Jamestown Parks Manager Dan Stone presents to City Council (June 12, 2023)

The Jamestown City Council received an update Monday on various projects happening in the Parks Department.

Parks Manager Dan Stone, speaking to City Council on Monday, presented a lengthy list of projects and events the Parks Department has been involved with so far this year.

He detailed several American Rescue Plan funded projects that were completed in time for the season, “We did new ball field in-fields at Allen Park, Nordstrom Park, number 3 (field) at Bergman Park was completely skinned and replaced with ballfield material; and both in-fields at Roseland Park as well. Disc golf is now an 18-hole golf course up at Bergman Park. We just need to install tee boxes at this point.”

Stone said they’re planning to build the boxes using old city brick. He said the basketball courts at Allen, Bergman, and Jackson-Taylor Parks are all sealed and painted. He hopes to put new rims on the hoops this week.

In regards to the two Splash Pad projects, Stone said he’s waiting on prices from Parkitects for the Allen Park Splash Pad to come back. He said the city is also still waiting for the soil test results for Jackson-Taylor Park. The administration said there is currently a 12-week delay on those coming back.

Stone announced the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has awarded a grant for new picnic tables at Diethrick Stadium. He said they’ve been ordered from Jamestown Advanced Products and hopes they’ll be delivered in the next month.

Stone added that while there will not be a Summer Playground Program in the parks this year, the Jamestown YMCA will still be providing the free summer lunch program on week days, starting June 26, at Lillian Dickson Park.

Parks Manager Dan Stone discussed proposed splash pad at Jackson-Taylor Park (April 11, 2023)

A handful of people attended a public meeting Tuesday night to learn more about the proposed splash pad for Jackson-Taylor Park.

Parks Manager Dan Stone led the meeting that was held on the former skate park pad, which is where the splash pad is proposed to be located.

Jamestown City Council required that further engineering studies be done at the park to determine if the soil condition can support the concrete pad and equipment.

Stone said the skate park pad is the most suitable location in Jackson-Taylor park, “Because this blacktop has been in place for over 20 years now and it’s really in good shape compared to everything else. It used to have big pieces of metal skate equipment on it. You can still see where it was. And honestly, that’s the only thing I can remember repairing in the last 18 years where it dug into (the pavement) on a hot summer or something like that.”

Stone said the splash area would be in the center of the pad with other amenities, like benches, on the edges. He said more trees would be planted on the outside of the existing fence around the pad to help provide shade.

At City Council’s work session Monday night, Council members raised questions about whether the equipment for the splash pads should be purchased before the engineering report is completed.

The equipment will cost $135,000 and would be purchased from Aquatix by Landscape Structures for both Allen and Jackson-Taylor Parks. The total amount approved for the project was $400,000, which is being funded with American Rescue Plan monies.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said regardless of where the splash pad is located the city will still need the equipment. He said if the city didn’t order it now, they probably couldn’t do the project this year.

The city is working with engineering firm, GPI, who had previously done engineering and soil samples for Jackson-Taylor Park for a recent project.

Should the study determine that the soil structure cannot support the splash pad, the resolution passed by City Council in March would then move the splash pad to Roseland Park.

Stone said that if the equipment purchase is approved this month, it’ll take six to eight weeks for delivery with construction potentially being completed at both parks by the end of summer.

Due to road construction, City of Jamestown officials have moved the Jamestown Department of Development Ward III Annual Action Plan Neighborhood walkthrough and Splash Pad Community Meeting from the pavilion to the site of the former skatepark off of 13th Street.

Residents interested in attending may enter off Washington Street onto 13th Street with parking in the loop next to the old ballfields.

For more information, contact the Department of Development at 716-483-7541.

Jamestown City Council

The positions would be funded by a three-year $1.8 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant.

