commission.

Arena officials say that even with the Planning Commission’s approval, the project still needs to go through the state environmental review process before it can officially get underway. If all goes according to plan, they anticipate the expansion will begin during the second half of this year.

Hospital officials stand with Sen. Catherine Young (center, wearing red) and other guests during a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion project at UPMC Chautauqua WCA involving the hospital’s maternity and mental health service departments.

JAMESTOWN – Officials with UPMC Chautauqua WCA held a ground breaking ceremony Friday to begin the process of building a new 18,000-square-foot addition to the hospital on Foote Ave.

UPMC Chautauqua WCA president Betsy Wright.

Once completed, the $26.4 million project will provide a new, state-of-the-art maternity department, along with an upgraded mental health services department that will provide psychiatric care for children and adults dealing with mental illness.

Funding for the project comes from a state grant that was awarded to the hospital in 2016 and which was part of a $1.5 billion commitment by the state to assist hospitals with their capital improvement projects.

Clark Patterson Lee handled the project design and LeChase Construction will handle the construction.

The project is expected to be completed some time in 2019.

Prior to the groundbreaking, WCA President Betsy Wright delivered a recap of the past year’s accomplishments and financial summary at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Corporations. The annual report, which was entitled “131 Years Strong and Getting Stronger Each Day” – is available for public review at the Hospital’s website.

The hospital is looking to add two new floors to its facility on Foote Ave., just above its Emergency department. The new space will be used for a new inpatient psychiatric care area, and to create a new maternity ward. Officials with the hospital and Clark Patterson Lee – the architect firm hired to plan the expansion – met with the planning commission on Tuesday to review the plans.

If it goes forward, the expansion project is estimated to cost $23 million, with much of the cost covered by state grants. WCA officials are still waiting for state approvals for financing the project.

The Unite North Main project was launched in October 2015 by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) to improve one of the city’s busiest gateway corridors – North Main Street running from 6^th Street to the I-86 interchange.  A master plan for the first phase of the project is being conducted by Clark Patterson Lee architecture and design firm.

In November the group held its first public input session and Wednesday’s meeting will be a follow up. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 509 Prendergast Ave. A one-on-one open house will be held from 5:30-6:30 p.m. A public workshop for everyone will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

• VIEW DISTRICT POWER POINT PRESENTATION (PDF)

The action came a public hearing on the district was held and project engineer Rick Henry from Clark Patterson Lee provided the details. Henry explained that the city of Dunkirk will supply the water to the district, which will cover approximately 50,000 acres and include areas in the towns of Portland, Pomfret, Dunkirk and Sheridan. He also said that only costumers connected to the district will pay for it. The water will be sold to the district from the city of Dunkirk at a rate of $3.57 for every 1000 gallons. The district will then add $1 to the rate and sell it to participating municipalities, which will then set their own final rates and sell to residents who are connected to the district.

County executive Vince Horrigan said the approval clears the way for bonding for the project, which is expected to cost $11.75 million – although some of the cost will be covered through state grants. Henry said that 90 cents of every 1000 gallons of water purchased by customers would go toward paying off the debt. Horrigan says borrowing for the project will likely take place in the spring of 2016.

More than 50 people were in attendance for the first Unite North Main meeting that took place Tuesday, Nov. 24.

JAMESTOWN – More than 50 people were at the Lillian V. Ney Renaissance Center in downtown Jamestown Tuesday night to participate in the first public meeting involving the future of North Main Street.

The Unite North Main project was launched last month by the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC) to improve one of the city’s busiest gateway corridors. A master plan for the first phase of the project is being conducted by Clark Patterson Lee architecture and design firm.

• RELATED: Officials Announce Details of North Main Street Corridor Improvement Study

Associate Brian Kulpa says Tuesday’s meeting was really the starting point in an effort to collect information from the community and residents who live on or near the corridor.

“We’re tyring to figure out, ‘What do the residents, what do the business owner and what do the property owners want out of that corridor?'” Kulpa says. “We’ve teased a little about ‘What if this were a possibility?’ and we want to see where people stood on some of those items. What kind of visuals and what kind of aesthetics people want in that corridor.”

Brian Kupla from Clark Patterson Lee

Not only did the meeting give Clark Patterson Lee an opportunity to learn what some residents would like and wouldn’t like in terms of aesthetics for the corridor, it also gave them an opportunity to offer concerns.

“I think people are maybe a little apprehensive at first, saying ‘Hey, what are we getting involved with here? Where’s this going? Where’s the money coming from?’ All those questions that are normal,” Kulpa explains. “What we want to do is, through the process, generate excitement, generate enthusiasm, but also generate trust. We really are here, not serving the head, but the rest of the body, and making sure people understand this is their neighborhood plan.”

Those in attendance were presented with more than six dozen different images dealing with everything from intersection layout to street and lamp posts designs and were given the opportunity to rate each one on a scale of 1 to 5. Residents were also invited to offer some concerns about the current corridor, which included pedestrian safety, heavy truck traffic and speeding.

Kulpa says all that information will be processed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the agency will also be working during the winter assessing individual portions of the corridor. A second public meeting is also scheduled for February 12, when the community will be updated on the progress of the plan as well as have an opportunity to offer more input.

In addition, a website is being set up and will be launched in the coming weeks, which will also give residents a chance to learn more about the study and offer input.

The Unite North Main project is being funded by grants from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation, Northwest Savings Bank, and the Chautauqua County Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Trust Fund.