SKF Aeroengine

The bearing manufacturer, located in Falconer, will use the funds to purchase new machinery and equipment that focuses on implementing new manufacturing technology and continued development of high skilled technical careers.

According to a press release from ESD, the company will invest in small bearing manufacturing, cage manufacturing and roller manufacturing improvements, targeting improved efficiency, and building towards new technology needed to support future development programs within the Aerospace.

The award announcement came as part of $24 million grants being awarded to 28 shovel-ready priority projects in New York State through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

Mike Metzger

Longtime Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency Board Chair Mike Metzger has resigned.

Metzger submitted his resignation to the IDA on December 22. IDA CEO Mark Geise said Metzger had been discussing stepping down from the board, citing his pending retirement from SUNY Fredonia as its Vice-President of Finance and Administration.

Metzger was appointed to the IDA Board in March 1999 and has served as its chair for a number of years. He also was a voting member of the State Regional Economic Development Council.

Fancher Chair CEO and Owner Gary Henry is now the new chair of the IDA board.

Lucille Ball Memorial Park. Celoron, NY (Google Maps)

The Village of Celoron has received $165,000 from the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative toward a new playground at Lucille Ball Memorial Park.

The grants from the Environmental Protection Fund are administered by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Mayor Scott Schrencengost said the current play structure at the park is 25 years old and is unsafe.
He said at a public meeting in July that Consolidated Funding Grant from the state requires the village to come up with a 25% match.

The village will use the funding from the state to building an accessible playground with inclusive equipment. They also will use the monies to further improve the park with site work and plantings, including new trees and benches

The town of Sheridan also is receiving EDC funds in the amount o $421,725 to upgrade the Sheridan Bay Campground located on Lake Erie. A new accessible bathhouse will be constructed, campsite electrical hook-ups upgraded, and the pavilion and check-in office will be replaced.

In addition to those upgrades, the town will be preserving lakefront green space while ensuring the continued use of needed campsites.

The funding was announced as part of New York State’s Regional Economic Development Council Consolidated Funding Application awards.

JRC will use the funds to renovate 106-108 Fairmount Avenue for re-use as a mixed-use development. The historic building, which is currently vacant, will include first floor retail and café space, second floor co-working space, and third floor residential lofts.

The building is located at the corner of Fairmount Avenue and Eighth Street near the Riverwalk and Chadakoin River.

The funding is part of the $750 million announced for Round XI of the Governor’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

The town of Pomfret will receive a $135,000 Green Innovation grant to install water meters with advanced metering infrastructure. This project will increase water conservation by collecting more frequent and accurate readings.

The towns of Mina and Ripley, the village of Westfield, the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District, and the Portland Pomfret Dunkirk Sewer District will all receive $30,000 each in Engineering Planning Grants to start a planning process so they can be better prepared to seek financing to help them complete their water infrastructure projects.

CCIDA CEO, Deputy County Executive Mark Geise and Chautauqua County Partnership Economic Development Specialist Kristy Kathman Show Proposed Upgrades to Chadakoin River Basin (October 5, 2021)

The City of Jamestown will receive $1.2 million for upgrades to the Chadakoin River Basin through the State’s Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.

The state funding of $1,280,661 will be used to design and construct enhancements along the Chadakoin River. These include a signature garden, mural, tiered seating space, placemaking items, a kayak launch, dock, and welcome center for visitors. Funding also will be used toward improving navigation for boaters with obstacles in the river removed and navigation aids installed.

The goal of the project is to increase public access to the water and spur economic activity in downtown Jamestown.

Jamestown also was awarded $99,000 to do a Comprehensive plan. The new plan will address community and economic development, housing, health and well-being, equity and inclusion, and energy and the environment.

The Northwest Arena‘s TheZone project also received $450,000 from the Regional Economic Developmental Council Initiative.

That projects is working on creating a new indoor activities venue for children in downtown Jamestown at the Arena that encourages kids to explore STEAM principles through physical activity.

One application will be sponsored by the city and involves a request of $100,000 in funding for the proposed new skate park that will be located across the Jones and Gifford Avenue, from the McCrea Point Boat Landing.

The skateboard park is a project that was announced earlier this year when the city said the Tony Hawk Foundation would offer a matching grant of up to $250,000 for the new skate park.

In addition to the CFA, other funding sources for the skate park will come from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and a local fundraising effort spear-headed by Jamestown Skate Products in collaboration with the Chautauqua Regional Community Foundation.

ENCHANTED MOUNTAIN SPIRITS SEEKING FUNDING FOR RELOCATION

The former HSBC Bank location in downtown Jamestown, future home of Enchanted Mountain Spirits

In addition to the skate park, city officials also heard from Mick O’Neill from Enchanted Mountain Spirits and Peter Miraglia from the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation (JRC).