City Council members have expressed concern that they’d be faced with having to lay-off the firefighters if the grant money is not renewed.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said while he understands that concern, this is an opportunity to make Jamestown safer, “As of right now, we close a fire station every shift. We still don’t have enough to run ambulances right now in the city. So, when you talk about being able to add on new fire fighters that are fully funded for three years by the Federal government – we’re talking salaries, benefits, all of those things – it’s a really unique opportunity for the city.”

Sundquist said by hiring the eight positions, there would be enough to operate a second ambulance.

City Council is expected to review a resolution to use $250,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to purchase that ambulance for the Fire Department.

Sundquist said the city generated $300,000 from billing insurance in 2022 with running the first ambulance, “Now, I don’t think you’re going to double it when you add a second ambulance, but I think you’re going to get close to that and certainly add more revenue which will make up for the cost of adding new firefighters.”

Council also will review a resolution to purchase splash pads from Aquatix by Landscape Structures, Inc. for $135,000. That funding, using American Rescue Plan monies, was approved at the March voting session.

The discussion of hiring an Ombudsman in the Office of the Corporation Counsel is on the agenda again. This position is proposed to replace the Associate Corporation Counsel position, which is being vacated by Ben Haskin.

Council also will review an proposed amendment to the City Code regarding the Director of Public works position. The proposed amendment would eliminate the requirement that the DPW Director have a professional civil engineer certificate. According to the staff report, most of the people who have applied for the position have applicable experience, but do not maintain or have a professional engineer license. The City has had difficulty finding candidates to replace former DPW Director Jeff Lehman, who retired March 31 after serving in the position for 29 years. The DPW Director position is being filled on an interim basis by DPW Project Engineer Mark Roetzer.

Council will hear a presentation by New York State Climate Smart Communities Coordinator Sarah Swinko. This presentation will precede the review of a resolution for the City to adopt the New York State Climate Smart Communities pledge.

According to the staff report, Climate Smart Communities (CSC) is a New York State program that helps local governments take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate. The program offers grants, rebates for electric vehicles, and free technical assistance. In order to take part in the program, a municipality must pass a resolution to become a Registered Climate Smart Community.

The Housing Committee also will have a discussion on homeless shelters. That committee will meet at 6:45 p.m. with the other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m.

The full council work session will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Police Training Room on the fourth floor of City Hall. The public is welcome to attend all meetings with the work session being livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

WRFA’s Julia Ciesla-Hanley spoke with Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist about a resolution that would hire new firefighters, the latest on splash pads to be constructed, parking meters, and more.

Eddie Sundquist

Jamestown City Council voting session (March 27, 2023)

Jamestown City Council has approved moving forward with two splash pads in city parks with the requirement that more engineering work be completed on Jackson-Taylor Park.

Council member at Large Jeff Russell cited his concerns about Jackson-Taylor Park being the best place to locate a splash pad from a safety standpoint, “There’s a lot more traffic down there now with places like Tim Horton’s there. Obviously, we’re putting a new facility (DPW Central Garage) in down there with large trucks. My ultimate fear is that a child is going to be crossing that roadway, unsupervised possibly, and is going to be struck by a vehicle and killed. That is my ultimate concern with it being down there.”

Russell also expressed concern over the soil stability and that he had asked Parks Manager Dan Stone if other locations in the park could be used, “He said there’s really no other place to put it because of the instability of some of the soil down there and really the only logical place is the old skatepark is, where the blacktop is. And it’s even questionable whether it can be placed there. What I would hate to see is to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars putting the splash pad in that location and then have it fail a couple of years down the line and pretty much be a waste of money.”

Russell made a motion to drop the amount of the project funded with American Rescue Plan monies from $500,000 to $400,000, citing $100,000 in state funds that Mayor Eddie Sundquist said were supposed to be approved. The motion also included that the city hire a private engineering firm to look at the soil stability of Jackson-Taylor Park for the splash pad. If the study determined the site was not suitable, the motion further said that the splash pad should be moved to Roseland Park with the proposed pickleball court for that location being relocated to the Jackson-Taylor Park skate pad.

