Acting DPW Director Mark Roetzer explains how the professional engineer certificate works within the DPW Director role to City Council (April 10, 2023)

Jamestown City Council members don’t seem in favor of removing a professional engineering certificate requirement for the Public Works Director position.

An ordinance to amend the City Code to do just that came before council at its April 10 work session.

The city has had issues finding a replacement for former Public Works Director Jeff Lehman, who retired March 31, in part because of the engineering requirement.

It came to light that the only residency requirement for the position is that the director must live in Chautauqua County. Mayor Eddie Sundquist said this was a change in state law.

Council Member at Large Jeff Russell asked if removing that requirement would have any effect in the department being able to get work done.

Acting Public Works Director Mark Roetzer said the director doesn’t produce drawings that are then stamped and signed as a professional engineer, “But you’re reviewing drawings and plans and that sort of thing, specifications, so to not have a P.E. would be a detriment. If you hire someone who does not have it, they’d potentially become more of an administrator. The work that the director does now, part of it, would fall back on the other engineering staff that does have a P.E., or people under them that they oversee.”

Council member at Large Kim Ecklund expressed concern that could lead to the union requesting a stipend for extra work or change in job duties.

Roetzer said when the city receives plans, those were historically reviewed by Lehman, who had the P.E. designation. He pointed out that the DPW Director also is a member on the Planning Commission and the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities.

Russell stated he didn’t think the city should “lower its standards” by getting rid of the designation requirement.

Sundquist said only one application received for the DPW Director position had the required P.E. certificate, “And what we’ve heard, especially from Jeff (Lehman), to many folks who are getting P.E.’s are going into consulting firms that almost double the rate that we pay, which has been a concern. So, the county does not have a P.E. requirement for their Director of Public Facilities. Most communities do not. They have more of an administrator role at the top, which is the proposal.”

No action seems likely on the matter any time soon as the ordinance was tabled by the Public Safety committee with council members citing that city does have an acting director while the search continues.

Council also continued discussions on the proposed hiring of an Ombudsman in the Corporation Counsel‘s office. This position is proposed to replace the Associate Corporation Counsel position, which is being vacated by Ben Haskin.

Corporation Counsel Elliot Raimondo cited a need for a Human Resources-type of employee to help with mandatory employee trainings, “Issues with employee complaints and disputes, following up on council concerns, following up on public concerns apart from the police, following up with department heads to ensure that they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing, handing our EAP program which I’m not the happiest with, and, recently, dealing with our health insurance program which is not functioning the way it should be functioning.”

Raimondo said he thought the position should report both to the Mayor and City Council. He said he understands that the addition of the ombudsman may lead to the Corporation Counsel position being made part-time versus full-time.

Finance Chair Kim Ecklund requested a salary schedule with a projection for future years be provided. The position would be funded through 2023 by funds previously allocated for the Associate Corporation Counsel.

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 had the opportunity to speak with Jamestown Department of Public Works and Acting Parks Director Jeff Lehman, who is retiring from City Government.

City Council President Tony Dolce reads proclamation recognizing retiring DPW-Parks Director Jeff Lehman (March 27, 2023)

Three grant allocations totaling $365,060 to Jamestown businesses have been approved by Jamestown City Council.

The three resolutions were approved by the Jamestown Local Development Corporation board at its March meeting, but each exceeded the $100,000 threshold, thus requiring council approval.

Summit Wealth Management‘s request of $108,705 was amended through a motion by Council member Andrew Faulkner to $83,100.

Faulkner said the amended amount is what was needed to finish the project, “They’ve already started it and been working on it. They recently purchased their building. They’re making their renovations to fit what they need, and the effects of COVID, what they needed. So, the form we got at the last work session, they had to break down all that and that will give them what they need to complete the project from here.”

Council member at Large Jeff Russell said several council members did tour the businesses, “And business owners did show them around and basically show them their project that was going on. So, there were council members that did their due diligence when they were invited to check out the projects.”

The allocation of $167,105 was approved for Panache and $114,855 was approved for Labyrinth Press Company.

Council also recognized Department of Public Works Director and Acting Parks Department Director Jeff Lehman for his 29 years of service to the city. Lehman’s last day before retiring is Friday, March 31. He served on the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities and City Planning Commission during his tenure, which also included overseeing the creation of the Jamestown Riverwalk.