The JRC is sponsoring a $200,000 CFA for Enchanted Mountain Spirits to help pay for its $500,000 relocation effort from its previous location on Water St. to its new location at the former HSBC Bank building (previously occupied by Galactic Systems Headquarters) on the northwest corner of Second and North Main Streets.

O’Neill said if all funding for the relocation is secure, his operation will begin producing spirits out of the new location by March of next year, with a goal of employing 40+ within three years.

The city council must review all local CFA applications before they are sent to the state for review. That action will likely take place during its June voting session. All CFAs must be submitted/finalized online by 4 p.m. on July 26. The applicants will find out if they’ve received the money and just how much they will be getting by the end of the year.

On Wednesday, April 17 Erie County Supreme Court Judge Timothy Walker ruled to dismiss a portion of a lawsuit filed in December by the owners of the Jamestown Brewing that claim their landlord and property developer – G. Patti Development – committed fraud when courting the business to enter into a lease agreement to rent out the former Lillian Ney Renaissance Center building (AKA Grant Building)  at the corner of W. Third and Washington Streets.

Jamestown Brewing owners John McLellan Sr. and John McLellan Jr. had filed a lawsuit against GPatti after continued delays prevented them from opening their operation as scheduled. While the business was initially slated to open in the spring of 2018, it saw numerous construction and development delays and has yet to open its doors.

The McClellan’s are suing GPatti, claiming it wasn’t fully transparent in regards to the work that was needed to prepare the site, nor regarding communicating some environmental work that was required before the site would be ready. As a result, Jamestown Brewing was asking for compensatory damages, punitive damages, interest, attorneys fees and costs based on the alleged misrepresentations.

At the request of GPatti Development, Judge Walker dismissed those claims.

But the judge also denied a motion request by G. Patti Inc to dismiss a breach of contract claim from Jamestown Brewing that dealt with the spending of $1 million in state money from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) fund. Jamestown Brewing claims GPatti misappropriated that money, leading to the breach of contract.

Judge Walker said he first wants to see a breakdown of how state that DRI money was spent on the Jamestown Brewing project before ruling on that matter. That review won’t take place until the project is completed because state economic development money typically isn’t released until a project is finished.

According to the Post-Journal, the total project cost for renovating the property and preparing it specifically for the Jamestown Brewing business was estimated at $3.84 million. Financing for the project included a $475,000 state Main Street grant that was awarded through the Regional Economic Development Council program in December 2015. The Jamestown Local Development Corporation has a $180,000 loan attached to the project. The IDA also offered tax abatements for the property.

There still is no word on when the brewery will open.  Once open the business is expected to employ between 30 and 40 people. The restaurant will seat 280 guests in five different areas.

The Downtown Jamestown Gateway Train Station

JAMESTOWN, NY – The acquisition of the Gateway Train Station (formerly “Erie-Lackawanna Train Station“) and its surrounding property by the National Comedy Center in the Summer of 2017 was the culmination of a 25-year renovation and development effort that featured a combination of public and private investment, as well as coordinated efforts on several local fronts.

That’s according to Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi, who provided WRFA with his timeline of events going back more than 25 years to help clarify any confusion over the project, as well as to highlight the numerous steps involving the city’s acquisition, development, and eventual disposition of historic property.

Teresi is familiar with the history of the development of the structure because prior to being elected mayor in 1999, he had served as the city’s Development Director throughout the 1990s, meaning he was there in 1992 when the dilapidated structure first came on the city’s radar.

1992 – JURA ACQUIRES TRAIN STATION PROPERTY

According to Teresi, in March 1992 the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency (JURA) purchased the train station from the property’s previous owners, John Evan with about $120,000 in funding from the federal Community Development Block Grant program. The mayor said even at that time, the train station was in poor condition and would have required significant money for restoration and development.

A photo from Pinterest shows how the train station appeared prior to redevelopment

It’s worth noting that around the same time JURA was working to acquire the train station, a group of local stakeholders, including the Arts Council for Chautauqua County, were developing a concept to make Jamestown a national comedy attraction, building off the Lucille Ball connection and the recent success of the Festival of New Comedy at the time.

According to Teresi, the project being developed was a “National Comedy Center and Hall of Fame,” with the train station serving as a possible location. However, none of the local foundations at the time felt confident enough in the project to support it, and it eventually was shelved and the celebration of Lucy moved in another direction over the next several years.

Meanwhile, JURA maintained possession of the property for the next 14 years as officials worked to identify and secure enough funding to begin the restoration effort.  During that period the train station was placed on both the New York State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

2005 – MAJOR FEDERAL INVESTMENT LEADS TO REBIRTH OF LOCAL LANDMARK

According to the mayor, in 2005 JURA was able to secure a total of $6 million through the federal transportation bill that was secured with the help of Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton, along with Rep. Brian Higgins.

