All park users MUST adhere to The Governor’s Executive Orders concerning social distancing. This means that there can be no more than 10 people in a group.

Ellicott Police will be monitoring the parks for possible violations. Earlier this week the police say three minors – all 15 years-old – were recently arrested for causing over a thousand dollars in damages to village property at the park. Specific details were not provided.

FALCONER – The Village of Falconer announced Monday that it would be closing its offices to the public starting on Tuesday, March 17. According to a statement from the village clerk, the announcement is in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

In an effort to maintain the safety and health of all our community and valuable employees, pursuant to General Municipal Law 24-2, Mayor Jaroszynski has declared that all village offices and the Falconer Public Library will be closed to the public beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020.

Only essential village staff should report to work. Essential personnel includes all Village DPW staff, Village Treasurer, Village Clerk, Village Code Officer. The Falconer Public Library and other villages offices will remain closed to the public until further notice.

Residents in need of assistance may reach the village by calling 716-665-4400 or email us at falconer@netsync.net.

Reynolds is filling the seat that was left open write-in candidate Phil Raubado notified the village that he would not be taking the position following the November election.

Reynolds will serve as a trustee effective immediately but will have to run for the trustee position in the November election to fill out the remainder of the four-year term.

The village board also discussed the effort by the city of Jamestown to annex a piece of city-owned property located in the village, with mayor Jaroszynski saying officials walked away from negotiations designed to avoid a legal battle over the issue, saying the city never put forward any alternative options other than annexation.

The village will likely act later this month on opposing the annexation by the city.

And the village board approved the 2021 budget of $1.4 million, which includes a $0.16 per thousand tax rate increase.

A public hearing on the budget will be held on April 13.

The Falconer village board during its Jan. 13, 2020 meeting, the first with new mayor Jim Jarosynski.

FALCONER – The Village of Falconer will have to find a fourth member of the village board of trustee.

The village board held its first meeting of the year with new mayor James Jaroszynski, who said that the write-in winner from last year’s election – Phil Ribaudo – has decided not to take the position.

“He has elected to not take the position. He’s informed me officially he’s not going to take it, so by election law you have 30 days before Jan. 1 or 30 days after Jan. 1 to take the oath. So we have to wait until Jan. 30 and then I’ll be seeking people that want to serve on the village board. They can contact me directly or through the village clerk’s office.”

Once all potential candidates have come forward, Jaroszynski will then bring his recommendation to the full board for a vote.

Also during Monday’s meeting the village approved the 2020 officers for the Falconer Volunteer Fire Department, which includes a new fire chief.

New chief Bryce Webster will replace Fire Chief Charles Piazza. Piazza was initially voted by the fire department members to be the cheif for 2020 but the village board raised concerns due to his residency being outside of the fire district. As a result, Piazza opted to withdraw his name and a new vote took place with Webster being selected as chief.

Jaroszynski said there were several challenges facing the village in 2020.

“We’ve certainly worked together fine as a team and with the addition of [new trustee] Gustafson I can only see that continuing. So we definitely have some challenges ahead of us. It’s no secret with the annexation issue. We’re also negotiation our water agreement with the Board of Public Utilities and we have the recent news regarding Truck Lite, so we definitely have a lot on our plate to do and think about,” Jaroszynski said.

Jarosynski added that he looks forward to another meeting Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist and others to see if there is an alternative solution to the annexation issue involving the Dow Street Substation – although no specific date has been set.

George Borrello on Election Night after winning the special election for the State Senate’s 57th District

MAYVILLE – Republican and current Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello will be the region’s next State Senator.  On Election Day Borrello defeated Democrat Austin Morgan of Cattaraugus county. The two were running for the seat vacated earlier this year by former Sen. Cathy Young, who announced in late February she was resigning from the Senate to take a job at Cornell University.

In his victory speech at the Republican Headquarters inside the Double Tree by Hilton, Borrello thanked Young for her years of service and also said he will approach his new job in Albany the same way he’s approached his job in Mayville, while also standing up to what he feels in an extreme agenda from the Democratic controlled state legislature.

“We have a tremendous debt of gratitude that we owe to Sen. Cathy Young who did an outstanding job representing us for all these years. She has set a proud example for all elected officials and those are big shoes to fill. I will work hard every single day to fill those shoes,” Borrello said. “But now we have to step forward with a new path. We have a new reality in Albany right now and we are going to work hard to push back against this radical agenda. I will ensure that our voice is heard loud and clear in Albany from this district.”