The motion passed unanimously, with the amended resolution passing 8 to 1. Council member Bill Reynolds was the only no vote, citing other priorities that should be funded.

Two community engagement meetings will be held on the splash pads with the first taking place this Thursday, March 30 at 6:00 p.m. at the Allen Park Rink. The second will be held at the Jackson-Taylor Park large pavilion at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 11. Mayor Sundquist said that community meeting will also be combined with the HUD Action Plan community input meeting.

Jamestown City Council

The City of Jamestown received $1.8 million in Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program funds for the eight positions, but council members have raised concerns about having to lay off those positions once grant funds run out in three years.

Also on tonight’s voting agenda is a resolution to use $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funds for the construction of Splash Pads at Allen and Jackson-Taylor Parks. Council also will vote on a total of $221,000 in requests using ARP funds to add a playground at Willard Park, a pickleball court at Roseland Park, repave basketball courts, and buy 18 new planters for downtown.

A proposal to stabilize the banks of the Chadakoin River in the south basin and between the Warner Dam and North Main Street bridge is up for Council approval.

The allocation of $327,925 in ARP to the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy had been approved by the Jamestown Local Development Corporation, but as the request is over the $100,000 threshold, it requires Council approval. Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District would be contracted to do the work.

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.

A second law pertaining to increasing elected officials’ salaries has also been filed per the request of Council Member Bill Reynolds that includes the original recommendation from the Jamestown Salary Review Commission. This local law would increase City Council members’ salaries from $5,000 to $7,500 while increasing the Council President’s salary from $6,000 to $9,000. It also recommends increasing the Mayor’s salary from $72,000 to $82,000.

Both local laws will be tabled for 30 days and be voted on at the April voting session. If approved, the salary increases would not go into effect until January 1, 2024.

A school bus stop arm camera program contract with BusPatrol and a contract with Bird Bike to bring an ebike and escooter program to Jamestown are also up for consideration.

A work session will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the fourth floor Police Training room with the voting session starting at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall. Both are open to the public with the voting session being livestreamed at 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.

Jamestown City Council hears presentation on Splash Pads (March 6, 2023)

Jamestown City Council learned more about the two proposed Splash Pads for Jamestown Parks at their work session Monday night.

Both splash pads proposed for Jackson-Taylor and Allen Parks are estimated to cost $250,000 each which includes contingency funds.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said the location for the pad at Jackson-Taylor Park would be on the current skate park pad, “We picked that spot, we looked at a couple different spots, in fact, at Jackson-Taylor Park. That one has probably the best surface that we could apply it to. As you know, Jackson-Taylor Park tends to sink when we install things. So we were really looking for surface quality, soil quality as part of it as well as location to bathrooms and other required amenities and obviously water lines.”

Sundquist said the water flow rate is 45-gallons per minute, with the play structures operating on a timed button system where users have to push a button for water to flow out. He said both splash pads would not have a circulating water system, “Circulating water system means we have a set amount of water that would be in there, that would continue to circulate back and forth. We would then require New York State testing. We’d have to have a bunch of additional staff in order to maintain it and manage it. In talking with the engineers for this, they actually recommended that we go with a fresh water system. So, it would be water that you would see from your tap coming through whenever you pressed the button.”

Sundquist said the water then drains out with no standing water. He added they’d work with the Board of Public Utilities to not get charged double for water use.

Council President Tony Dolce questioned if the push button system for the Splash Pad could be turned off, for example, at night or other times.

Parks Manager Dan Stone replied that everything is on a timer, “Everything runs on a timer and that would be based off of.. we haven’t gotten into big talks about that yet.. but it would be based on the season, obviously, but also maybe what’s going on the weekends, week day, activities in the park, those kind of things.”

Stone said the Splash Pad can be shut down on colder summer days to avoid water waste. He said the structures can be covered or even removed during the winter.

Sundquist said the Allen Park splash pad will be located at the corner of West Virginia Boulevard and Elizabeth Avenue due to availability of water lines, soil conditions, and its proximity to restrooms and parking.