A media release from Congressman Higgins at the time says the number was actually $2.6 million, although that could have been funding for just one year, while Teresi’s figures were the funding totals over multiple years.

The funding was the leverage needed to help raise other money from not just the state, but local funders as well, including the Gebbie Foundation.

2008 – CITY ACQUIRES TRAIN STATION, THEN PASSES ON NEWLY CREATED FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION

In May 2008, the ownership of the train station was transferred from JURA to the city of Jamestown at no cost, which allowed the city to raise more funding for development that it would have been unable to qualify for otherwise. That year the city also entered a property management agreement with the Downtown Jamestown Development Corporation (DJDC).

According to Teresi, the city felt that it could maximize renovation funding by utilizing the federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) program, but only for-profit entities are eligible to participate in that program. They mayor said that in April 2010 the property was transferred to a spinoff for profit-entity called Downtown Jamestown Revitalization, LLC (DJR), which was created in 2004.  DJR was be controlled by a board of directors that included the Mayor of Jamestown, the DJDC board president, and the president of the Gebbie Foundation. Each voting member also had a designee to act in their place when necessary. The designees were the city development director, the Gebbie Foundation executive director, and another board member from DJDC.

Once incorporated, DJR served as a holding company for the train station and would be able to apply for and then sell off HTCs to investors to help with the redevelopment effort. In order to avoid paying taxes on a property, the DJR received a tax abatement from the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) that would continue during the lifetime of DJR ownership.

2010 – DJR ESTABLISHES PLAN TO DEVELOP TRAIN STATION ONCE RENOVATION IS COMPLETE

Congressman Brian Higgins (second from left) and Sen. Charles Schumer (right of Higgins) were both in Jamestown in 2010 to welcome the start of renovation work for the long-dilapidated train station. Mayor assistant Matthew Hanley (far left) and then-city councilman Vince DeJoy (far right) are also pictured. (Image from Higgins.House.gov)

Once in possession of the train station property, DJR initiated its plan for how it would eventually use the property. That plan involved marketing the soon-to-be renovated train station to private development. But because it participated in the HTC program, DJR was required under law to maintain ownership of the property for at least five years from the time the HTCs were sold to investment groups.  The plan was to have DJR identify developers and, if one was found before the five-year requirement was up, it would lease the train station to the developer with an option to transfer ownership.

Teresi said at the time DJR developed its plan, it didn’t have the National Comedy Center in mind, considering it hadn’t even been conceptualized yet by the officials with the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center for Comedy. Instead, DJR hoped to have developers come forward and present plans until a viable plan was presented.

By August 2010, enough money had been raised to begin the train station renovation and ground was broken. In October 2012, the renovation was complete and the ribbon was cut on the new facility.

2010-2012 – LUCY DESI FINDS SUCCESS, ANNOUNCES ‘FOUR PILLARS OF COMEDY’

During the time period between 2010 and 2012, the Lucy-Desi Center had transitioned to a new board and new executive director (Journey Gunderson). The new leadership worked to re-energize the organization and put it on a new path. As a result, it developed a strategic plan featuring its Legacy of Laughter “four pillars,” which included the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, a comedic arts education program, comedy film festival, and the establishment of the first national comedy museum and hall of fame.

Both 2011 and 2012 were successful years for the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival and in the fall of 2012, Gunderson and Lucy-Desi Center board president Tom Benson shared their plan for developing a national comedy attraction with the Jamestown City Council and mentioned the train station as one of the possible locations.

In January 2013, the DJDC merged with the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation and former DJDC executive director Lee Harkness was hired by DJR as the train station general manager. His role was to find rentals, plan events, and find other uses for the space to help generate enough revenue to pay utility costs and other overhead, while DJR continued to seek out development opportunities.

2014 and 2015 – NCC SEES SIGNIFICANT FUNDING, GROUND BREAKING

NCC Executive Director Journey Gunderson (far left) and Melissa Rivers (third from left) helps shovel dirt at the groundbreaking for the National Comedy Center in 2015. (image from AP)

In December 2014, the NCC was awarded $1.5 million by the 2014 NYS Regional Economic Development Council. At the time, a description of NCC project said it is comprised of the adaptive reuse of both the train station in and a public utility / former trolley station building, along with construction of a new connecting building on the corner of Washington and 2nd Street to provide the necessary total square feet of exhibit space.

In March 2015, the NCC purchases the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities former trolley substation at the corner of Washington and W. 2nd Street for $130,000 from the city of Jamestown.

In July of that year, a groundbreaking for the NCC takes place during the 2015 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival. In December the NCC received $2.025 million from the 2015 NYS Regional Economic Development Council.