Lehman is being succeeded by Acting DPW and Parks Director Mark Roetzer, who was sworn in at Monday night’s meeting for the temporary position while the city continues to looks for a full-time replacement.

Parking meter showing new Passport Parking app sticker in downtown Jamestown

The new parking meters in downtown Jamestown are causing headaches for users and city administration.

Council Member at Large Jeff Russell shared at the March 6 work session that a resident contacted him about the meters not accepting change, even though the new meters are supposed to be able to do that as well as be paid using an app on the smartphone.

Public Works Director Jeff Lehman said the meters that were installed at the end of 2021 have an automatic solar charging part that has stopped working once the Fall and Winter months hit, “So, a large percentage of the batteries have died out. We’ve looked at replacing them. The problem with replacing them is that you’re just putting a fresh battery in and they’re not getting charged unless we have a sunny day. We’re struggling with it. What we’ve found is that that there’s only one place to get the batteries so we’re sort of at their disposal.”

Lehman said the city only had a one-year warranty with the meters, and that has now expired.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist replied he was trying to hold back anger when it comes to the parking meter company, “So, you’ll notice that some of the meters have been replaced with just the coin. We have kind of retrofitted them to just use the coins. In the meantime, some meters just in the way they’re shaped cannot handle that, so you have to use the app. We’re now going on almost two months of not getting these batteries in and we’re having a lot of issues with a company we’re required to purchase them from as part of our agreement.”

Lehman said anyone having issues with meters, including getting a ticket due to a faulty meter, should take down the meter number and call the Department of Public Works at 716-483-7545.

Gebbie Foundation CEO Greg Edwards addresses Jamestown City Council (November 7, 2022)

The executive directors of the Community Foundation and Gebbie Foundation made pleas to Jamestown City Council to move forward with American Rescue Plan funding.

Chautauqua Region Community Foundation Executive Director Tory Irgang, speaking to Council, reminded them how CRCF helped compile the community feedback from public information sessions held in 2021 on how to use the ARPA funds.

She said it’s easy to adopt a “scarcity mindset,” “A time when partnerships and collaborations can be mistaken as weakness. However, we have proven in this community what can happen when we have an abundance mindset. We work through public, private partnerships every day to achieve tremendous results. And I encourage each of you to lean into that shared experience by aligning the remaining ARPA funding with community-based projects that have significant leveraging opportunities.”

Irgang said projects that had been evaluated and awarded other funding from government and philanthropic sources should be considered, “Projects that provide infrastructure and programming for children and young adults, projects that yield measurable results, deliver significant community benefit, and address challenges that are multi-faceted. As we know all too well in philanthropy, our needs are always greater than our resources, but we can meet so many more needs when we collaborate and work together.”

Gebbie Foundation CEO Greg Edwards said the city has been very successful at finding partners in its mission over the last 20 years, “Over the last 20 years, many times not-for-profits have willingly stepped up and the public-private entities have stepped up because they had seen how valuable our joint mission was and invested dramatically in trying to impact the future of the city in ways we could spend a great deal of time tonight celebrating this partnership between the city and these entities.”

Edwards encouraged funding for TheZone project at the Northwest Arena. He said the Gebbie Foundation has provided nearly $4 million in funding for that project. He also encouraged Council to support the new Jamestown YMCA project on Harrison Street.

Council member Marie Carrubba asked what the plans were for the current YMCA location on East Fourth Street.

Edwards replied that the 1929 structure is complicated with the Housing and Urban Development contract for housing that remains in place for at least 13 years, “But there have been significant conversations around how that could actually be a plus to other redevelopments potentially around the city and how that building itself could be reused. I had a conversation two months ago with a private developer who was interested in turning it into what we’ll call higher end housing because it does come with some amenities that other buildings don’t. I mean, having the gyms, the pools, those sorts of things that does provide opportunities, call it built in, that make it interesting.”

Council Member at Large Jeff Russell voiced support for a new YMCA facility.

Any funding for the projects mentioned by Edwards would possibly receive funding from the proposed Non-Profit Assistance Program. A resolution to fund that program with $1.5 million in ARP funds is still awaiting Council action.