He added that both splash pads would be ADA compliant. Sundquist said park staff will be trained by the company that installs to system on how to manage the pad.

Stone said trees will be able to provide shade for the pads. He said while the Jackson-Taylor location already has a fence, they haven’t discussed a fence for the Allen Park site yet.

Council Member at Large Kim Ecklund asked if maintenance was built into the cost and expressed concerns about vandalism.

Stone replied that they don’t have funds budgeted for maintenance once the pads are constructed, “I don’t think that’s stopped us on any project we’ve ever done since I’ve been in the Parks. That just means I keep coming at you for more Parks employees. Concrete is what it’s going to be. So it’s a concrete pad. Other than maybe getting dinged up by something, it shouldn’t really be an issue. It’s at least four inches thick, I think the specs call for. Vandalism, it doesn’t matter what we do, right? It doesn’t matter where it’s at. Stuff is going to get vandalized.”
While the total cost of the project would be $500,000, Sundquist said there is a $100,000 grant they’re waiting to hear on which would help offset the amount needed from American Rescue Plan funds.

Two community engagement meetings will be held to get input from the public on the two Splash Pads. The first will be held at the Allen Park Ice Rink at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, March 30. The second will be held at the Jackson-Taylor Park large pavilion at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 11. Sundquist said that community meeting will also be combined with the HUD Action Plan community input meeting.

If Council signs off on funding the project this month, Sundquist said engineers have told him the splash pads could be constructed and in operation by sometime in July 2023.

Drawings of proposed Splash Pads at Allen and Jackson-Taylor Parks (provided by Parkitects)

Jamestown City Council will hear a presentation on $721,000 worth of American Rescue Plan funded parks projects that include two Splash Pads at its work session tonight.

Resolutions pre-filed include $500,000 toward the construction of splash pads at Allen and Jackson-Taylor Parks. The staff report said the City anticipates grant funding could cover a significant amount of the project and that unspent funds will be returned to the ARPA funds. They said while they anticipate water usage costs will increase, it can be absorbed in the Parks Department budget.

The pads would be ADA compliant and, based on drawings provided by Parkitects in the staff report, be located on the current skatepark pad at Jackson-Taylor Park and near the corner of West Virginia Blvd and Elizabeth Avenue in Allen Park.

Another resolution allocates $120,000 toward improvements at Roseland Park that includes a new pickleball court and new shade or pavilion structure.

Improvements to Willard Park are proposed under another resolution allocating $72,000 in ARP funds. This project includes a new playground and volleyball court.

The staff report said the City is in talks with the Chautauqua County Soil and Water Conservation District on an Urban Farming Grant to plant a fruit tree orchard in the park.

Two additional resolutions would allocate $15,000 toward resurfacing basketball courts at Jackson-Taylor, Allen, and Bergman Parks and $14,000 toward the purchase of eight self-watering flower pots for the downtown area. These planters would repace concrete planters.

A presentation on a proposed Electric Bike and Scooter pilot program will be done by Bird Bike Share.

Bird Bike Share currently has programs in Dunkirk and Olean. According to the staff report, a similar bike or scooter share program here would have no cost to the City and involve a revenue-share of $0.20 (cents) per ride to help fund protected bike lanes or other transportation projects.

Council also will review 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 stop arm is out.

BusPatrol would outfit the school district’s fleet at no cost, with the City receiving a share of the fine money. Jamestown Public Schools passed the proposal in February 2023.

While the staff reports states there is no cost to the school district, nor the city, the contract states the city is responsible for the cost of the camera installation as well as a monthly technology fee. These costs will come out of the 40% in fee revenue the city receives.

City Council also will hear an update on the Jamestown Community Cat Program that was being done by the Chautauqua County Humane Society.

The Housing Committee meeting is at 6:45 p.m. with other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full City Council work session will take 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 also being livestreamed at jamestownny.gov.