2016 – NCC SIGNS LEASE AGREEMENT TO TAKE OVER OPERATION OF TRAIN STATION

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (left) listens to National Comedy Center director Journey Gunderson explain the mission and vision of the center, which is being built in Jamestown. DiNapoli was in Jamestown in October 2015 to tour the location for the National Comedy Center and learn about various economic development projects in the city.

In February 2016, the NCC enters a lease agreement with DJR and moves into the Gateway Train Station.  The lease included zero dollars in rent and in exchange, the NCC would assume all operations of the property, including utilities and insurance, along with any needed structural repairs as well as scheduling events and activities. The mayor said the lease also included an option to transfer the property once the HTC five-year waiting period is over. Because of the federal funding tied to the project, the terms of the lease say the NCC must also keep the train station’s center concourse open to the public and available for public transportation usage.

Once the NCC takes over operation, it decides to not keep the position of Train Station General Manager when assuming operations and Harkness is terminated.

At the end of 2016, the NCC is awarded another $834,000 by Empire State Development. The additional funding follows awards of $2.025 million in 2015 and $1.5 million in 2014, bringing the total amount awarded by New York State to approximately $4.3 million. $600,000 of the awarded funds from Empire State Development are for continued development of the Center and adjacent Comedy Center Park, and $234,000 of the grant dollars are Market NY tourism capital funds.

2017 – NCC RAISES NEEDED FUNDING TO FINISH DEVELOPMENT, ASSUMES CONTROL OF TRAIN STATION

In February 2017 The IDA extends the PILOT agreement with DJR for one year to give the NCC an additional year to transfer the train station over to the non-profit.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY on Aug. 3, 2017.

By April 2017, the NCC received a $3 million grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and a $5 million grant from New York State which was unveiled by Governor Andrew Cuomo in his State of the State Address as part of the Buffalo Billion II program.

By May of 2017 the NCC secured all funding for its capital budget with the closing of a Federal New Markets Tax Credit transaction that provided the Project with approximately $5 million of equity funding. The $8 million from a month earlier provided the leverage that was required as the New Markets Tax Credit closing was predicated on having all other necessary funding in place.

With enough funding secure and the 5-year HTC waiting period over, Teresi said the DJR board officially transferred ownership of the train station property over to the NCC at no cost in June 2017. The property value was listed as $500,000, but Teresi said because of the financial contributions the NCC had made between utility costs, insurance, and building upkeep – in addition to the NCC serving as an economic driver for other downtown development projects, the DJR board gave the property to NCC at no cost.

The transfer was then finalized in August and with the property transfer complete and the DJR plan from 2010 realized, the for-profit corporation is no longer needed and dissolves.

Despite the culmination of more than 25 years of effort to renovate and develop the train station, the seven years of work by DJR and its board spent toward finding a viable project for it, and the amount of fundraising required by the NCC to realize its vision and own the train station property, there was no public announcement by mayor Teresi, nor any media release announcing the property transfer or dissolution.

2018 – GRAND OPENING OF NCC TO TAKE PLACE IN AUGUST

The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY will open on Aug. 1, 2018.

In April 2018, the NCC announced its grand opening will take place on Aug. 1, 2018.

The Center, which comes with a combined cost of $35 million between the money invested in the Train Station, as well as the NCC build out,  is expected to attract more than 100,000 annual visitors and have a $23 million annual stabilized economic impact on the region.

WRFA plans to tell more about the history of the National Comedy Center’s development in the summer of 2018 when we talk with NCC board chair Tom Benson.

The New York State Regional Economic Development Council announced that three projects in the city will receive $327,500 in state funding through the 2017 grant process.

The city of Jamestown, in partnership with the Gebbie Foundation, received $140,000 for the W. Second St. public piazza and streetscape improvements project.

This project will convert the area of W. Second St. in front of the Gateway Train Station and National Comedy Center into an appealing piazza with a pedestrian-friendly feel, while also maintaining multi-modal function. Officials say the change will improve walkability and connectivity to the NCC and the Chadakoin River. The total project will cost over $500,000, with the Gebbie Foundation providing the local share of the cost.

The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation also received two funding awards from the state.

One was for $100,000 to go toward the renovation of 10-12 W. Second St. The funding will go toward an indoor Jamestown Public Market, community kitchen, shared workspace, apartments, and a stones course. The second grant was for $87,500 to update the Jamestown Urban Design Plan.

In addition to the funding for Jamestown, Chautauqua County also received a record amount of project funding. State officials announced that the county will receive $9.5 million for 23 different projects. The largest award was $5 million for the sewer extension for the west side of Chautauqua Lake.

A complete listing of all local projects that received money can be found at the State Regional Economic Development Council website.