Council member Andrew Faulkner questioned how much the 19A Home Ownership program could be funded with and still be successful. Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said $500,000 would be the absolute minimum. The current proposal is requesting $750,000.

Council member at large Russell asked why the city would contract with the Chautauqua County Land Bank for $1 million, of which 20% goes to administrative fees, when the city could do home demolitions itself.

Surdyk said $500,000 of the funds requested by the Land Bank would go to contractors to do the demolition work, with administration fees going to administer that program.

She said while the DOD can administer demolitions, as it has done in the past, there are now over 16 new programs the department is now administering on top of existing programs, “To administer effectively the demolition program and these and new grant programs that we have received over the last year, it’s just not feasible without hiring new staff, specifically to do demolition. So, we can contract with the Land Bank at a roughly 20% administrative fee which would ultimately be less than what we’d have to pay to employ somebody as a city employee.”

The Finance Committee tabled the resolutions related to funding the Chautauqua County Land Bank and 19A Home Ownership Program until the November 14 work session.

And DPW Director Jeff Lehman reported that leaf pickup is ahead of schedule with Phase 2 already underway this week. He said crews do plan to go back through the city again after the completion of Phase 2 to try to pick up any piles of leaves that were missed the first time.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist addresses Jamestown City Council (October 17, 2022)

Construction on Washington Street will not be completed this season.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist said the city received notice from New York State on the status of the project, “And, as a response to that, Jeff (Lehman) and his team have formally put the state on notice for the current state of the road, the curbs, and other issues. We have sent them written notification of defect. We’ve asked them to take care of those items because there’s going to be a huge issue with not only plowing but mobility and access and others to the various areas.”

Public Works Director Jeff Lehman said he heard from state they’re working with their contractor to “better the situation.” He expressed concern that the state of the street will be hard on city plows.

Washington Street is a state road with the state responsible for its maintenance.

In regards to a different project on Washington Street, Sundquist said the foundation is in place for the expansion of the former Hartley Buick building that will be the new Central Garage for the city. He said they anticipate that project will be done in Summer 2023.

The project was last estimated to cost $2.1 million, which Sundquist said in June 2021, is a savings of $1.9 million over the original cost estimates.

Fleet Manager Pat Monaghan, DPW/Acting Parks Director Jeff Lehman, Parks Manager Dan Stone present budget to Jamestown City Council (October 17, 2022)

The Jamestown DPW and Acting Parks Director is expressing concerns over under-funding or lack of funding in the proposed 2023 executive budget.

Jeff Lehman presented the Public Works Department budget to Jamestown City Council Monday night along with Fleet Manager Pat Monaghan and Parks Manager Dan Stone.

Lehman said the cuts in Traffic Division equipment scare him the most with prices going up 25 to 30%, “We’re going to be over budget, I think, this year as far as some of the things we’re ordering. Just the basic things – lights, traffic control boxes, that type of thing. So that’s got me scared. And then the other thing is the laborer. There’s nothing here for summer labor, which you know, we cut that person out, well, you might not know. So, years ago, I don’t know, Kim (Ecklund), was it five, six years ago? We cut a person out of the Traffic Division. The summer laborer position is about the only way we get somebody help to get the lines all painted in the summer.”

Lehman said he didn’t see summer help funded in any of the Public Works divisions. He said his biggest items are capital items and includes the replacement of the Municipal Building roof for an estimated cost of $800,000, “We’re having some minor repairs done this year because the availability of materials precludes us from doing it this year. We’re hoping if we get approval of this, we can get it on order and have materials in place for next year, but we had pretty major leaking in the fifth floor this year.”

Lehman said with the Municipal Building being 50 years old, the infrastructure needs updating including $800,000 to fix wall facade on the outside of the building, $200,000 for air quality control in the building’s HVAC system, and $25,000 to replace plumbing in the jail. He added phase two of the Tracy Plaza deck replacement on the northern portion of the plaza is estimated to cost $1 million.

Fleet Manager Pat Monaghan presented on 20 different purchase requests from the $7.5 million in DPW and Parks equipment and replacement program requests. He said those 20 pieces of equipment were at the end of their life with three vehicles having to be taken out of services due issues that can no longer be repaired.

