Jamestown City Council meeting (May 8, 2023)

Jamestown City Council will meet with FEMA representatives to ask questions about the SAFER grant at a special council work session on May 16.

Council President Tony Dolce said there were four basic questions that council members had including if eight firefighters had to be hired with the $1.8 million grant, “The second question was, can the city reapply for the SAFER grant in three years and what is the likelihood of being approved again? Three, would the city have to wait a specific period before applying for the grant for the second time? And the other question was, have other SAFER grantees been approved for a second round of funding and how soon after the second application were they approved?”

Deputy Fire Chief Matt Coon shared that the purchase of a second ambulance that was approved by Council was ready to go out to bid and that the vehicle could be received as soon as one to two months.

The meeting with FEMA will take place at 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 16 in the Mayor’s Conference Room on the fourth floor of City Hall. It is open to the public.

City Council Finance and Public Works committees also reviewed and approved a lease extension request for the owner of the Chautauqua Belle to dock at McCrea Point Park.

U.S. Steam Lines has been using the dock at the park since 2019 and is asking for a new 5-year term lease with the option to renew the lease for two additional 5-year terms. The resolution now goes onto the voting session on May 22 for formal approval.

Jamestown City Council

Council is expected to have the opportunity to ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency questions about the grant funding at a special work session that’s yet to be scheduled.

One of the questions Council is likely to ask is whether the number of firefighters to be hired under the SAFER grant can be reduced from the eight that were requested in the grant.

Council also will review a lease extension for the owner of the Chautauqua Belle to dock at McCrea Point Park.

U.S. Steam Lines has been using the dock at the park since 2019 and is asking for a 5-year term lease with the option to renew the lease for two additional 5-year terms.

Council also will hear an update from Grants Writer Paula Pichon on pending grants.

The Public Safety Committee will vote on five special event permits.

The Housing Committee meets at 6:45 p.m. with 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 located on the fourth floor of City Hall. The public is welcome to attend all meetings with the full work session being livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

Volunteer Day at Audubon Community Nature Center

The Audubon Community Nature Center is holding an Earth Day weekend clean-up at the facility on Saturday, April 23.

The event is family friendly and will include work projects such as sprucing up the gardens, working on the outdoor turtle habitats, trail and play area improvements, pulling non-native plants, and more.
Lunch will be provided for volunteers.

Check in and registration takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. with work at the Center happening from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Participants are encouraged to wear clothes that can get dirty, dress for the weather, and bring work gloves if you have them.

Call (716) 569-2345 for more information.

And in Jamestown, on Sunday, April 24, a clean-up of McCrea Point Park and Jones & Gifford Avenue has been organized by local citizens. The clean-up will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Participants should meet at the McCrea Point Park pavilion where garbage bags and gloves will be available.

Members of the Jamestown Lions Club unveiled their recent gift of four bicycle racks to the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk on July 31.

JAMESTOWN – The Local chapter of the Lions Club has made a donation to the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk.

On Wednesday morning members of the Jamestown Lions Club board of directors joined city officials in unveiling four new bicycle racks that are located at various areas along the Riverwalk.

Local Lions club president Steve Maggio tells WRFA the effort got underway after the international president of the lion’s club challenged local chapters to undertake a legacy project in their respective communities.

“Jim Kress from our club contacted the city and asked what could we do that would help. They suggested that we put bike racks in along the riverwalk,” Maggio explained. “There’s currently four of them that were installed. They’re good and solid and I think they are going to last a while.”

The four bike racks that were installed each have the Lions’ Club seal located on the base. the racks are located behind the Jamestown Cycle Shop, near the National Comedy Center, at Panzeralla Park behind the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, and at McCrea Point Park.

• MOBILE APP USERS: LISTEN VIA SOUNDCLOUD

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi stops by the WRFA studio for his June interview and talks about economic development in the city, including his reaction to a local company – Stannard Group – moving out of the city, offering the latest update on the Friendly’s Restaurant location as well as an update on some DRI Projects. Plus he discusses to recently announced projects involving McCrea Point Park: The Chautauqua Belle and a new Kayak launch area.