Borrello will likely take over the Senate seat before the year is out, although it’s not clear who will be replacing him as county executive. That decision to nominate someone will fall on the Chautauqua County Republican Party Committee.

In August of this year the legislature unanimously approved a resolution that states if there is a county executive vacancy, the replacement should be from the same political party and should be nominated by the county committee of said party, which would then require the approval of the county legislature. If the legislature has not filled the vacancy within 45 days, the legislature can fill the position without the requirement that the person should be nominated by the county committee of said political party.

COUNTY LEGISLATURE TO SEE LITTLE CHANGE

Meanwhile, there won’t be a lot of changeover in the county legislature when January 1 comes. Based on the election day results, there will only be three new names added to the 19-member body.

In the Mayville-Findley Lake area, Republican newcomer Bill Ward defeated fellow Republican and incumbent Martin Proctor for the District 18 seat. Ward was cross-endorsed by both the Republican and Democratic Parties and Proctor had created his own party known as the Cornerstone Party to get his name on the ballot.

Over in District 6,  Republican Thomas Harmon of Dunkirk defeated Democratic incumbent Kevin O’Connell.

And in Jamestown’s District 11 legislature district, Democrat Bob Whitney ran unopposed to reclaim a seat he lost 6 years earlier to David Wilfong, who chose not to run for reelection to the county legislature so he could instead run for mayor of Jamestown.

Other election day results had Republican incumbent Jesse Robbins defeating Democratic challenger Rudy Mueller in the Busti Town Supervisor race, in the village of Lakewood Republican Randy Holcomb was elected mayor, in the Carroll Supervisor Race Republican Russell Payne defeated Conservative candidate and incumbent Laura Smith, and in Falconer Democrat and lone candidate James Jaroszynski was elected mayor.

For a complete rundown of election day results, visit vote votechautauqua.com.

The Budget Inn at the corner of Work and Main Streets in Falconer (image from google street view)

FALCONER – A business owner in the village of Falconer is voicing his concern over what he fears is a growing public safety issue involving a neighboring businesses.

Gary Visosky, long-time owner of the Belle-View East restaurant on E. Main St. in the village, voiced concerns to the village board Monday night about the number of emergency calls that haven recently come in for incidents at the Budget Inn, directly across the street from his business.

“Something has got to be done. The people that they are allowing to come into this village and stay at this place is just causing a major uproar,” Visosky told Falconer officials. “I’ve got customers coming to my restaurant and asking, ‘Gary, is it safe to come to my restaurant and eat anymore? Do we have to bring a gun when we come down there? Every time we come down here there’s police cars and ambulances all over the place and the Budget Inn.'”

Visosky said that from what he understands, the Budget Inn is serving as a halfway house for individuals who are being released from jail and prison.

Belle-View East owner and operator Gary Visosky

“Anybody that comes out of the jails here, if they have no place else to go, they send them down here,” Visosky said. “[The owner] has a contract with the state and he’s being paid by the state. So he’s just bringing anybody that wants to come in. He gets paid for it and gets a check for this stuff.”

Falconer mayor James Rensel said the village is aware of the situation and is working on it. He also acknowledged the the frequent calls are taking a toll on the Falconer Volunteer Fire Department, which is who responds to emergency calls when they come in.

“We’ve wrestled with this ourselves,” Rensel said. “It bothers me, in a public safety realm, where I’ve had discussions with the fire chief numerous times. We have what I liked to describe as volunteer capitol and we are pretty much hitting that volunteer effort very hard.”

While specific numbers were not provided, officials have said there’s been a sharp increase in police and EMS calls to the budget in in recent months. WRFA has reached out the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s office to learn the number of emergency calls that have been sent to that location during the first three months of this year, compared to the previous year.

Mayor Rensel also said that the village really can’t dictate to the a privately owned business who can and can’t accept as customers. But he did say that officials are working on finding a solution. The village code enforcement officer did say that he has inspected the property and it is up to code.

“The situation is that it’s horrible for people that are having a tough time. They are people that deserve our respect as far as them trying to get back on their feet, so we have to recognize that aspect of the situation and try to address it in a compassionate way, but also a fair way. So we recognize it and we are working on it.”

Village board member James Jaroszynski also suggested the mayor, fire chief, and Ellicott Police Chief meet with the owner of the Budget Inn to discuss the concerns.