Parks Manager Dan Stone said his biggest concern that wasn’t reflected in the budget is having enough employees in the Parks Department to maintain the over 500 acres of park land along with everything that has been added to the parks system in the last 17 years, “This year alone, right, we put in what I consider not just a park but a destination place with the Skatepark that we just did the grand opening. But that’s a whole another huge area that we’re looking at having to maintain with the same workforce. We’ve added disc golf. Again, I think it’s going to be another destination place in one of our parks, but that’s another area to maintain as well.”

Stone said two new kayak launches have been installed this year, there are more properties and areas to mow, more garbage pick-up routes needed in the parks, and there’s more demand for parks workers to assist with events in the city, “‘Cause I don’t want to get us to the point where we’re sacrificing quality for quantity. That’s not a point we want to be at. Besides that, we plow more than what we had due to streets projects that have occurred in the alleyways and, again, more developed areas throughout the city. And we still maintain our urban forest and continue to grow and keep that as healthy as we can by trimming, removing trees, and planting new trees.”

Stone said the $10,000 budget line for flags and banners was cut entirely and he said the department was on target to spend $12,000 on that this year alone. He said the horticulture line also was cut entirely, which means the department won’t have a budget to purchase flowers, shrubs, or mulch for flower beds or flower pots in the city.

City Council will hear budget presentations from the City Clerk, Finance, Assessor’s Office, and Corporation Counsel Departments at 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 24 before the City Council’s Voting Session

Newland Avenue to be closed between Hallock and Huxley Streets from August 22-29, 2022

The Jamestown Department of Public Works has announced Newland Avenue will be closed for a week for road construction.

DPF Director Jeff Lehman said starting Monday, August 22, Newland Avenue from Hallock Street to Huxley Street will be closed to vehicle traffic. He said it’s scheduled to reopen on Monday, August 29.

Motorists are advised to use alternate routes of travel.

John Sellstrom takes oath of office as City of Jamestown’s new Comptroller (July 25, 2022)

Jamestown City Council has approved a new contract with the Jamestown Firefighter’s Union.

This is the second time Council voted on a contract this year after voting down the one presented to them in January.

Council President Tony Dolce said the issue then was that the contract included adding four firefighters to man a second ambulance, “They were removed from that, so now they’re being funded by ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for those four positions. And so basically, other than that, it is identical to the Police contract that was passed back in January as well. So, we’re glad to have that behind us. I’m sure they are as well. And again, all the different units being under contract, it’s nice to have that out of the way.”

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said the contract with Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association Local 137 would cover January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024, “They would provide pay raises similar to our Police Department and other bargaining units, providing a 2.5% increase from 2021 to 2023 and a 2.75% increase in 2024. It does provide some additional funding for firefighters to maintain their EMT certification.”

Also in the contract, firefighter’s health insurance contribution rates will raise from 21% for 2021 to 23% for 2022 through 2024.

Council also approved contracts totaling $4.5 million toward the renovation of the new Fleet Maintenance Building.

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

Public Works Director Jeff Lehman stated at the work session before council voted that the project is about $2 million over budget at this point.

Sundquist said construction costs have nearly doubled and tripled with inflation, “We do have (American) Rescue Plan funds that we can use to pay for it, but we want to remind folks that if we were to rebuild or create a completely new garage, we were looking at ten-plus million dollars at this point given inflation and others. So, the fact that we’re still hovering around $4 to $5 million for the rebuild, in addition some of that property was sold to a for-profit business that will have a business on it, I think it was a good result overall.”

Sundquist added the city had received $1 million from the State’s Financial Restructuring Board toward the project and has applied for an $800,000 NYSERDA grant to make it a “green” building, or environmentally friendly. The rest of the project is being funded through a bond approved in 2019.

Council also approved the appointment of John Sellstrom as the City’s new Comptroller.

Sundquist said Sellstrom has been an employee of the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency for several years, “So he’s been dealing with a lot of different accounting and other financial things across the city, so we’re really excited to bring him on. It is obviously a very large position to take on. We’ve been very lucky to have our former comptrollers, both Ryan Thompson and Joe Bellitto, step in to provide some training and support. And we’re still actively looking for a deputy comptroller to provide additional support for John.”

Sellstrom replaces Ryan Thompson, who resigned as Comptroller on July 8 to take a job in the private sector.