Sam Teresi

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi, left, and Paul O. Stage, U.S. Steam Lines Ltd. president pictured Tuesday at McCrea Point Park with the Chautauqua Belle. Standing in back, from left, are Bill Stevenson, Jamestown Riverfront Management Council chairman; Julia Ciesla-Hanley, city recreation coordinator; and John Williams, city parks manager. (image from Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi’s Facebook Page)

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua Belle will begin operating out of Jamestown this weekend, taking riders along the Chadakoin River to Celoron.

The announcement was made on Tuesday after Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi and and Chautauqua Belle officials signed off on a lease allowing the vessel to dock and launch from McCrea Point Park during late spring and early fall.

The Belle will make regular trips to the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday while the steamboat is at McCrea Point Park. During the Chautauqua Institution season the boat will return to dock in Mayville, except for a few days during the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival when the steamboat will return to Jamestown. The Chautauqua Bell will return to McCrea Point Park in September.

“This adds another port of call for the Belle in addition to its home in Mayville and some runs out of the Harbor Hotel in Celoron,” Teresi said on his Facebook page. “this project is five years in the making as the operators of the Belle had to make sure the Chadakoin was safe to paddle up and down, and the city had to make accommodations at the dock. Another great team effort by the Jamestown City Council and our Jamestown Parks, Recreation & Conservation Department.”

For more information on the Chautauqua Belle, you can visit 269belle.com.

The Chautauqua Belle

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua Belle steamer will be making Jamestown its home for part of the year.

On Monday owners of the Chautauqua Belle – U.S. Steam Lines Ltd. – joined city officials in announcing the announced the multiyear lease agreement to have the vessel docked at the McCrea Point Park boat landing.

The agreement means the Belle will be making round-trip excursions from the Boat Landing to the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel in May and June and also in September and October. The steamer will continue to operate out of the Mayville area in July and August.

As part of the arrangement with the city, U.S. Steam Lines will pay the city $250 the first year for the use of the dock. The rent will increase $25 per year to a final lease price of $350 in the year 2023 – with an option to extend the lease for another five years after that.

The announced location is appropriate, considering the area of McCrea Point is where dozens of steamers were located a century ago when paddle wheels were one of the primary means of transportation for traveling up and down Chautauqua Lake.

The Chautauqua Belle is currently only one of five operating steamboats left in North America.

During Tuesday’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation Commission meeting, the Post-Journal is reporting that city rec coordinator Julia Ciesla-Hanley said the city has been selected to receive a matching grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation.

The funding will be between $50,000 to $250,000 and will help to create a second outdoor skate park in the city.

The new skate park will be constructed near the Parks Department garage, which is located near the underpass at the Sixth Street Bridge that leads to McCrea Point Park to the north or the West Gate Plaza to the south.

A more formal announcement about receiving the grant will be made by city officials later this month.

These areas will be closed to the public starting Monday and remain closed through Labor Day.

The McCrea Point Park Boat Landing and restrooms will remain open for use by the public throughout the construction period.

A Dragon Boat (image from Wikipedia.org)

JAMESTOWN – For the first time in its history, a dragon will make its way down the Chadakoin River.

On June 17, members of the Pan American Dragon Boat Association will transport a boat to Chautauqua County to allow residents, and representatives of local businesses and nonprofit organizations to try their hand at paddling the boat in the river.

Often dubbed ‘a canoe on steroids’ a dragon boat measures 42 feet long and features a traditional dragonhead and tail. The boat can seat up to 20 paddlers with one drummer and one steerperson.

The dragon boat demonstration is scheduled for June 17 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at McCrea Point Park, located on Jones and Gifford Avenue. Spectators of all ages are welcome however paddlers must be at least 14 years old.

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation has graciously offered to be the contact organization for individuals and businesses looking for more information on the demonstration. The foundation can be reached by phone at (716)661-3392.

For more information on dragon boat racing and the Pan American Dragon Boat Association visit panamdragonboat.com.